Month: May 2013

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets

Melissa King 15 Comments

I have been trying hard to get more beets into my diet.  They are so good for you.  I tried blending them up in my vitamix, but couldn’t get them down.  It was not very good.  Maybe they are one of those things you have to get used to?  Coconut was like that for me.  I used to hate it,  but now I can’t get enough!  I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest.  It’s from Gluten-Free Goddess and it was amazing!  Check out her blog if you get a chance.  Lots of yummy recipes and many are vegan.

beet salad watermark

I have made roasted beets in the past and I thought they were delicious.  So I decided to give this a go.  I am so glad I did!  I did change a few things in the recipe, but I mostly kept it as is.  I am not a fan of oranges in salad, so I omitted those.

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets

Quinoa Salad with Roasted Beets

print shopping list
Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 1 hr

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked quinoa
  • 2 beets peeled (greens removed) and cubed
  • 2 T avocado or coconut oil
  • salt to taste
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Juice of half a large orange or 1/4 cup orange juice
  • 2 tsp soy sauce or tamari (I used organic soy)
  • 1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 T raw honey or maple syrup
  • 3-4 handfuls of baby spinach
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Place the beets on a lined baking sheet and drizzle with the 2 T coconut or avocado oil.
  3. Sprinkle with sea salt.
  4. Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes.
  5. While the beets are roasting, you can cook the quinoa according to the package instructions. I actually cooked the quinoa the day before.  If you buy your quinoa in bulk, cook it 2 parts water per 1 part quinoa. 
  6. Once the beets are done roasting, let them cool.
  7. Once cooled, combine the beets and quinoa in a large bowl. 
  8. In a small bowl, combine: olive oil, orange juice, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, garlic and honey.
  9. Whisk into a dressing.
  10. Pour over the beets and quinoa.
  11. Fold in the spinach.
  12. Now salt to taste and that’s it.

by

Recipe Notes

We got about 4 servings. Enjoy!

Healthy Birthday Ideas

Melissa King 8 Comments

My younger daughter Olive is turning 2 this month so I thought I would try to come up with alternative ideas to traditional birthdays.  I do get asked about this quite a bit.  Here are some of my ideas:

olive

CAKE

My first thought was to do cupcakes.  That way, you are not stuck with a huge amount of sugary cake after the party.  You can bake as many cupcakes as you need.  While we are on the subject of cake, why not make them  a little healthier and use a muffin recipe?  I plan on using my banana muffin recipe for Olive’s cupcakes.   It’s plenty sweet and made with whole grains.  If you don’t want to use my recipe, this website has great healthy cupcakes.  This blog also details a great idea of an ice cream bar in lieu of cake.

nutella muffins copy

ICE CREAM

Traditionally, ice cream is served with the cake.  This can still be done if you like.  To make it healthier, you can make ice cream in a blender with frozen bananas.  Or, if you have an ice cream machine, you can try my strawberry ice cream recipe.  You can also skip the ice cream and do make ahead smoothie pops using these molds.

ice cream watermark

OTHER PARTY FOOD OPTIONS

1. Fruit Skewers – Most kids love any food on a stick and fruit skewers are always a hit.

2. Make Your Own Pizza – Kids love this idea because it gives them some freedom in what they are eating.  You can use tortilla wraps or homemade dough.  Personally, I think the tortilla wraps are great, because they cook up in no time.

3. Veggie Tray with Ranch Dip – Again, kids love fun foods and they love to dip things.  If you have a child with dairy allergies coming to the party, you can try my Dairy Free Ranch Dressing.  You can also try my Healthy Honey Mustard.

4.  Healthy Chips and Pretzels –  Trader Joe’s and Amazon sell a pretzel called Unique Pretzels made from whole grains.  To make tortilla chips, I buy Food for Life sprouted corn tortillas and broil them in the oven for about 5 minutes.  Super easy!

DRINKS

Let’s face it, most birthday party drinks usually consist of juice boxes or Capri Suns.  If you have read recently about the mold found in Capri Suns you will probably want to steer clear of those.  There are some great low sugar drink suggestions on Disney’s website.  You can always just stick to water as well.

PARTY ACTIVITIES

We have a pool, so we will not be doing a party activity since the kids will just go swimming.  For those that don’t, here are some ideas.  This website has ideas broken down into age groups as well.  Please note that some of the ideas there many need to be healthified, but it gives you a general idea.

1.  Scavenger Hunts – Kids love that sort of thing.  If you have any plastic eggs lying around from Easter, you can fill them with all kinds of treasure and hide them around your yard and draw a map with clues.

2.  Decorate a Flower or Herb Pot –   This idea is great because the pot could count as the party favor as well.  Maybe you can have all the kids plant some seed while they are at it.

3.  Old fashioned Crayons and Paper –   I know I only have toddlers, but I know that kids of almost all ages like to color.  We went to a family thing over the last weekend and my husband’s aunt had set out some markers and paper and all the kids were all drawing.  Even the older ones.

FAVORS

There are plenty of non food favors you can hand out.  Here are some I have thought of.  They really don’t have to be fancy either.  Just a little something small.  My daughter LOVED the little tiara that she got from a friend’s party.  In fact, she wore it every night with her princess nightgown until the baby split it in two.

1.  Stickers –  Most young kids like stickers.  They are an instant hit.

2.  Bubbles –  Again, always a winner.  They can usually be found for pretty cheap at the dollar store.

3.  Coloring Books –  These are great for girls and boys.

4.  Matchbox Cars –   An idea for boys.

5. Tiaras – These will always be a hit with the girls.

These parties do not have to be centered around junk food.  I hope these ideas can help you.  Feel free to add yours in the comments below!

Clean Eating Peanut Butter Cups (Vegan)

Melissa King 110 Comments

Clean Eating Peanut Butter Cups.  Let’s face it.  We all need a little something sweet every once and a while.  Who says you need to give up peanut butter cups?  While I will never eat Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups again, I will have a homemade peanut butter cup every now and then!

 

clean eating peanut butter cups

 

I made these with homemade peanut butter and also almond butter.  Both worked out well, but I think I liked the peanut butter cups better.  Most homemade peanut butter cup recipes call for powdered sugar.  This does not.  I just dropped some freshly made peanut butter in the middle of these.

So much better that way and also much less sugar too!  The chips I used are from Enjoy Life.  You can also make your own chocolate with 1 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup cacao powder and a few tablespoons of liquid sweetener.  Or you could melt a couple of bars of dark chocolate with a bit of milk.  Any way works.

The Enjoy Life chips have a pretty clean ingredient list and are gluten free as well.  They do contain a bit of processed sugar which is why I gave some other options.  I have tried the chips and the coconut oil chocolate.

I chopped one of these homemade peanut butter cups and ate it in my 5 Minute Banana Ice Cream.  OMG!  Best.Thing.Ever.  A healthier dessert option.

If you don’t want to use chocolate chips, you can use my 3 ingredient chocolate recipe in this video.

Looking for more candy recipes?

 

Clean Eating Peanut Butter Cups

Clean Eating Peanut Butter Cups

print shopping list
Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 20 min Serves 12     adjust servings

It's a healthier version of a Reece's Cup.

Ingredients

  • 1 bag chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life gluten free and soy free chips)
  • 3/4 cup almond milk
  • Roughly 3/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter

Instructions

  1. Get out a couple of muffin tins and line them with paper or silicone cups. . I used standard sized muffin pans, but the mini cups would work well too.
  2. Using a double boiler, melt the chips and milk in a glass bowl, stirring constantly to get the lumps out. It makes a great arm workout.
  3. Once the chocolate and milk have combined and are smooth, pour a little bit of chocolate in the bottom of each muffin cup.
  4. Place them in the freezer for about 20 minutes to set.
  5. When they are hard, pull them out and put a dollop on nut butter on top of each one.
  6. Fill the remaining cup with chocolate.
  7. Repeat until all the cups are filled.
  8. Place back in the freezer.

by

Recipe Notes

I would give them a few hours to set. Actually, I store mine in the freezer as well. I think they would get too soft in the fridge. That’s it!

Homemade Fig Newtons Recipe

Melissa King 168 Comments

Homemade Fig Newtons for you.  Before we cleaned up our diet, Fig Newtons were a big staple around here.  We all know how fig newtons are often touted as a healthy cookie option for kids.  But if you ever looked at the ingredients, most are not good.

My healthy fig newton recipe is so much healthier than store bought ones and a fig newton you can feel good about giving your kids. These fig newtons also taste better in my opinion. You definitely need to try them.

Homemade Fig Newtons

These are made with whole grains and no refined sugars, unlike the real cookies.  The real cookies contain high fructose corn syrup. 🙁  You can also use the recipe as a base to add in your own fillings.  If you filled these with fruit, they would almost taste like a Nutri-Grain bar as well.

The possibilities are endless.  I also added a little cinnamon to the dough to spice it up a bit.  I think it turned out well that way.  One other thing to note is, using the coconut oil will not make them taste like coconut at all, but it does help add a sweetness to the cookies.

Another great thing about this recipe is that it freezes well.  So you can make up a huge batch and freeze some for later. I suggest storing them in an air-tight container with a piece or parchment between each row of cookies.  That way, you don’t have to worry about them sticking together.

Homemade Fig Newtons

Homemade Fig Newtons

print shopping list
Prep Time 1 hr Cook Time 15 min Serves 16 cookies     adjust servings

A healthier version of the classic cookie.

Ingredients

    For the cookie

    For the filling

    • 15-20 figs (I used dried Turkish Figs I got at Sprouts)
    • 1 T maple syrup
    • water

    Instructions

      For the filling

      1. In a food processor, grind up the figs, 1 T maple syrup and a bit of water. You want the figs to be the consistency of peanut butter so only add a bit of water. I think I used about 1 tablespoon.
      2. Blend into a paste and set aside.

      For the cookie

      1. Preheat oven to 350.
      2. In one bowl mix all the dry ingredients.
      3. In another bowl, mix the wet.
      4. Add dry to wet and mix only until combined. Be careful not to over-mix. The dough will be sticky and a bit wet.
      5. Gather it in a ball and wrap it.
      6. Put the dough in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.
      7. Once firm, roll the dough onto a floured surface. I tried to roll my dough as square as possible.
      8. Once the dough is rolled out, spread the fig mixture onto half of the dough.
      9. Once the fig mixture is spread, fold 1 half of the dough onto the other and cut into squares. I cut mine into about 2×2 squares and used a pizza cutter to do so.
      10. Place on lined baking sheet and bake for about 12-15 minutes.
      11. I got about 16 out of my batch.

      by

      Recipe Notes

      They should last a couple of weeks, but you can refrigerate them to make them last even longer. Enjoy!

      Wild Rice, Spinach and Avocado Salad with Sesame Dressing

      Melissa King 22 Comments

      I have a ton of recipes pinned to try on Pinterest.  It had been awhile since I had tried a new one, so I plucked this up and tried it.  This lovely salad comes from Zizi’s Adventures.  She has a beautiful blog full of yummy recipes like this one.  It looked so good I had to try it.  It tasted AMAZING!  We actually made it twice since the first batch disappeared quickly.  I tripled the recipe and changed a few things the second time around.

      avocado sesame salad FG watermark

      This recipe has all my favorite ingredients.  In my world, avocados make everything better.  The original recipe called to cook the greens and garlic, but I like them raw better so that is how I did mine.

      Wild Rice, Spinach and Avocado Salad with Sesame Dressing

      Wild Rice, Spinach and Avocado Salad with Sesame Dressing

      print shopping list
      Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 1 hr

      Ingredients

        Salad

        • 4-5 big bunches of baby spinach chopped (you can do kale as well)
        • 1 1/2 cups wild rice (cooked)
        • 3 avocados sliced
        • 2 cups or 1 can white beans (soak overnight and then cook until soft)
        • 2-3 cloves garlic minced or 2 tsp garlic powder
        • salt to taste

        Dressing

        • 6 T toasted sesame oil
        • 3 T rice vinegar
        • 3 T soy sauce or bragg's aminos
        • Juice of 1 lemon

        Instructions

        1. Cook the rice and let cool. I actually did this the day before. Same with the beans if using dried beans.
        2. In a large bowl, add rice, beans, avocado, garlic and spinach and mix well.
        3. In a small bowl, whisk the ingredients for the dressing.
        4. Pour dressing in the large bowl and mix well until everything is combined.

        by

        Recipe Notes

        I found the best way to do this was with my hands. This dish is best eaten fresh, but will still be delicious the next day. I makes about 5-6 servings. Enjoy!

        Adapted from Zizi's Adventures

        Strawberry Ice Cream

        Melissa King 97 Comments

        Hooray!  Warm weather is here.  At least, in Texas it is.  So it’s time to start breaking out the ice cream maker.  I already have a Cookie Dough Ice Cream and a 5 Minute Banana Ice Cream on the blog.  Now it’s time to add another: Strawberry Ice Cream. Who doesn’t like strawberry ice cream? I know I love all things ice cream, especially strawberry ice cream.

        ice cream watermark

        I use canned coconut milk as a base for all my ice cream recipes for a few reasons.  It has that rich taste and mouth feel of real ice cream and it is dairy free.  I have tried using just nut milk, but it never comes out as creamy.  Since this is so rich tasting, a little bit will satisfy you.  You can use either fresh or frozen strawberries for this.  We used fresh organic strawberries since they were on sale the other day at Whole Foods.  They were so sweet and yummy!  Most store bought ice creams contain carrageenan and other unwanted additives.  The organic stuff is always so expensive.  The ice cream maker is pretty affordable and you make your money back pretty quick.  Plus, you can create your own flavors! 🙂

        Strawberry Ice Cream

        Strawberry Ice Cream

        print shopping list
        Prep Time 10 min Serves 4 - 6 servings     adjust servings

        Ingredients

        Instructions

        1. Mix the coconut milk, vanilla bean and the sweetener in a bowl.
        2. Pour the contents in the ice cream maker. I used my Cuisinart.
        3. When the ice cream starts looking like it is coming together (after about 15 minutes), add the strawberries.
        4. The ice cream will be more of a soft serve consistency. If you like harder ice cream, you can stick it in the freezer for another 1 1/2 hours. That’s it. Enjoy!

        by