Recipes

Where do we start when trying to cook healthier? It is overwhelming to search for recipes just to try them and go...ewhhh...now I am starving and repulsed by my dinner...lets get something fast. Which turns out to be something that we feel guilt about later. Well in feeding a family of 5, I don't have all day to make meals. I am constantly running from here to there for my kids, school functions, soccer practice, church activities...and I just don't have the time to make a huge production out of meals every day. You can still do delicious and healthy quickly! Just some minor tweaks to family favorites will help keep your diet on track!

***addendum***Now while not all these recipes are diet friendly...having a good recipe for something is worth something.  Now that Mojito recipe sounds awesome....I will substitute splenda for the sugar but other than that...I am going to try it.  Sometimes eating healthy is just portion control and trying to make better choices somewhere else.  Also, I have found that if I limit myself to much, I splurge in major ways.  So having a drink or a piece of cake once in a while wont hurt you...just as long as once in a while doesn't happen every day or every week;)  Enjoy!

Drinks

Ingredients

Makes 4

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves, plus sprigs for garnish
• 1 ruby-red grapefruit
• 3/4 cup white rum
• 3 cups ice
• 1 cup seltzer

Directions

1. Bring sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, and add mint leaves. Let steep 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a small bowl, and discard mint. Let cool.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, remove zest from grapefruit in long, wide strips. Place in a large glass, and add rum. Cover, and let stand for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve intoa large glass measure, and discard zest.
3. Cut away remaining pith from grapefruit. Cut between membranes to release segments. For each drink, place 2 to 3 segments in a glass. Top with 3/4 cup ice. Stir 3 tablespoons infused rum, 2 tablespoons mint syrup, and 1/4 cup seltzer in a glass measure, and pour over ice. Garnish with mint sprigs.

Apples Apples Apples


Apple Tart (thanks to TasteSpotting.com


Well the photo of this looked SO good I am going to try it for Thanksgiving dessert.  I will let you know how it goes, but by the look of it...it will be delicious!

**Recipe**

Mom's Apple Pie

Serves 8-10

I've never spent much time concentrating on which type of apple is the best to bake. Use what you like or what you have. In the past, my mom has made pear pies and mixed pear-apple pies, and I recommend those as well.

Ingredients

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup sugar

5-6 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into slices

1 tablespoon jam--strawberry, raspberry, or apricot preferred

1 batch tart dough (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine the orange juice, sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl and mix. Add the apple slices and toss to distribute the liquid evenly among them.

Roll out the dough and drape it over a tart pan with removable bottom. Press it in, and double the sides of the tart with extra dough. Use a fork to prick holes in the bottom of the pie shell. Brush the bottom with the jam.

Arrange the apples in overlapping concentric circles, starting at the outside. You want to squeeze them in, as they shrink during baking. When you get to the center, you may have to lose the circle pattern, but just try to make the apples look attractive. Discard any remaining juice/cornstarch mixture.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes, until the crust is golden and cooked through and the apples are brown on top. Cool to room temperature, remove the sides of the tart pan, and serve. If crust appears to be cooking too quickly, cover loosely with foil

Tart Dough

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups flour

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 stick + 1 tablespoon butter, cut into chunks

1 egg yolk beaten with 3-4 tablespoons of the coldest ice water you can get your hands on

Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse just until the mixture looks like crumbs. Add about 2 tablespoons of the water and pulse again. Continue adding water just until the dough comes together into a ball.

Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before rolling out.

Pear Almond Muffins ***

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup chopped peeled pear
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. In another bowl, beat the eggs, yogurt, milk, oil and extract. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in pear and almonds. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

Pumpkin Pumpkin Pumkin

Pumpkin Seeds *****

Take freshing harvested pumpkin seeds and soak in warm water with approximately 3 tbs. of sea salt.
Let soak for at least 1 hour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Bake in oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour turning once.
Enjoy!
Easy and oh so yummy!

Pumpkin Soup *****

Bake one cleaned out pumpkin at 350 for 1 hour leaving the top on but askew as to leave a vent hole for the steam.
While the pumpkin is baking take 1 to 2 onions (depending on size of pumpkin, large-2 small-1)chop and sautee in butter until clear
Chop 3 carrots and sautee in butter for 3 to 5 minutes
Add these to a soup pot with 2 to 3 large cans of chicken broth (depending on size of pumpkin)
You want just enough liquid to cover the veggies.
Add 3 Zucchini's pealed and chopped to the soup pot.
After the pumpkin has cooled enough to cut remove the skin and chop into cubes.
Add to soup pot.

Season to taste with White pepper and Sea Salt. I added some pumpkin pie spice and some extra cinnamon last time I made this soup and it tasted like pumpkin pie! Another variation was to use cumin to give it a smokey flavor.

Once the soup has simmered for an hour or so ( the veggies need to be cooked through out, soft) put through the blender or use an emulsion blender to mix into a cream consistency. Enjoy topped with Parmesan cheese or plain.

Chicken


Chicken Marsala *****


So Easy and so Tasty! I said to myself...why haven't I been making this?!?!

4 Chicken Breasts, Cut in half and pounded flat (Also an easy way to trick youself that you are eating more when really...it's half as much:) )
2 Tbsp Flour ( I used wheat)
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Cups Mushrooms sliced
3/4 Cup Marsala Cooking wine
1/4 Cup Water
2 Tbsp Fresh Parsley
1/4 Tsp Rosemary

Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour.  In large skillet, melt butter and saute' mushrooms until browned, Medium Heat.  Remove and set aside.  Add Chicken to Skillet and cook throughly (about 10 minutes, browned on each side) Remove.  Add wine, water and fresh herbs to skillet, heat to boil.  Pour over chicken and serve.  Serves 8.

Veggies


Mixed Veggies *****


Ok so one of my favorite ways to have veggies is steamed, then pan fried.  Odd I  know but bear with me.  So a different way to have broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots is to cook them twice.  I buy the bag at Costco of mixed veggies.  Then I steam them. This is my kids favorite so I serve them and then I move on to me.  After they have been steamed, I drain the water and add approximately 1 Tbs. of butter to a fry pan.  I add the veggies, season with any seasoning that sounds good, I like lemon pepper, and cook until the tips have browned.  So good!  The browning adds a different flavor and it just kicks your tired veggies up a notch. Eventually I am pretty sure I can get my kids to try this...but for now...they have steamed!


Asparagus *****

Preheat oven to 475

Take fresh asparagus and put on to a sided baking sheet.

Top with Olive Oil, powdered garlic, sea salt and 2 pats of butter.

Bake for 45 Minutes...until tips are slightly browned.

Enjoy!

Cake Decorating

This cake was made with the "To Die for Chocolate Cake" 

To DIE for Chocolate Cake

2 C. Flour

2 C. Sugar

2 Eggs

3/4 C. Oil

3/4 C. Buttermilk

1 Bar German Chocolate (Or...what I do Is one cup of chocolate chips)

2 Tsp. Baking Soda

1 Tsp. Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp. Vanilla

1/2 Tsp. Salt

Add all ingredients together EXCEPT chocolate.  Stir until everything is completely mixed.  Pour 1 cup of hot coffee over chocolate to melt.  Once melted, add to cake mix.

Bake @ 350 degrees for 35 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

This cake is moist and brownie like.  You will need to trim the top to make a strait top for frosting.  Worth it though!!! It is also good plain sprinkled with powdered sugar!  

Enjoy!