Chocolate Banana Green Smoothie

2 cups spinach -packed
1 cup Dark Chocolate Almond Milk
1 cup strawberries - frozen
1/2 banana - frozen

Blend.   Makes 1 chocolatey banana smoothie.  This is my 8 year old's favorite smoothie.
Thanks Jacque, for the recipe.

Broccoli Cashew Quinoa

Last night I tried a recipe from Green Smoothie Girl's book 12 Steps to Whole Foods.  I'm looking for more meatless dinners that my family will actually eat.  I think I found one here.  Only one kid refused to try it! :)

Broccoli Cashew Quinoa

1 TB coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped*
2 cups vegetable broth
1 TB white wine vinegar (I used red because I didn't have white)
1 TB agave
2 TB fresh lemon juice
1 Cup quinoa, rinsed well (soak for a few minutes, then drain with a fine strainer).
1/2 tsp sea salt
6 Cups broccoli, cut into small pieces
freshly ground black pepper
1 Cup cashew pieces, toasted in oven

Heat coconut oil over medium heat and saute onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes, vegetable stock, vinegar, agave, and lemon juice. Bring to boil. Stir in quinoa and salt, then put broccoli on top. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 20-25 minutes. Remove from heat when broccoli is tender. Add the ground pepper and cashews and toss.

*The one change I would make to this recipe is the sun-dried tomatoes.  I would use 1/4 cup. Original recipe called for 1/2 cup.  The sun-dried tomato taste was a little too strong for me.  The kids picked them out and asked why there were raisins in the dinner. So next time, I'm doing 1/4 cup and chopping them much smaller.  I think you still need them, just not so much.

Nutrients in
Quinoa
42.50 g (42.50 grams)

Nutrient%Daily Value

manganese43%

tryptophan21.8%

magnesium20.9%

folate19.5%

phosphorus19.4%

Calories (156)8%

Trying something new - Jicama

I tried something new last week.  Jicama.  I had no idea what it would even look like when I went to find it in the produce section. It's not pretty, but in the right recipe, it wasn't bad at all.
I tried this recipe for Jicama Salad With Mango and Dried Blueberries from Section89.com.

picture & recipe from section89.com

 I also ordered Green Smoothie Girl's Twelve Steps to Whole Foods Manual.  I needed something to get me motivated again.  I've been wanting it for a while.  It's working.  I'm back to eating almost 100% good real food.  That 3 pound weight gain I mentioned a few months ago turned into 7 pounds.  But after a week of good eating it's back down to 3 pounds.  When I'm eating right my body naturally drops the weight, I have more energy and I feel so much better.

ps.  If you have any more jicama recipes, send them my way.

Seasoned Popcorn

1 cup popcorn (unpopped) I use organic
2-3 TB  pure extra virgin Coconut Oil, melted
3-4 TB nutritional yeast (I buy this from Winco or Good Earth in bulk)
"healthier" popcorn salt*

1 large paper bag

*to make "healthier" popcorn salt, just blend Real Salt or Himalayan salt into powder in your blender. It sticks to the popcorn so much better.

Pop the popcorn in an air popper 1/2 cup at a time.  Pour it into the paper bag.  Pour in the coconut oil (trying not to get it all over the bag) and sprinkle in the nutritional yeast and popcorn salt.  Shake and serve.

Two years ago I quit eating microwave popcorn. I love popcorn and I missed it, but microwave popcorn contains the chemicals perfluorooctanoic acid (linked to liver and prostate cancer) and diacetyl (used as a flavoring agent which  causes the lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans in the popcorn factory workers who breath it.)  I'd rather not eat chemicals on my popcorn.  I started eating it plain which was just, well, plain.  I'm so glad I found this way to make it.  The bag is essential, I've tried it in a bowl and it doesn't work as well.

I've heard that most corn grown in the US is genetically modified, so I buy organic popcorn in bulk at the health food store.  I get the nutritional yeast there too.  Nutritional yeast can be a good source of vitamin B12.

This popcorn doesn't contain hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils either.  Coconut oil is one of the good fats.  Some people take coconut oil as a supplement


This recipe makes a A LOT of really good popcorn.

Black Beans & Rice w/ Chicken and Apple Salsa

I made this for dinner last night.  I grilled the chicken on my George Foreman for the rest of the family, but I skipped the chicken and put the apple salsa right on top of the beans and rice.  They wouldn't try the apple salsa, so there was plenty left over for my lunch today.  Yummy!
Here's the link to the recipe over at ourbestbites.com.

Tacos and Chili

I made tacos last night.  That means tonight is chili - with the leftover taco meat.  And we always have leftover taco meat because our grass fed beef is packaged in 2 lb sections.  Who really eats 2 pounds of hamburger in one meal?  Not us.
So, I made tacos.  Since I'm eating hardly any meat these days, I filled my corn tortillas with garbanzo beans heated with a little water and taco seasoning instead of beef.  The rest of the family ate theirs with beef, but they snacked on the rest of my garbanzo beans.  So that's progress.
Tonight though, I will be eating meat.  I'm making chili and corn bread.  Sometimes I hesitate to post recipes because people come here looking for healthy recipes right?  And sugar is not healthy. There is sugar in my corn bread. There's butter in there too.  But remember the 80/20 rule?  I eat healthy food most of the time and that works for me.  So if you're looking for 100%, this is not the blog for you.
Here's the chili I'm making tonight:

Crockpot Chili  -or Slow Cooker Chili if you want to be politically correct
2-3 stalks celery chopped
1 carrot chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 lb ground beef (optional)
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp cumin
1 large clove garlic
2  (8 oz) cans of tomato sauce
1 or 2 cans* diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1 or 2 cans* of beans, rinsed and drained (I used Great Northern and Black Eye Peas)
1 cup water
1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce
A little salt and pepper

*When I make this for my family of 7, I do 2 cans each of beans and tomatoes.  Otherwise, just go with 1 can.

Fry up the beef, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, cumin, and chili powder. (If you're using leftover taco meat, or omitting beef altogether, then stir-fry the vegetables and seasonings.)  Pour into slow cooker and add remaining ingredients.  Cook on high at least 3-4 hours.  Or on low for longer.

And, if you feel like making some really good Corn Bread.  Try this recipe, but substitute whole wheat flour for the white.  It's my favorite.

Quinoa. It's What's For Lunch

Mexican Quinoa Salad from mygreendiet.com

My lunch was good today, so I thought I'd share it. It's Mexican Quinoa Salad from Mygreendiet.com.  You can find the recipe here.  I followed her recipe, except that I used regular tomatoes, cut down the cumin, and then I added a cup of frozen corn. Next time I think I'll add some red wine vinegar or something.  I'm not a fan of cumin, so when I cut that down it needed a little something else. If you like my Cowboy Caviar recipe, you'll like this salad.

I want to try some more quinoa recipes, so if you have any favorites, send them my way please.
 

Healthy Fudge

       Each time I go to the health food store I've been buying a few things to try. Lately I've tried Larabars, coconut butter, lentils, chopped dates, almond milk, collard greens, carob powder and beets.  All things I've never eaten in my life!

       The collard greens, chopped dates, almond milk and beets went in various smoothies.  The lentils were for this yummy Sloppy Joe recipe. The coconut butter and the carob powder (along with some other things) all went into this tasty fudge.  I'm having so much fun finding new things that I like and that my family likes as well.

  

If you want to try something tasty and good for you, try this healthy fudge recipe.  That said, Fudge is not a vegetable.  Show some restraint.

 Healthy Fudge Recipe

2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups if you cook your own beans)

1/2 cup coconut butter or coconut spread (I used Earth Balance Organic Coconut Spread)

1/2 cup plus 2 TB honey

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup carob powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 cup chopped cashews

Put everything but the cashews into a food processor and process until smooth.  (I don't have a food processor, so I used my BlendTec blender to mash up the beans and then I scooped them into my Kitchen Aid mixer to combine.)

Stir in the cashews.  Spread into a 8x8 pan and refrigerate for one hour.

Cut into pieces.

If you're not going to eat it all within a few days. (And I hope you don't!) Then wrap fudge pieces in freezer wrap and store individually in freezer. 

Guaranteed to satisfy a chocolate craving!

Find the  original recipe and more healthy recipes here at simplynaturalhealth.com.

A little something about coconut oil: 
Coconut oil is very useful in reducing weight.  It contains short and medium-chain fatty acids that help in taking off excessive weight. It is also easy to digest and it helps in healthy functioning of the thyroid and enzyme systems. Further, it increases the body's metabolism by removing stress on the pancreas, thereby burning out more energy and helping obese and overweight people reduce their weight. Hence, people living in tropical coastal areas, who eat coconut oil daily as their primary cooking oil, are normally not fat, obese or overweight.

Greek Chicken & Spinach Rice

I found this recipe in today's newspaper and it sounded healthy and delicious.  And it was! It could be a main or a side dish, depending on how much chicken you use.  I used less chicken and more mushrooms. Delicious!  Or skip the chicken completely for a vegetarian dish. 

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1  8 oz pkg fresh mushrooms, sliced (original called for only 1 cup)
1 cup frozen, chopped spinach
1 cup quick-cooking brown rice, uncooked
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 chicken breast, cut into 3/4 inch cubes (optional)
1 cup plus 2 TB chicken broth, low sodium
1 TB lemon juice
2 TB Feta cheese (You can leave this out too if you're avoiding animal protein)
2 TB slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 2 qt casserole dish with cooking spray.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in medium skillet. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Stir in mushrooms and cook until tender, 3-5 more minutes.

Stir in frozen spinach. Cook until thawed and moisture evaporates. Pour into prepared casserole dish. Stir in dry rice, oregano and pepper.

Return skillet to medium heat and add remaining teaspoon of oil. Add chicken and cook 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently until chicken is done.  Add chicken to casserole and stir. Pour chicken broth over top.

Cover and bake 30 minutes.  Sprinkle with lemon juice, feta cheese and almonds.  Bake uncovered 10 minutes more.  Serves 4-6 as a side dish.

Healthy Tasty Lunches

What to eat for lunch!  My favorite lunches are leftovers or something quick & easy!
Here are some of my lunches this week:

My new favorite salad.  Thank you to my sister Jacque for this recipe! I am a huge fan of Zupas, but it's not cheap or convenient for me to eat there daily.  This has been my lunch for the last 3 days.  The dressing is Maple Grove Fat Free Raspberry Vinaigrette.  I fill a LARGE bowl with spinach, lettuce, strawberries, mandarin oranges, blueberries, goat cheese and Emerald Glazed Almonds.  (Never tasted goat cheese until this week.) Just as tasty as Zupas Nuts About Berries salad.  I'm giving you links so you can see what I used, but I found everything at Walmart.

Egg Veggie Wrap.  This lunch was easy and yummy.  Scramble two eggs.  Steam some broccoli and asparagus.  Wrap them up in a whole wheat tortilla or Flat Out Wrap with a little grated cheddar and some Parmesan cheese. You definitely need the cheeses for flavor. Microwave it for 20 seconds just to melt the cheese and you're done. 

Bean and Guac Tacos.  I hesitated to put this picture up because it's not pretty.  But it's good.  I used refried beans, leftover rice and guacamole on whole wheat tortillas.  Then I added green leaf lettuce and ate it with my favorite green smoothie.

Chicken Veggie Stir Fry over Brown Rice.  Leftovers! Whenever I make this for dinner I look forward to lunch the next day.

I'm always looking for healthy quick lunch ideas.  What's your favorite healthy lunch?

Mediterranean Quinoa

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Quinoa dry
• 1 14.5 oz can Chicken Broth
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil Or Oil From The Sun Dried Tomatoes
• 2 whole Thin Chicken Breasts, Cut Into 1 Inch Cubes
• OR 1 can Garbanzo Beans instead of chicken, drained.
• 2 pinches Dried Oregano
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
• 2 whole Garlic Cloves, Minced
• 2 small jars Artichoke Hearts (or 1 can) drained
• ½ cup Marinated Sun Dried Tomatoes, Chopped
• 5 fresh mushrooms chopped.
• 1 small Lemon, Zest And Juice, Divided Use
• ¼ cup dry parsley

Prepare 1 cup Quinoa using 2 cups chicken broth (I use 1 can plus enough water to equal 2 cups liquid.)  Prepare it like you would rice. It only simmers for about 12 minutes until liquid is absorbed. So, while that’s simmering:

In a large saute pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil or use the sun dried tomato oil. Add cubed chicken and sprinkle with oregano. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring occasionally.

*OR heat 1 can garbanzo beans with the oregano (instead of chicken). Only takes a couple minutes.

Push chicken (or garbanzos) to the side of the pan to make room for the onions. Saute for 4-5 minutes until softened.

Add the garlic. Push the onion mixture to the side to make more room and add the artichoke hearts. Mix it all together and lower heat.

To this mixture add the sun dried tomatoes (save the rest of the jar for next time), mushrooms and lemon zest. Stir to combine. Turn off the heat and add the parsley and lemon juice. Finally, add the cooked quinoa to the mixture and stir well to incorporate all the ingredients and flavors.

And just because- I was comparing these two pictures today. My son says I look the same.  Yet I still allow him to live here.

November 2010

June 2009

Favorite Dinners that are actually Good For You!

If I could eat anything for dinner, this is what I would eat.  These aren't just healthy meals.  These are my favorite meals that also happen to be healthy.  You definitely need to click into the links to see the pictures to get the full effect.  So yummy!
Day 1: 
Broiled Tilapia Parmesan & Best Ever New Potatoes and Fresh Green Beans .  The sauce on the fish is not low fat or low calorie so I just about half as much on my own piece and it's about perfect.

Day 2: 

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Pancakes.  I throw in some semi sweet chocolate chips and then top them with Vanilla Yogurt and Blackberries if I have them.  Poppy Seed Fruit Salad. I pass on the watermelon and add Kiwi instead, or apples. Just use your favorite fruits.  It's the dressing that makes it delicious.

Day 3:

Sweet Potato Enchiladas & steamed brussel sprouts and yellow squash.

Day 4:  

Black Bean Burgers with Cilantro Lime Mayo.  Or skip the mayo and dress it like you would a regular burger.  Steamed Fresh Veggies like broccoli, cauliflower and carrots mixed.

Day 5:

Cashew Pasta Bake and Spinach Strawberry Salad. 

I thought it was weird to have nuts with pasta, but this is really good. I double the recipe so I can have it for lunch the next 2 days.

Day 6:

Minestrone Soup and Best Whole Wheat Bread.  I'll add 1/2 cup of alphabet pasta to this soup just because my kids like finding the letters.

Day 7:
Zupas Nuts About Berries Salad.  But please get your dressing on the side.  They give way too much dressing. I use about 1/3 of it.

Meltshroom Sandwich

I eat a lot of food. When I'm hungry I eat. This is my favorite lunch when tomatoes are in season. The sandwich is only 200 calories and 7.3 grams of fat- because of the cheese. I've tried the starvation way of dieting and it's not for me. I get too grumpy when I can't eat. Meltshroom Sandwich 2 medium mushrooms sliced 2 thin slices onion 2 TB shredded mozzarella cheese 1 medium tomato sliced 1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts 2 slices 9 grain or whole wheat bread 1 TB lite Miracle Whip Toast bread and spread with lite Miracle Whip. Layer the mushrooms, onion and cheese on both slices bread. Broil for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted. Top with sliced tomato and sprouts. (I season it with Mrs. Dash). Makes one open face sandwich. My bread only has 50 calories and 1/2 a gram of fat per slice. So even with the grapes and strawberries, it's under 300 calories.

Green Smoothie

Green Smoothie #1
serving size: 16 oz

1 cup packed baby spinach
1 cup frozen peaches
1/6 cup almond milk or skim milk (1/6 is half of one third cup)
1/3 cup orange juice OR 1 medium orange, peeled of course
1/3 cup Dannon All Natural Vanilla Yogurt
1 small carrot peeled & chopped.  Optional. You might as well add it. It doesn't change the flavor.

Put everything in the blender, frozen peaches on top. Blend & Enjoy.

Green Smoothie #2 (My healthier version!)
serving size: 18 oz

1 cup packed baby spinach
1 kale leaf
1 small carrot peeled and chopped into a few pieces
1 small apple cored and cut into a few pieces
1 cup Mixed Frozen Fruit or Berries *(Sam's club has a mix of peaches, mangoes, pineapples & strawberries)
1/6 cup almond milk
1/3 cup OJ or a small orange


Put everything in the blender, frozen fruit on top.  Blend and enjoy. If you don't have a BlendTec or a Vitamix, you'll want to use more liquid and chop the carrot and apple before blending.
It also blends better if you blend everything but the frozen stuff first and then add the frozen.

 Don't let the color of this smoothie scare you.  It turns out brownish purple because of the berries, but it's good.   I drink one of these smoothies every day. Sometime I'll do a kiwi instead of an apple.
If you're feeling brave:  I've also added 1/4 avocado or 1/4 small beet to this smoothie.