Childhood Obesity

I read a few articles about childhood obesity this morning. Wow. Sick.

I'd rather my son break his arm from doing something outdoors than sitting on the couch and shoving junk into his mouth.

It's called prevention. DO SOMETHING. As a parent, it's your job to give your child all the opportunities you can. And I believe it's abuse if you don't.

Pumpkin Dip

Who doesn't love pumpkin treats?! I love it so much that I can eat an entire can of plain pumpkin puree. Yep, the whole thing. Today I made my second batch of pumpkin dip for an event tonight and maaaaan...it's good stuff. The stuff I made today uses neufchatel cheese (a healthier alternative to cream cheese) and Tofutti vegan cream cheese. Don't be all afraid of vegan stuff- you cannot taste the difference in this recipe. Next time I make this, I'm using all vegan! I'm sorry about the measurements listed below...I just add without measuring until it tastes right.

1 8oz package neufchatel cheese, softened
1 8oz container Tofutti vegan cream cheese, softened
1 small can of plain pumpkin puree
a heaping tablespoon ground cinnamon
maybe a tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
less than a teaspoon ground gloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup (I think) Sugar in the Raw (use this- the texture is better)

Blend all this up in a food processor until smooth. Adjust the spices until it's wonderful and serve with dark chocolate covered pretzels or whole wheat gingersnaps.

I mean, duh.

I was in the grocery store today and had to hold my tongue. Two women stood in the bread isle, comparing breads. One was Sarah Lee white and the other was Oroweat Whole Wheat. They came to the conclusion that the Sara Lee white was the HEALTHIER OPTION because it had far less calories, zero fat and fewer carbs. Yet, it contains high fructose corn syrup and the flour has been enriched (highly processed white flour "enriched" is missing the two most nutritious and fiber rich parts of the seed: the outside bran layer and the germ embryo. A diet of refined foods leaves many people malnourished, constipated, enervated and vulnerable to chronic illness. Popping fiber, vitamins and mineral supplements, in the hope of compensating for what's missing from our diet will not work. For just as "enriching" refined flour with spray-on nutrients can't make up for those lost during refining. SUPPLEMENTS CAN NEVER REPLACE WHOLE "REAL" FOODS.)...but as long as it is fat free it's healthy, right?! This is why "diet food" totally sucks and will make you fatter!

I started researching food online and came across this totally basic, no brainer list:

Of course everyone eats this stuff sometimes. A brownie here, a slice of pizza- nothing wrong with moderation. But if you're consuming these ingredients daily, it'll affect your mood and your health. Check the labels. These ingredients are in everything these days.

1. Hydrogenated oil (often labeled as trans fat) - A process that turns free flowing oil into a lard-looking solid at room temperature. The food industry uses it to increase shelf life of products and maximize profits. Eating this stuff increases the bad cholesterol (LDL) in your body and is bad for your heart.

2. Enriched flour – All the grain’s nutrients are destroyed in the refining process. Companies add a little bit of the lost nutrients back and label it “enriched” so it seems nutritious.

3. High Fructose Corn Syrup – Your body processes this differently than good old-fashioned cane sugar. It contains more fructose than sugar and converts to fat more easily, which adds to weight gain.

4. Refined Sugar – When you put sugar into your system, you experiences a “sugar high,” that rapidly raises your blood sugar levels. So 2 hours later you “crash,” feeling tired and empty. Sugar that’s naturally combined with fat or fiber sources, like in fresh fruits, will absorb into your body much slower. Then you can avoid the roller coaster sugar ride.

5. Saturated Fats – These are found mostly in animal products and oils. Avoid the ones that are solid at room temperature like lard. They increase your cholesterol levels and clog your precious arteries, which causes cardiovascular disease. Plus they can also be used for furniture polish - how appetizing is that?

Iced Whole Wheat Pumpkin Cookies

This is a very traditional recipe that I slightly modified. Not the healthiest because of the sugar, but I'm going to mess around with honey until I get a healthier and tasty cookie:

• 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance (or regular butter, if you wish)
• Sugar...the recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups white sugar, but I used less than a cup of dark brown
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (just regular- not the kind that has junk mixed in)
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze...

• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk (or cows milk- whatever you have)
• 1 tablespoon melted Earth Balance (or butter)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used lemon and almond combined because I ran out of vanilla and it tasted better)

Preheat oven to 350. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup butter and sugar. Add pumpkin, egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients by half amounts. Drop on cookie sheet by the tablespoon and flatten slightly.

Bake for 15-18 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies then drizzle glaze with a fork. **I put the icing into a Ziploc bag and pipped it onto the cookies and only used half. The cookies don't need all that additional sugar added to them...in my anti-sugar opinion.**

To make glaze: Combine confectioners sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed to achieve drizzling consistency.

Share and enjoy!

Happy Meals

I personally don't understand why parents reward/bribe their children with Happy Meals or candy. What about a trip to the park or something other than food? What really sucks is that nuggets are served to school kids in combination with the other delightfully sickening items such as, pizza, hot dogs, waffles, spaghetti, french toast sticks and fried chicken! Ever think about the behavioral challenges when students are stuffed full of processed garbage?

In the February 2010 issue of Men's Health, David Zinczenko writes:

"You’d think that a breaded lump of chicken would be pretty simple. Mostly, it would contain bread and chicken. But the McNugget and its peers at other fast-food restaurants are much more complicated creatures than that.

The “meat” in the McNugget alone contains seven ingredients, some of which are made up of yet more ingredients. (Nope, it’s not just chicken. It’s also such nonchicken-related stuff as water, wheat starch, dextrose, safflower oil, and sodium phosphates.) The “meat” also contains something called “autolyzed yeast extract.” Then add another 20 ingredients that make up the breading, and you have the industrial chemical—I mean, fast-food meal—called the McNugget. Still, McDonald’s is practically all-natural compared to Wendy’s Chicken Nuggets, with 30 ingredients, and Burger King Chicken Fries, with a whopping 35 ingredients."

That's all for now. I was hesitant to post this because I know a bunch of people who let their kids eat this "stuff". Don't take it personally- it's my opinion and I'm not judging. Sheesh.

Pizza Flavored Hummus

Such a lame picture, I know.

This creation might make me famous. Oh wait, Tribe already has this product. I saw Tribe Pizza Flavored hummus in the store today for $3.99 and I told Maximus, "dude, I can totally make this." He replied with, "Yeah!" We came home from the store, he went down for a nap and I got to work.

It turned out SO GOOD. It literally tastes like pizza. It's a better craving "fix" than pizza- it's creamy and it won't make you feel like crap after devouring a load of it.

• can of Chickpeas
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1 lemon
• roasted red peppers (half jar)
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper
• a glug of Muir Glenn pizza sauce (haha, this is where I cheated)
  
• oregano
• basil
• paprika
• a squirt of tomato paste to bind it a bit

Blitz it all up and let it chill. Try it.

Dark Chocolate Cookies Sweetened BY CARROTS!!!

I like to play with food when Maximus takes long naps. This afternoon I made dark chocolate cookies but I wanted to mess around with sweeteners. I don't know how carrots popped into my head, but I pureed a bunch in my processor and strained them. Here's what I did:

• heaping cup of quinoa flour mixed with whole wheat (maybe half and half- heavier on the quinoa)
• dark chocolate cocoa- I never measure, I'm sorry, but maybe a heavy 1/4 cup?
  
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• bit of salt

Just like any old cookie recipe- mix those in a separate bowl.

• 1 stick Earth Balance (vegan butter stuff) softened
  
• molasses- I dunked a spoon in twice
  
• carrot juice and pulp
• 1 second pour vanilla extract
• 2 egg whites

In two or three portions, combine the dry with the wet ingredients. Then add some dark chocolate and white chocolate chips (I know, horrible for you- I used them sparingly) Bake at 350 until they're done. Makes 12.

I stood by the oven until they were done expecting them to totally suck. But guess what? They didn't suck at all! I even did a little "happy dance" whilst chewing my cookie! Cha-ching!

Baahahaha!

I've decided pumping my kid full of wheat grass, garlic and blue green algae once a week is good parenting. Maximus loves this stuff:

Dude, I get all excited when I realize what Maximus is ingesting: apples, mangos, pineapples, bananas, kiwis, SPIRULINA, BROCCOLI, SPINACH, BARLEY GRASS, PARSLEY, GINGER ROOT, BLUE GREEN ALGAE, ODORLESS GARLIC. Yes! Yes! Yes! Cheers!

How We Eat Tuna Salad

I just realized I posted a similar recipe a few weeks ago...sorry.
I don't like mayonnaise on too many things- especially tuna. Yuck. Jesse has a disgusting love for Miracle Whip and I won't even touch that stuff. And all the crap that's in mayo and Miracle Whip makes my skin crawl. So when we eat albacore tuna, we mix it with extra virgin olive oil, sundried tomatoes, sea salt & pepper, olives and avocados. The taste is loads better and so are the good fats. Have a nice day.

Baked Tofu

I buy baked tofu from Open Harvest all the time. I LOVE IT. I made baked tofu for the first time in my life and I ROCKED IT! Jesse and I had some last night at "Hippie Dinner" and Jesse couldn't get over how much he liked it. I looked at several recipes online and didn't love a particular one, so I started experimenting. I mean, you can't really screw up a soy marinade. Then I had the brilliant idea of WRITING DOWN what I used as I was doing it instead of trying to remember. Play with all the ingredients until you get a balance you like. I went a little overboard with the chili paste and I'm not the biggest fan of spicy food, but Jesse and Maximus digged it.
Before you marinate it for 20 or so minutes, press it.

I baked it at 400 degrees for um...maybe 45 minutes? Maybe less? I turned the pieces a few times too.

Then I made Jesse a sandwich and Maximus ate 2 whole pieces of baked tofu heaven alone. I'm telling you, don't be all, "eww, it's tofu and I've made up my mind tofu is gross because I've never tasted it" because you suck. Just shut up and try it.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

We went to "Tuesday Night Hippie Dinner" a while ago and Evan made roasted red pepper hummus. This afternoon I made the my version:

• heaping 1/3 cup tahini
• 5 garlic cloves
• can of chickpeas
• juice of 2 lemons
• sea salt
• 1/2 jar roasted red peppers
• handful of pine nuts

Pulse garlic then add the remaining ingredients. Refrigerate for a few hours. Top with flatleaf Italian parsley. I'm serving it with whole wheat baguette and strips of cucumber and yellow bell pepper. It won't make your breath smell like heaven.

Dark Chocolate Banana Agave Bread

I didn't take a pretty plated picture of this bread because this is how it's eaten in our house. Take a slice straight out of the dish and shove it in your mouth before dropping crumbs all over the place.

Hey, I just realized something...if Jesse buys another bike, maybe we can get a new camera too? I really like taking pictures of bikes and food and ours isn't cutting it anymore...

This is a recipe I have "mastered" after years of messing around...

• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• dash of salt
• 2 slightly beaten egg whites
• 1-1/2 (or 2) mashed bananas
• less than 1/4 cup sugar (Sometimes I use molasses; this time it was brown sugar)
• 3 or 4 second pour of honey
• 3 or 4 second pour of agave nectar
• 1/4 cup coconut or soy bean oil
  
• 1/4 (maybe even 1/3) cup unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa
• 1/2 bag dark chocolate chips or carob
  

In a medium bowl sift then stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, dark cocoa and salt.

In a large bowl stir together egg whites, banana, sugar, agave, honey and oil. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture just until moistened. Add dark chocolate chips.

Prepare a loaf pan. Spread batter and bake at 350 for 50 minutes to over an hour.

I View This as SUCCESS

I know, I know...Jesse and I won't be able to brainwash our child with healthy food forever. Maximus will have friends who will always be munching on processed crap and drinking soda. Yeah, we get it. BUT Jesse and I are doing our very best in building an excellent nutritional foundation for the child we're raising. We can teach him all that we can so he can make his own decisions in life.

Maximus and I were reading yesterday afternoon. We were all sprawled out on his bedroom floor with 200+ books scattered everywhere. He picked up one of those books that make parents dizzy, sort of like "Where's Waldo?". We turned to this page and I asked him what he saw. He pointed and named each piece of fruit "apple". He looked at the rest silently. I pointed at the ribbon candy and asked him what it was and after a few seconds he asked, "nana?" (banana). I pointed at the other pieces of candy and he called the round pieces "balls". He doesn't know the word "candy". AND WE SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.

Tuna Salad

I wanted a cold pasta salad to go with dinner last night. Jesse and I thought this tuna salad was the bees knees:

• 2 cans albacore tuna
• a jar of sundried tomatoes
• cucumber
• half a red onion
• reduced fat feta
• black olives
• half package whole wheat elbows
• half package spinach leaves- chiffonade
• pancetta
• lemon juice
• extra virgin olive oil
• oregano
• artichoke hearts

Dump, mix, let it sit. Eat.
And look at Jesse's beautiful grill marks on the pork chop!

Apple Coffee Cake

I wanted to make Jesse apple coffee cake for after his Time Trial bike race today. Coffee cakes are usually total junk for your body, so I took a horrible recipe from the Country Living website and started with the substitutions...


Mix the following and set aside:
1 cup millet flour
3/4 cup brown rice flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Mix the wets:
1/4 cold Earth Balance
1/4 cup mixed agave nectar and brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 unsweetened soy milk

Combine the dry and wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. Spread the super thick batter into a sprayed 9 inch round cake pan. Arrange apple slices (peeled) on surface and sprinkle with a mixture of agave nectar, honey and cinnamon. Bake at 375 for a bit longer than 30 minutes.

My Preachy Disclaimer

I realize I sound like a preachy bitch when it comes to food; especially when it concerns children. Jesse and I are first time parents and we're convinced our child will rule the universe one day. We are health nuts and it encourages people while it annoys the hell out of others.

I grew up eating healthy with my mother who taught aerobics and my father who ran every morning at 4:30am. When I was in high school playing 20 hours of tennis everyday, I went anorexic and my diet consisted of a candy bar before practice (can you say STUPID BLOND?). When I attended college, I gained the "freshman 15" because I discovered pizza assisted in late night studies. I ate decent up until I got pregnant at age 26. While I was knocked up, I had cravings that made the world stop. Give the pregnant woman her cheeseburgers and hot dogs and no one gets hurt.

I weighed over 200 pounds the day I delivered Maximus. I'm sure there are other women who are 6 feet and carry 200 pounds well. I have an extra small bone structure and I'm not built to carry that weight. I know, I know, you're probably like, WHATEVER BITCH, YOU WEREN'T 120 POUNDS ANYMORE...WAA WAA. I'll just be honest- I expected to deliver an 80 pound kid and I was not happy with extra weight. Now, I'm not saying I had a "weight problem", but I needed to feel great in my own body.

We simply ate healthy from that point. No, we didn't eat carrot sticks and lettuce because we weren't "dieting" (God, I hate that word. It's so restrictive). We researched and learned about the food we ate and how it works with our bodies. We learned WHY stuff will kill you and how other things make you feel great! We cut out white flour, sugar and processed foods. I can proudly say that my arthritis is under control (without medication) and I feel great. I never crave food that we don't eat. Once Maximus was of age to eat "human food", we made the point to feed him in a way that will give him the best building blocks for health. And we realize that feeding him in such a way is an abundance and not the least bit restrictive like so many people think. Kids don't NEED soda and chicken nuggets on a weekly basis. What did children eat before large companies started making chemically "enhanced" beverages? What happened to water? Let me correct myself here: Maximus used to eat vegetarian chicken nuggets because I believed Morningstar Farms was the answer, but he no longer does because they are also shit. Real, baked chicken people! It's not hard.

Let me jump off my soapbox for a second. I am NOT saying that people who don't feed their kids the way we feed Maximus are bad or are bad parents. I am not judging (and I know so many of you think I am). Jesse and I are totally obsessive and that's the road we chose for our son as long as we have the control over what goes into his mouth. Hey, I know that eventually he'll go to school and shove candy, chips and soda down his gobb, and that I can't control. I'm not that dense and I KNOW THIS. Look at my childhood again: I grew up healthy, went haywire, then returned. Shit happens like that. One more thing I want people to realize about us: we know that people cannot afford to eat healthy (although eating most everything from scratch that takes eons of time to make is actually cheaper, but who has that time?) and we know that some people simply don't give a flying you-know-what about being healthy. Jesse's friend recently told him his family eats Fruity Pebbles and they're fine. Cool for that family. And I'm serious. Each family is different.

Jesse freaks out about diabetes and the health care system. If you ever want to be lectured about why America is the way it is, just mention high fructose corn syrup to the man.

Anyway, I'm always on Facebook. I will continue yapping away about healthy eating. I know I sound like such a prick about it, but in addition to the hate emails I get from other parents I do receive messages of encouragement. The encouragement helps me realize I'm not a total lunatic and the hate messages keep me grounded. Basically, I'm apologizing for offending anyone with my blunt statements about food. I will continue with that in mind.

I don't want to sound all mighty about this. I'm just trying to explain myself to anyone who actually spends the time reading this. And anyone who cares. Have a grape day!

Vitamin Water

Vitamin Water is NOT good for you. I know a bunch of people who drink this and sugar water beverages that are advertised as Green Tea. "Hydrate Responsibly"? Seriously?! I can't believe how misinformed people are and they don't read about what they put in their body. It's full of sugar and it contains NO FRUIT JUICE. One bottle contains 33 grams of sugar and a 12 ounce serving of regular Coke that contains 30 grams. Why the hell is this even called WATER?!

It's advertised with sexy fit models and athletes and comes across as it being "essential". Bull shit. They just add chemically synthesized vitamins and sugar to water. What's wrong with plain old water? I don't know about you, but I don't want to drink my calories. Sadly, the people who drink this stuff are wannabes. People who want to be healthy but make minimal effort, jump on the Vitamin Water and organic bandwagon and care about what people only see them eating. Like, how sleek is it to walk around with a canteen of water and an apple? Take a minute to read a label!

Food Inc.

Sorry about the formatting...I somehow managed to cut off part of the screen. The point gets across anyway.

Sugar Coated Kids

A direct quote from School Nutrition Professionals: "With calcium and eight other essential nutrients, flavored milk offers the same great nutrient-rich package as white milk and can help improve overall diets."

Are you effing kidding me?! I bet these jackasses believe that high fructose corn syrup is "just fine in moderation" too. And when can sugar IMPROVE an overall diet?

Good Ol' Chicken Nugs

This is for my friend, Stephanie.

I even like chicken nuggets. I do not eat them unless I make them myself because of what usually goes into those things. I mean, it's really hard to make a chicken breast into the shape of a chicken unless you break it all down and mush it up. Yuck. And even if you want a healthier nugget and opt for an organic frozen variety, they're usually quite expensive. Enough preaching already, Stace.

I sliced a chicken breast into thirds. The flour mixture I dredged them was whole wheat flour, chili powder, sea salt, pepper and my old standby: paprika. Then I dipped them in a mixture of 1 egg plus 1 egg white. I then covered them in the breadcrumb mixture and lined them all up on my Silpat covered cookie sheet. (If you don't have the blessed Silpat, simply use foil with whatever spray you have around. I use my handy dandy Misto. Quick tip on foil: scrunch it up before laying it flat. The uneven surface will make the outside more crispy) I baked them at 375 for I think 30 minutes?

They were good and got that nugget craving covered. Dude, we dunked them in Sorrisos sauce and it was the bomb. It was so good it gets me talking like a teenager again. I could dip a shoe in Sorrisos sauce and it'd be awesome too.

Breadcrumbs 101

Easier than pie:
-old bread (I'm using old croutons too...I'm busted for not making my own croutons this time)
-garlic
-whatever herbs and spices you want

Food process and done. Bread your chicken to make some chicken "fingers" out of REAL food. Bye bye for now.

Did I Mention I LOVE Sorrisos?

I've mentioned Sorrisos pasta sauce before, but dude...COOK WITH IT. I cooked a lean pork tenderloin in a bottle of Sorrisos Spicy Red Pepper sauce and it was off the hook! I added red onion and baby bella mushrooms and let it go 8 hours. I found a couple half-finished bags of spinach and whole wheat noodles and served the pork on top. I topped it with some chopped fresh flat leaf parsley and blam! Easiest thing in the world.

Oat Rolls

Yeah, these things look like little turds, but I unlocked something magical when I made them. Jesse said they are "tremendous" and I'm so proud I came up with something so damn tasty. I wish I could patent these!


All of this goes into a bowl:

2 cups organic rolled oats (bulk section of the health food store)

Handful of orange flavored dried cranberries (be careful about the ones that add sugar or god forbid, high fructose corn syrup)

1/2 cup no salt added roasted almonds (processed in the food processor)

Dash of organic cinnamon

1 second pour organic vanilla

1/3 cup of pure (no sugar added) almond butter

Maybe a tablespoon of local honey

Agave nectar- use enough to bind the mixture...maybe 1/3 cup?


You'll have to dampen your hands and mix it up with them. Make a bunch of little balls or whatever shape you want and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a couple hours and then enjoy! THEY ARE AWESOME!

Salmon with Red Wine "Butter" Sauce

Excuse the bad photo, but I took it with my cell phone because I was in a hurry.

The other night I made a killer dish. I found some amazing salmon fillets and tampered with a recipe I found in Women's Health magazine.

1 shallot, finely sliced
1/2ish of red wine (remember, don't cook with something you wouldn't drink)
1.5 second pour of balsamic vinegar
Fake butter spread
pepper

Make a reduction. (Bring sauce to a low boil and reduce heat and let it go. It'll become almost like a syrup.) After it's reduced, add a couple pats of "butter" so the sauce gets a nice little shine to it. Grill salmon fillets skin side down first until desired temperature and flash boil asparagus. Plate the salmon and drizzle the reduction over it and top with asparagus.

It's a win! Salmon is full of omega 3's and vitamin D, the asparagus is great for your heart and is a natural diuretic and the red wine is loaded with antioxidants.

I used to use Smart Balance but I didn't like to cook with it. There's something about it that makes it watery when you saute with it. While I was at my favorite store in the world, I came across Earth Balance and let me just say...it is like butter. The texture and creaminess is there. Amazing stuff!

Broccoli Slaw

I hate cole slaw. The mayo thing freaks me out. Since it warmed up to 53 degrees today, I deemed it appropriate to make a summer-ish salad with dinner. It's the easiest thing but it tastes so fresh.

Broccoli slaw
1/2 head red cabbage
Corn (if you want)

1/4 mixed red wine vinegar and rice wine vinegar
olive oil to balance out the vinegars (I'm guessing less than 1/4 cup)
Agave nectar (or honey)
Sesame seeds
Pepper
Garlic

Mix it all together and let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so.

PIG

My friend asked me to document what I consume on a typical day. She thinks eating healthy means only eating green salads. We have salad like, once a month.

I realized how much I graze. I eat breakfast and dinner, but no lunch because I spend the entire time between morning and night eating a bite here and a bite there.

Hey, I don't want to sound all mighty about what we eat. I've totally inhaled a bag of chips before. And I drink tons of artificial sweeteners. I love those Crystal Light packets that dissolve in water and I drink them all damn day.

Breakfast was one slice of this bread and two egg whites with a half a yolk...
A couple hours later I had a couple bites of this amazing Alpha Omega salad...
Maybe like, 8 of these (roasted edamame)...
A bite of Maximus' applesauce...A small handful of these...
A few of these leftover Schezwan beans...
Maximus and I shared a vegan spring roll that has become my new obsession...
I heated up some butternut squash for Maximus and had a couple pieces...
Now, I know dinner looks sort of gross but it was TASTY! It's brown rice, leeks, a bunch of beans, bell peppers, a bit of a rotisserie chicken (I'm totally not above buying those things) and it's all cooked in salsa.
Every night an hour after dinner or so, I eat about an ounce of dark chocolate because I can't live without it.
And a night cap.

Black Bean Paradise

I like black beans, but I'm not in love with them. I'll eat them because I know they're good for me, but I'm never experimenting with them. I usually just open a can and add cumin and salsa and there's an okay side dish.

A couple posts ago I mentioned black bean spaghetti. No, not spaghetti with black beans- actual noodles made from black beans and water. The 20 grams of protein caught my eye. And as I've mentioned, I'm on this kick of "fake" pasta. (Tofu pasta is Jesse's favorite thing on the planet.)

All I did was make the recipe suggestion from the back of the package. Easy peasy. It was served cold and the pasta is off the hook! It doesn't taste like black beans and it's chewy. It could easily stand a bolognese sauce with heavy veggies. Since I threw the packaging out, I, of course, didn't write down the recipe. I think it's tri-colored bells, green onions and the pasta mixed with this dressing...umm...I'm guessing 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar, 1 tbsp balsamic, salt and pepper and oh! I added wasabi paste to it and it was good. And to a few of the readers I know that are saying, "eww" just quit being dumb try something new. Those frozen Totino's pizzas are as good for you as smoking.
MAXIMUS APPROVED!

Brown Rice Pasta Casserole Thing

Cold days deserve a warm, filling pasta dish. Especially for Jesse because he's out working in the snow!
I had a bunch of vegetables I needed to use up, so I threw them into a casserole. Jesse loved this and so did I. This is something that would be awesome with fake meat. The sauce is awesome! I buy like, 20 jars of it at a time.
Now, brown rice pasta. We love it! It's soft but not mushy and it tastes just like that crap white pasta, but it's good for you!

Once again, I didn't write down what I did, sorry. I know I quartered fresh brussel sprouts, used carrots, a half bag of fresh spinach, yellow onion, garlic and umm...I think that's it. No, I added paprika because I add paprika to everything.
After I cooked everything, I combined it all with the cooked brown rice pasta and the sauce. I spread it into a huge casserole dish and sprinkled a little organic Parmesan to give it a crust. I baked it at 350 until it was warmed and then put it beneath the broiler for a few minutes for the crust effect.
I served it with a green salad and the "Alpha Omega" salad I found at Open Harvest- kamut, cranberries, bell peppers, carrots, red onion, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar.

It was one of those pasta dishes you almost feel guilty for eating because it's so good. It was so tasty.

Look What I Found!

I saw this at Open Harvest today. I was totally intrigued. I picked it up and actually said, "doooode, no way!" My new love- pastas that aren't really pastas. Tonight we're eating gluten free brown rice pasta with dairy free brussel sprout gratin. The ingredients in this black bean pasta are black beans and water. I was like, whaaat? With 187 calories, 16 carbs and a whopping 20.5 grams of protein per serving...what's not to like about it?!

I think I'll make it with chicken, bell peppers and capers. Maybe tuna instead of chicken...yeah, that'll work.

Chocolate Banana Bran Bread

This is the easiest recipe I'll ever post. It's not even a recipe- it's using stuff in a box.

I love chocolate, especially dark. I eat it almost every day. I can eat my weight in chocolate banana bread and I felt like it yesterday, so I quickly whipped this up...
It's just a box of this stuff...
with a couple heaping tablespoons of dark cocoa powder and a handful of dark chocolate chips. I added a smashed banana and instead of using butter or oil (like the box calls for), I used maybe 1/4 cup of applesauce and nonfat organic milk. Jesse ate a piece and said, "that bread is AWESOME." So, there ya go.

Tofu Shirataki Miso Soup

I am now completely obsessed with tofu shirataki noodles. I'll post more recipes as I create them...for like, the 3 people who actually read this blog. I'm thinking I should order some non tofu style from www.miraclenoodle.com

So, here's my recipe for Tofu Shirataki Miso Soup:

1/2 box of stock (chicken or mushroom)
Maybe a cup and a half of water
5 tablespoons of miso paste
About 10 spinach leaves made into chiffonade
About 8 chopped baby carrots
1 package of House Foods Tofu Shirataki Noodles
Handful chopped baby bella mushrooms (or whatever you have- I think oyster would be best)

Put carrots, and mushrooms in pot of water/stock and simmer for 15 minutes. While simmering, drain and rinse the noodles and then microwave for one minute (eliminates the weird smell) and pat dry. I let mine air dry for an additional 10 minutes. I just wanted to show off my pink pop corn maker but then I noticed how disgustingly dirty our toaster is in this picture...

Add the noodles to the simmering veggies and simmer for another 10 minutes (or until veggies are tender). Take some of the cooking water from the pot and dissolve the miso paste (don't boil it! Yuck!). Remove the veggies from the heat and stir in the diluted miso paste.

Warning: don't pig out on the the entire pot like Maximus and I did. I think the noodles expand in your stomach because within 10 minutes, I was feeling like I ate a Thanksgiving dinner. The good thing is that I was stuffed until the next morning.

This is what was in the Crock Pot for dinner- pot roast with brussel sprouts and Klondike potatoes. I'm a carnivore- I love red meat, but we rarely eat it because it's not very good for us. I loved the soup so much I considered throwing the roast out and making another pot of tofu soup. It was that good, dude.