Healthy and Fast

I've been mostly aiming for meals that are healthy and fast.  Really who isn't in a perfect world.  My two boys have become increasingly health-conscious and desirous of meals with lots of veggies and a good amount of protein. Teenage boys love building muscles....it also seems to be going rather well for them.  😊  In desperation, I typed, "fast, healthy, fresh meals" into my internet search browser and came across a website/blog I fell in love with,  iFOODreal.com . Olena is the creator of this blog and she is into making meals from real food.....simple and fresh ingredients.  I started exploring more on her site and came across a recipe for Korean Ground Beef and Rice Bowls.  It sounded good but I was going to save it for another week.  Flash forward a week and I COULD NOT remember the site I found or the exact recipe name so I ended up googling Korean Beef Bowls and got a million different recipes.  The end result is what you find below....a mishmash of those million different recipes. 

 (Honest moment:  It changes every time I make it based on the veggies I have on hand.  The recipe below was created based on my latest making of this recipe and writing things down.)

I hope you enjoy this as much as my family!  It was an instant hit!

Korean Ground Turkey & Veggie Bowls       

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. olive oil (if not water sauteing)                                

3 medium carrots, half-moon slices

1 medium onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. ground turkey

1 large zucchini or yellow squash, diced small

1 cup broccoli florets

1 cup chopped kale or spinach

4-5 green onions, chopped

"Sauce":

2 Tbsp coconut aminos

3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp. garlic powder                                      

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

1 Tbsp pure maple syrup or honey OR 1 tsp. monk fruit sweetener

Method:

1.  Heat oil or water for sauteing onion and pepper.  Saute carrot, onion and pepper until beginning to look golden (approximately 4-5 minutes).  With water sauteing make sure your water is hot before adding veggies and have extra water on hand to add when veggies start to stick.

2.  Mix together ingredients for "Sauce" and set aside

3.  Add garlic and saute 30 seconds

4.  Add ground turkey and cook until meat is browned.

5.  Add in other veggies (zucchini, broccoli, kale), saute for 3-4 minutes, until veggies softened but not soggy.

6.  Stir in "sauce" and chopped green onions.

***serve over rice, quinoa, rice noodles or scoop into nice big lettuce leaves.

I'm Back

  

Boy, it's been a bit.  I've had a long hiatus from blogging and have been rather reluctant about cooking and baking in general since then.  In the past few months, it seems to be coming back, that old love.  I find myself yearning for time in the kitchen and not being totally resistant to making dinner.  It feels nice to want to cook again....to feel some excitement about making food.  It's been a long process to get back to this point.

I recently posted a few dinners I was making during a Pampered Chef on-line party and received requests for the recipes.  I thought, why not put them on the blog and keep them in a format I can easily access and share, so here it goes.

The first is absolutely my new, go-to comfort food.  I cannot tell you how good this meal makes me feel, body and soul.  I've adapted it from a recipe passed on by a friend who attended a local cooking class.  I never leave recipes alone and I love adding tons of veggies to things. 

I am a big Thai curry fan and LOVE this recipe.  Hope you love it too!

Chickpea & Veggie Thai Curry    

Ingredients:                                                                                            

  1/2 tsp. olive oil (not needed if water sauteing)                           

  3 small carrots, peeled and diced

  1 small onion (approx. 1 cup chopped)

  1 red pepper, chopped

Optional Veggies: Broccoli, Zucchini, Kale                                     

  1-2 Tbsp minced ginger root

  3 Tbsp. red or green curry paste

  4 cloves minced garlic

  1/3 cup coconut aminos

  1 Tbsp. soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)

  2 cans (13.5 oz) light coconut milk

  1 can (13.5 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed 

  1/2 cup of water.

****Peanuts, Thai Basil and Lime are great garnishes

Method:

1.)  Add oil to the (or layer of water if water sauteing veggies).  When hot, add carrots, onions, red pepper, and ginger. Saute for approximately 5 minutes, until veggies soften and begin to get a bit golden.

2.)  While the carrot/onion mixture is sauteing, mix together the curry paste, garlic, coconut aminos, and soy sauce in a separate bowl.

3.)  Add broccoli, zucchini and kale (or whatever other veggies you'd like here) and saute another 3 minutes.

4.)  Add coconut milk, chickpeas, curry sauce mixture and water.  Bring to a slow simmer to heat through.

5.)  Serve with rice, cauliflower rice, rice noodles.....whatever you prefer and garnish with peanuts, Thai Basil and Lime.  

Enjoy!!

For Printable Version:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vp-fXFzInWo00H5Hqn7klEekEVKM7a9FZJ-Y-k5Yo3o/edit?usp=sharing

My new favorite treat

My friend Stacy has been making these "Coconut Delights" (that's what I call them in my head) for some time now.  I adore them.  This is unusual.  I love coconut flavor.  I detest the feel of raw coconut shreds or flakes in my mouth.  Really, really detest.  These have raw coconut in them and I LOVED them!  I've been wanting to get on making them for some time and I finally got there.  The original recipe comes from the Wellness Mama website.  I had some confusion with coconut oil amount while using this site to make them.  I decided to go ahead and post the recipe that worked for me on this blog and let you all go from there.  These babies are coconut-chocolate goodness, I'm telling you!  I left some of them un-coated by chocolate for my poor husband who can no longer eat chocolate.  He wholly backs the non-chocolate "Delights", so there's a nice variation for you too!

These little desserts certainly hit the spot!  Enjoy one, or two, tonight, guilt free..... well mostly!


Coconut Delights:   

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups shredded coconut
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup almond butter  (you can also use peanut butter)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (Ghirardelli Chocolate Chips are the BOMB on these!)
1 Tbsp. coconut oil

Method:
1.)  Mix together shredded coconut, 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted), almond butter and vanilla extract.
2.)  Form into balls and place on a wax paper covered cookie sheet

3.)  Place balls in freezer for approximately 45 minutes- 1 hour, until fully hardened
4.)  Melt chocolate chips and 1 Tbsp. coconut oil in microwave (or over double boiler).  I did the microwave.  I stirred between 15 second intervals until the chocolate was smooth.
5.)  Dip coconut clusters into the melted chocolate and place back on cookie sheet.
6.)  Refrigerate to allow chocolate to harden.

Enjoy!

Click here for printable recipe

Healthy & Economical

One of my favorite snacks is a cherry pie Larabar.  I've seen the recipes for creating your own and often thought to myself, for the time and price of ingredients, I'll just continue to buy them.  During my spring break I decided to do a little research.  I bought all the ingredients to make a couple kinds of Larabars.  I totaled the amounts and tallied my time....  20 minutes, 60 cents per bar later & a thumbs up from EVERY member of my family AND my good friend Stacy... I am a convert to making your own!   I love these homemade treats that are packed with good things for you! My husband has affectionately termed them, "Gretchebars".

These little bits of deliciousness with keep in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 3 weeks and in your freezer for up to 3 months.  I wrap mine individually in saran wrap, but it's not required.  Another great thing about this recipe is how easy it is to take the ingredients and play with them to make them your own.  Substitute the dried fruit of your choosing, play with the nut to fruit ratio, add some favorite spices - nutmeg, ginger or cinnamon anyone??

Here's to your healthy snacking!

Homemade Larabars aka "Gretchebars"  

Ingredients:
Cherry Pie
Mild olive oil or cooking oil (for your pan)
1 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup pitted, soft whole dates (pack 'em in)
1 cup warm water (if you have very dry fruit, if not, this isn't necessary)
1 cup roasted almonds
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. sea salt

Apple Pie
Mild olive oil or cooking oil (for your pan)
1 cup dried apples
1/4 cup pitted, soft whole dates (pack 'em in)
1 cup warm water (if you have very dry fruit, if not, this isn't necessary)
1 cup raw walnuts
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. sea salt

Method:
1.)  Line an 8X8 pan with plastic wrap and gently rub a dab of oil over the surface of the plastic wrap.
2.)  Place fruit in a bowl and cover with warm water and let it soak for 5 minutes. (Skip this step if your dried fruit is soft and still retains a good deal of moisture).  Then drain your fruit & pat it dry.
3.)  Place your nuts in a food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped.  Add in the fruit, spices and salt.  Pulse until the fruit is blended and the mixture begins to stick together.    It takes about 2 minutes.
4.)  Transfer the mixture to your pan.  Either with slightly oiled hands or parchment paper that has been slicked with a bit of oil, press down on mixture and flatten evenly into the pan.
5.)  Place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Remove and cut into bars.
6.)  Wrap & place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks and freezer for up to 3 months.

click here for printable recipe

Sweet & Tangy

Today one of my favorite people came over to spend a few hours.  Cassidy loves books and baking.  It's no wonder we get along.  Who cares if she is 10 and I am..... well not 10.  We had a wonderful time gathering ingredients, talking about Trixie Belden, singing along with whatever popped up on the iPod and putting together a brand new recipe.  We dove right into the creation of this recipe and we knew this was going to be good when we started getting wiffs of the batter as it mixed and then as it baked.  It's a beautiful sunny day outside and these little gems suit the mood just right.  Raspberry mixed in a buttery batter and topped with a tangy lemon glaze and sugared lemon zest... my, my, my.

Enjoy, Cassidy and I certianly did!

Lemon Glazed Raspberry Muffins

Ingredients:

Muffins:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1 ½ tsp lemon zest

¼ cup unsalted butter (melted)

1 cup sour cream

1 ½ cup raspberries

Glaze:

¼ cup granulated sugar

½ cup fresh lemon juice

¼ cup granulated sugar (no this is not a mistake - there are 2 steps that each require the sugar)

1 tsp lemon zest

Method:

• Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease your muffin pan or line with muffin cups
• If using fresh raspberries rinse and let dry.  If frozen remove from freezer and place in measuring cup or bowl.
• Mix the flour, baking powder and salt together thoroughly.
• Using a stand mixer or large bowl, combine the egg and 1 cup of sugar.  It should look thick and creamy.  Add the 1 ½ tsp lemon zest and the melted butter and combine.  The add the sour cream.  Stir until ingredients are just combined - do not over mix.
• Stir the flour mixture into the egg/butter mixture using a wooden spoon or spatula.  Again, do not over mix.  Stop just before the mixture is completely combined.
• Once the raspberries are dry, sprinkle a tablespoon of flour over the raspberries and toss to coat.  
• Gently fold the raspberries into the batter.
• Spoon batter into the muffin tin.  About 3 tablespoons per muffin will do.
• Bake for 25 minutes - until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let set for about 10 minutes then transfer to wire rack.
• While the muffins are cooking you can prepare the glaze.  Combine ¼ cup sugar with the ½ cup fresh lemon juice.  Turn the heat to medium and stir to combine.  Let it simmer until the sugar dissolves and the mixture becomes syrupy.  It takes about 15 minutes.
• Combine ¼ cup sugar with the 1 tsp. lemon zest.
• Brush the top of each muffin with the lemon glaze.  Dip the tops of the muffins into the sugar-zest mixture.  

Cassidy dipping muffin tops into the sugared zest.

Click here for printable version

In love with rhubarb

I fell in love with rhubarb when I was in 2nd grade and living in Southern Illinois.  I was visiting my friend, Rebecca, and having a blast swinging from the hayloft in her barn and running around her huge yard.  That evening after dinner came strawberry-rhubarb pie. I'd never even heard of rhubarb.  I tasted it and was instantly besotted.  I came home and demanded a reason for never having tasted this delicious..... fruit? vegetable? What is it?  My mom's answer.... "because I can't stand it".  So fast-forward years later to Yakima, Washington and the gigantic and ever-producing rhubarb plants in my yard.  Now I have more rhubarb than I know what to do with.  I freeze it, make sauces, make crumbles, pies and jam, anything and everything.  I now have a delightful addition to my rhubarb arsenal, rhubarb upside-down cake.  It's inspiration is taken from the pear-cranberry upside-down cake I blogged on a couple years ago.  Sweet and tart combined with thick, spiced cake and crusty edges.  Mmmmmmm, so good.   Such a good reason to fire up the oven in 100 degree weather!!!

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake    

Ingredients:
  Topping - 
  3 cups of sliced rhubarb
  1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  2 Tbsp. flour
  1/4 tsp. of nutmeg
  1/4 cup butter or coconut oil

  Cake Batter -
  1/4 cup melted butter or coconut oil
  1/2 cup sugar
  1 egg
  1.5 cups of flour - I used white whole wheat
  1/2 tsp. nutmeg
  1/4 tsp. salt
  2/3 cup of almond milk

Method:
*  Heat oven to 350 degrees and place 9" round cake pan into the oven with the 1/4 cup of butter or coconut oil
*  Stir together the rhubarb, brown sugar, flour and nutmeg
*  Once butter/oil is melted, remove pan from oven and add the rhubarb mixture.
*  Mix together dry ingredients for the cake batter and then add the wet ingredients to the dry.
*  Mix dry and wet ingredients together and spread atop the rhubarb mixture.
*  Place cake pan back into the 350 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean.
*  Remove from oven and run a butter knife around the cake pan edge.
*  Turn cake over onto a platter
*  Enjoy!

Click here for a printable recipe

Tex-Mex, Yes-Mex!

This post will fly in the face of many previous posts.  I have posted countless meat-less dishes, favorites of our mostly meatless family.  Recently, however, in an attempt to figure out what my body and stomach like and don't like, I embarked on the "Whole 30" journey.  Woah!  HARD!  I did find some absolutely terrific recipes and they have quickly become family favorites.  We tend toward the vegetable heavy meals, of which there are many.  I discovered this little gem at Popular Paleo while searching for a recipe for my friend and her family.  It was a large group and most of them were Paleo people.  I, of course, made a few alterations.  I just can't help it.  It looked and smelled so delicious I immediately made it for our family too.  What a winner!  Paleo or not, this meal will satisfy in EVERY way.  Lots of veggies, lots of flavor and it fills your tummy with good nutrition that keeps hunger at bay for a long, LONG time.

Flex your Tex-Mex muscle tonight with this casserole.  You won't be sorry!

PaleoTex-Mex Casserole   

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs. of lean ground turkey
2 cups kale (you can also use spinach)
2-3 carrots, diced (about a cup)
1 parsnip, diced (about a cup and a half)
1 zucchini, diced (6″ zucchini/one cup)
2 cups diced bell peppers

1 large onion, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz can organic diced tomatoes
3 TBSP preferred coconut oil (Paleo), olive oil (non-Paleo)
1/3 cup taco seasoning (or make your own)
1/2 tsp sea salt
5 cups shredded sweet potatoes (I have also used Yukon Gold and Russets on top).
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander

For Garnish: fresh cilantro, green onions, avocado slices and/or hot sauce

Method:

1.)  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees

2.)  Prepare (chop/dice/mince) all vegetables

3.)  Melt the 1 1/2 Tbsp of the coconut oil (or heat the olive oil) in a large, heavy bottomed skillet or pan.

4.)  Add the kale, carrots, parsnip, zucchini, bell peppers, onions,and garlic.  Mix in sea salt and cook vegetables down until you are able to pierce them with a fork.  Remove from pan and set aside.

5.)  Heat the other 1 1/2 Tbsp of coconut, or olive oil, and add the ground turkey, combining it with the taco seasoning.  Mix and cook until brown.

6.)  While the meat is cooking, grate the sweet potatoes.  This task is a cinch with a food processor!  Three large sweet potatoes should give you 5 cups of grated.  Place grated potatoes into a large mixing bowl.

7.)  Melt the 1/2 cup of coconut oil and pour over the shredded potatoes while it is warm.  Waiting too long will allow the oil to cool and begin to solidify again.  

8.)  Sprinkle the potatoes with the onion powder, chili powder and ground coriander and mix in.

9.)  Now add the cooked vegetables, diced tomatoes and ground turkey back into the pan and heat for 3 minutes.

10.)  Transfer the mixture into a 9X13 baking dish and cover with the shredded sweet potatoes.

11.)  Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

12.)  Remove the foil and broil on low for 5-10 minutes, or until potatoes are browned.

***Hint:  As mentioned at Popular Paleo, this casserole is amazing when added to a fried egg in the morning!!!!!

Click here for printable recipe