Build a Better Salad with Kale

Our regular salad

A few years ago I moved to California.  During my time there I thoroughly enjoyed the abundance of fresh, local produce.  (We now live in Kansas!)  One of the things I learned about in California was kale.  I don't know which rock I had been living under all my life, but I had never even heard of it until we were living there (and I am in my 30's!).  When I discovered how good this power food was for me and my family, I started a quest to incorporate it into our regular diet. 
I've tried the kale chips- I over-salted and over-cooked them I think.  I had a hard time liking them and wanting to make them again.  I tried to make green smoothies with them.  I truthfully had a hard time choking them down.  I also tried to saute it and eat it that way- sometimes even with bacon or nuts to make it more palatable.  I still couldn't love it.  I learned that our favorite way to eat kale was in soup or in baked egg dishes.   But, both of those things can take some planning and time to bring about.
When we moved to Kansas and lived in temporary housing for a couple of months, I wanted easy meals to serve.  I also wanted to keep feeding us the healthy variety of vegetables we had come accustomed to in California.  I recalled a friend in California telling me that they put raw kale in their salads.  When I initially heard this months ago I hadn't even considered trying it since the only raw form of kale I had eaten was in a smoothie and I thought it was awful.  But, for kicks and because of the ease of preparation, I decided to try it in our salad.  I mixed baby spinach with romaine and added a little bit of kale in the mix along with your regular old green salad stars.  Not bad!  I thought.  I continued to do this as we were eating salad 3-4 days a week and upped the amount of kale.  My six-year-old daughter picked up one of the kale leaves off her plate and asked, "What is this mom?  It's my favorite part of the salad!"  I couldn't believe it!  Still now, 3 1/2 months later as we continue to eat lots of salads, my six-year-old still loves the kale.  My other 2 children (ages 3 and 5) eat this salad right along with us with no complaints.  It's a miracle!!!   I now usually mix equal amounts of baby spinach, kale and romaine, green leaf or red leaf.

So, I challenge you to build a better salad with kale!!!

p.s. We really enjoy this salad with Brianna's Caesar Dressing.  It is great! 

Slow Roasted Granola

****Updated April 2012**** After having made this for many months now, I have made some changes to the recipe based on what we have come to prefer. My husband has withdrawals if I do not always have granola in the house!! (He eats it as a snack in addition to breakfast!)

I have been trying out granola recipes and experimenting with different things for a couple of months now. I could eat granola every morning and be perfectly happy! I love the stuff.

A few notes: Granola is such forgiving stuff. You can pretty much change anything to fit your own tastes and as long as you keep the ratios generally the same it will be fine. My recipe is rather complicated because I keep all that stuff on hand and like to incorporate it in my baking, but you don't need to if you don't want to. I have a friend who keep it as simple as: oats, nuts, unsweetened coconut, oil and sweetener (part honey, part maple syrup). I know some people have had a hard time trying to find unsweetened coconut. I have found a good resource, but if you can only find the sweetened, you can just use it instead for a sweeter granola or adjust the sweeteners a bit to make up for it. This recipe is not overly sweet (in my opinion). I just recently started using applesauce in place of part of the oil or butter. It does make the granola a bit chewier rather than crunchy. I still use some butter along with it because, well, I like the taste of butter. You could simply use all oil if you wanted or all applesauce (or all butter- that is really yummy! It depends on what you are going for!) As for sweetener, you can do what you would like. It was recommended to me not to do all honey because it can be too sticky. You can also do brown sugar if you like. The reason I like to use the Agave nectar is that it is a sweetener with a low glycemic index. That means it won't spike your blood sugar. That's a good thing. For every four parts of regular sweetener the recipe calls for, you only use 3 parts of Agave. Finally, about the water and egg whites: the egg whites are supposed to make your granola clumpier. I really do think it works. But, sometimes I don't want to deal with eggs, so water is just easier. If you have a hankering for Custard, by all means go for the egg whites and save the yolks for that! (I have the BEST Custard recipe- look for that on here soon!) Okay, now that I have talked your ear off about the ingredients, here is the recipe:

Slow Roasted Granola

8 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup flax seeds (I sometimes leave these out- or replace with chia seeds or sesame seeds)

1/2 cup flax seed meal

1/2 cup wheat germ

1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut

1 cups chopped almonds

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1/4 cup canola oil

3 Tbsp melted butter

3/4 cup Agave nectar (or 1/2 cup honey AND 1/2 cup maple syrup)

1/4 water or 4 egg whites

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 275. Mix oats, flax and flax seeds, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, chopped nuts and coconut in a large bowl. Stir remaining ingredients together in a smaller bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well. Lightly grease two large rimmed baking sheets (jelly roll pans). Spread half of the granola on each sheet. Bake for about 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. I switch the pans top to bottom every time I stir to avoid one being more brown than the other. Let cool on the pan, then store in jars. (I find that with my oven, it really only needs about 50 minutes or so.)

This makes a big batch, which is nice so you don't have to make it so often. It actually stores very well in the freezer, if you are worried about it being in your cupboard too long.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Here is yet another recipe that I tried from Our Best Bites. We really enjoyed this one. Kenneth and myself, that is. The kids? Not so much. It was very hard for them to hold and keep the mixture in the lettuce leaves, which rip and break when little hands mangle them. So, not a meal I will make for them. Luckily, my kids like oatmeal. That is always our fall-back meal if what I made is too spicy for them or really not kid appropriate. They are happy as clams to just eat their oatmeal.
One other thing I really liked about this is that it was great for left-overs. Kenneth and I enjoyed these for lunch for 2 or 3 days. The chicken mixture tasted great reheated in the microwave, the dipping/drizzling sauce kept well in the fridge, as did the rinsed lettuce leaves in a gallon zip-lock baggie.
The gals at Our Best Bites actually found the recipe in Cooking Light and adapted it a little. I followed the recipe exactly as they wrote it and it was fabulous. I even ground my own chicken in my food processor, which worked like a charm! One down side, it is rather time consuming prepping the fresh vegetables. But, good things take time. I chopped and grated my vegetables and even ground my chicken during nap time, so it actually came together quite quickly at dinner time. I highly recommend doing the prep work earlier in the day if possible, so it doesn't seem like quite a chore right before dinner. And, you can do all that work knowing it will feed you for a few days. Here is the link on Our Best Bites. Enjoy!

Asian Lettuce Wraps
Recipe by Our Best Bites

2 tsp canola oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 lb ground chicken*
3 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped (about 8 small mushrooms)
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 C bagged coleslaw mix or thinly shredded cabbage
1 8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, and finely minced
1/2 C thinly sliced green onions
4 Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 3-4 Tbs juice)
1/2-1 tsp sriracha or other hot sauce (1 tsp of Sriracha is fairly spicy in my opinion, so if you want less or no kick, just give it a little, or you can leave it out completely)
1/3 C roughly chopped cilantro
1-2 heads iceberg lettuce

*To prepare your own ground chicken, cut boneless skinless chicken breasts into large chunks and pulse in a food processor until ground.

Dipping/Drizzling Sauce
4 Tbs soy sauce
4 Tbs rice vinegar
3 Tbs water
2 tsp honey
1-2 tsp finely minced fresh ginger

Heat a very large skillet to medium-high heat on the stove top. When hot, add vegetable oil and then garlic and ginger. Saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and then add ground chicken, chopped mushrooms, and kosher salt. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until chicken is cooked through. (*At this point, sometimes I have some extra liquid in the pan from the chicken. If it’s quite a bit, I tilt the pan and spoon it out so the chicken can cook and not boil.) Add cabbage/coleslaw, water chestnuts, and green onions. Cook for about 2 minutes, until cabbage starts to wilt. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, the zest from the lemon and the lemon juice, and hot sauce to taste. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

To prepare dipping sauce, combine all ingredients and whisk to combine.

To serve, carefully remove the individual leaves from the head of lettuce. (The closer you get to the center, the easier it becomes!) Place chicken mixture in the leaves and serve with sauce.

Yield: about 5 C chicken mixture. Makes 14-16 lettuce wraps.

Quinoa cakes

As you may know I am always looking for healthy new ideas for breakfast. I came across this idea on a friend's food blog who had found the recipe on Martha Stewart's website. I also am somewhat crazy about using up leftovers and bits of this and that. I hate to waste food. So, I look at it as a challenge to find new and exciting ways of using say, limes that I may have on hand or the extra quinoa from our dinner last night, etc. So, I was very excited to find this recipe, because it does 2 things for me: feeds my kids a protein-filled breakfast without greasy breakfast meat and uses up leftovers! (By the by, THIS recipe is a regular staple in our home now, except with Tilapia. We love it!) Just so you know, you can definitely tell there is quinoa in these, but since I don't mind the taste, I think they are great, especially since I know how healthy it is!

My kids like these and will even eat them plain later in the day as a snack (if there are not more enticing options around, that is)!

(Just one change for me: I don't use the butter on the skillet. I use a non stick skillet that doesn't seem to need it, so I don't use it.)

Here is the recipe from the Martha Stewart Website:

Quinoa Cakes

Makes about 12

• 1 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet
• 1/4 cup low-fat milk
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus more for serving
• Fresh fruit or fruit preserves (optional), for serving

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, butter, milk, and syrup until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.
2. Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and heat over medium-high. Drop batter by heaping tablespoonfuls into skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, 2 minutes. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more melted butter and remaining batter (reduce heat to medium if overbrowning). Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit or preserves if desired.

(We like them with maple syrup)

Mahi Mahi with Avocado and Quinoa

Hello all!

I had to tell you all about this meal because it was so satisfying and healthy. What are the chances that I had all the ingredients to make this?!?! (Avocado, cabbage, lime, mahi mahi) Anyway- I had some mahi mahi that I wanted to use tonight and I happened across this recipe the 3rd time I searched online. I didn't take a picture because we gobbled it up! I had already made Quinoa to go with our meal, so that is my one change from the recipe. (Well, I guess I also used regular cabbage instead of cole slaw mix because I had it)

By the by, have you all tried Quinoa? It is lovely! I only heard of it for the first time last year. Today I bought it for the first time and made some up for dinner tonight. The kids noticed no difference from regular rice and it is so healthy!! The National Academy of Sciences classifies it as one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom!!! I bought mine at Costco in a cute little green bag.

Lest you all think I am a crazy health nut, I did eat 3 See's chocolates after dinner. I am a walking paradox! (Or maybe that just makes me human.)

Here is the link to the recipe for the Mahi Mahi. If you ever happened to have those ingredients on hand or feel like trying something new try it!

P.S. Did I mention we have an avocado tree in our backyard? How cool is that!! Gotta love California!!!!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

This recipe came from Simple and Delicious Magazine. I actually found it sometime ago and had cut it out and put it in my "make someday when I get around to it" file. Well, I finally made it and am glad I did. Not only are the chocolate, but they are actually pretty healthy for you! The girls and I adored them and a friend I shared them with liked them so well, she even made them for her son's 2nd birthday- to keep things tasty but also healthy.



Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins

* 32 Servings
* Prep: 20 min. Bake: 20 min./batch

Ingredients

* 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1-3/4 cups whole wheat flour
* 1-3/4 cups packed brown sugar
* 1/2 cup baking cocoa
* 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 egg whites
* 1 egg
* 2 cups unsweetened applesauce
* 1-3/4 cups fat-free milk
* 2 tablespoons canola oil
* 2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
* 1-1/4 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

* In a large bowl, combine the flours, brown sugar, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites, egg, applesauce, milk, oil and vanilla. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in chocolate chips.
* Coat muffin cups with cooking spray; fill three-fourths full with batter. Bake at 350° for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Yield: 32 muffins.


Nutrition Facts: 1 muffin equals 161 calories, 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 7 mg cholesterol, 150 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 3 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 fat.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins published in Simple & Delicious January/February 2007, p45

Italian Turkey Soup

This week, due to health issues with my husband I have needed to make low fat meals. Not that I usually cook horribly fatty things; I mostly just make things that sound good to me- some very healthy, some a little higher in fat. We always include vegetables and fruits, of course. So, in searching for healthy foods, I turned to my new favorite food blog, Our Best Bites.

I found and made this soup, Italian Turkey Soup, and the breadsticks I posted about before when talking about Our Best Bites. We all enjoyed it. (I did throw into the girls' bowls some cooked noodles I had in the refrigerator to make it a little more enticing to them.) They mostly loved the breadsticks, but ate all their soup as well. We really enjoyed it and it is very low in fat. Lately, I have been noticing that we don't like the huge chunks of diced tomatoes in soups that I make. So, tonight I drained the tomato juice into the soup pot and then dumped the diced tomatoes from the can on a cutting board and hacked at them a little. So much more pleasant to me and the girls!

I'll copy and paste the recipe here. Enjoy!

If you want to see a picture, here it is. I don't think you want to see a picture of mine; I don't have a good camera and also didn't have the fresh parmesan, which also makes it look beautiful.

Italian Turkey Soup (from Our Best Bites)

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 small onion (about 3/4 C)
diced4-5 garlic cloves, minced
1 T Dry Italian seasoning
Salt
Pepper
1 can (15oz) canned diced tomatoes
1 can (15oz) white beans (Cannelini, Great Northern, etc) drained and rinsed
32 oz chicken broth(that's one box, or just use 2 cans which is just a few ounces less) (I used boullion)
1t dry oregano
1/4 t dry basil
1 T dried parsley (or about 1/4 C fresh)
4-6 C fresh spinach (you could use frozen too) (I used frozen)
fresh Parmesan cheese

Pour a couple swigs of extra virgin olive oil (1-2 T) into a large stock pot. Turn burner to med-high heat.

When oil is nice and hot, add diced onions, minced garlic, and ground turkey. Stir to combine and add the 1T dry Italian seasoning, along with about 1/2 t salt and several turns of black pepper. Cook until turkey is completely cooked through. When you're browning ground beef or turkey for soup it's important to cook it all the way through before adding the liquid or it will end up mushy.

(If you want to cook this via slow-cooker, place the turkey mixture in the crock pot now and continue. Although, you may want to hold off adding your beans until about 15 minutes before you're ready to eat or they might turn to mush in there.)

Add in canned tomatoes (including all the juice), the drained beans, and the chicken broth. Add oregano and basil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for at least 10 minutes, and up to 20.

While soup is simmering chop spinach. I chop it up really small so my kiddo doesn't notice it's something healthy. Add in spinach and parsley and stir until wilted. Also, additional salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Michigan Fruit Baked Oatmeal

My mother-in-law gets me Country Woman Magazine (Thanks, Mom!) This month's issue had a section on Whole Grains. Since I am concentrating on preparing healthier foods, I thought I would give a few of the recipes a try. This is one of them. I mixed it up the night before and stored it in the refrigerator and popped it in the oven in the morning before I fed the baby. By the time I had taken care of him and read the my daughter a couple of stories it was ready to eat. (All before 7 am mind you!) My girls loved it! It says it makes 2 servings; I think they are pretty hearty servings. It would feed myself, my husband and the 2 little ones on a normal, not super-hungry day. The recipe said the leftovers taste pretty good rewarmed in the microwave.

Michigan Fruit Baked Oatmeal

• Prep: 15 min. Bake: 45 min.

Ingredients

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries or cherries
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 cups fat-free milk (I used powdered milk and water)
  
• 1/2 cup chunky applesauce (didn't have chunky, so just added some chunks of apple to my applesauce- tasted great!)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (don't have it and don't particularly care for it- used vanilla)
  
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
• Optional toppings: vanilla yogurt and additional dried cranberries and sliced almonds

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Transfer to a 3-cup baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with almonds.
• Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until set. Serve with toppings if desired. Yield: 2 servings.

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancake Mix

So, Healthy Breakfast around here just got easier! I made up this mix and all I have to do now in the mornings is add the wet ingredients and cook. I mix it right up in a gallon sized zip top bag and store it in the fridge. I wrote what I need to add to it right on the bag to make life easier.

These are so filling and wonderful! I replaced some of the all-purpose flour with wheat germ. I will put that change in red. I found this recipe on Mr. Breakfast.com. To feed my little family (2 adults, 2 small children) 1 cup of the mix plus the appropriate liquid ingredients was sufficient on a normal day. We love real maple syrup on these. Homemade jam is a second choice. If you really want to be healthy, try mashed banana or some yogurt. They are filling and yummy. My girls will even eat the leftovers plain for a snack! (Fabulous since there is not a stitch of sugar in them! Sorry I didn't take a picture- they just look like pancakes anyway!

Cinnamon Oatmeal Pancake Mix

(24 servings)

• 4 cups quick cooking oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1 cup of wheat germ)
  
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup non-fat dry milk
• 3 Tablespoons baking powder
• 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
• 1 and 1/4 Tablespoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Makes about 8 cups.

Pretty simple... just combine all ingredients (in a decorative jar if giving as a gift). Seal tightly and store in a cool place (refrigerator is as good as anyplace).

To Prepare:

Ingredients: 2 cups of mix above, 2 eggs, 1/3 cup vegetable oil and 1 cup water.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Beat in the vegetable oil. Next, mix in the mix alternately with the water. (Truthfully, I mix the wet ingredients in a large glass measuring cup and then just dump it into a bowl on the mix. Much easier. I have also noticed that sometimes I need to add a little more water- especially when I am going to cook the second round of pancakes. (Maybe it's the wheat germ I added soaking up the liquid.)
Scoop in heaping Tablespoon amounts per pancake onto a lightly greased skillet set at medium-high heat. Cook until the tops show broken bubbles (2 to 3 minutes). Turn and cook about 2 to 3 minutes more, until golden brown. Makes 12 5-inch pancakes.

Healthy Banana Nut Muffins

Well, I say I am starting this blog and then don't touch it for a couple of weeks- that's life with 3 little ones and a husband who is working and taking 2 classes, I suppose!

So, I really am trying to prepare healthier foods for my family. For a while I had been just preparing pretty easy things (mac and cheese 3 days a week for lunch!) Don't get me wrong, we always have vegetables and fruit with it and I really try to add variety at dinner time, but I still wasn't seeking out the best choices. I am also feeling the need to eat more healthily now that I have carried three children and the weight is not leaving me as fast as it did before. Plus, I hate to admit it, but I really do feel better when I eat better. (Wow- what a revelation.)

So, recently, I have been concentrating on breakfast type foods in my initial quest for healthier habits. I used to always make regular pancakes, waffles, yogurt or just cold cereal- not sugar cereals, but still. To start, I bought some whole wheat flour and wheat germ and have been trying to incorporate them in my life. I also read recently, which I thought was a fabulous idea, to buy a big carton of plain yogurt and mix it with the smaller flavored ones to cut down on the amount of sugar in the yogurt you are eating. I always think the little cartons taste too sweet anyway. My little 3 year old doesn't even seem to mind!

Now, as for the banana nut muffins. . . I found the recipe at www.notonlypizza.com which I then changed to conform to my ingredients on hand. Emma ate one and a half when they came out, a half of a muffin at a time (kept asking for more). They are very filling and you feel so good about eating something that is actually fairly good for you! I must admit, my bad side wanted to spread some butter all over the finished product. (I would have too, except that I didn't have any softened and was trying to nurse a baby while eating.) So, here is what I ended up with:

Healthy Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour

• 1/4 cup wheat germ

• 1 cup whole wheat flour

• 3 ripe bananas

• 2 eggs
  

• 2 Tbsp. honey*

• 1 tsp. baking soda

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted tastes best (put them on a pan and stick them in the oven while it is preheating until they are fragrant 5-10 minutes)

• 1/2 cup whole plain yogurt, or a combination of nonfat plain yogurt with some sour cream to make 1/2 cup

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350° F and place oven rack to middle position. Grease with olive oil a 12 cup muffin pan or two 6 cup pans.
Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas and set them aside.
In another large bowl whisk the eggs lightly with honey then add 1 cup of flour and mix until well combined. Add the yogurt, the other cup of flour and the oil.
Fold in the bananas and then the walnuts.
Scrape the batter in the muffin pan and cook for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Note:
* These muffins are not overly sweet, if you prefer them sweeter double or triple the dose. Or heck- if you really aren't trying to be healthy, add sugar!!