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%

Yellow Daal and Naan - My 1st Attempt at Indian Food

     I tried Indian Food today for the first time tonight.  I made Yellow Daal over rice and some Naan (Indian flatbread) to go with it.  Yellow daal (also spelled dhal) is a thick lentil stew made with yellow split peas.  It was hard to find a recipe with ingredients that I'd heard of, but this one was simple and familiar. I also steamed some veggies just because I knew someone would refuse to eat it and I wanted to have something on the table that everyone would eat.

     I found a Naan recipe online, but it was cooked on a grill.  I didn't want to fire up the grill in the backyard, so I went with the griddle.  They look like pancakes in this picture, but they were actually super good.  Everyone liked the bread.  I really liked the daal and so did my husband and 3 of the kids.  The 2 others we had to promise that if they took one bite, they'd never have to taste Yellow Daal again.  One ended up liking it, the other is too stubborn to admit it even if he did.

Next time I want to try making the naan with whole wheat flour and I'd probably not cook the daal as long or maybe add less water.  It ended up the consistency of mashed potatoes, but the flavor was good.  Not bad for a first try!  The leftovers will make a great lunch tomorrow.

Benefits of Eating Raw

    
      Raw foods come to us with the living enzymes necessary to facilitate the digestion and assimilation of the nutrients in foods. Cooking kills all enzymes, as well as most vitamins, and alters the minerals and proteins in such a way that they are less usable to the body. Because the cooked food is not accompanied by the enzymes necessary for digestion, it places more of a strain on our digestive system and many of the nutrients that are left after cooking are lost in this process (besides those lost through any refining or processing).

       Raw foods are also the most nutritionally dense, because all of the original vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats and fiber are in their unaltered forms and completely available to our bodies. A raw food offers up to three times the nutrition of the same cooked. Since true nutrition is concerned with feeding our cells, it is important to provide them with the living nutrients of raw foods. Life can be sustained on cooked foods, but cells are not replenished and replaced in an optimal way. On raw foods you will find that you eat less, yet your body will operate more efficiently with what you provide.

       Also because raw foods are easily digested, less energy will be expended on the process of digestion and be available to you. Most people who add more raw foods to their diet are surprised by the increase in energy they experience.  (The above article is from Simplynaturalhealth.com)

A couple ways to add raw foods to your diet:

Smoothies-  Green smoothies are best.  Start small by adding just a handful of spinach to your favorite fruit smoothie.  It won't change the color or taste if you use just a handful.

Try putting baby carrots or some other sliced vegetable on the table while the rest of the meal is still cooking.  I've noticed that we will eat more vegetables if there isn't anything else available right then.

Salads or coleslaw are always easy.  I always have the ingredients on hand for a fruit or green salad so I can have a salad for lunch or with dinner most days.

Anyone else out there trying to get more raw foods in?  How do you do it?

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.

Breakfast Quinoa

Instead of my usual fruit and steel cut oats for breakfast, I tried fruit and quinoa.  I'd made the quinoa for dinner the night before, so all I did was heat it up and add fruit, cinnamon and some local raw honey.   I'd definitely do it again next time I have leftover quinoa.  After I took the photo I decided it needed raisins.  Which made it just about perfect!

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?

Yes, I Ate It All

This was lunch today.  Leftover Cashew Pasta Bake (minus the cashews because they mysteriously disappeared from my pantry), 2 cups steamed veggies and 2 Green Leaf Lettuce leaves.
The only problem was that it was so huge it got cold before I could eat it all.
I'll be having a Green Smoothie and some hummus and flat bread for a snack today.
I missed breakfast because by the time I got home from the gym, library, grocery store and credit union, it was 11am.  So I made this ginormous lunch.
Dinner will be this Crock Pot Broccoli Chicken over brown rice with extra veggies.
And I definitely will be having a couple of these for dessert!  Chocolate Chip Chickpea Cookies from Trainer Momma. I made them last night because I was feeling adventurous and my kids loved them. Even my 10 year old (aka: "Pickiest Eater Ever Born") ate them, but only because he doesn't know what's in them.

Start Small to see Big Changes

You might look at what I’m eating right now and think that it’s pretty weird stuff.

I admit my tastes have changed.  But you don’t have to eat quinoa or black bean burgers or go vegetarian to see some big changes in your weight and especially changes in how you feel.

(Speaking of quinoa: I made quinoa for the first time a couple weeks ago and loved it.  Recipe coming soon.)

You don’t have to totally overhaul your (or your family’s) way of eating right away.  Start small.

Are you eating at least 5 different fruits and vegetables every day? 

Here's how I gradually changed how we eat:

I still made the meals my kids  liked, but I tripled the amount of fruits and vegetables at each meal.  My kids still got their chicken pasta alfredo, but they got a lot more veggies to choose from.  My plate would have a small amount of pasta, but at least half of it was LOADED with veggies.  I’d chop up a bunch of cauliflower, carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, asparagus, whatever I could find and steam them. 

It’s a lot easier to eat a cup each of 3 different veggies than 3 cups of the same vegetable.  This is also a good plan for dinner because my picky eaters can always find at least one vegetable that they like in the mix and they’ll eat at least that one.  You could also add a bowl of cut fruit or just add half an apple to their plates.

Here's what I ate in a typical day when I thought I was eating healthy.  And then in Blue, a change I'd make now to make it healthier.

Breakfast-Before:  2 shredded wheat biscuits, toast, juice  CHANGE: replace 1 shredded wheat w/ a banana. Make sure your juice is 100% juice.

Lunch- Before:  BLT  and 1/3 cup broccoli  CHANGE: Replace BLT w/Meltshroom sandwich (see healthy recipes page) and eat 2 cups steamed mixed broccoli, cauliflower and carrots.  Add a bunch of red grapes

Snack- Before: coke, 1 bag lite microwave popcorn and a few M&M’s.  CHANGE:  replace w/ some air popped popcorn and add a bowl of fresh berries topped w/ 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt and sprinkled w/ grapenuts. No coke!

Dinner- Before:  1 ½ cups Taco Casserole w/ sour cream ½ cup corn, milk  CHANGE:  only do ½ cup taco casserole skip the sour cream, add 1/2 cup Cowboy Caviar, 1 Green Smoothie (has 1 cup fruit, 1 cup packed spinach- see Healthy Recipes page for recipe.

I figure I added about 8 more servings of fruits and vegetables to my day but still made basically the same meals for my family. 

So, what do you think?  Is it realistic?  Would it work for your family?  I know if you try it, you'll feel better and see the scale start going down.

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.

Random Food Journal 9/29/10

Breakfast:
Steel Cut Oats mixed with 1 apple chopped, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup raisins & cinnamon. 1/3 cup cranberry juice. DoTerra Wellness Supplements (400 calories 3.6 fat grams)
Lunch:
Bajio lime chicken enchilada, 1 cup sweet rice, 1/4 cup black beans, water (576 calories 8.8 fat grams)
Snack: 2 homemade granola bars * (210 calories, 8.8 fat grams)
Dinner:
1 cup pasta alfredo made with skim milk , 3/4 cup steamed squash, broccoli & carrots, 1 small tomato, 2/3 cup (packed) raw spinach, 4 strawberries, 1/2 TB Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette (368 calories 8.4 fat grams)
Snack #2: 2 more granola bars, a small banana (300 calories, 9.1 fat grams)
Grand Total: 1854 calories 38.6 fat grams
2.5 mile run, 10 minutes of upper body weights
Today wasn't one of my good days. I went a little overboard with the granola bars and Bajio. I usually try to eat more fruits and veggies than I did today. I used Prevention.com's health tracker to calculate everything. If my totals don't match up, just know that the Grand Total is correct. I'll do better tomorrow!
* Follow the link to "A Life Less Sweet" for the recipe for the homemade granola bars.

Random Food Journal

Breakfast: 1/4 cup (dry) Steel Cut Oats made with water and with 1 small apple chopped, 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup raisins, cinnamon. 1/3 cup cranberry juice.

Workout: 1 hour Zumba
Snack: Water, banana
Lunch: 3/4cup Rice and Bean Salad, 1 tomato, small carrot,water

Dinner: Green Smoothie, 1 egg scrambled, 1 tomato, 3/4 cup mixed veggies. Slice whole wheat chocolate chip zucchini bread. Water
Snack: Another slice zucchini bread. (Substituted most of the oil with applesauce, used whole wheat flour).
Weigh in:  128.0
For links to these recipes and more go to my Healthy Recipes page.

Healthify-ing Dinner

Tonight I made pizza for dinner.  Here's what I did to make it a more healthy meal.
* Homemade Whole Wheat Crust. I usually grind my own whole wheat flour but you don't have to.  Grinding your own is cheaper and healthier. Whole wheat flour loses it's nutrition if it sits longer than 6 months.
* Instead of using canned pizza sauce which is spendy and not so healthy, I used a can of tomato sauce, added a sprinkle of sugar and some Italian seasoning.  Most canned pizza/spaghetti sauce contains HFCS which I try to avoid.
* Use turkey pepperoni.  It tastes the same, but has much less fat.
* Add veggies for your toppings.  Tonight we had yellow squash, zucchini, and mushrooms.  Also good:  fresh spinach, garden tomatoes, onions, green peppers, and pineapple.
* Go easy on the cheese.  If you cut back gradually, you won't notice when you use less cheese. Or skip it all together.