I posted about this a few weeks ago and forgot to share the recipe. I’m sorry! Unfortunately, I can’t take full responsibility for coming up with this creation, but I am happy to give credit to Ashley! It’s been a huge hit at our house and I hope it will be at yours as well!

The secret to the tasty and creamy sauce is silken tofu! Blended with the sauce, it tastes just like cream!

Healthy Creamy Pasta Sauce

• 1 block of silken tofu
• 1 c. chopped frozen spinach
• 1 jar of marinara sauce
• 1/4c grated parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
• 1/2t garlic, minced
• 1t dried oregano
• 1/4-1/2t salt
• 1-2t safflower oil
• black pepper
• red pepper flakes, optional

1. Add the tofu, marinara sauce, chopped spinach, parmesan or 3T nutritional yeast, garlic, oregano, 1/4t salt, and black pepper to your blender or food processor and turn on.
2. Process until creamy and smooth. Taste and add more seasonings if desired.
3. Heat on the stove or add to hot noodles or veggies.
4. Serve immediately or portion into small baking dishes and broil on the top rack with extra cheese on top for 1-3min until bubbly. Top with red pepper flakes if desired.

If you have leftover sauce, enjoy it off a spoon or warmed in a pan + poured overtop your veggies.

What are you waiting for, start cooking?

I love pasta recipes that I can make more healthy for Anna because she is such a noodle lover. By adding the silken tofu, you can sneak in a lot of protein and by adding the spinach, you are packing in the nutrients!

What are your favorite healthy and kid-friendly pasta recipes?

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We have been having lots of fish for dinner lately, have you?

I love this article -

Benefits of Eating Fish

Asthma – children who eat fish may be less likely to develop asthma.

Brain and eyes – fish rich in omega 3 fatty acids can contribute to the health of brain tissue and the retina (the light sensitive tissue lining the inner surface of the eye).

Cancer – the omega 3 fatty acids in fish may reduce the risk of many types of cancers by 30 to 50 per cent, especially of the oral cavity, oesophagus, colon, breast, ovary and prostate.

Cardiovascular disease – eating fish every week reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke by reducing blood clots and inflammation, improving blood vessel elasticity, lowering blood pressure, lowering blood fats and boosting ‘good’ cholesterol.

Dementia – elderly people who eat fish or seafood at least once a week may have a lower risk of developing dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

Depression – people who regularly eat fish have a lower incidence of depression (depression is linked to low levels of omega 3 fatty acids in the brain).

Diabetes – fish may help people with diabetes manage their blood sugar levels.

Eyesight – breastfed babies of mothers who eat fish have better eyesight, perhaps due to the omega 3 fatty acids transmitted in breast milk.

Inflammatory conditions – regular fish consumption may relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and autoimmune disease.

Prematurity – eating fish during pregnancy may help reduce the risk of delivering a premature baby.

source

Pesto Tomato Mahi Mahi

• 5 pieces of fresh or frozen fresh mahi mahi or firm white fish
• 2 Tbs. pesto
• 3 med. tomatoes diced
• 1/2 c. feta cheese
• 1/3 c. lemon juice
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 cubes of basil
• salt and pepper
• onions, mushrooms and zucchini, for serving on top

1. Place pieces of fish in marinade of: lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, basil and salt and pepper. Allow to marinate for at least an hour.
2. While fish is marinating, chop tomatoes.
3. When you are ready to serve. Place fish on a cookie sheet covered in foil.
4. Top with smear of pesto, tomatoes and feta cheese.
5. Bake at 425 for 13-18 minutes.
6. Serve on top of a bed of sauteed mushrooms, onions and zucchini.

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By the time Anna and I pulled in the driveway at 8:15, we were beat. Brady had just gotten home from a busy day and was literally running with the lawn mower to get the yard done before it got dark. He came did it! Record time and everything!

On busy days, or any day really, it’s nice to be able to pull something out and be happy about feeding it to Anna. Something already made, something healthy and loaded with fiber, healthy fat, real food ingredients, and more importantly something she will like to eat!

When I found this recipe last week, I knew it would be a success at our house. It was just what I look for in quick breakfast/snack type foods.

Check out the smiles it got. (On a side note: you would be amazed at how many pictures of Anna I have in her high chair. I don’t think anyone goes all paparazzi on their child as often as I do, while they are eating.)

The muffins are very moist from the banana and sweet from the banana and the stevia or syrup. You would never know they are only made of oatmeal and not flour.

Healthy Oatmeal Muffins

Adapted from Eating Bird Food

Makes at least 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 egg whites
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil, in liquid form
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 drops liquid stevia OR 1packet of powdered stevia OR 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 3 medium bananas, mashed
• 1 3/4 cups Almond Breeze unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1/4 cup walnuts OR almonds OR other nut (optional)
• 1 scoop protein powder (I use vanilla whey)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray one 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray or use cupcake liners.
2. In a bowl, mix oats, salt, baking powder, protein and cinnamon.
3. In another large bowl, mix egg whites, vanilla, coconut oil, stevia and mashed bananas until combined. Dump dry ingredients into wet ingredients; mix well. Pour in almond milk and stir until combined.
4. Gently stir in nuts or raisins if you are using them.
5. Scoop mixture evenly into muffin cups.
6. Bake 30-35 minutes or until the center of each baked oatmeal cup is set and a toothpick comes out clean.

The batch I made on Tuesday is gone. We have all been eating them for breakfast and snack.  (They may or may not have been Anna’s dinner on the way to Target last night). And I need to make another batch to take with us this weekend for Janelle’s graduation from Wittenberg!

Yay Janelle!! It’s hard to believe she’s graduating! We always said, when Janelle graduates we will be old and probably have a kid…..Well….along with our case of beer, we are packing up the talking Elmo and the play dough!

We can’t wait to celebrate with her this weekend!

Thanks Almond Breeze! You’re the best! Next time I will blend you with spinach and make green muffins!

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This is a perfect salad a hot day when you want something simple and fresh. I made it last night to go with our spicy lemon shrimp and together it made a great meal for a 90* day.

Even our little chef agreed!

Massaged Kale Salad with Avocado

• 1 bunch of kale or a bag of kale, stems removed and pieces chopped
• 1 lemon, juiced
• olive oil for drizzling
• 2 tsp. honey
• salt and pepper
• 1 avocado, diced

1. In large bowl, add the kale, half of lemon juice, a drizzle of oil and a little kosher salt.
2. Massage until the kale starts to soften and slightly wilt, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Set aside for a few minutes.
4. Just before serving, drizzle kale with a little more olive oil, honey and the rest of the lemon juice.
5. Add salt and pepper and diced avocado.
6. Serve!

No one can say they don’t like kale until they try this. Or delicious kale chips.

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So… I have been up since 1:36am and it’s now 6:00am. Anna had the worst trouble sleeping last night (or should I say, this current night since it’s still pitch black out). She woke up crying and just wouldn’t go back down, not with me, not in her bed, not at all. I got desperate and let her watch an hour of Elmo on the portable DVD player in our bed and she didn’t doze at all. Then after I tried putting her back in bed, she just would not have it. So I threw in the towel and started the coffee around 4am.

Now, she is comfortably snoozing on the couch. Not sure what the day will bring for us, but at least I have gotten quite a bit done this am since I am going to need a nap.

Anyways, I can’t complain too much. She has not had a rough night in a really long time and she was pretty hilarious around 2:30am, as she attacked me with kisses.

We shall see how teaching Total Conditioning goes this morning. I can’t make any promises, but I did spend a while this morning coming up with new moves. Let’s just hope my sleep deprived brain didn’t get carried away with all of the BodyRock tv I watched this morning.

As for meals, this salad is the perfect combination of sweet, salty, roasted and creamy. It fits every need for salad and it’s pretty!

Roasted Beet and Strawberry Salad

• 3 medium beets, washed and diced
• 5 medium strawberries, rinsed and diced
• romaine and spinach mix
• 1/3 c. fresh crumbled goat cheese
• 1/4 c. walnut pieces
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• honey
• white balsamic vinegar

1. Line a baking sheet with foil. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Spray foil with cooking spray and roast diced beets for 20-25 minutes, stirring at least once.

3. While they roast, chop lettuce and spinach and berries.

4. When beets are done, allow to cool and sprinkle on salad with goat cheese, berries, and walnuts.

5. Drizzle a little olive oil, honey and white balsamic vinegar onto salad

6. Enjoy!

What are your plans for the day? Any good salad combinations recently?

Don’t forget to enter the juice giveaway!

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It’s light but full of protein. Easy to make but hard to resist. And fresh and flavorful!

This recipe was adapted from a fabulous salad I had at The Sweet Spot in Chautauqua, New York. The Sweet Spot is a great cafe that offers a wide variety of lunch and bakery items. They are becoming famous for their daily special soups and sandwiches, their giant cookies and their to-die-for cheesecake. If you are ever in Chautauqua, check them out (located in Mayville).

Lemon + Feta Quinoa

• 2 c. quinoa, cooked as directed
• 1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1 can of drained and rinsed chickpeas
• 2 med. scallions or green onions, diced
• 1/2c. or 2/3 c. fresh parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 c. of feta cheese, crumbled

1. Cook quinoa as directed.
2. In a small bowl, make dressing by mixing lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil. Stir to combine.
3. Add chickpeas, scallions, parsley and feta to the quinoa and mix.
4. Add dressing and let set.
5. It’s better the next day so let it set in the fridge and serve

It’s perfect to go inside of a wrap or to top a salad with!   

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Preheat your oven to 450*

1. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cookie spray.
2. Cover the cookie sheet with fresh, cut kale (stems removed).
3. Spray kale with olive oil spray and sprinkle with salt + pepper and nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese.
4. Bake for 10-12 minutes until chips brown and become crunchy.
5. Enjoy with anything! From an afternoon snack to a side dish at dinner.

So far, I have not made kale chips for anyone that didn’t like them. This includes Anna, and many non-believers. They are one of Brady’s favorites and an almost daily eat at our house!

Let me know if you want me to make you a batch!

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I’d like to say that I made the crust from scratch, but I didn’t. Thanks to Heinen’s multigrain pizza dough (in the prepared section, near the store-made soups) I will probably never make my own crust. It’s worth the $1.29 to know it’s done and will turn out well!

The toppings were a fun experiment that turned out great. Next time though, I would chop them up smaller because our only complaint was they kept falling off the pizza.

Shrimp Margherita Pizza

• olive oil for brushing
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 container of cherry tomatoes, halved
• 12 c. fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
• 1/4 c. grated fresh parmesan
• about 10 large fresh basil leaves, diced
• 1/2 c. tomato basil tomato sauce
• 3 small zucchini, sliced thin
• 1 lb. cooked shrimp, tails and vein removed (I always throw bought cooked shrimp into boiling water for a minute or 2 to firm them up)
• salt and pepper
• 1 multigrain pizza dough, rolled onto a cookie sheet

1. Bake the pizza dough according to directions for 1/2 of the cooking time. Then flip the pizza dough over and remove it from the oven.
2. Top the cooked side (the side that was previously down on the pan) with a thin layer of tomato sauce, the mozzarella cheese, and fresh parmesan.
3. Bake the pizza for another 5 minutes until cheese starts to melt and bottom of crust starts to brown.
4. In a large frying pan, heat 1 T. olive oil and mix cherry tomato halves, zucchini slices, fresh basil, minced garlic and salt nad pepper to taste.
5. Allow the veggie mixture to cook together for 3-5 minutes until zucchini starts to soften and tomatoes start to break down.
6. Add shrimp to veggie mixture and cook together for 3-5 more minutes.
7. When pizza crust with slightly melted cheese is cooked, top with shrimp and veggies bake for another 3-4 minutes until everything is hot and crust is crunchy.
8. Serve with fresh salad!

And a side of kale chips sprinkled with nutritional yeast and salt and pepper.

Wish this was dinner for tonight!

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So, in order to take control of breakfast and Anna’s vegetable consumption, I got out the giant tub of fresh spinach just waiting to be used.

After making the spinach banana bread for St. Patrick’s day, I now feel confident about adding blended spinach to any baked good. It doesn’t change the taste or the texture at all. In fact, I think it makes things a little more moist. It does change the color, so plan on your food being bright green.

And beware, if you plan on having a treat at this house.

Vanilla and Spinach Pancakes

• 1 1/4 c. Trader Joe’s Multigrain Baking Mix
• 1 1/2 c. fresh spinach
• 1 c. almond milk, or skim milk, or soy milk, etc
• 1 T. chia seeds
• 1 T. vanilla
• 1tsp. cinnamon
• 1 stevia packet

1. In a blender (I use my Magic Bullet), blend together the spinach, chia seeds, milk, vanilla, cinnamon and stevia.
2. Once the spinach is completely blended and you have a beautiful cup of green milk, mix it with the baking mix.
3. The batter should be the same consistency as regular batter.
4. Spray your frying pan or griddle with cooking spray and cook pancakes for 2-3 minutes per side or until they are just browned.
5. Serve warm!

I lots of times add banana slices to them to add sweetness and texture. Anna has not had maple syrup yet so she dips them in greek yogurt. We are not ready to battle syrup in the hair, on the table, floor, ceiling and in-between yet, so for now, the cinnamon and vanilla do the trick.

Toss it on a flower plate and….

you have one happy girl!

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My favorite dish was the sweet and spicy roasted brussels sprouts.

The recipe came from a recent People magazine (Paul Qui:Top Chef winner) and will be making another appearance soon! It was a little high in sugar, but it made a ton of sauce. We probably used about 1/2 of the sauce. Next time I make them I will cut down the sugar and see how it goes.

Sweet and Spicy Brussels Sprouts

• 1-2 lbs. of brussels sprouts, without stem and sliced in half
• 1 T. olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Rinse the sprouts and trim their stems and slice in half.
2. Toss with a little olive oil (1 T.) and salt and pepper.
3. Roast brussels sprouts on a cookie sheet at 400* for about 30 minutes, turning once.

• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. white vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 head of garlic, minced
• juice of 1/2 of a lemon

1. Make the sauce by combining the above ingredients together in a sauce pan.
2. Allow the mixture to cook down almost in half so the sauce can thicken and meld together.
3. When the brussels sprouts come out of the oven after being roasted and the sauce is ready, toss the sauce and sprouts in a large bowl and reheat in the oven for 3-5 minutes.
4. Serve warm with an extra drizzle of lemon juice.

Hope your Thursday is as relaxing as this.

Mine is not. I am off to teach 6am No Limits Circuit, followed by a breakfast break and back to teach Total Conditioning. Then it’s home to make dinner for neighbors and have lunch before we go to the Indian’s Home Opener today! Should be busy and fun!

What are you making for Easter this weekend?

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