Hot Asian slaw and cold marinated cucumbers!

I really suck at making anything Asian.....sorry for the language...but it's TRUE! I really don't know the ingredients and spices to use to make something that has a true Asian taste and is enjoyable to eat! On Allrecipes.com I read a little bit on their page about stir frying and used one of their recipes as a base for the dish below. It was yummy. We served it with Marinated Cucumbers (also posted below) and a small amount of grilled organic, free-range chicken. My kids had theirs over brown rice. Hope you enjoy it!

For the slaw, I used what is pictures above:
1 bag broccoli slaw
1 small red pepper very thinly sliced
3 celery stalks, chopped
3-4 green onions chopped

Sauce (from allrecipes):
1/4 C. chicken or veggie broth
1/4 C. soy or tamari sauce

2 t. sesame oil
2 t. rice wine vinegar
dash red pepper flakes
1 t. sugar (i used a dash of stevia)
(mixed together ready to go)

glaze to add at the end:
2 T. chicken or veggie broth
2 t. cornstarch or arrowroot powder
(mixed together, ready to go)

Directions:
*In a wok or great saute pan, add 1-2 T. coconut oil (high heat oil)
* Once hot, add in 1 t. crushed garlic (I use a refrigerated one because it's faster)
*Add celery for a minute then all other veggies. Saute for a few minutes
* Add broth/soy sauce mixture and stir until veggies are soft
* Right before taking off the stove, add the glaze and let bubble. Once it thickens, you are done!

I topped ours with chopped raw cashews and raw sesame seeds
Different and Yummy!

Finished Hot Asian Slaw

(The broccoli is almost noodle like)


Cold Marinated Cucumbers
David and ALL my kids LOVE these! We eat them a lot at our house and they are super easy and a great way for your kids to get their veggies.
In a bowl, I add:
4 C. sliced cucumbers (not to thick or too thin)
1/2 C. seasoned rice wine vinegar (we like the one with the red lid)
1/2 T. sesame oil
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together and let chill in the fridge. Stir a few times while chilling before serving!

Speghetti Squash my favorite way!

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash:

Cut off the end of the squash and then cut lengths wise. Scrape out the seeds and sprinkle with fresh sea salt and pepper. Turn flesh side down and put in a Pyrex. Bake at 400 for about 45 minutes until you can put an indent with your thumb in the squash skin. Once cool, scrape out the squash and it should shred like spaghetti!

Sometimes, we will just eat it as a side dish or top with our favorite marinara sauce. This time, I used an Alfredo sauce from Oh She glows. As you can see from the picture, I just lightly drizzled the squash (and steamed broccoli) with the sauce. Enjoy!

Alfredo Sauce
from: Oh She Glows

1/3 C. raw cashews
1 garlic clove
3 T. nutritional yeast
3/4 C. unsweetened almond milk and maybe a little more to reach desired consistency
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 T. non-dairy butter (like Earth Balance)
2 T. Tamari soy sauce
2 t. Dijon mustard
1 T. Tahihi
pinch of nutmeg (I just used the tiniest bit)
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 t. paprika

Directions:
Throw everything in your blender and blend until smooth! I love this recipe and I love everything I have tried from Oh She Glows. com. Why try to invent my own recipes, when she does them just the way I like!

Butternut Squash Soup

The other morning, while I was riding my bike in the basement (its getting too cold to ride outside), I turned on Rachel Ray and she was at the end of her show making this beautiful squash soup that I had to try. Here it is. I made it pretty much to the recipe. Enjoy! Perfect for a chilly fall day!

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, peeled and sliced

salt and pepper

3 T. butter (can use earth balance if you don't eat dairy)

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

1 rib celery, finely chopped

1 onion, chopped

3-4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 T. each lemon and orange zest

2 pinches saffron threads

1 T. honey

1 quart water or chicken stock

toasted chopped pistachio nuts, for garnish

toasted pumpkin seeds

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees

2. Dress squash with olive oil (I used a tiny bit) to coat lightly and season with salt, pepper, and a little freshly grated nutmeg. Toast to golden edges and very tender, about 25 minutes.

3. In a soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onions, garlic, citrus zest, salt and pepper. Cook to soften vegetables...about 10 minutes. Add saffron, stock, and a drizzle of honey. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer to soften vegetables, 20 minutes.

4. Puree with an immersion blender (I used my vitamix). Add roasted squash and blend to combine, thinning with extra water to the consistency you want.

Top with toasted pistachios and pumpkin seeds!

Amazing Summer Quinoa Salad

Picture is from HERE (but this is what my salad looked like!)

I wanted to make a new quinoa salad...and found this amazing recipe HERE! I doubled the ingredients for the salad and tripled the dressing recipe. Again, no picture..so I found one that looked just like it. I love it, because it is sweet and savory at the same time. We accompanied this with grilled veggies and shrimp and a big green salad. I like this recipe because you toast the quinoa first before cooking it...adds more depth to the seed.. Enjoy!
(Tastes even better the next day):


Ingredients:

1/2 C. quinoa
1 C. water
1/4 C. orange juice
1/4 C. chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. rice vinegar
2 t. toasted sesame oil
1 t. minced fresh ginger
1/4 t. salt
dash of Cayenne pepper
1 small mango, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 C. black beans
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:
1. Toast quinoa in a small dry saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until it crackles and becomes fragrant, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a fine strainer and rinse well. Put quinoa in pot with water and bring to a boil then simmer with lid until quinoa is tender and water is gone.
2. In the mean time, whisk orange juice (i made fresh o.j.), cilantro, vinegar, oil, ginger, salt and cayenne in a medium bowl. Add mango, pepper, beans and green onions; toss to coat.
3. When the quinoa is finished cooking, add to the mango mixture and toss to combine!

Food Lately!

Me and my triathlon coach, Greg after my first 50 mile bike ride..took us 3 hours!

For those of you that don't know, I am in the middle of training for a half-iron man race which will take place on June, 11th in Boise, Idaho. This will involve a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride and a 13.1 mile run. I train at least 1 hour a day, usually more and sometimes doing two workouts in a day. It has been interesting trying to fit everything in, but has also been very rewarding. The only problem is what I am eating. I feel like it has taken me a really long time to figure out what my body needs, nutrition wise, why I am training this hard. I support what Dr. Furhman says and still try to live a Nutritarian lifestyle, but have had to make some adjustments to fit my needs.

Me with my new racing shoes I am trying to break in before the race in two weeks!

I know that I need to eat in between meals, especially when I am burning 3500-4000 calories in a day. I know this, because of my exerspy arm band. You can learn more about this awesome tool by contacting my trainer Cody HERE!

So, I thought I would share with you what is working for me right now..it is still a work in progress, and based on what is going on that day, I do change things up..but for now, this is a pretty general food schedule for me:

Breakfast: Raw Oats (David and I make up a batch of this every few weeks). It is a recipe from Raw Melissa, but you can really add whatever you want. We add:

10 C. oats

1 C. coconut

1 C. chopped pecans

1 C. chopped dried cherries

1 C. sunflower seeds

1 C. pumpkin seeds.

Mix all together and put in a cool cookie jar. I leave it on my counter. David takes this to work every day. Scoop out what you want (I use 1/2 C.) and top with almond milk. Let sit for 10 minutes and enjoy with a packet of stevia and fresh blueberries! This is great when you are in a hurry, need something chewy and sweet (stevia is VERY sweet).

Morning Snack: Protein Shake made from Life's Basics Plant Protein Powder. With 25 grams of protein from pea, brown rice, hemp, and chia seeds, I feel this is the perfect addition on days when I am working out really hard.

Favorite Shake:

1 scoop Life's Basics Chocolate plant protein powder

1 small banana

2 C. spinach

1 medium zucchini

1 scoop cacao powder

1 T. natural peanut butter

You can get this protein powder at your local health food store, but it is cheaper on websites like amazon. The green protein powder is also awesome! Has soo many vitamins.

Lunch:

Giant salad with at least 1 pound of veggies, beans and cashew ranch dressing. Just like the one I wrote about HERE!

Afternoon snack:
a take a little carrot juice (really cuts the vinegar flavor out) and mix in 1 T. of apple cider vinegar and 2 t. Vitamineral greens. You can read about them here!
If I need another shake, I will make a green smoothie using Life Source plant protein powder.Dinner is what ever I make (can't turn off the stupid underlining thing..sorry)...usually a balance with a plant based protein, like beans and or quinoa and lots of veggies!

Sweet Potato and Lentil Salad

This is a really yummy dish...perfect to fill you up, especially after a really hard workout.
Again, it is from www.ohsheglows.com: Here you go:

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 C. organic vegetable broth
1 C. uncooked green lentils
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 green pepper, chopped
2 C. spinach chopped
Dressing (I doubled this)
1 T. pure maple syrup, 1 t. dijon mustard, 1 T. olive oil, 1 T. balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes. In a bowl, mix with 1 T. olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for about 30 minutes, stiring with a spatula half-way through
2. While those are cooking, cook lentils on the stove with the broth.
3. To a pan, add chopped onion and garlic. Cook with a drop of olive oil for 4 minutes and then add in chopped pepper and spinach and cook for another 5 minutes. When the lentils and sweet potatoes are done, add them in.
4. Mix your dressing, and then stir into mixture on the stove. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 4-6 side servings.

(p.s. I served it with homemade pita bread that I made. I have been experimenting with naturally leavened whole-wheat bread. If you are interested in obtaining a starter, you can get it from the authors of Original Fast Foods. Click HERE, to read more about naturally-leavened bread and what you can make with one batch of dough! YUMMY! To obtain a starter, they have information on the right hand side of the page, about half way down

What do I eat for lunch?

I have had quite a few people interested in what I eat for lunch? I rarely have enough time to make lunch, like I do dinner. I try to always eat at least 1 pound of vegetables at lunch. By the time 12:30 rolls around, my body is actually asking me for veggies...so I try to deliver.

Here is a picture of a typical lunch for myself. It includes:

tons of chopped veggies (I try to rotate so I don't get tired of the same thing)
a cooked veggie burger from Costco (they are new and come in a white box.)
(I spray Bragg's amino acids on my burger to give it a great flavor)
1/2 C. beans (I really like white kidney beans)
a small serving of brown rice pasta
2 oz. of avocado
a drizzle of either balsamic vinaigrette or Cashew Ranch from Original Fast Foods.

Here is the recipe for Cashew Ranch Dressing:

In your blender. blend:
1 C. raw cashews
3/4 C. water (more if you want it to be thinner the next day)
2 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 t. garlic powder (sometimes I do more like 3/4 t.)
1/2 t. onion powder
1/4 t. REAL salt
1 t. dried basil
1 t. dried dill
1 to 2 T. chia seeds if you want it really think

Blend until smooth, except the chia seeds. If you want it thick, add chia seeds and let sit for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

I love this dressing. It also works great if you want something creamy on a taco! Yummy!

Veggie Stew and Corn Quinoa Muffins!

If you can't tell by now....I LOVE QUINOA! I LOVE IT...I LOVE IT....I LOVE IT!

I was so excited to try these new quinoa muffins from mynewroots.com. They were the perfect compliment to my stew that I adapted from ohsheglows.com.

Here you go:

Black Quinoa Corn Muffins

Ingredients:

1 C. organic corn meal

1/4 C. organic flour (aka masa harina..Bob's Red Mill sells it in a bag)

1 C. cooked black quinoa (I used white cause that's what I had)

1 T. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

3/4 t. sea salt

1 C. almond milk

3 T. chia seeds + 9 T. water

1/4 C. sunflower oil

1 T. raw honey

1/2 cup diced cilantro leaves

1 chili, minced or 1/2 t. ground chipotle

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Line metal muffin tins with muffin papers (this batch made 12 muffins for me)

2. Mix chia seeds and water in a bowl and set aside to gel up (this will be used in place of using an egg). In about 10 minutes, it should look thick and almost gel like

3. In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients together and add the cooked, cooled quinoa.

4. In another bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together, including the chia gel

5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Fold in cilantro and minced chili

6. Pour batter into muffin papers and bake for about 25 minutes until edges are brown.

Note: These were a little crumbly, but I really liked the texture, flavor and how dense they are. IT tasted great heated up for lunch today! Next time, I will use less cornmeal and more corn flour. Great gluten-free recipe!

Veggie Stew

adapted from: www.ohsheglows.com

Ingredients:

1-2 T. olive oil

1 onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, pressed through the garlic press

4 green onions, diced

2 bay leaves

3 small zucchini, chopped

4 celery ribs, diced

2 C. baby carrots, chopped

4 C. organic, free range chicken broth

1 28 oz. can diced Italian blend tomatoes

2 small cans, no salt added, tomato sauce

1/2 C. uncooked green lentils

1/2 C. uncooked wild rice blend

1/2 C. frozen Edamame

1.5 T. fresh lemon juice

2-3 T. fresh minced parsley

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. onion powder

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

1 t. sea salt

pepper to taste

2 C. chopped spinach

Directions:

1. In large pot over lower heat, add olive oil, onions and garlic. Heat for a few minutes until softer

2. Add bay leaves, the chopped veggies and cook for 5 or 6 more minutes

3. Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, lentils and wild rice. Simmer over low/medium heat for 20 minutes.

4. After 20 minutes, add in the lemon juice, parsley, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, Edamame and spinach.

5. Cook until rice and lentils are tender. Discard bay leaves before eating!

Lots of flavor...my kids ate it over extra plain quinoa. I broke up my muffin and put it on top of my stew! YUMMY!

Amazing Quinoa Salad

David and I were invited to his nephew's BYU graduation party yesterday. I was asked to bring a green salad..which I took...but I also took this yummy quinoa salad. MY NEW FAVORITE!!!! You can see pictures of this beautiful looking dish HERE, from ohsheglows.com...one of my top favs!

Ingredients:
1 C. uncooked red quinoa
1 (14oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed (I used 2 C. sprouted black beans I had in my freezer)
1 red pepper, chopped
1/4 C. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 green onions, chopped
1 C. frozen corn
1 small avocado, chopped into 1 inch pieces (I added another one)

Dressing:
4-5 T. fresh lime juice (I did half lime and half lemon)
1/2 t. salt (1 did 1 t. sea salt)
1/2 t. black pepper (1 did 1 t.)
1 garlic clove, minced (I was out of time and just did garlic powder...worked fine)
1/4 C. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 C. olive oil
1/2 t. ground cumin (1 doubled this..cause I like cumin)

Directions:
1. Cook quinoa according to directions...usually 2 C. water to 1 C. quinoa. (Mine had been soaking in filtered water, so it didn't need as much cooking liquid)
2. While quinoa is cooking, prepare the chopped vegetables and whisk together the dressing
3. Allow quinoa to cool after cooking for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add the beans and vegetables and toss well
4. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well with salt and pepper to taste. Bring salad to room temperature before serving.

Here is a picture of the salad from www.ohsheglows.com:

Yummy Veggie Speghetti

Since David and I were dating, we have always made spaghetti...it has just made it's own transformation, like our marriage...and over time has gotten better and better. Here is our Vegan version. We ate this last night over brown rice pasta and the kids ate some yummy Costco bread with it. Here is what I did (sorry measurements are guess of what I think I did...)

While you make the sauce, boil your water for the pasta of your choice.

In the meantime, saute with a little olive oil and some raw sugar (helps bring out the the flavors in the veggies)
1/2 package of mushrooms, diced
1/2 package of firm tofu, diced (this was my kids first experience and they thought it was chicken..He..HE...HE..)
1 zucchini, diced
1/2 red pepper diced
1/2 green pepper diced
1/2 onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic diced
(guess I diced everything..that's funny!)

Saute above ingredients until veggies start to get soft. Once they are, add in three handfuls of chopped spinach.

Once spinach is wilted, add in your pan:
1 can of organic (15 oz) diced tomatoes with liquid
3 small cans (8 oz) organic no salt tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
2 things of water using one of the small tomato sauce containers
1 T. dried basil
1 T. dried oregano
1 cap full of balsamic vinegar
onion and garlic powder to taste
sea salt and pepper to taste

Bring all to a boil and then put a lid on it and let it simmer while your pasta cooks.

Tastes awesome as leftover lunch, like I had today!

Cheezy Broccoli Soup

This recipe is from Original Fast Foods. (Sorry..can't find the picture). But it really does just look like cheesy broccoli soup...Really Yummy!

Ingredients:
2 1/2 C. carrots
2 1.2 C. potatoes
1 medium onion
1 3/4 t. salt
3 1/2 C. water
3/4 C. cashews
2 T. nutritional yeast
6-8 C. fresh broccoli

Combine 1 1/2 C. each carrots and potatoes, onion and salt into 3 1/2 C. water. Cook until veggies are soft and combine in blender with cashews and yeast. Blend to make cheese sauce and return to pot. Place remaining potatoes, carrots, and broccoli into a steamer and cook to desired firmness. Stir steamed veggies into cheese sauce and serve.

Fresh Spring Rolls

I made these and brought them to the dinner party we were invited to last night. They were a huge hit.

You can add whatever you want to them, but here is what I did:

In a bowl, mix:
1/2 bag of coleslaw mix
1/2 bag of broccoli slaw
1/2 bunch green onions, diced
4 T. chopped cilantro
2-3 T. chopped basil
Mix together and drizzle over the mixture: sesame seed oil, seasoned rice vinegar, braggs liquid aminos (or reduced sodium soy sauce)

On a large cutting board, chop like matchstick, whatever veggies you want. We did:
carrots (3 large)
cucumber (one medium size)
zucchini (1/2 large)
avocados (3 small)

Slice firm tofu into 1/2 inch slices and lightly fry in a pan on each side until it starts to get brown. I sprayed Braggs liquid Aminos on it (can buy at any health food store)
Once cool , cut in thin strips

I also added rice sticks for the kids. They are like rice noodles that you get at an Asian market. You let them soak in cold water for 20 minutes and then flash boil and drain..The kids love them

You are now ready to make your rolls.

Get a pan of warm water and put in one rice paper (they are circles that you can buy at most stores or Asian markets). Once soft, take out of the water and put on your counter

Add a small spoonful of your filling and then add:
1 small strip of tofu
1 slice of each of your matchstick veggies
a few rice stick noodles

Roll up. Fold bottom part of the circle up, and then bring in each side and then finish rolling up.

Serve with Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce. Mine is from Original Fast Foods and it is the dressing for my Oriental Salad, which you can find here

Quinao Burgers

(the dumb picture won't turn the right way...sorry)

I made these burgers yesterday and we will be having them tonight for dinner. Because I was starving yesterday, as soon as I made them, I cut one up and layered it in an Ezekiel tortilla (you can learn about these sprouted products HERE) with purple cabbage, avocado and lettuce. Yummy!

I found the recipe at: http://www.simplehealthytasty.com/:

1 Cup Quinoa, cooked (I used sprouted. Click on sprouting on the right hand side to see how to do this)

1/2 C. spinach, chopped

1/2 C. carrots, grated

1/2 C. zucchini, grated

1/2 C. tahini (sesame butter)

1/2 t. dill weed

1 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1/4 C. oat flour (made by putting oats in the blender. I used oat groats..the whole oat kernel)

Mix the first four ingredients together. Then, in a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients together. Add to first mixture and then using 1/4 C., drop onto greased and heated frying pan.

Press into a patty and cook until golden brown and then flip and cook the other side. Try not to keep turning, or they will get crumbly. Top with whatever sounds great. For our burgers tonight, we have whole wheat thin buns, avocado, tomato, Veganaise, lettuce and green pepper.

Thai Peanut Salad!

Ok...so I know I have said over and over how much I like things I make...but this is by far my FAVORITE! David gave it an "8" out of ten. We ate this for dinner. This is from Original Fast Foods Website (http://www.danielschallenge.com/) I made a few slight changes, but it is super great! I can't wait to make it again when all my family comes into town this weekend. Here you go!

Salad Ingredients:

1.5 C. shredded carrots

1 medium zucchini, cut into thin matchsticks

1.5 sprouted mung beans (learn how to easily sprout beans, HERE).

6 Cups shredded Napa cabbage

1.2 C. cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 bunch green onions, chopped

1/4 C. sesame seeds (more for garnish)

1/2 package brown rice pad Thai noodles, cooked (found these at the health food store)

Peanut Butter Dressing:

1 T. fresh garlic, minced

1 inch fresh ginger

1/4 C. water

1/3 C. natural organic peanut butter

1/3 C. honey

1/4 t. red pepper flakes

1/4 C. Braggs Liquid Aminos (click here if you don't know what this is)

2 T. rice vinegar

1 t. chili garlic sauce (I bought the Taste of Thai brand at the grocery store)

Directions:

Combine salad ingredients together in a large bowl.

Combine dressing ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth and warm. Combine peanut dressing with salad, toss well and serve. Enjoy!

Holy Cow...This is really good!

(This picture really doesn't do this dish justice. Some day I will learn to take better pictures).
This recipe is from one of my favorite websites: ohsheglows.com. I made this today and had to take some to David right away (25 minutes away). He said it was great and licked his snap ware clean. Here it is:


"Protein Power Goddess Bowl"


Ahead of time, cook:

2 Cups brown rice in rice cooker

1.5-2 C. lentils on stove (twice as much water to lentils. bring to a boil and then simmer with lid on, until lentils are soft).



When lentils and rice are done, in a large pan, saute:

1/2 red onion

3 cloves crushed garlic

1 red and green pepper very thinly sliced (I think I only did about 1/2 of each)

1 large fresh tomato diced

8-10 sun dried tomatoes, sliced



After about five minutes, add in 4 cups of cooked lentils and stir well. Cook for a few minutes.



Then add in Tahini Sauce (which you make in food processor or Vita Mix):

1/4 C. tahini

1 clove garlic

1/2 C. fresh lemon juice

1/4 C. nutritional yeast

1/2 C. extra virgin olive oil (next time I will add half the oil and some warm water)

1-2 t. sea salt

fresh pepper to taste.

Blend until smooth



Add the tahini sauce and stir into lentils until smooth. Cook until it starts to bubble and then remove from heat. Then add:



2 Large handfuls (very large) mixed greens and spinach

1/2 C. fresh parsley, diced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Stir well. Portion rice in bowls and tops with lentil greens mixture. Put your feet up and enjoy the fact that you are feeding your body something beautiful and completely nutritious.

Easy Peanut Butter Wrap

While I was in Moab this past weekend for my half marathon, we got to eat at some super cool yummy, healthy restaurants. I ate this awesome Peanut Butter wrap after my run. I made them for my kids yesterday and had no complaints....perfect for a fast meal, that you still want to be nutritious. Since I don't have chicken nuggets and frozen pizzas in my freezer anymore...I love finding some fast healthy things I can feed my kids on the go....

Side Note before the recipe: I used Flat Outs for this recipe. I buy them at Costco. They have whole grains and 10 grams of protein. They have a few ingredients that I am not crazy about, but if I don't have time to make sprouted tortillas, this is a easy staple that I keep in my freezer. We also use these flat outs for quick pizzas.
Pizza: Put two flat outs on a cookie sheet. Spread with a little of your favorite organic pizza sauce and top with fresh chopped basil and a few thin slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. Bake at 400 or until the edges are crispy. My kids LOVE these...and my husband does too.

Peanut Butter Wrap:

Flat Outs

organic peanut butter

thinly sliced Fuji apple

thinly sliced banana

fresh blueberries

granola

(i got some at the health food store, only sweetened with honey. when I don't have time to make it...this is great to have on hand for a snack or cereal for the kids)

agave to drizzle.

Instructions:

Spread a very thin layer of peanut butter on the entire flat out. On one half, scatter apple and banana slices, a few blueberries and a good sprinkle of granola for a crunch. Drizzle with agave and roll up. Cut in half. Yummy!

Awesome Chickpea Spread

Ok...I am eating this right now, so the feelings are really fresh in my mind! This is awesome! I found the recipe from: http://happyhealthymama.com/ and the name of it is Chickpea Tomato Wrap. Instead of using a tortilla, I just made lettuce boats, put the filling on the lettuce and topped with tons of veggies: red pepper, celery, carrot and avocado. Yum. As you can tell from the picture, my 2 year old is eating one....kids will eat whatever you offer them...eventually. It's so awesome to see them try new things.

Ingredients:

1 (15) oz. can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed or 1 1/2 c. cooked (i used sprouted garbanzo beans)

1/2 cup (packed in oil) julienned sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained

1/4 C. Veganaise

2 T. fresh chopped parsley

1 t. stone ground mustard

1/4 t. sea salt

handful of spinach or other veggies for toppings

4 whole grain tortillas

Using a potato masher or fork, mash your chickpeas in a medium bowl. Stir in the tomatoes, Vegenaise, parsley, mustard and sea sale. Spread 1/4 of the mixture on a tortilla, top with spinach and roll it up.

Nutrition: 204 Calories, 24 g. carbs, 10 g. fat, 5 g. protein

(used reduced-fat vegenaise for lower fat and calorie count!)

Lentil Tacos

I have seen a few recipes for lentil tacos and couldn't wait to try it. I have to say that I was very surprised! They were awesome. Here is a quote from Victoria, my 8 year old: They taste like very good quesadillas...They were very GOOD! I can't wait to eat them again!" (Sorry no picture...we ate them too quickly)

I got this from http://www.allrecipes.com/ under "Tasty Lentil Tacos." Here is a picture from the website (really just looks like taco meat) This might be a great recipe for your Meat-Eating Guests when they come to visit:

Ingredients:

1 C. finely chopped onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1 t. olive oil

1 C. dried lentils, rinsed

1 T. chili powder

2 t. ground cumin

1 t. dried oregano

3 C. chicken broth or veggie broth

1 C. frozen organic corn

chopped cilantro

Directions:

In a large nonstick skillet, saute the onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add the lentils, chili powder, cumin and oregano. Cook and stir for 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduc heat, cover and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.

2. Uncover, cook for 6-8 minutes or until mixture is thickened. Mash lentils slightly. Stir in corn and cilantro.

We served ours in sprouted wheat tortillas (found in the frozen section at the health food store) with avocado, lettuce, real sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese! YUM! (If David was home, I would have made him make salsa...but he is teaching Scouts how to swim better tonight. Oh well...he missed out!)

The lentils will be AWESOME tomorrow cold on a salad! Can't wait for lunch :)

Yummy Walnut, Basil and Tomato Pasta

This is another fav from http://www.ohsheglows.com/. We ate this for two nights and everyone loved it. The nutritional yeast makes it creamy and gives it a pretty pink color. Serve it over whole-grain pasta.

Ingredients:

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

2 T. virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 t. dried oregano

pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 C. packed fresh basil leaves, stems removed and chopped finely

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 C. nutritional yeast

2 LARGE handfuls spinach, roughly chopped

1/2-3/4 C. walnuts, roughly chopped

I 7-serving pasta box of choice (I used whole grain)

Directions:

1. Chop onion and garlic. In large skillet, cook onion and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes

2. Add in the oregano and salt and pepper. Cook for a few minutes and then add tomatoes, chopped basil and nutritional yeast. Stir. Bring to a low boil and then simmer on low for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook your pasta.

3. Stir in the chopped walnut and the chopped spinach. Cook for about 10 minutes longer on low heat. Pour sauce over pasta. Like I said, this made enough for us to eat two dinners.

Marie's Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

My friend, Marie gave me this amazing hummus recipe. I have tried quite a few, I must say, but this is by far the best. It tastes much better the second day. Enjoy it with rice crackers or veggies, or just with your finger if no one is looking.

In your oven, roast one red bell pepper. Rub it with olive oil and stick it on a baking tray at 350. When you start to hear it bubbling, turn the pepper to another spot. Keep doing this until the pepper is completely until the whole pepper looks like this: (mine wasn't this black)

Let it cool and then peel off the burnt layer.


In the mean time, add to your food processor (or high speed blender):

1 can garbanzo beans (drained) (I used sprouted beans. See * at bottom for instructions).

2 T. tahini

2 t. minced garlic

2 t. lemon juice

1/4 C. water

2 t. cumin

1/2 t. crushed red pepper

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil as needed to make a smooth consistency (i used 2 T.)


Process until smooth and stick in your fridge overnight! Enjoy!
(This is not my picture...obviously, but this is the color of what it looks like)
The WHOLE recipe has: 1007 calories, 113 g. carbs, 49 g. fat, and 36 g. protein
(would be less if you don't use any olive oil)

* If you want to sprout your garbanzo beans, soak beans in filtered water overnight. In the morning, drain and keep your beans in a strainer. Rinse a few times a day until they start to sprout. Once sprouted, throw in boiling water and let water boil for a minute. Turn off the heat and let the beans sit in the water until it cools You are done.