Kale Fried Rice

Addicting. Don't even plan on leftovers... it will be consumed within minutes. If you don't, you're a lost cause, stop reading this blog. (Adapted from Gwynnie).

KALE FRIED RICE

Ingredients:
1 bunch kale, deribbed and cut up
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 gloves garlic or one shallot
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Sriracha to taste

Directions:
1. Steam kale for about 5 minutes.
2. Heat vegetable oil over medium heat and add garlic/shallot. Cook garlic/shallot for about two minutes, then add the steamed kale. Cook another two minutes, then add the rice and cook another two minutes.
3. Add the soy sauce, cook for a minute then serve. Add Sriracha to taste.

Oh Crepe!

My husband made these delicious sugar free crepes today, easier than blintzes and healthier (sugar-wise) than traditional crepes:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
1. Mix the flour and eggs, then mix the rest of the ingredients in and work out the flour clumps.
2. Heat griddle and pour about 1/4 cup of mixture on the hot surface, making sure to coat as much of the griddle as possible by turning it.
3. Flip the crepe after about 2 minutes, once it has browned slightly. Cook another 2 minutes. Enjoy hot, we put yogurt and applesauce in ours!

These are just some of my favorite blogs...

I love reading others' blogs and websites! Here are some of my faves:

My IQS inspiration: Sarah Wilson

Recipes from Gwyneth Paltrow's Blog

Love these vegan recipes from Lindsay Nixon (especially baked goodies, the best vegan chocolate chip cookies EVER)

Healthy Bitch

Oh She Glows (like this amazing recipe for Grilled Tofu and Pineapple Salsa)

Hal Higdon's Runner Training Website

Chocolate Covered Katie's Dessert Blog (with recipes such as this amazing Hummus Cake Batter Dip)

My cousin's Sex, Food & Kettlebells amazing blog with tons of paleo recipes (especially if you're into meat and/or maple syrup)

Family friendly and kid friendly yummy recipes from Weelicious

Chili Bo-Billy

Ok, I don't know what is up with the title of this post, but I recently stumbled on a photo of animals awaiting slaughter for our (the U.S.) meat consumption. I was in the middle of Barnes & Noble, enjoying the gift of daycare and no work for myself, when I was stopped in my tracks and realized I can't participate in meat consumption anymore. It's sad, and I have avoided really thinking about how animals are treated in the process. So, I am taking a little break from meat and eating lots of beans. You've been warned.

This is a chili recipe I found in a magazine, but I have added some special touches to it, and a bit more veggies. As it is crockpot season, just throw all these ingredients in and enjoy!

Slow-Cooker Veggie Chili

(serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

1 red onion, chopped

1 green or red pepper, chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup corn kernels (canned or frozen)

1/2 cup green peas (fresh or frozen)

1 15.5 oz can of black beans, rinsed

1 15.5 oz can of kidney beans, rinsed

1 28 oz can of petite cut tomatoes

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 TB chili powder

1 TB cumin

2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 cup water

kosher salt & black pepper to taste

Directions:

Throw all ingredients for 7-8 hours on slow cook or 4-5 hours on high cook. Serve with sour cream, cilantro, scallions, tortilla strips, or any other toppings of your choice!

Fancy Shmancy Olive Oil

I always glance longingly at the fancy flavored olive oil at the supermarket, right next to the artisan breads. So I thought, why not make my own? I just combined some red pepper flakes with EVOO in a pretty Crate & Barrel oil cruet and await delicious and spicy olive oil!

Granola!

I have been making this granola for a few months now, and love to put it on plain low-fat/fat-free Greek yogurt. The crunchy texture of the granola compliments the smooth texture of the yogurt pretty incredibly! This granola is cheaper than store-bought, easy and quick to make, and is sugar free! I may have stolen it a little from another site, but have made it my own!

Coconut Granola

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons coconut oil

2 cups coconut flakes

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1 cup quick oats

cinnamon (optional, to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. As oven is warming, throw in the coconut oil to melt and the pumpkin seeds to toast. Check on the pumpkin seeds to make sure they do not burn.

2. When oven has warmed, toss all ingredients to combine. 

3. Spread on a tray and bake for about 10-15 minutes. 

4. Throw in the fridge to make this granola extra crunchy. (I end up storing mine in the fridge anyways.)

Enjoy!

I say tomato....

I made a salad a few days ago with roasted cherry tomatoes and I am obsessed! You can use grape or cherry tomatoes, and you basically douse them in EVOO, then add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper:

Throw those bad boys in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 30 minutes. They pop and get soooo delicious:

I threw mine over some lettuce with a bit more EVOO and pepper, incredibly easy!

P is for Pancakes!

Cheesy Orange/Pumpkin Pancakes

I altered this recipe from the Weelicious cottage cheese pancake recipe I attempted to make this morning, yet was missing a number of ingredients for (namely the cottage cheese). These pancakes are very healthy, sugar free, and hard to mess up! They are very much like Russian "sirniki"!

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 cup ricotta/yogurt/cottage cheese/farmer's cheese (just mix whatever you have in this department)

1/3 cup pumpkin

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon orange oil/flavoring (you could also use orange rind)

(optional: a few tablespoons applesauce as sweetener)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

butter for the pan

Directions:

1. Mix the first five ingredients in a bowl, adding applesauce if desired.

2. Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

3. Combine the two and stir. You may find yourself adding a bit more cheese or applesauce for a bit wetter consistency, or just wait until the first few pancakes to see if this is necessary.

4. Butter up pan and drop pancakes by the spoonful. Flip when the batter bubbles.

Makes about 20-25 pancakes.

 

Kale Pesto

Gotta make use of all that great kale from the Farmer's Market!

Ingredients:
1 bunch kale, deribbed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup Parmesan/Asiago
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 to 1/2 cup walnuts
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.

I mixed my kale pesto with some whole wheat pasta and topped it off with Parmesan. Fragrant, healthy, and pretty!

Easy Coconut Dinner

Coconut is so great for you for soooooooo many reasons (look it up, I can't do all the work for you!). I made coconut curry turkey meatballs (altered from the "I Quit Sugar" cookbook) and coconut rice, delicious!

Coconut Curry Meatballs
20 ounces ground pork/chicken/turkey
1 or 2 carrots, grated
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1 egg
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Grind all ingredients in a food processor. Form about 25 meatballs.
2. Heat several tablespoons oil (coconut oil, perhaaaaaps?) over medium-high heat. When the meatballs sizzle once dropped on the skillet, put all the meatballs on and cook two minutes.
3. Flip the meatballs over and cook 5 more minutes. Cover the pan and cook another 7 minutes.

Coconut Rice
1 cup rice (I used basmati)
1 can (400 mL) of regular or light coconut oil
salt
toasted shredded coconut

1. Rinse rice and mix with the coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add salt to taste, and top with shredded coconut.

It's always nice to have fresh veggies on this plate for color and cold contrast. Enjoy!!!

Cuz this is laaaaaadiesss (dessert) night....

It was a Sunday night and "The Bachelorette" was on.... so the ladies be comin' over! These are some calorie conscious treats I prepared:

Wine (pretty low sugar/volume)

Melon (a low fructose fruit)

Sugar-Free Raspberry Ripple: http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/2012/04/my-sugar-free-raspberry-ripe-2/#more-4272

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies from Happy Herbivore Lindsay Nixon: http://happyherbivore.com/ (my friend Sara (blog shout out, girl!) and I cannot keep any of her desserts in the house!)

Strawberry Granita: AMAZING and EASY, recipe below:

Strawberry Granita

I took this from the "I Quit Sugar" Cookbook... very easy! Just take 2 cups of strawberries and puree them in the food processor until they are...a puree! Pop in the freezer and every hour or so, mix in the ice crystals, creating a sorbet. Do that a few times, then take out 10-15 mins before serving. So pretty and healthy!

Broccoli with Soy/Lime Sauce

I cannot claim ANY credit for coming up with this ridiculously easy and delicious recipe, buuuuuuut it's my blog so I will (sorry, dad!). Steamed broccoli dipped in a ratio of 1 to 1 freshly squeezed lime juice to soy sauce. Delicious!

Pumpkin Conundrum

One of the greatest struggles in a SAHM's life is what to do with leftover pumpkin. After making my Omega 3 Pumpkin Muffins, I had about 3/4 cup left over. What to do? What to DOOOOOO? Smoothie time!!! So, this is what I put in my fabulous pumpkin smoothie:


1/4 cup pumpkin
1 banana (better frozen, or you can add ice)
about 1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
protein powder
chia seeds (duh!)
flaxseed meal
cacao nibs
half a packet of stevia sweetener
dash cinnamon


Delish (and nutrish)!

Easy Summer Greek Pasta Salad

Looking for a fun and easy pasta salad to bring to a party? Look no further! I was tired of making the same old pasta salad with peppers, onions, and Ken's Italian dressing (which has HFCS!), so I made my own low-sugar salad with a little bit of protein!

Salad:
Whole wheat penne/rigatoni/bow tie pasta
Kidney/black beans
Fresh peppers
Red onion
Sliced pepperoncini peppers
Celery
Snow/snap peas
Feta
Optional: pitted olives/sundried tomatoes/carrots/chickpeas/spinach

Dressing:
Red wine vinegar
Light olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Cha Cha Cha Chia!

Alllllll the rage nowadays is about Chia, and not the tacky Chia pets of the fabulous 1990s (or is that the other way around?). So what's so amazing about chia seeds?

They are derived from a Central American mint-family plant, the bad boy lookin like this here:

Chia seeds are incredibly high in Omega 3s, as well as fairly high in protein (for their size). They are often consumed in drinks, and can themselves be soaked to absorb liquid (a popular way to consume chia seeds in Mexico is to soak them in fruit juice for chia fresca). They are also commonly used in porridge, and are being used more widely in baked products.

I have found chia seeds to be a great addition to a number of foods throughout my day:

Baked goodies (chia seeds have no taste, so they are an easy addition to any baked good)

Smoothies

Yogurt topping (instead of sugar-laden granola)

I have yet to try making "chia pudding," made by mixing chia with a liquid (I assume something like almond milk would be great), mixing the two like a maniac for a minute, then setting aside for a bit before consuming. Chia seeds get all gelatinous upon contact with liquid, so I don't know about this concoction. Maybe on a crazy Saturday night some day.

I bought the Nutiva chia seeds at the local natural foods store, but plan on getting more at Trader Joe's, as I am guessing cost is better there (and until I hit it big in blog ad revenues, I will continue to seek chia seed sales.)

So get your chia on!

Smooth it out now!

Hip hop hooray for smoothies! (Dig my Naughty By Nature reference?) I have recently become slightly obsessed with smoothies. After reading Gwyneth Paltrow's (I know, I know, every person I have spoken to since 2006 hates her guts) goop blog/website on "A Better Breakfast," I have not been able to NOT have a yummy smoothie daily (http://goop.com/journal/make/175/a-better-breakfast). Check out this "before" situation:

So what goes into a healthy smoothie that is both healthy and satisfying? This is what I typically throw in:
Hemp protein powder (no sugar added, which is present in a lot of whey protein powders)
Chia seeds
Flaxseed meal
Coconut oil
Avocado
Frozen banana
Strawberries
Yogurt
Shredded coconut
Unsweetened almond milk
Cacao nibs


This makes for an incredible smoothie (although not incredibly sweet, so one could add stevia to it):

Yum!

Omega 3 Muffins

These muffins are vegan, super healthy, and full of omega 3s! They are not sugary, but they make a great snack on the go, or with a nut butter!

Ingredients:
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup melted coconut oil
3/4 cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
(optional: for a sweet muffin, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup honey or agave)
1 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup almond flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbs chia seeds
2 Tbs flaxseeds/flaxseed meal
(optional: 2 Tbs coconut flour)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whiz together the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the two together and mix well, stirring walnuts in last.
2. Grease muffin tins. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Yield: 12 muffins.

The Perfect Snack

Some would argue that kale is the healthiest food EVER. I would not argue against that. Right now, you can easily find it at farmer's markets for cheap. However, consuming it becomes a little bit of an issue. Here are some excellent ways to get kale in your body:




1. Add it to soup! I usually get a bunch during the summer at said farmer's markets, de-rib it, chop it, freeze it, and use it during the winter in my soups.




2. Juice it! If you have a juicer, adding it to fruit juices makes for a great way to get the vitamins K, A, and C in your system.




3. Soak it! Kale can be quite hard, so soaking it really takes the edge off and softens it nicely. Just de-rib it, chop it, and soak in freshly squeezed lemon juice or vinegar (red wine/apple cider/rice) for 24 to 48 hours, then use it in salad. I add red onions, almonds, and some shaved parmesan to mine.


4. Fry it up with some shallots or garlic in olive oil!


5. Kale chips! Okay, this is definitely a food that divides... either you hate them or you love them! I love them! I recently heard on NPR that our bodies love crunchy snacks in particular. So this makes for a nice guilt-free snack!

Ingredients 
1 head kale, washed and thoroughly dried, ribs removed
Olive oil
Sea salt 

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cut kale into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Lay on a baking sheet and spray/drizzle with the olive oil and salt. Bake for about 10-12 minutes until crisp. Enjoy!