Carrot Delight

My kids looooove this drink. I also served this to the YM and YW a few weeks ago and they went wild, couldn't get enough. Ingredients:
1 large orange (or 2 mandarin oranges)
1 banana
1/2 cup water
15 baby carrots
1/4 cup ice
supplement of choice (optional, and I choose Benefiber usually)

Directions:
In a blender, blend the orange, water until smooth. Add banana and supplement (if using one) and blend thoroughly. Add carrots and ice last and blend on high until smooooooth. Don't skimp on the blending now, you want those carrots completely pulverized to liquid!

So delicious!

Quinoa, anyone?

A few months ago I decided I wanted to try quinoa, a supergrain I'd heard a lot about but had yet to try. I picked some up at the grocery store and searched for my first recipe. It can be cooked plain and served as a side instead of rice or potato or pasta, but I wanted a recipe to incorporate it into. This is from a Parents Magazine, and it was delicious! The quinoa is full of protein, and this dish was so so filling. Enjoy!

Quinoa, Black Bean, and Corn Salad
Ingredients:

¾ cup quinoa
½ tsp salt
1 2/3 cups frozen corn
1 can (15 oz) black beans – rinsed, drained
¾ cup salsa
2 TBSP lime juice
2 TBSP cilantro - chopped

Directions:

• Rinse quinoa under cold running water. In a medium saucepan, combine ¾ cup quinoa with 1 ½ cups water. Heat to boiling over high heat. Stir in salt, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until liquid has been absorbed and white germ ring forms around quinoa. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine corn, beans, and salsa. Stir in quinoa, lime juice, and cilantro.

NOTE: I added cooked chicken cubes to this to make it a complete meal. I also served avocado with- full of good fat and my kids love it!

Thanks Meg!

Those recipes posted below look great! I am excited to give them a whirl... keep it coming!

By the way... we had a fabulous lunch this afternoon of whole-wheat bread and chicken salad sandwhiches, grapes and later watermelon for a snack... I love that summer produce is on its way!

BROWN Hawaiian Haystacks

Healthy Hawaiian Haystacks

Ingredients
BROWN Rice
Chicken Mix (2 cans fat –free cream of chicken soup, 1 can chicken broth, 2 cups chopped cooked chicken)

Toppings Suggestions
Chow mein noodles
Pineapple tidbits or chunks
Mandarin oranges
Chopped olives
Chopped celery
Chopped tomatoes
Chopped Green Peppers
Almonds
Corn
Peas
Shredded cheese
Coconut
Diced Green Onions (or any kind of onion)

Brown Rice Salad

My 2-year old, who traditionally does not eat anything green, won't leave me in peace to eat this salad. I have to share at least half with him.

Brown Rice Salad
Ingredients
Cooked brown rice (warm is the best!)
Chopped romaine lettuce (I just buy it in bags)
Parmesan cheese
Italian dressing

Combine ingredients to taste and voila!

*My sister recommends toasting the brown rice (after it's already been cooked) in the oven with the parmesan cheese. It is quite delicious that way, but easier to forego that step. It's really tasty either way, but the oven-toasted, cheesed-up rice is a special touch!

**I like to add shredded chicken or anything else that suits your fancy!

*** I should mention that I don't like brown rice and I don't like lettuce. So there you go. I LOVE THIS SALAD!!!

Sensational Salmon or Fabulous Fish

I love this salmon recipe, from my best friend. You might too.

The quote from Justin: "Are you sure this is healthy? This tastes way too good to be healthy." Kinley and Tanner ate several servings.

Ingredients:
One large salmon filet (Costco's are delicious)
"I can't believe it's not butter" spray (or real butter, as you like)
Lemon pepper

Directions:
Cover a cookie sheet (or something similar to it) in tin foil. Spray with cooking spray. Lay salmon flat on top. Spray with butter all over the top, season liberally with the lemon pepper. Broil uncovered on low for 25-30 minutes in the oven. Delightfully crispy on top, but flaky, moist, and tender inside.

Spinach Salad

Salad:
1 lb. Pasta, cooked al dente, drain, rinse in cold water
3 C cooked chopped chicken
5 C fresh spinach, shredded
1 C black olives, chopped in 1/4’s
4 oz. Feta cheese, crumbled
3 cups diced tomatoes (grape tomatoes, YUM!)
3/4 C monterrey jack cheese, shredded

Dressing:
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 C olive oil
1/2 C vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tsp honey
1 clove garlic, minced

Blend dressing ingredients. Pour over mixed salad. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes before serving.

the big crunch

I think we have all been there, the big crunch. It is a race between your stomach and the clock... or at our house- five stomachs, three sets of loud lungs, and the clock. What can you possibly put out on the table in 3.5 seconds that will work?
This week we have endulged in the power of apples slices and peanut butter...
They love to "frost" it them themselves and a thin apple slice can go a long way in dealing with that sweet tooth- not to mention the protien from the pb. (besides the fact that I can get them going on one and deal with the details as they frost...)
Please add your favorite healthy quick snacks... even moderately quick will do. Snack time is approaching fast :)

I did a little hunting online and this is a cute recipe I found to spice up my plain apple pb combo... It doesn't say what kind of yogurt to use... but I like the low sugar content-


Fruit Critters with Yogurt Peanut Butter Dip
Recipe courtesy Kathleen Daelemans
Show:
Cooking Thin
Episode:
Mother & Daughter Health

1 1/2 cups lowfat yogurt
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar


1 pint strawberries
1/2 cup raisins
3 apples
1 1/2 cups seedless grapes
3 bananas, peeled
Thin pretzel sticks
Sunflower seeds

In a food processor, combine yogurt, peanut butter and dark brown sugar and puree. Pour into a decorative bowl and chill in the refrigerator, about 20 minutes.

While the dip is chilling, make fruit "critters" using the fruits for bodies, pretzel sticks for legs, and raisins for eyes. Here are some suggestions, but use your imagination!

Quarter and core an apple. Place the flesh side down so the peel is facing up. This will be the shell for a "beetle". Cut 1 raisin in 1/2, place the inside down towards 1 end of the apple to make "eyes" for your beetle. Break 4 pretzel sticks in half and insert into the bottom for legs.

Carefully thread grapes onto a pretzel stick to make a caterpillar. Stick 2 sunflower seeds into one of the end grapes to make eyes. You can also use 2 kinds of grapes to make a multi colored caterpillar.

For a fly or bee: Cut off the last 2 inches of a banana, so you have a piece with a slight curve and a tapered end. This will be the body. Carefully stick a pretzel stick into the cut surface so half is in the banana and half is sticking out. Core a strawberry and carefully stick in onto the other half of the pretzel stick to attach the "head". Cut a raisin in 1/2 and stick the cut side onto either side of the strawberry to make "eyes". Cut 2 slices of apple and carefully stick into the banana to make wings.

Dip the critters in the dip and enjoy!

Zucchini Cassarole

I'm tired of the terrible assumption that mormon women would die without the use of creamed soups and frozen preservatives. I hate the idea of serving bland meals soley made up of caloric non-texturized items. I feel a responsibility here to prove to myself and all those interested that we can break this stereotype by finding and sharing healthy, flavorfull dishes. And, in the process convince the next generation that it is a pleasure to eat healthy... that produce is the best source to cure the sweet tooth and the munchies. So I started my quest tonight. I have a handfull of great, healthy meals, but we seem to exhaust them so quickly and get bored of the same thing over and over. I don't care if it is soup, salad, or entree, I want to know about it.
And no more of this artificial sweetener... all that chlorine just can't be any better than the real thing.
I'm kicking this off with a recipe I have loved for a long time...
Please share your favs!

Zucchini Casserole

This is an absolutely beautiful dish and very easy. Always layer in a clear glass dish as this is so pretty. Lots of flavor and relatively cheap when zucchini is taking over the garden J

Layers: Sauce:
4 Zucchini - cut in rounds (about ¼ in thick) 1 8oz can tomato sauce
Ground Hamburger- browned with onion 4 shakes of Tabasco
5 Tomatoes- cut in rounds (about ¼ in thick)
Grated cheddar cheese (go very light on this and use sharp for strong flavor-less cheese)

Layer four items in order listed in lightly greased 9x13 pan, salt and pepper each layer. Do this twice. Mix sauce and pour over top. Sprinkle generously with grated parmesan cheese. If you like your veggies a little crunchy cook for 20 min covered, 20 minutes uncovered. If you don’t go with the regular method of 30 min covered, 30 minutes uncovered. 350 degrees.
(I always make two at once and freeze one (raw) for later. It freezes really well. Take out of freezer 12-15 hours before cooking and set on counter top. Cook as directed above.)

From our friends at food.com...

I love Salmon, especially the already-skinned-and-fille`d-stuff from costco- It can be so flavorfull with nothing but a sprinkle of garlic salt and a 6 min broil... I think it is one of the best lean meats so here I am posting the benefits of using it... if you have a great salmon recipe- share it here!!

"All fish are great sources of protein and low in saturated fat. But cold-water fish, like salmon, mackerel and herring, are premiere sources of omega-3 essential fatty acids. These are fats our bodies can’t produce, so it’s essential we include them in our diet. Omega-3s offer many benefits.
They reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

They minimize the symptoms of arthritis and inflammatory diseases.

They contribute to healthy skin and hair.

They may help with depression.

Don’t love fish? You can get your omega-3s from flaxseed, walnuts, almonds and grass-fed beef, although the oils are of a lesser nutritional quality than the those found in seafood.Salmon is an easy fish to obtain. Most grocery stores and many restaurants carry it. It's also easy to cook. The high fat level makes salmon perfect for grilling, roasting or sautéing without sticking or drying out. Although wild salmon can be pricey, it has an amazing flavor and higher levels of omega-3s than farm-raised fish. Look for fresh wild salmon in spring and summer, and farm-raised salmon year-round."

(Cheryl Forberg RD is a chef and nutritionist in Napa, California. She is an expert in weight loss and antiaging nutrition.)