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Meals/ RECIPES/ Sides/ Sweets

Top “Less Healthy” Recipes From New Nostalgia 2011

Just trust me on this…these are funky awesome!
After looking high and low, I finally found my go to Pot Roast recipe.  I make this on special occasions for the family.
These are flaky, tender, deliciousness.  My kids devour them.
Kettle Corn Crispie Bars
They are crunchy, gooey, chewy, buttery, salty/sweet, chocolate-y squares of heaven. 

This recipe is quite healthy, if you are a meat eater.  
Taste of home!
This is moist, dense but light at the same time.  The pureed strawberries make it.
These beauties are made with a box mix, frosting mix, and jarred caramel sauce.  Easy!
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Holidays/Parties/ RECIPES/ Sides

Cranberry Apple Citrus Vinaigrette & Eating Plant Strong During The Holidays


Keeping my food intake plant strong during the holidays is a little bit challenging, but not impossible.


How do I plan on doing it?


1. I’m not going to stress about it.


2. I plan on indulging a bit.


3.  I will start my day with a green smoothie, which will give me a big head start on getting my fruit and vegetable servings in, provide all my protein needed for the day, and get in my Omega’s from chia.


4. Most of our Christmas celebrations are pot-luck style, where everyone brings a dish to share, so I am planning on making one that is plant strong, to load my plate with and share with others.


I have decided not to stress about small amounts of dairy and sugar, and just enjoy what the season is about.  I am focusing on getting in my servings of plants each day, and as long as I do that, having a bit of junk along with it seems just fine.  I do notice that I don’t feel too well when I do indulge in foods I am not used to eating (sweets, meat and cheese), so that keeps my portion sizes to a minimum, which is not a bad thing.


One way I plan on keeping plant strong, especially during our FIVE Christmas celebrations coming up, is by bringing a dish that is mostly green.  I want it to be delicious and festive, one that everyone can enjoy, but I also want it to be one I can fall back on, one that I can fill the majority of my plate with, leaving less room for foods that won’t make me feel very good.  The below recipe of Cranberry Apple Citrus Vinaigrette, drizzled on a salad of greens, fruit and nuts is the perfect dish to bring in my opinion!


Another reason I choose to bring a plant strong dish is that I never want to put extra stress on my hostesses due to my different eating habits.  It is amazing what I can find at a potluck- style dinner that is plant strong, as long as I do not stress about small amounts of food that I usually do not eat.


I have been surprised at how letting go of a few of our family traditions involving junk food has been just fine this year.  We have plenty left that do involve tastes of the season, so my kids are not even missing my traditional “Chocolate Andes Mint Cookies.” Neighbors and my husbands co-workers have kept some yummy treats in our home, which we love.  This frees me to “just say no” to doing my own traditional Christmas baking. We did make our traditional sugar cookies, but I kept it very simple and minimal by buying a kit from Trader Joes, which made just enough to enjoy for one evening!  Love that, no leftovers to tempt us. 


So what green recipe am I planning on bringing to at least 2 of our Christmas celebrations?


A Salad of Greens,


Topped with Candied Pecans from Trader Joes, Apples, Pears, Clementines and Dried Cranberries,


Drizzled with Cranberry Apple Orange Vinaigrette! Delish!!

Cranberry Apple Orange Vinaigrette


Cranberry, maple, apple, and clementine make one lovely stand-out holiday dressing. This festive cranberry dressing is sweet with a light tangy aftertaste. Feel free to use more or less maple syrup to adjust to your own taste buds. You can also use any type of sweet citrus that you prefer.
Yield: just over 1 and 1/4 cups
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, or adjust to taste
  • 1.5 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp fresh clementine or orange juice (or use bottled)
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
1. In a medium pot, heat the cranberries, maple syrup, and vinegar over medium heat until the cranberries burst, about 7-10 mins.
2. Slightly cool cranberry mixture and place in a blender along with the rest of the ingredients (except salt and pepper). Blend until smooth. Now add salt, 1/4 tsp at a time, to taste. Blend again. Adjust other ingredients to taste if necessary. You may want more maple syrup than I used. I liked this dressing with a bit of tart aftertaste to really let the cranberries shine. Place in fridge to chill. Should keep in fridge in an air-tight container for up to 5-7 days.

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Yum!  I made this as part of our Thanksgiving dinner and it was a big hit.

I do think my nephews are going to miss my famous Brown Sugar Bacon Wrapped Lil’ Smokies, but I just can’t bring myself to handle all that raw meat.  I am out of practice!

What are you thoughts on eating healthy through the holidays?

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FUN/DIY/ Homemade Gifts/ RECIPES/ Sides

Harry & David Onion Pepper Relish Knockoff

{this is a repost, hope you enjoy seeing it again!}

I am a huge fan of Harry & David’s Onion Pepper Relish, (just not a fan of the price!) so when I saw a recipe for it at Skip To My Lou, I knew I had to try it!  Oh boy, am I glad I did.  I could not believe how similar it tasted to Harry & David’s, I actually think it is slightly better!  It is sweet relish with a bit of a spicy bite.  I served it to a group of my girlfriends last night and it got rave reviews!

Onion Pepper Relish

36 oz canned diced tomatoes, drained (I used 2 1/2  14.5 oz cans)

3 bell peppers, seeds and ribs removed (I used one green, one yellow, and one orange)

3 cups sugar (I used pure cane sugar called Rapadura, it keeps your blood sugar levels from spiking!)

1 Tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed

11/2 medium onions

1 cup white vinegar

1 small box powdered pectin (1.75 oz, found in canning supplies of most stores)

 

Chop all vegetables.  This is the hardest part of the whole recipe, the rest is a breeze.  A food processor makes the chopping go much quicker.

 

Mix everything together, except for pectin, in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about one hour.  Add the pectin and let boil for 1 minute.

 

Pour relish into half pint jars, leaving about 1/2 inch room.  Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 2 months. Or, if you are into canning, this would be the ideal recipe!

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I love to serve it dumped over a block of cream cheese surrounded by pita chips or crackers.  You can also mix the cream cheese and relish together to make a creamy dip.

This would make a great gift, just attach a tag with serving directions on it.

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RECIPES/ Sides

Healthy No Fat Pumpkin Bread

I am so very happy to have found this recipe!  I have made it twice in 4 days and may make some more tomorrow…it is THAT good.  It is a vegan recipe, but it would be a keeper even if I were not vegan.  It is a recipe by Happy Herbivore that has been getting lots of attention on twitter, so I am not the only one who loves it.

Back to the bread..it was super moist but had a nice crunch on the sides and bottom.  Loved that.  I cut the brown sugar down to 3/4 cup, that was plenty.  I used almond milk.  I loved that there was no fat used, and if you are out of eggs, NO PROBLEM, for there are no eggs in this recipe.  It is amazing how much cheaper a recipe is with no butter and eggs!

Print
Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 10 mins
 
The Happy Herbivore Cookbook (p. 52)
Recipe Type: sides
Servings: 12
Ingredients
  • ½  tsp  baking powder
  • 1  tsp  baking soda
  • 2  cups  whole wheat flour
  • 1-2 tbsp  pumpkin pie spice I only use 1
  • 1  tsp  vanilla extract
  • 2  tbsp  pure maple syrup
  • 1  cup  brown sugar
  • 15  oz pumpkin
  • ¼  tsp  lemon juice
  • ¼  cup  non-dairy milk
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease or spray a standard bread pan. 

  2. Whisk non-dairy milk and lemon juice together until bubbly and set aside. 

  3. In a medium mixing bowl, cream pumpkin, sugar, syrup and extract together.

  4. In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin pie spice, flour, baking soda and baking powder together. 

  5. Pour both wet mixtures into dry mixture and stir until just combined. 

  6. Pour into bread pan, using a spatula to evenly distribute and smooth out the top. 

  7. Grab a large piece of aluminum foil and make a tent over the pan.

  8. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

  9. Once the bread has cooled but is still slightly warm, gently remove it from the pan and on to a serving plate.

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Healthy Eating/ RECIPES/ Sides

22 Simple Ways To Eat Fruits And Vegetables

 

 

22 Simple Ways to Eat Fruits And Vegetables

  1. Frozen berries in cold cereal
  2. Frozen berries in oatmeal
  3. A bowl of frozen berries thawed to perfection during dinner in time for dessert
  4. Apple slices almond butter
  5. Bananas sliced on bran flakes for breakfast
  6. Banana slices on whole wheat peanut butter bagel
  7. Celery and peanut butter or cream cheese
  8. Pepper strips and hummus
  9. Cucumber slices and dip
  10. Frozen grapes– so refreshing!
  11. A 6-cup muffin tin full of different colors for snack
  12. Clementine slices on our salads
  13. Frozen mango chunks in a bowl
  14. Edamame with sea salt-my kids favorite
  15. Fruit smoothies made green by blending in spinach
  16. Eggplant in place of beef in our spaghetti sauce
  17. Fruit kabobs-so pretty and fun
  18. Fresh berries in pancakes
  19. Homemade, no-cook berry jam
  20. Sliced berries on ice cream
  21. Spinach salad with mason jars full of vegetable toppings to add themselves
  22. Make our own fresh vegetable and fruit juices using our juicer.
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GF, Vegan & Raw/ Meals/ RECIPES/ Sides

Chilled Melon Soup with Kiwi Salsa

This is a lite, sweet treat that is very easy to make and makes quite a bit of soup!  My girls loved the kiwi salsa, it was their favorite part. The original recipe called for watermelon in the salsa, which would be so pretty, but I didn’t have any so we used bits of cantaloupe instead. We poured leftover soup into Popsicle molds for a refreshing frozen treat.

Chilled Melon Soup with Kiwi Salsa
{adapted from “If It Makes You Healthy“}
Serves 6
1/2 cup diced, cantaloupe (or watermelon)
1 kiwi, peeled and diced
2 good-sized mint leaves, chopped (optional)
1 medium sized ripe cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 3 cups)
6 ounces plain dairy or soy yogurt
6 ounces peach or vanilla dairy or soy yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
11/2 tsp agave nectar or honey
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1. In a small glass bowl, combine the diced melon, kiwi and mint.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
2. In a blender, blend half of the cantaloupe, half the yogurts, and 1/4 cup of the orange juice on medium speed until very smooth.  Transfer to a plastic or glass container.  Repeat with the remaining half of these ingredients.
3. Whisk in the agave nectar and salt until all soup is well mixed.  Cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.  Serve garnished with the Kiwi salsa.
 
RECIPES/ Sides

Easy, Homemade Freezer Salsa

ball jars of salsa

See the larger jar of salsa in the background?  My husband has just about finished off the jar, and I just made it 2 days ago!

This is a super easy & quick way to make salsa for the freezer.  If y.ou like a chunky salsa, then freezer salsa is not for you.  Chunky salsa tends to get mushy in the freezer, but we prefer ours thick, but all chopped up, so this is perfect for us.

cherry tomatoes

I have an abundance of little cherry tomatoes growing in my garden.  My larger tomato plant is slow to ripen, but that is ok since we are up to our heads in cherry tomatoes.

Mrs. Wages Create Salsa Mix for Freezer Salsa

I saw this mix (Mrs. Wages Create Salsa Mix) when I was at the grocery store and I was happy to see that the ingredient list was short and familiar.  I wanted homemade salsa, but my peppers are not ripe yet, so this mix was the perfect answer.

 

There are 3 different options on the back of the package-Freeze It! Can It! or Serve It!  Love that.

I washed my tomatoes and threw them into the food processor.  I DID NOT skin and core my tomatoes.    Too lazy, plus they were so small…

 

Then I  dumped them in a pan on the stove (no pic, sorry!) and added the dry mix and 1/2 cup of vinegar, and then simmered for 10 minutes.

salsa in a jar

I let the mixture cool a bit, then poured it into jars.

We have not eaten the salsa that I froze yet, but like I said earlier, the one jar that was left out is almost gone.  It really is a tasty salsa, not too expensive (2.59 for the mix, tomatoes were free from my garden), made about 21/2 quarts, and took very little effort!

{tomatoes and freezer salsa in jars {pin it}

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