In America today, food choices are abundant. Unfortunately, many choices are not healthy for our bodies to consume on a regular basis. Foods like many processed pre-packaged meals, fast food, white sugar laden foods are just a few. There are so many additives and preservatives out there as well. I have chosen to make a concerted effort to buy and cook nutritious foods for my family. This blog reflects healthy recipes and information on healthy eating. I try to reflect a balanced diet where healthy eating is the norm.
All you need to do is combine all of the ingredients. Salt and pepper to taste. You can add some fresh cilantro to this as well. However, we're not big cilantro fans so I don't add that in.
Last week was one of those weeks where things did not exactly go as planned. So we actually ended up not eating several of the meals I had planned. Therefore, that means we're having them this week. I'm adding spaghetti to the mix. Also, following the menu you will find tips for the busy mom who wants to eat healthy but doesn't have a lot of time during the week. The tips will go along with portions of my menu plan to provide practical ways for the busy mom to implement those aspects of my meal plan for this week.
Meal
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Breakfast
Oatmeal with fresh fruit, ½ egg, whole grain toast
Oatmeal with fresh fruit, ½ egg, whole grain toast
Oatmeal with fresh fruit, ½ egg, whole grain toast
Oatmeal with fresh fruit, ½ egg, whole grain toast
Oatmeal with fresh fruit, ½ egg, whole grain toast
Tips for the Busy Mom This week there are several things that can be made ahead so that they are ready for the week ahead. If you work during the week, set aside some time on the weekend for meal/snack preparations. I try to keep things simple, but time is still needed to accomplish a healthy menu plan. Here's some tips to help you accomplish healthy eating on limited time.
Homemade Bread: This can be made on the weekend and you'll have nutritious bread throughout the week. Use your own favorite recipe or try the one HERE. This is the recipe I use except that I take out 3 tbsps. flour and put in 3 tbsps. vital wheat gluten. I also use evaporated cane juice for the brown sugar. I also use all whole wheat flour - no white flour. So that means I use 3 cups whole wheat flour. It turns out well. Just be sure to bring all the ingredients to room temperature before making it. Also be sure to allow the bread dough proper rising time. I put all the ingredients in the bread machine and use the dough cycle. I oil my loaf pan and then shape the dough to a loaf shape and place it in the pan. I then flip it over which means the top of the dough now has oil on it to help keep it moist while rising. I set the oven to 200 degrees and let it warm up just a bit and then turn the oven off. I let the bread rise in the oven until it is doubled in size. This is also important. Then when it's doubled in size, I simply turn the oven on to the proper temperature and let it bake for about 30 minutes - until lightly golden brown on top.
Eggs for breakfast: Eggs are so quick and easy that it really doesn't take much time at all to make them each morning. I may spend 15 minutes making our breakfast each morning. It may seem easier to just grab a poptart or granola bar or pour a bowl of cereal. But providing a breakfast of oatmeal, eggs and toast is packed with nutrition and will help you jumpstart your day the right way in a relatively short amount of time.
Homemade Nut Butter: Making homemade nut butter couldn't be easier. You can follow the recipe here on my blog. It takes no time at all. You can do this on the weekend and you're set. Depending on how much you make, you might not need to make anymore for a couple of weeks. What's nice about making your own is that you control what goes in it and you can choose whatever type of nut you want to use. Homemade nut butter can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one month.
Homemade Pita Chips and Bean Dip: Both of these can be made ahead of time. And then you have a healthy lunch, dinner, or snack already ready and waiting. Just top with your favorite fresh veggies and you're good to go.
Muesli: This can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. This is a versatile recipe. You can add different dried fruits and nuts. It can be eaten by itself with warm milk, as a topping on yogurt, and as a topping on fresh fruit.
Dinner will most likely be your biggest challenge. Plan out your meals or feel free to adapt the ones we're having this week. I don't have all the recipes posted though. After you have planned your meals, think ahead by prepping any veggies that need to be chopped up. That will save you time. Try making a double batch of a meal so that you will have leftovers and won't have to cook the next night. Spaghetti and soups are perfect for double batches.
Here in my home, my daughter and I have really enjoyed homemade muesli. We eat it with warm milk, whole grain toast and an egg. We also eat it sprinkled on some plain yogurt. It's simple to make and you can add your own dried fruits and such to it. Here's what I usually do:
Homemade Muesli
In whatever container I plan to store it in, I fill it slightly less than 3/4 full of whole rolled oats. Sometimes I sprinkle a little salt in it. Sometimes I don't. I add dried prunes, chopped up. I also add a good bit of raisins. The container I use I put about 5-6 cups of oats in it. To that I probably add 1/2 - 1 cup nuts (usually chopped walnuts or almonds). You can add different kinds of dried fruit. I've added dried apples before. I also tried dried apricots but didn't much care for those in it. I've added unsweetened coconut before as well. You really can be creative with this. I store mine in the refrigerator and it keeps well.
In the light of the recent peanut butter issues, I decided to try my hand at making my own homemade nut butter. I thought it couldn't be that difficult. And it wasn't. What's wonderful about making your own nut butter is that you can customize it to suit you: salt, no salt, a little sweet, not sweet at all, almond, cashew, hazelnut.........
Lightly toast the almonds in your toaster oven or regular oven. To do so, lay the almonds out on a cookie sheet style pan or baking stone. Toast at 350 degrees until lightly brown, shaking the pan after a minute or two so that they'll toast evenly. This will happen pretty quickly so you will need to keep your eye on them. Then remove from oven. When I toasted my almonds, I got them a little too brown so the nut butter has a pretty strong toasty taste to it. I'll not toast them as much next time.
Once the nuts have cooled a little, put them in a food processor and begin processing until it's the consistency you desire. Sometimes you may have to add a tad bit of oil to make it creamier. If you want to add salt or make it sweet, you need to do that while you're processing it. I added a little bit of salt to mine.
According to my research, homemade nut butter should last up to a month in the refrigerator.
Try this instead of the store bought chips and bean dip. It's delicious and nutritious!
Whole Grain Pita Chips with Homemade Bean Dip
Ingredients
Whole Grain Pita Bread (be sure to buy one that is truly whole grain and no sugar in it.)
1 lb. bag dry pinto beans
1 onion, chopped
salt
garlic powder
cumin
pepper
Follow the instructions on the bag of beans to soak the beans overnight. The next morning, drain and rinse the beans well. Cook them until done. I added salt to the water while they were cooking.
When the beans are done, let them cool. Once they are cool, put them in a food processor with about 1/4 of the chopped onion, salt if needed, a little pepper, and about 1 tsp. of cumin. Process until blended and creamy like a bean dip.
For the pita chips, simple take a piece of pita bread and slice it like a pizza. You can slice it into whatever size slices you prefer. Since the pita bread is hollow in the middle, once you slice it you need to separate the two pieces in each slice. Lay them flat on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. There is no need for any oil on these. Toast them in toaster oven on toast setting or bake in oven until they start to brown. The darker brown they get, the crispier they'll be. Here's two pictures: one of the whole pita bread and the other of the slices.
Serve with your favorite toppings like salsa, cheese, onion, etc. Just a note, when buying prepared salsas at the store, be sure to check the ingredients as many have sugar in them. There are some brands though that don't have any sugar in them. Of course, you could make your own homemade salsa which would be even better.
Feb. 3, 2009~ Tropical Smoothie packed with Nutrition ~
Tropical Smoothie
In a blender put 1/2 cup milk (skim milk, soy milk, etc.), 3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice, about 1 tablespoon plain yogurt, 2 teaspoons milled flax seed (or whole flax seed), 2 teaspoons dry whole oats, and about 1 cup total of frozen strawberries, mango, and pineapple. Blend well.
Among the many healthy benefits, this smoothie packs fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, and more. This is kid-friendly as the unsweetened apple juice and fruit sweeten it just enough.
Some sort of whole grain pasta dish (I'm going to be creative here.)
Leftovers
Bedtime Snack
Plain Yogurt with Muesli, Fresh Fruit
Plain Yogurt with Muesli, Fresh Fruit
Plain Yogurt with Muesli, Fresh Fruit
Plain Yogurt with Muesli, Fresh Fruit
Plain Yogurt with Muesli, Fresh Fruit
The milled flax seed can be bought at Wal-mart.I got a small box for $1.78. You can also take whole flax seeds and grind them in a coffee grinder and put it in all kinds of things:oatmeal, breads, etc.I was just recently blessed with a brand new coffee grinder. So I can now grind up my own flax seeds (which I already have a bag of).
Also, our electricity went out last week for almost two days so we didn't have all the scheduled meals for last week. I've carried those over to this week.
Feb. 2, 2009~ Spinach Salad with Chicken and Garlic Onion Balsamic Dressing ~
Spinach Salad with Chicken and Garlic Onion Balsamic Dressing
Ingredients
Fresh spinach, rinsed well and stems taken off
any fresh veggies you like on a salad
1 chicken breast, baked
onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, diced finely
about 1/4 cup oil (I used canola)
not quite 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
I took the baked chicken breast that I had cooked earlier today and chopped it up. Put oil in skillet and let it get hot on about medium heat (not any higher than medium). When skillet is hot, add chicken, onion (however much you would like, I used maybe about 2 slices of an onion chopped up), and garlic. Add salt to taste. I also added a garlic pepper seasoning I have. You could simply add some garlic powder and pepper. Saute until chicken is heated through and onions are tender. Press the chicken, onion, and garlic against side of pan and let the oil drain off. Take chicken, onion, and garlic out. Pour oil in a bowl (be sure to use a bowl that can withstand heat). I ended up with about a tablespoon of oil left. Add in balsamic vinegar. Mix well. Pour over salad. This is great served with a slice of homemade whole grain bread.
3 – 4 carrots, peeled and sliced sideways, or in thin strips
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, fully cooked
2 cups brown rice
Seasonings Needed
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder
Oregano
Thyme
Ground red pepper
First, boil one boneless, skinless chicken breast in water with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.While chicken is cooking, slice up the carrots.
Put a little oil in a skillet and heat on medium heat. Add the carrots and sauté them until tender. If you cover them, they will get tender quicker.
While the carrots and chicken are cooking, prepare your other vegetables and dice the garlic. Some say it’s important to chop or crush the garlic and let it sit for about 15 minutes before cooking it in order to allow some beneficial properties to be released.
Brown rice takes a little longer to get tender. Therefore, it’s time to get the rice started. In a saucepan, combine 2 cups brown rice, 2 cups all natural chicken broth, 4 cups water, about 2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste.
When the chicken is done, remove it from the pan and let it cool. Add about 3 tablespoons of the broth to the carrots as they are cooking. This will add flavor to the carrots.
Once the chicken has cooled, cut it up into chunks.Set aside.
Once the carrots are tender, add the garlic and sauté for a couple of minutes. Then add the rest of the vegetables, the chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, 2-3 dashes black pepper, dash ground red pepper if you like a little kick, ½ teaspoon oregano, and ½ teaspoon thyme.
Let cook until the veggies are tender.Serve over the rice.
*This is my adaptation of Tosca Reno’s Applesauce Pumpkin Muffins in her book The Eat-Clean Diet on page 25.I basically used some of the measurements listed and made my own sweet bread.*
Sweet Potato and Raisin Bread
Liquid:
1 cup oats
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
about ½ cup cooked sweet potato, mashed
2 large eggs, taking out one yolk
2 tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil
½ cup unsweetened apple juice
Dry:
1 tbsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 ¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
¾ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 375°.
First a note about the sweet potato.I peeled and chopped a sweet potato and then steamed it.I then mashed up enough to make about ½ cup.
Mix the liquid ingredients together until thoroughly combined.In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together.Combine the liquid and dry together.
Grease a loaf pan with some olive oil.Pour the batter into the pan.Bake approximately 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean.It should be golden brown on top.
I think this would be even better with some chopped apple and walnuts.I will probably add those the next time.However, this is delicious just like this.You may be hesitant to try it because it does not have any sugar in it.While it’s not really sweet, it is sweet enough and tastes wonderful.The juice, applesauce, and raisins all give sweetness to this bread.In addition, you can add some milled flax seed to this as well.I forgot to do that but will probably do so the next time around.
This week we're having some of our favorites more than once. You'll notice some of our snacks are the same each day. My daughter especially likes plain yogurt with muesli and fresh fruit. So we're going to have that a lot this week. It's such a healthy snack that I certainly don't mind her having it each day. We also have to try and keep things more simple this week because we may be quite busy. So instead of getting caught up in the busyness and reaching for quick meals and snacks that are less nutritious, I'm trying to keep it simple yet healthy.
If I have time this week, I'll try to post some recipes. With the potential of a busy week, I don't know how much time I'll have. However, I think that my blogging will be a reprieve from the busyness for me.
Homemade Semi-Whole Foods Spaghetti Sauce
1 lb. ground beef, chicken, or turkey
2 - 29 oz. cans tomato sauce (be sure you get one with no sugar in it)
1 large onion, chopped
garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
oregano
thyme
agave syrup (or another natural sweetener)
Brown your ground beef, chicken, or turkey in a skillet with the onion, about 1/8 tsp. salt, 1/8 tsp. pepper, and 1/8 tsp. garlic powder. If there's any grease to drain after the meat is thoroughly cooked, then drain the grease. I used a really lean all-natural ground beef and there wasn't much to drain. To the meat, add the tomato sauce. Add probably about another 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, couple dashes of salt and pepper, about 1 tsp. oregano and 1 tsp. thyme. I added about 1-2 tsps. agave syrup which is a natural sweetener. When making your own spaghetti sauce, unless you like a tart sauce, you will need to add a little sweetener to take the tart edge off. So sweeten it with a natural sweetener to your taste. I would let this simmer for at least a 1/2 hour before serving.
Serve over a whole grain pasta.
This would be even better with some more chunky vegetables in it. I didn't have any green pepper on hand. This would be great with not only some green pepper but also some carrots.
1 1/2 cups + 1 tbsp. whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. milled flax seed
1/4 cup oats
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
about 2 cups milk
water as needed to thin out the batter
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the milk and combine. This batter will be lumpy because of the oats. Spoon into hot skillet and cook. As the batter sits while you're cooking the pancakes, it may get a little thick. Simply add enough water to thin it out to the consistency you want.
This recipe is great with dried fruit added to the batter. I made homemade syrup using organic evaporated cane juice, water, salt, and maple flavoring. I used some cornstarch to thicken the syrup. I put some fresh sliced strawberries on top and drizzled syrup over it. If you don't want to use syrup, you could top the pancakes with some all-fruit spread (that has no sugar). You could also top with fresh fruit.
Here is a picture of one of our staple breakfast meals.
Here you will see one piece of whole grain toast, 1 egg, and a bowl of oatmeal with fresh fruit. Here are the details. My typical breakfast here would be as follows:
1 piece of whole grain toast with about 1/3 teaspoon butter (not margarine)
1/2 to 1 egg with salt and pepper cooked in very little oil
1/2 cup cooked oatmeal with a little salt, raisins and flax seeds, fresh fruit on top, no sugar
Ideally, you would have dry toast. But at this point, I prefer to have a little butter. However, I do use real butter - no margarine - no fake stuff. This breakfast is good and very filling. It is packed with nutrition. The whole grain toast gives the needed nutrition found in whole grains. The egg provides a good source of protein. The oats are loaded with nutrition as is the fresh fruit and flax seeds. I will be doing some posts soon on the benefits of each of these items so you can see just how healthy and nutritious these foods are.
Here is our menu for this week beginning with Tuesday. When a serving is given, that is a serving for one person. For example, Wednesday's breakfast is oatmeal with fresh fruit and raisins, 1/2 egg, and 1 piece whole grain toast. That is what each person will have. In addition, I am making two dinners this week that will make enough for two meals each.I am spacing them out by having minestrone one night then the red beans and rice the next night.The next two nights we’ll have the leftovers.Typically, when I make oatmeal with raisins and/or fresh fruit, I don’t put any sweeteners in it for me.I do put a little agave syrup in my daughter’s as she’s not quite ready to eat oatmeal unsweetened.She still prefers it sweetened at least a little.The whole grain cracker I mention is a bigger sized thicker cracker.So one is plenty.I have a separate menu for our 11 month old.
We drink water throughout the day and then have some hot tea at night. Usually we'll have decaf. green tea or herbal tea. I typically drink mine unsweetened. I will put a little natural sugar (evaporated cane juice or agave syrup) in my daughter's tea as she doesn't like unsweetened tea.
Meal
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Breakfast
Steak and veggie omelette, 1 piece whole grain toast,
Oatmeal with fresh fruit and raisins,½ egg, 1 piece whole grain toast
Oatmeal with fresh fruit and raisins,½ egg, 1 piece whole grain toast
Muesli with milk, fresh fruit, whole grain toast with peanut butter
A.M. Snack
Fresh fruit salad with nuts and whole grain cracker
Celery with peanut butter and raisins
Raw veggies and hard-boiled egg
Nuts and raisins
Lunch
Tuna burger pita (whole grain) with fresh veggies
Tuna burger pita (whole grain) with fresh veggies
Baked chicken on whole grain pita bread with fresh veggies
Whole grain pasta tossed with baked chicken, olive oil and seasonings, fresh veggies
P.M. Snack
Celery with peanut butter and raisins
Fruit smoothie with peanut butter and whole grain cracker
Fruit smoothie with peanut butter and whole grain cracker
Fruit smoothie OR fresh fruit, peanut butter and whole grain cracker
Dinner
Homemade minestrone soup
Red beans and rice with raw veggies or steamed broccoli
Homemade minestrone soup
Red beans and rice, raw veggies or steamed broccoli
Bedtime Snack
Plain yogurt with muesli, raisins and ½ tsp. agave syrup
Fresh fruit with plain yogurt and muesli
Plain yogurt with muesli, raisins and ½ tsp. agave syrup
In my effort to eat more whole foods, I am trying to make a LOT of things from scratch using whole foods. Last night, I tried my hand at making a homemade whole foods spaghetti sauce. This turned out really good. Now, it's not like a typical store-bought jar/can of spaghetti sauce. Nor is it like a spaghetti sauce you'd make using canned tomatoes or canned tomato sauce. The fresh tomatoes give it a different taste - but a good taste. You may find that you see an odd ingredient in this recipe. But trust me - it works well.
Whole Foods Spaghetti Sauce
5 medium to large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large green pepper, diced
1 onion, chopped (I used a yellow onion.)
4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 lb. beef (I used Laura's Lean Beef - it's natural with no hormones, etc.)
1-2 tsp. oregano
1-2 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. parsley
a couple of dashes of cumin
salt and pepper to taste
about 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Begin browning your ground beef. Add the onions, garlic, some salt. and pepper. Stir and cook until the hamburger is well-done. While your meat is cooking, chop your tomatoes and green pepper. Once your meat is done, transfer it to a pot and add the tomatoes and green pepper. Add all of your seasonings and let cook for a little bit. After it's cooked for maybe about an hour, add the balsamic vinegar. Let it continue to cook. After it's cooked for maybe a 1/2 hour, taste test to see if you need to add any more salt or if you think you want to add more oregano, thyme and parsley. I would've added some basil but I didn't have any. Continue to let it cook until the tomatoes have all cooked down and it's like a thick sauce. It will be hearty because of all the meat. Serve over whole grain pasta with a side of whole grain garlic bread and salad to make a very well rounded whole foods meal.
So why the balsamic vinegar? It gives that little umph that vinegar contributes to tomato based things like ketchup, BBQ sauce, etc. Also, with many tomato based recipes, typically you need a little sugar to off set the tartness. However, I am trying to eliminate sugar to a great extent - even natural sugar. So I wanted to try to make a spaghetti sauce without any sugar. Balsamic vinegar has a sweetness to it that off set the tartness in this sauce. However, using fresh tomatoes eliminated a lot of that tartness in my opinion.
Whole Grain Garlic Bread
Garlic bread and spaghetti just naturally go together. But I don't like to buy the store-bought garlic bread varieties because in my opinion, there's just not much nutrition to them. And typically, there's a lot of "extras" in the ingredient list that I don't know what they are. I make whole grain homemade bread each week instead of using store-bought bread. I took some of the homemade whole grain bread and spread a thin layer of butter on it. I don't use margarine. I use real butter - just less of it. Sprinkle a little bit of salt on the bread. Then sprinkle a good little bit of garlic powder on top. Broil in the oven or toaster oven until it's browned like you like. This is a very tasty, healthy alternative to the processed store-bought bread.
Here's a salad I made yesterday. I put this together myself and was really tickled at how it turned out. It was delicious! In fact, my older daughter is not real keen on raw broccoli. But she really liked this. In fact, she even asked for seconds!
Broccoli Salad
1 head broccoli
1/2 lg. red onion
1 lg. tomato
1/2 bag whole almonds, chopped in food processor
1 lg. clove garlic
About 2-3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
About 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Start by chopping up all your veggies so they will be ready to go. You want to chop the broccoli, onion, and tomato in smaller chunks - not finely diced just not huge chunks. I only used the broccoli crowns with a little bit of stems. However, you could probably add more of the stem and it be fine. Put the broccoli, 1/2 of the onion, and the tomato in a large bowl.
Put the oil in a skillet and heat to medium to low heat. Once the skillet is hot, put the other half of the onion in it. Chop the garlic in very small pieces and add that to the skillet as well. Cook these until the onions are tender.
While onions and garlic are cooking, chop up the almonds in the food processor and then add them to the veggies. You could buy sliced or slivered almonds if you prefer. Even the type where almonds are in small chunks would work as well.
Stir the veggies. Once the onions are tender, put the onions and garlic in a small bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir well. Pour this over the veggies and stir until the veggies are coated well. Add salt and pepper to taste. I actually used garlic-pepper instead of regular pepper. You may like the taste of the salad without the salt and pepper. However, I found it was much better with a little of both.
This salad is very healthy. It only has a little oil in it but it is olive oil which is much better for you. Of course, it's packed with fresh veggies which are excellent for your heatlh. I read once that onions are the one veggie that can be prepared in different ways and not lose their nutrition. If that's the case, even cooked onions still have their nutrition. Of course, you saute them in this recipe which means they aren't cooked very long at all. Finally, it's a nice combination of good carbs and proteins because the nuts add the protein you need and the veggies give you the good carbs. So go ahead - try this one and enjoy it!
