Red Beans over Quinoa with Kale

I've been taking a break from trying new recipes for the last week or two.  I hit a little rough patch where it seemed every new recipe I tried was yuck.  I got frustrated with my two youngest, who won't try much of anything they don't know (which is basically everything except fruit!).  Life in general hit a crazy spell around the same time.  So, I've been cooking favorites, simple veggie meals, freezer meals, or what I like to call 'not perfect, but real life healthier options' (like whole wheat pizza crust, pizza sauce with no sugar or funky ingredients, and lots of veggie toppings).  The break was good.  And much needed.  As I've really been going full steam ahead on the cooking/new recipe front for about 6 months.  As much as I love cooking and trying new things, my brain and body needed a rest.  I finally just started feeling the itch to get cooking and experimenting again.

As we were going through recipes together over the weekend, for a fun little project we're going to be working on, LeAnne mentioned this was a good one.  I'd noticed it in my Engine 2 Diet book before and I knew it had the potential to be really great or really blah.  I decided that for my return to the kitchen, what better way to start than with a recipe that came recommended.  So, I gave it a try, adjusted a few things to my liking, and yay, success!  I did not expect any of the kids to eat it, even with the components separate, but figured if any of them would give it a chance, it would be my oldest.  She killed it!  I thought for sure I would have leftovers for the next day, but she wiped me clean out.  She is my rockstar foodie, for sure.  And the encouragement I need when I'm frustrated with the tiny ones.  What a strong, well fueled body she went to bed with tonight!

Red Beans over Quinoa with Kale

serves 2

1 c. veggie broth

1 c. water

1 c. quinoa

1/4 c. Trader Joe's Fire Roasted onions & peppers (frozen section), defrosted & chopped (or you can use fresh green pepper and onion)

1 bay leaf

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 t. dried thyme

1/2 T. cider vinegar

1 can kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1 bunch kale, rinsed & coarsely chopped

To cook quinoa:

Place 1 cup quinoa, 1 cup water, and 1 cup veggie broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce to simmer, cover and cook until all water is absorbed (10-15 minutes).  When done, the grain appears soft and translucent, and the germ ring will be visible along the outside edge of the grain.  Remove from heat, and let the quinoa sit covered for 10 minutes.  Fluff gently with a fork.

To cook beans:

Saute the onions, peppers, garlic and bay leaf on medium heat in a saucepan with a splash of veggie broth or water, for 5 minutes until onions & peppers are translucent.  Add the thyme, vinegar, beans, and 1 cup of water, and cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes, or until broth thickens.  The bean mixture should get thick and stew-like.  Yum!

To cook kale:

Place coarsely chopped kale with 1/2 c. of veggie broth (or water) in a large covered pot on medium heat.  Cook the greens for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wilted and tender.  

The recipe calls for serving on a plate with each ingredient nestled side by side, which I did for presentation.  But, then I stirred them all together to eat.  Delicious.  Perfect flavors. 

Happy green eats-

dawn

Chocolate Almond Cherry Smoothie

This yummy smoothie is a nice deviation from my regular morning berry & greens smoothie.  And a departure from my recent afternoon snack addiction to a PBO Smoothie (I use almond butter because it is my favorite).  I like just a hint of chocolate flavor, but if you like more, use 1 Tbsp instead of 1 Tsp.  If you're using fresh fruit vs. frozen, simply add more ice. 


1 c. unsweetened almond milk
1 T. almond butter
8 frozen pitted cherries (~1/2 cup)
6 frozen banana slices (~1/2 banana)
small handful spinach (~1/2 cup)
1 t. unsweetened cocoa powder
handful ice


This recipe is adapted from Peas and Thank You cookbook.


happy green eats-
dawn

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

Mexican food is a favorite in our house!  Tacos/Burritos have been a staple on our weekly/monthly menu!  A sweet friend Kate sent this recipe to me and my family loved these tacos!  So flavorful and reminds me of spring and summer!

Ingredients

•  3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

•  1/4 teaspoon salt

·  cumin to shake over the potatoes

•  2 1/2 cups shredded cabbage [Trader Joe's sells cabbage already shredded]

•  1/4 cup finely diced shallot

•  3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

•  2 limes, juiced

•  1/4 teaspoon salt

•  1/4 cup finely diced sweet [or red] onion

•  1 teaspoon ground cumin

•  1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

•  1 lime, juiced

•  serve with Ezekiel tortilla shells

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

For the sweet potatoes - place the cubed sweet potatoes on a baking sheet (I use parchment paper so they don't stick.)  Sprinkle salt and cumin over the potatoes and toss to coat. Bake 30-40 minutes or until nicely browned. I recommend tossing the potato chunks around 15 minutes into baking them.  Remove and let cool slightly.

For the cabbage - place in a bowl with shallots and chopped cilantro. Add lime juice, salt and toss together; set aside.

For the beans - in a medium saucepan add onions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add cumin and stir in with the onions. Add black beans and lime juice. Cook 5-10 minutes or until everything is warmed/cooked.

Heat tortilla shells and serve with sweet potatoes, black beans, and cabbage slaw. Layer accordingly.

Enjoy!
-leanne
P.S.  I don't have a picture of this meal, but it's on the menu for next week, so I'll add a picture then :)

Dinner Downers

Today we have a guest blogger, our dear friend Jenni Cockerham!  She is as passionate about food, health, and wellness as we are and has been an amazing resource and friend during this journey to eat more plant based.  In lieu of a discussion we had last week, we wanted her to blog about the frustrations we often feel when trying new recipes and foods with our families.  Enjoy her insights as well as her blog

http://jenni-100cupsofcoffee.blogspot.com/. 

Happy eats -

leanne & dawn

P.S.  Her latest post, Chocolate Lava Cakes, looks scrumptious!

Dinner Downers

For a very long time, it seemed the more I tried to aggressively insert vegetables into my families’ diet, the more discouraged I became.  Here's the deal, I feel like I have spent the last year and a half walking through bad meal after bad meal.  Dinners have been interrupted by spankings, yelling, time outs, throw up (they have actually thrown up after gagging on a particularly funky morsel), and many, many more you-sorta-wannna-laugh, you-sorta-wanna-cry moments!   We have bribed with desserts (not always clean), thrown away food, and even once spent an entire meal "paying" our kids to try new items on their plates.  For every bite they tried they got a dime!  

SO friends, do not lose heart!

Here are a few things I have learned along the way:

1.  Try, try, and try again.  They eventually DO try new things AND LIKE them.  Keep trying.  Some of the same things that made my kids gag are now their favorites!?!

2.  Do not introduce too much too soon:

In every meal I try to have at least ONE fruit, vegetable, grain, or pasta, they DO like.  (This is so I don’t have to make a separate meal, but I also don’t send a kid to bed starving.) 

3.  Do not try too many new meals in one week.  For a while I was doing a new meal every night and it was stressing my husband out and ending with terrible tantrums.  We treasure dinnertime.   It is a time to connect as a family but it often felt more like a battlefield.  I bumped it down to a new meal once or twice a week and this seemed to go over MUCH better.   

4.  On the flip side, I try to have 1 to 2 meals a week that they LOVE.  Bring back oldies but goodies.  My kids LOVE the gnocchi from Peas and Thank You.  It is made with tofu cream cheese and firm tofu.  I don't care that they are not the "perfect" ingredients, but I love that my kids eat asparagus and other veggies alongside that meal and they are full of smiles!

5.  I have a few more “practical” thoughts in my blog on “How do I get the Family Clean?”  http://jenni-100cupsofcoffee.blogspot.com/

Life is filled with shades of gray.  I continue to learn that it is simply never “black and white,” and it is never as easy as it seems. Nutrition follows the same truths.  So PLEASE don't get discouraged!  Know that you are “setting the table” one bite at a time, one meal at a time, to help shape your families’ lifelong health and wellness.  You are literally helping to create habits and health for their lifetime.  

Give yourself LOTS of grace - it's the only way they will really "grab their greens"!  =)

- Jenni

Whole Foods Favorites

©We are often asked what our favorite things are to buy at Whole Foods.  We know Whole Foods can be more expensive than other grocery stores, so we shop at Trader Joes, Harris Teeter, Target, etc. for the items we know we can buy cheaper there.  Then we fill in with items from Whole Foods.

Note:  Whole Foods has a Health Starts Here Program where you can find MANY recipes if you are eating a more plant based whole foods diet!

PRODUCE -
They have such great variety and I try to look for what is on sale!  We try to pick out 1 - 2 new vegetables/fruits to try each week!
Health Starts Here No Oil Salad Dressing - found above the lettuce and spinach

PANTRY:
Eden Organic Beans (no salt added)
Canned Vegetables (no salt added - we like Muir Glen & 365)
Ketchup - Organic Ville (sweetened w/agave)
Low-Sodium Veggie Broth (we like )
Farro (grain, also found at Harris Teeter)
Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Pasta
Brown Rice Pasta
Whole Wheat Cous Cous
Unsweetened Apple Sauce
Bulk Bins - you can buy things in the bulk bins for cheaper
Rip's Big Bowl Cereal - you can buy in the bulk bins
Peanut and Almond Butter - fresh ground
Spelt flour
Whole wheat pastry flour
Local honey
Dates (great for making your own bars)
Stevia
Santa Cruz Organic Pure Lemon Juice
Santa Cruz Organic Pure Lime Juice
LARABARS (WF has greatest variety.  Next best variety at HT)
Chia Seeds (for baked goods and smoothies)
Flax Meal (for smoothies, baked goods, pour on oatmeal)
Hemp Seeds (for smoothies, baked goods, pour on oatmeal)
365 Morning O's (cereal)
365 Bite Size Wheat Squares (cereal)
Nature's Path Corn Flakes
Arrowhead Mills Organic Spelt Flakes Cereal
Brown Rice Crisps (Barbara's)
Udi's Gluten Free Au Naturel Granola or Gluten Free Vanilla Granola
Gro-Wild Almond Date Delight and Gro-Wild Pecan Spice Granola
Unsweetened Vanilla Soy Milk (for my coffee)
Think Healthy Quinoa Cakes
Spelt Pretzels - Newman's Own
Baked Tortilla Chips - Guiltless Gourmet
Salsa - (Muir Glen & Amy's Salsa)
Baked Woven Wheat Crackers

FREEZER:
Dr. Praeger's California Veggie Burgers (a little cheaper at TJ's)
Green garbanzo beans
Diced sweet potatoes
Frozen Veggies
Ezekiel bread products (bread, burger buns, wraps, english muffins)
Waffles - Nature's Path and Van's
Quorn Products - my kids like the "chicken" nuggets

REFRIGERATED:
Nature's Path Hummus
Amande Yogurt, made from cultured almond milk
Unsweetened Almond, Soy, and Coconut Milk

In the prepared foods area, they have purple labels (Health Starts Here) to indicate foods that are super healthy!  Some of my favorite items to buy and take home that are already made are the Smoky Collard Greens, Quinoa & Sweet Potato Cakes, and Black Eyed Pea Salad.  They will let you sample any item, so taste away!

happy shopping!
leanne & dawn

2012 © Dawn Mendez & LeAnne Olive

LARABARS

If you've never had a LARABAR, you must!  These are one of our favorite convenience snack foods.  I keep some in our cars, as a healthy portable snack option.  While they are processed, their short, simple ingredient lists give them a 5 star rating.  Most contain dates, and some type of nut, as the bars' base flavor.  Our personal favorites are the fruity ones:  Cherry Pie, Key Lime Pie, Lemon, Blueberry Muffin, Apple Pie.  Cappucino is a newer flavor, and is lots of fun.  Whole Foods has the largest variety by far.  Followed by Harris Teeter and Trader Joe's.  Super Target carries a few flavors.  Typical price per bar runs between $1-$1.50.  Whole Foods gives a discount for buying a case and Harris Teeter often has them on sale for $1 each.  I have purchased boxes in bulk from Amazon before, that brought the cost per bar below that.  We cannot stress enough, though, to always read (ingredient) labels, because I know at least one of the chocolate varieties contains added sugar. 

My sweet neighbor friend recently jumped on the bandwagon to improve her family's diet.  She has amazed me with her eagerness to learn and try new things!  I am so proud of her and I love to watch the glow in her eyes as she breaks through the myth that healthy food is boring and unflavorful.  Earlier this week, she made these little morsels of joy, a homemade version of the LARABAR.  Delicious does not adequately describe how good these were!  Even better than a real LARABAR!  I thought about them all day yesterday!  And I am determined to get to the store for dates, at least by the end of the week.  They are very rich in flavor, so a little goes a long way.  We both agreed that instead of bar shapes, next time she (I!) would roll in tiny balls to make them bite sized.  I think the fact that these are stored in the fridge, accentuates the flavors even more.  This recipe comes from Chef Katelyn.

Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough LARABARS
1 c. pitted, packed medjool dates
2 T. raisins
2/3 c. almonds
1 t. vanilla extract
2 T. mini vegan (or dark chocolate) chocolate chips

In a food processor, pulse almonds into small pieces, or until no whole almonds are left.  Add dates, raisins, and vanilla extract, then pulse until combined and it starts to roll around in a ball.  Add chocolate chips and pulse a few times, then place in a bowl and mash with your hands.  Break up into 5 equal sections and form into bars.  Wrap with wax paper or plastic wrap.  Store in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat.

Happy sweet eats-
dawn

Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie

1 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1/2 c. rolled oats

1/2-1 banana

14 frozen strawberries

Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth.  If you are using PLAIN unsweetened almond milk, add 1/2 t. vanilla extract for a hint of vanilla flavor.  All of my fruit was frozen, including bananas, and the texture was perfect for me.  However, if you want thinner, add more almond milk.  If you need thicker or colder, add more frozen strawberries or ice.  Next time I'll throw in some kale or spinach.

Happy pink eats-

dawn