A Few New Recipes

Found a few new recipes that I had to share...

1. This fruit salad is a little time consuming to make but is great for summer get togethers (double the recipe) or having ready on hand in the fridge for a few days. If you are going to store it, I would recommend holding the dressing until ready to serve. Mine wasn't nearly as photogenic but still delicious.
2. Quinoa Salad with Chicken, Grapes and Almonds: I didn't have grapes so I used raisins and I won't spend money on sliced almonds so I just chopped some. My version was good too, but can't wait to try with grapes!
3. Powerballs: These are awesome! I brought them to Ellie's soccer game as snacks and the kids who tried them loved them (and so did the parents!). I even had a little girl ask me for the recipe! These are great for runners too! It's like a homemade powerbar, complete with flaxseed! My kids have no idea how good these are for them. Hee! Hee!

Enjoy!!!

Steel-Cut Oats

Steel-cut oats are one of the most nutritious carb sources available, which is vital to a runner's diet! Oats are naturally nutritious but since steel-cut oats are minimally processed, the nutrition is left in tact compared to rolled oats and instant oats.

My struggle with steel-cut oats is taste. I've tried and failed with several recipes but keep trying because I know they are so good for you! I finally found a winner with this recipe... it's a keeper.

2 C. water
2 C. low-fat milk
1/4 t. salt
1 C. steel-cut oats
1 t. vegan butter
1/3 heaping C. raisins (or other dried fruit without added sugar)
2 t. agave nectar
Fresh fruit, cinnamon, and honey to taste

1. Combine water, milk, salt in large saucepan. Bring to boil.
2. Slowly add oats, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Stir in butter, raisins, and agave nectar. Cover and continue to simmer another 10-15 minutes, stirring often to prevent cereal from sticking to pan, until oats are soft and mixture is creamy.
4. Refrigerate or serve immediately. When ready to serve, add cinnamon and honey to taste. Top with apples, peeled, cored and chopped (or other fruit as desired).

Serves 4-6.

I'd love to hear how you prepare steel-cut oats if you eat them.

Eating Differences

I can tell people think I’m crazy when they discover that, generally speaking, I cook 2 meals every night. I don’t impose my dietary beliefs on my family (yet!), and so every night at the Fischer house 2 meals are served. That’s usually when I hear, “I could never do that!” It floors most women because let’s face it – that’s the worse part of our day, at least for the mortal mom. We can manage our way through any temper tantrum, come up with 100 ways to use a popsicle stick, conduct the most interesting science experiment in our backyard, and power our way through any work task with grace, but dinnertime is the monster that most often defeats us. Well, it’s easier than even I thought it would be to do this and I’ve only been cooking for the past 18 months.

I thought sharing one of my weekly menus would show how easy it really is.

Monday
Family:
Spaghetti with ground beef, marinara
Salad*
Bread

Me:
Spaghetti squash (cooked in microwave for 7 minutes) with marinara and chicken breast
Salad*
*Prep enough salad to store in Ziploc with wet paper towel for next few days.

Tuesday
Family:
Pizza (frozen not homeade)

Me: Chicken breast
Rice* with sautéed veggies
Salad
*Make 2-4 cups of rice for lunches during the week.

Wednesday
Family:
Chunky bean and chicken chili (everyone in my family loves this BH&G recipe and my
husband hates chicken typically)
Asparagus

Me:
Chunky bean and chicken chili
Asparagus

Thursday
Family:
Heavenly Ham Casserole (Crock pot recipe)
Bread
Edamame

Me:
Baked salmon filet
Quinoa with black beans* topped with avocado
Mango-jicama salad with cilantro dressing*
*Since this is a crock pot day, I make a batch of these recipes that will last me for lunch or other dinners in the week to come.

Friday
Family:
Breakfast night (pancakes, bacon, eggs, grits)

Me:
Something egg based like breakfast burritos with corn tortillas or omelette with spinach
and mushrooms, grits with sea salt and vegan butter

Saturday
Family:
Leftovers

Me:
Leftovers

Sunday
Family:
Steak
Baked sweet potatoes
Edamame

Me:
Baked tilapia
Baked sweet potatoes
Edamame

What are some of your tips and tricks if you eat differently than your family? Would love to hear everyone's ideas...

Cranberry & Walnut Rice

This was really good and I made enough to last a week - even better heated up.

Ingredients:
Olive oil for sauteeing
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt to taste
2 cups uncooked brown rice (or your rice preference)
2 1/4 cups gluten-free vegetable broth (this replaced the water called for in my rice's cooking instructions - you can use whatever broth suits you)
1 cup dried cranberries
1 t. thyme
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease baking 8x8 baking dish. Set aside.
2. Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil. Set aside.
3. Cook rice according to package directions but use vegetable broth instead of water.
4. Stir in cranberries, thyme and walnuts. Cover and cook 5 minutes more.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Transfer rice mixture to baking dish and bake until light golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

Found this recipe here. Made it tonight and it was good. I layered with tortillas instead of rolling enchiladas because my tortillas were falling apart. I'll probably tweak it the next few times to get it where I want it, but great jumping off point and gluten free! One of my more filling dinners for sure and made plenty so I have leftovers for the week.

To make it a bit easier next time, I may try a pre-made green chile or tomatillo sauce - gluten free, of course. If anyone tries it, let me know what you think and how you made it your own. I think this would be fantastic as enchiladas, but need to find better corn tortillas!

Favorite, Quick Snack

This isn't really a recipe, but when I'm in a hurry and need a hearty snack, I just love a banana slathered in all natural peanut butter and drizzled with a bit of honey! Bananas that are a bit more ripe are perfect for this. What are some of your favorite, quick snacks?

Mango-Jicama Salad with Cilantro Dressing

I found this recipe in a Williams-Sonoma cookbook. It is SO delicious! I hope you enjoy it! The cilantro dressing is good on any salad!

½ C. minced red onion (soaked in cold water for 15 minutes and drained)
6 C. mango, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice (about 5 mangoes)
4 C. jicama, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice (1 small jicama)
½ t. sea salt
¼ t. ground black pepper (optional)

Combine ingredients in large bowl. When ready to serve, toss well with dressing as desired. Garnish with light dusting of chili powder.

Dressing:
6 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
¼ C. plus 2 t. extra-virgin olive oil
3 T. fresh lime juice
3 T. fresh orange juice
4 t. honey (1 T. plus 1 t.)
¼ t. chili powder
½ t. sea salt

Combine in food processor or blender and process until a smooth dressing forms, about 15 seconds.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Recipe Wednesday

It’s easy to talk about what foods are good for you, but how do you translate that into meals on the table? Well, here are some of my new, favorite recipes. They may not be perfect, but it’s a start!

Dinner stuff:
:: Quinoa and Black Beans (see recipe here)

:: Brown rice with sautéed veggies (spinach, garlic, red peppers, mushrooms or any of your favorite combos sautéed in olive oil and garlic) served with a salmon filet

:: Spaghetti squash topped with organic marinara and free range chicken breast (There’s more than one way to cook spaghetti squash – here’s what I do: split lengthwise, deseed, place on lipped baking sheet face up, coat with olive oil or low-fat butter, season with sea salt and ground black pepper and bake for about 1 hour at 350° to 375°. Scoop out flesh to act as “noodles” for spaghetti dish.)

Snacks:
:: Yogurt with baked bananas and cinnamon as follows:
6 – 8 oz. Greek non-fat yogurt
½ - 1 t. cinnamon
1 -2 baked bananas (peel, slice in half and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350°)

:: Cottage cheese with anything – 2 of my favorite combos:
- Pineapple, craisins, and sunflower seeds or shaved almonds
- Red peppers, green onions and radishes

:: Avocado topped with black beans

:: Organic hard boiled eggs

One of my new favorite salads thanks to a friend:
California Salad
Dressing:
1/3 C Orange Juice
1/2 C Olive Oil
2 T Red Wine Vinegar
1T Birch Sugar
1T or .07 oz pkg of Italian Salad Dressing (Good Seasoning)
1 t Salt

Salad:
Red leaf lettuce
Romaine lettuce
purple onion or green onion
11 oz. can Mandarin oranges (drained) or peeled Clementine oranges
1 small can water chestnuts
Jicama- peel and chop
Toasted almonds

Everyone has different dietary needs. Some are on whole food diets, some can’t eat dairy, others are gluten intolerant. Whatever your restrictions, take heart. Almost any recipe can be altered to fit into your diet. Don’t be discouraged, be adventurous! What are some of your favorite things to eat? Share your favorite recipes for healthy eating!