Whole Foods Detox Salad-ish

Confession:
I've never gone to Whole Foods to buy this salad. If I go to Whole Check, it's usually for a fun treat, not vegetables. Seriously.

However, I found this pin on Pinterest and fell in love with this salad. Give it a try! You'll be hooked!

A shout out to Oh She Glows blog for the recipe I modified from.


Ingredients:

• 1 head broccoli, stems removed
• 1/2 head cauliflower, stems removed
• 1 cups shredded carrots
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup craisins (or raisins)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro)
• 4-6 tbsp fresh lemon juice, to taste
• 1/4-1/2 tsp salt
• 1 T chia
• 1-2 T Agave or honey, to drizzle on before serving

1. In a food processor (or chop by hand) process the broccoli (no stems) until fine. Add into large bowl.
2. Now process the cauliflower (no stems) until fine and add into bowl. Do the same with the carrots.
3. Stir in the sunflower seeds, craisins, and herbs. Add lemon juice and seasonings to taste.
4. Drizzle with Agave to taste.

This last batch I also added green onions. Seriously, people. Try this salad.

Bob's Red Mill Cookies

I'm such a fan of Bob's Red Mill products. The problem is that it's pretty spendy. Recently, to my surprise, I discovered that Big Lots buys Bob's and sells it for half price of what it sells for in the grocery stores!
I bought the Organic Whole Grain High Fiber Hot Cereal to try out for healthy breakfasts, when I found this recipe on the side. Today we made them to take to a party and they are divine!
Here's the recipe with my tweaks.

1/4 cup Softened Butter
1/2 cup Evaporated Can Juice Sugar (I used slightly less)
1/3 cup Milk (any)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 to 3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 cup Shredded Coconut
1 tsp Baking Powder
1/8 tsp Sea Salt
1 scoop Protein Powder (any)
3/4 cup Chocolate Chips (optional, not in original recipe)

Preheat oven to 350. Beat together butter and sugar til well blended. Add milk and vanilla and mix til smooth.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cereal, coconut, baking powder, and salt. Pour dry ingredients into the wet and mix until just combined. Scoop by the tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet and pat down slightly.
Bake at 350 for 12 minutes.

DISCLAIMER: These cookies aren't low calorie, but they are high fiber and high protein. Also, they're great for people like me who have a wheat sensitivity, but they AREN'T fat free or gluten free.

Enjoy! 

Angenette

Crock Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip Turkey

I recently had a horrible craving for that yummy spinach-artichoke dip. Since I'm on a pretty strict diet, I had to wait til my "free food day" to make it.  Of course I ended up forgetting. It worked out great, though, because I used the ingredients to make something pretty spectacular in my crock pot.

Spinach Artichoke Dip Turkey

1 pack Cream Cheese (any type)

1 box frozen Creamed Spinach

1 small bottle Artichoke hearts

1 lb ground Turkey (I used 99/1, but I don't think fat content matters)

1/2 cup Sour Cream

Salt and Pepper to taste

That's it!I threw it all in the crock pot, stirred it every 45-60 minutes, and it produced this:

We served it over rice, but it could easily be made into a sandwich, crostini topping, pita filling, even pizza topping. It was THAT good.
As for calories, I figured those out, too. Not too shabby, as I used mostly lean items. 400 for the whole dish. Price was good, too, since I found the frozen spinach on sale and the artichoke hearts, too.

The End is Near?

Is it time to hang up the apron on this blog?

Hey, Mikey!

I've been reading everything I can get my hands on regarding healthy food, how our modern lifestyle is detrimental to our health, disastrous farming practices, the vile garbage we call fast food, etc.
Whoever said "Knowledge is power" didn't like Whoppers.
Because I now refuse to take my kids to McDonalds, much to their chagrin, I've been trying to make acceptable (to them) substitutions for "kid foods" at home. Thus today's idea.
Yummy Veggie Nuggets
I usually slice my eggplant and end up with those end pieces that I don't even know what to do with. Today, I cut those end pieces up in little nugget-sized chunks. Egg wash, salt, bread crumbs, pan fried, and a side of ketchup. My 4 year old ate a plateful before thinking to ask what they were.
Since I used leftover bits of eggplant, I'm guessing about 10 - 20 cents a plate of these nuggets.

Help, Please!

Friends, I have a bucketload of refried pinto beans. Literally, a bucketload. We all know they are inexpensive and easy to prepare and tasty, but I'm seriously thinking if I see another bean burrito I might throw it out the window.
I know there are recipes out there that use beans, other than the obvious Mexi-style ideas. We've done all those.
Will you help me? How should I use my (bigger-than-my-head) tupperware full of beans? Keep in mind they were prepared with garlic and bay, so only savory recipes, please!

Polenta

I don't know why Polenta has escaped my sight for a flatbroke favorite. Polenta is corn meal that has been boiled until it's a creamy, yummy foundation for any meal.
I like to cook my polenta in reduced fat broth for a lighter version or in milk and cheese for a heavier (non-diet friendly) creamier version.
Today, I made 1/4 cup of polenta in 1 cup of broth. Then I topped it with sauteed onions and squash with basil, deglazing the pan with vinegar. It was so comforting, and the whole dish cost less than $1, and I could only eat about half.
Another favorite way to make polenta is with spaghetti sauce instead of pasta.
My FAVORITE way to eat polenta (also the one I never ever do anymore because of the calories) is to wrap it around a piece of mozzarella cheese and deep fat fry it until it turns a light golden brown. Then dip it in marinara. It's spectacular.