Apple, Grape, Cranberry Nut Salad

This is easy to prepare and very healthy!

To mix the dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 garlic glove minced
1/4 cup fresh squeezed juice of your choice.  I used grapes and squeezed them by hand. 
Whisk this all together and set aside.

For the salad:
Start with some mixed baby greens, organic.  Sam's sells a LARGE container for 3.98.  I probably used 1/4 of the container for this salad for two adults and one small child.
Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup dried cranberries
Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup pecans
Add 1/4 to 1/3 cup almonds

Wash 1 cluster of grapes and one apple.  Cut up the apple into bite size pieces and add to the salad.'

Top with some feta cheese. 

This would be Daniel Fast Approved if you leave the feta cheese out. 

Chinese Stir fry

From Moosewood Cookbook

This took about thirty minutes from start to finish.  It was my first time to eat cauliflower and it was good! 

Prepare the noodles:
Boil water, then add in whole wheat noodles

Prepare the sauce:
Mix together
1/4 cup tamari soy sauce
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tablespoon succanat or sugar
1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons red wine

In another small bowl, place 3 tablespoons cornstarch (I used wheat flour)
Whisk the other ingredients into the flour.
Set aside.

Prepare the veggies:
Clean and cut your veggies
1 carrot, peeled and sliced thinly
1/2 bag frozen broccoli-I just rinsed with hot water for about thirty seconds to defrost
1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 package of mushrooms, sliced

Cook:
Heat your wok on medium heat for a couple of minutes, then add 1 tablepoon olive oil
Add in the broccoli, cauliflower, and carrot and turn up the heat towards high.  Stir fry for about 4 minutes, or until the veggies begin to get tender.
Add in the mushrooms and stir fry another 4-5 minutes.
Whisk your sauce again, then pour it all into the wok.  Within a few minutes the sauce will begin to thicken and your veggies will be shiny.

Put it together:
Drain the water off your noodles-don't forget to keep an eye on them while you are cooking your veggies.
Pour your wok ingredients on top of your noodles. 
Serve. 

Zucchini crust pizza

Adapted from Moosewood Cookbook

This will become a regular in our dinner line up!

Heat the oven to 400 F.

To make the crust:

Oil two pie/cake pans and coat with flour.

Grate enough zucchini to make 2 cups, packed full.
Grate 1/2 cup mozzarella
Grate 1/2 parmesean (I buy this type already freshly grated-not the powdery stuff)

Mix together:
Zucchini and grated cheeses
1/4 cup wheat flour
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tablespoon olive oil

Spread mixture into the two pans, flattening out. 

Bake for about twenty minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven.  After it has cooled ten minutes, use a spatula to loosen the crust from the pan.

Top with whatever you want.

Here is how I made margherita pizza:

Drizzle olive oil onto the crust and brush evenly.
Thinly slice a clove of garlic, then spread evenly.
Sprinkle fresh mozzerella to cover the crush
Thinly slice a fresh tomato and spread evenly.
Sprinkle some basil-I used freeze dried.

Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. 

I am tellng you, this was delicious!

Teriyaki Chicken

Adapted from Whole Foods website

Make your marinade by mixing:
1/2 cup tamari soy sauce
1/4 cup pineapple juice (I took a fresh pineapple, cut it up, then hand squeezed the juice)
2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice (or you could use brown sugar)
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1/2 cup red cooking wine

Cut up one chicken breast per person (we used two)

Put your marinade in a glass pan or casserole dish, except set aside 1/3 to 1/2 in a separate bowl. 

Add your chicken  to the glass pan and turn so it is all covered in marinade.

Cover and refrigerate 4 to 24 hours.

Heat a skillet on med/high with a tablespoon of olive oil.

Add the chicken and cook until one side is browned, then flip and cook until the other side is browned.  You can drizzle some of your reserved marinade at this time.

I served my teriyaki chicken on a bed of organic baby greens, which were mixed with a standard dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and salt.  You could also serve it with noodles or brown rice.

Menu Planning

We didn't used to plan menus . We used to walk back and forth from the fridge to the pantry, asking each other "What do you want?"  "That doesn't sound good".  "How about this?" over and over.  After adding a child to the mix, I knew evenings would be hectic and that is when I started planning menus.

Here are some reasons to plan your menu in advance:

1) We KNOW what is for dinner!  No more wasting time thinking or talking about it.  It is what it is.

2)  It lowers your grocery bill.  You write it all down, then make a shopping list, and follow the list!

3)  You can plan according to your schedule.  If I know I am working a long shift, I plan something simple or plan a crockpot meal.  If I know I have the day off, I plan a more labor intensive or time consuming meal.  If I know the weather is going to be 70 in December, dinner will be simple that week so we can enjoy those days outside instead of cooking.

4)  It lowers your eating out bill.  Instead of panicking over what to eat and automatically going out or ordering in, you've got a plan in place.  We still schedule meals out, but it is planned and budgeted for in advance (most of the time).

5) It prevents frequent repeat meals.  "Didn't we have this three days ago?  And two days before that?"

Tips on planning a menu
1)  First, write down all your favorite meals and side dishes.

2) When planning your first menu, start small.  Plan 3-7 days in advance.

3)  Write down the days of the week.  Start filling in some of your favorites.  Be aware of scheduling conflicts.  If hubby is working late, I don't want to make his favorite dish that night.  If you have to be somewhere shortly after dinner you don't want to pick something that takes longer to prepare.

4)  Use choosemyplate.gov to help you calculate how many servings of each food group you are getting.  You can personalize your free profile so you know how many calories you need to maintain or lose weight.  You want to shoot for 100% in the grains, veggies, fruit, and protein categories. 

5)  Brainstorm.  Share ideas with friends and neighbors.  In the beginning, I really struggled with coming up with a variety of meals.  I started asking people what they were having for dinner to get ideas.  Flip through a cookbook or two for ideas.  Try new things!  I also often browse www.wholefoodsmarket.com for ideas.

6) Once you have a menu planned, make a shopping list. 

There are tons of menu planning websites and blogs with cute ideas using notecards and color coded devices.  I just jot it down on scrap paper and stick it on the fridge.  Be as fancy or as simple as you like!

Some people base their menu planning off what's on sale in the weekly store ads.  I have tried this, but found that most of the food items on sale were processed, so it wasn't worth my time to flip through all the ads. 

Do you have any more tips on menu planning?  If so, let me know!  I love new ideas!

Sugar Snap peas, toasted pecans, and couscous

You know how it is when you are low on groceries?  When you stand at the fridge and stare, hoping something that sounds good will magically appear?  Tonight, I knew I wanted to try making couscous, but I hadn't really prepared a menu plan for tonight.  The menu said:  couscous.  Hmmmm.  I must have gotten distracted.

So, this is what I threw together.  It took less than ten minutes to prepare, start to finish.

First, bring 1.5 cups water to a boil.
Add in one cup whole wheat couscous, stir, cover, and turn off the heat.

Toast some pecans at 350 for about five minutes.  I used my toaster oven which heats up quicker than the oven.

Throw some steamable sugar snap peas into the microwave.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

Add a teaspoon or so of curry seasoning to the couscous.

Plate it up:

She loves sugar snap peas!

I read all sorts of fancy tips for cooking couscous and maybe one day I'll try them.  Tonight was about getting something together quick!

Not mashed potatoes

From Clean Food

A tricky way to add another root veggie into your mashed potatoes!

Wash and peel two baking potatoes and 4-5 parsnips.

Cube into 1/2 pieces

Can you see the parnsips?

Add cold water

Boil until chunks are able to be easily pierced with a fork

Drain the water

Add a little rice milk (more=more creamy, less =chunkier)

Add a little butter or olive oil.

Mix with a blender to desired consistency.

Serve, season to taste.

Lentil, Brown Rice Casserole with Broccoli

This is a variation of the first lentil casserole I had posted.

Heat your oven 375 F.

Measure 2 1/2 cups veggie broth

3/4 cup dried lentils

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

Rinse the rice and lentils, then combine into a 2 quart casserole dish with the veggie broth.

Cover and bake for 55 minutes.

Stir in 1/2 to 1 package of frozen broccoli.

Cover and bake for 15 more minutes.

Meanwhile, shred 1/2 cup Swiss and 1/2 Le Gruyere cheese.

Then, sprinkle on top of your casserole and bake 10 minutes, uncovered until the cheese is melted.

Yum!

A two year old cooking?

Our daughter is twenty six months old.  Here is one example of how she can help prepare dinner. 

They say that when kids help prepare meals they are more likely to eat them.  We are glad to get her involved in preparing healthy foods at an early age.  

Tonight, she helped make our winter pomegranate salad.

First, she helped tear up the Romaine lettuce.

Then, she pushed the button on the salad spinner (over and over).  You will not have drier salad if you spin it yourself! 

Then she moved all the lettuce into the big salad serving bowl.

She even put in the sliced pears, too! 

Next, she poured the pomegranate dressing into the bowl.

Finally, she helped toss the salad. 

I'll try to catch more of these shots in the future-she is usually close by when I cook.  It warms my heart to see her learning and having fun (and yes, actually helping) all at the same time.

Curried Sweet Potato and Lentil Stew

I found this recipe in Betty Crocker's easy everyday Vegetarian cookbook and it came highly recommended by my friend and neighbor, Sarah.

Into the crockpot, put:
Two sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 1/2 cups baby cut carrots
1/4 c onion, chopped
3/4 dried lentils (after rinsing and sorting)
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped gingerroot
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can veggie broth

Set on low heat for 6-8 hours

Add one bag frozen green beans.  Turn the heat up to high and cook another 15 minutes or so.

The recipe calls for serving with yogurt on top, but we skipped that part and dug in.  It was suprisingly very good!

If you really want to get fancy, the recipe actually calls for cooking the spices with 2 tsp olive oil on the stove for one minute before putting in the crockpot.  This probably tastes even better; but hey...if I am using a crockpot recipe it is because I want to throw it all in, go to work, and come home to a cooked meal!  :)

Chicken Quesadillas

I recommend you use home made tortillas because they are simple to make, delicious, and you can pronounce all the ingredients!

Heat your oven to 350 F.

Grill or cook your organic chicken on the skillet.

Chop up some green onion and cilantro.
Add some canned diced tomato-look for organic, unsalted (if tomatoes aren't in season).

Lay your tortillas onto a cookie sheet.
Add a layer of shredded cheese (I chose a Mexican mix)
Add your green, onion, cilantro, and tomato.
Add your cooked chicken.

Add another tortilla on top.

Bake for five minutes.

Cut into halves or fourths.

Serve hot.

Morning Zinger

Here is a tasty juicing recipe courtesy my sister in law, Sonya.

To feed two people:
2 handfuls of fresh parley (or about 2 cups)
2 apples
About 1 inch piece of ginger root
4 large carrots

Before

After

Stir with a spoon and enjoy the zing!

Tilapia with Jasmine Lemon Rice and Peas

My first venture with cooking fish.  I will definitely make this again!

Rinse 1 cup brown Jasmine rice, then put in a pan with 2 cups water and a pinch of salt.
Bring to a boil, then cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes.


Grate the peel of a fresh lemon to make about 1 tablespoon lemon zest.

Chop up some fresh parsley-say 3-4 tablespoons.

When you have about fifteen minutes left on your rice:
Cook your peas-according to package directions.

Heat a skillet on high with a tablespoon of olive oil.
Add your tilapia fillets when the oil begins to smoke a little.
Turn after about 4-5 minutes, or until golden brown.
Cook another 4-5 minutes.

Mix the jasmine rice, parsley, and lemon zest.  Squeeze half a lemon into the mix.  Don't get too crazy here unless you really love lemon!
 
Strain the peas and add them the rice mix or serve on the side.  I think it tastes better all mixed together.

Another delicious, healthy meal!

Whole wheat pancakes (chocolate chips optional)

So maybe this isn't the healthiest recipe, but it is healthier than pancakes out of a box!  It is also a fun recipe to make with my two year old.  I measure the dry ingredients, then she loves tipping the measuring cups into the bowl and mixing it all up. 


First, put 1.5 tablespoons vinegar in a measuring cup.  Then add enough milk to reach the 1.5 cup line.  Set this aside for later.  This is an easy substitution for buttermilk.  If you have buttermilk, just use 1.5 cups (later on in the recipe).

Mix together in a medium bowl:
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I prefer white hard wheat, freshly ground)
2 tablespoons Sucanat (evaporated cane juice) or sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a smaller bowl:
Beat one egg, slightly
Add in your milk/vinegar or buttermilk
Add 3 teaspoons vegetable oil

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until  moistened.  You DON'T want to get rid of all the lumps.  Lumps=Fluffy pancakes.

Heat your griddle to 350 F.  You'll know it is ready when you sprinkle water and it sizzles away immediately.  (That is a tip passed down from my mom and Grandma).  :)

You can put a little butter on the griddle, then pour your batter. 

Make your pancakes as big or small as you like. 

This is where you put some semisweet chocolate chips onto the cooking pancakes if you like.

 

As they cook, small bubbles come to the surface of the batter and pop.  This process starts on the edges, then progresses to the center.  Once the center is all bubbly, they are ready to flip.


Mmmmm, golden brown. 

They are finished when the edges are dry.

Once they are finished you can either eat as is (which is what we do when we add chocolate) or spread some butter and maple syrup (the real stuff) on top.

Fluffy!

Compare to pancakes from a boxed mix:
ENRICHED BLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), SUGAR, DEXTROSE, BAKING POWDER (BAKING SODA, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SODIUM ALUMINUM PHOSPHATE), BUTTERMILK, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, POTASSIUM BICARBONATE, CALCIUM CARBONATE, EGGS, CORN STARCH, CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, COLORED WITH YELLOW 5 AND RED 40, IRON, NIACIN, VITAMIN B6, RIBOFLAVIN, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN B12.

Orange Ginger Tofu (or use chicken!)

I had never eaten tofu in all my life-it just sounds weird, doesn't it?  I tried this recipe and it actually was pretty good.  You could easily substitute chicken for tofu if you aren't ready to take the tofu plunge yet!

Adapted from Clean Food

Wrap 16ounces firm tofu in towels and press to remove excess liquid.
Cut into bite size cubes.

Tofu-firm.

Ginger root

To make the marinade:
Juice 2 oranges to make 1 cup orange juice (or just buy orange juice)
Grate about 1 tablespoon fresh ginger
Mince 1 garlic glove
Mince 2 tablespooons red onion
Add 1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
Add 1/4 cup tamari (I learned this is fancy talk for soy sauce that is wheat free)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup

Brown rice vinegar-oriental aisle

Mix all that together in a 9x13 baking dish.  Add the tofu in, then flip the tofu so it is all coated.  Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

15 minutes before wanting to make your dinner, start cooking your brown rice and heat the oven to 350 F.  I don't use instant so it takes about 45 minutes start to finish to cook the rice.

When the oven is ready, put your tofu marinade dish into the oven.  Bake 15 minutes, then flip and bake another 15-20 minutes.

About half way through the rice cooking, throw in some chopped kale on top and put the lid back on.  This time we tried red kale. 

Finished product.

Peanut butter and banana panini

First, choose a peanut butter that has a simple ingredient list: peanuts!

This type of peanut butter should be refrigerated once opened, so I recommend having it sit on the counter 5-10 minutes before using to make the task of spreading it easier.

Take whole grain bread and cover with peanut butter.  Place a layer of sliced bananas.  Put another piec of whole grain bread on top. 

You can either brush olive oil or butter onto the outer sides of the bread, then put in your panini press for 3-4 minutes OR you can grill in a skillet just like you would when you make grilled cheese. 

We paired ours with leftover Winter salad.