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.
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.
I have been working on healthier eating for my family for awhile. I've been going about it very slowly in some respects and not changing some things. I am now working harder on those healthier food choices. The key I find is finding recipes that are healthy but taste good. And I am firm believer in the fact that portion size is key. I'm also trying to reduce our intake of sugar in all forms. However, sugar is not completely out. I am trying to incorporate honey, sucanat....natural sweeteners. Refined sugar is working it's way out of our home as a staple. That doesn't mean we won't have it sometimes. Just very limited hopefully. I've tried out some new things in the last couple of days. Today I'll share with you a really tasty smoothie that I made that is COMPLETELY SUGAR-FREE. And by the way, this smoothie made the A+ list with my daughter! So I think you may find that your children will enjoy this great tasting healthy smoothie. And just a tip, don't tell them what's in it until AFTER they have drank it (or at least tasted it). Very important!
Sugar- Free Fruit Smoothie
1 1/2 to 2 tbsp. plain lowfat yogurt
1 apple - peeled, cored and cut in chunks
About 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
About 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 - Stage 2 Container Apple, Strawberry, Banana Baby Food
Couple sprinkles of nutmeg
Couple sprinkles of allspice
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend well.
Here's a couple of notes:
(1) You could probably substitute one whole banana for the baby food. My daughter does not like bananas so I have to work on how to get them in. That baby food combo worked great as it didn't give this smoothie a banana taste. If you use a whole banana instead, it might have more of a banana taste to it.
(2) You could leave out the nutmeg and allspice and use cinnamon. I would have used cinnamon but I was out. I think it would taste really good with just cinnamon.
(3) When putting the nutmeg in, you want to make sure and only do a very little amount. Too much nutmeg would be too strong in this smoothie and would probably make it not taste very good.
(4) I think this would actually be good served in a bowl with a little granola sprinkled on top. However, if you're going for completely sugar free, the granola would probably be out unless you can make your own without sugar. You can make your own granola using a natural sweetener. That's another option. Another option would be to sprinkle some chopped nuts on top. That would add a little extra protein.
