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Healthy Eating

Brunch/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES

Hashbrowns, Spinach & Tomato Pie

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Call this Hashbrowns, Spinach & Tomato a pie, a quiche, or omelette–whatever you call it, call it good!

I love taking traditional meals like this one and figuring out how to make them smarter, with the right ingredients at the right price!

DO IT SMARTER

There are several things I do that makes shopping, menu planning and dinner -making smarter.

First, I look for recipes that I can revamp with ingredients that are better for my family.  I use organic whenever possible, especially when it comes to dairy, and look for ways to swap ingredients for smarter ingredients.

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For example, in this Hashbrowns, Spinach & Tomato Pie recipe, I use shredded potatoes instead of pie crust, vegetables instead of bacon or ham, and olive oil instead of vegetable oil.

Another thing I like to do is use ingredients that I know will last throughout the week.  Organic eggs are a great thing to buy and use all throughout the week.  I buy 2 cartons and hard boil one whole carton for snacks and to top salads.

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I also buy a large bag of Hashbrown potatoes most weeks, as they are great in breakfast recipes and also as a quick side dish to many other non-breakfast recipes.  I make sure the brand I buy is just plain old shredded potatoes, with no additives or extra oils or salt added.

A bag of shredded cheese is another ingredient I buy at the beginning of the week and make sure it stretches all week.  If we have tacos, we do not load on the cheese like we used to…just a sprinkling will do.  If I make a casserole, most call for 2-3 cups of cheese which is usually not necessary.  I use half that amount and it rarely makes a difference except for fewer calories & more my pocket-book!  I will say, it the cheese is organic like the Horizon Organic Shredded Mozzarella cheese that I used in this recipe, I am more likely to pile it on!

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The last thing I do that is pretty smart is make one day a week a ‘breakfast for dinner” day.   Breakfast food is so easy to make, and recipes like this one that has eggs and organic dairy & veggies can be a healthy & hearty meal.

HASHBROWN, SPINACH & TOMATO PIE RECIPE

Let’s talk about this recipe.  It was a snap to throw together and was super flavorful.  The colors in it are so pretty & the browning of the hash brown crust just adds to the beauty of the dish. Organic Horizon Whole Milk adds extra creaminess to the egg filling. It is really a great dish with lots of texture.

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We had this for dinner last night and I really enjoyed it.  It will be a recipe I make often, in fact, I am making a version of it as I type for my girls for breakfast, with no garlic or veggies.  They just wanted plain for breakfast, just plain hash browns, cheese and eggs.  It smells great as it is baking right now and is making me hungry!

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Feel free to use whatever veggies you want.  I think sliced zucchini squash or roasted asparagus would be great!

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Hashbrowns, Spinach & Tomato Pie

2 cups shredded hash brown potatoes (I used frozen, straight from the bag)

1 cup Horizon Organic Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 cups packed fresh spinach

1 garlic clove

1 cup grape tomatoes

4 eggs

1/4 cup Horizon Organic Whole Milk

pinch of nutmeg

Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

 

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. Spray or grease a 9 inch pie plate; put the shredded hash brown potatoes into the pie plate. Drizzle with 1 Tablespoon olive oil. Toss to coat. Press down into pie plate and push them up the sides of the plate a bit.
  3. Bake for 8 minutes; remove from oven & top with 1/2 cup Horizon Organic Mozzarella Cheese & set aside.
  4. Heat olive oil in a skillet
  5. Add spinach and tomatoes; cook for 3 minute sort until spinach is wilted, stirring frequently.
  6. Add garlic & continue to cook for 1 minute.
  7. Remove from heat and spread over potatoes.
  8. In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, Horizon Organic Whole Milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper until thoroughly combined.
  9. Pour over spinach & tomatoes.
  10. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the pie
  11. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
  12. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting.
  13. Cut & Serve.

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This conversation is sponsored by Horizon. The opinions and text are all mine.

Healthy Eating/ HOME/ Homemaking/ How-Tos/ RECIPES

How To Use Pinterest When Making A Menu Plan

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Do you find yourself pinning a bunch of great looking recipes on Pinterest, but then never get around to actually making them? Do you want an easy way to streamline menu planning each week? Then this post is for you.

I don’t know about you, but the weeks that I actually take some time to make a menu plan go so smoothly compared to when I don’t.  It is a great feeling to know exactly what foods I plan on making each week, and it saves so much money in the long run, as it keeps me from quick grabbing food on the go or running to the grocery store several times a week.  When I know the recipes I am going to make, and make a grocery list to make sure I have the groceries on hand, then making meals actually becomes an enjoyable process!

Pinterest is a GREAT way to not only find great recipes, but to simplify the menu planning process.

Most of the recipes I use are either on my blog or on Pinterest, and I am always wanting to try at least one or two new recipes a week.  Using Pinterest for menu planning helps me to easily find and gather recipes from both sources.

I simply made a board titled Recipes To Make This Week. This is where I will gather ONLY the recipes that I plan on making that week.  I then go search my own New Nostalgia board and New Nostalgia Food board.  This is like my own personal recipe box.  My blog is full of recipes that I love and use often, so it makes sense for me to pull from there first.  I then go to my Recipes: Menu Plan board.  This board is where I pin recipes that I am craving, or recipes I find that look so good that I want to make them ASAP.  The last place I search for fun recipes is among all my other Recipe boards, that are sorted alphabetically according to food/cuisine type.

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How To Use Pinterest When Making A Menu Plan

  1. Make a board titled Recipes: To Make This Week
  2. Make a board titled Recipes: Menu Plan
  3. Gather pins from New Nostalgia board and New Nostalgia food boards. (a shameless plug!)
  4. Gather pins from your general recipes boards…or come visit mine.
  5. Put ‘must make soon’ type recipes in your Menu Plan board
  6. Put ONLY recipes you are committing to make for the week in your Recipes: To Make This Week board.

Once I have all of my recipes for the week gathered on my Recipes To Make This Week board, I then make a grocery list by clicking on each one and making sure I have all of the ingredients on hand.  If I don’t have it, it goes right on my grocery list.

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I use the Reminders list app on my iPhone, I type the list, then go check my cupboards, speaking to Siri to add anything I am missing.  I also use Siri if I am out and about and remember something I need to add to my list…this is especially helpful when I’m in the car! I simply say “Reminders Grocery List” and she will then ask me what to add to that specific list, I answer, and she adds it for me.

It saves paper and I can access it on my laptop and on my phone.  I usually do this while at home on my computer, but the beautiful thing about this is I can do it all on my phone while sitting in my car waiting for my kids! I can access all my Pinterest boards, and gather ingredients I need on my Reminders app. It is such a timesaver.

I do not get so detailed as to assign each day of the week its own meal and recipes.  I just gather a few  meals, snacks, & breakfasts, enough to get us through the week. My mood can change each day as to what I feel like eating, so I try to just have a handful of recipes that make pretty balanced week. To do this, I am purposeful to keep in mind a variety of meals.

I talk about having general recipe dinner categories during the week (fish, pasta, chicken, breakfast for dinner, meatless, one grass-fed ground beef recipe, etc) in this post if you would like to read more on that subject.

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What about you? Do you use Pinterest to menu plan? Do you have a method that works well for you? Was this post helpful?

 

Brunch/ Drinks/ GF, Vegan & Raw/ Healthy Eating

Matcha Latte & Matcha Chia & Pear Cereal

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by Teniel Moore–Raw Foods Contributor

Want to try something new to drink thats full of amazing health benefits?
Have you tried a matcha latte? What is matcha?

Matcha is simply stone ground green tea leaves.

This tea is going to provide you with a powerhouse of antioxidants, vitamins & minerals. It is full of vitamin C, selenium, chromium, zinc & magnesium.

It can help calm & relax, burn calories, and is detoxifying. It is also rich in fiber –and that’s just naming a few of its benefits! If you are looking to add more nutrients into your day, ditch the coffee & try matcha. I buy organic matcha powder and a little goes a long way!

Matcha powder can be enjoyed in so many ways. Here are some ideas of how you can enjoy matcha:

• Creamy frothy coconut milk matcha latte (recipe below)
• Matcha milkshake over ice
• Matcha chia cereal (recipe below)
• Added to your green smoothie
• Throw some into your baked goods
If you have never tried this amazing green powder before, why not give it a try?

Here are 2 simple recipes for you to make using matcha:

Matcha-tea

Matcha Latte

1 cup of coconut milk (or any nut milk of choice)
1/2 tsp of matcha powder
Small amount of hot water to blend
~Heat your milk on the stove or use your coffee machine

~In a cup or small coffee plunger, add your matcha powder & mix a small amount of boiling water in and give it a good stir to break up all the lumps.  (A tiny whisk would be helpful, or for the matcha enthusiasts you can actually buy a bamboo matcha whisk also called a chasen. But that is totally optional. I just use a fork.)

~Once you have whisked the powder well then add your hot nut milk. I like to use a single serve coffee plunger when making matcha. I then use the plunger to plunge up and down fast to create lovely frothy milk.  If you do not have a coffee press, simply heat the milk using your coffee machine

~Serve in your favourite cup or bowl. Add sweetener of choice as matcha does have a slightly bitter taste. I use stevia but coconut nectar or raw honey would work great also.

 

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Matcha Chia & Pear Cereal

1-2 Tbs of chia seeds
1/2 tsp of matcha
1 cup of almond milk
liquid Stevia (or sweetener of choice)
cinnamon
1/2 pear thinly sliced
crunchy topping for texture –I like to add dehydrated sprouted buckwheat

~Combine your chia seeds, sweetener & matcha powder with your nut milk in a serving bowl.

~Mix well and wait a few minutes for the chia seeds to swell.

~Thinly slice your pear & add half the pear to the chia mix along with cinnamon.

~Top it off with the rest of the thinly sliced pear and your crunchy topping for texture and another sprinkle of cinnamon.

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Enjoy!

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 TENIEL MOORE OF ADDICTED TO RAW

Raw Foods Contributor

Healthy Eating/ How-Tos/ RECIPES

10 Healthy Items I Buy At Sam’s Club Each Week

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We have had a membership to Sam’s club for a few month’s now.  I enjoy having one, and have found that I stick with just a few main staples when I go.  Our Sam’s club is located right by our church, so I stop there on the way home from church each week.  I am amazed at how just these few food items really help make healthy eating easy, and get us through the week.

As far as food goes, it is not easy finding healthier options at Sam’s club, but it is possible, and they are adding more and more organic options, which makes me happy.

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As far as our eating goes, I am finding we have settled into a ‘perfectly imperfect’ way of eating.  It has to be all about balance for us, and as much as I would love to be feeding my family only whole, unprocessed, organic, and all homemade food; it just isn’t doable.  It has felt good to let go of perfection and embrace balance, and at times, convenience.

I also have compromised with my 3 daughters as they have gotten older.  They have certain requests and I try to hear them and learned I can’t force them to eat exactly what I would like them to.  A good example of this is the bread above.  I would love them to eat the super grain bread, as it is organic, no preservatives, and has a ton of amazing omega’s and power seeds in it.  They will eat this bread as toast or french toast, but for their daily lunchbox sandwiches they prefer the softer, Oatnut bread.

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Another place I compromise is with lettuce.  They prefer the crunchy iceberg garden mix, but I prefer they eat power greens like spinach and kale.  We meet halfway and I mix the two almost every evening as we eat a green salad with almost every meal.  It helps that Sam’s sells the iceberg garden mix for only $1.99 a HUGE bag.  I use the kale medley in salads, smoothies, and soups.  This container is really large and it is always fun to find ways to finish it by the end of the week!

The veggie tray is another area I have chosen convenience over perfect, organic veggies.  This tray is loaded with vegetables, has delicious great ranch yogurt dip (which keeps my girls very happy and crunching on their veggies) and is a steal at $9.99.  Most grocery stores sell them for $12-15 and only have about half of the veggies in it.  I set this tray out after school almost daily, when appetites are most hungry and they are ready to snack.  I often will grab it at dinner and chop the veggies up even further to throw on our salad. So easy!

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Oh, how I wish those grapes were organic, but they are pretty seasonal so we are enjoying them for this season.  They are amazingly sweet and are great for my girls school lunches and snacking.

The Garden Veggie Straws are a hit with my girls in place of greasy potato chips.  There is nothing healthy about them, but they satisfy any salty, crunchy cravings and are a step up from chips.  The bag is huge and lasts the week, even when using in lunches and for evening snacking.

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I often make my own granola bars, but lately have been buying this box of Organic Cascadian Farms Granola bars.  The girls like them a lot.  I also will buy a box of KIND granola bars from Sam’s, which are my favorite.

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What do you buy from Sam’s club? What foods do you compromise on when it comes to convenience?

GF, Vegan & Raw/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES/ Sweets

2 Raw Fruit Leather Recipes- Berry Pear & Pineapple Mint Kiwi Kale

Follow New Nostalgia

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by Teniel Moore–our Austrailian Raw Foods Contributor

At times when fresh fruit is abundant I love to make fruit leathers, or as we call them here in Australia Fruit Roll Ups. I also freeze all types of fruit for use when out of season. Currently in Australia its not stone fruit season. We are in the middle of winter. So the recipe below is more suitable for what’s in season now.

However I do have a stash of mangoes in my freezer from summer that makes amazing fruit leathers also.

Like any of my recipes this is only a guide. The ingredient list for fruit leathers are endless. Today I will be sharing 2 recipes with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do. They make a great addition to a healthy lunch box for adults or children.

*You will require a dehydrator & a blender for this recipe.

 

Raw Berry Pear Fruit Leather

Ingredients

1 large apple

1 large pear

1 cup of frozen berries

2 leaves of kale or 2 leaves of silver beet (optional)

1 Tsp raw honey or coconut nectar to keep it vegan

 

Instructions

Blend all the ingredients in a high- speed blender.

Then pour the mix onto dehydrator trays with the dehydrator sheet and spread evenly with a spatula.

This amount will make about 2 trays worth. Dehydrate on 105 overnight or until dry.

When ready the roll ups will peel easily away from the dehydrator sheets. Roll up the dehydrated fruit and cut into long strips. Keep in airtight container in the cupboard for up to a week.

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Tip – If you add the kale or silver beet your kids will not be able to taste the greens at all. However the berries and greens will turn the roll ups a dark green once dried.

I look for every excuse to get more greens into my kids and this way I promise they can’t taste it at all, so why not add them!

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Raw Pineapple Mint Kiwi & Kale Fruit Leather

Ingredients

2 -3 Kiwi fruit peeled

1/2 – 1 fresh pineapple

1 stem of curly kale

Generous handful of fresh mint

 

Instructions

Blend all the ingredients in a high- speed blender.

Then pour the mix onto dehydrator trays with the dehydrator sheet and spread evenly with a spatula.

This amount will make about 1.5 – 2  trays worth. Dehydrate on 105 overnight or until dry.

When ready the roll ups will peel easily away from the dehydrator sheets. Roll up the dehydrated fruit and cut into long strips. Keep in airtight container in the cupboard for up to a week.

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Other fruit leather combinations to get your creative juices flowing are

Mango & mint

Berry & Honey

Apricot

Mango & coconut

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Amy here: If you do not have a dehydrator, you can use the oven method below.

Here is what I do when making fruit leathers/roll ups:

~Spread out on freezer paper on top of a cookie sheet (can use waxed paper
 
~Put them in the oven for about *4-5 hours (150 degrees is recommended, the lowest my oven went was 170 degrees)
 
~Take them out, let them cool 
 
~Cut them into strips and rolled em’ up
 
~Store in a mason jar.  (or Ziplock bag or any airtight container)
*I put them in the oven after dinner and took them out right before I went to bed.  I let them sit out on the counter all night, then cut and rolled in the morning.  
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Drinks/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES

Creamy Chocolate Covered Cashew Smoothie

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School is back in session & I’m enjoying getting back into a fall routine!   I find myself exhaling as I settle in and get busy doing the things I feel I am most gifted at doing — blogging and being a Mom!

For me, part of being a Mom with kids who are back-to-school is making sure they have a nutritious snack to come home to.  My kids come home famished and go straight away into the kitchen looking for something to eat.

I try to have several healthy options for them, but one favorite option is a smoothie. I love whipping up a smoothie for them, as long as they are nutritious. I like having something that has both fiber and protein in it, that will fill their bellies and renew their energy until dinnertime.

This Creamy Chocolate Covered Cashew Smoothie tastes decadent and you would never guess how nutritious it is.

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Check out the nutrition in this shake:

Cashew Butter = protein

Banana = fiber & potassium

Cocoa = antioxidants

Cashews = more protein!

Oats = whole grain fiber

Honey = a natural sweetener with antioxidants

Cocoa Nibs =heaps of antioxidants & considered a superfood!

Silk Chocolate Cashewmilk = a non-dairy, gluten-free, verified non-GMO, lactose free, no preservative or artificial colors or flavors, cholesterol-free milk

Pretty impressive, huh?  My blender is big enough to double the recipe to make smoothies for 4.  I like to whip them up ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator in mason jars for my girls to just grab and go!

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Creamy Chocolate Covered Cashew Smoothie

{makes 2 – 15 oz smoothies}

1/4 cup cashew butter (or almond butter or peanut butter)
1 banana
1 tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup cashews
1 cup oats
1 1/2  cup Silk Chocolate Cashewmilk
2 Tbsp honey
1 cup ice

Optional: cocoa nibs

Add all ingredients to the blender.  Use a high-speed blender for best results.  If you don’t have a high-speed blender, let the oats and cashews sit in the milk for a few minutes to soften.  Blend until smooth.  Add more Silk Chocolate Cashewmilk  if needed.  Consistency is right when a vortex forms in the blender and contents move freely.

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Let’s talk a bit more about Silk Cashewmilk.  It comes in 4 flavors: Original, Unsweetened, Vanilla & Chocolate.  It is a great, super creamy but calorie-conscious, alternative to dairy milk.

Visit Silk Cashewmilk website to sign up for registration, get a coupon & find lots more dreamy, creamy cashewmilk recipes!

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What are your favorite nutritious, after-school snacks?

This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

 

Featured/ Healthy Eating/ How-Tos/ RECIPES

5 Practices To Start Your Week With Healthy Eating

Healthy-EatingThere are several things I do at the beginning of the week to make sure we can easily access healthy food and snacks during the week.  I try to get the grocery shopping done on Saturday or Sunday, which really helps make me feel ready for the week.  I especially do this during the school year, when I need to make sure we have all that we need to pack school lunches and have healthy after-school snacks.

1. When shopping, keep foods as clean and pure as possible.

Avoid packaged foods with mile long ingredient lists.  We eat packaged foods in our family, but I make sure I buy them from stores that promote more healthful ingredients, like Trader Joes or our local health food store. For example, if you look on the package of Trader Joes chocolate chip cookies, it is familiar ingredients I would use here at home to make chocolate chip cookies.  I like that I know what they are and can pronounce them.  This is not the case if I were to buy packaged cookies from a regular grocery store, unless maybe if they were in the specialty organic foods section.

Making food homemade as much as possible just tastes better and you are in charge of the ingredients.  The freezer salsa in the above picture was made with our homegrown tomatoes and tastes so good!

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2. Buy organic…or not. Know when to compromise.

Most of the time I buy only organic fruits and veggies, but lately, to get my kids to snack on more vegetables during the week, I have been picking up this tray of already cut up vegetables and dip.  It is from Sam’s and the dip is a ranch greek yogurt dip.  Yes, I would love it to be organic, but it is not. Sure, the yogurt dip has some ingredients that are not so clean and pure, but I’m ok with it.  It is only 9.99, it is super convenient, and it gets a ton of vitamins and phytonutrients into our bodies.  We eat it up every week, and I often will chop some of the veggies up even further to throw on our dinner salads.  Eating healthy is not about eating perfectly.  Compromise is ok.

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3. Hard boil some organic eggs.

I’ve been doing this at the beginning of every week & it is a great way to get added protein into the body. I often find my girls with the egg slicer out, ready to snack on a protein rich hard-boiled egg.  I also love throwing them on top of our dinner salad for added flavor, texture & protein.

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4. Make some tea.

At first glance, caffeinated tea might not seem like the best healthy option, but it really depends what you are comparing it to.  It is SO much better than grabbing a coke, whether diet or not, and does not have added sugar, artificial colors, or dreaded artificial sweeteners. Tea also has antioxidants which other sweetened beverages do not.  I usually try to buy my tea organic but right now I’m crushing on this Tazo Iced Blushberry Black Tea.

Get rid of the pop, get rid of the Kool-aid.  Drink tea!  I make a big pitcher at the beginning of the week and it lasts quite a few days around here.  It makes a nice change from typical plain water.

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4. Keep lots of leafy greens on hand.

Here is another purchase I make from Sam’s at the beginning of each week.  The container is huge and the price is right.  I have a salad many times for lunch, and if not, I throw these greens into a green smoothie.  I also try to make sure we get some sort of leafy green salad with every dinner, so a big package is a must around here.  I’m very happy that Sam’s usually gets fresh shipments in daily, so the date on the package gives us a good week to eat up our greens. Tonight we will be topping taco’s with these greens.

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5. Go nuts with nuts.

I really like having lots of nutritious nuts on hand during the week, and I really like storing them in mason jars.  Putting them in a jar shows them off a bit, and makes it super easy to grab and start snacking.  I also like how easy it is to just unscrew the lid and sprinkle them onto our salads.  I have a big crush on cashews right now, and top almost every salad I make with them.  Who needs croutons when you have crunchy cashews?

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What are some ways you start your week off to help with healthy eating throughout the week?

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