Apple Pie Smoothie

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Last week we picked exactly 50 apples on our apple picking field trip. Today we have exactly 20 apples left. That means in the last week our family has consumed 30 apples! That seems like a lot doesn't it? I have been trying to use apples in everything I can think of and this morning I had an idea to make a smoothie with the flavors of apple pie. I did a quick google search and came across a few different recipes and found one from Dinners, Dishes and Dessert as a starting point. As with most smoothies this recipe can be versatile.

Did this taste just like apple pie? Well, no. Flaky, buttery pie crust and warm cinnamon, sugary apples are hard to compete with. But the flavors in this smoothie did blend well enough to remind you of apple pie and it did taste good!

Recipe adapted from Dinners, Dishes and Dessert

Apple Pie Smoothie

2 cups Non Fat Greek Yogurt
4 tsp cinnamon
4 apples, cut into chunks (I used jonagold)
1 banana
1 tablespoon peanut butter2 cups skim milk 

*note this made enough for 4 smoothies for our family for breakfast

Put everything in the blender(I used a vitamix), and blend until smooth.

Guten Appetit!

xoxo

Frau Wright

Zuzana's Power Balls

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I've always been a believer of holistic approaches as a first attempt to treating illness and battling disease. It only makes sense that what you put into your body will affect how you feel and how your body functions. Ever since I saw the documentary Food Inc. I have changed the way our family eats. Though we don't cut out processed foods completely, we have made a dramatic change in our lifestyle. It's a gradual process and I feel we are ready to move to the next level of wholesome nutrition by becoming even more discerning with our food choices. I have decided to cut white and even wheat flour out and just use almond flour (for now and will experiment with other types later on). I really want to take on the challenge of  a truly healthy (and maybe eventually Primal) diet.

My first experience with almond flour was today when I made Zuzana's Powerballs. Zuzana is a badass chick from bodyrock.tv. I can say that her FREE workouts are hardcore and will produce results. She is a true health nut. Anyway, on to the recipe! What I really love about these powerballs is how insanely healthy they are and the fact they taste so good you wouldn't really know. The coconut oil adds just a hint of the coconut flavor and because carrots are naturally sweet, the flavors really come together so well.

Every single ingredient in these powerballs has a health benefit:

Honey is a natural sweetner that is high in antioxidants.

Almond flour is low carb and gluten free.

Carrots are also high in antioxidants as well as vitamin A and recent research has found that the phytonutrients in carrots can inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells.

Spinach ( I added this, it wasn't an original ingredient) is of course another well known antioxidant super food. According to the WH Foods (World's Healthiest Foods), spinach was ranked number one for nutrient richness. WH Foods also mentions how in a recent study "spinach showed evidence of significant protection against the occurrence of aggressive prostate cancer."(2011)

Coconut oil Plays an important role in the prevention of diabetes and kidney and gall bladder disease. Mark from Mark's Daily Apple wrote up a great explanation of the health benefits of coconut oil here.

Almonds have so many health benefits to list that it's better to just link the source. Read about all the many reasons these nuts are so good for your body.

Now on to the recipe!  I changed a few things about how I put all the ingredients together and I also added spinach because it has such a mild flavor, yet is so good for you. I honestly couldn't taste the spinach at all. I used our Vitamix blender for making these, but a food processor would work fine too.

First, grind up one cup of oats to form an oat flour.

Then add 2 cups of almond flour to the oat mix and 3 tablespoons of baking powder.

Here is where I did it just a little different. I combined the 4 tablespoons of honey and the 4 tablespoon of coconut oil in a bowl together and mixed them up a little. I then stuck the bowl in the microwave on medium setting for 30 seconds.

Heating up the honey and coconut oil makes the mixture much easier to stir into the flour mix. After taking the bowl out of the microwave I found it was easier to use a fork to mash up the bigger pieces of coconut oil.

Dip your pinkie finger in and have a  taste. mmmmmm.

Add the coconut/honey mix to the flour and stir up. It will be clumpy.

Next add about a cup of carrots to the Vitamix blender and puree until mostly smooth. Then add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of spinach to the carrot puree.

If you don't have a vitamix, you can do as Zuzana suggested and cook the carrots until soft and then mash them up with a potato masher and add chopped spinach to the mix.

Add the carrot mix to the bowl and stir well. I kind of mushed it all together with a spoon.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper. Then roll the dough into balls (I made 20, but it depends on the size you roll). Then take some crushed almonds,  and roll the balls in the almonds.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Then let cool for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Btw, my kids loved these! I had to take the plate away :)

Grown Up Oatmeal

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My plan was to make a blog post about some yummy oatmeal I made for breakfast today.  But while eating I reflected on how good I've been feeling lately and one thought led to 500 more thoughts and I wrote up a whole post on what I think the secret to happiness is.  This oatmeal left me feel full, energetic and happy.

I adapted this recipe from the book, How to Boil Water.  A dear friend of mine had recommended it and it's such a wonderful cookbook with wonderful tips and suggestions.

Grown Up Oatmeal
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
inch of kosher salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup oats
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
Almonds to taste
Dried fruit to taste (I like cranberries)
Drizzle of milk or yogurt

Directions:
In a sauce pan bring water, butter and salt to a boil.
Add the oats and bring to a boil again.  Then reduce to simmer.
Add dried fruit and cook for about 2 minutes or until oats are done.
Sprinkle in some brown sugar (or drizzled honey would be good).
Add a bit of milk or yogurt and top of with some almonds.

YUMM!!

Enjoy :)

B

Breakfast Burrito Buffet for the Holidays

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I have a good idea for a breakast brunch this holiday season!  A breakfast burrito buffet!

It could be as fancy or as simple as you like.  The reason I like the burrito buffet idea is because it's simple and doesn't take much time at all.  Here's what I included in my buffet:
Homemade salsa made the day before (store bought is ok too, but I highly recommend homemade!)
Breakfast sausage
Bacon
Eggs
Breakfast Potatoes
Shredded Cheese
Flour tortillas
Saricha hot sauce (best stuff ever)
Orange juice in fun champagne glasses

Guests can add whatever they like, roll up and enjoy.  MMM!

I set the table up first. It makes things much less stressful this way. If you want to create a festive holiday table, gather items from around your house or even purchase a few pieces for your buffet table.  This can be as fancy or simple as you like.  But I do recommend at least having some fresh flowers.  Flowers and brunch just seem to go together.

Arrange the plates and servingware where you'd like them to go.  I put out the shredded cheese, salsa and tortillas on the table ready to go while I prepared the potatoes, sausage, bacon and then the eggs.

I recommend cooking the eggs last because everything else can hold up fine for 30min or so whereas eggs get cold.  And cold eggs are just not good.

Next time I will add avocados and jalapenos though.  Some fresh fruit on the side would be nice too.

A burrito buffet is so versatile and can easily be made into your own.  For example add sauteed vegetables like red and yellow peppers with onions for vegetarian guests.  The world is your oyster.

Hope everyone is having a happy holiday season!

xoxo

B

Cast Iron Breakfast Potatoes

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If you want to take your breakfast burritos to a new level add some seasoned potatoes!  It really makes a difference and they are so simple.

Ingredients:
3-4 baking potatoes
3-4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped parsely
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat cast iron skillet over medium heat.  While pan is heating, chop potatoes into bite size pieces
and then chop parsely.

Melt butter in the cast iron skillet.  Once butter has melted add potatoes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir potatoes frequently with a wooden spoon so they don't burn.

Cook through until potatoes are nice and brown.

Remove from heat and toss in the parsely.  Add more salt/pepper if needed.

Enjoy!

B

Frittata with Canadian Bacon, Green Onions and Cheese

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So I have been up since 4am this morning, but I feel great because I got 5 hours of straight sleep last night!  For the last 6 weeks I have been up every 2-3 hours with little dude.  It's been lethal.  I think that sleep deprivation has to be the most severe form of torture.  Seriously.  He slept 4 hours the night before, so I pray this is the new norm and not some fluke. 

Being up this early has SO many perks though!  I have silence all to myself!  If it isn't the baby crying or my annoying adorable toddler, it's my husband bothering me.  I feel like there is never a moment of peace in my waking hours.  So far this morning I made some coffee (Dunkin' Doughnuts brand mmmmmm), got ready (alone!) and surfed the net for places to possibly travel for labor day weekend.   AND FINALLY get to post a recipe to my blog!  Im so happy to feel like myself again, yipeeeeeeeeeeee :)

I started the South Beach diet a few days ago.  I really don't care for diets, however for us this is more of a lifestyle change than a temporary diet.  Though the first 2 weeks are somewhat restrictive, it's for a purpose.  Do a google search and you can learn all about South Beach.  But basically the first two weeks all bad carbs and foods with a high glycemic index are cut out (including fruit).  This is to train your body to not crave starches or carbs.  It's the only diet I will do because 1) it works and 2) it's easy.  I made this for breakfast yesterday and will make it again this morning.  I can not believe how damn good it was.  Such simple ingredients, but so much flavor. 

My husband wanted more and asked me to make it for breakfast again.  I love cooking things like a Frittata because it's a blank canvas.  You can add or take out whatever you want.  I love such freedom.  Unlike baking where everything has to be so exact.

 Frittata is an Italian dish and unlike an omlette which is usually stirred less and has less air, in a frittata  the eggs are beaten to incorporate air. The additional air in the frittata mixture allows for a deeper filling and a fluffier result. Ingredients to be incorporated into a fritatta are added to the pan before the egg mixture whereas in a French omelette they are added after.  (Thanks wikipedia)

I used Lowery Season Salt b/c I love that stuff and it's what I had on hand.  Also, my pan doesn't have a lid, so I stuck it in the over without a cover and it still turned out great.

Ingredients

2 tsp. olive oil
2/3 C diced Canadian bacon
1/4 cup sliced green onion + 1 T for garnish
1 C grated low-fat cheese
8 eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (or more)
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
low-fat sour cream for serving if desired

Heat olive oil in heavy non-stick 10 inch frying pan or frittata pan. (Use a pan that can go under the broiler if you plan to brown the frittata.) Add diced Canadian bacon and sliced green onions and cook on medium-low heat 1-2 minutes to release flavors.

While Canadian bacon and green onions cook, break eggs into small bowl and season with Spike Seasoning, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle grated cheese into pan, then immediately pour in eggs. (I stir gently with a fork to get ingredients well distributed. Start to preheat the broiler now if you plan to brown the top.)

Cover pan and cook on medium-low heat for 10-12 minutes, or until eggs are barely firm and frittata is slightly puffed up. If you want to brown the top, place under preheated broiler and cook 2-4 minutes, watching carefully. You might need to rotate it to get the top evenly browned.

Cut frittata into 4 wedges, sprinkle with green onions if desired, and serve hot.

Recipe from Kalyn's Kitchen

Very Vanilla Crepes

Pin It Now! Weekends mean good breakfast.  During the week there is barely enough time to gulp a glass of orange juice and butter some toast before running out the door. So come Saturday and Sunday I like to take the time to cook and enjoy a yummy breakfast.  Perhaps it will become a tradition that my little ones will reminisce about how their mama made good breakfast every weekend. Anyway I love trying something new and am so happy I found this crepe recipe.  It is very versatile and can be used for breakfast, lunch or dessert.  The warm aroma of vanilla and sugar that fills your house while cooking these crepes will make you crave them week after week. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups milk


• 3 eggs


• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract


• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


• 2 tablespoons sugar


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 5 tablespoons melted butter

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, egg yolks and vanilla. Stir in the flour, sugar, salt and melted butter until well blended.


2. Heat a crepe pan over medium heat until hot. Coat with cooking spray.  Use a sieve and pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip to spread the batter to the edges.  The sieve will remove any lumps from the batter ensuring you have a smooth crepe.  When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter.


3. Fill crepes with your fruit, whip cream, caramel, chocolate or ice cream.

Recipe adapted from http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vanilla-Crepes/Detail.aspx