Black Bean and Sweet Potato Jambalaya

Thought you all might like another sweet potato recipe since 'tis the season for cheap ones!

Jambalaya:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large sweet potato peeled and cubed (about 2 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
14 oz. veggie broth
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
3/4 cup white rice (I know... "Boo! Hiss!" right? But it can't be helped, and it's so yummy!)
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

Toppings:
sliced green onions
chopped grape or cherry tomatoes

Heat oil in skillet. Cook Sweet Potato and Garlic until it starts to brown (2-3 min). Stir in broth, sauce, and pepper. Stir in rice. Boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 min. Stir in beans. Cover and simmer an additional 8-10 min. Top with onions and tomatoes when serving.

A Request

Hi my Veggie Lovin' friends! I need some more good crock pot recipes!

If you have a minute and could post one I would appreciate it!

Loves,

Ashlee

ps- I am sad I didn't end up seeing any of you in UT. I hope your various Nutcrackers were a success, and that you and yours are healthy and well! Shay is your baby doing better?

Two Easy Snacky/Mealy Ideas

Okay, these recipes both have cheese, but I think you could easily take it out if that is your preference.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Quesedillas

- Shred a peeled sweet potato. Saute it with a bit of olive oil, and some diced onion. Mix it with black beans and a little (seriously, it doesn't take much) shredded cheese. Use as filling between whole wheat tortillas to make some delicious quesedillas! Yummm! And so filling! Corey is particularly a huge fan. And I think black beans and sweet potatoes go together like peanut butter and jelly!

Homemade Hot Pockets

-Steam Broccoli Florets. Place in a bowl and run a knife through them to break them up nicely. Toss with some shredded cheese of choice (I do a sharp or pungently flavored cheese like parmesan to make a little go a long way) and white beans. Wrap up in whole wheat tortillas like a burrito. Place on lightly oiled baking sheet (lightly oiled so the tortilla will seal into a "pocket.") and bake at 400 degrees 10-12 min. I think I will enjoy experimenting with fillings for this!

Enjoy!

An Easy 2 for 1

Hi girls! I know it's been a while since I've posted anything on the blog lately. I found another win last night with my husband and thought I would share. This recipe comes from melomeals.blogspot.com. It's a really cool blog from a woman who lives as a vegan for $3.33 a day, (this budget is for herself only). You can also follow her on facebook at Vegan for $3.33 a Day. I've found some really great recipes on her site so far. This recipe is a quick and easy veggie burger base, (and admittedly I haven't tried it as such) that can be made into meat(less)balls. Click here to see her original post and directions.

Veggie burger base:

3 c hot beans

2 c old fashioned oats

1 envelope onion soup mix

Hot bean liquid if needed to bring the mixture together

Combine, (I gave it a few pulses in the food processor) form into patties and cook in a frying pan.

This is where I need to admit that before I read the recipe a few times I thought that hot meant spicy. I thought she meant to use like chili beans or something. No, she means like a fresh batch of hot (temperature wise) beans right out of the pot. I'm sure you're all smarter than me, but just in case. ;)

For the meat(less)balls:

1/2 recipe of the burger base

1/2 t oregano

1 t garlic powder

pinch ground fennel

1/4 t sage

1 t balsamic vinegar

pepper

Combine. Form into balls and microwave for 10 minutes. They should be hard; they are intended to reconstitute in your sauce. Simmer in your sauce and enjoy! (These will soak up your sauce quite a bit. You may want to make it more saucy than usual?)

I didn't have any fennel, used the whole batch of burger base and doubled everything but the garlic powder. For me a little of that goes a long way.

The whole reason I tried these: first, my husband used to love when I cooked a roast with onion soup mix. I wanted to give him a familiar flavor while trying something new. This really helps him when trying meat alternatives like this. (If you don't want to use a prepackaged and processed mix there are ideas in the original post and comments for substitutes.) Second, I don't have a working oven right now so a veggie burger base that can be cooked in a pan and meatballs that can be cooked in the microwave were a big win for me. In fact she says that these won't taste as good baked. They'll be too dry.

This was the easiest veggie burger recipe I've tried and it was SO good. The flavor was spot on, they were a good chewy texture for my husband and they really added a heartiness to our dinner. She does have several other veggie burger recipes, so if this one doesn't look to be to your fancy, browse around her site. I'm sure you'll find something you like.

Another fun site I found recently is chefchloe.com. Chef Chloe won the Food Network's Cupcake Wars with vegan cupcakes. Pretty cool, huh?! Her site has a blog, recipes, etc. Anyway, I tried her Panang Curry last week and it was also a hit with the husband. (I left out the tofu and added more veggies; peas, carrots and the like.) It was a really good compromise for us because I actually hate curry, but the flavor in this one was a little more subdued and balanced out by everything else. He got curry and I didn't have to choke it down. ;)

Anyway I hope you're all doing well! Happy Holidays!! Can you believe it's November already?!

Baby and Raw

I thought I should tell my veggie lovin' friends that I am three month pregnant. We are super excited. I am feeling a ton better. Like usual I felt sick pretty much all day long but now I am doing great. I am eating all of my super foods and my regular raw diet again. (I was eating pretty good but sometimes when a cinnamon roll is the only thing that you can get down, you eat it. I must say it was good I have not had one in years).

My midwife loves that I am a raw pregnant woman. She completely supports how I eat. In fact my next appointment I am bringing some raw things for her to try. I am so excited to feed my baby a raw diet when I start introducing foods etc.

I am also having a home birth. So So So excited about that. My midwife and her nurse will come to my house with all of their gear etc when I am in labor. At 37 week they will come to my house and learn it. Also, they will bring me the big birthing tub. I hope to have another water birth. I loved my water birth with Ayo.

I will keep you updated with recipes that will obviously be the things that I am craving;)

Creamless Creamy Squash Soup

Creamless Creamy Squash Soup

Ingredients: 1 celery rib, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1 lb winter squash such as butternut, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 lb boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups boiling water plus additional for thinning

Preparation:

Cook celery, carrot, and onion in 2 tablespoons oil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned (10 to 12 minutes). Add squash, potatoes, and salt. Stir in 3 1/2 cups boiling water and simmer, covered, until vegetables are very tender (about 20 minutes).

Once vegetables are tender, purée soup in batches in a blender, adding more water to thin to desired consistency.

You could make this raw if you put the veggies in warm warm water for several hours to soften.

New Blog

Hi guys,

My Friend Susan gave me a link to a great vegan blog. I am digging the graph that she has on her most recent post. Too true!

Here is the link:

http://veganlinda.blogspot.com/

I have also posted it on our side bar.

Love to all!

Shay, I hope your little Christian is doing better! I don't have much experience in the ear infection category :( Sorry!

Ear Infection help

OK so Christian has had 2 ear infections in 2 and a half months.  What's a momma to do??  Have you guys tried any of the "natural remedies" out there?  Warm olive oil in the ear? (how does that work when there's already a build up of fluid in the ear???)  Colloidal Silver? Help?

Better Shepherd's Pie

I posted a Shepherd's Pie a while back. It was okay, but I found this recipe and absolutely love it! I have been searching and searching for a good one because S. P. was one of my favorites growing up. I'm so glad I have something similar, but much more healthy, now!

Shepherd's Pie

Garlic Mashed Potatoes (6-8 russets, boil, drain, mash with "butter," rice milk, parsley, salt/pepper, & either roasted garlic cloves or garlic powder)
2 Large Carrots, Sliced
1 (16 oz) Package frozen mixed veggies
olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, drained lightly
1 (8oz) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
garlic powder, oregano, basil, chili powder, and a bit of agave - to taste
Paprika

Make the mashed potatoes- and meanwhile... Cook the carrots and mixed veggies. Set veggies aside. Cook onion in a bit of olive oil. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce and spices. Add veggies (drained of excess liquid). Cook until flavors can meld- about 3 min. Place in bottom of a prepared 9x13 pan and top with dollops of garlic mashed potatoes. Smooth out and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 375 for 20 min.

Yumm!

Raw Almond Joys

Prep yourself girls..... this recipe is amazing!!! I hope you enjoy it. Remember there is a difference between a young coconut and matured coconut. The matured is the one you typically see at the store that is brown, round and hard. The young coconut is still in its husk. Just cut the husk off of the top. Take a screw driver and hammer a bunch of holes in the top (making a circle) until you can lift it off. The meat inside is similar to the texture of jello. You just spoon it out. One young coconut is enough for this recipe. The water from this coconut is amazing. Just drink it. It is so much better than the water from a matured coconut. Also, coconut water is full of electro lights and potassium. So,it is good for after working out.

Raw Almond Joy

For this you will need:
Coconut Filling
Dry or Soaked Almonds
Chocolate Coating

Coconut Filling
2/3 cup young coconut meat
3/4 cup + 2 tbs dried coconut
2 tbs agave nectar
2 tsp honey
2 tbs coconut butter
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 pinches salt

Blend until smooth in high speed blender. Transfer mixture to a bowl and put in fridge to set.

Chocolate Coating
1/2 cup melted coconut butter
1/2 cup cacao or carob powder (I used 3 part cacao/1 part carob)
1 tbs maple syrup
1 tbs agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 Tbsp of melted coconut oil (you may need to add more. The coating should be drippy).

Blend until smooth in high speed blender or food processor.

Assembly
Once the mixture has firmed up, form into a small ball then slightly flatten down. Top with an almond and return to the fridge or freezer to set.

Dip each coconut mounds into chocolate coating. Allow a few seconds for excess chocolate to drip, then transfer to parchment paper. Put in fridge or freezer to set.

If the Raw Almond Joy candies are stored in the freezer, make sure to transfer them ahead of time in the fridge to allow the coconut base to soften up.

Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas

A friend made this for me after I delivered Truman. Yummmmm!

Black Bean and Spinach Enchiladas

1 Pound Fresh Spinach Leaves (Yes, really that much. I buy the Sam's Club Box Size!)
2 Cans Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 Cup-ish Salsa
Cumin
Chili Powder
Whole Wheat Tortillas
Sour Cream
Lime Juice
Shredded Cheese (Optional)
Chopped Tomatoes
Sliced Green Onions

Preheat oven to 350.
Wilt Spinach in large pot with a tinsy bit of water. Drain and chop coarsely. Return to pot and mix in beans, salsa, and spices (according to how spicy you like it!). Warm through. Divide among tortillas and roll up. Place in prepared pan side by side. Bake uncovered 15 min. Combine sour cream and lime juice . Spread over enchiladas. Top with cheese, tomatoes and onions. Bake an additional 5 more minutes. Serve!

Ashlee Notes:

I didn't put the amount of tortillas because it very much depends on how full you fill them. Mine usually fits into one 9x13 pan. So... I would say plan on at least 8 tortillas, but it could be more if you like. As far as the sour cream/lime juice ratio (I admit, sour cream and a few other ingredients have found their way back into our lives) I would say that I did probably 1/2-3/4 cups with about 2 tablespoons lime juice. It was so yummy! If you wanted to make it totally vegan, I would skip the sour cream and cheese, but be sure to sprinkle lime juice on them still! It adds a really nice flavor.

My whole family really likes this one. Hope you do too!

Katies Links- Vegan KSL and Whole Food Mommies

KSL


and the whole food one I am sticking on the side bar.

Thanks again Kate!

Poor Irish Hash

I don't know what it is about me and cabbage lately. Shay, when you said that you had never eaten cabbage until recently I could totally relate. It never appeared in our house growing up except in KFC coleslaw. Anyhow, I am discovering it is one of my favorite veggies. I love it in soup, salads, and main dishes alike. This recipe is one of my faves. Eat it and feel like a poor irishman. Fun! Don't worry, you'll enjoy it because it's not the ONLY thing you eat :)

Irish Hash

2 tablespoons olive oil, more for drizzling
5-6 medium red or yukon gold potatoes, diced really small
1/3 cup chopped onion
thyme
1 can white beans- great northern or canellinni, drained and rinsed
1/4 head of large cabbage, very thinly sliced (I do it in chunks so it ends up being 2 inch long thin slices)
salt and pepper

Heat oil to med high in large non-stick pot (mine isn't non stick, but we manage). Cook potatoes 5 min. browning all sides. Add onions and thyme. Cook some more. Keep scraping and tossing. Stir in cabbage and stir until starting to wilt adding more olive oil if necessary. Add beans, salt and pepper. Keep a stirrin' and a scrapin'. When all heated through and cabbage is wilty-ish but not dead remove and serve.

Bean Recipes

Hello Darlings.

I wanted to give you a recommendation for a good site for bean recipes. I have been perusing it this morning and found several things I want to try.

http://www.bushbeans.com/en_US/recipes/index.jsp

I'll post it on the side bar too.

Banana Pancakes

No oils. No eggs/cholesterol. No added sugar. And it was still delish! The PB flavor doesn't really come through. They mostly just taste banana-ey. I was thinking blueberries in them would be SO yummy!

Banana Pancakes

1 banana, mashed
1 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cup "milk"
1 1/2 cups whole wheat or other whole grain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

mix wet. mix dry. mix together until combined. Use the back of a spoon to spread in pan when cooking- batter is thicker than most, but if you spread it thin it doesn't make a super thick pancake- unless of course you like that! In which case don't spread it as thin :) I cook over medium.

Enjoy!

ps- SHAY: How is the pregnancy going? Feeling well?

ps- EVERYONE: Our veggie lovin friend Katie had her baby yesterday! Yahoo! I don't want to steal her thunder, but I did want you to know! Yay for babies!

Beans and Rice

We had this for dinner last night and it was a good, basic, frugal recipe that was actually pretty tasty for how simple and easy it was.  We all loved it.  We used it as the base for a salad and put a bunch of spinach from our garden and salad dressing on it.  Jocelyn rolled the beans and rice up in the spinach leaves and ate it like a lettuce wrap.  We made it with Pinto beans.  You could also make it with a taco salad or roll it up in tortillas for burritos.

Click here to see the original post.

And here's the recipe:

Baked Red Beans & Rice

1 cup long grain rice
1 1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 cups tomato salsa
1 16 oz. can kidney beans, drained & rinsed 
1/2 tsp. chili powder
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine the rice and broth in a lightly oiled 2-quart casserole dish.  Stir in the salsa, beans, chili powder and salt & pepper to taste.  Cover tightly and bake until the rice is tender, about 1 hour.

Soaked Bread Machine Whole Grain Bread

Hello all!

So I finally made this soaked whole grain bread for the bread machine and I think we have found our new favorite basic/staple bread.  It's not very sweet, but it is pretty good for your every day sandwich bread, toast, anything basic bread need.

I also ground the wheat and the flax right before I put it in and it really makes the house smell yummy while it's rising and baking!  And much more nutritional.  The wheat flour you buy at the store just does not have any smell!

I wanted to post the recipe here, because she has stopped doing her blog and I don't know how long it will be up and I don't want to lose it.  I just cooked mine in the bread machine because I was leaving the house.  When you add the yeast, just start the whole wheat cycle you prefer on your machine.  I also did not add the vital wheat gluten and the texture was still fine.

Also, I've made several soaked recipes now, and I think it's this hot dry Utah air, but I feel like I have to add more water to make sure the grain doesn't dry out overnight.  I didn't add more water to this recipe when I made it, but it was pretty dry in the morning.  You could also just add all the ingredients at once and make it without soaking first.

Someday when I know I will be home, I will probably do a double batch in the dough cycle and then take it out and bake each separately.  But, who knows when that will happen... it's just so nice to throw it in and forget about it.

Soaked Whole Wheat Bread in the Bread Machine (produces 1 loaf)

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar (or whey, kefir, buttermilk or yogurt) plus enough water to make 1 cup

2 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup honey

3 Tbsp. melted coconut oil (or olive oil or melted butter)

2 Tbsp. coarsely ground flax seed

2 Tbsp. hot water

1/4 tsp. honey

1 3/4 tsp. yeast

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. vital wheat gluten

Put water/vinegar mixture, flour, oats, honey, oil and flax seed in the pan of your bread machine in the manufacturer’s recommended order (mine says to do liquids first then solid ingredients). Turn the bread machine on the dough cycle and let run for about five minutes, until all the ingredients are well mixed. Turn off the machine and let this sit for 12-24 hours.

After the soaking period, combine the 2 Tbsp. water, honey and yeast and let sit for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast (mixture should rise and become foamy). Add the yeast/water/honey, salt and gluten to the flour in the bread machine. Select the dough cycle and watch it for the first few minutes to make sure it doesn’t need more flour. I only needed to add about 1 tsp.

When the dough cycle is finished (mine takes 120 minutes), dump the dough onto a flour surface. Roll into a rectangle, then roll up to fit in your loaf pan. Place in greased loaf pan and allow it to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for half an hour, until crust is brown and it sounds hollow if you tap on the bottom of the loaf. You can brush the crust with melted butter to keep it extra soft.

Fresh Corn, Cabbage and Black Bean Salad

Shay posted her favorite salad so I thought I'd post one of mine :) Plus we had it for dinner last night and I remembered how much I LOVE it. Like LOVE it. It's beautiful with all the different colors and tastes so light and fresh- perfect for summer!

Fresh Corn, Cabbage, and Black Bean Salad

3 large ears of corn, husked (ladies- do the fresh- don't get a can. I only make this in the summer)
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups shredded red cabbage (I just thinly slice)
1 large tomato, diced
1/2 cup minced red onion (optional)

Boil corn 3 minutes. Drain, and when cool enough to handle, cut corn off of the cob into large bowl. Brown nuts over med-low heat 2-4 min. Add to bowl. Whisk oil, juice, cilantro, S and P in small bowl. Add beans, cabbage, tomato and onion (if using) to corn and nuts. Pour sauce over. Chill for a while and serve.

Ashlee Notes: The original recipe only calls for 2 cups shredded cabbage. We think it needs way more. I adjust the lime juice accordingly and just do what tastes good to us. Another addition we love: Sliced Jalapeno - the kind that comes in a jar- pickled? I think? Anyway we like a splash of the juice in it, and Corey likes to put a few of the slices in his.

If anyone tries this, please let me know! This is my current favorite salad!

Pina Colada Smoothie

I found this recipe on 100 days of real food.  The original post is here.

1 1/2 cups frozen pineapple chunks
1 1/3 cups coconut milk

Blend until smooth and enjoy.

I did not think ahead to have my pineapple frozen so I just threw in a big can of cut up pineapple and one small can of coconut milk and a bunch of ice to make it more of a frozen drink.  It probably could have used a little more pineapple (or, really, it just needed some really yummy fresh pineapple) and the ice watered the flavor down, so I would definitely recommend freezing the pineapple first.  However, even with all the substitutions, it was still so very yummy on a very hot afternoon.

Best Salad Ever

This is one of those "recipes" that I can't believe I haven't posted yet.  It is my. favorite. salad. ever. ever. ever.   You all have probably had something similar, but I just wanted to post it on the off chance that someone out there is missing out!

Spinach

Slivered Almonds

Sliced Strawberries

Brianna's Blush Wine Vinaigrette

Combine these items in whatever quantity suits your fancy and try not to eat the whole bowl.  I usually eat a serving bowl size of this salad.

I'd love to find a good recipe for a dressing that's similar to this vinaigrette.  

My other favorite salad?  Nuts about Berries from Zupas.  If anyone has any idea how to duplicate that salad/dressing, I would love any tips.  It is so good!

Granola Bars

I have been making all of our snacks and doing all of our baking for the week on Mondays for the past month or so, and I have loved it!

It's so nice to get it all done at once, and it actually ends up making less mess in the long run, because I can reuse measuring cups and pans for certain things.  Once I clean things up on Tuesday morning, we are ready to play for the week!  I will admit though, this week I didn't do it and I wish I had.  Storebought snacks are so expensive if you are going to buy snacks that are good for you.

I bought this ebook and it has some good recipes in it and has been a helpful resource.

This granola bar recipe is in there and we have loved them.

I made them with a little cocoa powder and peanut butter.

No Refined Sugar Strawberry Freezer Jam

Hello all... this is the easiest peasiest jam on the planet.  It literally took me 11 minutes from start to finish to make 2 batches.  I made a ton of the less-sugar strawberry jam a week or so ago, but then I decided I wanted to do some with agave instead.  So this is what I did.

2 lbs. strawberries

1-1 and 1/2 cups agave

1 pkg. less sugar or no sugar pectin

3/4 cup water

Pour the agave into your blender pitcher.  I did 1 and 1/2 cups, but I think it would have still been sweet enough with just 1 cup.  Cut the greens off the top of your strawberries (no need to cut them up more) and throw them into the blender.  Heat the pectin and water in small saucepan until boiling and boil for one minute.  Pour the pectin mixture into your blender.  Pulse a few times in the blender until you have the consistency you want and all ingredients are well mixed.  Pour in containers and let sit for 24 hours or until they set.  Freeze or refrigerate or eat immediately like I did.

Man, I love my blender. :)

Gluten Free?

So...now that I have learned so much about so many different kinds of grains and how to use them, we are going on a one month detox diet.  No dairy, no refined sugars, no gluten, no meat.  Any gluten free ideas for me?  I have done some research, but it's nicer to have some recommendations.

Soaking Grains

I don't know how many of you already do this, or at least know about it, but soaking grains was brand new to me up until about a month ago.  Since then, I have done a lot of research and started to incorporate it into our existing routines.  I have found this page to be the most informative and it has a lot of great resources for recipes, etc. as well.  I love that she breaks down how to soak different kinds of grains so that you can take an existing recipe and figure out how to turn it into a soaked version.  Especially if any of you have digestive issues, this might be helpful!  We have made soaked tortillas, soaked whole wheat bread, soaked cereal, etc.  Plus, it's another great way to use Kefir.  A word of advice on the cereal, though... you can taste the acid medium, so it's best to use plain kefir or something more bland than lemon juice or apple cider vinegar if that's going to bother you.  I even made my own whey...seriously easy.  I'll post more later if any of you all are interested.

Here's a good soaked tortilla recipe

Here's another

Here's a good resource for recipes, many of which are soaked, from my newest favorite blog.

And another good resource for recipes, many soaked, from my other newest favorite blog.

Here's a soaked whole grain bread

And here's the same soaked whole grain bread (minus the millet) adapted for bread machine.

Soaked homemade granola

Soaked granola bars

Happy soaking!

Barley and Veggie Soup

This comes from my cousin, Jamie's friend.  I wanted to post it so I could find it again easily.  This one is a keeper!  Jamie served it to me for lunch the other day and I loved it, so I had to make it again for dinner tonight.  Both Jamie and I did not add the milk at the end and it was still deelish.  

Barley & Veggie Soup

2 TBSP butter

1 large onion

½ Cup oat flour

4 Cup chicken stock

3 cloves garlic, minced

4-6 carrots, diced

½ large cauliflower, diced

1 head broccoli, diced

1 Cup water

1 Cup barley (soaked overnight)

1 tsp  basil

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ cup milk

Saute butter & onion in pan. Add flour and stir until it browns up. Slowly add 2 cups chicken stock while stirring. Allow to thicken before adding additional cups of stock. Add remaining vegetables, soaked barley, & spices. Simmer on low for 15-40 minutes (gets better with time). Stir in ½ cup milk about 10 minutes before you are ready to serve.

Chick-en Nuggets

As in chickpea Chick-en Nuggets!  We got this recipe from Super Healthy Kids and it was a huge hit!  Cory actually loved them, and Jocelyn literally ate every single thing on her plate which doesn't happen very often.

CHICK-EN NUGGET FALAFEL

 1 Can Chick-peas (Garbanzo Beans)

 1⁄2 onion 

 1 clove garlic 

  Parsley

 1 tsp cumin 

 1 tsp salt 

 Dash pepper 

  1 egg

 1 TBL olive oil 

 1 tsp lemon juice 

 1 cup bread crumbs

Mash Beans

Use food processor for onion, garlic and parsley

Mix beans with onion mixture with a spoon

Mix seasonings, egg, oil, and lemon juice. Add to bean mixture.

Slowly fold in bread crumbs and combined until dough is easy to handle.

Use small layer of olive oil in a pan. Shape dough into chicken nuggets and cook on pan until browned. Cool and let dry on paper towel.

©2011 Super Healthy Kids. Amy Roskelley provides resources on feeding your family healthy food. Visit Super Healthy Kidsfor more ideas 

I thought it would be fun to do a healthier version of a fast food meal for our Friday night meal, so I served them up with some oven fries.  I know, I know, not exactly well rounded... not a green veggie in sight...but it was a special occasion kind of meal.  Besides the fact that my pan was too hot and I practically burned the outsides, we all were fans.  They are quite tasty and it doesn't hurt that they actually look like chicken nuggets too. And I used my blendtec to make the bread crumbs from homemade bread, so there was no HFCS or preservatives.  (why do store bought bread crumbs need that junk?)

And speaking of beans...I've been putting up beans in the freezer like a maniac.  I'm embarrassed to admit that up until January, I literally had no idea what to do with a dry bean.  We never, ever ate beans growing up (except a can of refried beans here and there for tacos), let alone having them start from a bag of dry beans.  A little research and a few slow cookers later, my freezer is full of black and pinto beans and chickpeas in one-can-sized quantities. Just a little step towards being more frugal and eating more healthy.

Oh, and my friend showed me this site that I am going to try some things from this week.  The subtitle is: where healthy tastes naughty...how could you not like a site like that?!

Banana Chocolate Muffins

I made the healthy version of these muffins this week and they were delicious!  They were so delicious, we actually had them for dessert.  I made mine with the stuff in parentheses except I did raw sugar instead of the cane juice. The recipe is from Talkin' Chow, Playin' House.  Click here to find the original post.  Here is the recipe:


1 1/2 cups all purpose flour (whole wheat flour)
1 cup granulated sugar (evaporated cane juice)
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
3 medium ripe bananas
1/3 cup vegetable oil (grape seed oil)
1 egg
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
(1-2 tablespoons flaxseed)


In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients.  In a small bowl, combine bananas, oil and egg.  Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients in the large bowl just until combined.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Fill greased or paper lined muffin cups 3/4 full.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes!  Recipe makes about 1-2 dozen.

100% whole wheat bread machine bread

I have a favorite bread recipe that I usually make, but it's only half whole wheat, so I just did a google search for a fully whole wheat bread recipe for my bread maker this week.  It is nothing super fancy, but is a good staple and it doesn't taste cardboard-y.  It is good for sandwiches and the like.  The recipe is from Food.com and is as follows:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons powdered milk
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 Follow directions for your machine for a 2-pound loaf of whole wheat bread.

1. 2 Instructions for my machine are: Add all ingredients in the order listed. (I combine the water and powdered milk and heat them in microwave on high for 30 seconds before putting in baking pan and then add the remaining ingredients.).
2. 3 Insert the baking pan into the oven chamber and lock the pan.
3. 4 Select Whole Wheat setting and 2 pound loaf.
4. 5 Press start.

If you have a machine that makes something different than a 2 pound loaf, go to the original recipe here and you can put in whatever loaf size you want and it will give you the correct amount of each ingredient to add.

GMO

Hi everyone...

I don't ever know if you want me to send out emails for this information or just post them on the blog, but here it is one way or the other, and let me know if you'd rather I just send emails.  And sorry this is long.  Feel free to ignore if you prefer, I just wanted to share some of the research I've been doing in case it helps any of you.

I just had a really in depth conversation with the specialist that has been helping my family to get well (and doing a great job at it) about some important issues and I thought you might be interested.  We asked him how we can avoid getting these same health problems in the future, since we are working so hard at detoxing our bodies and getting us well.  We don't want to keep having to go back every month, and keep getting rid of this junk if we can avoid getting it in the first place.  It's cheaper and so much better on our bodies.  His answer, in short, "It depends on what you eat."

So I probed.  If we're paying him, I want to know how I can take our health into our own hands and not have to pay him so much, although I do love him and what he's done for us.  I told him what we've been trying to do... nothing artificial, cutting out most dairy and meat and replacing it with fresh fruits and vegetables, trying to make everything from scratch, incorporating lots of healthy grains, growing our own food with no pesticides, etc. etc.  What more can we do?

Remember the section in Food, Inc. on Monsanto?  The soybean giant that has control over most of the soybeans grown, which are all GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms).  I was a little disturbed about that section of the movie, and I know I've shared with you before that that is why we don't do soy milk.  Well, apparently they have bought up a bunch of other companies and now almost all grains that are available in regular stores are GMO. Grrrr!!!

Why is this a problem?  For a few reasons, but this page explains a lot if you are interested.  This is another page that explains why you should avoid GMO foods.  Here's some tips to help you avoid GMO's.  There's a ton of reading material out there on the internet and many have written books.  It's not hard to find, which is why I'm shocked that I didn't know all this before. I mean, I knew GMO's were bad for you, but I had no idea how prevalent they are.  These are all from the same site,  but seriously, there's a ton out there. There are many countries that won't allow any GMO foods and there are whole non-GMO zones in Europe, which is why some people go on vacation to Europe and all of a sudden start feeling better.  Here's an interesting article about non-GMO countries.

I was so proud of that 8 grain cereal that we looove at our house and now I am just frustrated and feel like there's nothing safe to eat anywhere you go.  I know there is, it's just sad that it takes such constant vigilance (Thanks Alaster Moody...) just to keep your family healthy.  And don't worry, I haven't gone insane and I don't take my own food with us everywhere we go, but sometimes I feel like that's the only way to keep it out!  The specialist we've been working with said the same thing...he pretty much takes his own food with him everywhere he goes.  He put Cory on a one month cleanse, and it's going to be rough to get all that junk out right now, but we will do our best.

Oh, and our garden?  Unless you specifically by non GMO seeds, they are GMO.  Double Grrr!!!  We do have some heirloom tomatoes that the seeds date back to pre-GMO days so those are good.  We have already found some good sources (like this one) for non GMO seeds for next year, but until then...

Obviously, this should all be taken with common sense.  Most people, including us, can't afford to get rid of all of that junk completely.  And obviously eating food grown in your own garden is better than getting it at the grocery store, even if the seeds are GMO.  At least it's fresh and you can eat it so quickly after harvesting that most of the nutrients are still there.  A good tip is that if you can't smell it (it doesn't have much fragrance), it isn't very nutrient dense.  Think, plasticky tomatoes at the grocery store.  And obviously it's still better to eat the multi-grain hot cereal for breakfast than Fruit Loops.  I hope this hasn't come out as alarmist, but I am concerned about it because I've seen first hand what happened when you let this stuff build up in your body for years and years.  This is just taking healthy eating to the next level.

I still have a lot of research to do, but from what I've read, you're mostly safe if you buy organic.  Honeyville farms are non-GMO for the most part.  Here's a link to their supposed GMO policy.  It's not official, but it's consistent with a lot of other things I've read about their company-take it for what it's worth.  Also, Bob's Red Mill's website states that, "All of our products come from identity preserved seeds. This means the seed planted in the ground is non-GMO. We simply can't guarantee against cross pollination due to natural occurrences such as wind drift, so we do not label our products GMO-free."

In good news, though, both Cory and Jocelyn have moved up to the next level of detoxing (finally!) which we attribute to doing the alkaline water.  The last time we saw the doctor, there was still some bacteria that was hanging on and we couldn't move forward until we got it out.  We started drinking the alkaline water the next day and we've been on it a month.  We saw him again this week and all that stuff we've been trying to get out for 6 months is gone and we are moving forward!  Yay!!  If any of you have access to it, we obviously are big fans, although we haven't had to fork out the money for the machine which makes it easier.

I also had a good conversation with him about vaccinating kids, but that's for another day.

Sites We Like

Hey guys...

I just wanted to tell you I updated the side bar with some of the sites that people (mostly Shayla... who is oh-so-wonderfully keeeping this blog alive!) have mentioned recently. Did I miss anything? I like having that up there. I really do click on it occasionally for good ideas. Anyhow... if you have any more good sites, and you have the time, you should add to it!

Thanks everyone.

I will participate more in this blog/emails soon. I am still feeling CRUMMY!!!

Great Site

Hi again...

A friend of mine told me about this site and I have spent a lot of time looking around and reading his blog.  He is well-informed and writes well.  I love the content because it matches my philosophy almost exactly.  It also has some good recipes and other nice posts about preventative dental care through nutrition to nutrition book reviews.  He also does a weekly goal to help people live healthier one baby step at a time.

Click here to go see Word of Wisdom Living

Spinach Pesto

We do cheese still on a rare basis, and this was good enough to share if any of you are going to do cheese.  In fact, I might say it was one of the tastiest pestos I've had.  We loved it!  


Those of you who are more experienced, how do you think this would be with nutritional yeast substituted for the parmesan cheese?


Spinach Pesto

• 1 Cup Fresh spinach
• 1/8 cup walnuts (or other nuts)

Pulse in food processor until blended.

• 1/3 Cup olive oil
• 1/2 Cup parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper

Blend altogether and use to top pasta. 

©2011 Super Healthy Kids. Amy Roskelley provides resources on feeding your family healthy food. Visit Super Healthy Kidsfor more ideas 

Faux Caramel Sauce

My distant cousin just sent me this recipe and I intend to make it as soon as I get more dates (I completely ran out from making date balls so many times... haha).


1/4 - 1/2 cup almond milk (or other nut milk)
1 cup dates (pitted and tightly packed)
1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt

Blend in a high-powered blender until smooth. Serve with sliced apples. You can't believe how much this tastes like caramel!

Raspberry Syrup

3 cups raspberries (I just put the whole bag of frozen raspberries in)
3/4 cup sugar (I used agave)
1 tsp. lemon juice

Blend.  Serve on pancakes, waffles, french toast, oatmeal, 8 grain hot cereal, homemade or plain yogurt, on cream puffs or cheesecake... ok, I'm getting carried away.  But really, it would make anything taste better.  This is the first thing I made in my Blendtec and I have put it on pretty much everything since then.  It is to die for!

Mango Popsicle

Popsicle time is here!

4 mangos
1/4 cup soft coconut oil
2 tbsp honey

blend. put in Popsicle trays. Eat when frozen.

You can do any fruit you want. When I use berries I add spirulina or blue green alge to it. It hides the green color better.

Raw Banana Dessert

From the same lady who brought us the Happy Shake comes another great recipe: Her Banana Roadkill is deelish!  You just squish up two bananas between sheet of plastic wrap and form in the shape of a cookie then sprinkle honey, cinnamon, walnuts, goji berries and it was supposed to be cacao nibs, but I ran out and I'm pregnant and wanted some chocolate.  So I did regular milk chocolate chips :) freeze.  Break into pieces and eat!

Date Balls

I got this recipe from my cousin, Jamie, and I am in love!!  I made them yesterday and Jocelyn snitched 3 of them while she thought I wasn't looking.  I don't know if they are a dessert or just a snack, but they are raw (the way I made them).  I have never tried Emily's Date Balls, so I'm not sure how similar they taste.

1 cup dates
3/4 cup almonds
pinch salt
1/2 cup oats (optional, but good fiber)
Dark chocolate chips (optional)
Craisins (optional)
Dried Apricots (optional)
Cinnamon (optional)

Make sure your dates don't have pits and combine all the things you want to use in a high powered blender or food processor.  Blend until everything is in small pieces.  Feel the mixture.  If you push it together and it crumbles apart, put more dates in.  When it stays together, roll them into balls and set out on waxed paper for a while until they become less sticky.  You can also roll them in coconut, raw sugar, whatever.

I did everything except the dark chocolate chips and I gotta say, it didn't need the chocolate.  I didn't roll them in anything.  I did put quite a bit of cinnamon in and they were deelish!

Produce for Kids

Another great resource I came across this morning:

Produce for Kids

They have a bunch of recipes to help you try and get more produce in your kids

Multi-grain hot cereal

I finally had the time to track down all the different grains needed for this multi-grain hot cereal from The May Files blog, and we are fans!  If you are in the Orem area, Sunflower has amarinth, kamut, and millet and Real Foods has amarinth, whole barley, rye, spelt, and red quinoa.  I didn't go to my usual, Winco, but I know they have some of these things too.

It looks a little bit like birdseed here, and quite honestly, if you make it in the microwave it tastes a little bit like bird seed.  But if you make it in the rice cooker as she suggests, it comes out perfect.  It may as well be oatmeal, but you have 8 different kinds of whole grains.  Jocelyn loves xylitol and cinnamon, Cory likes his with raisins/craisins and agave or maple syrup.

Here is the recipe and some of her directions that are helpful.

She also has a recipe for blender pancakes that you can use this grain mix in.  Here is her original blender pancakes recipe and here is the one that she uses this mixture for.  She just uses one cup of this multi-grain mixture instead of the 3 grains listed in the original recipe, and that's the only difference!  It's so very handy to have all those grains pre-mixed and be able to get breakfast on the table quickly.

Informative videos

A friend of mine just sent me this link and I thought it had some good information on it.  I thought the super foods videos were good.

Click here for the link

Happy Shake Recipe

I just realized I never posted the actual recipe, although I did explain where to get it.  But here's an easy link to try if any of you are interested.  I have this for breakfast every day and I crave it when I miss a day!  Click here for the recipe.

Paella

A very successful dinner last night! I was a bit worried about all the different flavors, but they actually went really, really well together. The whole family had more than one helping and there were smiles and compliments all around. It's a keeper for sure! I was actually thinking it would be a good recipe to make with guests over.

I got it from Betty Crocker's Easy Everyday Vegetarian Cookbook.

Paella

1 cup uncooked brown rice
1 pound of asparagus, cut in 2 inch pieces
3 cups fresh broccoli florets
2 teaspoons olive oil (I omitted this and it was fine)
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
2 small zucchinis, chopped in bite size chunks
1 med. onion, chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
2 large tomatoes, chopped
2 cans garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
10 oz. frozen peas, thawed and drained

Cook rice as directed on package. Set aside and keep warm. Heat some water in a large pot (all of those veggies will NOT fit in a skillet- go for a soup pot!) Add asparagus and broccoli- steam about 4 min, and drain any excess water. Add oil to pan if using, add pepper, zucchini, onion, salt and tumeric. Cook about 5 min more. Stir in remaining ingredients including rice. Heat through and serve.

Yummm!

Egg Salad Sandwich-Healthified

I don't know how many of you are doing eggs anymore, so I don't know how relevant this will be to any of you.  Even if you don't do eggs anymore, I thought I'd share this neat tip that I learned from Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious.  We are doing homegrown from a lady down the street, periodically in our diet, although we don't have them too often anymore, and I never use them in baking anymore... super excited to try Ashlee's fake egg trick with the flax seed!

When I was growing up Egg Salad Sandwich was just eggs and mayo and a few spices...not much nutritionally.  I had some eggs leftover from Easter and wanted to make a better Egg Salad Sandwich with more veggies. So I chopped up some celery, olives, and pickles to add to the egg mixture.

This is the tip from DD:  cauliflower puree is such a great way to make any kind of white sauce and it hides really well.  So I mixed up the egg and veggies and then put in 1/2 cup cauliflower puree (I just keep it in 1/2 cup quantities in the freezer for convenience) and then only enough mayo to make it the right consistency.  I really only used about 2 Tbsp. of mayo, compared to 1/3 cup (ish) that I would have used before.  Then I also added some of "Aunt Grace's Mustard".

 It is pretty much THE BEST homemade mustard you've ever tasted and it is a family recipe that I would tell you the recipe, but then I'd have to kill you...just joking.  but not.  Anywho... I also put in some Mrs. Dash and Paprika and served on homemade wheat bread.

Cauliflower helps to make a good "cream-based" soup or to make anything seem creamier without using any dairy.  In DD, she uses it in her Mac 'n Cheese (which we don't do anymore because of the cheese, but it was my favorite mac 'n cheese recipe, pre-ETL and pre-DPYC).  I made a ton of cauliflower puree last summer thinking that it would last me forever, but I throw it in a lot of things so I've gone through it pretty fast. She also uses Carrot and Butternut Squash puree a lot.  There's a good ketchup recipe that has carrot puree in it as well.  DD is not necessarily a healthy cookbook, but it does show you how you can use more veggies than you would have thought, and I've learned some little tips and tricks from it that I've been able to use in other recipes.

P.S. Just watched Food, Inc.  Very disturbing.  It just backs up everything I've read, but coming from a new voice it made it fresh again.  1 in 3 kids born after 2000 will have early onset diabetes?!?!?!?!?! That is insane.  Cheers to you wonderful ladies making the world healthier for you and your families!!  Thanks for the inspiration you provide me with to keep going!

Bok Choy

Well... to please a 5 year old boy last night we had Sushi at our house for dinner. He and Corey were huge fans, Aly and I? Not so much. But on the side we had THIS Bok Choy recipe, and that was something the entire family agreed was delish! It's such a mild tasting green in comparison to kale etc. Corey had an entire head himself (two days doing ETL and going strong!), and the boys and I split another one. I'm sure you all already know this, but bok choy is incredibly high in calcium, and the calcium is very well absorbed by the body.

Hope you are all having a great day!

A New Technique/Tex Mex Crock Pot Beans/Cornbread

Wow! Guys! Have you ever made and "egg," out of flax seed and water? I had heard of this before, but hadn't tried it until last night. It was amazing! You bring 6 tablespoons of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons of ground flax seed or flax seed meal, reduce heat to med-low and whisk with a fork until it forms an "egg." It was crazy! It was like pushing an uncooked egg around in my pan. Wow! I'm not sure whether it is intended to act as a binder or a leavener in recipes... I am guessing binder though. I used it to make a cornbread recipe we had with dinner last night, and the bread turned out wonderfully. I was so pleased! Sometimes vegan baking is so... meh... you know? This just tasted like yummy cornbread. Enough gab. Here's what we had for dinner last night:

Tex Mex Crock Pot Beans: (from Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian Cookbook)

1 pound dried pinto beans (2 cups) sorted and rinsed
1 large onion, chopped (1 cup... I think it totally needs it all if not a bit more)
2-4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 jalepeno, seeded and minced
6 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon chili powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

High Heat 7-9 hours. (If you soak the beans overnight before cooking you can reduce the time. I also think you need to keep an eye on the water level. We usually have to add a bit more and reduce the heat.)

Cornbread original recipe HERE

2 tablespoons ground flax seed
6 tablespoons water
1 cup whole grain flour (I used a combo whole wheat and spelt)
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup "milk," (we used rice)
1/4 cup canola oil

Boil water. Add flax. Simmer on med-low till thickened. Set aside. Combine dry. Pour in milk, oil, and flax "egg." Stir until combined. Bake at 425 degrees in prepared 8 inch baking dish 20-25 min.

We ate this classic beans and cornbread meal with tons and tons of steamed asparagus with mrs. dash lemon pepper. Yummy!