Fruit salsa!

While in Branson this past week, I took a cooking class at Silver Dollar City about healthy snacks. One of the recipes was fruit salsa........hum, wasn't sure how I would like it. It turns out it is really good! And very easy to make!
Mix together the following ingredients
-one drained can of pineapples
-strawberries, kiwi, papaya, and mango sliced up
-diced up red onion
-about 5-6 dashes of soy sauce
-cut up cilantro
Mix everything together and serve. It was so good I've already made it twice! She suggested making it as a side to go with hawaiian chicken and rice and drizzle some of the juices over the rice.
You can also dice up the fruit into small pieces and eat it with chips.
Great summer time snack!

Club sandwich kabobs!

The kids love these and the great thing is you can make it how you want to. We have to adjust it a little to my kids liking but its something fun they can help make.

Serves 4
This fun lunch is ideal for kids to help make since they can roll up the meat and cut ingredients with a table knife. Serve these with mustard, mayonnaise or ranch dressing on the side for dipping and be sure to break any sharp ends off of the skewers when serving these kabobs to small kiddos.

Ingredients
4 thick slices whole grain bread, toasted and cut into (1-inch) cubes
4 slices deli ham
4 slices deli turkey
16 cherry tomatoes
4 leaves butter or romaine lettuce
1/4 pound cheddar, cut into cubes
1/4 pound provolone or mozzarella, cut into cubes
2 kosher dill or sweet pickles, thickly sliced

Method
Alternating ingredients, thread bread, ham, turkey, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese and pickles onto skewers and serve.

Turkey and cucumber wraps!

I've made this several times. They are so yummy and a great summer time lunch!

Serves 1
Pack the ingredients separately in a lunch box to roll up at lunchtime or serve the dressing on the side to avoid having a soggy wrap at meal time. Instead of a tortilla, use a piece of lavash bread, if desired.

Ingredients
1 (8-inch) whole wheat tortilla
1 leaf green leaf lettuce
1 ounce thinly sliced smoked turkey
1 slice cheddar cheese
6 thin slices cucumber
4 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 to 2 tablespoons ranch or blue cheese dressing

Method
Arrange tortilla on a large plate. Top with lettuce, turkey, cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes, then drizzle with dressing. Roll up and serve.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 9oz/263g-wt.): 400 calories (210 from fat), 24g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 55mg cholesterol, 990mg sodium, 29g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 4g sugar), 21g protein

Peach and mango popsicles!

These are sooooo yummy and the kids loved helping me make them!

Makes 6 to 8
It doesn’t matter if you’re 2 or 102, the sweet-tooth appeal of homemade fruit popsicles is universal.

Ingredients
1 cup puréed mango (from peeled fruit)
1 cup puréed ripe peaches (from peeled fruit)
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
Lime or lemon juice to taste
6 to 8 popsicle sticks

Method
Combine fruit purées in a medium bowl. Heat water and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add to purées with lime or lemon juice to taste. If you have popsicle molds, fill them, leaving some room at the top to allow for expansion, set the lids in place and insert the sticks through the holes. If you don’t have popsicle molds, fill small cups or empty yogurt tubs about 3/4 full, stretch plastic or foil across the top and make a small slit to insert sticks. Freeze until firmly set, 3 to 4 hours. To remove the pops, first remove the lids or wrap, then squeeze the sides of the molds, twisting them slightly, to dislodge the pop. If necessary, rinse the outside of the molds under hot water first.

Nutrition
Per serving (1 popsicle/62g-wt.): 40 calories (0 from fat), 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 0mg sodium, 10g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 0g protein

Pecan crusted chicken!

This is a very, very good chicken meal! We are making it again this weekend! These do have a bit of a kick to it so beware when giving it to little kids.

Serves 4
A crispy coating of crushed pecans and cornflakes gives these lean, boneless chicken breasts a tasty oven ‘fried’ crunch.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 tablespoon garlic powder (available in the spice aisle)
4 (6-8 ounces) boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets
4 cups 365 Everyday Value™ Corn Flakes
1 cup whole pecans

Method
Position oven rack to middle shelf; preheat to 375ºF. Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray; set aside.

Whisk together buttermilk, cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt and garlic powder. Add chicken; marinate 10 minutes. While chicken is marinating, coarsely grind corn flakes and pecans, separately, in a food processor. Mix together in a large bowl; season with remaining salt. Lift a chicken breast out of buttermilk allowing excess to drain off into bowl; cover entire chicken breast in corn-flake mixture; transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Throw out any remaining buttermilk. Bake 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 170ºF on instant-read thermometer.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 8oz/235g-wt.): 530 calories (220 from fat), 25g total fat, 3.5g saturated fat, 110mg cholesterol, 1280mg sodium, 32g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 46g protein

Buffalo chicken salad!

This is a super easy recipe and very yummy. I make this often and change it up a bit from the recipe. I add many extra veggies in it including spinich, carrots, broccoli, and a few others. Haven't been successful getting my kids to eat it but its great having a recipe I can throw together if I'm running late on getting dinner done.

Ingredients
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1/3 pound)
2 to 3 teaspoons hot sauce, such as 365 Everyday Value or Cholula
3 cups roughly chopped romaine lettuce
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 tablespoons 365 Everyday Value Organic Light Ranch Dressing
1/2 oz blue cheese crumbles
365 Everyday Value Organic Croutons (optional)
Method
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Arrange chicken flat in skillet and cook, flipping once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Once cool, tear into thick shreds and toss with hot sauce. In a large bowl, toss together lettuce, celery and dressing. Arrange on a plate, top with chicken and blue cheese and serve, with a few croutons if desired.
Nutrition
Per serving (about 13oz/381g-wt.): 440 calories (270 from fat), 30g total fat, 8g saturated fat, 110mg cholesterol, 940mg sodium, 11g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 5g sugar), 30g protein

Cheesy, Oozy guacamole bean dip

Here is a great recipe I tried out at my sister's house for Mother's Day. It was super easy to make and everyone LOVED it!

Servings: Serves 8
Ingredients:
Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean Dip
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
3 large avocados
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 containers (8 ounces) nondairy sour cream
1 packet taco seasoning
1/2 cup diced mild green chiles , drained
1/2 cup sliced black olives , or more if you like
5 tomatoes , chopped
2 cups shredded vegan cheddar cheese
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread a layer of refried beans in the bottom of an 8x8 quart glass baking dish. Pit and peel the avocados, and place in a bowl. Mash the avocados together with the lime juice, and spread on top of the refried beans. Stir together the sour cream and taco seasoning, and spread over the avocado.
Sprinkle the chiles over the sour cream, and top with a layer of black olives. Add the tomatoes and sprinkle with the cheese. Heat the dip for 15 to 30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is a bit melted.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Note: We use Bearitos organic taco seasoning, but it does contain a touch of cane sugar. If you're avoiding all white sugar, make your own by combining chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, hot paprika or cayenne, and salt.

Chicken taco pizza

I'm going to try to post some of the recipes we have been trying. This is one of them that we have made a few times. Once I bought the ingredients to make it once, I had enough to make it two more times with only having to buy another pizza crust. It is really good and super easy to make.

Serves 4
You can't go wrong with the best of family favorites, pizza and Mexican food, in one meal! For a vegetarian version, simply substitute sauteed zucchini or bell peppers and onions for the chicken. If you only have two mouths to feed, serve half of the pizza for dinner and pack the leftovers for lunch the next day.

Ingredients
1 frozen whole wheat pizza crust, thawed
1/2 cup tomatillo salsa, plus more for serving
1/4 pound part-skim mozzarella, shredded, divided
1 cup no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen yellow corn, thawed
1 frozen boneless, skinless grilled chicken breast (such as Nature's Rancher brand), thawed and chopped
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Method
Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange crust on a pizza stone or large baking sheet. Spread salsa over crust and sprinkle with half of the cheese. Top with beans, corn, chicken and remaining cheese and bake until crust is crisp and cheese is bubbly, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, cut into 8 pieces and serve with more salsa on the side.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 8oz/250g-wt.): 410 calories (90 from fat), 10g total fat, 3g saturated fat, 30mg cholesterol, 730mg sodium, 56g total carbohydrate (9g dietary fiber, 6g sugar), 22g protein

Yummy salsa!

This is some of the best salsa I have had. It is so easy to make too!

Makes about 2 cups
Salsa has lots of advantages: It seems indulgent, but it's actually a healthy choice, fat free and loaded with flavor and vegetables. It's inexpensive, especially when the ingredients are home grown or in season. It's versatile because you can make it hotter with more peppers or make it sweeter with fruit. And it's easy!

Ingredients
2 cups chopped tomatoes (or a combination of tomatoes and fresh peaches, nectarines, mangoes or grapes)
1/3 cup chopped yellow or white onion
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 to 2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
Salt to taste

Method
Put all ingredients into a bowl, toss well and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Nutrition
Per serving (about 4oz/1/2 cup/116g-wt.): 25 calories (0 from fat), 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 150mg sodium, 6g total carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 3g sugar), 1g protein

Great french toast!

Here is another recipe from Alicia Silverstone and these are soooo yummy. My kids even liked them. This was the first time we have ever tried tofu and were a little hesitant, but we LOVED them!!!!

Great French Toast

INGREDIENTS
Yeast-free bread slices (French Meadow Summer Bread or whole spelt bread are good options)

1 1/2 cups firm tofu

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons rice syrup

1/2 cup soy milk

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon corn oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

Oil of your choice (olive, safflower, sunflower, etc.) for frying



STEPS
Blend all ingredients together until smooth and creamy.
If too thick, add more soy milk. 

Dip bread in batter and fry in hot oiled skillet until browned on both sides. 



Topping:
Serve with maple syrup.
Or you can make a great cinnamon butter by mixing cinnamon together with Earth Balance to taste.
You can also make a maple/flax syrup by mixing 1/2 cup maple syrup and 2 teaspoons flax seed oil (that kind of ratio, because you don't want to make more syrup/flax than you will use)
Mix them together well.
The oil adds a nice layer to the syrup.

Peanut butter cups recipe!

Here is an awsome recipe for peanut butter cups from Alicia Silverstone's book "A kind diet". These are soooooo awesome! Something that a man had said on one of Oprah's shows stuck with me. He said it was alright to eat the foods that you want as long as you make it from scratch. If you want french fries, make them from scratch. You are not going to want to do this everyday because it can be a pain in the butt. So after hearing that it, it is so true. I LOVE peanut butter cups but it is not something I would make everyday. So if I make this recipe once a month, I still get my fill on my peanut butter cups but it is not as bad as going to the store and grabing one everyday. I also make these in the small muffin pan so they are about a third of the size. My kids love these as well.


SERVINGS
12

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup Earth Balance butter
3/4 cup crunchy peanut butter (preferably unsweetened and unsalted)
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs or 10 graham cracker squares
1/4 cup maple sugar or other granulated sweetener
1 cup grain-sweetened, nondairy chocolate or carob chips
1/4 cup soy, rice, or nut milk
1/4 cup chopped pecans, almonds, or peanuts


PREPARATION
1. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. (If You Care makes unbleached liners made from recycled paper.) Set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
3. Stir in the peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and maple sugar and mix well.
4. Remove the mixture from the heat. Evenly divide the mixture, approximately 2 tablespoons per cup, among the muffin cups.
5. Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan. Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted.
6. Spoon the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture.
7. Top with chopped nuts.
8. Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving.