Healthy Breakfast 

Lentils, Buckwheat, Fresh Fruit and Ground Flax Seed

Happy  Halloween!  Today we are going to be eating sugar, sugar, and more sugar.  So I wanted to start everyone off this a healthy breakfast.  My family loves oatmeal.  So I had the idea to make my own type of oatmeal.  I cooked 1 cup of lentils and 1 cup of buckwheat together ( I just followed the instructions on the bags).  Then I added some fresh fruit and ground flax seed.  It was delicious. 

 Now let the trick-or-treating begin! 

Pork Chops and Apple Sauce

Yum, Yum, Yum! Pork Chops are a great Sunday dinner in the Fall.  The boneless pork chops I made have an easy rub that was inspired by a visit to Whole Foods Market.  I seared them on a grill pan and then cooked them in the oven for 30 minutes.  I still have some  homemade applesauce, so I opened it up and added it to this delicious meal.  A side of mashed sweet potatoes and green beans finish off the dish.  Sweet potatoes are so easy to cook.  I just wrapped them in foil, put them in the oven and took them out in about 40 minutes.  The green beans are just as easy.  I boiled them for 5 minutes, drained them and immediately ran cold water over them.  While they were cooking I sauteed 2 cloves of garlic and 1 scallion in a tablespoon of olive oil.  I threw in the green beans and sauteed with the garlic and scallions for 3 minutes.  They were crisp and perfect.  

Pork Chop Rub

Paprika

Cumin

Oregano

Cayenne Pepper (I didn't add to the chops for the boys)

Salt and Pepper

The Best Juice for What's Bugging You

Shape has a great article for you juicers.  It has 11 great juicing recipes.  I made the "The Best Juice for Anti Aging" this morning.  I used almond milk, frozen blueberries and strawberries, kale, a beet and I threw in some ground flax seed.  First I juiced the kale and beet.  Then I added the juice to a blender with all the other ingredients.   It was so good and sweet.  

Link to article - The Best Juice for What's Bugging You
Link to Best Juice for Anti Aging recipe

Banana Blueberry Pancakes

I haven't had fun with cookie cutters in a while.  I love making pancakes on the weekend.  These were delicious!  The recipe came from Taste of Home.  I cut out cantaloupe in the shape of pumpkins too.  

Make breakfast fun. :)

Link to Banana Blueberry Pancakes

Don't waste the scraps... use them as dipper strips.  

Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread

Happy Friday!  The boys asked me to make them pepperoni bread, so I search for a good recipe and I came across this neat idea to make monkey bread.  The recipe came from the blog Healthy and Sane.

It was such a hit in my house that I am going to make it again and fill the bread with veggies next time.

  

I made the pizza dough from an easy recipe I found on Sunny-Side Up Recipes.  I used whole wheat flour.  My husband prefers all purpose flour when I bake, so next time I would compromise and use 1/2 all purpose and 1/2 whole wheat.  :)  I would double the recipe next time too,  so I would have more dough balls to put in my bunt pan.  

DOUGH RECIPE

Ingredients (1 large crust):
-2 cups bread flour
-1 packet of yeast
-3/4 cup hot water
-1/2 cup milk
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp sugar

1.  Whisk water, milk, and yeast until bubbly.
2.  Add salt and sugar.
3.  Add bread flour little by little.
4.  Knead for 25 minutes on a clean surface.  Use as little extra flour as possible.  It will be hard to work with at first, but then it will develop a nice bounce to it as you work the glutens.
5.  Plop into a greased bowl covered with damp cloth for about 1 hours.

Chop up your filling.

Roll out dough and cut out small circles.

Be creative with your filling.  

Pinch dough closed.

I brushed each one with olive oil and basil.

Break out your bunt pan!  Pile them on top of each other.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 35 minutes. 

Link to Pepperoni Pizza Bread Recipe

Vegetable Cheddar Soup with a Jack-o'-Lantern Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadilla

With Halloween coming up I am starting to feel festive.  Besides, who wouldn't want to eat anything shaped like a Jack-o'-Lantern?  It definitely made my boys smile.  This soup was super easy to make.  

Vegetable Cheddar Soup

  

Tuesday is salad bar night in our house, so for my soup I dumped all the leftover veggies in a pot and sauteed them with a little extra virgin olive oil.  I added about 1/8 cup whole wheat flour to the veggies after they were sauteed.  Next I combined about 1/2 a bag of sharp cheddar cheese and 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock to the veggies.   Lastly I added 1 cup of skim milk and some salt and pepper.  

It was that easy! 

Jack-o'-Lantern Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quesadilla

  

Take 2 whole wheat tortillas.  Cut out a pumpkin shape laying one on top of the other.  Remove the top tortilla and cut out eyes and a mouth.  You can fill then with whatever you like.  I filled mine with sweet potato, black beans, fresh chopped cilantro and a little cheddar cheese.  Place on a baking sheet and put in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Cute and delicious! 

Kale, Bell Pepper and Pine Nuts Sauteed with Garlic - A Great Side

I love kale and am always trying to find new ways to make it.  This kale salad is delicious and a great side for any meal.  It came from the October 2011 issue of an amazing health magazine - Experience Life.  We had it with crab legs, quinoa and some fruit.  I will use this recipe over and over again.  

Try it.  

Link to Kale, Bell Peppers and Pine Nuts Sauteed with Garlic

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Grapes

I hated brussels sprouts as a kid.  It wasn't until recently that I enjoyed their strong taste.  I want to keep exposing my kids to all kinds of foods, so like it or not we're having brussels sprouts tonight.  A recipe in Whole Living magazine caught my eye and I just had to try it.  The grapes really helped sweeten the taste of the brussels sprouts.  I also added some left over chickpeas.  Just as I suspected though, the boys did not like the taste at all.  Seems like they are just like their mom.  

Recipe found in the November 2011 issue of Whole Living Magazine, still on newsstands. 

24 oz brussels sprouts (about 8 cups)

24 oz grapes (about 4 cups)

2 T extra virgin olive oil

4 T thyme

Salt and Pepper

2 t balsamic vinegar

1/2 chopped walnuts ( I used pistachios)

Heat oven to 450 degrees. On baking sheet toss brussels sprouts and grapes with oil and thyme.  Season with salt and pepper. Roast, until caramelized and tender, about 20 minutes.  Take out of oven and drizzle with 1 t vinegar.  Toss in walnuts. 

Moroccan Chicken with Spaghetti Squash

Fall is a great time to try new recipes with squash.  I love spaghetti squash.  A site called Eat Drink Better had a great recipe for a Moroccan-spiced spaghetti squash.  It inspired me to make a Moroccan chicken marinade.  The two together lead to this delicious, healthy meal.   Quinoa is a favorite in our house and Near East makes an easy to make blend of quinoa and brown rice.  It was prefect to serve the squash over.  If you aren't into squash at least try the marinade for the chicken.  It was a home run! 

Link to Moroccan-Spiced Spaghetti Squash from Eat Drink Better

Moroccan Chicken Marinade
4 chicken breasts

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 clove of garlic - minced

1 T cumin

1 T ground peppercorns

1/2 t cinnamon

1 T tomato paste

1 T honey or agave syrup  

( I used agave syrup)

2 T lemon juice

1/2 t coriander

salt to taste

Macaroni and Four Cheeses

I love mac-n-cheese, don't you.  My favorite girl Ellie Krieger has a healthy recipe for homemade mac-n-cheese that my family loves.  It will leave you wanting more.  I sprinkled some wheatgerm and ground flax seed with the breadcrumbs and used Barilla Plus pasta.

Link to Macaroni and Four Cheese Recipe

Chipolte Chicken Salad with Corn Bread

It is salad night. Here is a great salad from Cooking Light.  This salad has the perfect amount of bite and savory flavor.  I made the dressing as they suggested for my husband and I, but I left out the chipolte chiles in the boys' dressing.  I also substituted plain greek yogurt for sour cream and spinach for romaine.  Yummy! 

Link to Chipolte Chicken Salad recipe from Cooking Light

Corn Bread
This bread was a wonderful addition.  The recipe came from SparkRecipes. It is a great website filled with healthy recipes.  Check it out.  Thanks Colleen for recommending it to me.

Link to Corn Bread Recipe

Chocolate and Banana Cupcakes

These are a must bake!  My son was invited to a birthday party last weekend where the mom baked these moist and delicious cupcakes.  I had to steal her recipe.  They are so good.  Thanks Nancy!  

I used greek yogurt instead of sour cream and whole wheat flour.  

Dust the bittersweet chocolate in cocoa powder so it doesn't sink to the bottom of the cake or cupcakes.
1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup 1 stick of soften unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cup mashed ripe bananas. About 3
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
4 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate finely chopped

Grease pan and preheat oven 350

Sift together cocoa, baking powder, salt, and flour set aside

In medium bowl beat. Butter until creamy. Add sugar gradually beat until well blended about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time.  Add banana and vanilla until blended.  Scrape down the sides and ten ads flour at low speed alternating with sour cream.  Stir until blended.

Stir on chopped chocolate.

Scrape batter into prepared pan.

Bake approximately 55 minutes until toothpick comes our clean. (except for any melted chocolate)

Stores up to 4 days at room temp unfrosted.  

Sloppy Joe

About 3 years ago I fell in love with Ellie Krieger's cookbooks So Easy: Luscious, Healthy Recipes for Every Meal of the Week  and The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life.  I have made her ground turkey sloppy joe recipe 100 times.  The boys love it.  I paired it with some salad and fresh cooked cinnamon apples.  It is a healthy meal that everyone in your family will love.

Link to Sloppy Joe Recipe

Healthy BLT - 2 Ways

BLT Sandwich  

BLT Lettuce Wrap

They were both inspired by a No Guilt BLT Sandwich recipe I found on Recipe Lion.  I skipped the cheese and added alpha sprouts.  I love the idea of using hummus instead of mayo.  A great lunch.

Link to No Guilt BLT Sandwich

The New Food Pyramid

Did you know that the food pyramid has been replaced by"MyPlate"? When I was talking to the boys about food groups, my youngest explained how there is a plate instead of a pyramid now.  Read more about it in the New York Times article Nutrition Plate Unveiled, Replacing Food Pyramid. 

I think the plate is much simpler and easier for kids to comprehend.  What do you think? 

Saturday Smoothies

First I juiced some apples and made fresh apple juice.  

Make sure to core the apples first.  

You don't want to juice the seeds.  

  

The Liam Special

a handful of fresh cut up pineapple and cantaloupe

a handful of frozen blueberries and strawberries

1t ground flax seed

6 oz fresh apple juice

Blend together

The Green Monster

This one was recommended to me by sister-in-law.  Thanks Katie, it is so good.  

Classic Green Monster from Oh She Glows

1 cup almond milk, or milk of choice

1 ripe banana, preferably peeled + frozen
2 handfuls organic spinach
1 tbsp chia seeds OR 1 tbsp ground flax1-3 Ice cubes

Directions: 

Starting with the liquid, add in 1 cup of milk of your choice. Now add in the chia or flax. Next, add in the spinach followed by the banana on top. Blend until smooth. Add in your ice cubes and blend some more.

 Serves 1- about 2 cup

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Pancakes are a great way to start your morning.  So why not add apples and cinnamon to them. They were so good.  I warmed up the maple syrup too. Delicious and healthy!  This recipe was from food.com.  I love to substitute, so I added soy milk instead of skim milk and apple sauce instead of olive oil.  As always I added some ground flax seed and wheatgerm.  Enjoy!

Link to recipe for Whole Wheat Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Warm Lentil Salad with Sausage and Apples

I am still trying to get rid of my apples.  Since we are on the run tonight this is a great meal to make ahead of time.  The apples and the fennel give the salad a great crunch.  I found a chicken, vegetable sausage.  Yum! I squeeze it out of the casing, but would suggest just breaking it up while cooking it.  

My way lost some of its texture.  The recipe was from one of my favorite sites Eating Well.  I also cooked some sausage links whole because the boys love to have them with mustard.  

Do your kids eat lentils?  They are packed with protein and have such a mild taste.   As my son says, "It doesn't taste like anything."  Are you talking about food groups at your dinner table?  Both of the boys have learned about the food pyramid at school, so it is easy for us to discuss if each meal has all the food groups.  Get the conversation started around your table and help your kids make healthy food choices.    

Link to recipe for Warm Lentil Salad with Sausage and Apples

Apple and Cheddar Whole Wheat Quesadillas

Apples, apples and more apples.  What to do with all my apples?  Whole Foods Market had a great idea...Apple and Cheddar Quesadillas.  I took their recipe and changed it a little.  I used sliced apples, smoked apple wood cheddar cheese, spinach and shallots.  First I sauteed the shallots, apples and spinach.  I sauteed them in that order.  Next, I placed the filling on a whole wheat tortilla and sprinkled it with cheese. I heated it over a medium heat for about 3 minutes on each side.  

These quesadillas were a perfect combination with my tomato soup for my midweek soup tradition.  

Link to Whole Foods Market Apple and Cheddar Whole Wheat Quesadillas recipe

Tomato Roasted Garlic Soup

The boys picked our last tomato today.  It was a late bloomer.  In honor of our final tomato of the season, I made a hearty tomato soup.  Oprah was my inspiration.  She shared this soup in her O magazine years ago.  The boys had so much fun dipping their quesadillas in this delicious soup. 

Link to Tomato Roasted Garlic Soup 

Homemade Apple Sauce

After apple picking this week I am left with 30 lbs of apples.  Ahhh!  I was able to use about 10 lbs up making apple sauce with the boys.  One of favorite chefs is the Barefoot Contessa.  I love watching her cook.  She has a great 5 minute video on how to make homemade apple sauce.  It turns out great! She added butter to her recipe, but I skipped the butter and it was still scrumptious.  

Link to Barefoot Contessa video on how to make homemade applesauce

Detox Salad

Tuesdays are salad nights in our house.  I found a wonderful salad from Oh She Glows .  It reminds me of a chop salad. So dense and delicious.  It was a great way to get the boys to eat broccoli and cauliflower without complaining.  They are chopped so small and combined with currants, raisins, spinach, cabbage,  carrots, pistachios and kale.  They didn't even notice.  I took her recommendation and dressed it with fresh lemon juice and a little pure maple syrup .  As you can see I also added some grilled chicken.  I marinade it with fresh lemon juice, minced garlic and rosemary.  Just chop it up and add it in. It was perfect! 

Link to Detox Salad on Oh She Glows

Fish Tacos

This was a great dinner.  I used the leftover swordfish, tomatoes, spinach, mangoes, white beans and avocado.  Add some fresh cilantro, squeeze a little lime on top and presto a delicious, healthy dinner.  

Pumpkin Pancakes 

The boys have off for Columbus Day, so I thought pancakes were in order.   I found a great pumpkin pancake recipe from The Curvy Carrot.  The pancakes were so moist and yummy!  

Pumpkin Pancakes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup skim milk

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

2 large eggs, separated

2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

I didn't have pumpkin pie spice, so I added a touch of cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.  

Grilled Swordfish with Cilantro Pesto and Quinoa Tabbouleh

  We have been so lucky with the weather lately.  It felt more like summer than fall this week.  So we decided to enjoy the weather and grill out.  I found a wonderful quinoa salad from the NY Times Fitness & Nutrition  section.  It was so easy to make.  We are trying to expose the boys to more fish.  My  husband loves swordfish, so it was the winner this week.  The boys were disappointed when they saw it looked like chicken.  They were expecting to see the sword.  We all enjoyed this delicious recipe from Latina .  I added some mango and kiwi with corn on the cob to really make it feel like a summer meal.  

Recipe link to Grilled Swordfish with Cilantro Pesto

Recipe link to Quinoa Tabbouleh  (I only used white quinoa)

Turkey Sausage with Peppers and Onions

I found this delicious recipe on The Italian Dish Blog.  It was so good.  

A must try!  

Link to Sausage and Pepper and Onions recipe

Healthy Mac-n-Cheese

Here is an easy way to make boxed mac-n-cheese even healthier.  About 2 weeks ago I had the idea to add edamame to the boys' mac-n-cheese.  It is a quick way to add protein to any meal.  Now I am adding a little spinach and a spoonful of flax seed meal and wheat germ.  At first the boys complained, but they ate it.  This is the 3rd time I have made mac-n-cheese this way for them.  No more complaints, they are actually enjoying it.