Snacks for middle schoolers

I've been asked to speak to a classroom of middle schoolers tomorrow about the way our family eats.  I am way excited about this, mainly because, well.....I really like to talk!  And these kids pretty much have no choice, they have to listen to me.  In fact, if I catch one of them not listening, I am going to point and yell DETENTION as loud as I can. 

I am trying to figure out what to talk with them about, in hopes of inspiring them to rethink what they eat.  I think the biggest point I want to make is that our family believes that processing food compromises it's nutritional value.  There is no processing that can improve a food or make it healthier.  I also want to talk a bit about the environmental impact that eating processed food leaves, mainly from the consumption of fossil fuels in both the processing and the transport of the food.  And finally, I thought it would be fun to talk about labels and how the manufacturer hopes we interpret them compared to what they really mean.

I also want to prove to them that by giving up processed foods, we are not giving up tasty food that is fun to eat!  So I am going to bring them granola bars, muffins, homemade cheese-itz, and poptarts!  And, before you get all, "Heids McGhee, that isn't exactly health food" on me.  I know!  That's my plan.  I'm going to sucker them in with cheese-itz and poptarts and then force the beet salad on them.

Homemade Granola bars (recipe from marathonmom)

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/3 cup local honey

1/4 cup unsalted butter

2 cups oats (not quick oats)

2 tablespoons wheat germ or ground flax seed

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Melt the butter, peanut butter and honey in a pot over medium to low heat, stirring constantly. Turn off the burner when melted.

2. Pour in the cup of oats and the wheat germ/flaxseed. Stir til combined.

3. Wait til it cools and stir in the coconut and chocolate chips. Or, if you’re impatient with things like this, like I am, go ahead and dump it all right in. The result will be a more uniform chocolate taste.
4. Pour into foil-lined 8 X 8 pan and stick in the fridge.

5. Once cooled, flip out onto cutting board and cut to the size you like.

I have had several people ask me what natural peanut butter is.  Not Skippy.  Not JIF, either.  You want the ingredients of your peanut butter be peanuts.  No sugar.  No hydrogenated anything.  No salt.  If you buy a jar of natural peanut butter, the oil may separate from the peanut butter, so stir it a bit each time.  We grind our own peanut butter at our local organic market.  Most small organic markets and Whole Foods have a peanut butter grinder.  Not sure how to operate it?  Just stand next to the machine with a dumb look on your face and eventually a cute little salesgirl will come over to show you how to use it.  Once you start eating fresh-ground peanut butter, you will never settle for JIF again.

I also changed this recipe to use dark chocolate chips.  I found some the other day and embarassed myself by doing a happy dance in the store.  Use dark chocolate chips with the highest percentage of cacao, or if you're a real badass....use raw cacao nibs.  Probably not a shocker, but I prefer the dark chocolate chips. 

If you can find it, use LOCAL HONEY!  When you buy honey in the store, it's been processed and pasteurized, which means all the good enzymatic qualities of the honey have been zapped!  Local honey is an antioxidant, contains vitamins and minerals, and can be used to treat allergies, digestive issues, cough syrup, or as a topical salve.  Support your local farmers and buy local honey!  I get my honey from Miz Bee Haven.  Seriously.  Miz Bee Haven.  How cute is that?!?! 

Since my minis love my pumpkin muffins, I thought I would bring some of those to share with the middle schoolers as well.  I think we will talk a bit about processing flours and how we should strive to only use whole grain flours.

 Pumpkin Muffins

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2.5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1.5-2 cups pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil (I use grapeseed oil)
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted slightly)
• 1 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a bowl mix flours, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, pumpkin, oil, applesauce, coconut oil, and honey.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into well. Mix just until the dry ingredients are absorbed. DO NOT OVERMIX.
5. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.I've had a few people ask me about coconut oil.  I try to use coconut oil whenever possible.  Recent studies have shown that the health benefits of coconut include improving hair & skin care, stress relief, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, increased immunity, proper digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, lowers risk of heart diseases, manages high blood pressure, manages diabetes, prevents cancer,  and improves bone strength. These benefits of coconut oil can be attributed to the presence of lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid, and its properties such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, soothing, etc.  (source of information)  So, try to use coconut oil.  If I were making these muffins for myself, I would eliminate the vegetable oil and use 2/3 cup coconut oil. However, my minis don't like any coconut taste in their pumpkin muffins, so I use grapeseed oil as well in addition to the coconut oil.

I am also bringing my homemade cheese-itz.  The shocking thing about the homemade version is that they are chock-full of CHEESE!  These are really tasty and always a big hit, so I think the students will really like them.

Homemade Cheez-itz (from New Nostalgia)

• 1 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small squares
• 1 (8-ounce) bag grated extra-sharp 2% Cheddar cheese (preferably orange)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Combine all ingredients.  If you are fancy and have a food processor, pulse until crumbly.  If you are like me and think you are fancy but really aren't, combine with your hands.

2. Add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together. I needed a lot more water than 4 tablespoons, I used probably more like a full cup of water.

3.  Form into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

4. Place dough between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet, and, using pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 1 inch squares. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

4. Bake for at 350F for 25 minutes. Remove from oven when crisp and just starting to brown. Let cool and serve.

Look at all that CHEESE!!!!!  And do not even think about using pre-shredded cheese.  Get your cheese shredder out and start shredding.  It's good for the biceps!

And, I plan on sealing the deal with these kids with my homemade poptarts.  These are so good, they'll never settle for a store-bought poptart again.

Poptarts

• 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pats
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk
• 1 additional large egg (to brush on pastry)

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
2. Work in the butter with your fingers, pastry blender or food processor until pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible, and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. If you’ve used a food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
3. Whisk the first egg and milk together and stir them into the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive, kneading briefly on a well-floured counter if necessary.
4. Divide the dough in half (approximately 8 1/4 ounces each), shape each half into a smooth rectangle, about 3×5 inches. You can roll this out immediately or wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Assembly

1. If the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes.
2. Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8″ thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9″ x 12″. [You can use a 9" x 13" pan, laid on top, as guidance.] Repeat with the second piece of dough. Set trimmings aside. Cut each piece of dough into thirds – you’ll form nine 3″ x 4″ rectangles.
3. Beat the additional egg and brush it over the entire surface of the first dough. This will be the “inside” of the tart; the egg is to help glue the lid on.
4. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, keeping a bare 1/2-inch perimeter around it. Place a second rectangle of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Repeat with remaining tarts.
5. Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries. Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.

Here is what they look like rolled out....

....with the filling added.

Ready to bake.

Adorable.  And tasty. 

Wish me luck!  I am hoping middle school isn't as traumatizing for me as it was the first time around!

Move over Oz, there's a new man in town

The Princess is back!  I told you on my last post that I would be gone for a few days because I was running the Disney Princess half marathon.  What a blast!  19,000 runners, 95% of them female.  That's a whole lotta estrogen flooding the Magic Kingdom.  Like everything Disney does, the race was impeccably well-run and very entertaining.  I would definitely do it again, and if you ever get the chance, you should as well!

On Saturday, we did the 5k Fun Run.  Maybe I had a little too much fun?!?

Here I am with the Fairy Godmother.  Isn't she just the sweetest thing you've ever seen? 

Here I am after the finish of the half-marathon with 2 random girls I met along the way.  Obviously, they are way adorable, dressed as Rapunzel and Rapunzel's evil kidnapping mother.  (Yes, that is a hairbrush she ran with!)

And here I am with my running partner.  Isn't she adorable in her Cinderella tutu? 

You're probably thinking, "Heids McGhee, were you the only runner there not dressed up?"  Pretty much.  Well, not really...but there were more runners dressed up than runners who weren't.  This may come as a shock, but I do take my running pretty seriously.  Weird, huh?  Who would have thought that Heids McGhee has a mean competitive streak?!?!

Since I was away all weekend without kids, I had time to do some reading.  I am reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan.  All I can say is.....move over Oz, there's a new man in town.  Oh. My.  I love Michael Pollan and he is totally my new boyfriend.  If you haven't read The Omnivore's Dilemma, you need to.  Right now.  If you have read it, you're probably wondering how someone like me hasn't read it yet.  I have actually been a Pollan fan for a while, but for some reason, have never read this particular book.  I know I can't do any justice in summarizing it for you, but basically the book is about how we as a human species have interrupted the natural food chain by introducing industrial farming to the planet.  Now, because of industrial farming, we are consuming nutrient deficient animals and plants, while damaging the soil and environment.  We rely on fossil fuels for energy, rather than the free source of energy.....the sun!  The book also touches on the topic of food processing and how it began as a means of preserving food (salting, drying, curing, canning, freezing) to what it is now....a mentality that we can improve on nature.

Like I said, you should read this book.  It will totally change the way you look at the food you eat and who you buy it from.  I was most shocked to learn about organic industrial farming and the abuse of labels such as free-range, organic, and grass-fed.  My take-away message is to buy local before buying organic.  And when Mr. McGhee suggested this morning that we take a trip to Wisconsin to drive by the farms that we get our eggs, milk, and cheese from I totally swooned.  And, now he is on board with planting a garden so large that we can call it a small farm.  Yeah Mr. McGhee!!!!  And yeah Michael Pollan!!! 

Today I have my oldest mini home from school.  He had no voice this morning, but shockingly enough, he found his voice about 10 minutes after I had dropped the two younger minis off at school.  So we spent our morning buying bread, grinding our own peanut butter, and shopping for local produce.  Once we got home, my oldest mini decided he was going to make his own applesauce.  He found a recipe that he based his own recipe on. 

JustJack's applesauce

• 6 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• a little over 1/2 of a 1/4 cup of agave (so about 1/8 of a cup)
• 3/4 cup of water
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1.  Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.
2.  Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes.
3.  Smash.

Oh. My. Delish.  It was really good!  (oh, and if you're wondering about the turkey leg shirt....that's the sort of gift a kid with a meat-aversion gets from a mother with a twisted sense of humor)

Since I had a kid home with me, I decided to try a recipe for cauliflower popcorn that I have been seeing all over pinterest lately.  I decided to follow a recipe from my friend Astrid, mainly because she is a total superwoman.

Cauliflower popcorn (AKA roasted cauliflower, but cauliflower popcorn sounds so much more fun!)

• one head of cauliflower, chopped into flourets
• few tbsp olive oil
• garlic powder
• few tablespoons fresh grated parmesan cheese
• salt

1.  Preheat oven to 400.
2.  Drizzle oil over cauliflower and stir to coat.
3.  Spread cauliflower out on parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
4.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, parmesan cheese, and a little bit of salt.
5.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until starts to brown.

Homerun!  These are so good!  We ate the whole batch, so now I have to head back to the store to get more cauliflower (and apples...since we ate all the applesauce too!)  Both of these are easy recipes, perfect after-school snacks or as a side-dish to any meal.

For dinner tonight, we are having vegetable goulash.  I invented this recipe last week, when I called it vegetable soup.  Today I chopped up all the veggies I could find and threw them in some vegetable broth to simmer all day.  More veggies = heartier soup = vegetable goulash

Vegetable Goulash

• 8 cups of vegetable broth
• 1/2 of a small can of tomato paste or a full can of vegetable puree
• 1.5-2 cups pasta
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 cup sweet corn
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 5 stalks celery hearts
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• 1 small zucchini and/or yellow squash
• 1 cup cauliflour
• 1 small yellow onion
• basil
• pepper
• garlic salt

1. Combine vegetable stock and tomato puree. Bring to a rolling boil.
2. Add pasta and diced tomatoes. Cook until pasta is mostly cooked.
3. Add all vegetables and let cook 10 minutes at close-to boiling. Turn down heat and simmer 15-20 minutes.
4. Add garlic salt, pepper, and basil to taste.
5. Let simmer as long as possible.

Serve topped with pesto.

• one bunch of basil leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2-4 cloves minced garlic

1. Throw all ingredients in food processor and blend.

I will serve it with honey wheat bread from Great Harvest and if I get real ambitious, a smoothie of milk, frozen strawberries, frozen banana, and plain greek yogurt.

Chili for a chilly night

I went on a field trip with my middle mini today to a local nature center.  The best thing about this field trip was for the past 2 weeks, my mini has been telling me I was the best mommy ever because I was going on his all day field trip.  We spent the day hiking, tracking animals, bird-watching, learning about recycling, and just being one with nature.  I loved it, all those crunchy granola tree-huggers are my people.  Well, except for the leather purse I carry and huge SUV I drive.  There's room for improvement, right?

Since we spent the day in the chilly outdoors, I could only imagine coming home to one thing for dinner....chili and cornbread.  Now, chili is a super easy, but super diverse meal...you can add beans, noodles, veggies, spices....the possibilities are endless.  If it were up to me, I'd make a chicken and spinach white bean chili.  However, if I tried to pass that off as chili, Mr. McGhee would throw the bowl of chili at me and yell, "Woman! Go get me a bowl of chili." 

OK, maybe that last comment was a slight exaggeration.  But, Mr. McGhee has been known to brag about my chili, which makes me as giddy as the words "best mommy ever", so I'm not messing with my chili recipe.  The problem is, I don't exactly follow a recipe.  I pretty much throw these things in a pot and let it simmer all day.

• 1 lb ground meat (your choice-beef, chicken, turkey)
• one diced green pepper
• one diced onion
• cumin
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• large can tomato juice
• 2-4 cans diced tomatoes
• 1-2 cans kidney beans
• 1-2 cans pinto beans
• chili powder

1.  Brown the ground meat in green pepper and onion with cumin and chili pepper sprinkled on top.
2.  Add beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato juice. 
3.  Add spices.
4.  Let simmer.
I added some cooked quinoa.  Quinoa is a good way to sneak in some additional protein.  I also added some cooked spinach.  I served my chili with cornbread and chocolate-peanut butter smoothies.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie (serves 3 minis)

• 1 cup chocolate almond milk
• frozen banana
• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp peanut butter
• ice

1.  Blend all ingredients.

Since we are talking about chili, I feel like there is a controversy I need to share with you.  There is a problem with canned tomatoes.  Tomatoes are very acidic and therefore leach the BPA out of the cans that contain them. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a nasty estrogen-mimicking chemical that has been implicated as a a risk factor for heart disease, obesity and diabetes. BPA has also been linked to reproductive problems and reduced sperm count.   Exposure to BPA during development is associated with an increased risk of breast, prostate and testicular cancers. It’s even linked to neurobehavioral disorders.  Another reason for concern, expecially for parents, some animal studies report effects in fetuses and newborns exposed to BPA.  In 2003, 93% of individuals tested had BPA in their urine, so chances are most of us do too. 

Here are the options I would recommend you try....
Eden Organic, which uses a BPA-free can lining
Pomi brand tomatoes in tetra-pack packaging
Trader Joe's brand tomatoes in tetra-pack packaging
Can your own tomaotes

BPA is nasty stuff, so read this article and educate yourself on how to make safer choices.  I try really hard to research this information that I share with you, but by all means, if you find any information is wrong, please let me know!

I am off to Florida for the weekend to run in a 5k and half-marathon.  Don't get too excited, I haven't done it yet.  I am hoping I survive and make it back on Monday.  Mr. McGhee has promised me that while I am gone he and the minis will not starve!  Wish me good luck and even more so, with Mr. McGhee good luck!

Busy dinner night

Who here has a busy family?  Much to my dismay, the mini McGhees are way too busy.  See, I would prefer to pick the minis up from school, come home to a homemade snack, ride bikes, play board games, do an art project, eat dinner, take baths/showers, read, pray, bedtime.  You know, end our nights with one of those "Good Night Jon-boy" moments from the show, The Waltons.  Our real life is more like this, pick kids up from school, shove snack down their throats in the car, yoga lesson, therapy session, golf lesson, swim practice, soccer practice, baseball tryouts, homework, dinner, sniff-test (oh, you're fine, no showers tonight!), read, pray, collapse in bed in a state of exhaustion with shouts of "we said good night, that means we don't need to see you until it's time to say good morning." 

And I don't see life slowing down anytime soon, as I have minis chasing dreams of becoming the next great swimmer/baseball player/soccer player/yogi/golfer.  And if those dreams don't work out, my minis want to work at a smoothie shop when they grow up.  And live in an RV on the beach.  I'm all like, "dude, if you can find out a way to make that work, go for it."  My dreams are to find a way to help provide for my family without ever having to leave the comfort of my own home.  So, to me, an RV on the beach sounds like a lofty goal.

Today is Wednesday which means we will be eating an early dinner before swim practice and then coming home and having a snack afterwards.  Dinner will be tortillas with hummus and black bean stuffed bell peppers.  I got the hummus recipe from Mr. HPT.   

I won't have the time to make homemade tortillas, so we will eating these raw tortillas.

Hummus

• 2 cans garbanzo beans
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 6 dashes cayenne pepper
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 dashes cumin
• 3 tbsp olive oil

1.  Drain most of juice from garbanzo beans.
2.  Place beans in Pyrex dish or equivalent and spread out evenly.
3.  Place in oven at 375 degrees for approximately 15 minutes.
4.  Remove from oven and place in blender or food processor with other ingredients.
5.  Blend until smooth.

I added a bit of tahini and a pinch of kosher salt.  I don't have a fancy food processor, so I needed to thin mine out a big with the juice from the garanzo beans.
Spicy Black Bean Stuffed Peppers
First step is to roast your peppers.  You can do this ahead of time.  You can also make extras.  I love to mix roasted red peppers in with my scrambled eggs or on top of salads. 
1.  Coat bell peppers generously with olive oil. Put them on a baking sheet and broil them under flame until they begin to turn black. Turn peppers until each side has been blackened. Remove from baking sheet and place in a bowl. Cover bowl with saran wrap. 

2.  Let the peppers sit for a while, at least 30 minutes. Take peppers out of jar and pull stem off. Dig inside of pepper and remove the seeds.

3.  Carefully peel the outer skin off of the pepper.

4.  After peppers are all peeled, set aside. Resist all temptation to eat them. They're worth the wait.

Next step is to make the black bean stuffing.

1/2 medium sized onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 TBSP olive oil

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup water

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp salt

pinch cayenne pepper for a little heat

1/2 cup sweet corn

1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese, or any cheese you like

fresh cilantro, salsa, and sour cream for serving 

1. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan set over medium heat. Add your onion and saute for 3 minutes, until beginning to soften and turn translucent.
2. Add garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
3. Stir in your black beans along with the water.
4. Add your cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and cayenne. Stir, cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer the beans for at least 15 minutes, but up to 30 minutes.
5. Stir in corn. Divide the bean mixture evenly among the two peppers and sprinkle with cheese.
6. Broil for 3 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Garnish with fresh cilantro, salsa, and sour cream if you’d like. 

Just a tip, make a double or triple batch of the beans and once they are cooled, stick them in a freezer bag.  These freeze very well and are a blessing on those, "oh *&#@, what's for dinner?" nights. 

After swim practice, we will most likely come home and have pomegranate smoothies (the minis are obsessed with those right now) and popcorn.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 banana (I freeze brown bananas and they are perfect for smoothies)
• 5 strawberries
• 1/2 cup yogurt (please use plain, I used my homemade yogurt)
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender, and blend until desired consistency is reached.

Grandma-wannabe

I went grocery shopping this morning.  Ever since we gave up all processed foods, grocery shopping is a breeze....produce aisle, meat/cheese/dairy/eggs along the back wall, and the healthy food aisle for flours and oils.  So, today I was in the healthy food aisle, which has really become my happy place.  And since I was in my happy place, I was taking my time.  I saw this elderly couple doing their shopping.  I would say they are about 80 years old, Grandma was wearing her "Bears Suck, Go Packers" sweatshirt and Grandpa was wearing his overalls and John Deere cap.  Grandma was booking it up down the aisle grabbing the things she was shopping for....coconut oil, local honey, pure maple syrup, whole grain flour, ground flaxseed....and tossing them into the cart.  I was standing there, with my jaw open because Grandma  clearly knows what she's shopping for.  Obviously, Grandma is not spending her days reading blogs, researching recipes, and watching documentaries on how to eat healthy.  She's been doing this for 80 years, and most likely will be doing it for 20 more!  It was a nice reminder to me that I'm not some pioneer voyaging into a new lifestyle...this lifestyle has been the path that many have followed for decades.  And, I totally want to be that Grandma when I'm 80, yelling at Mr. McGhee to get his old man legs moving because I've got grandkids to get home to cook for.

Seriously though...let's bring old-fashioned back! 

Yesterday, I posted a recipe that I got from Mr. HPT (handsome physical trainer).  Here's the recipe in case you missed it,

• 1/4 c choc. Almond milk
• 2 glugs of kefir
• 4 dashes of cinnamon
• 1/4 c kale, blackberries (6)
• (8) blueberries
• 3tbsp. Protein powder
• 1/3 banana
• 2tbsp avocado
• 4 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 1/4 c raw oatMeal
• 3 or 4 ice cubes

1. Blend until smooth.

I made this smoothie for breakfast today.  I didn't have any protein powder, and I added a tablespoon of ground flaxseed. 

Now, this definitely doesn't taste like a frostie from Wendy's but this smoothie is very good.  Out of curiousity, I did a nutritional analysis of this smoothie using a computer program I have from when I was a nutrition student.  After I did the nutritional analysis, I realized I LOVE THIS SMOOTHIE.  Of the 17 vitamins and minerals the program analzyes for, this smoothie has 16 (with B12 being the missing nutrient)!  I am going to drink one of these every single day.  And Mr. McGhee and the minis don't know it, but they are going to as well!  I realize this is a lot of ingredients and prep, so I made little "smoothie bags" and stuck them in the freezer.  Each bag has cinnamon, blackberries, blueberries, banana, avocado, and oatmeal.  All I have to do is dump the contents of the bag with the almond milk, keifer, yogurt, and ice. 

If you know me in real life, and I hand you a bag of seemingly random foods that is my way of saying, "I love you, please blend this with milk, yogurt, and kefir." 

Tonight for dinner we are having pesto vegetable soup.  This is my own recipe, which means all measurements are educated guesses. 

• 8 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 can vegetable puree
• 1.5-2 cups pasta
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 cup sweet corn
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 5 stalks celery hearts
• 1 diced red bell pepper
• 1 small zucchini and/or yellow squash
• 1 cup cauliflour
• 1 small yellow onion
• basil
• pepper
• garlic salt

1.  Combine vegetable stock and tomato puree.  Bring to a rolling boil.
2.  Add pasta and diced tomatoes.  Cook until pasta is mostly cooked.
3.  Add all vegetables and let cook 10 minutes at close-to boiling.  Turn down heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. 
4.  Add garlic salt, pepper, and basil to taste. 
5.  Let simmer as long as possible.

I served mine with a big dallop of homemade pesto, which I think turns the soup into something special and delish.

Pesto

• one bunch of basil leaves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated
• 2-4 cloves minced garlic

1.  Throw all ingredients in food processor and blend.

If you prefer, you could add stew meat or your favorite sausage to this soup.  You could also substitute barley for the noodles. 

We had our soup with leftover hamburger buns.  I brush some butter over them and heat them in the oven until warm.  The minis also had a strawberry-pomegranate-banana smoothie.  I gotta tell you, seeing them munching away on this dinner made this mama feel really good.

If you are someone counting calories and/or fat, this soup is an excellent low calorie, low fat option for you!  The pesto is going to add some fat with the olive oil, so you can always leave that out if you want. 

Happy cooking everyone!  If you happen to be an 80 year old Grandma that was at Woodman's today, email me! 

A weekend's worth of snack food!

The response from my last post has been overwhelming.  I am finding myself having the same conversation over and over again through text, email, and face-to-face.  The gist of the conversation is this, if you are tired of waking up every morning on a diet and going to bed every night having failed your diet, then dieting isn't working for you.  And your weight issues probably aren't about food, right?  Be real and figure out what it is that is driving you to overeat.  Is it stress, boredom, exhaustion, loneliness, feeling on edge?  Pay attention to that moment in your day when you go from "I am dieting and eating healthy today" to "screw it, I'll start tomorrow."  Acknowledge what you are really feeling and try to figure out why your head things that eating is the solution to fixing that emotion. 

I had a reader write me saying, "Heids, thank you so much for making me realize that who I am is not what I look like.  Who I am is who I am.  And, I realized, I really like myself a lot, but what I don't like is the way my body looks.  So, as a favor to myself, this person I really like, I am going to work hard to make my body look and feel great.  From now on, eating healthy and exercising is a treat I am doing for someone I love.  Myself."

Someone got that message from me?  Well, hot damn!  Let's keep this conversation going, so keep emailing me! 

One thing that helps me to eat healthy is to only keep healthy foods in the house.  Giving up all processed foods is a solution to my "reaching for junk food at 3:00" habit.  Try it for a week, I promise it is easier than you think!  I have a recipe to share that I got from a friend of mine, Mr. Handsome Physical Trainer (Mr. HPT, for short).  For years, Mr. HPT has spent his day working with clients, both through exercise and nutritional counseling, so when Mr. HPT tells me to do something......I listen!  And, lucky for all of you, he's agreed to be a guest blogger for me.  He's got recipes and workouts that he is giving me to share with you, score!  The key to these recipes and exercises though is....we have to actually do them, right?  I am trying this smoothie tomorrow for breakfast.

Mr. HPT priceless smoothie

1/4 c choc. Almond milk
2 glugs of kefir
4 dashes of cinnamon
1/4 c kale, blackberries (6)
(8) blueberries
3tbsp. Protein powder
1/3 banana
2tbsp avocado
4 tbsp Greek yogurt
1/4 c raw oatMeal
3 or 4 ice cubes

1.  Blend until smooth.

I don't know about you, but I feel like a better woman just having read that recipe!

I've got a few recipes I wanted to share with you.  If some of you remember, we had company this weekend.  I was really excited about the chai tea latte I had made for my bestie.  I am happy to say it was a huge hit, she loved it.  And, she is a total chai tea latte expert, so I am confident in saying that recipe is a keeper!

On Saturday, our company was running a little late.  And, by a little late I mean I was expecting them for breakfast but they weren't going to make it until after lunch.  Now, this isn't a surprise because my bestie was traveling with her five four children, of which her oldest is 31 6.  So, the fact that she even braves a 7 hour drive with all those traveling companions is impressive.  However, I now found myself with about 5 spare hours on my hand.  And I realized quickly my options were to either join Mr. McGhee in cleaning the house, or keep myself busy in order to avoid having to help Mr. McGhee.  I went for option #2.  I realized with 7 minis in the house we were going to need some serious snack food.  I whipped up a batch of homemade graham crackers, homemade cheez-itz, banana muffins, and homemade granola bars. 

Homemade Granola bars (recipe from marathonmom)

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1/3 cup local honey

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1.5-2 cup oats (not quick oats)

2 tablespoons wheat germ (I used ground flax seed)

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup chocolate chips (Mini work best, but it doesn’t really matter.)
What to do:
1. Melt the butter, peanut butter and honey in a pot over medium to low heat, stirring constantly. Turn off the burner when melted.
2. Pour in the cup of oats and the wheat germ. Stir til combined.
3. Wait til it cools and stir in the coconut and chocolate chips. Or, if you’re impatient with things like this, like I am, go ahead and dump it all right in. The result will be a more uniform chocolate taste.
4. Pour into foil-lined 8 X 8 pan and stick in the fridge.
5. Once cooled, flip out onto cutting board and cut to the size you like.

Homemade Graham Crackers (recipe from kitchn.com)

• 1/2 cup white flour
• 2 cups cup graham flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 stick cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1/4 cup water
• cinnamon/sugar mixture

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until the texture is dry and crumbly. (Also, you can do this in a food processor; just blend the butter in short bursts.)

2. In a small bowl, mix the honey, molasses, and water. Toss this with the dry ingredients until well blended. Scrape the sides of the bowl with your fingers and form the dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll the dough out on a counter or on wax paper, sprinkled with whole wheat flour. Use a pastry scraper or an index card as a guide to cut the dough into small rectangles.

4.  Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture and gently roll rolling pin over to press cinnamon/sugar into the crackers. 

5.  Poke each cracker with a fork, then place them on an ungreased baking sheet.

6.  Bake for about 15 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. If stored in an airtight container these will keep for a couple weeks.

**sidenote** My dough was really crumbly so I drizzled a couple more tablespoons of water in it. And my pastry scraper was a pizza cutter, worked perfectly.

 

 

Homemade Cheez-itz (from New Nostalgia) 

• 1 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small squares
• 1 (8-ounce) bag grated extra-sharp 2% Cheddar cheese (preferably orange)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Combine all ingredients in food processor, and pulse until crumbly. (I do not have a food processor, I combined with my hands.  Messy, but works!)

3.  Add cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough comes together. Form into ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

4.  Place dough between two pieces of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and roll out to 1/8 inch thickness. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet, and, using pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut into 1 inch squares. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

5.  Bake for 25 minutes.  Remove from oven when crisp and just starting to brown. Let cool and serve.

 

You can see here that I rolled my dough to different heights to experiment.  I think we liked both the puffy and the flat crackers. 

 

 

 

 

 

This is how I store my crackers, although they usually don't last more than a day.

 

 

 

Banana Muffins

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1-1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 5-6 bananas, mashed (use old, brown bananas)
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/3 cup coconut oil (melted slightly)
• 1 cup honey

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a bowl mix flours, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, bananas, oil, applesauce, coconut oil, and honey.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into well. Mix just until the dry ingredients are absorbed. DO NOT OVERMIX.
5. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean.

 

The granola bars, crackers, and muffins along with fresh fruit, hardboiled eggs, and string cheese was snacktime for the kids all weekend long.  I am SO proud to say we ate every meal at home with our company.  The only time we cheated was a trip for ice cream after we took the minis swimming.  We had steak/chicken with spinach and strawberry salad for dinner one night and burgers on homemade hamburger buns another night.  Mr. McGhee ordered some grass-fed beef a few weeks ago, and I know we won't ever eat non-grass-fed again.  Here's the recipe for the hamburger buns, which were so easy and really delish.....not one complaint from any of the minis!

 

Hamburger buns

• 1 tablespoon active-dry yeast
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) warm water
• 1/2 cup (4 oz) milk (whole, 2%, or skim)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups (15 oz) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter

1.  In the bowl of a standing mixer (or a large bowl, if mixing by hand), stir the yeast into the warm water and let it sit until dissolved.
2.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, egg, oil, sugar, and salt. Add this to the yeast mixture and stir until combined. Add all the flour and stir until it forms a shaggy dough. Knead at low speed, or by hand on the counter, for 10 minutes. The finished dough should be smooth, feel slightly tacky, and spring back when poked.
3.  Return the dough to the mixing bowl and cover. Let the dough rise in a warm spot until doubled in bulk, about an hour.
4.  Dust your work surface with a little flour and turn out the risen dough on top. Divide the dough into 8 pieces and shape each into a tight ball. Transfer the balls to a baking sheet and let rise until they look puffy and hamburger-sized, roughly 30-40 minutes.
5.  Pre-heat the oven to 375°F.
6.  Melt the butter and brush it over the risen hamburger buns. This helps the tops to brown and keeps the crust soft. Bake the buns until golden, 15-18 minutes.
7.  Let the buns cool to room temperature before slicing and using. They are best if eaten within the next day or two, but will keep in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.

Breakfast each day was pancakes, eggs, grass-fed sausage, and honey wheat toast.  Delish. 

I am hoping this post doesn't overwhelm you.  Each of these recipes is very simple to do, with a short prep time.  Give them a shot, I promise you will never buy cheez-itz again!