Just for KIDS! - Breaded Zucchini and Tofu fingers

This recipe is of course nothing new, LOTS of people have recipes for this on the web.  So if you google it I am SURE you will find a ton of variations.  This one is mine, and I used the spices that I know work for my family, feel free to get creative and do the same!  Don't be afraid to try different veggies, or fishes, or whatever you would like!  Cooking is all about enjoying your time in the kitchen, and watching your family enjoy your yummy creations!

Here's how you get it!

Ingredients
2 - 3 slices of stale whole wheat bread ( or for those that can't have bread, try the new Gluten Free Rice Crisps!)
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp each salt and pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp parsley
1 block of tofu cut into fingers
2 small zucchini cut into fingers
1 cup coconut milk (for milk wash to make the breading stick)

Steps


Pulse the bread (or Crisps), spices, salt and pepper in the processor until combined and crumbly.


Set up your breading station, and preheat the oven to 375.
One at a time dip tofu and zucchini in the coconut milk, then roll in the breading.
Place on a foil lined and cooking sprayed pan
Repeat until all your fingers are breaded.
Cook for about 15 to 20 mins, or until breading is golden brown.
When using the rice crisps watch the coating, it will cook faster.
Let cool, then serve with your Favorite dip, I made my Dill dip, and they were a huge HIT!

Vanilla Togurts

The boys named it Togurt!

I am by no means a soya yogurt connisur, nor will I ever pretend to be.  That being said, this one is pretty darn good.  We eat it plain, with fruit, on oatmeal,in the morning, at noon, and even as a night time snack.  It is yummy!  O and it is simple and works out to be about $1.49 per 1 kg tub! Yep, cheap! I try to use dairy alternatives where possible, but have you seen the price of those special yogurts?  Wow, not in my budget that is for sure.

You literally only need 4 things to make this, well 5 if you count the food processer.

Ingredients
1 tub silken tofu

1/2 lemon, juiced

Vanilla and honey to taste

Steps
Put it all in your processor and let it rip!

Add honey and vanilla to your taste, or if going vegan, use agave nectar.

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Just for Kids - Pizzadeas!

Cover both Whole Wheat Tortillas in Pizza Sauce

Add your Favorite Pizza toppings.
We did just peppers this time,

Sprinkle on your cheese, and top with your other tortilla

Place under the Broiler on a cookie sheet for about 5 mins each side.
Slice like a pizza, and ENJOY!

 

kale chips - Bet your gonna Eat more than ONE!

Last night the Yoga Ladies and I were discussing these morsels of greatness.  I am not 100% sure how we got on the subject, I think it was when the one lady commented on the "hippy Freak" people who eat weird foods like tofu wrapped with grape leaves (I seriously think she is secretly kinda trying to tell me that I am a hippy freak, cause I love that kinda stuff, but don't tell her I said that, she is my dearest friend, and I know she loves all the freaky hippyness, even if she won't admit it.... but I digress) ANYWHO......

So these are SOO awesomer, and the flavour combo's are ENDLESS!

Here is what you do!



Wash your kale!!




Ingredients

1 - 2 bunches of kale with the leaves removed from the woody stalk.

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 pinch of salt

Optional - I have done Cajun, Italian, bbq, and garlic and onion flavors too!

Steps

 

Wash and dry kale

Put everything in a bag

SHAKE

Place on a parchment lines baking sheet in a single layer



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Shake Your Kale



BAKE at 325 for 5 to 10 mins.  watching carefully that they get crunchy NOT completely Cajun!

If you can, let them cool, then ENJOY!!





ENJOY Your Kale!



Challenge Worthy Recipe - Eggless salad wraps

I LOVE Egg Salad Sandwiches.  They always remind me of the triangle ones that the elderly ladies at church used to make for the Sunday Brunches.  The only problem with those sandwiches?  They are LOADED with fat and calories, and not really a great idea for those of us on the challenge trying to get rid of muffin tops.  So I hit the net, and my cook books looking for a recipe that I could make.  All the ones I found had vegan mayo, or nutritional yeast in the recipe.  I didn't have either, but here is what I did have; 1/4 block of regular tofu, dijon mustard, green onion, paprika. celery, cucumber, garlic and onion powder, pepper, wraps, lettuce and Alfalfa!

Loading up the wrap!

Ingredients

1 stalk celery finely diced
1 tbsp finely chopped cucumber
1 finely chopped green onion
1/4 package of regular tofu crumbled
1/2 an Avocado mashed
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Sprinkle to taste pepper, paprika, onion and garlic powder.

Steps

Mix everything together with a fork, making sure that all the tofu is finely crumbled.
Pile it in your Whole grain wrap with lettuce, and alfalfa
Fold up your wrap and ENJOY!

The Finished Product!
  It was so good I almost didn't get a picture!

Perfecting the cookie...

This ones for the kids. I posted a video from Jamie Oliver about how important it is to feed our children for their future. Lets face it, no childhood would be complete without a big glass of Milk (my boys are in LOVE with Almond milk right now) and a yummy warm cookie right out of the oven.  My hubbies Grandmother made the BEST cookies I have ever had, but I can bet money they where FULL of butter, sugars and white flour.  The M in L took over the recipe and when we visited over Christmas and I enjoyed WAY to many of them.  When we got home hubby asked me to try to recreate the recipe, but of course I would have to do It MY WAY.  So, out came Mix Master K, my cook books, and my laptop and I started to research. 

How did I ever bake before Mix Master K?

Google "healthy, vegan, low sugar" or any combination there of "cookies" and you will discover what seems like millions of recipes. Each author claiming that these will be the best cookies I have ever tasted, or that I will never need to try another recipe again! But I wonder, how do they know that these are the best I have ever had? Did they TRY Nanna's?  Have they been stocking me, and eating all the same cookies as I have? Or why will I never want to try another recipe, will theirs put a spell on me? Ok, maybe I am being a tad bit dramatic, but seriously, should we make those claims?

This recipe is one of the tastiest vegan cookies I HAVE ever had! (See I can say that cause I know what cookies I have had before). It took a couple batches to get it just the way I wanted, and I am so glad I kept trying. I think my family was too, none of the batches turned out bad, just the first 4 were only ok in my opinion. Plus I got to use my NEW Kitchenaid stand mixer, A.K.A. Mixmaster K! your jealous I know. So here u ya go, the recipe!

The FINAL Batch, and the BEST in MY opinion!

Ingredients

1/2 c vegan margin

1/2 c coconut oil

1/4 c brown sugar

1 tbsp agave nectar

1/4 c applesauce

1 tsp each Cinnamon, vanilla and ground nutmeg

1 tsp baking powder

1 c whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c oats

1 c crushed pecans

2 tbsp ground flax

Steps

Place first 6 ingredients in your mixer bowl and cream together.

Turn the mixer to the slowest setting and slowly add the last 5 ingredients.

Once all mixed I added dark chocolate chunks, but that is optional.  Use what you love, chocolate, dried fruits, WHATEVER!!

Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 mins.

Cool and ENJOY with a tall glass of cold milk



Resharing a Great Video - Jamie Oliver

I know that I have shared this video before, but I just had to do it again.  The reason I wanted to share this video is because Jamie Oliver talks about something that is very dear to my heart.  During this Challenge it is all about YOU and YOUR goals.  You are going to create the person you want to be Inside and Out.  Which is great, and I am so thankful to be able to share with you things that have helped me and encourage you along the way.  However all to often we take the time to do this for oursleves, then pass our kids their DS, a bowl of goldfish Crackers and a Jammers juice box.  They sit there, lazy, over weight and lacking in so many nutrients that they are constantly sick.  Please don't think I am judging, because trust me my boys have there fair share of DS time and I have given them junk to eat.  What is important is that we take the time to educate them on the proper foods to eat, and fill their bellies with as much whole foods as we can. 
So take a couple minutes to watch the Video
 
Please Click HERE to watch the video.

In the RAW!!

Have you heard of this?  In the Raw "craze", there are videos, books, facebook pages, websites, you name it.  All devoted to Raw Vegan Cooking. What did you think I was going to talk about naked people?? Goodness me ;)!!  I have been reading up on all kinds of different ways to eat yourself healthy, and this was one of the ways I came across.  I am sure I will be testing out all kinds of the recipes so stay tuned....

I found a recipe for Raw vegan cookies, and before you ask, no it isn't gross or a good way to get food poisoning (VEGANS DON'T EAT EGGS REMEMBER!!).  I have a group of  guinea pigs FRIENDS that I test recipes out on, and all them looked at me as if I was trying to kill them off with raw eggs, until I sarcastically  kindly reminded them that I said "VEGAN"!   They are just these really yummy chewy healthy cookies, that even the kids loved.  I found the original recipe for these wonderful Pecan Spice Cookies on One Green Planet, but of course I didn't follow it to the letter.  So here is how I made it my own. 


Ingredients:



■1 cup raw pecans, 1/2 cup raw Almonds

■1/4 cup each ground flax and chia seed

■pinch salt

■1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

■1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

■1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

■1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

■1/2 cup raisins

■10 dried dates soaked in 2 tbsp hot water and 2 tbsp apple sauce until softer

Preparation:



1.Process all of the ingredients, except for the raisins and dates, in a food processor, fitted with the “S” blade, until coarsely ground.

2.Add the raisins and dates (with the apple sauce soak) and continue processing until the mixture begins to stick together when pressed between your fingers.

3.Roll and form into desired shapes and sizes.

4.Let rest in the fridge for about 20 mins to an hour to firm up.

I am allergic to your BULL S%!& !!!!

Let me preface this blog post by saying I empathsize with all the parents that struggle day in and day out with children who have allergies.  I do believe that schools should be a nut free zone as they can cause death in some cases.  I have a little munchkin in my care that has many different and sever allergies so I understand the daily struggles.  This post IS NOT directed towards you at all!

Keep Away!

So Here GOES...

If you have been following me for a while you know that my kids are very sensitive to the wrong kinds of foods and for good reason ( if not read HERE).  Here is how the story goes....

School Secretary:  I have your son here in the office, we have had to confiscated your son's lunch. (YES she said confiscate, like I sent him to Gr.1 with a bag of weed and munchies!!) 

Me:  Ummm, OK? Can I ask Why?

SS: He has a fruit salad.

Me: Yes he does,  I made it this morning, is that a problem?

SS: There are children with Kiwi allergy.

Me: OK? Are they in his class?

SS: No, but there are kids with kiwi allergy.

Me: Is he running around the school threatening these children with chunks of KIWI?  I am confused, if the kid is not in his class or anywhere near my son, why do you have his lunch?

SS:  Allergies are very serious Mam me!  We do not allow kiwi, egg, nuts, fish, dairy, and prefer if you not bake your own food but send in foods that have been stamped allergy free! (yep DAIRY, apparently I am not supposed to send YOGURT EITHER!)

Me:  But my children can't eat them, they are full of chemicals and preservatives, I have to send them fresh real food.

SS:  Well we are giving him a chocolate bear paw (o great bring on the diarrhea!), and a slice of pizza (or perhaps constipation!)

Me:  I guess since you can't give him back his confiscated lunch bag (and by the way he didn't come home with the bag, they kept it and cleaned it out!) he is going to starve without them, and since I am without a vehicle there is NO WAY I can bring him anything else!
         

I am really confused, I can't bake a healthy no sugar, protein filled,  high fiber banana muffin for their lunch, I have to send them with a chemically preserved, sugar filled chocolate Bear Paw!  If I was to listen to the schools allowed foods my boys would spend there days in the bathroom!  So what are my options?  I am apparently not allowed to send anything that my kids normally eat.  The school sent home a news letter at the beginning of the year about how important "PROPER NUTRITION"is, apparently they missed the fact that 99% of the food labeled "allergy free" are full of chemicals!  So this is my question, When the forms come home that contain vital information about what my children are allergic too, and any other health concerns do I fill them in as follows?

Allergies: sever allergy to red dye, white and processed sugar, preservatives, processed foods and foods containing pesticides.

Will the school then "confiscate" all the lunches that arrive to school containing any of these things?  Will they call little Johnny's Mom who has a chocolate bear paw, a bag of chips and a bottle of sunny d then call his parents demanding different foods?  Or will little Ann's parents get a demand to remove all lollipops from the treat bags she sent for her birthday?  I think NOT!  So why then are my children's needs for real healthy and clean foods (and food I can actually afford) any different from those of a child who can't consume dairy because it causes hives??

Side Note:  My little man came home with a stomach ache, and was not able to eat his Pasta Taco Dinner I made him, then felt sluggish all night at his baseball.  If he were to eat like that everyday, he would be very ill.

Something Yummy and Refreshing for the Kiddies...

Who am I kidding, I love these too!  These aren't just for the kids!!  This is a nutritious and Delicious recipe to cool down and rehydrate!  Give it a try!

Sweet Dreamsicle

Ingredients

• 2 scoops Isalean Shake in Natural Creamy Vanilla
• 2 tbsp Isapro ( if you have it, adds some protein to keep you full and make this a great snack!)
• 2 tbsp Isafruits
• 2 tbsp Want More Energy! in Orange
• 8 oz water
• handful of ice
• 6 Popsicle sticks and molds

Steps

1. Place all ingredients in a blender / bullet and blend until creamy.
2. Pour into Popsicle molds and freeze.
3. Half way through freezing insert Popsicle sticks and continue to freeze.
4. ENJOY!

Wake up Juice


Ingredients

• One scoop of Greens!
• One scoop of IsaFruit!
• One scoop of citrus Want More Energy.
• ice cubes and water

Steps

1. Combine all ingredients in a large water bottle or juice jug.
2. shake / stir to combine and serve

Classic Strawberry Shake

Ingredients

• 2 scoops Isalean Shake Natural Creamy Vanilla
• 1 scoop Isafruits
• 8 oz water
• handful ice
• 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, on for a garnish

Steps

1. Place all ingredients in the blender.
2. blend until creamy
3. pour into cups and garnish with a strawberry.

*These recipes use some of the great products available through Isagenix.  I love the Popsicles because they offer 7.1 g of belly filling, energy providing protein, without all the chemicals and sugars of the kind you get at the store. The Wake Up juice is a great way to get your kids (and you) pumped full of great nutrients to start the day again without the sugars!  I love the strawberry shake anytime, but my kids love it for a refreshing treat at lunch! If you are interested in finding out more about these products click HERE 

RECIPE - Oatmeal "Breaded" Chicken.

This chicken turned out SO yummy!  The recipe came about when I promised my little people nuggets, but had no flour in the house.  To be honest I think I will continue to make them this way, they turned out really good.  I have since tried this on fish, beef schnitzel, chicken wings ( added a tbsp of my spicy rub to the oats), and pork chops.

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 tsp parsley
• 4 chicken breasts chopped into cubes

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with pparchment paper
2. Rinse and pat dry the chicken.
3. Combine everything (except chicken) in blender or bullet.
4. Pulse until mixture is the consistency of flour.
5. Place mixture in a ziploc, add chicken, shake to coat.
6. Space evenly on the baking sheet, bake for 30 to 45 mins, or until chicken is no longer pink.

Tropical Sunshine

After reading over and over again about all you lucky people escaping this frozen north if even just for a week, I started to have a pity party.  I want to be warm and fuzzy (from RUM, not Sweaters) sipping a beautiful drink! So in an attempt to pretend like I am some place warm I made this smoothie, cranked the heat,and sat on my couch in a pool of sunshine, even though I have yet to venture any place that remotely resembles a resort, this is how I picture it!

Ingredients

• 4- 5 frozen mango chunks
• 4 - 5 frozen pineapple chunks
• 1/2 banana
• 1 scoop whey powder ( plain or vanilla)
• 1/4 cup vanilla soya / almond milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp chia seed

Steps

1. Put everything in your magic bullet or blender, blend until smooth.  CRANK THE HEAT, AND ENJOY!!
2. I think once it is patio weather I am going to OMIT the Milk and ADD the RUM!

RECIPE - Banana FIBER Wraps

I made these today for lunch, and they were a hit!  Thought I would share with you.  They are protein packed, FULL of fiber and really tasty.  Hope your little people enjoy them as much as mine did.

Ingredients

• Large whole grain wrap
• Natural peanut butter ( or any nut butter)
• Banana cut in half lengthwise
• 1 tbsp ground flax
• 1 tbsp chia seed
• 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 tbsp organic honey

Steps

1. Spread peanut butter over entire wrap
2. Sprinkles flax, chia, coconut and honey over peanut butter, spread to over entire wrap.
3. Place banana on wrap, and roll.
4. Cut into sections.
5. Serve and Enjoy!

RECIPE - Whole Wheat Cookies

These are a favorite at my house.  The kids all help me make them, then we enjoy a nice warm cookie as an snack with a big glass of milk!  Plus there is no sugar added!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp each baking soda and baking powder
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips / raisins / cranberries / or other dried fruit chunks

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 350, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper
2. In a smaller bowl cream together butter, yogurt, applesauce, eggs and vanilla.
3. In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients, then fold in wet. 
4. Once ingredients are combined fold in chocolate chips or dried fruit (or both!)
5. Using 2 teaspoons space dough balls out onto cookie sheet.  These are hearty cookies so I don't recommend making them big.
6. Bake for 10 - 15 mins or until lightly brown and chewy
7. Cool and ENJOY!

"JUST EAT IT!!!"

Some days the battle to get your children to ingest enough vegetables can be exhausting!  There are days when I am lucky if my youngest eats even one full serving of ANYTHING!  Yet somehow he is a giant compared to his brothers, must be all the milk!  When the boys where put on the vegan diet I literally spent HOURS in the kitchen cooking and prepping meals, HOURS reading cook books, HOURS fighting with my boys (including the one that is 32 yrs old) that VEGGIE meatballs and REAL meat balls taste the SAME in the sauce (they really do btw).  It was SO exhausting.  At one point I felt so defeated and broken from all these hours I headed to MandM's grabbed a lasagna, and one of the breads, cooked it and fed it to the whining little buggers (that was how I felt, I thought, I WILL SHOW YOU!)  Within about 30 mins after eating dinner I had 2 belly achers and 2 vomitters! HA!  Showed them, well sort of I had to clean a lot of vomit, ARGH!  NEVER ENDS!!  I really wished that someone would have just tried out the recipes, told me what worked and given me some ideas and pointers! I had tons of great books, but not all the recipes were really all that great!  I remember I tried this one that looked so YUMMY in the the book, and when I was finished SO YUMMY looking on the plate.  We all dug into it thinking we were going to get a big mouthful of greatness, NOT!  It was SO gross!  Justin and I CHOCKED it down, and I ended up giving the kids a power smoothie instead. Then the leftover went RIGHT into the green bin, ARGH!! I HATE waste, but there was no hope for it!  It is because of this I am going to start a recipe section called "Just For Kids".  I will include recipes that I have found to work great with the munchkins, tips and tricks for getting them to eat veggies, and helpful advice that I have come across.  Anytime you are stuck with what to make them, simple click on the "Just for Kids" category and you will see all the post to help you out.  I would love to hear about any food, tips, or tricks you have come across that have helped you as well, so send them to me!  I will post them here as well.  I hope you find it helpful, and I will try to add something new to it at least once a week, so make sure you keep checking in!

RECIPE - English Muffin Pizza

Big hit at my house!  The kids love to put these together on there own, that way everyone's pizza is different.

Ingredients

• Whole wheat english muffins divided in half
• 1 Can pizza sauce
• 2 - 3 cups grated skim mozza cheese
• your favorite pizza toppings!

Steps

1. Lay out the english muffins on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
2. Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce on each muffin
3. Top with your favorite toppings, then add cheese on top.
4. Bake in 350 oven until cheese melts and muffin's crisp up.  About 10 mins.
5. Serve and ENJOY!

RECIPE - Whole Wheat Chicken Wraps

Simple and SO yummy!

Ingredients

• Whole wheat wraps
• Preseravtive free cooked chicken lunch meat (or your "planned leftovers" from dinner last night)
• Green leaf lettuce
• tomatoe slices (I don't recommend adding the tom's if you are making these the night before, they go mushy)
• Cucumber slices
• Dijon Mustard

Steps

1. Lay the wraps out, spread dijon.
2. Layer chicken, lettuce, tom's and cucumber int he center of the wrap.
3. Roll it up and ENJOY!

RECIPE - Tuna Salad Pita

Tuna salad doesn't have to be boring, and plain.  Try some of the variations too!

Ingredients

• 1 can flake light tuna
• 1/2 apple diced
• 1/2 stalk celery diced
• 1 green onion finely chopped
• 2 tbsp mayo (or Olive oil if you are watching your waist)
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

Steps

1. Place tuna in a large bowl, flake apart with a fork.
2. Add other ingredients and mix.
3. fill mini pitas and ENJOY!

Variations

• Spicy Tuna - omit the apple from above, add a pinch of crushed chili peppers
• Greek Tuna - omit the apple from above, add finely diced tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, black olives and crumpled feta.
• Garlic Tuna - add 1 tsp crushed garlic ( or 2 cloves roasted garlic) then stay FAR AWAY from everyone! But it is SOOO GOOD!  
• Pesto Tuna - omit apple, add a tbsp of your favorite pesto.
• Roasted Red Pepper - omit the apple, add 2 tbsp of chopped canned red pepper with a little of the oil.

RECIPE - CLEAN Mac and Cheese

This one is a huge hit with all the kiddies in my house.  You change it up in so many different ways too so it is never the same boring old Mac and Cheese.

Ingredients

• 4 cups whole wheat pasta ( I like elbows, but use what you have)
• 1/2 bag frozen cauliflower
• 2 cooked chicken breast ( OR ham, pork, or clean meatballs)
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 3 - 4 cups shredded cheese ( marble is great, but any one you like)
• 1 cup pasta water ( reserved while pasta is cooking)
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables

Steps

1. In a large pasta pot, cook the cauliflower until tender. 
2. Scoop cauliflower out of water once cooked and use the water to cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.  Reserve a cup of pasta water.
3. Mash / puree the cauliflower, set aside.
4. Drain the pasta, rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process and prevent mushy pasta in your bake.
5. In the pot, heat the butter over med heat.  Once butter melts, sprinkle flour over top and whisk together. 
6. Add cheese whisk with flour mixture until melted.
7. Add pureed cauliflower, whisk
8. If mixture is too thick add the pasta water until it is creamy.
9. Add pasta, frozen mixed vegetables, and meat into mixture.  Mix until everything is coated
10. Transfer to 2 large pans.  Freeze now, or cook at 350 for 45 mins.
11. Serve and ENJOY!

Planned Leftovers

• Make a big batch for dinner so the kids (or yourself) can have some for leftovers the next day.
• I double the batch, then fill 4 of the large bake and take aluminum foil pans (at Dollorama), eat one that week and freeze the rest.

NOTE - I have a little munchkin that I care for that REFUSED to eat this the first time I made it because "real" Mac and Cheese was ORANGE!  So I omitted the cauliflower and, replaced it with 3 large carrots, peeled cooked and pureed with the other mixed veg so there was NO evidence of veggies at all.  Guess what, IT WAS ORANGE, and she eat 3 servings!