Homemade Sweet Potato Fries

While at the Grocery store today, I saw a bag of sweet potato fries for$ 4.99 for a 1 lb bag.  I started craving them but didn't want to spend that much so I went over to the produce section and found yams for $1.59 per lb.  I made 1 lb of these fries myself for only 1.50= a savings of $3.49:

Ingredients:
2 Medium size Yams or Sweet Potatoes (about 1 lb)
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
Garlic salt with parsley

1)Preheat oven to 350 F. Wash and cut sweet potatoes in half and then lengthwise.  The slice  into long skinny "fries" leaving the skin on.

2) Put olive oil in a bowl and put the prepared sweet potato fries into the bowl and toss them with the oil.  Then sprinkle with the garlic salt with parsley or other seasonings as desired and toss again.

3) Put fries on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake at 350 F until softened.  Then turn the oven up to broil for a couple of minutes to crisp the fries a little.  Careful it is easy to forget and leave them in too long.

Remove from the cookie sheet, cool slightly and serve warm! MMMM!

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

2-3 Cups of  Healthy Sloppy Joes meat

(I used my leftovers from last night)

1 large Sweet Potato baked and mashed

(leaving the skin for extra nutrition)

Simply preheat oven to 350 F, put the meat into an appropriate sized casserole dish and spread the mashed sweet potato on top.  Heat through for about 1/2 hour.  (or heat in the microwave if you have one large enough) 

Serving suggestion: my Toddler didn't try it until I put some on a cracker and made her a mini-pizza, then she loved it and ate several more. 

This is also a great next day leftover tip--however, we didn't have any leftovers with this meal.  My family ate and ate until it was scraped clean.

Egg Drop Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 cups filtered water
• 1 cup desired fresh vegetables washed and prepared
• 2 cubes or 2 teaspoons vegetable bouillon
• 2 eggs, cage free brown eggs preferred

1) Combine water and vegetables in blender and pulse a few times until vegetables are as small as you desire (or you can skip this part and leave the vegetables in large chunks)

2)Pour the vegetables and water into a saucepan and bring to a boil.

3) Beat the eggs in a small bowl

4) When the water is boiling, add the bouillon and stir to dissolve.

5) Finally, continue to boil as you slowly and gradually add in beaten eggs while stirring.  Turn off heat and allow to sit 2-3 minutes to completely cook the eggs.

Makes about 3 servings (1 cup)

Healthy Sloppy Joes

 My Family overall rating: 4 yea! Everybody ate their veggies today!

Brown:

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 red, green or yellow pepper chopped (optional)
• 3 cloves garlic smashed and then peeled
• 1 tsp each of ground coriander, oregano, parsley
• 1/2 tsp each Cayenne pepper, ground ginger
• red pepper flakes (optional)

Add:

• 1 Cup Vegetable Puree-- I used 1/2 beet and 1/2 broccoli Note:  I prepared the puree simply by washing and slicing the beet and washing and separating the broccoli and then blending in blender with water as needed for it to blend smoothly.  You can used canned or cooked vegetables instead.  I like fresh best.
• 1 6 oz can Tomato Paste

My favorite is to serve on a lettuce leaf for grain/gluten free diets then I just pick it up and roll the leaf and eat like a burrito or taco

Morning Glory serves hers with a hot dog bun 

I served Lady Slipper's on crackers.

Leftover suggestions:

• homemade pizza topping
• mix with beans for tacos, burritos or taco pie
• Use in Shepherd's pie

Be Nutritiously Inspired!

"Magic" Cornbread

Here is how pink the batter looks

See how it changes after baking?
These first two pictures were made with yellow split peas ground into flour

This last picture is of the cornbread made with pinto bean flour. 

I call this magic because the beets in this batter is very pink but then it changes color as it bakes and if you don't like beets, here is a tasty way to enjoy the nutrients without noticing the beet taste at all:) The real magic is in the ingredients which combine to make a complete protein.  I grind my own flours.

2 Cups Cornmeal (I use fresh ground popcorn kernals)
2 Cups pinto bean flour (or a combination of 1/2 cup yellow split pea flour and 1 1/2 cups Great Northern Bean flour) 
1/2 cup beet puree (fresh is best when I have them.  They don't even have to be cooked before blending. Or use canned fancy beets--not the  pickled kind--and blended them up with a little water in the blender)
2 Tablespoons baking powder (or use 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda and 3 teaspoons of cream of tartar)
1 teaspoon salt
2 beaten eggs
 2 cups milk
1/2 cup olive oil

• Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another.
• Mix wet and dry together and put into two well oiled 8"x 8" round pans
• bake in preheated 425 F oven for about 20 minutes
• Let cool a few minutes before cutting into wedges or it will be really crumbly.

Oatmeal Rice Pudding

Bring to a boil over medium/low heat:
4 cups filtered water
1/2 cup yellow split pea powder (whisk in a little at a time)
1 Cup powdered milk (whisk in a little at a time)
2 Cups leftover cooked brown rice
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1/2 tsp allspice
a little fresh grated nutmeg
1 /2 -1 Cup honey

When boiling take off the heat and add 2 cups Oatmeal (I love the texture of Coaches Oats) and let sit a couple of minutes or until desired texture.  It thickens as it sits.

Family Review:  I love that it is a complete protein with the legumes and grains and dairy together and it tastes good too. Dad likes it but wants milk to put on top (we are out of milk today), Morning glory gives it 5 stars (it tastes like a dessert maybe a little less sweet next time...I used 1 cup of honey), and Lady Slipper loved it from the first bite which is a definite winner with a toddler. 

Be Nutritiously Inspired,

Fruit and Veggie Rolls

Step One:
3 1/2 Cups warm water (try to have it at about 110°F)
1/4 Cup honey
1 Cup olive oil
6 Tablespoons yeast

Place above four ingredients into a very large mixing bowl and allow to sit and rest for 15 minutes to allow the yeast to start working.( If your yeast is bad, then it will not bubble up and you will need to start over.)

Step Two:
In a smaller bowl combine:

2 eggs
2 cups of fruit and/or veggie pulp. (I used pulp left after juicing some potatoes,carrots, grapefruit, and pineapple in my high efficiency juicer).

Then add to yeast mixture.

Step Three
In a third large mixing bowl combine:
5 1/2 Cups whole wheat flour
1/2 Cup yellow split pea flour
3 1/2 Cups Great Northern White Bean flour
1 Tablespoon of salt (optional: I actually just sprinkled a little garlic salt parsley blend on mine as I shaped the rolls)

Step Four
Shape into rolls and place on a cookie sheet.
Allow to rise until double.

Bake at 350 F until golden brown

Carrot, Lime, Pear Cookies

--

My Version: (inspired by101 Cookbooks Carrot Oatmeal Cookies)

11/2 Cups ground brown rice flour
1/2 cup great northern beans flour  (ground into flour)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups pear, lime and carrot pulp (we made juice in our juicer and used the pulp . . .use any combination of pulp)
3/4 cup agave syrup
1 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp ground ginger

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and oats. Add  the pulp In a separate smaller bowl use a whisk to combine the agave syrup, olive oil, and ginger. Add this to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.
Drop onto prepared baking sheets, one level tablespoonful at a time, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie. Bake  at 375 in the top 1/3 of the oven for 10 - 12 minutes or until the cookies are golden on top and bottom.

Tip:  If you want flatter cookies instead of "puffs" simply press down with a fork before baking.

Note: The original recipe used whole wheat flour and coconut oil and nuts and did not use lime and pear pulp.  Also they used fresh ginger instead of ground ginger and maple syrup instead of agave syrup.

Be Nutritiously Inspired,

Valentine's Day Breakfast

Blend a small amount of canned beets (not pickled beets) in your blender and add them to your pancake or waffle batter for a pink surprise.  (I didn't use her recipe but I got the idea from "Deceptively Delicious" by Jesica Seinfeld)

I made the pink juice by:

•  draining 1 can of pineapple, 1 can of pears and puting the juice in my pitcher (I use the ones canned in natural fruit juice, not sugar syrup)
• draining a can of beets (I don't reserve the juice from the beets since it creates a taste that is too strong).
• In a juicer, juice the pinapple, pears,  1/2 of the beets and 1 large sweet potato (uncooked and unpeeled).  Then add the juice to the pithcer with the other reserved juice. (If you don't have a juicer, you could create a smoothie.  If you use the juicer remember that the pulp can be used to make great muffins, pancakes or quick bread . . . be creative) 
• What a healthy and festive drink!  It tastes somewhat like drinking a watermelon nectar.

Be inspired,

Full Protein Zuchini and Beet Bread

I just discovered a very yummy and healthy way to add more beans and brown rice to my family's diet! I just used a recipe for zuchini bread ( I used one from "Our Best Bites by Sara Wells and Kate Jones) and then altered the recipe:

1) Instead of white flour, I used 1/2 cup ground white northern bean flour (I have my own grinder I used and just ground up a bag of the dried beans) and for the rest of the called for amount of flour I substituted brown rice flour (also just a regular bag of brown rice ground up in my electric grinder.

2) I used 1/3 cup of blended beet purree (I cooked the beets in the microwave and then cut them and blended them in the blender with a little water) as part of the amount of zuchinni.

I also used all white sugar since I didn't have brown sugar to add as the recipe called for.

My family all loved this bread and because it is made from the brown rice and bean flour, it is also a complete protein bread. Not to mention the beets and zuchini. A great snack to give to my toddler and feel good about.

Note: I got the idea to use vegetable puree from Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook. Check it out for some great recipes for using other veggies in a fun way.

Simply Scrumptious: Beet Greens . . .Yes, Really!

We have a community garden where we live and my hubby and daughter brought home some yummy veggies a couple of days ago. But they also brought back some beets and beet greens. I don't like beets! But I was determined to find a way to use them. I found this recipe online and--yes really--the greens were really good! Now I just need to figure out how to like the beets. (I served them with some banana squash and some rice balls from the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld)

Be Nutritiously Inspired,

"Roasted Root Vegetables"

I found a recipe using beets that said "Beets were my sworn enemy until I tried them like this" and since I don't like beets either, I tried them this way and really liked them! Click here for the recipe. (I served it with a Vietnamese style chicken, carrots and cabbage served over thin spaghetti pasta).

Be Nutritiously Inspired,

Simply Scrumptious: Crock-pot Baked Potatoes

I like to keep oven use to a minimum during the Summer so I tried an experiment:  Cook baked potatoes in the crock-pot.  It was really easy and the potatoes were better than those baked in the microwave.  I simply washed the potatoes and pierced each one with a fork.  Then I layered them in the Crock-pot and poured in one cup of water and cooked the potatoes on low.  I did notice that I needed to put in more water about halfway through cooking time so next time I will add more water at the beginning.  Easy!

Be Nutritiously Inspired,

Fruit and Veggie Poppy Seed Salad

This salad was really good. My daughter loves to help make it since she likes the chopper:) I simply cleaned out the fridge by adding cucumber, carrots, apples and grapes. Then combining them with a little poppy seed dressing and some sliced almonds.

Carrot Shaped Carrot Cake

My husband wanted a carrot cake for his birthday and my daughter had a great idea: Make it carrot shaped! We used a homemade carrot cake and frosting recipe and it was so yummy! We simply made a 9x13 pan and then after it cooled for 10 minutes, we removed the cake and let it cool completely. Then transferred it onto a cookie sheet and cut out the main carrot shape and then used the leftover parts for the carrot leaves. Then decorated with orange and green frosting. Yum!

Using the Halloween Pumpkin

For Family Home Evening, I used my daughter's Jack'0 Lantern to make some cooked pumpkin to use in place of pie filling in a yummy recipe.
1) bring some water to a boil in 1-2 large pots, depending on the size of the pumkin you are cooking.
2) Cut the pumpkin up into several small pieces that can easily fit into the pots and add them into the boiling water.
3) Boil the pumpkin until it is the desired softness. It will cook faster if you cover the pot.
4) Remember to let it cool to a warm temp before using tongs to take the pieces out and peel the skin off of each piece.
5) either smash up or puree in a blender the small pumkin pieces.
Serving suggestions: This is great to use with butter and brown sugar to eat as a side dish. It tastes a lot like butternut squash. Yum! Also great in recipes calling for pumpkin pie filling. Freezes well for later.
We made some yummy and very easy pumpkin cookies with it from a very simple recipe from the Friend.All it took was a spice cake mix, eggs, chocolate chips or raisins and the cooked pumpkin.

Halloween Goo (Split Pea Soup)

I usually buy a bag of split peas and then follow the recipe on the back of the bag with my own alterations as I feel that day:) This time I did:

1) 2 T oil in bottom of very large pot and then add following ingredients and cook and stir a few minutes (can add a little water to the bottom of the pan to help steam the vegetables if desired):
-3 stalks celery chopped
-3 large carrots chopped
-2 medium potatoes chopped
-1 package of bacon cooked in microwave and cut into pieces
-1 medium chopped onion (or 1/4 cup dehydrated onion)
-4 cloves garlic smashed and peeled

2) next add
-49 oz of chicken broth (can make your own with water and chicken bouillon)
-1 tsp thyme
-the whole bag of split peas (sorted through first to make sure there are no little rocks or anything else that got mixed into them during packaging)

3) bring to a boil and then turn down heat to medium-low and simmer for about 60 minutes frequently stirring and adding a little more water or broth whenever it begins to get low.

4) when peas are soft and mushy, it is finished. You can blend up half of the mixture to make a creamier texture if desired.

Note: This makes a very large pot of soup which can easily be split into freezer containers for later or you can make only half a batch at a time.

serving suggestion: you can make little bat wing shaped pieces of toast and put them on top of each bowl of soup when serving. Also tastes really great with cornbread.

Cheese Soup

It was so fun to get together with one of my friends to make several freezer meals.
I hadn't had cheese soup in a while so I was especially excited to make this recipe from my friend's family cookbook. This is how we made it:

1) in large (at least 4-quart) pot combine the following ingredients and boil until vegetables are cooked through:
2 quarts water
4 potatoes washed and diced or shredded(peels are fine if you like them)
4 stalks celery diced or shredded
4 carrots sliced or shredded (peels are fine if you like them)
8 chicken bouillon cubes
1 medium diced onion (optional)
a pinch of garlic powder (optional)
3/4 tsp Accent (optional)

2) in separate pan melt 2 cubes of butter and then slowly add 1 and 1/2 cups of flour a little at a time and stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Then add 4 cups of water and cook and stir over medium heat for several minutes (using a wire whisk really helps prevent lumps) until it thickens. Then remove from the heat. (This has created a thick white sauce)

3) When the vegetables are soft, then puree half of them in a blender and pour it out into a bowl. Then puree the rest of the vegetables and return them all to the pan. (Or for chunky soup just skip this step)

4) Cut 16 oz of Velveeta cheese into small squares and add it and the white sauce into the large pot with the puree veggies and cook and stir over medium-low heat until the cheese melts. (other shredded cheeses will work well too but will take longer to melt in than the Velveeta)

5) If Desired, add up to one quart more water to make the soup the consistency you like.

6) If you want to freeze for later, wait for the soup to cool down and then ladle it into the desired size plastic freezer containers.

Yield: 3-4 quarts of really yummy soup.

Tip: If you cut the amount of water in half when you cook the vegetables and don't add the extra water at the end, this soup can make a really good and healthier (because of the puree veggies) cheese sauce for pasta.

Really Easy Homemade Pasta Sauce

It is great to make your own sauce from fresh tomatoes, but sometimes I just don't have that many tomatoes around to do it with, or the time to cut the tomatoes up and stuff :) I made this simple sauce yesterday for my visiting friends and one suggested I put it on my blog so here it is:

3 cans of canned tomatoes (14 1/2 oz, any variety)
1 small can of condensed tomato soup (optional, this thickens the sauce a little)
1/2- tsp sage and oregano and 1 T minced onion and 1/4 tsp garlic powder (if the tomatoes were unseasoned) or season to taste.

Blend up the canned tomatoes is the blender (1 can at a time if using a small one like I do. I use the Magic Bullet). Put them in a large pot on the stove over medium to high heat. Add the tomato soup and seasonings
You can also add some other cooked and blended veggies. I like to use spinach (cooked and drained well and only use about 1/2 cup or less or the sauce will be very green but still taste yummy), shredded zuchini, other squash varieties cooked . . . endless possibilities:)

This amount served 6 people.

Pasta Sauce from Fresh Tomatoes

My neighbor offered to let me come and pick tomatoes. It was fun and I made a great sauce out of them:

-about two dozen medium-sized fresh tomatoes washed and diced
-2 Cups of frozen shredded zuchini (thawed and drained)
-1 small acorn squash (cut in half, steamed in microwave and then scooped out of shell)
1/2 tsp each of garlic powder, basil, oregano, and sage
-1 small can of tomato paste (optional--will help the sauce thicken)

Add all obove ingredients to a large crock pot and cook on high for four hours. Can add in parmesan cheese or browned ground beef.