One Pot Wonder Beef Stew

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Do you know what the one good thing about cold wintery day is?  Warm soup/stew.  When the weather keeps you inside (and when your house is as cold as the frozen tundra), there is no better way to warm up than making a big batch of fresh stew.  Plus it makes the house smell wonderful! 

 

I choose to make the beef stew out of the Comfort Foods Fix cookbook my aunt and uncle gave me for Christmas.  All the recipes in the book were already healthified versions of America's favorite comfort foods, but of course I had to add my own special touch to make this stew even better for you!  I don't even know how you could make this even healthier than it already is.  It is full of a variety of vegetables, is decently low in sodium for a stew, has high quality/local meat in it, has a good amount of my two favorite things (fiber and protein), can be make all in one pot leaving you limited dishes, and it doesn't even taste "healthy".   How much better can it get?!

 

The only thing better than sitting down to a big bowl of this stew on a cold day is doing so with your friends and family.  Sadly, my family is 4 hours away and most of my friends are home for winter break.  Luckily, one of my roommates is here taking a class over break, so I thought I would surprise her when she got home after a long day of class.  I even got all fancy and set the table with the new napkins and table runner my grandma cross-stitched for me.  :)  What a perfect dinner. 

ONE POT WONDER BEEF STEW

  

Ingredients:

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Ground black pepper

1/4 tsp Paprika

1 lb Venison, cubed

2 medium Onions, chopped

1 medium Rutabaga, peeled and cubed

1 large Carrot, peeled and cut into coins

1/4 cup Water

1 cup Mushrooms, chopped

2 tbsp Tomato paste

4 cups Natural beef broth*

2 cups Green peas, frozen

 

 *Broths can contain a lot of scary ingredients so make sure you find a good one! Or you can always make your own if you are feeling ambitious.

 

Directions:

1. In a pot large enough to hold about 10 cups, brown the venison with the salt, pepper, and paprika.  Cook over medium heat until all sides of the cubes are brown.

2. Meanwhile get all the vegetables cut up and set aside.

3. Once the meat is cooked scoop it out and set aside in a bowl leaving the juices in the pot.

4. Saute the onions in the same pot with the venison juices until tender and slightly golden.

5. Add the rutabaga and carrot to the pot and mix then in with the onions.  Add about a 1/4 cup of water to help create steam to cook the vegetables.  Cook over medium heat until the vegetables are starting to get tender.  Don't cook them all the way yet! 

6. Add the mushrooms and cook for a couple more minutes.

7. Before adding the broth, stir in the tomato paste to coat the vegetables.

8. Pour in the broth and stir everything together.

9. Turn the heat down to low and cook for 60-80 minutes stirring occasionally.

10.  Add the frozen peas and cook for another 5 minutes until peas are tender.

11. Grab a spoon and enjoy on a cold wintery day! 

Makes about 7 cups.

Nutrition Facts:
Serving Size: 1 cup
Calories: 159
Total Fat: 2 g
     Sat. Fat: 0.5 g
Cholesterol: 12 mg
Sodium: 416 mg
Total Carbs: 16 g
     Dietary Fiber: 4 g
     Sugars: 7 g
Protein: 19 g
Vitamin A:8%
Vitamin C: 40%
Iron: 17%
Calcium: 5%

You Can Have Your Cookie and EAT It Too!

Pin It Isn't being home for Christmas great?  I think it is.  You learn to especially appreciate it when you don't live at home anymore. What could possibly be better than spending time with family and friends and holiday baking?  Mmmm just thinking about it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I'm such a sap when it comes to Christmas.  Haha.

I was FINALLY reunited with my two partners in crime from high school while I was home.  Love those girls!  We decided to have a little fun together by decorating Christmas cookies.  Decorating Christmas cookies is one of my favorite childhood memories. My dad would always help us mix up the dough and cut a bunch of fun shapes out.  Then he would mix every color frosting under the sun for us and my sister and I would go to town decorating the dozens upon dozens of cookies.  As we got older we even started to get pretty detailed and creative in our decorations.  So much fun! 

I really wanted to blog about this tradition, but there was one minor problem... sugar cookies are not exactly the healthiest thing in the world and I mean this is technically a healthy food blog.  I tried to make a healthier whole wheat cookie last year, but they ended up looking like African America gingerbread men.  Not that that is a bad thing, but I have to be honest they tasted like cardboard...even with a thick layer of frosting on the top. 

This year I was ready to take the sugar cookie makeover challenge head on.  A little substitution here, a little less of this, a little more of that, a pinch of this here, and a blob of this there.  Perfection!  I was on a bit of a time crunch so I couldn't take the time to roll out the dough and cut out fun shapes, but this dough definitely could be rolled out if you so desire. 

 

HEALTH(IER) SUGAR COOKIES

Adapted from Enlightened Cooking

 Never mind the three frosted graham crackers... we were just trying to use up the frosting.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup White whole wheat flour

3/4 cup Unbleached white flour

1 tsp Baking powder

1/4 tsp Salt

3 tbsp Unsalted butter (The real stuff! No chemicals please!)

1/2 cup Sugar

1 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil

1 large Egg

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1/2 tsp Almond extract

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Sift together the first four ingredients (flours, baking powder, and salt).  If you don't have a sifter you can just use a whisk.

3. In a small pan brown the butter over low heat until golden.  Make sure to keep stirring to avoid burning the butter.

4. In a medium glass bowl combine the browned butter, sugar, and oil with an electric mixer. 

3. After about a minute, add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium-high for another two minutes.

4. Turn the mixer down to a low speed and slowly add the flour mixture until combined.

5. At this point you can either refrigerate the dough to make rolling it out easier or you can scoop small evenly sized balls onto a cookie sheet.  Make sure to flatten them out with the bottom of a cup before baking.  I made sure to dip the bottom of my cup in some flour before pressing on the dough to avoid sticking. 

6. Bake for 8-10 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  Be careful not to over bake! 

7. Let cool completely before frosting.

8. You can use whatever frosting and candy decorations you would like for these cookies.  We choose to make a simple frosting out of some milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. 

Makes about 15 cookies.

 

 

Isn't my little reindeer cute?  I used walnuts for the antlers. :)

 

Nutrition Facts:

*Does not include frosting or decorations

Calories: 100

Total Fat: 3.5g

     Sat. Fat: 1.5g

     Mono. Fat: 1g

Cholesterol: 18mg

Sodium: 47mg

Total Carbs: 24g

     Dietary Fiber: 1g

     Sugars: 6.5g

Protein: 2g

Vitamin A: 2%

Vitamin C: 0%

Calcium: 1%

Iron: 3%

Dark Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

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Happy November everybody!  Man I can't believe how fast this semester is going.... Only a few weeks until Thanksgiving, a couple more weeks until finals, and by then before you know it Christmas will have come and gone and it will be 2013!! Yikes. Ok I am getting ahead of myself, but I tend to do this a lot.

 

This reminds me of my Wednesday morning runs with Alyse...

Me: Hey! It's Wednesday!

Alyse: Woo! It's practically Thursday!

Me: ...Which means it's practically Friday! Hello weekend!
...This is usually followed by a huge lack of productivity because "Hey it's practically the weekend!"
Anybody else have this problem?

 

I don't know why I am always wishing the time away because usually at the same time I am always whining about not having enough time to do the things I want... Uff-da.

Annnyywayss.... back to what is important.  Thanksgiving!  Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  Why you ask?  Because of the food!  Mmmm.  Turkey. Cranberries. Stuffing.  Pumpkin pie. Squash.  Sweet potatoes...yikes.  The last three things I listed reminds me of the issue I had last fall when I turned orange due to a beta-carotene overdose.  I can't help that all my favorite foods are orange!  Even though this was a whole year ago, I still get comments about looking a little orange once in awhile.  Whoops. 

 

Speaking of foods rich in beta-carotene, you should really try these dark chocolate brownies.  Holy yum.  I made these for our F.A.N. (Food and Nutrition) Club meeting and I would say they were a hit.  These would be awesome to make if you are looking for a fun new Thanksgiving dessert.  Try em out and let me know what you think!

 

DARK CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN BROWNIES

 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Pumpkin puree (from a can)

2 Eggs

1 tbsp Olive oil

1/4 cup Blackstrap molasses

1-2 tsp Vanilla extract

1 cup White whole wheat flour

1/4 cup Granulated sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp Ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp Allspice

1/4 tsp Cloves

1/8 tsp Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Salt

1/3-1/2 cup Dark chocolate chips

 

Optional:

Powdered sugar

Milk

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, oil, molasses, and vanilla until well combined.

3. In another smaller bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined.

5. Stir in the chocolate chips.

6. Pour into a greased 9 in pie pan or 9x9 in baking dish.

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes.   If a toothpick does not come out of the middle clean after 20 minutes, bake another 5-10 minutes until the middle is set.

8. Let brownies cool completely before cutting and serving.

9. If you want you can mix a tiny bit of milk with some powdered sugar to create a glaze to drizzle over the top of the brownies.  I would highly recommend this is you are used to eating overly sweet desserts because the brownies alone are not overly sweet.

Makes 16-20 servings.

 

 

 



Merrytrickortreatandbethankful Day Cupcakes

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The Christmas decorations are out!  It's that time a year again when everyone starts whining about the stores having all their Christmas stuff out already when it is not even time for Halloween, let alone Thanksgiving, yet.  Personally, I love Christmas and wish we could celebrate all year round.  If it wasn't for our society's taboo of listening to Christmas music in August already, I would have had it blaring a long time ago.  It just makes me so happy!

 

To make everybody happy my friend Andrea and I decided to make cupcakes that incorporated all our favorite Fall holidays. 

Here's what we came up with:

Pumpkin = Halloween (orange)

Cranberries = Thanksgiving

Chocolate and frosting = Christmas

 

Creative huh? We thought so. :P  To be honest I was a little hesitant about putting chocolate, pumpkin, and cranberries together, but these turn out awesome!  They were supppppper moist and flavorful.  I highly recommend trying these out.  Plus they are healthy...well maybe minus the brown sugar...but the holidays are all about indulging a little right?!
 

 Here's a quick overview of the ingredients that make these cupcakes NUTRITIOUS-n-Delicious:

Olive oil

Pumpkin

Applesauce

Honey

White whole wheat flour

Cinnamon

Dark chocolate chips
 

If for some odd reason you need an excuse to make these, bring them to a holiday party or work.  I am sure they will be a huge hit! 



 

MERRYTRICKORTREATANDBETHANKFUL DAY CUPCAKES

Taking pictures of white frosting is hard!  Looks like a white blur... Also note our cute cupcake liners!

 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Brown sugar

1 1/2 tbsp Olive oil

1 1/4 cup Canned pumpkin

1/2 cup Unsweetened applesauce

2 tbsp Honey

1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 cup White whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Baking soda

2 tsp Ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp Ground cloves

1/4 tsp Allspice

3/4 cup Craisins

1/2 cup Dark chocolate chips

 

4 oz Cream cheese (We used fat free)

1/2 tbsp Butter

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 tbsp Powdered sugar

 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Beat the brown sugar, oil, pumpkin, applesauce, honey, egg, and vanilla together until smooth.

3. In another bowl stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.

4. Slowly add the dry into the wet ingredients while mixing.  We use my Kitchen Aid of course! Love that thing.

5. Fold in the craisins and chocolate chips.

6. Scoop the better evenly into 12 cupcake/muffin liners in a muffin pan.

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Make sure to poke the inside of a cupcake to see if it is done.

8. While the cupcakes are cooling, beat together the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar to make the frosting.

9. Once the cupcakes are cooled you can frost away.

10. Enjoy a cupcake with the flavors of all your favorite holidays all rolled into one.

Makes 12 cup cakes.

 

 

Nutrition Facts:

No these cupcakes are not healthy enough to be eaten for breakfast, but they have wayyyy more nutritional value than a normal cupcake.  Plus they are packed full of health enhancing ingredients!

 

Calories: 193

Total Fat: 7 g

     Sat. Fat: 3.3 g

     Mono. Fat.: 1.8 g

Cholesterol: 18 mg

Sodium: 200 mg

Total Carbohydrates: 47 g

    Dietary Fiber: 3 g

     Sugars: 21 g

Protein: 3.5 g

Vitamin A: 14.4%

Vitamin C: 5.4%

Calcium: 3.7%

Iron: 4.6%

 

Reason #23490980 Why I Love Fall: Apple Crisp

Pin It This is going to have to be a really quick post, but I've been itching to get back to blogging!  So here it goes!

Today I was finally reunited with my bestie in the kitchen.  The two of us in the kitchen is a dangerous thing sometimes...

Exhibit A: Butter on cabinets on the opposite side of the kitchen.

Exhibit B: Cucumber carvings.

 

Exhibit C: Someone needed some discipline.

Oh! And another exciting thing about today is that fact that I got to use my new Kitchen Aid!!  Being the bakingoholic that I am, I've been drooling over one of those puppies at Target for a long time now. Luckily enough, I have super AWESOME neighbors that gave me one that they didn't have a use for.  When they told me about it I was as excited as a kid who just got tickets to Disney World.  Haha. No, but seriously... :P

Inspired by the beautiful fall colors and weather we've been having, we decided to bake some apple crisp today.  YUM.  Mmmm and the aroma it filled the house with was heavenly.  Nothing beats the smell of cinnamon and apples in the fall.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

APPLE CRISP

Inspired By: Healthy Food For Living

(Back to quick cell phone shots...sorry!)

Ingredients:
1 Large apple, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly
1/4 tsp Guam gum (or 1/2 tsp Cornstarch)
1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon

1 tbsp White whole wheat flour
2 tbsp Old fashioned oats
1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon
Dash salt
1 tbsp Olive oil

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees.
2. Prepare apple by peeling, coring, and slicing it thinly.
3. Dump apple slices into a small greased baking pan/dish.
4. Toss the apple slices with the guar gum (or cornstarch) and cinnamon.
5. In a small bowl combine the flour, oats,  sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
6. Mix in the olive oil until the mixture just starts to get crumbly.  If it doesn't you can always add a little more oil (no worries olive oil is good for you!).
7. Spread the topping mixture evenly over the apples.
8. Bake for 15 minutes and check the crisp.
9. Bake fore another 15 minutes or until topping is crisp.
10. Dig in! (Share only if you want to...)
Makes 1-2 servings.

Nutrition Facts:
Sorry friends I don't have time to calculate this today...gotta get to my 6 page report!

Low Carb Eggplant Lasagna

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 Man oh man do I miss blogging!  Now that school has started again I have been crazy crazy busy as I am sure the rest of you are. It's not that I haven't had time to cook (a girls gotta eat ya know!)... it's just that I haven't had time to photograph and blog all my new creations.  So sorry!  Hopefully I'll be able to share at least a few of my latest picture-less creations. 

 

Today I am going to share my recipe for Low Carb Eggplant Lasagna!  Like my Low Carb Stir Fry, this is a great way to get some extra veggies in your diet while reducing your carbohydrate intake.  This recipe is also super easy to customize to your own likes and dislikes.  Want cheese? Go ahead and add it!  Don't have venison?  Try lean ground turkey!  Despise mushrooms?  Why not try peppers instead!  Use your imagination and make it your own.  Best of luck and enjoy!

 

LOW CARB EGGPLANT LASAGNA

(Dairy, grain, gluten, and nut-free)

Ingredients:

1 large Eggplant, sliced the long way into 1/3-1/2 inch slices

1 lb Ground venison, cooked

3/4 cup Spaghetti sauce

6 Baby portabella mushroom caps, chopped

1 cup Frozen spinach

Fresh or dried basil

Oregano

Garlic powder

Onion Powder

Salt and pepper

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.

2. Grease the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish/pan.

3. Layer the eggplant on the bottom of the pan.  You may have to cut a few piece to get it to cover the bottom better.

4. Top the eggplant with a layer of 1/2 the venison, 1/2 the sauce, seasonings to your liking, 1/2 cup frozen spinach, and 1/2 the mushrooms.

5. Repeat layers with remaining 1/2 of the ingredients.

6. Bake for 20-30 minutes uncovered.

7. Remove lasagna from the oven and cover with aluminum foil.

8. Bake for another 30 minutes.

9. Poke a fork into the eggplant to check for doneness.  If it still seems hard bake for another 10 minutes and check again.

10. Once the eggplant is tender let lasagna rest before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

 

 

 

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 189.6

Total Fat: 6.6 g

     Mono. Fat: 2.1 g

     Poly. Fat: 0.4 g

     Sat. Fat: 2.3 g

Cholesterol: 41.6 mg

Sodium: 286.9 mg

Total Carbs: 14.9 g

     Dietary Fiber: 5.7 g

     Sugars: 7.4 g

Protein: 19.3 g

Vitamin A: 17.8%

Vitamin C: 15.4%

Calcium: 7.4%

Iron: 20.2%



Veggies So Delicious They Taste Like Candy

Pin It This past week my aunt and uncle happened to be in the area for an organic farming conference so we were able to hook up and have lunch together.  We went to this cute little cafe and enjoyed a delicious lunch.  It was so much fun to catch up with them and talk about our latest cooking creations and nutrition research.  One of the best parts about the day (besides actually being able to visit and spend time with my aunt and uncle) was getting a load of vegetables from my uncle's ginormous garden.  Cucumbers. Carrots. Zucchini. Beets. Tomatoes. Lettuce. Peppers. Onions. Garlic. Nutrition nerd heaven.

Sorry about the poor picture quality...I was too excited to take the time to get out my good camera and spend some time taking pictures.

At first I was kind of nervous to bring it all home to my roommates being as our fridge is already packed as it is.  Sharing a fridge with 4 other girls gets a little crazy sometimes... but we made it work no worries! The girls were actually almost as excited as I was about all the free vegetables.  It didn't take long before they were enjoying fresh salads and sliced cucumbers. 

To take a little load off of the fridge I decided to roast a bunch of veggies right away. In the mix went several beets, some carrots, and a pepper. I've never really had much experience with beets being as my mom absolutely hates them, but I asked my uncle to bring a few so I could try them.  Guess what??  I LOVED THEM! They were so sweet and flavorful I couldn't keep my hands off the plate as I was trying to take pictures.  Yummy! 

I think roasting vegetables is one of my favorite ways to cook them (nothing tops grilling of course).  I don't know what it is about them, but the tender centers bursting with flavor and crisp toasted outsides is just something that cannot be beat.  Plus it couldn't be easier to chop up a bunch of veggies, toss 'em in some olive oil, season with a little salt and pepper and throw 'em in the oven. It's hard for me to even call this a recipe, but I just had to share the beautiful bright colors of the roasted vegetables and my new love for beets.  Seriously you need to try them this way!

Note: I'm warning you right now.  Roasted veggies are as addicting as candy.  The other night I cut up a whole zucchini, several carrots, and a whole onion...and ate it all...only me right?  "Only Kara the crazy vegetable girl would do that."  No... I'm serious these are so good it can happen to you too!

GARDEN FRESH ROASTED VEGETABLES

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Seasonings (Salt, pepper, basil, etc.)

Vegetables of choice

*I just used salt and pepper on mine this time and used 2 red beets, 1 golden beet, 1 pepper, and several carrots.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.

2. Wash and cut up vegetables into 1 inch or so chunks.  I like to cut my carrots in half too for faster cooking.

3. Lightly toss veggies in olive oil on a cookie sheet lined with foil (for easy clean up).

4. Sprinkle on desired seasonings.

5. Bake 10-15 minutes, stir, and repeat until the edges are getting crispy and the middles are soft.

SO PRETTY!

*I have no idea what how many people this serves...if it was me it'd only be 1-2 servings...but I really like my veggies.  I don't have nutrition facts either due to too many recipe variations, but feel free to calculate your own if you are curious. :) ENJOY!





Sweet Potato Breakfast Bake

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Good morning everyone!  I hope you are all waking up and enjoying a nice healthy breakfast this morning.  I know I am!  I love going to bed at night know I have a delicious breakfast waiting for me when I get up. 

Normally, I am not in the mood to make myself an extravagant meal in the morning.  Takes too much effort when I'm still groggy from the last night's sleep... especially during the school year.  How am I enjoying such a delicious breakfast then you may ask?  Leftovers!  Seriously.  For those of you cooking for one or even for a family, leftovers can be the best thing ever.  Cook a big batch, scoop individual potion sizes into containers, store in the fridge, go to bed, wake up, pop one of those babies in the microwave, and dig in!  Easy peasy! (Note: I even skip the microwaving step all together with the recipe because I love it cold.)

Lately I've been making egg bakes for the week, but decided I needed to change it up for a few days.  This is when my Sweet Potato Breakfast Bake recipe was born.  Mmm. I just finished my last bowl as we speak and I'm kind of sad.  I loved the soft texture...kind of like a mixture between a muffin and pumpkin pie....interesting comparison I know, but still so good.  Plus the raisins add a special touch of sweetness with every bite.  Nuts would also be a great addition to this recipe for those of you who like a little crunch!

SWEET POTATO BREAKFAST BAKE

Ingredients:

1 large Sweet potato

1/2 cup Almond meal (Fine ground almonds)

1/2 cup Sesame seeds, ground into a flour

2 tbsp Flax

1 tsp cinnamon

Nutmeg

Cloves

Allspice

1 tsp Baking soda

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

1/2 cup Raisins

Directions:

1. Preheat 375 F degrees.

2. Cook the sweet potato in the microwave or the oven until very tender.

3. In the meantime, add the almond meal to a food processor to grind into a finer flour (you can omit this step if your almonds are already pretty fine).

4. Transfer the almond meal to a mixing bowl and add the sesame seeds to the food processor.  Process into a flour like texture.

5. Mix together the almond meal, sesame seed flour, flax, spices, and baking soda.

6. Scoop the cooled sweet potato (you don't want it to cook the egg right away!) into food processor along with the egg and vanilla and puree.

7. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.

8. Fold in the raisins.

9. Pour into a grease 8x8 baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes.  I took mine out when a fork came out clean, but it ended up being pretty soft in the middle when I cut into it.  I thought it was actually really good that way; however, if you don't want a gooey casserole you can try cooking it longer for a drier cake like texture.

Makes 6 decent sized breakfast servings.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 227

Total Fat: 13.2 g

     Mono. Fat: 3 g

     Poly. Fat: 3.5 g

     Sat. Fat: 1.6 g

Cholesterol: 54.5 mg

Sodium: 251 mg

Potassium: 290.6 mg

Total Carbs: 23.4 g

     Dietary Fiber: 4.8 g

     Sugars: 10 g

Protein: 7.4 g

Vitamin A: 36%

Vitamin C: 1%

Calcium: 18%

Iron: 17%

NOTE: If you haven't yet like my page on Facebook for important updates. Click here to link to my page.  Also if you are into Twitter you can follow me at @Nutritiousnd.



Grain and Gluten Free Burger with Homemade Ketchup

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I'm experiencing some major writers block today, so I don't have much to say today....except here's the recipes. Enjoy! 

P.S. These buns also make for some great BTLs with fresh tomatoes!

GRAIN AND GLUTEN FREE BURGER WITH HOMEMADE KETCHUP

 Ingredients:

1 cup Cauliflower, pureed

1 Egg, whisked

2 tbsp Flaxmeal

Garlic powder

Onion powder

1/2 tsp Baking powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.

2. Mix all the ingredients together.

3. Pour small circles of the batter onto a greased cookie sheet (VERY IMPORTANT STEP).

4. Bake for 10 minutes until they start to look drier and golden. 

5. Using a large spatula flip the buns over and bake for another 5 or so minutes.

6. Once the buns are nice and golden remove them from the oven and let cool before assembling the burger.

Makes 4-5 buns depending on the size.

HEALTHY HOMEMADE KETCHUP

(No added sugar or chemicals!)

Ingredients:

1 can Tomato paste (6 oz.)

1 tbsp Vinegar, plain

2 tbsp Lemon juice

1/2 cup Water

1/4 tsp Dry mustard

1 dash cinnamon

1/4 tsp Salt

1 pinch Ground cloves

1 pinch Ground allspice

1 large dash Onion powder

1 dash Garlic powder

Directions:

1. Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl and enjoy!

Note: The ketchup will taste better once the flavors combine overnight in the fridge.

Makes 1 cup.

Nutrition Facts:

- Bun nutrition facts not calculated.

- 1 tbsp Ketchup

Calories: 9.5

Total Fat: 0.1 g

     Sat. Fat: 0 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 128.4 mg

Potassium: 110.5 mg

Total Carbs: 2.2 g

     Dietary Fiber: 0.5 g

     Sugars: 1.3 g

Protein: 0.5 g

Vitamin A: 0.5%

Vitamin C: 4.7%

Calcium: 0.5%

Iron: 1.8% 

Best of Both Worlds Chocolate Chia Pudding

Pin It Wouldn't it be awesome if you could boost your daily fiber and protein intake while eating dessert?!  I sure think so!  Chocolate Chia Pudding can do just that!  One serving of this pudding has about 11 grams of fiber and protein... can you believe it?!  That's a lot of fiber.  If you are not sure your body can handle all that fiber at once, you can try adding less chia seeds (warning: this will make the pudding a little thinner) or you can start with smaller servings sizes until your body adjusts.  Upping your fiber intake really fast can cause some issues in your digestive track...if you know what I mean... But if you are already used to a high fiber diet be my guest and dig in!

I'm sure you can make other variations to this recipe too.  I've probably already mentioned this, but I have this crazy disease that makes it really hard for me to follow recipes as written.  I can't help but sub a little something here or there, add a few secret ingredients, and change the measuring ratios.  Experimenting with different flavors is always fun too!  Cookies and creme pudding? Vanilla? Butterscotch? Peanut butter? Cookie dough? Peanut butter?  Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum. Yum.

CHOCOLATE CHIA PUDDING

Ingredients:

1 cup Milk

1 packet Stevia

2-3 tbsp Unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup Chia seeds

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process for about 5 minutes.  It should be starting to thicken.

2. Pour into a container and let sit in the fridge for a few hours.

3. Scoop into a bowl and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 180
Total Fat: 6.5 g
     Sat. Fat: 0 g
     Poly. Fat: 5 g
     Mono. Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 2.5 mg
Sodium: 65 mg
Potassium: 330 mg
Total Carbs: 19.5
     Dietary Fiber: 11 g (WOW!)
     Sugars: 6 g
Protein: 11.5 g
Vitamin A: 5%
Vitamin C: 1%
Calcium: 31%
Iron: 14%

Mochachino Popsicles

Pin It Easy, creamy, and dreamy. Nutritious and delicious. That's all you need to know... Now go make these popsicles! Go now! I mean it go!

MOCHACHINO POPSICLES

Don't they look dreamy?  I'm drooling. :P

Ingredients:

2 very ripe Bananas

1/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup Coconut milk from a can

2-3 tsp Instant coffee granules

1/4 cup Coconut milk from a can

1 packet Stevia

Directions:

1. Peel and mash bananas in a medium sized bowl with a fork.

2. Add in the cocoa powder 1/2 cup coconut milk, and instant coffee and mix well.

3. In another small bowl mix together the stevia and a 1/4 cup coconut milk.

4. Layer the two mixtures into several popsicle molds (I had enough to make about 5 popsicles).  If you don't have popsicles molds you can just as easily make mini popsicles in an ice cube tray with toothpicks or in dixie cups with popsicle sticks.  Get creative!

5. Freeze popsicles for several hours before serving.

6. Once frozen you can run the outside of the mold under hot water to help release the popsicle. Enjoy!

Makes about 5 popsicles.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 117

Total Fat: 6.9 g

     Sat. Fat: 5.4 g

     Poly. Fat: 0.5 g

     Mono. Fat: 0.5 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 9.4 mg

Potassium: 213.8 mg

Total Carbs: 14.6 g

     Dietary Fiber: 1.9 g

     Sugars: 6.2 g

Protein: 1.6 g

Vitamin A: 0.8%

Vitamin C: 6.8%

Calcium: 0%

Iron: 3.3.%

Low Carb Stir Fry

Pin It Did you know you can make cauliflower into rice??  I've been seeing recipes all over the Internet lately and have been itchin' to try it.  Not being very picky, I had no worries about trying it, but if you are worried about your rice tasting like "nasty" cauliflower...STOP.  No worries and no "nasty" cauliflower taste here.  The vibrant flavors of everything else in this dish are so strong you would never even know there was cauliflower in it!  I'm sure it would taste like cauliflower if you ate the rice plain, but really why wouldn't it? It's cauliflower!  With that being said you can use this rice in a ton of other recipes if you are not fond of soy sauce and are looking to get more veggies in your system or lower your carb intake.

LOW CARB STIR FRY

Ingredients:

1/2 head of Cauliflower

1 lb cubed Venison (or lean beef or chicken)

1/2 cup Red and/or green peppers, chopped

1 8oz can Water Chestnuts, drained

1/2 cup Mushrooms, sliced

1 cup Frozen spinach

1/4 cup Lite soy sauce

Garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the venison in a pan over medium heat until cooked through.

2. In the meantime, roughly chop the cauliflower and toss into a food processor (blender may work?).

3. Using the pulse button, chop the cauliflower until rice like.  Be careful not to turn the cauliflower into a puree!

4. Once the meat is cooked rinse and drain the extra fat from the pan and set meat aside in a bowl.

5. Add the cauliflower, peppers, water chestnuts, mushrooms, and spinach to the pan and stir together over medium heat.

6. Cook for 4-5 minutes before adding the soy sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.

7. Stirring occasionally, cook for another 5-10 minutes until peppers are tender and mushrooms are soft.

8. Stir in the cubed meat and serve immediately!

Makes 4 servings.

 

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 225

Total Fat: 3 g

     Sat. Fat: 1.1 g

     Poly. Fat: 0.2 g

     Mono. Fat: 0.5 g

Cholesterol: 88 mg

Sodium: 1140 mg (Yikes! If you are worried about your sodium intake you might want to scale back the amount of soy sauce in this recipe or only enjoy this once in awhile)

Potassium: 711.1 mg

Total Carbs: 6.9 mg

     Dietary Fiber: 2.1 g

     Sugars: 4.2 g

Protein: 36.8 g

Vitamin A: 13%

Vitamin C: 50.7%

Calcium: 4.4%

Iron: 27.8%

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Pin It My latest addiction...Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream.  I don't know why I got a huge craving for pumpkin in the middle of summer, but really I'm not complaining.  :)  I love pumpkin and I love fall so why not enjoy the flavors of pumpkin pie all year round?  Plus pumpkin is super good for you and makes a great base for a delicious creamy ice cream.  I used an ice cream maker to make this, but just incase you don't have one (which is really a shame..) I'll give you a few other ways to make it in the directions because I don't want you to miss out.  Enjoy!

PUMPKIN PIE ICE CREAM

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Milk

1/4 cup Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling!)

1 packet Stevia

Dash cinnamon
Splash vanilla extract

Pinch allspice, cloves, and nutmeg (optional but really improves the flavor)

1/4 tsp Guar gum (also optional but it helps make it really thick)
1/3 scoop Vanilla protein powder (again this is option)

Directions:

Option 1:

1. Whisk all the ingredients together in a cup with a fork.

2. Pour into an ice cream maker and just wait till it's done!

3. Serve immediately or place in freezer for awhile to get a harder texture.

Option 2:

1. Whisk all the ingredients together in a cup with a fork.

2. Place into a shallow tupperware container to give the ice cream the most surface layer possible.

3. Place in freezer and stir every 1/2 hour or so until desired consistency is reached.

Option 3:

1. Whisk all the ingredients together in a cup with a fork.

2. Pour ice cream into a clean ice cube tray and place in freezer.

3. Once the cubes are frozen place in a high speed blender (you may need to add a little milk) and blend.

Nutrition Facts:
*Does not include protein powder*
Calories: 99
Total Fat: 0.1 g
     Sat. Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 3.8 mg
Sodium: 103.2 mg
Potassium: 323.5 mg
Total Carb: 17.4 g
     Dietary Fiber: 3.2 g
     Sugars: 11 g
Protein: 7.8 g
Vitamin A: 147.6%
Vitamin C: 6.4%
Calcium: 25.6%
Iron: 5.6%

Zucchini Spaghetti

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Zucchini spaghetti is not necessarily something new to the culinary world, but I thought I would share this great recipe in case you've never tried it.  The recipe itself couldn't be simpler!  It takes a total of about 15 minutes to make and only about 5 of those minutes requires actual work.  You can even use the zucchini noodles for other pasta dishes.  The possibilities are endless...it's time to get creative!

ZUCCHINI SPAGHETTI

Ingredients:

1 medium Zucchini

Your favorite pasta sauce

Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Wash and cut the zucchini into long skinny sticks.

2. Toss zucchini into a pot of boiling water.

3. Let boil for 4-5 minutes.  Don't cook too long or your "noodles" will turn to mush!

4. Drain the water immediately when "noodles" are tender.

5. Top with pasta sauce and cheese and dig in!  Some homemade meatballs would go great with this. :)

Makes 1-2 servings.

Nutrition Facts:

Once again I am not calculating the facts due to too many variations in the recipe.  If you want to calculate your own check out myfitnesspal.com.  I hope you enjoy this nutrient packed spaghetti as much as I did! 

A Strawberry Rhubarb Omelet?

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I've seen a few recipes lately for sweet omelets... meaning a sweet filling instead of the normal savory fillings like veggies, meat, and cheese.  At first I was a little leery...Fruit in eggs? Uh...that just doesn't sound right.  Anyone else with me on this one?  But despite my reservations, I finally decided to give it a whorl and to my surprise it was actually really good! 

Beating the eggs until they are nice and fluffy before cooking them gives the omelet a much lighter taste and texture that goes really well with a fruit jam middle.  I decided to use strawberries and rhubarb in mine, but you can really use whatever you want.  Blueberries? Raspberries? Yum yum!  If you want to make this extra special you could serve it with some whipped topping or more fresh fruit or jam on top. 

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB OMELET

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Fresh/frozen strawberries
1/3 cup Fresh/frozen rhubarb, chopped
2 packets Stevia

2-3 Eggs (I used 3 medium eggs)
1-2 tbsp Milk
Olive oil cooking spray

Directions:
1. In a small pot, heat the strawberries and rhubarb over low heat.  It might look dry, but don't add water! Just keep stirring to prevent burning.
2. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a bowl and add the milk.
3. Using an electric mixer (this is important if you want a lighter fluffier omelet) beat the eggs until light and airy (4-5 minutes).
4. Heat a pan over medium heat and spray with olive oil.
5. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and swirl pan around to spread the egg out.
6. Let the egg cook while occasionally using a spatula to pull the wet middle to the sides.
7. Remove the strawberry rhubarb mixture from the heat once it is thick like jam.
8. Once the omelet is pretty well cooked spread the jam on half the omelet and fold the side over.
9. Cook omelet a little while longer on each side.
10. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Makes 1 omelet.

Nutrition Facts:
Calorie: 216
Total Fat: 12.1 g
     Sat. Fat: 3 g
Cholesterol: 558.6 mg
Sodium: 203.9 mg
Potassium: 236.3 mg
Total Carbs: 10.1 g
     Dietary Fiber: 2.4 g
     Sugars: 1.9 g
Protein: 19.8 g
Vitamin A: 14.7%
Vitamin C: 39%
Calcium: 13.9%
Iron: 14.5%

Garden Veggie Sandwich...And a Surprise Guest Post!

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Hey all!  Sorry for going MIA this week.  I know I haven't posted in awhile, but I've been pretty busy and I like to take a break every once in awhile anyways.  I never want my blogging to feel like a job or a chore, so taking a break now and then is refreshing.  It's not that I don't like blogging, cooking, and sharing my recipes with you because I love every minute of it.  Sometimes it kills me not to be able to do what I love, but life gets in the way sometimes and other things demand my time and attention.  I am sure you can all understand. :)

Anyways I have something a little different for you all today....A guest post!  I was contacted a few weeks ago by a reader named Jillian Mckee.  She liked what I was writing about and was wondering if I would allow her to share some of her research and writing about the benefits of eating and living a  healthy lifestyle while going through cancer.  Immediately I agreed because I know so many friends and family out there who have been touched by cancer.  Her message is so important and I encourage you to read through what she has to say and share this post with your friends and family. 

Here is what she has to say:

The Importance of a Good Diet

Health specialists stress the importance of a good diet in order to maintain a strong immune system and provide the body with the resources it needs to function at its best.  Healthy eating can also make you happier as a balanced diet makes the body respond better.  When diagnosed with a serious illness, it is critical that a balanced diet regimen is followed.  This will provide the resources your body needs to fight the effects of the disease.  While everybody had different nutritional needs, there are a few rules of thumb that work for nearly anyone following a diet.

The most important piece of advice is to eat more vegetables, especially those of a leafy green variety. They are high in fiber and contain lots of beneficial minerals that help fight illnesses. Vegetables are good because they help fight against free radicals which can cause the body to be less responsive to the illness it is already trying to combat.

Just as useful are whole grain foods.  Breads and cereals that are not heavily processed retain a lot of their fiber and other nutrients that can be lost to refinement.  White bread may be tasty, but it does not have the beneficial properties of wheat bread the body needs.

Serious conditions such as mesothelioma and other cancers can deplete a person's strength.  That is why it is necessary to include a good amount of protein in your diet.  Meat is not the best choice, as it tends to introduce more free radicals into the body.  Dairy products, nuts, and beans are good alternatives to meat.  For those who wish to have some meat, stick with the lean varieties of fish, turkey, and chicken and limit the amount to the size of a pack of playing cards.  That is about 4 ounces.

Cut back on fats, oils, sugar, alcohol, and salt.  All of these can reduce the effectiveness of the beneficial properties of the healthy foods one should be eating.  Alcohol can also interfere with the effectiveness of medications, so it should definitely be used in moderation.

The National Cancer Institute has a few suggestions to keep you on your diet. Having a serious illness makes it harder to stick with a diet plan of any kind.  In addition to talking to a dietitian to ensure that whatever regimen you choose to follow will work for you, there is also the issue of being tired.  Some of the treatments along with the illness can leave one feeling drained.  To this end, the site also advises that you do what you can to limit the chances of not sticking with the diet.  Stock your house with nothing but healthy foods.  Have a few easy-to-cook meals available for the really tough days.  If you know that a particular treatment or medication will leave you feeling too tired to cook, prepare the meal in advance.

It's your body and nobody will have as much of a vested interest in ensuring it stays healthy than you.

Jillian Mckee

Amen to that!  I just want to add that eating and living a healthy lifestyle is not only important while going through cancer; it is also very important in the prevention of cancer.  The U.S. spends an overwhelming majority of its budget on the treatment of medical issues.  Wouldn't it make more sense to spend money on prevention instead of waiting to treat our illnesses?  I thought these photos shared by Fooducate on Facebook the other day fit very well with this topic...So much truth!

Alright now for what you've really been waiting for...the recipe!  I've been making variations of this sandwich for quite awhile now (sometimes with cheese or pesto or an everything bagel thin), but I decided to share it today because it goes along nicely with what Jillian had to say.  Lots of veggies and whole grains. :)  Enjoy!

GARDEN VEGGIE SANDWICH

 

Ingredients:

1 slice 100% Whole wheat toast

1 sliced Tomato

1/2 sliced Cucumber

2 tbsp Cream cheese (reduced fat or fat free)

To taste:

Basil

Garlic powder

Oregano

Salt

Pepper

 

Directions:

1. Spread cream cheese on toast.

2. Sprinkle on desired seasonings.

3. Top with a hearty layer of tomato (an inch thick slice of my dad's garden tomatoes is my favorite!).

4. Add cucumber on top and dig in! Don't forget a napkin!  You are definitely going to need it. :P

 

Nutrition Facts:

No nutrition facts today sorry!  There are too many variations in the ingredients and how you personally make your sandwich.

Heart Healthy Avocado Fried Egg

Pin It Love eggs? Love avocados?  Try this heart healthy Avocado Fried Egg! After learning how to easily peel an avocado this recipe popped into my head and I made it for lunch.  Quick, easy, nutritious, and delicious!

AVOCADO FRIED EGG

Ingredients:

1 large Egg

1 medium Avocado sliced (Check out this blog for a super easy way to peel avocados!)

Salsa

Directions:

1. Preheat a pan on the stove for 2-3 minutes with medium heat.

2. Spray the pan with olive oil cooking spray.

3. Slowly crack the egg into the pan aiming to get the yolk in the middle.

4. Place the avocado ring around the yolk and let cook until the egg white sets.  You can eat it lie that or you can flip the egg to cook the egg yolk more.  Or if your like my mom who gets the shivers when she see runny yolks, you can break the yolk and cook until the egg is firm.

5. Once cooked to your liking remove from pan and serve with some salsa or on a piece of whole wheat toast.

 Makes 1 serving.

You might want to double the recipe for a more filling meal or if you are cooking for a family make quite a few more.

Nutrition Facts:

I'm not really sure how to calculate the nutrition facts for this recipe because I don't have the exact amount of used.  Just know this recipe is full of healthy fats from the avocado and filling protein from the egg. Great for breakfast or lunch!

Funky Monkey Brownies....With a Super Secret Ingredient!

Pin It Can you guess my latest crazy surprise ingredient?  I bet not! I'll give you 10 questions...

1. Is it a bean?....Nope.

2. Is it a type of seed?....Nu uh.

3. Is it a vegetable?....Mhmmmmm.

4. Is it green?....No.

5. Is it squash?...Uh Uh.

6. Is it orange?....Negative.

7. Is it white?...Yep.

8. Is it a vegetable that I know?...Sure is.

9. Is it a potato?...Nooooo.

10. Is it cauliflower?...YOU GUESSED IT!

Sounds disgusting right?  I promise you won't even notice!  I have to admit though...this recipe is actually started out as a major flop.  My original intent going into the kitchen was to make chocolate banana bread.  Unfortunately as I opened the oven I found something a little different than what I was expecting. But no worries! It turned into something even better than banana bread!  By mistake I had created some of the healthiest and fudgeyist (that's not a word, but who cares? :P) brownies ever.  Bummer right? Not. Haha.  I'll take it!

I decided that Funky Monkey Brownies was the perfect name for this recipe for two reasons.  Number one:  I think you'll agree with me when I say cauliflower in brownies is pretty funky... And number two: Funky Banana Brownies just sounds...well gross.  So Funky Monkey Brownies it is!  Enjoy!

FUNKY MONKEY BROWNIES

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Old Fashion Oats, ground into a flour

1/2 cup White Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp Baking soda

1/4 tsp Baking powder

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup Cauliflower, cooked/steamed

2 medium Bananas, very ripe

2 tbsp Honey

2 tbsp Unsweetened applesauce

2 packets Stevia

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 large Egg white

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

2. Whisk together the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder.

3. Puree the cauliflower and bananas until smooth.

4. Add in the remaining ingredients and whisk until well combines.

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined.

6. Pour in a greased 9x9 baking dish/pan.

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out of the middle clean.

Makes 9 good sized brownies.

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 91

Total Fat: 1 g

     Sat. Fat: 0.1 g

     Poly. Fat: 0.1 g

     Mono. Fat: 0.1 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 157.6 mg

Potassium: 99.8 mg

Total Carbs: 19.1 g

     Dietary Fiber: 2.3 g

     Sugars: 7.5 g

Protein: 2.6 g

Vitamin A: 0.4%

Vitamin C: 10.4%

Calcium: 0.9%

Iron: 5.1%