STRAWBERRY, WALNUT AND GOAT CHEESE GREEN SALAD with BASIL HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING

Oh yum! I made an amazingly simple and tasty honey mustard dressing to complement the beautiful flavors this salad offers. It was so good, I would eat it with anything! And it’s easy and quick to throw together.

This salad is tasty, and beautiful, and will disappear quickly!

Recipe

Mixed greens - 4 C

Strawberries, quartered - 8

Walnuts, chopped – 1/3 C

Goat cheese, crumbled – ½ C

Dressing Recipe

Honey – ½ C

Yellow mustard – 2 T

Basil leaves, minced – 3 large leaves

Mayonnaise – 1 ½ T

Mix all dressing ingredients thoroughly. Mix salad ingredients, then toss with desired amount of dressing.

 ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

CHICKEN CAULIFLOWER CASSEROLE WITH CREAMY CAPER SAUCE

Leftover chicken is a constant at my house. If it’s not gobbled up by my husband, I’m brainstorming how I can make it into something wonderful. This idea popped into my head, and as I love capers, I had to figure out a way to include them in this family-friendly casserole. They appear in the homemade sauce!

Cheese on the top is optional, but the kids were certainly love it more!

Recipe

Sauce ingredients

Butter – 3 T

Flour ( I used whole wheat ) – 3 T

Milk – 2 C

Capers – 3 T

Garlic cloves, pressed – 2

Green yogurt – ½ C

Sour cream – ½ C

Lemon juice – 1 T

Remaining ingredients

Cooked chicken, shredded – 4 C

Cauliflower, trimmed, chopped into florets and steamed ‘til tender – 1 head

Cheddar cheese, shredded – 1 C

First, you make the sauce. Melt butter over medium-low heat, and when melted, stir in flour. Cook until starting to bubble. Add in milk slowly, cooking over medium heat until bubbling and beginning to thicken. Add capers and garlic. When the consistency is about as thick as yogurt, remove from heat. Add greek yogurt, sour cream and lemon juice. Stir until well combined.

Set oven to 350. Place chicken pieces in the bottom of a 10 X 13 pan. Top with steamed cauliflower pieces. Pour sauce evenly over top. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Add cheese on top and bake five more minutes. ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

FIVE FRUIT SALAD WITH CREAMY HONEY CINNAMON DRESSING

I  LOVE LOVE LOVE this salad! It was so easy to put together, and the dressing totally makes it. I mean, I was drinking the leftover dressing because it is so darn good! We’re eating this for breakfast as often as I can make it. Because it’s that yummy. I hope you like it too!

Recipe

Watermelon, cut into one-inch pieces – 2 C

La Crème apricots, pitted and cut into one-inch pieces – 2 C

Strawberries, hulled and then quartered – 2 C

Pink lady apples, cored and cut into ½ inch pieces – 2 C

Canteloupe, cut into one-inch pieces – 2 C

Dressing

Sour Cream – 2/3 C

Honey – 1/3 C

Cinnamon – 1/3 to 1/2 teaspoon

Mix all dressing ingredients. Carefully combine fruit in a very large bowl. Well, huge maybe. Drizzle dressing over and toss gentle to distribute. ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

SOUR OATMEAL

If you love sourdough bread, I think you’ll love this super simple recipe.

The only catch is you have to remember the night before that you want to eat it the following morning. It has to soak overnight. It is far superior to traditional oatmeal, not only for the brightness of flavor, but also for the nutrient profile. The oats are far easier to digest, as they’ve been partially broken down through soaking.

I hope you love this!

Recipe

Rolled Oats – 1 C

Buttermilk – 1 C – you can sub water with 1 T vinegar

Combine oats and milk (water/vinegar mixture) and let sit in a pot overnight, covered with a lid.

The next morning, add about ¾ C water and turn the burner on to medium heat. When oats begin to cook, Turn down to medium-low and cook until oats are tender and begin to thicken.

Serve with demerara, honey, craisins, milk, whatever you love on your oatmeal. Enjoy this delicious twist on an American favorite!

BLACKBERRY BANANA SMOOTHIE

Smoothies part II! I wasn’t kidding when I said I loved these. Though I think the kids might even love them more!

If you don’t like blackberry seeds (they are pretty large) you may want to strain the finished product with a tightly woven sieve. The tart blackberries and bananas are a perfect complement, and the spinach a welcome addition to bolster the already great nutrient profile.

Recipe Ingredients

Blackberries, frozen – 1 – 2 C

Bananas, frozen - 2

Spinach, fresh or frozen – 1 C

White Grape Juice – 1 – 2 C

Honey or Demerara – 1-2 T

Liquify the spinach, sweetener and grape juice. When completely combined, add in frozen blackberries and bananas, then pulse until it reaches the desired consistency.

ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

STRAWBERRY SPINACH SMOOTHIE

We love smoothies at our house. My kids are totally adept at making them too. And toast is a perfect complement to such a simple, wet and fruity breakfast.

I love waking up to this treat on a warm summer morning. Even better if my son has made breakfast for me!

Recipe Ingredients

Strawberries, frozen – 1 – 2 C

Spinach, fresh or frozen – 1 C

White Grape Juice – 1 – 2 C

Honey or Demerara – 2 T

Liquify the spinach, sweetener and grape juice. When completely combined, add in frozen strawberries and pulse until it reaches the desired consistency.

ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

CREAMY, ZESTY ITALIAN CHICKEN

So this is really cool, because my amazing 12 year old daughter, Haley helped to create this recipe.

We started off improvising an alfredo recipe we found. But what we ended up with tasted nothing like alfredo. Though it is VERY good. Even Dad, who is hard to please, I might add, had seconds, and even complimented the dish! Everyone liked it so, we didn’t even get a picture before it was completely eaten. So, I’ll get on that and get you one soon.

So, here you go. Have fun with this bold Italian experiment!

Recipe

Butter – 1 T

Garlic – 1 clove, pressed

Flour – 2 teaspoons

Coconut milk – 1 C

Salt – to taste

Neufchatel cheese – 2 T

Grated parmesan – ¾ C

Dried parsley – 3 teaspoons, or 3 T fresh, chopped

Fresh ground pepper

Chicken breasts, cut into ½ inch thick slices – 2

Nonfat Greek Yogurt, 2 C

Pasta, your choice – 1 lb

Melt butter over medium heat. Add in garlic and cook until soft (1-2 min). Add in flour and cook a minute. Whisk in the milk, 3/8 teaspoon salt, and whisk constantly until beginning to thicken. Add Neufchatel cheese and parmesan cheese, stirring until melted. Allow to cool about 5 minutes.

Cook chicken in a skillet in about 1 T of oil. Cook until no longer pink in the middle.

Dress the chicken with the sauce, and serve over your favorite pasta, previously cooked.

AVOCADO, CHEDDAR, SPROUT AND HONEY MUSTARD SAMMIE

A good sandwich is like your favorite blanket…super comforting! I like good comfort foods like this that aren’t warm, so we can enjoy them in the hot summer. I first tasted a sandwich like this at a unique little store in my city called The Antique Sandwich Company.

If you don’t like this recipe, there may be no hope for you. Please send me your sandwich creation “Express” and I will eat it for you.  J

Recipe

Whole wheat bread

Avocado, thinly sliced

Cheddar Cheese

Sprouts (I used clover)

Tomato

Lettuce

Cream Cheese (spread on one piece of the bread)

Honey mustard sauce (spread on the other piece of bread - recipe below)

I cannot give other instructions, other than, I mean, “layer the ingredients.” Pretty easy. But also, include this honey mustard dressing, because it is amazing.

Honey – 2 T

Yellow mustard – 2 t

Mayonnaise – ½ T

Mix and use to taste on the sandwich, on a salad, or whatever tickles your fancy. That is a funny phrase, huh?

ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

BLUEBERRY BANANA PANCAKES

If you haven't guessed by now, we love pancakes at our house. Banana pancakes always make the top of my list, but these are even better due to their blueberry counterpart. 

I made a triple batch of these pancakes this morning for my five kiddos. There were almost none left when the breakfast table was cleared! Whole wheat flour gives even better nutrient value to this delicious start to your day.


Recipe

Bananas, mashed - 2 
Whole Wheat Flour - 1 C
Baking Powder - 2 teaspoons
Sea salt - 1/2 teaspoons
Cinnamon - 1/2 teaspoon
Nutmeg - 1/2 teaspoon
Demerara - 1 T
Milk - 1 C
Eggs - 2
Blueberries - 1 C

Blend all dry ingredients. Add in milk and eggs, then stir. Gently stir in bananas. Cook on medium heat on a buttered griddle until just browned on each side. Enjoy with any topping you prefer. We like a sprinkling of powder sugar and lemon juice.

ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

ROASTED SUNFLOWER SEEDS

These sunflower seeds are super easy to make, tasty, and healthier than what you'll buy in any supermarket. They require overnight soaking, but this simple step helps to increase the digestible nutrient value found in the seeds, and you'll find they sit much better with your stomach.

Recipe

 
Sunflower seeds - 1 C
Sea salt - 1/8 C
Water - 4 C

Let seeds soak in salted water overnight. The following morning, throw in a dehydrator, or cook on lowest setting in the oven until dried. In my oven, it took about six hours. The seeds have a delicious crunch, perfect salting (via the water), and are easily digested.

ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

TACO SALAD

This is an adaptation of a favorite recipe my friend Nancy gave me years ago. My family LOVED her recipe! It was amazing. To make it a bit healthier and more whole-foods friendly, I would sub Tias or homemade chips flavored tortilla chips for Doritos, and homemade Catalina dressing for store bought dressing. If you go store-bought, look for dressings with few, simple, wholesome ingredients you can pronounce. Also, I opt to serve dressing on the side to save on calories.

Recipe

Ground turkey – 1 lb

Cumin – 1 teaspoon

Onion salt – 1 teaspoon

Romaine hearts, chopped – 2

Cilantro, finely chopped – ½ C

Green onions, sliced – 5

Roma tomatoes, chopped – 4

Cheddar cheese, cut to bite-sized pieces – ½ C

Kidney beans, drained – 1 can

Olives, sliced, drained – 1 can

Catalina dressing

Tias chips, crushed – 2 C

Brown turkey over medium-high heat, adding cumin and onion salt when almost done. When seasoned to your taste, remove from heat. Allow to cool.

Mix all other ingredients (except dressing), then add cooled meat to the salad. Top with chips (optional), dress to your taste, and enjoy!

APRICOT CRISP

One of our friends from church just gave us 15 pounds of apricots. 15 pounds! Even with five kids, we knew we’d need to get creative to use them all before any went bad.

This is an incredibly easy dish, so yummy and healthy. Sweet, tangy fruit balanced out by crunchy wholesome goodness on top! I hope you enjoy this as much as we did….for breakfast!

Recipe

Apricots, cut into bite-sized pieces – 4 cups

Honey, melted – ¼ C

Butter, room temp, but not mushy soft – ½ C

Demerara (or brown sugar) – 1 ¼ C

Whole Wheat Flour – 1 C

Oats, quick – 1 C

Cinnamon – 1 ½ teaspoons

Nutmeg – 1 ½ teaspoons

Preheat oven to 350. Mix apricot pieces and honey. Spread in a 9 X 9 pan. Using a pastry blender or two butter knives, mix butter, demerara, flour, oats, cinnamon and nutmeg. Continue until butter is chopped into pea-sized portions.

Evenly spread topping over apricot mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

CHICKEN & MUENSTER BASIL CABBAGE ROLL

This sandwich is super simple, and super delicious! It got my husband eating raw cabbage and basil leaves, and vigorously so! Be careful to choose cabbage leaves that are not too thick. They have to be able to be bitten and chewed from raw, after all. If you like, Sweet Chili Sauce punches up the flavor even more.

Recipe

Green Cabbage leaves, thin – 8

Roasted chicken – 2 C

Muenster cheese – 8 ounces

Basil leaves, fresh – 16

Mayonnaise, or Non-fat Green Yogurt

Spread out cabbage leaves. Down the center of each cabbage leaf, spread a thin layer of mayo (1 tsp is sufficient). Cover mayo with chicken and muenster, then top with two basil leaves per cabbage leaf. Roll up and hold with a toothpick. If you’re feeling spicy, add some sweet chili sauce. There is almost nothing it doesn’t improve!

ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

ROASTED GARLIC TURNIPS AND BABY RED POTATOES

Turnips are one of those foods most people love or hate. I have had them from time to time, but have still not been converted to the love side. So now, I am on a mission to love them!

I bought some beautiful looking specimens, and they sat in my fridge for over a week, waiting for my inspiration to come. And come it finally did. Their strong, peppery taste (like a radish) can be a turnoff in big portions. So I peeled them, diced them, added a bit of oil and minced garlic, then roasted them with deliciously mild red potatoes. YUM! I hope you like this recipe. The turnips blend right into the potatoes (color wise) so your children might not even realize you are introducing a new veggie!

Recipe

Turnips, medium-sized, peeled and diced – 4

Baby Red Potatoes, cut in ½ inch pieces – 6

Garlic cloves, peeled and diced – 3

Canola oil – 2-3 T

Sea salt – 1-2 teaspoons (to your taste)

After prepping turnips, potatoes and garlic, mix all with oil and salt (to taste). Roast at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, or until turnips and potatoes are soft when pierced. ENJOY in GOOD HEALTH!

CHICKEN RICE NOODLE SOUP

  

 

If you don’t make your own broth, I highly recommend it. It is easy, thrifty, and so much better for you. If you buy and use whole chickens (also easy, thrifty and better) you have most of what you need! Chicken carcasses…bones, beautiful bones!

This recipe is simple, and my kiddos love it. I love it too, because it’s so easy! You can tailor it to include whatever veggies you like or have, and substitute the meats as well. This is a great recipe to make with you kids as it isn’t too long or dangerous in the kitchen. If you haven’t used rice stick before, it’s pretty inexpensive, and easy to find in your neighborhood Asian market. J

Recipe

Chicken broth – 8 C

Chicken, cooked and diced – 2 C

Rice stick (thin) – 16 oz

Green onions, thinly sliced – 5 or 6

White navy beans – 1 C

Bring the broth to a boil, then remove from heat. Add rice stick to the hot broth, cover and let sit until noodles are soft (from 6-15 minutes depending on thickness and age of noodles). When noodles are soft, add in onions, beans and diced chicken. Serve with Asian sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, or teriyaki sauce if desired. Some of my kids like this soup with sour cream. Go figure! ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

CHICKEN FAJITA CASSEROLE

This dish started out as an easy way to make enchiladas. For those of you who don’t care too much about fancy preparation and presentation, we are the same. I mostly want something healthy that tastes good enough that my kids will ask for seconds.

And so this dish was born. It transformed slowly into a fajita casserole, because I wanted to use delicious onions and peppers. My husband pointed out that these items are not traditionally found in enchiladas. So instead of changing a recipe I loved, I just changed the name! Enjoy this easy chicken fajita casserole!

Recipe

Chicken, cooked and diced – 2 C

White navy beans – 1 ½ C

Corn tortillas, cut into fourths – 10 whole tortillas

Green enchilada sauce – 29 ounces

Oil – 2 T

Sweet onion, peeled and diced – 1

Red bell pepper, diced – 1

Olives sliced – 1 large can

Shredded cheese – 2 C

Preheat oven to 350. In a frying pan, sauté onions and bell pepper on medium-high heat in oil. When starting to soften, remove from heat.

In a 13 X 9 pan, spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce. Layer on ½ of the corn tortilla triangles. Evenly spread 1 C chicken, ¾ C beans, and half of the onion/bell pepper mixture. Pour ½ of the remainder of the enchilada sauce over the layers. Next layer remaining corn tortilla triangles, rest of chicken, beans, and onion/bell pepper mixture. Sprinkle olive slices over, then cover with remainder of enchilada sauce.

Cover with foil and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from oven, top with 2 C shredded cheese and place in oven just until cheese is melted (about 5 minutes).

ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

MAYOCOBA TOMATILLO REFRIED BEANS

These are the best refried beans I have ever had. The flavor is amazing, and the texture is butter-smooth. You can feel good knowing how healthy they are for your family, too. The ingredients are listed below, but the amounts aren’t given. The base mixture you will start out with comes from the bean/tomatillo nacho recipe given the post before this one. So, start making the nachos first: you won’t be sorry!

Recipe Ingredients

Mayocoba beans

Water

Oil

Sweet Vidalia onion, diced

Cumin

Chili powder

Garlic cloves, pressed

Sea salt

Tomatillos, diced

Take the reserved bean/tomatillo mixture from yesterday’s post, about two cups. Place in a food processor with about ¼ C reserved bean liquid. Process until smooth. Add more bean juice to create whatever consistency you prefer. The flavors in these beans are amazing!

ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH with chips, veggies, or as part of your favorite bean dip.

MAYOCOBA TOMATILLO NACHOS

                             

I love tomatillos. They are sour, juicy, and I love the tang they leave in my mouth. And I just tried these mayocoba beans for the first time today, and they are fabulous! Buttery smooth, mildly-flavored, and they made the perfect refried beans! I’ll post those too, because they are fabulous.

Recipe

Mayocoba beans – 2 C

Water

Oil – 2 T

Sweet Vidalia onion, diced – 1 large

Cumin – 1 teaspoon

Chili powder – 1 teaspoon

Garlic cloves, pressed - 2

Sea salt – 1 T

Tomatillos, diced – 4 medium sized

Tortilla chips – 4 C

Shredded Cheese – 3 C

Soak the beans overnight in water completely covering them. The next day, rinse the beans, drain them, and cover with new water by 1 or 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium-low heat until tender, or about 1 ½ hours.

Drain the beans, reserving the liquid.

In a frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat and add onions, cumin and chili powder. Cook about 3 minutes. Add pressed garlic and cook two more minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add diced tomatillos and simmer for about 4 minutes. Add cooked, drained beans, 1 cup of reserved bean liquid and salt. Continue to cook until beans are warmed through, about five minutes.

Set oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spread tortilla chips over the foil. Strain 2 cups of mayocaboa bean/tomatillo hash until no more liquid drips from the mixture. Gently spread evenly over chips. Reserve the rest of the bean/tomatillo mixture to make refried beans (see next post). Top with chips/hash mixture with shredded cheese. Bake just until cheese is melting.

Remove from oven and ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

LEMON LIME WAKE-UP CALL

Looking into my fridge today, I realized I had a bunch of limes and lemons I hadn’t used up. “It’s high time,” I thought, “that I made a refreshing, tasty drink. These hot summer days sure do call for it!” I don’t like giving my kids sugary, artificially colored refreshment, so we mostly drink water at our home. This concoction was a welcome change, and tasted delicious!

Recipe Ingredients

Key limes, juiced - 14

Medium lemons, juiced - 4

Water - 5 C

Honey - 3/8 C

Juice and strain pulp and seeds from all fruit. Add water to the fruit juice, and stir in honey until dissolved. Drink up, and add ice for pure refreshment.

ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

BEST BUTTERMILK BLUEBERRY MANGO PANCAKES

Pancakes are one of the easiest breakfasts to make. And delicious. Traditional white flour baking soda pancakes make my stomach uneasy, so I try to use whole wheat flour and buttermilk or some sort of sourdough recipe. When I make pancakes this way, I never seem to have digestion issues with them. Hallelujah!

I decided to add in blueberries and mango to lighten the taste and they were amazing! The platter of 40 some pancakes disappeared before my five hungry children in no time at all!

Recipe

Soft White Whole Wheat Flour (WW Pastry Flour) – 3 C

Baking Powder – 3 teaspoons

Baking soda – 1 ½ teaspoons

Sea Salt – ¾ teaspoon

Buttermilk – 2 ½ C

Honey – ¼ C

Eggs - 3

Oil – 1/3 C

Blueberries – 1 ½ C

Mangoes, diced – 2 large

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl. In another large bowl, mix milk, honey, eggs and oil. Gently fold in dry ingredients. Next fold in fruit.

Pour about ¼ C of batter on buttered griddle or frying pan. When the cakes begin to bubble (about 2-3 minutes), turn over to cook the other side about 2 more minutes.

You won’t need syrup or honey for sweetness, but if you choose to use it, it will taste even more amazing.

ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

HURRAH FOR HUMMUS!

I first tried hummus just a few years ago. I know. Where have I been hiding? Raising a family of five kiddos out in the suburbs was not the most culturally-enlightening experience, I’ll admit.

Well, it was amazing. And so my family has since been subjected to many of my attempts at making this amazing, Middle Eastern dip. Here’s one of the variations we have enjoyed…today for lunch, in fact!

Recipe

Garbanzo beans – 1 15 ounce can (drained and juice reserved)

Sesame Seed – ½ C

Garlic clove – 1 whole, peeled

Lemon juice – 2 T

Sea salt – 1 teaspoon

Assorted veggies, crackers, breads

In your food processor, place bean juice, sesame seeds and garlic clove. Process until smooth. Add lemon juice, sea salt and garbanzo beans. Process until consistency is like “butt-uh.” I mean, like a smooth paste. Serve with assorted veggies, crackers or pieces of bread. Delish!

VEGGIE AND GOAT CHEESE CRACKER STACKS

There is nothing quite like the tang in goat cheese. It is mouth-watering, and pungent, like an amazing sour sourdough bread. I love it, and so do my children! That’s a bit of a shocker, right?

I decided to try and layer the amazing cheese with some yummy veggies, stack them on whole grain crackers, and add just a drizzle of Asian chili sauce on the top. The kids preferred their stacks with the spice in the sauce, but I kept my sauce on. It was so yum!

These are super easy, and the flavors will dance on your tongue. Enjoy!  

Recipe

Whole wheat crackers – 1 box

Goat cheese – 6 ounces

Various veggies

          I used parsnips – peeled, thinly sliced, then steamed &

cucumbers, peeled & thinly sliced

Sweet chili sauce – 3 ounces

Prep veggies to fit on the crackers, cooking them if necessary, as I did with my parsnips. Once prepped, layer each stack beginning with one cracker, then a layer of goat cheese (about 1 teaspoon), a piece of veggie, and then chili sauce, if desired.

These are yummy, but don’t prepare far ahead, as the cheese and veggies will cause the crackers to become soggy.

ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!

CINNAMON AND CURRY HONEY-GLAZED ALMONDS

Almonds are delicious, full of B vitamins, vitamin E, and many nourishing minerals like manganese, selenium and zinc. These are further enhanced with vitamin-rich honey, and phyto-nutrient rich spices. The taste is incredible, and will encourage your family to snack healthy!

Recipe

Honey – ¼ C

Cinnamon – ¼ teaspoon

Curry powder – ½ teaspoon

Sea Salt – ¾ teaspoon

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat  honey for 10 seconds in the microwave. Stir in cinnamon and curry powder until well mixed. Add nuts, ensuring each nut is well coated.

Line a baking sheet with buttered parchment paper or tin foil. Spread almonds over the sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until nuts are beginning to brown. Remove almonds from the  oven (parchment paper/tin foil and all) and grill them on medium heat for about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and allow and sprinkle with sea salt. Allow to cool, and then break into bite-size pieces. ENJOY IN GOOD HEALTH!