Meatless Monday

Ever since having appendicitis in January earlier this year, I've tried to be better about eating things that I know make my body feel good, and avoiding the things that I know doesn't. I got lazy. Lesson learned! I want to keep my appendix for a long time! (And my 'lazy' still is much better than a good majority of our country, but it showed me how sensitive I really am.) So I've been focusing my efforts even more than I was before about eating responsibly for my body, and for our environment.

Without a big debate about whether veganism is good or bad, I will say this, meat has no fiber! And it does produce mucus in the body! A double whammy to be attentive of if you do eat it. I'm not a big meat eater anyway, and I've tried to focus my efforts on replacing a few common things that culturally we love to eat, but with the cost of good sustainably raised grass fed animals it can get expensive.

Chick-EN Nuggets @ Super Healthy Kids

We made some of these Chick-en Nuggets, and sadly I didn't take a picture, they were pretty tasty. And MUCH cheaper to buy chickpeas than chicken. But they looked like these, I followed the recipe here on Super Healthy Kids blog, a new favorite! Check them out! Only thing I did differently was dried parsley instead of fresh.

Today for lunch I was super low on groceries, so I did a variation of this recipe for black bean hamburgers. A big hit with my kiddos, they asked for seconds! (They do love meat, my boys more than my girl, but it's never been eaten with such enthusiasm as todays burgers were.)





Sorry, no step by step pictures as the other blog has of the recipe, but the delicious process is as follows:

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  1 can black beans, drained, blended in a food processor or blender.


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  1 egg


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  1 & 1/2 tsp sea salt


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  1/2 tsp black pepper


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  1 tbsp worchestershire sauces


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  1 & 1/2 tsp onion powder


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  1 tbsp chili powder


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  1 cup plain bread crumbs (start with one, add more if needed to get a consistancy like paste, not too wet and sticky, but not too dry and crumbly.)


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  1 tbsp baking powder

Shape and pat into circular patties, grill on both sides with a shallow level of olive oil (just enough to cover the bottom of your pan or cast iron grill.) I topped these burgers with creamy avocado spread and provolone cheese.


I served these with pineapple rings that I also threw on the cast iron grill at the end. Also a huge hit with my mini people. The only thing missing from this summer style lunch was a nice juicy watermelon. I'll have to remember that next time!

Fall home cookin'

I think that I am a fantastic cook. James is just coming around to realize this. But if you ask my kids about something that I make, they'll call it "Mom's famous pancakes" or "Mom's famous sandwiches." Love those ego boosters that they are!


Dinner tonight was a hit. I think it will be on the list of things they'll remember when they're adults eating out at resturaunts, and thinking "my mom made these all the time." I hope they say mine were better ;^) We had chili in breadbowls for dinner tonight, all made from scratch- even the bowls! Look at these faces!

(no pic of the little man eating, he didn't have a fancy bowl, and well, it was an oversight.)

Chili

-soak 1 lb red kidney beans overnight. About 4 hrs before dinnertime, drain and rinse.

-1 lb ground beef, browned rinsed and drained. (cut the fat, baby!)

-1 1/2 cup chopped onion (i like sweet vidalia)

-4 tbsp chili powder

-2 tsp sea salt

-2 tsp cumin

-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper powder

-1 & 1/2 tsp dried thyme

-2 cans diced tomatoes *juice and all (I used fire roasted flavor by Muir Glen)

*fill the pot nearly to the top with water, and bring to a boil. After it begins boiling, turn the heat to medium or medium high to continue a simmer for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. As it gets closer to being done, you'll need to stir every 15 minutes. (side note, the way I made it tonight was using 1/2 tsp cayenne, that was TOO much! If that happens, 1 tsp cinnamon tones down the heat, and gives the chili an awesome flavor too! Seriously! Try it on purpose if you're up for being pleasantly surprised.)

Bread bowl:

2 pkgs active dry yeast, disolve in 1/2 cup warm water, then add:

1 cup milk, warm

2 eggs (beat first)

3 tbsp butter, melted

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar

1 & 1/2 tsp sea salt

4-5 cups unbleached all purpose flour, add the last cup little by little checking for elastic consistancy as you're kneading it (or as your mixer is kneading it.) You might not need a full 5 cups.

Divide into 6 balls, rolling them onto two seperate cooking sheets. As you form them into a ball, leave space between them to allow room for rising. Lay a piece of plastic wrap lightly over the top and let them rise for 1 hour. When they double in size, they're ready to cook, on 350 Degrees for 15-18 minutes, watch for a pretty golden brown color. After you take them out of the oven, cut the tops by moving the knife at an angle all around to cut a "lid" off of the bowl. Then use a fork to gently pull out bread from the middle of the bowl to hollow it out, and fill it up with yummy chili! (do this while it's hot, once they cool it will be harder to hollow out into a bowl.)

Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls

Photo by Allison @ Lemonbasil

(because we ate ours too fast for a picture!)

I tried sending this recipe to a friend in a message, and the format was being screwy, so I'll post it here, as a late edition of Tasty Tuesday traditions. It was a big hit, so I think it will be worth it. My friend Kate sent me the recipe idea, and I adapted it to be vegan, and a bit healthier ;^)


Put 1 cup raisens and 2 cups shelled pecans in a bowl of hot water to plump and soften, drain when they're ready.


Peel and cut one large sweet potato, add one cup water into a pot and cover, steam until softened. Mash or whip the potato when it's softened, and set it aside.


1 package active dry yeast in 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl to disolve, set that aside too.


Scald 1 cup milk (I used vanilla almond milk) and pour over 1/2 cup coconut oil in a large stainless steel bowl, or a stand mixer.


Now add in the mixer or large bowl: 1/4 cup honey, 1 banana, the disolved yeast, the mashed sweet potato, and 5 cups of all purpose unbleached flour. The dough needs to be a solid form but elastic and pliable. You don't want it to drip, or sink or spread. If it still does that, you need to add more flour gradually until you've achieved an elastic consistancy. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set it aside to rise for one hour.


After it has risen for an hour, punch the dough and knead it a few more times, then spread the dough out on a counter surface or table. I think it's easier to split it in half and work with it in smaller portions. Roll the dough into a large rectangle shape.


Brush it with olive oil, and spread the pecans and raisens all over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle cinnamon generously to cover the surface as well. Drizzle maple syrup over the pecans and raisens, and then roll from one side to the other to form a large "log." Use string or a knife to cut the rolls.


When you cut each roll, place it in a non-stick baking dish or bar pan, press down firmly on each roll. Lay them closely together for sides touching, and let rise 20 more minutes.


Bake them at 375 F for 15 minutes. Drizzle the tops with a mixure of vanilla soy yogurt and maple syrup. And try to resist smiling while you eat them. They are heavenly!

Egg-citing breakfast

Breakfast was sooooo yummy this morning, I didn't want to wait for Tuesday to share it! The kids get excited when I make something they love (which is every meal, right?) So they call things "Mom's famous" whatever it is I made. So today, here's the recipe for my:

Famous Artichoke Eggs

In a baking dish place these items:

1 -10 oz jar or can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 tablespoons minced tomatoes packed in oil
1 tsp garlic powder or 2 fresh minced cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper

Next, brown up 1 lb ground breakfast sausage, I found a yummy turkey one at Walmart of all places. Add this to your mixture.

Crack 10 eggs into your blender and add 1/2 cup water, mix until you see bubbles for super fluffy eggs. Pour on top of mixture in the baking dish, and cover with foil.

Cook on 350 F for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and cook another 15 minutes. Top it off with crumbled chevre cheese or mozzarella.

We enjoyed it this morning with the green drink , we added carrots today, and frozen mango instead of mixed berries for a delicious healthy start. MMM, typing this out made my mouth water, I'm going back for seconds!

Tasty Tuesdays- Healthy Start

I have decided that I am finally fed up with the illnesses that have been going on around here. And not the common stuff like colds and flu's. After talking with our good friend who is a Naturopathic Doc back in Utah it made a lot of sense to me. My kids haven't been tolerant to processed foods, dairy, and conventional things because for a long time I didn't eat like that. I didn't when I was pregnant either, and they were all breastfed. But they each have their sensativities regardless, for Kellan it's finding the right milk that agrees with his tummy, he has to have almond. For Maren it's her skin and finding the right detergents.

We've slacked. A lot in the last year. A lot of illnesses, busy schedules, and flat out lack of caring has put a lot more 'cheap quick' food into our diets. And it's showing.

So we're starting our rehabilitation back to health by beginning our day with a Smoothie, Dr. Oz style.

His Recipe for a Green Drink (for lots of the vitamins and minerals that we need to rejuvinate healthy cells and thrive)
1 Cucumber
2 Apples (I like Gala or Fuji)
1 Big handful of spinach
1/2 cup parsley
1 Celery Stick
1 Medium cucumber
1 squeezed lemon (juice only)
1 thumbnail size slice of ginger root, peeled

I throw all of this into our juicer. When I've got all the fresh healthy juice, I add 4 oz. of filtered water in the blender with this juice, and add:

1/2 tsp. powdered probiotic like Babylife
1 tbsp Flax seed oil
2 tbsp plain organic yogurt
3/4 Cup frozen mixed berries

And blend it up!

If you are not used to tasting fruits and vegetables in all of their natural glory, try adding sweeter things to your smoothie like a banana, or sweetening it with a little bit of honey. But remember, processed sugars don't allow the probiotics to be of any benefit to the healthy bacteria that we need in our gut (even natural sugar cane), so you can just leave the probiotics out if you need to add some sugar until you are ready to drink your juice how Mother Nature flavors it.

Tasty Tuesdays- Secret Recipe

I can't even remember how long it has been since the pitcher to my blender got broken. So I finally sucked it up and paid the price for another (decent) blender. To welcome the new stainless steel Oster beauty into our family, I couldn't think of anything (i wanted) better than an Orange Julius :)


3 Cups Orange juice (I like Simply Orange juice, or fresh.)
1/2 Cup French Vanilla Yogurt
1/4 Cup sugar
1/4 Cup powdered sugar
12 ice cubes


Yields about 4 servings. I never said it was super healthy. But it so delicious!

Tasty Tuesdays Personal Pizzas

I have several little hands in the household that are always wanting to help out. So whenever I can, I try to plan a meal that 1) they'll like, and 2) they can help make.


We recently made personal pizza rollups with whole wheat dough! The kids loved them. They're minimal on the mess meter, and can be eaten on the go without the consequences of "fast food." They'll also freeze well before cooking if you want to make a bunch ahead of time.

We rolled the dough out onto the counter, brushed with olive oil, and layered it with favorite pizza toppings.

This one has tomato sauce (seasoned to taste with garlic, onion, and italian seasonings) chicken, yellow squash, red peppers, black olives, and mozzerella cheese. (Squash and chicken didn't show well in the picture with the lighting, sorry, but it is there!)

Another favorite pizza we make uses pesto sauce, zuccini slices, ground beef, and sliced tomatoes.

Roll the dough from one side to the other, pinching tightly as you roll it up jelly roll style. Use a string to cut slices of it 2 inches thick.

Put the slice you've cut off into the pan, and press down to bind the ingredients in the roll, it cooks more evenly and tightly if you do this. Bake on 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Here's the recipe I used for the whole wheat dough if you are interested, otherwise go ahead and use your favorite pizza dough recipe and try these roll ups! (I used full amount of whole wheat flour, and reduced the sugar to 1/4 Cup) This recipe is awesome for dinner rolls, scones, cinnamon rolls (with full sugar amount) and more! (I didn't knead this by hand, I used my kitchen aid for it, which works awesome if you have a dough hook.)

Tasty Tuesdays 'whole grain' style

I've been trying to be more resourceful the last few years making my own of just about anything (i have yet to attempt pasta, though I really really want to!) And one of the last things on my list was pancakes. I admit, I usually just buy a mix from Arrowhead Mills brand. Why? They sound so easy? Not so easy in my opinion. I like whole wheat 'healthy crap' haha. And any recipe that I've tried from scratch tends to stick to the waffle iron, or pancake skillet. But I've had success! For those who like 'healthy crap', give this a try!

Buttermilk Wholewheat pancakes

In a large bowl combine these ingredients:
1 & 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tblsp natural sugar cane (sucanat, or turbinado also ok)
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of sea salt

(mix together)

In a seperate bowl combine:
1 & 1/2 cups buttermilk (I used my own, try this recipe for butter and buttermilk!)
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk (if you use plain milk add 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
1 large egg
1 tblsp veg oil

(mix together)

Add the wet liquid to the dry mix with a wisk, don't over mix. Some lumps are perfect! The mixture will become 'airy' with air bubbles, this is great.

Poor into a non stick skillet preheated on medium heat, there is no need to use a spray or butter. When you see a few bubbles begin at the edges of the pancake surface, it is ready to flip over.

Enjoy!

What's on the menu

I love fall. I love cooking. Having something yummy in the crockpot after coming home from getting the kids from school, or taking them to ballet, always makes me feel like someone else is taking care of *me* instead, haha. A little psychology I'll leave you to figure out.

Here's what I've got on the menu for the next week or so, maybe it'll help if you're in a decisive funk like I have been a lot recently deciding what to feed my family.

BBQ Chicken Pitas, steamed carrots, corn on the cob

Turkey Chili, Cheesy jalepeno corn bread

Russian Chicken, brown rice, french cut green beans

Spaghetti & Meatballs, Caesar salad, garlic bread (*yes, Spaghetti in the crockpot too!)

Chicken Parmesean, baked spinach linquini, parmesean breadsticks

Roasted Red Pepper w/ Basil Pesto soup, baked butternut squash

Orange Chicken, vegetarian potstickers, sweet peas

Hickory smoked Salmon on the grill, rice pilaf, creamed broccoli soup

Chicken Fajitas, sautee'd peppers, tatertots


Yes, my kids eat all this. Yes, it's mostly organic, or atleast natural and most of it homecooked instead of kit-prepared. And no, I don't spend a fortune on groceries. But I am farther away from my desire to eat more vegetarian!

Tasty Tuesdays in Bulk!

All you have to do is say please :) And a few of my friends have, so here's what I've been cooking from just one small chicken. With the weather cooling off, and the fall leaves changing, I love the soups, so stock up- pun intended ;)

Dinner #1: Apple Basil Roasted Chicken

In a large crock pot, put one cup apple juice, 1/2 chopped onion, 2 garlic cloves minced, 2 granny smith apples peeled and diced, a pinch of sea salt and fresh ground pepper
.
Use heavy duty foil and crumple 3 tennisball size balls. These will act as a 'rack' to roast a chicken in your crockpot on top of!

Use 1 whole roasting chicken, 4-5 lbs cleaned and rinsed. Set on top evenly of the foil balls. Place 2-3 pads of butter on top of chicken, and 1 tablespoon dried basil sprinkled evenly. Set your crockpot to high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours.

This was a yummy dinner served with garlic and dill red potatoes and sautee'd asparagus as side dishes last night for dinner. The white meat from the roaster fed my family of 5. I took the drippings in a small sauce pan, turned on medium high to boil, and whisked in a rue to make a gravy.

*Don't clean out your crockpot yet! Leave the rest of the drippings and residue for flavor of cooking your chicken stock.

Dinner #2: Chicken Pot Pie

After the chicken is cooled, pull the remaining white meat, and dark meat, add with some mixed vegetables and create a yummy chicken pot pie with your favorite recipe. I use a simple biscuit recipe and make them in individual mini bread loaf pans. *Put the chicken meat away in the fridge to use on another night, no need to prepare anything right now.


Place the bones of the bird you've stripped the meat off of, with the neck and insides (if it had any) in your crockpot. Fill with water almost all the way. (I have a 5 qt size cooker.) Turn to low and let it simmer overnight, 12 hours is perfect. After it's done, pour through a strainer into a clean large enough bowl to strain the bone pieces from the liquid.

Dinner #3: No Chicken Noodle Soup

1 & 1/2 quarts of the chicken stock (about 1/3 of the liquid) in a large tupperware with 2 cups egg noodles, 1 & 1/2 cup frozen mixed veggies, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper, 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 small cloves minced, 1 teaspoon dried onion powder, 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Grilled chicken is excellent in it, I always cook bulk of that ahead of time to add to salads, etc. But the soup is great without chicken. *Freeze in tupperware to use another day.

Dinner #4: Black Bean Soup

1 quart chicken stock, 2 tablespoons cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 can black beans (drained). Again, grilled chicken is excellent in this soup, but it's delicious without it! Top with mozzerella cheese and crumbled tortilla chips. Mmm. *Freeze in tupperware to use another day

Dinner #5: Easy Peasy Potato Soup

1 quart chicken stock, 6 large russet potatoes peeled and quartered, 1 can of Campbell's condensed cheese soup, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 1 & 1/2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper, set your crockpot to high for 3 hours or low for 5 hours. Use a hand mixer to whip the potato soup until it's creamy. If you have too much liquid you can add some instant potato flakes a tablespoon at a time to thicken it, or corn starch 1 teaspoon at a time. Cook 6 slices of turkey bacon cooked and crumbled to top off the soup.

Happy Fall Cooking!

You've got 5 yummy recipes to fill up your

freezer and your tummies on a chilly day.

Tasty Tuesdays

I'm starting a possible tradition of sharing a healthy recipe, since I get a lot of friends who say they wish they ate healthier like I strive to do. It's really not that hard. I just make instead of buy a lot of things so the ingredients are pronouncable!


Have you ever heard of the book "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld? She got a lot of attention for it basically because she gave recipe ideas using puree'd vegetables as part of the ingredients so picky children would eat healthier, such as califlower into macaroni and cheese. I'm not a big fan of sneaking things to your children, I try to help them enjoy healthier things so they will choose well for themselves later, but if you're struggling with a picky kid, try this recipe.

"April's Sneaky Muffins." (you must lable your recipe card with the exact name. Ok, I tease. ;)

2 cups grated zuccini (unpeeled) *it's about 1 large zuccini or 2-3 smaller ones.
2 medium eggs
1/2 cup vegetalbe oil
(mix well together, it becomes more runny the longer you mix it, which is good.)

Then add:
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup natural sugar cane (table sugar will be just as fine, but not as healthy!)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups whole wheat flour (if you substitue for rice flour you may need to add a little extra for a drippy yet thick consistancy, you don't want it too "wet" and sloppy.)

Additonal items to sneak in can include: Raisens, walnuts, 1/3 cup grated carrots, 1/2 cup milled flax seed, or 1 red apple grated.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place muffin papers into a muffin tin, and fill each muffin cup to the top of the paper. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick test comes out clean.


They make a great breakfast item with a nice omlet loaded with garden fresh veggies and a glass of orange juice! Happy summer eating.