Tasty Tuesday: Rainbow Bowls

Second Tuesday of the year, and we're getting back into Tasty Tuesday! Today, I'm posting about something I've been doing, and craving more and more through this pregnancy. Rainbow bowls, or Rainbow ingredients. We all have a lot going on, we have things that are begging for our time, so dinners that are nutritious tend to go out the window. Ease is key. Are you ready for this? Our dinner last night was  ready in less than 30 minutes, contained a rainbow of colors (meaning a diverse cross section of nutrients as well), and filled us all up.

Easy. Here are the ingredients:

4 tbsp coconut oil
1 large red pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 crown broccoli, roughly chopped
1 1/2 cup red cabbage, sliced
2 tbsp nutritional yeast

2 pinches chili powder
3 tsp liquid aminos (or coconut aminos)

1 can diced tomatoes
1 1/1 cup peas
pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups rice noodles (use the stuff you have)
3 cups hot water

Here's the secret. Add things in the order that they're listed. Peppers, onions, garlic, and carrots needs more time to cook, so put them in first. Then add the broccoli. Then cabbage. The time it takes to cut these things is all it takes to cook the previous items. No timing, no worrying, no pre-chopping. Add the noodles after you've mixed everything together, then cover with the water, bring to a boil and cook until the noodles are tender. Done.

You can add quinoa, rice, or even make biscuits to eat this with. These rainbow ingredients really go well with anything and keep your family healthier.

Have questions about the recipes I post? Send me a note or leave a comment. I'll get back to you as soon as possible. :)

Granola Bar in a Bowl

This post may seem weird, but this is delicious and packed full of goodies. You don't even need to add any sweetener. :) Though B still adds a little brown sugar. LOL

Ingredients
4 cups warm water
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins
1 or 2 scoops Vanilla Juice Plus+ Complete
2 tablespoons each, Chia Seeds and Flax Seeds
2 tablespoons Coconut Oil
1 tablespoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh ground Ginger

Directions
1. Put all dry ingredients except Vanilla Complete in a pot
2. Pour warm water over all other ingredients
3. Turn heat to medium/medium high, bring to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, remove from heat and cover. Let stand approximately 5 more minutes.
4. Stir in Vanilla Complete. Serve!

My kiddo loves this! Seriously, he was having a cranky day and I mixed one scoop of Vanilla and one scoop of Chocolate complete into this recipe and he ate every last bite. Win!

Tasty Tuesday pt. 1: Oat Milk

Good morning! I thought doing my twofer at two different times made sense and that making milk in the morning make even more sense. :)

This recipe is very simple. It does require a blender, however, it's worth the little time it does take. I'm lactose intolerant. I've found ways to get around the sensitivity with cheese and yogurt, but never with milk. I do drink Lactaid sometimes. I've found I prefer alternative milks now. :)

Oat Milk

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked steel cut oats ( you can use rolled oats as well, I just prefer steel cut for the creamy factor)
Water to cover

Soaked oats
3 cups cold filtered water
2 to 4 dates, optional

Directions:
1. Place oats in a bowl, cover with water. Allow for an inch or so of water over the top of the oats. This will allow the oats to absorb as much as they need and help work off the oat goo. It's a protective coating that you want to wash off. This needs to sit anywhere from one hour (with warm water) to over night (with cool water) I like to let it sit over night.
2. Strain and rinse oats.
3. Add soaked oats and 3 cups of water to your blender. If you want sweet milk, add some dates. If not, leave them out. :)
4. Blend on a medium high setting for 4 or 5 minutes. Not enough to heat it, but just to pulverize all the oats.
5. Strain twice through fine mesh. I let the milk sit between strainings and the mealy part tends to settle to the bottom making the straining process easier. I do also keep the oat meal that comes from this and put it into oat and date breakfast bars. :)
6. Pour into container and allow to chill. I use a mason jar with lit.

You should use this over the next week. :)

Voila! It's done. It does have an oatey taste when you drink it straight, but I like the flavor it adds to cereal and tea. :)
Enjoy!

Tasty Tuesday - Mac & Veggies

The recipe you've all been waiting for! I'll be posting the ingredients a little differently so you can make it Vegetarian or Vegan! :) Everyone I've ever fed this to has LOVED it. It's tasty and really good for you. :) My toddler devours it, my husband eats two bowls, my friends never leave left overs. You can play with the veggies you put into it, this is what works for our family and for the color we like. :)

Let's get into it shall we?

Ingredients:
Set 1:
1 Red Bell pepper, large dice
1/2 Zucchini or Yellow Squash, large dice
2 cloves Garlic
1 handful Spinach
1 medium Carrot, large dice
1 Orange Bell pepper, large dice
1/4 Red Onion
1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast

2 to 3 cups milk or oat milk or water

Set 2:
3 tablespoons wheat flour
3 tablespoons butter OR coconut oil
1 dash Chili Powder

Set 3:
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese OR 3 tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
Salt and pepper to taste


6oz Whole Wheat Pasta, cooked and set aside

Directions:

1. Place all  ingredients in Set 1 into a blender and blend until smooth. Start at a low setting and work your way up to make sure you get rid of chunks. Set aside.
2. In saucepan, melt coconut oil or butter. Whisk in flour one tablespoon at a time, until completely absorbed. Simmer 10 to 15 seconds. This will get rid of the flour taste so many sauces end up having. At this point, I like to add the chili powder on this step. Don't be afraid, it won't add spice.
3. Slowly, add mixture from the blender to the saucepan. Whisk into flour mixture completely before adding more. It will clump up a little at first. Adding slowly will help avoid lumps.
4. Once you've worked in as much of the vegetable mixture as you'd like for the consistency of sauce you prefer, start adding in the cheese or Nutritional Yeast and mix until combined.
5. Pour this sauce over your noodles.

Congratulations! You're done! Enjoy your masterpiece!

Next week may be a twofer! I want to share my Potato Soup AND Oat Milk recipes. We shall see! 

Tasty Tuesday - Roasted Veggies

To try and keep myself accountable to the people I keep promising recipes, I've taken an idea from a woman I love dearly and you are now going to be getting Tasty Tuesday! All sorts of recipes to help you get nutrition into your daily routine! :)

Today, my recipe is called Roasted Veggies. Super inspired, I know. :) It's a super simple meal to toss together in a pot with whatever veggies you have in the fridge or pantry. Here's what tonight's meal included:

Ingredients:
5 Golden Potatoes (I also like purple or red potatoes in this, approximately one medium sized potato per person)
5 Mushrooms
3 cloves of Garlic
2 handfuls Spinach
2 medium Carrots1 Yellow Squash
1 large Red Bell Pepper (if you like green, by all means, use that. It makes my tummy unhappy)
1 can Garbanzo beans, drained (you can also use Kidney or Black beans) 
1/2 crown of Broccoli
1/2 crown of Cauliflower
1/4 Red Onion
3 tablespoons Coconut Oil
2 teaspoons Nutritional Yeast
1 to 3 teaspoons Liquid Aminos, depending on taste
Pinch Chili Powder
Pepper to taste

Before you get all crazy telling me it doesn't look easy now, read through the directions. 

Directions:
1. Melt coconut oil over medium heat in large pot.
2. Chop/dice all veggies, add to oil
3. Add seasoning
4. Heat throughout and cover, turn heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes, stir and allow an additional 5 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. (Hint: if you cut the potatoes in smaller chunks, it won't take as long)

It's literally that simple. And you can add and subtract veggies as the seasons change. I like to keep potatoes as the base, but also add in sweet potatoes as they come into season. :)

This feeds a good number of people and is super quick to get on the table. The chopping really isn't all that much. For the spinach, mushrooms, garlic, and onion I use my "Slap Chop". Perfection. :)

It was filling, nutritious, and my two year old loves it. 

p.s. I think I'm staying here for the time being. We'll see. :)

Cookbook: Fruit Bars

These are so simple, it might be criminal. You can customize them endlessly as well. The trick is to keep equal portions, one third of it needs to be some sort of nut.

Here's the recipe.

1/3 Mission Figs
1/3 Raw Almond
1/3 Raisins

1. In food processor, finely chop all ingredients together.
2. Press out into cookie sheet lined with wax paper to desired thickness.
3. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
4. Cut into bars, store in sealed container with wax paper between bars.

Now, I don't note an amount, just 1/3. I used 4.5oz the first time because that's the amount of fig I had. You can also use dates, crasins, dried cherries, pineapple, mango, pecans, walnuts...the combinations are endless!

These are great snacks that contain a lot of good fat, fiber and (depending on the fruit) tons of minerals and vitamins. :)

Cookbook: Home Baked Bread

Before we get in to what I made with this recipe, let's talk basic measurements and mixing:

3 Cups Flour (any kind - wheat, rice, spelt, etc.)
4 Tsp Baking powder
1 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 Cups Liquid (I use this term because it can literally be any liquid you want - milk, juice, tomato juice, rice milk, twc.)
1/4 Cup Liquid Fat (Ok, this one sounds icky, but again, it's preference - melted butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, etc.)

1. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees
2. Combine dry ingredients (do not sift flower)
3. In separate container, combine wet ingredients
4. Mix in half of the liquid mixture, allowing flower mixture to absorb. It can look too dry or wet at first, give it time.
5. Add more liquid as needed. Depends on time of year and moisture in the air. Dough should be moist but definitely not sticky.
6. With oiled hands, form dough in to a round or divide in to two and place in oil loaf pans. (Be careful not to over work the dough)
7. Cook in oven 40 minutes. (If you have divided the dough, your cook time will need to be adjusted)

This recipe will make one 2 lb round loaf. This bread is a little more dense than loaf from the store, but hearty and delicious.

There are SO many different options though. So, let's get to what I've done so far.

Tomato Basil - I used tomato juice, and fresh basil from my plant. I chopped the basil and combined in with the dry ingredients. It's a savory loaf and goes well with soup.

Breakfast rolls - I used orange/mango juice as the liquid and added 2 tsp of sugar. I rolled small pieces of dough and placed in an oiled muffin sheet.

I will be trying a couple different options, and as always, if you try your own variations, please comment and let me know how it went! I will be experimenting with some sparkling water and juices as the liquid and also baking soda and vinegar to create a lighter loaf or bread. I'll keep you posted! 

Edit: Almost forgot to put the nutrition information! I'll do one for each recipe I try ;) I do think that it seems like a calorie dense bread and a little salty, working on all that as well ;)

Plain Recipe with Soy Milk

Nutrition Facts Home Made Bread
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		250.3
Total Fat		7.9 g
	Saturated Fat	1.1 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	1.1 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	5.2 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		553.2 mg
Potassium		103.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate		38.1 g
	Dietary Fiber	1.5 g
	Sugars	1.4 g
Protein		6.2 g

Vitamin A	1.9 %
Vitamin B-12	9.4 %
Vitamin B-6	1.0 %
Vitamin C	0.0 %
Vitamin D	5.6 %
Vitamin E	4.3 %
Calcium	18.9 %
Copper	3.4 %
Folate	21.4 %
Iron	15.1 %
Magnesium	2.7 %
Manganese	16.0 %
Niacin	13.8 %
Pantothenic Acid	2.1 %
Phosphorus	10.1 %
Riboflavin	19.2 %
Selenium	22.7 %
Thiamin	24.5 %
Zinc	2.2 %

Tomato Basil

Nutrition Facts Tomato Basil Bread
8 Servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories		287.2
Total Fat		7.6 g
	Saturated Fat	1.1 g
	Polyunsaturated Fat	0.8 g
	Monounsaturated Fat	5.2 g
Cholesterol		0.0 mg
Sodium		662.0 mg
Potassium		127.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate		50.0 g
	Dietary Fiber	1.8 g
	Sugars	1.4 g
Protein		3.9 g

Vitamin A	2.2 %
Vitamin B-12	0.0 %
Vitamin B-6	12.9 %
Vitamin C	18.8 %
Vitamin D	0.0 %
Vitamin E	4.6 %
Calcium	14.5 %
Copper	3.9 %
Folate	0.6 %
Iron	3.1 %
Magnesium	5.4 %
Manganese	35.8 %
Niacin	7.7 %
Pantothenic Acid	4.9 %
Phosphorus	10.9 %
Riboflavin	0.7 %
Selenium	12.8 %
Thiamin	5.5 %
Zinc	3.2 %