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!