The GREAT Invention of Puree'd Beans

Since my confession about not eating healthy while I am pregnant, I have decided to be as healthy as POSSIBLE! While I do eat simple fruits and veggies I CRAVE...not so healthy things.

My mom introduced me to pureed white beans.

I have substituted them for Crisco, butter and oil and EVERY time it has worked out A.MAZINGLY!!! We have LOVED everything we have made. Our cookies called for 1 cup of Crisco (vomit) and we substituted it for 1 cup of pureed Navy Beans. Our muffins called for 6 T of butter, again, all 6 for beans and they were also FABULOUS!

I have this problem though...if I make a treat I eat ALL of them. I had to make some cupcakes so I OBVIOUSLY substituted the 1/3 cup of oil for 1/3 cup of pureed beans and NOBODY could tell. I only needed a few though so I made mini ones to keep and FREEZE. That way I would only eat them when when I wanted one, rather than ever time I see one! ....so here you have it, not healthy but MORE healthy.

Healthy, Home-made School Lunch's

I thought this was an AWESOME idea for back to school lunch's. Check it out!

http://www.theidearoom.net/2010/08/kids-home-lunch-ideas.html

Holy lack of posting!

Sorry I haven't posted FOREVER!!! We got a surprise a couple of months ago. I AM PREGNANT with boy #3! I cannot cook when I am pregnant. Making just about anything grosses me out....therefore, no posts. We cut up fruits and veggies and just eat them plain. It is delicious but very uneventful. Sorry, I will get back on the bandwagon soon...hopefully!

Balsamic Chicken

Sorry for the lack of posting....this one is DELISH!

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast (frozen)
1 bell pepper (I used 1/2 red, 1/2 orange)
4 sm Zucchini
4 Roma tomatoes
1 can black beans
1/4 c balsamic Vinegar
1/8 c olive oil
1/2 c sliced green onions

1. Put frozen chicken breast in a large skillet with lid, on low. Salt and pepper

2. Meanwhile, cut up bell pepper and zucchini and add to cooking chicken.

3. Let cook until chicken is 1/2 cooked. (about 15 min). Take out chicken and cut into pieces. Re-add to vegetable mix.

4. Cut green onions and tomatoes.

5. When chicken is done, turn off heat. Add tomatoes, onions and beans until they are warm, drain juices.

6. Mix vinegar and oil and pour over top.

YUM!!!

Children: Make sure pieces are cut small enough for them to eat.

Babies: before adding the chicken back in shred a little and set aside some beans. Once it is cooked, cut some zucchini small enough for your baby. Make sure you take out what the baby will eat BEFORE you add the vinegar and oil.

Typical Lunch

This is our typical lunch.....Every.Single.Day! We have a peanut butter & Jelly Sandwich with sugar free jelly. Side it with dairy, fruit and a veggie. WE NEED HELP! We use all different kinds of fruits such as banana's, mango's, cantaloupe, grapes, strawberry's...you get the idea. We have a hard time finding veggies that are easy. We usually go for carrots, bell peppers or cucumber. Instead of the cheese we sometimes have vanilla yogurt and dip our fruits and veggies in that. My son LOVES that!

As healthy as this is....I can't get away from it. It is the one EASY healthy thing that both me and my son will eat.

I need Ideas!!!! HELP

Berrylicious Syrup

This is SOOOO super tasty. You can use Strawberry's, Blueberries, raspberries or whatever you desire.

1 c. Fresh or Frozen Berries
2 Tbls. Orange Juice Concentrate
1/8 c. Sugar.

Cut larger berries into smaller pieces. Place in a pot with orange juice concentrate and sugar. Bring to a boil and serve. I like it cold or hot. You can serve it either way. Mmmmmm and those poached eggs were DELISH!

Simple Chicken

Ingredients:
16 Cherry Tomatoes
1 c. Salsa
1 Lime
4 Chicken Breast

Cook the chicken breasts (plain, no water) in a crock pot on high 4-6 hrs or on low for 6-8 hrs. When they are completely cooked, take them out and shred the chicken. Place 1/4 cup salsa on each breast along with 4 cut up cherry tomatoes. Cook on 350 for 15 minutes. Take out and squeeze fresh lime on top.

Children: Put whatever they like on top or give them chicken with squeezed lime.

Ratatouille

There are SO many of Zonya's recipes that I like!! Check them out here. That is where I got this one. It is DELISH! It makes a large batch. I actually used a 9X13 and 8X8 and cooked them both at the same time. It worked perfect. I put chicken in one and no chicken in the other. This is only 233 Calories and 10 g of FIBER per 2 1/4 cups!!! (Without Chicken). Lovin it!

Preheat oven to 350.

In a LARGE bowl combine:
1 sm eggplant unpeeled and cut into 1" cubes
4 sm potatoes, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 sm zucchini, cut into 1" pieces
2 lg onions sliced

Put in a 10"X15" baking dish (or in the 9X13 and 8X8)

Note: if you are doing chicken put 4 chicken breasts under veggies on the baking dish.
Then....mix together:
2 tsp minced garlic (4 cloves)
1 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 salt
2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes, no salt added
3T olive oil

Pour over vegetables and toss.
Cover and bake at 350 for 2 hours
When timer rings, pull out of the oven and let sit covered for an additional 30 min.

Serve and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over it. ENJOY!
Baby: You may want to set aside a small amount of the veggies your baby will eat and cook them in a separate pan the same time you cook the rest. It ends up soft enough they should be able to eat anything.

Children: We fed our 2 year old the same thing we had. We just cut it in small enough pieces from the beginning.

To find the rest of the nutritional info on this recipe, click on the link above and then click on the Ratatouille recipe. The info will be at the bottom of the recipe.

Orange Bran Flax Muffins

This is another one of my moms fancy shmancy recipe's...once again I change it to how I like it though. We freeze them in freezer bags also for snacks, breakfasts and whatever we want!

I make them in 2 sizes. The large ones for me and my husband and the small ones for my little men. It is easier for them to hold onto and I think they like that they have their own special ones.

1 1/2 C. Oats - blended in the blender to make them more fine
2 C. Whole wheat Flour
1 C. Flax seed
1 Tbsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Oranges, quartered and seeded
1/2 C. Brown sugar
1 C. Buttermilk (I use powdered)
2 eggs
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 1/4 C. raisins, craisins, blueberries, raspberries....or whatever you want. I used blueberries and raspberries.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. You can use paper liners if you would like...I don't so I just coat it with cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, flax seed, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a blender or food processor, combine oranges, brown sugar, buttermilk, eggs and baking soda. Blend well. Pour orange mixture into dry ingredients. Mix until well blended, stir in raisins. put in muffin tins and bake for 18-20 minutes. Makes 24 or 12 lg.

Brazilian Black Beans and Rice

First off, don't look at my white rice. My husband usually likes the brown rice but not with this recipe. It is still a good one...you can DEFINITELY try it with brown rice. I like it just fine.

2 c uncooked rice
2 c or 1 lrg can of Black beans
1 pkg Turkey smokies (they are less than half the fat in the beef ones)
1 Onion chopped
1 minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Cook rice. Saute garlic and onions. Add smokies adn beans until warmed through. Add to rice and eat....SOOO Easy!

Children: Serve the same

Babies: I would take out the beans and rice and give it to them.

Asian Salad

This was such a fun salad and my SON LOVED IT! That is what makes it all worth it.

You can add as much or as little of these ingredients as you want to make it as big or as small as you want.

Spinach sliced into small pieces
Tomato into small cubes
Frozen peas
Frozen corn
Gala apple into small pieces
Craisins
Top with a healthy Asian dressing!! MMmmmmmmmmmm!

Healthy Tip

MOVE!

If you want to feel more healthy. MOVE. Really in any way you can. Get off the computer. Turn off the tv. Run around with your kids or go "RUN" some errands. Do something standing if you watch tv or do some crunches. Keep moving as much as you can and set aside some time to REALLY exercise!

Spaghetti Squash Spaghetti

I LOVE this one. I am not a huge fan of Spaghetti but my son is and he LOVES it too!!

Cooking the Squash:
1 Spaghetti Squash

Slice squash lengthwise (clean out seeds) and place cut sides down on cookie sheet (sprayed with cooking spray). Bake at 350 for 30-45 min.

When squash is done use a fork to clean out the insides and throw away the skin. Put in a bowl and add salt and pepper. Then mix everything together including cheese.


Making the Sauce:
1/3 lb lean ground beef or turkey (optional)
1/2 t. onion powder or 2 t. onion flakes
1 clove garlic
2 t Italian seasoning
6 oz tomato paste
8 oz tomato sauce
3/4 cup water

Brown meat and combine the rest of the ingredient in a sauce pan. heat until warm and then combine with squash.

Children: I cut strands of squash into smaller pieces. Just as I would with the noodles.

Babies: Give 'em the squash to eat up. Again, cut it into smaller pieces.

The salad was a delicious choice with this!

Healthy Tip

Are you eating healthy but don't feel like you are losing weight?

In "Resources for Foundations in Nutrition: Power Tools" they talk about eating a high fiber diet. They say that if you don't drink enough water you can be bloated, have gas, and more.

Also, Dr. Oz :) says that to get a correct weight on the scale you should drink plenty of water the day before.

I have noticed a HUGE difference when I drink water...not only in how I look but how I feel. Try it!

Shephard's Pie

Sorry this pic looks kinda nasty. I forgot to take a picture until I went back for SECONDS! Mmmmmm!
1 lb lean ground beef

1 cup diced onion

1 ½ cloves garlic

½ cup chopped Carrot

1 c Chicken broth

1 c diced tomato

1 c peas

1 T flour

1/2tsp Oregano

½ t basil

pinch of salt and pepper

½ lb sweet potato

½ c Green pepper

5 c mashed potato (I use instant)

Saute green pepper, carrots, sweet potato, seasonings, onion and garlic until onion runs clear. Add Browned beef, chicken broth, tomato, peas and flour. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Put meat and veggie mix in bottom of pan. Top with mashed potato and cook at 400 for 30 minutes.

Children: No change

Babies: Just leave out the veggies you want them to eat. You could even steam the ones that are too crunchy.

Healthy Tip

We are all gonna need to make treats at some point. If I make cookies I usually cook as many as I need and freeze the rest. That way when I want a treat I can take them out of the freezer. They are already in rolls so I just cut off ONE and cook it. Then I put the roll back in the freezer. If I bake a whole thing of treats I EAT THEM ALL! I do the same with brownies except: you bake the brownies. Cut them into small squares and put them in freezer bags in the freezer. Then you can take them out one by one and warm them in the microwave. They are still as good as ever.

Yogurt Fruit Salad

I think this is my all time FAVE!! I got this recipe here 30 Day Gourmet.com I have been making LOTS of meals to stick in my freezer for convenience. This one is SO good and SO easy. They are only 61 Calories and only 2.2% is from fat! That is unbelievable. You can find the rest of the nutritional info on the website.

Ingredients:
3 Bananas
24 oz Nonfat Strawberry Yogurt
16 oz Frozen Sliced Strawberries slightly thawed and undrained
8 oz can Crushed Pineapple in juice and undrained

Slice banana's and place in large mixing bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients.

Spoon into paper lined muffin tins. (Not just the liners but the actual pan with the liners so they hold their shape...I didn't do that....and I regret it....Oops!)

Freeze until firm 3 hrs OR you can serve soft. Remove frozen cups from freezer and put in a freezer bag.

To eat:
Remove from freezer and let stand for 10 minutes. You want these slushy and not completely thawed. (you can even microwave for 15 seconds to soften)

These are awesome for snacks for you or the kiddos they are SO delicious!

Healthy Tip

We eat a LOT of beans. Why?

#1. They are cheap.
#2. They are SO healthy.

I go as cheap as possible and buy them dry. I make massive amounts of beans and then freeze them so I always have them on hand. We generally only eat kidney and black beans. Maybe one day we will go out of the box and try some new ones.

Here is what I do.

#1 Get 2 lbs of beans.
#2 Soak them over night (follow directions on back of bag)
#3 Boil them for 1 hour and 40 minutes.
#4 Put them in 2 cup Ziploc freezer containers.

#5 Let them cool.

#6 Put them in the freezer for whenever you need them.

Super Grilled Chicken Salad Surprise

I call it a "Surprise" because we put something different on it every time. We just use whatever fruits, veggies and beans we have. EWE! Those pears are brown but they were SURE good! ( I just let them sit (cut) for too long).
In this particular salad:
Mustard greens (Texas green leaf)
Spring Salad mix
Shredded Montery Jack cheese
Black beans
Shredded Carrot
Frozen peas
Frozen corn
Sliced green onion
Cut up avocado
Grilled Chicken
Cut up pear
Use whatever salad dressing that tickles your fancy!

Children: We just slice everything smaller. Cut the lettuce so it is almost in "shreds".
Baby: Skip the lettuce and cut the rest up in to bits size pieces.

Healthy Tip

Selecting meat....

Generally the leanest meat is chicken or fish. I don't cook with much fish because I cant afford it.

What do you do when you get sick of chicken. Go for the lean ground beef and ground turkey.

BUY IT ON SALE. I wait until the 93% lean ground beef goes on sale and buy them out!

I come home and cook 2/3 of it(strain and rinse):
1/3 of it into taco meat and store it in meal size portions in the freezer.
1/3 into plain, cooked ground beef in 1 lb portions and store it in the freezer.
the rest of it I store raw in 1 lb portions in the freezer.

93% lean Ground Turkey:
This is what I buy when I can't find the ground beef on sale (Wal-mart). It is generally under $2 a pound but it comes in those nasty plastic things. I usually come home and store in the same way I do the ground beef. In the pic above I found it at Sam's Club....YIPPEE!

Lean Mean Spaghetti Machine

Whole wheat pasta (i used linguine)
1/3 lb lean ground beef or turkey (optional)
1/2 t. onion powder or 2 t. onion flakes
1 clove garlic
2 t Italian seasoning
6 oz tomato paste
8 oz tomato sauce
3/4 cup water
1 cup black beans

Cook pasta according to directions. Brown meat and combine the rest of the ingredient in a sauce pan. heat until warm and then combine.

A green veggie such as salad or green beans would have been a better choice for this meal.

Children: Cut pasta into small pieces. Put sauce on top but drain some of the juice first.

Healthy Tip

I LOVE food!

...so when my husband suggested we share a Cafe Rio salad I thought he was CRAZY. I tried it and we will NEVER go back. Restaurants have such large portions and we have become accustom to it. Don't get me wrong my husband is a BIG eater....but we have found that we are completely satisfied when we only eat 1/2. I am not kidding. Every time we go out to eat, we split it. We have never gone away hungry. NEVER!

Try it, you may be a skeptic but you will never go back. PLUS you save $$$

Bananies

TheClayFamilyBlog.blogspot.com

Loved! Loved! Loved! This idea. This comes from The Clay Family Blog. Click the link above and check it out!

Ingredients:
Sliced Banana
Peanut-butter
Graham Cracker

Pasta Primavera

2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups carrots, sliced
2 cups zucchini, sliced
2 cups whole-wheat noodles, uncooked
1 Chicken Breast cooked and cubed (optional)

Sauce:
2 1/2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp soft margarine
2 cups skim milk
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

* Steam veggies until soft
* Cook noodles
* In a small saucepan, melt the margarine; stir in flour until well blended
* Gradually stir in milk, basil and pepper
* Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens (about 10-15 min)
* Remove from heat and blend in cheese
* Pour sauce over hot veggies and chicken
* Add noodles to veggies and mix together

This serves 6. We had tons of left overs so if there are only 2-3 of you, you may want to half it. The leftovers are good for lunch too.

Children: You may need to cut food to a smaller size depending on the age of your children.

Baby: Cut everything into bite size pieces

Healthy Tip

What is the best way to buy lettuce? Don't buy iceberg....period!

Iceberg has VERY little health value. Buy spinach or a spring mix instead. Even Romain would be better.

We generally use spinach for salad, sandwiches, casseroles and pretty much anything else we can put it in.

If you have a hard time swallowing darker leafy greens, buy the iceberg and then cut the spinach into small shreds and add it in.

Here is a website I found that backs my theory....I love it when that happens :).

Hunsaker Family Peach Syrup....made healthy

29 oz can Peaches
1/2 T cornstarch
1/8 c. Water
1/4 t. cinnamon
dash nutmeg

Separate the peaches from the juice. Slice the peaches into small pieces. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch and water. Put the juice in a saucepan and bring to a boil. When the juice begins to boil add the water/cornstarch mix. Whisk regularly until it starts to thicken. Add peaches back in. Serve warm on pancakes or waffles.