Showing posts with label healthy cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy cooking. Show all posts

Friday, February 28, 2020

Baby Shower Brunch

One of my good friends is having a baby girl in a few months hosted a baby shower brunch this morning.  I hadn’t been to a baby shower in many years and have never been to a brunch shower.  She decided to have the brunch because she wanted her other daughter to be able to come and still be able to have a normal nap time.  It was such a great idea and turned out so cute.

A few weeks ago she asked if I would help her prepare the food because of my “background.”

 Of course I wanted to help in a baby shower brunch, breakfast is one of my favorite meals of day and who doesn’t love it for lunch too?  She wanted to keep it simple and easy so that it wasn’t too hard for her to set up with the help of her mother.  She decided to have a waffle bar, a couple salads, parfaits, and cheesecake pops.

She found the idea for the waffle bar on Pinterest and I thought it was a great idea.  To save time in the morning, I came over the day before and made the waffles and froze them.  In the morning all my friend had to do was heat them in the oven and keep them warm until the guests arrived.  She had quite the assortment of berries and sweet sauces to top the waffles and chocolate chunks to make it even better.


I came over in the morning to help her make the parfaits and cake pops.  It is so easy making a delicious parfait.  You can’t really go wrong with yogurt, granola, and fresh fruit.  My friend had the batter mixed already for the cake pops so all we had to do was make them.   She found this wonderful recipe for chocolate caramel pops…they were dangerously delicious.  Her mother threw together some easy salads for a healthy option.



It was a huge success.  A lot of my friends family were able to attend and a couple of her friends.  The food was a huge success and everyone had a great time.  I forgot how much happiness and joy is at a baby shower.

Now I can’t wait to meet her little girl.

Go green and stay keen,

Julie

Wednesday, October 03, 2018

3 Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes for Fall

It is about that time of the year when you start craving the rich flavors and textures of fall.  There is no doubt that I look cooking in the fall, but sometimes with the kids schedules, working at the restaurant, and the millions of errands I have to run I don’t have time to cook a meal when I get home.  If you have kids you know, hungry kids equal crabby kids. 

I am not one to pick up food, obviously I love cooking I work in a restaurant, so I have mastered the slow cooker meals.  It is perfect, before I leave for the restaurant or after the kids leave for school I put some ingredients into the slow cooker and by the time I get home we have a wonderful meal to be had. 

Here are my family’s favorite slow cooker recipes for fall. 

Pumpkin Chili (Vegan)

Ingredients-
•    1 bag of meat free crumbles (I use Boca Ground Crumbles)
•    1 medium onion, chopped
•    1 cup canned pumpkin
•    1, 28 oz. can diced stew tomatoes
•    1, 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
•    1, 12 oz. bottle of chili sauce
•    1-2 tbsp. chili powder
•    2 tsp. pumpkin pie spices
•    1 tsp. salt
•    1tsp. pepper

Instructions-
•    In a crock pot combine all the ingredients and cook on low for 3-4 hours. Enjoy!



Vegetarian Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients-
•    1, 8 oz. package of seasoned meatless chicken style strips (I use Morningstar Farms Chik’n Strips)
•    2, 8 oz. packages of reduced fat cream cheese
•    1, 16 oz. bottle of reduced fat ranch dressing
•    1, 12 fluid oz. bottle of buffalo wing sauce
•    1 cup Colby-Monterey Jack cheese blend

Instructions-
•    Place the diced meatless chicken strips, cream cheese, ranch, and buffalo sauce in a slow cooker.  Cook on low for 1-2 hours until hot stirring occasionally.  Top with shredded cheese, let melt and serve.  Enjoy!

Vegetarian Crockpot Lasagna-


Ingredients-
•    2, 24 oz. jars of Italian tomato sauce
•    9 think lasagna noodles
•    24 oz. part-skim ricotta cheese
•    3-4 cups chopped veggies of your choice
•    2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
•    Parmesan cheese for topping
•    Fresh parsley to top if desired



Instructions-
•    Spray the crockpot with nonstick spray and spread ½ cup of tomato sauce on the bottom, layer noodles to cover majority of the bottom.  Cover noodles with about 1/3 of ricotta, veggies, sauce, cheese, and then top with noodles again.  Cover noodles with a thin layer of sauce and cheese.
•    Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 5-6 hours.  After cooked let sit for 1 hour.  Serve and enjoy!

There is no shame in being a busy mommy, and slow cooker meals make preparing dinner so much easier.  So pull out your crockpot and slow cook away!

Go green and stay keen,

Julie

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Homemade School Snacks

It is so important to keep my kids stomachs from growling, especially while they are at school learning.  Today Liam and Hannah helped me make some granola bars for them to keep in their backpacks and pack in lunches.  Making granola bars is a fun and easy way to make sure there are good nutrients to keep your kids focused all day long.

Here are three easy granola bars that we made today.  I promise, they are kid friendly!

Chocolate Brownie Granola Bars

Ingredients-
•    1 ½ cup rolled outs
•    1 cup chopped nuts
•    1 cup walnuts- food processed into small pieces
•    2 cups pitted dates
•    ¾ cup cocoa powder
•    ¼ cup natural peanut butter
•    ¼ cup agave nectar

Instructions-
•    Use a food processor and process walnuts until they are in small pieces, add the cocoa powder and process to combine together.  Remove and set aside.
•    Process dates until they are small chucks and have a dough like consistency then add the walnut and cocoa mixture and process.
•    In a large mixing bowl, empty the mixture and add the oats and nuts and stir to combine thoroughly.
•    In a small skillet warm the agave nectar and peanut butter on medium heat until it is pourable and pour over the mixture.  Mix thoroughly, I like to use my hands.
•    Spread in a lined small pan to your desired thickness and press down to compact.  Freeze for about 15-20 minutes then chop into bars. 
•    Store in the freezer or fridge.  Enjoy your brownie granola bars!

Easy Peanut Butter Pretzel and M&M Granola Bars

Ingredients-
•    2 cups old fashioned oats
•    1 cup rice krispies
•    ½ cup pretzels, chopped
•    ¼ cup mini M&M’s
•    4 tbsp. butter
•    ¼ cup honey
•    ¼ cup peanut butter
•    ¼ cup brown sugar
•    1 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions-
•    Mix the oats, rice krispies, pretzels, and mini M&M’s in a large bowl.
•    In a medium saucepan melt the butter, honey, peanut butter and brown sugar and bring to a boil then simmer on medium for about 2-3 minutes constantly stirring.  Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.  Pour the mixture over the oat mixture and stir together until everything is well combined.
•    Pour the mixture in an 8x8 inch lined pan and press and pack everything down.  Sprinkle extra M&M’s if desired and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, remove and cut.
•    Store in the fridge.  Enjoy!

Easy 30 Minute Granola Bars

Ingredients-
•    2 cups old fashioned oats
•    1 cup brown sugar
•    1 cup whole wheat flour
•    ½ tsp. baking soda
•    ½ tsp. baking powder
•    1 tsp. cinnamon
•    1 tsp. salt
•    1 tsp. vanilla
•    ½ cup honey
•    Any dried fruit or chocolate chips you might have on hand

Instructions-
•    Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
•    Mix all the ingredients and press into a greased 11X13 pan.  It will be crumbly but press down really hard until a little resemblance of dough forms.  Bake for about 20 minutes until the edges are lightly browned.
•    Let cool and cut into bars.  Enjoy!

These are my “growling” fixes.  What are your favorite granola bars?

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Foods to Amp up Your Brain Power

We all know that there are certain foods that are better for parts of your body and your mental and emotional health.  I swear that a good breakfast can keep my kids going all morning and keep them attentive.  But there are some foods that are even better than others to keep your energy and brain power.  Have two growing children has made me very interested in these kinds of foods.

I always try keeping up to date on latest findings and research about what is best for my kids and my husband and I.  I found a few really interesting articles about foods that fuel brain power and memory.  These foods are good for our entire family and can keep us healthy.  I believe it is important to know what is good for you and take it into your own hands. 






Here are my findings and knowledge on “brain power food”:

•    Almond Butter can help find memory loss because of their high content of vitamin E, which has been found to help reduce the risk of cognitive impairment.  Almond butter has three times as much vitamin E than ordinary peanut butter.  Why not make an easy switch to a healthier and better for you nut spread.

•    Leafy Greens like spinach or broccoli packed with vitamin K can help improve verbal memory and the ability to understand and remember verbal instructions.  Vitamin K is good for both my husband, our children, and myself.  Leafy greens are also high in tandem that works with vitamin B12 that helps cognitive function in older adults. 

•    Blueberries are the ultimate power food.  The flavonoids in them are shown to help spatial memory and the antioxidants reduce inflammation that helps with long term memory and brain health.  There are so many powers that blueberries have it is hard to name them all.

•    Green Tea helps improve brain plasticity making it easier to learn and retain information. 

•    Tomatoes are packed with carotenoids that help improve cognition and memory over long periods of time.  Tomatoes also have lycopene found in the skin that helps protect against depression-causing inflammation.

I hope to continue eating these foods and incorporate them a little more in my life.  There are huge lists foods that help brain power and cognitive health but these were some of my favorite foods. 

What are your “go to” brain boosting foods?

Go Green and Go Keen,

Julie

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Food Traditions - Learning about vegetarian lifestyle

I love encountering individuals who are eager to learn about a vegetarian lifestyle and make a change.  Last night at the restaurant I had the opportunity to chat with a couple that has just decided to embark on their vegetarian lifestyle journey.  They asked me for some helpful hints to get through the difficult first couple months.  With spring quickly approaching and BBQ’s and soccer games around the corner they were concerned about vegetarian options.  Luckily for them I have quite a few helpful hints.


Deciding to become is a big diet and lifestyle change.  There are times when it will seem impossible, but once you find your strength and keep pushing forward there is not turning back.  Here are a few tips that helped me “keep on trucking” and create a healthy lifestyle for myself.

1.    Don’t expect everyone to embrace your new lifestyle change initially.  My parents thought I was crazy when I told them I was making the change, and now they eat a primarily plant-based diet.  During the first couple months my friends and family would taunt me with my past favorite meals with meat making it a game to see if I would crack.  I stayed strong and soon everyone came to realize this was something I was doing to better myself and I wasn’t going to back down.  Stay strong!

2.    There will be times when you crave a dish with meat in it, and when that happens just watch one of the wonderful documentaries out there about the factory meat industry.  I am sure that craving will pass.  Documentaries are a great way to find inspiration to make change and find your strength from within.  Educate yourself!

3.    Try new fruits and vegetables.  There are so many it shouldn’t be hard to try a new one every week incorporating it into a new recipe.  I can’t stress enough that even “ugly” fruits and veggies taste wonderful.  Don’t overlook certain types just because you have never tried it before or it looks ugly.  Dive in head first and see what you like.

4.    If you are not a chef, take a vegetarian cooking class.  I took a class in my first couple months of becoming a vegetarian and learned so much and met a great support system.  Working and having fun with likeminded people is a great way to discover some new recipes and new friends.

5.    Eat what is in season and go to the farmers markets.  Going to the farmers markets is not only a way to get your groceries, it is an experience in itself.  Become friends with the farmers and really find out where your food comes from.  I also suggest planting your own garden.  It is such a satisfying feeling cooking a meal with all your own fresh yields.



Making a lifestyle change doesn’t have to be that hard.  Find a good support system and make a promise to yourself, you’ll be half way there.  If you have any other questions about become a vegetarian, I would love to answer them for you! :)

Go Green and Stay Keen,

Julie

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