Kale Chips!

A simple snack, packed with nutrition that will keep you coming back for more. 

Start by ripping the kale leaves from the thick stem and ripping the leaves into large bite size pieces. Rince them in a collandar and pat them dry. 

Spread the kale out on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and also spray another thin layer of cooking spray on top of the kale as well

Season how you wish and bake at 400 for just a few minutes until the edged start to crisp and brown. 5-10 minutes.

When done, kale chips should be crispy and delicious, enjoy. 

Mug cake!

This is something that has always intrigued me but it was the few ingredients and a jar of chocolate peanut butter that inspired me to actually make it. 

In truth this tastes maybe less like a cake and more like a quick bread but still really delicious for dessert or breakfast-I tried both. But a lot of the other mug cake recipes out there are actually cake ingredients, makes sense, but if I am going to make a cake, I’ll make a cake but I’d rather not take out all the ingredients for just one serving.

Start with a peeled ripe banana in microwave save mug. Mash it with a fork until it becomes a smooth puree. (easier than one might think, great step for kids to do) 

Add in 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter or in my case chocolate peanut butter. If you do not have a chocolate peanut butter or nutella you can use 2 tablespoons of cocoa power.

Next if you choose, mix in chocolate chips, nuts or dried fruit.

Mix ingredients together and microwave for 2 1/2 minutes. Wait for it to cool before removing from the microwave. Put your knife in the center of the cake, if it comes out clean it is done. 

What other cake can you get a full serving of fruit?

Enjoy

Fruit smoothies are a great way to get in fruit when the selection or price in winter can be prohibitive. Recently I made a smoothie using cranberries which I had bought for just $1 a bag that I had frozen. I added it to some other frozen berries with some fruit and yogurt and I am hooked! It’s not really tart as you might imagine. It’s delicious, affordable and good for you!

Jingle balls
This is another recipe to add more fruits to your holiday season. Have fun with the ingredients you choose, there are a lot of possibilities to explore.
Start with dried fruit, 1 cup (dates and figs work great because they are sticky when you bite into them.) You can also choose to add some raisins or craisens to the dates or figs as well.
Chop your dried fruit either by hand or if you have a hand chopper or food processor
Then pick your favorite nuts, ¾ cup pistachios, almonds, walnuts, you choose. (unsalted nuts are best)
Now chop your nuts either with a hand chopper or food processors until they are almost ground to a gritty powder
Add the nuts and the dried fruit in a mixing bowl and reserve ¼ cup of the ground nuts for later
Drizzle with honey and mix with a spoon until all the ingredients are will incorporated. Maple syrup will work as well
Now prepare to get a little sticky by picking up a small spoonful and rolling them into bite size balls.
You also have a variety of topping choices to roll your jingle balls in to finish them, you can choose the reserved ground nuts, coconut flakes or cocoa powder. You may also choose to zest an orange or lemon in with your topping for added flavor.
These bite size snacks make excellent appetizers or desserts and are full of fiber, heart healthy fats and even iron. With all the possible flavor combinations this treat is sure to please everyone.

Seasons Greetings! This season share a dish that everyone can feel good about, guacamole. Traditionally a high fat dish and although good fats, there is no denying that everyone could use a few more fruits and vegetables around the holidays. This recipes secret ingredient is peas! The peas add a much needed veggie this time of year along with some fiver. Add 1 cup of frozen peas (you may want to defrost them but the frozen peas if your blender can process them will keep your dish cold!), 1 avocado, the juice of ½ a lemon, ½ a cup of salsa, season with cumin and chili powder, salt and pepper to taste.
This holiday season, give peas a chance.

Who said a pasta dinner couldn’t be nutritious?
Add vegetables, fresh, frozen, jarred and whatever you have on hand. Add a hearty serving of vegetables to your favorite pasta shape. I have added frozen cauliflower, jarred artichokes, shredded zucchini, portobello mushroom, jarred roasted red peppers, sundried tomato, and you really don’t need a big portion of cheese and meat add this to your favorite pasta. Note: cook half the amount of pasta, it won’t fit in the baking dish with all the veggies!

Quinoa chili
Tis the season for warm and hearty soups. This chili cooks up in just about 30 minutes. Like any soup or stew I start with some diced onions and carrots and celery. If you would like to add a protein such as sausage or veggie sausage you can do so not but you will also get protein from the beans and quinoa as well. In another smaller pot add 1/2 cup of quinoa to 1.5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer that until you see curly q’s in the quinoa. To the veggies add 1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes and 1 can of low sodium, fat free refried beans, and a can of rinsed beans of your choosing, black, pinto or kidney are all great choices. If you choose you can also add sweet potato at this point, it can take longer to cook but you can also find frozen diced sweet potato and add that. Finally add your quinoa. Season the chili as you like, chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika are great choices and you can certainly turn up the heat as you like. Enjoy.

Healthy Baking Tips

I have recently been making/experimenting with some baked goods, quick breads and muffins mostly. Here are some helpful tips:
For substituting white flour for whole grain, try whole wheat pastry flour. It is a much finer texture leaving you with a lighter, softer product instead of a heavy hard baked good if you tried using all whole wheat flour. You may still want to substitute 1/2 the white flour depending on the product.
When it comes to sugar it is hard to simply cut it out because it adds more than just sweetness but moisture as well. And let be honest if we are making baked goods we are aware there is sugar in them so best to just enjoy it. However if you want to cut down on the sugar you can replace some of it with a fruit purée like apple or pumpkin.
When it comes to replacing fat in a recipe, like sugar, it’s hard to just cut it out and is probably best to just enjoy the fact that it is a part of a dessert and possibly limit it elsewhere. However some successful substitutions include replacing butter or margarine for a heart healthy oil such as canola oil or a butter spread based in a canola or olive oil. Substituting half of the fat for a fruit purée is another option but will alter the final product some.

My pumpkin bread was using mostly whole wheat pastry flour, olive oil and of course pumpkin. Yum!

Root vegetables are nice and hearty. Unlike delicate lettuces your root veggies are the ones you can save for the end of the week and still have a veggie to put on the table. My preference is to roast them but I will be exploring different cooking methods and I encourage you to do the same. You may find you don’t care for pureed squash but roasted squash is an entirely new flavor. 

Parsnips are one of those versatile root veggies. I have them pictured here cut into strips like fries and baked with some spices.

I also like to roughly chop them along with beets and sweet potatoes and roast them for 30-40 minutes.

Another idea is to roast them in the oven with some Vermont Maple syrup to bring out the sweetness.

Finally if you do get sick of roasting, add roughly chopped parsnips to your pot of potatoes, cook and mash. 

Enjoy.