Frozen Veggies Are Your Friend!

I love frozen vegetables for several reasons: 

1.  They are pretty much the same price year round (even the sales are somewhat predictable)
2.  Frozen vegetables are picked and flash frozen at peak ripeness.  This means that you are purchasing the best quality product in terms of flavor and nutrient density. 
3.  They generally come prechopped and ready to go=timesaver!
4.  There are several premixed options out there (mirepoix-carrots, onion, celery, pepper and onion blend) that are recipe ready.  Mirepoix is a blend used in many soups and the pepper and onion blend is perfect for fajitas and other Mexican dishes. It's like a game for me to see how many veggies I can add to my favorite recipes and frozen vegetables make this really easy.  Have you ever tried blending steamed cauliflower into your mashed potatoes?  If you steam it well and blend it thoroughly your family and your tastebuds won't even know the difference and you will have the added benefit of extra fiber, vitamins and minerals.  I used to do this with my husband and sister often.  I recently let them in on the secret but I made sure that they liked my recipe before I clued them in. 
 

Makeshift Meals

So today was the last Sunday of the month which means two things....

1.  I have time to actually make a meal and
2.  It's the end of the month so my grocery budget is gone.

This meant that it was time to get creative and to use up those items that are leftover from earlier in the week or  use what I have stocked up in the pantry.

I knew that I wanted to bake something sweet for dessert but I also remembered that I was out of eggs.  I did however have ground flaxseed meal so I decided to use my flaxseed as an egg substitute and make some brownies.  I had also found a mixed bag of butterscotch and white chocolate chips in the cupboard so I planned to just toss those in to my brownies.  As I started preparing my brownies I realized that I was also out of all purpose flour.  No worries, I had wheat flour and coconut flour in the cupboard so I improvised again.  I knew that the flaxseed was a valid substitute but to be honest I wasn't sure how the wheat flour/coconut flour combo would affect the taste and texture of my brownies but at this point I had nothing to lose.  So, I tossed together a quick pan and they were a success!  They weren't quite as sweet as the base recipe and were a bit crispier but they still satisfied my sweet tooth.  I love taking existing recipes and modifying them to incorporate the ingredients that I have on hand.  I also love to rename the recipes and jot them down with all of my special modifications, so here's my modified "kitchen sink" brownie recipe:

Kitchen Sink Brownies
(I cut the larger recipe in half so that I didn't have tons of leftovers so the measurements might seem a bit strange!)

5/6 cups granulated sugar
3/4 stick butter, melted
1 TBSP water
1 TBSP flaxseed meal + 3 TBSP water (egg substitute)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
3/8 cup cocoa
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup total butterscotch and white chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.  Grease a small square or circle baking pan.  Combine sugar, butter and water in large bowl.  Add flaxseed and water mixture and vanilla extract.  Combine both flours, cocoa and baking powder in another bowl; stir into sugar mixture.  Spread into prepared baking pan.  Sprinkle with chips.  Bake for 18-20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool completely and serve.
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Why stop with dessert?  So I carried my creativity onto dinner.  My refrigerator was really empty except for an open can of black beans, about half a can of chicken broth and some limes.  I had a great idea to make some kind of black bean dish.  After searching online I found a black bean soup recipe that used the black beans and limes but that I modified to use up some other ingredients that I also had on hand.  I took the basic recipe and added the chicken broth (in place of some of the water) as well as red and green bell peppers and some ditalini pasta.  This made for a great mexican minestrone soup that I served with garlic bread.  Yum!  Here's my modified recipe:

Southwestern Minestrone Soup

1 TBSP canola oil
1/3 cup diced green peppers
1/3 cup diced red peppers
1 small onion
1 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp cumin
2 15 oz cans of black beans, rinsed
1 cup chicken broth
 2 cups water
1/2 cup salsa
juice of one lime
dash garlic powder
1 1/3 cup cooked ditalini pasta

Heat oil.  Add onions and peppers and cook 2 to 3 minutes.  Add chili powder and cumin and cook for 1 min.  Add black beans, salsa, water and chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Stir in lime juice and garlic powder.  Puree half the black bean mixture in a blender or food processor and return to the pan.  Add pasta and serve. 

I'd love to hear about your favorite makeshift meals! :)

Dinner for One: Baked Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salsa

My husband travels a lot for business so I've had to learn to adjust not only my dinner preparation but also my shopping to plan my meals for one.  Lucky for me, he is a much pickier eater than I am so his business trips are a great excuse for me to try out some new recipes and to eat a bit healthier (my diet consists of mostly vegetables when he's on the road).  Today I tired a quick and tasty new recipe inspired by Eatingwell.com but with a few modifications to make it for just one and to incorporate the ingredients that I already had at home.  Here's the basic recipe.

Baked Sweet Potato with Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato
1 can black beans rinsed
As much prepared salsa as you would like (you can also substitute canned or fresh tomatoes)
1 tsp cumin

Directions:

1.  Wash the sweet potato and puncture several times with a fork
2.  Microwave on high for about 10 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked all the way through
3.  Drain and rinse the black beans
4.  Mix black beans in a bowl with salsa, cumin and any other spices or vegetables that you would like
5.  Remove the sweet potato from the microwave and allow to cool 
6.  Microwave the bean mixture for 3 minutes
7.  Cut open the potato and peel if desired.  Top with salsa and serve.  

This was a great, tasty and easy to prepare dinner that I will definitely try again.  It was even better followed up by some soy ice cream :).  Enjoy and happy eating!

Food Safety: Reusable Grocery Bags

Many of us have recently changed our grocery routine to include using reusable canvas or cloth grocery bags.  While this is great for the environment, it can be hazardous to our health if we don't follow some basic food safety principles.  Here are two tips to follow to not only help save the environment but to keep your food safe as well. 

 

1.  Wash the reusable bags in the washing machine with soap and water after each use.  All kinds of food goes in and out of these bags and cross contamination is a definite risk.  It may seem excessive but it's a simple step to take to ensure your families health. 


2.  If you purchase meat ask the clerk to place it in separate plastic bags.  Raw meat can carry bacteria and other contaminates that will be removed in the cooking process but can easily cross contaminate other foods.  Many stores actually have a policy not to place the meats in the canvas bags or at the very least insist on wrapping them in a plastic bag before putting them in the canvas bag. 

Finally one addition food safety tip for grocery shopping:

3.  Start your shopping trip with ready to cook, packaged shelf stable foods and finish with the perishable foods like meat, dairy and fresh fruit and vegetables.  Many of these products are safest at refrigerated temperatures and starting with them items can raise the temperatures above the safe zone. 

Personalized Recipe Books

I love trying new recipes whether it's borrowing one from a friend, trying out one that I saw on Food Network or just stumbling across one online I'm constantly trying something.  The problem is that months later, when I want to recreate that meal, I can't ever seem to find the recipe.  So, I purchased a personalized recipe book (I found mine in the journal section of Barnes and Noble) and I have gotten into the habit of handwriting all of my favorite, use again recipes on the index cards. 

In order for this to work you have to do it right away or you will forget and that recipe will just get lost.  Today I made my favorite pancake recipe and wanted to make sure that I didn't have to spend another 15 minutes some day down the road searching for the recipe.  So, while my pancakes were cooling, I jotted down the recipe on an index card and filled it away in my own personal book. 

These books are great tools to declutter your kitchen and make great gift ideas. 

Add some fruit to your water!

With all the heat that we've had this summer I'm constantly thirsty.  I've always been a big water drinker but lately I've been wanting a little bit of something "extra" flavor-wise in my beverages.  So, I took a cue from my gym and started filling a pitcher with water and adding some sliced up citrus (limes are my favorite but oranges, lemons or even cucumbers work too) before putting it in my refrigerator. 

This way I always have a refreshing, no calorie beverage that is easily accessible.  I love it!  You can also freeze the fruit cubes in either an ice cub try or just place the pieces of fruit in a freezer bag and use the frozen pieces as your ice cubes.  Yummy, and it's way lower in calories than juice or soda. 

Another Sneaky Way to Get your Veggies...Stir Fry!

I love stir fries.  They are a great way to work some extra veggies into your diet and can be quite healthy if made from scratch at home.  This recipe from the Food Network is one of my favorites.  Personally, I like to reduce the amount of chicken and increase the veggies.  This allows me to stretch a pound of chicken over two meals throughout the week which saves money and cuts down on the amount of leftovers.  Serve over brown rice and with any additional veggies that you would like to add.  I personally love to add some shelled edamame.  My husband suggested mushrooms.  Any stir fry friendly vegetable like snowpeas, water chestnuts, carrots, broccoli or baby corn would also be good.  Today I was out of chicken stock so I substituted chicken broth.  Enjoy!


Asian Barbeque Chicken
Serves 4

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or tenders, diced or thinly sliced
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 chile pepper, thinly sliced
• 1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated or minced
• 2 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced or grated
• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced or diced
• 1/3 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/3 cup orange marmalade
• 2 tablespoons tamari sauce or low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
• 1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
• Chopped cilantro, for garnish, optional

For the chicken: Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large non-stick skillet over high heat. When the oil smokes, add the chicken and season with black pepper. Brown evenly, and then remove to a plate. To the skillet, add chile, ginger, garlic, and red bell pepper and stir fry for 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan. Stir together the hoisin, marmalade, tamari and remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock. Add to the pan and reduce over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the peanuts and scallions. Turn off the heat.
Serve the chicken over rice in shallow bowls and garnish with cilantro, if desired

Tip: Use Recipes as Inspiration, Texas Caviar

One of my favorite cooking "adventures" involves selecting a recipe as inspiration and tweaking it based on what ingredients I have in my pantry.


For instance, I made Texas Caviar for our annual fourth of July recipe.  My experience with Texas Caviar began with a recipe I found online that I wanted to make as an appetizer for a pot luck.  It is now my signature dish and is never the same each time I make it.  For those of you who don't know, Texas Caviar is a vegetable based appetizer made with peppers, onions, spices and some kind of acid.  The recipe I started with called for green bell peppers, jalapenos, onions, black beans and black eyed peas with a ton of italian dressing.

My rendition involves whatever vegetables and spices are readily available, I still use the italian dressing but just a few squirts to help bind the vegetables.  You can also used citrus juices.  This week I used green, red and orange bell peppers (we love bell peppers in my house and they are always on hand), jalapenos, tomatoes, green onions, black beans and black eyed peas. I also added garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne pepper.  In the past, I've been known to throw  in some white onions, corn or even shelled edamame.  Avocado would be great as well.  The recipe does involve a lot of chopping because the vegetables need to be in bite size pieces so they can be served with pita chips, crackers or even celery sticks.


But, there are a few "shortcuts" that you can.  I use canned tomatoes and black beans and frozen corn and black eyed peas to speed up my preparation time.




Here's the finished product and it was a big hit!

What form is your fruit?

I'm a bit picky when it comes to fruit.  I love fresh watermelon, pineapple and granny smith apples but the hard part about whole, fresh fruit is that it usually requires some preparation, you have to be good at what your picking (choosing a good watermelon is an art!) and some of it goes bad pretty quickly.  That's why I've learned to explore some other creative options when it comes to incorporating fruit in my daily diet. 

For instance, I've never been a big banana fan.  For me it's more of a texture thing and not so much a taste issue.  So, I've learned to alter the way I eat my bananas.  I blend them up in a fruit smoothie, with some almond milk or mash some up in my homemade muffins or pancakes.  This way, I sneak in that extra fruit serving.  The same goes for cranberries....I would never eat a handful but I recently discovered that I LOVE craisins (like a raisin but made from cranberries).  The great thing about dried fruit is it tends to taste a bit sweeter than the whole option, does not require any preparation and doesn't go bad as quickly.  Many markets like Sunflower, Sprouts and the farmers markets sell all kinds of dried fruit options like pineapple, kiwi, mango, etc.  Kids also often really like dried fruit because it's like a fruit snack.  So, if you are looking for ways to get some more fruit into your diet, try adding some to your favorite recipes or give dried fruit a try. 

Tip: Try Ground Chicken

So I finally tried cooking with ground chicken for the first time the other day and it was AMAZING!  I use ground turkey all of the time but had never experimented with ground chicken.  I made my usual taco recipe but instead of using ground beef or turkey I subbed in the chicken.  It was a little harder to cook, the pieces tended to clump together a little more and the white color was a bit suspicious but it tasted great!  Even my picky husband who always turns up his nose at my "healthy" alternatives loved it.  He sent me a text the following day to thank me for the leftovers!  In my opinion the meat seemed to absorb the seasoning better than beef or turkey would.  It was extremely flavorful and I will be using this ingredient again soon in another one of my standby recipes.

Rules for Dining Out

My husband and I love to eat out.  It's our favorite date night but as we all know, eating out can be a disaster for your diet.  Here are a few personal rules that I follow when eating out.  

#1-Share your meal with someone whenever possible.  Restaurant portions are huge so either share with a buddy or box it up and take half home.   

#2-Order off the kids menu.  My mom made me order off the kids menu until I was 15 and it used to drive me crazy but I do it all the time now that I'm an adult.  The portion sizes are much more realistic and many places now offer fruit or a healthy side choice.

#3-If you're like me, you often stare at the menu for a long time trying to decide between one, two or even three items.  This is when the "healthy" rule goes into effect.  If multiple options sound appetizing but you can't decide, go with the one that you think is the healthiest (no fried food, served with veggies, etc).

#4-Order your "sauce" (mayo, salad dressing, any sauce) on the side.  This allows you to eat as much or as little as you want and you will quickly see just how much dressing you don't need. 

#5-Everything in moderation.  I rarely eat fried food but on the rare occasion that we share a burger I will allow myself to have some french fries.  

#6-If you know that you will be having a heavy dinner out with friends adjust your diet earlier in the day...but don't starve yourself!  Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, have a low calorie but well rounded lunch (grilled chicken and steamed veggies, a salad with grilled salmon, etc) and drink lots of water instead of calorie heavy drinks.

Post-Workout Smoothie

Sometimes I think that my favorite part of my workout is my post-sweat smoothie!  I always make this when I get home from the gym because it's a great way to get in some protein, one whole fruit serving and to replenish my electrolytes.  It's also a really simple recipe.  Here's everything you need:

*If you don't have the individual smoothie blender a regular blender or food processor works just as well.  However, if you are a smoothie drinker I would encourage one of these things.  It's so easy to just through everything into the cup, blend it up and it's ready to drink with minimal mess left behind.   

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie 

1 Banana
1 Scoop (about 2 TBSP) Trans-Fat free Natural Peanut Butter (I use Smart Balance)
Coconut Milk (about 3/4 cup; I love this stuff, it has a much longer shelf life than cows milk)
Ice

I don't really measure anything, I just throw it all in the blender until it reaches the desired consistency.  You can also add in some spinach or kale to increase your nutrient content if you have some on hand. 

Ta da!  Now you have a tasty post-workout snack!

Trick: Cook a Vegetarian Meal at Least Once a Week

I try to challenge myself to cook one vegetarian meal once a week.  This is a great way to ensure that I am getting plenty of vegetable servings for the day.  A new recipe that I love is Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Ketchup.  If you are a vegan you can replace the egg with flax seed, water and flour to help bind the burgers.  The burgers can also be made and frozen before pan frying.  Make and form the burgers and freeze in individual freezer bags and pan fry when ready. 

Black Bean Burgers with Chipotle Ketchup                           Serves 6 (large burgers)

Black Bean Burger

2 ½ cups Black beans (canned), rinsed

½ Tbs Vegetable or Olive oil

½ Medium yellow onion, small dice

½ Red bell pepper, seeded, small dice

2 Cloves garlic, minced

½ cup Cooked brown rice

1 tsp Ground cumin

¾ tsp Salt

¼ cup Pecans, chopped fine

1 Green onion, thinly sliced

1 Egg, lightly beaten

¾ cup Whole-grain bread crumbs

2 Tbs Vegetable or Olive Oil for frying burgers

6 Whole-grain burger buns

Tomato, lettuce and onion for garnish

Chipotle ketchup

To make the burgers:

1. In a sauté pan, heat the oil. Add the onions and sauté until translucent.  Add peppers and garlic until soft. About 3 minutes.
2. Stir in salt. Remove from heat and transfer mixture to a bowl. Set aside to cool.
3. In a food processor, combine beans, onion mixture, rice, pecans, green onion and cumin. Pulse until mixture is coarse.
4. Fold in egg and bread crumbs. Form into 6 even patties ¾ “thick.
5. Refrigerate until ready to sauté.
6. Heat oil and sauté patties, turning only once, until nicely browned on each side, 7 – 9 minutes total. Serve hot.

Chipotle Ketchup

4 Plum tomatoes, concassé

½  Medium yellow onion, small dice

2 Cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbs Tomato paste

2 Tbs Red wine vinegar

2 Chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, minced

1 ½  tsp Ground cumin

½ tsp Salt

To make the ketchup:

1. Combine the peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes, yellow onion, garlic, tomato paste, vinegar, chipotle pepper, cumin, and salt in a saucepan
2. Cook over medium heat and bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low
3.  Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally (be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to ensure that it’s not burning)
4. Cook until the liquid is reduced and the sauce is thick
5. Puree and serve warm on burger

Banana Chocolate Chip Waffles

Yum!  I was going through some old recipes the other day and stumbled on a bunch from Jessica Seinfeld and decided to try them.  Since the holidays I have been struggling to get enough fruit and vegetables in my daily diet so I was trying to find new ways to work them in.  This recipe has a whole banana, two carrots and crushed dark chocolate chunks for extra antioxidants. 

*Tip: I freeze bananas when they are ripe to have ready for recipes like this. 

Banana Chocolate-Chip Waffles

Serves 4

1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 TBSP canola oil
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/2 cup carrot puree
1 ripe banana mashed
2 TBSP dark chocolate chips
cooking spray

Preheat a waffle iron on high.  In a large bowl or zipper-lock plastic bag, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  In another large bowl, beat the oil, egg whites, buttermilk, carrot puree and banana with an electric mixer.  Mix on low speed for 1 minute or until smooth.  Stir in the chocolate chips. 

Add the flour mixture.  Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined--the batter will be lumpy.  Coat the waffle iron with cooking spray.  Ladle 1/8 to 1/4 cup of batter into each compartment of the iron.  Cook for about 4 to 5 minutes or until the waffles are lightly browned.  Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts: 1 waffle
298 calories
14g fat
2g saturated fat
40g carbs
7g protein
62mg calcium
2mg iron
565mg sodium