The Plump Pomegranate

The Pomegranate: The food of the Gods. They believed that it was the secret to their immortality. It very well may have been. They are rich in antioxidents and beneficial in so many realms such as preventing cancer, keeping osteoarthritis at bay, keeping your skin beautiful, and many many more. I, myself, didn't start eating them until last year. The method to get the seeds out was intimidating to me. But, it really is easy. Just cut the fruit in half. Hold 1/2 over a bowl and hit it on the skin side with a meat tendorizer or small hammer. The seeds will just fall into the bowl. Here are 2 dishes that I have had this last week that include this beautiful jewel of a fruit. They are both side dishes,
rich in color, and delicious this time of year.

Triple P Salad: Pomegranate, Pear, and Pecan
1 head of organic romaine (chopped)
1 head of organic spinich (chopped)
1/2 cucumber (chopped)
1 onion (diced)
1 pear
1/2 cup chopped pecans
pomegranate seeds
feta cheese to your liking
*Poppyseed Dressing:
4 packets of Sweetleaf Stevia or 1/3 c. sugar
5 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tsp. poppy seeds
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. grapeseed oil or your oil of choice

Assemble salad and mix dressing in canning jar. Apply as liberally as you like.
Dressing will stay fresh in canning jar for a week.


Asian Slaw Side
1 purple cabbage (chopped)
1 bunch of green onion tops
pomegranate seeds
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (or omit if you dont like it)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/8 cup sesame seeds
1 bag shredded carrots
*Dressing:
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1/4 c. grapeseed oil or oil of choice
3 tbsp. rice vinegar
juice of 1/2 an orange
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
1 packet of stevia or 1 tbsp. sugar

Assemble slaw ingrediants and mix dressing. Pour dressing over slaw ingrediants and
let sit for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Bon Appetit!

No Sugar Cranberry Sauce

I swear to God, sometimes I think I am the only one in the world that likes cranberry sauce! Nevertheless, I still make it every year around this time. Not only is it good, but my version has no sugar, so all of the health benefits from the cranberries are not erased by a load of sugar. 

1 bag cranberries
2 mandarin oranges
1 cup water
2 1/2 tbsp stevia powder (You could use honey too)
dash of cinnamon or to taste

Cook all together on medium heat. Keep stirring until it thickens. Refrigerate a few hours. 

Smoothie for Colds

So, I swore I wouldn't get the cold that my whole family has gotten and I have made a really good run of it, but low and behold....I did catch it. I do believe it is not as bad as the rest of the fam's cold though. They all got real nasaly stuffy and I really don't feel super sick. It's more of an annoyance. The tickle in my throat is keeping me from sleeping at night and I just wanna be done with it. So, I have concocted a cold smoothie. This one has a ton of vitamin c! It's a little spice, a little soothing and alot tasty:

1 pineapple core (you can buy a bunch of them in the store in a pack for under $2.00.)
1/2 cup of mixed frozen tropical fruit
1 clementine
1/2 cup coconut milk
1 shake cinnamon
1 shake cayanne
1 packet of stevia
1/2 banana 

You can always substitute pineapple flesh instead of the core, but the core has a higher concentration of bromeline in it. You can also subsititute water for coconut milk But I would not substitute cow milk for it. Dairy can make you extra phlegmy.

Smoothie of the Week

A smoothie a day keeps the doctor away. I found a new and exciting ingrediant that I have been incoporating in my smoothies lately....wheat grass powder. Wheat grass is amazing. One tsp. of wheat grass powder has as much iron in it as a huge spinich salad. I admit, the smell is a little overwhelming...like fresh grass...obviously:) But, in a smoothie, you cannot even taste it! So, here is the  smoothie of the week, with my new addition:

1 cup, semi-frozen, mixed berries
1 tbsp. coconut oil
handful of frozen kale
1/2 cup coconut water (little more or a little less, based on the thickness you desire)
1 packet stevia
1 tbsp. hemp powder

blend until combined
ENJOY!

Fall Eats

I am clearly addicted to cooking:) When I am bored on a Saturday night and my idea, to break the boredom, is to make a gluten free apple coffee cake...you know it's bad!  I think about it day and night...what can I make tomorrow for breakfast, lunch, dinner? Something different than we have all the time....something tasty and healthy? What new snacks can I make the kids? So now that fall is here and I finally have a Vitamix, I am making so much fun stuff. Here are a few of the things that I have been trying. I can't take credit for most of the recipes...those are from my other addiction (Pinterest:)
First I'll list the ones that are my own:

Applesauce:
SO this time of year! Farmers markets have apples For $1.50-2.00 lb. I buy a ton and make sauce. The Vitamix makes it easier than ever. I cut the apples into quarters. I also keep the peels on (So many good nutrients in the peels) Put in a pot with a little water and watch them cook till they get real soft.You can also roast them in a cake pan with a little water and cinnamon in the oven. I transfer theses mushy apples straight to the vitamix and blend. Maybe add a little water and some cinnamon. Vitamix demolishes the peels..not a sign of one.  Put in canning jars and freeze. Eliminates the whole hot water bath canning mess and will keep for a long time. You can also add blended fruit purees to the sauce to make it flavored, i.e berry, pear, etc. 

Coconut Whipped Cream:
My kids have no idea that this is not whipped cream. For a while I was buying whole whipping cream and whipping it weekly with cinnamon and stevia. But, canned coconut milk is dairy free and has so many more health benefits. I put a can of organic whole fat coconut milk, unopened, in the freezer for a few hours upside down. Open it and you will see a layer of water and a large layer of thick coconut cream. You will only use the cream portion, so drain off the water part. Now whip with a mixer. Add any sweetner you choose. I do stevia and cinnamon. It does not have that "whippy" feel, i.e cool whip, but does the trick and it's all natural. This will stay good covered in the fridge for about a week.

Cinnamon Chips:
To go with the whipped cream, I make these cinnamon chips. Take tortillas, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Cut into triangles with a pizza cutter and put on an ungreased cookie sheet at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. They are crunchy, yummy, sweet and great for dipping!

Pork Carnitas:
Cannot even describe how easy and good these are. Sat in the crockpot all day and made a good meal with some homemade guacamole and rice. 
http://mommyandmelunchbox.blogspot.com/2013/02/pork-carnitas-salad.html

No Bake Granola Bars:
Just made these this morning. Too easy and you can mess with different variations.
http://www.mykitchenescapades.com/2013/06/no-bake-chewy-granola-bars_23.html

Kheema, Indian Ground Beef with Peas:
Loved this! Maddy devoured it. If you like a little spice, but not super spicy...this is perfect. Very easy to make and good over rice.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/aarti-sequeira/kheema-indian-ground-beef-with-peas-recipe/index.html

Slowcooker Rotisserie Chicken:
I have made many chicken slowcooker recipes and have only made them once because they were forgetable..nothing special...until this recipe. This, again, is easy to put together and really does taste like store rotisserie chicken. I took the crockpot drippings and made gravy to go on the sweet potato side. http://crockpot.betterrecipes.com/slow-cooker-rotisserie-chicken.html

Bon Appetit!

Summer Eats!

rhubarb bars

strawberry goodies

maddy and her stirfry

our fresh bread

This summer is flying by. It has been an interesting summer for us cause we joined a CSA this year. Pickins have been kinda slim still, but fun to make things with what we get....like rhubarb or arugula flowers. I have never had rhubarb in my life, so I settled for rhubarb bars. They were ok...but almost too sweet for my liking. If we get more, I will probably make jam out of them. Speaking of jam..what else can you do when you pick 24 lbs. of strawberries at the farm. We were up to our heads in strawberries a few weeks ago. But, we did get 5 huge bags of frozen berries for smoothies, 5 containers of jam, and 2 dozen strawberry muffins out of it. I have never made jam before, so it was an exciting new experience.  Another new experience for me was making bread. I broke down and finally brought a breadmaker. I am hooked! Jackson and I made a loaf of white bread yesterday. So, last night with our salad we had warm bread with chive butter....yum. We have also been making a ton of stirfrys from our farmers market goods. Maddy has developed a stronger interest in cooking, so she likes to make them. It's basically any veggie we get, a protein, and soy sauce on basmati rice. Lastly, I have been making alot of what my mom called bagel dip. I don't eat it with bagel chips though...mostly veggies and kashi 7 grain crackers. It's great cause CSA has been loading us with green onions the last few times now.
Recipes or their links are listed below. Can't wait to see what the CSA brings me next week:)

Strawberry Oat Muffins: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-oat-muffins  

Chive Butter:
It doesn't get easier than this:
Let butter soften and add in as many cut chives as you would like. I also add garlic and other herbs sometimes. I roll this all in waxed paper in a tube shape and freeze it. Cutting off pads as I need them.
You can also make berry butter by adding fresh berries to the butter. But, you must freeze this one or use immediately. I made the mistake of leaving it in the fridge and the fruit molded.

Mom's Bagel Dip
- One stick of softened cream cheese
- as many green onion tops as you like diced
- a few shakes of season salt
-shredded carrots (optional)
-shredded cheese (optional)

Science is So Cool!

We love yogurt in this family. Stoneyfield tubers tend to be a favorite and now we found that Trader Joe's has a tubers brand that the kids like too. The kids look forward to every Wednesday at school cause I pack yogurt parfait with fresh fruit and granola. They really like this Australian creamy style of yogurt called Wallaby from Whole Foods for that . I love Fage and Don will eat any kind. So, like most food in this family we are kinda passionate about it:) I found a recipe for crockpot yogurt and I was intrigued. I thought it sounded way to easy and simple. The first batch I tried...failed. What I didn't know was that you weren't supposed to use ultra-pasteurized milk. What I also didn't know was how hard it is to find antibiotic free, hormone free non ultra-pasteurized yogurt. But, I found it.....Oberweiss. It is $3.79 at the store for 1/2 gallon and when you return the glass bottle to the store, you get a $1.50 refund...that's a steal for the quality that it is. Anyways, my 2nd batch worked. I was WAY too excited about it. It make a whole crockpot full and it will last a little over a week. I cannot take credit for the recipe though. I found it on a crockpot blog. Here it is:

Crockpot Yogurt
-8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized. ( start with whole milk until you get the hang of yogurt-making)


-1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter0


-This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor.
-Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2     1/2 hours, or until your milk reaches almost 180 degrees.
-Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.
-When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 1 1/2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.
-Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation. I put mine in the oven (not turned on of course)
-Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours.
-In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened---it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.
-if you would like a thicker yogurt let the yogurt sit on a cheesecloth over a bowl. The water will drain and you will be left with more of a greek style yogurt.- Blend in batches with your favorite fruit if you would like to
- Chill in container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.


The change of this milk to a yogurt made me realize how cool science is, and what a neat thing for the kids to see. I just hope they like the taste of it. Besides tasting good, it is a great value. A box of tubers  (we go through 2 a week) is 2.99, so that is $6.00 a week. Plus the wallaby is over $4.00 for a weeks worth. This is $2.29 a week with extra for smoothies and creamscicles. It will save us over $300 a year in yogurt. I called my dad uber excited about it this morning and he said, " wow, making your own soap and now yogurt, we'll have to get you a horse and buggy to go around in." Oddly, enough..that made me so proud:)

My Favorite New Smoothie

Just thought I would pass along my favorite new smoothie that I have been drinking lately. It has a ton of fiber, lots of antioxidents, and it's good at balancing your electrolytes. But, most important of all...it tastes delicious:

-1/2 banana
-1/4 c. blueberries
-1/4 c. frozen spinich
-1/2 c. frozen mango
-enough coconut water to go about 3/4 of the way up the smoothie
-a splash of coconut milk
- one packet of stevia
- one scoop of whey protein powder

Blend and enjoy!

Decadent and Simple

Everyday at 4:00, french children have a gouter (pronounced goo tay)...it's an afternoon snack. A popular gouter among french children is a baguette with melted dark chocolate inside of it. We have been having this as a special treat for Saturday morning breakfast. We pair it with a yogurt and fruit parfait. As decadent as it sounds, it's actually fairly healthy, especially if you use the dark chocolate. It's also super easy to make. 

1 demi baguette
3 squares of a dark chocolate bar

Take a bread knife and cut a slit vertically down the length of the baguette, but not all the way through. Cut up some small pieces off a chocolate bar. I use a dark chocolate hershey bar. Put these in the slit that you just cut. Wrap in tinfoil and put in a 350 oven for 10 minutes. When time is up, unwrap and put back in oven for about 5 minutes or until chocolate is fully melted. Slice and serve warm.

French Kids Eat Everything

I am currently obsessed with France! I am reading a book called French Kids Eat Everything and it, like another book, Bringing Up Bebe, has changed the way I look at life. I heard about this book while listening to the author on NPR a few weeks ago. She talks about moving her family from Canada to France and how it changed her picky eaters into kids who enjoy things like fish and beet puree. She also talks alot about the French school lunch program, which is phenomenal..even in the poorest parts of the country. Here is a link to the author's blog: www.karenlebillon.com. She blogs about lunch menus throughout the country, from big cities to small villages. The sad truth is that most children in France are eating better than most adult Americans. It is pretty fascinating to see their approach to kids and food. They have a full hour for eating alone in schools. No rushing through lunch with a winter coat and hat on. What is served is served at a very young age, no substitutions and no snacks throughout the day. This book has inspired me to try and eat a little more like the french. They eat in courses. 1st course is usually a type of salad or small soup, 2nd course is protein and veggie, 3rd course is cheese and maybe a baguette, and the 4th course is dessert...which is usually fresh fruit, with the ocassional chocolate mousse once a week. Dinner is an experience, not something to rush through. I  keep joking with the kids and tell them that we are gonna move to France. That will probably never happen, but hopefully someday an extended vacation?