Monthly Archives: October 2015

Fuji Apple Pecan Beet Salad With White Balsamic Vinaigrette

I will admit it! I am a total salad crazed nut! I love to nosh on it! I never get tired of salad and have been eating them my whole life! You can totally chock them full of all different kinds of healthy ingredients and endless variations! So, I never get bored. You can make an entire meal of a salad with some kind of protein added, or make it a lighter side salad.

A useful tip when you are trying to lose weight or keep from gaining it back, is to fill your plate once with your meal, including salad. If you are still hungry and want to go back for seconds, make it more salad. It fills you up, and you are getting more vegetables and greens which can help reduce cravings.

Today I have a recipe for an Autumn salad that would be really wonderful served with Thanksgiving Dinner. It has a completely seasonal Fall vibe with fuji apple, golden beets and shallots. The white balsamic vinaigrette has just the right tanginess and compliments the sweet apple.

Fuji Apple, Beet Pecan Salad with White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients for Salad:

1 Head of Butter Lettuce

1 Head of Iceburg Lettuce or Baby Romaine

1 Fuji Apple

2 Medium Golden Beets

1/2 Cup Thinly Sliced Shallots

1/4 Cup Raw Pecans

White Balsamic Salad Dressing:

1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons of White Balsamic Vinegar (I used 12 year old aged)

1 Teaspoon of Honey

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt, plus more for the beets

1/4 Teaspoon of Black Pepper, plus more for the beets

(Mix all the dressing ingredients together with a whisk until emulsified.)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375º degrees. Rub the beets with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil each and sprinkle with some extra salt. Roast whole in the oven for 45 minutes until they pierce easily with a fork. (this can be done in advance).

Peel the beets and dice into small bite size pieces. Place the beets into a small bowl and toss with 1 Tablespoon of the balsamic dressing and 1/2 teaspoon of himalayan pink salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Set aside.

Wash and spin your lettuce, tear into bite size pieces, and place in a salad bowl. Thinly slice the shallots, and dice the fuji apple into pieces the same size as the beets.

Add the shallots, apple, beets and pecans to your salad. When you are ready to serve the salad, toss with the remaining salad dressing.

You are ready to serve a beautiful Autumn salad in a bowl! This salad contains healthy fat from the olive oil and pecans, fruit and vegetables! But, most of all it is delicious!

Eat Your Nutrients!

How to Make a Quick, Grain Free, Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Muffin

It is a perfect time to enjoy this mug muffin! Find the full recipe here. That is Ming, Ming snorteling in the background of this video. If you look closely in the beginning, she is in the left hand corner!

Enjoy your day!

Sandra

Apple Pie Microwave Mug Muffin

My family loves my mug muffin recipes, and they have been asking for an apple pie mug muffin! I can’t wait to share it with you also! Mug muffins are so awesome…….they are fast, fresh, and cater to an individuals preference, because you make one at a time! You don’t have a whole batch to consume before they get stale, and if you feel like apple, pumpkin, berry, or whatever you have in the house, you get to choose.

This muffin takes two minutes in the microwave, and you can prep it and refrigerate it the night before if your morning is rushed. Then all you have to do for breakfast is pop it in the microwave for two minutes, and it is ready! Even so, they only take ten minutes to prep and two minutes to cook if you make it right when you want it.

It is a nutritious, grain free, guilt free breakfast or snack! I personally like to make one in the evening, and my children like to make them for breakfast. This Apple Pie Mug Muffin is sweetened with just a tablespoon of honey, has a healthy fat and protein rich egg in it, and the apple of your choice, which is a good source of fiber as well as the coconut flour! I used Fuji apple in the muffin pictured below. If you like an apple with more tartness, try a Granny Smith, but any kind will work! Use your favorite!

Apple Pie Microwave Mug Muffin

Apple Pie Microwave Mug Muffin

Ingredients:

1 Large Egg

1/2 Cup Chopped Apple (this is about half a medium apple, peeled and cored)

2 Tablespoons Apple Sauce

1 Tablespoon Coconut Flour

1 Tablespoon Almond Flour

1 Tablespoon Honey

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

A Dash of Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the apple. Fold in the apple, reserving a little bit for the top. Spoon the batter into a mug. Sprinkle with the remaining diced apple. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Serve! Be careful, it is hot and delicious, and smells soooo good!

Enjoy your day!

Apple Pie Microwave Mug Muffin Ingredients

Eat Your Nutrients!

Go Beyond the Salad

Hello! I hope you are having a peaceful Autumn! What’s new?

When you think about healthy eating, salads and green vegetables usually come to mind. But how about adding a little more variety to your plan?

Roots like carrots, sweet potatoes, and turnips, are a rich source of nutritious complex carbohydrates. Instead of upsetting blood sugar levels like refined sweet foods do, they help regulate them.

Why Eat More Root Vegetables?

Long roots – carrots, parsnips, burdock, and daikon radish – are excellent blood purifiers and can help improve circulation in the body. Round roots – turnips, radishes, beets, and rutabagas – nourish the stomach, spleen, pancreas, and reproductive organs.

Which root vegetables do you eat most?

If you’re like most of the world, it’s carrots and potatoes. Here are a few others to explore:

Beets contain an abundance of antioxidants and are highly detoxifying. They contain dietary fiber, magnesium, iron, glycine, carotenoids, lutein, flavonoids and trace minerals.
Kohlrabi also referred to as a German Turnip is a good source of Vitamin C, B6, Folate and Thiamine, as well as trace minerals. It is a member of the Brassica family.
Celeriac, also known as celery root, is rich in fiber and has a respectable amount of antioxidants. (I like it mashed like potatoes, or a mixture of steamed carrots and celeriac mashed together.)
Jicama is crunchy and refreshing and contains a generous amount of vitamin C. It’s a favorite in its native Mexico and South America.
Onions are rich in antioxidants and other phytonutrients, making them prized for their ability to strengthen the immune system.
Parsnips, which look like giant white carrots, boast a sweet, earthy taste. They also contain plenty of fiber, as well as vitamin C, folic acid, niacin, thiamine, magnesium, and potassium.
Radish is an excellent source of vitamin C. It’s also contains calcium, molybdenum, folic acid, and is beneficial for digestion.
Sweet Potatoes contain unsurpassed levels of beta-carotene and are also rich in vitamin A. They also provide potassium, phytonutrients, protein, and fiber.

Excited to add more roots to your diet? Here’s a fun, easy recipe:

Easy Roasted Root Vegetables

Easy Roasted Root Vegetables

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 – 50 minutes
Serves 4 – 6Ingredients:
1 Sweet Potato
2 Parsnips
2 Large Carrots
2 Turnips or Kohlrabi
1 Daikon Radish (or substitute/add in other favorites like squash or beets)
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons of Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon of Black Pepper
Optional herbs: rosemary, thyme or sage (fresh or dried to taste)Preheat your oven 375 degrees. Peel, wash and slice all the vegetables into long spears or bite sized cubes.
Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, or lightly grease. Place prepared vegetables onto the baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs of choice.Roast uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes until the vegetables are tender and golden brown. Stir after the first 20 minutes, then continue roasting.Tip: Any combination of vegetable will work. Roasting only one kind of vegetable also makes a nice side dish!

Oven Roasted Root Vegetable Fries

Creamy Italian Dressing

MMMmmm! Creamy Italian dressing that is healthy! It uses avocado oil mayonnaise, dried herbs that you should have in your pantry, a touch of honey, and a white balsamic vinegar to give it zing! There are no funky additives in homemade dressings. This recipe actually started one of my kiddos eating salads and liking them, but don’t limit it to the greens. It also makes a scrumptious dip!

Creamy Italian Dressing

The benefits of avocado oil are plentiful, including it is a source of essential fatty acids, is heart healthy, is one of the top five food sources of Vitamin E, and it is loaded with chlorophyll which is detoxifying! Read more about the benefits here.

Incorporating herbs into recipes gives us added vitamins and minerals in our diet. Each one has its own special properties and benefits. The whfoods.org database is a wealth of information if you want to dig further.

I don’t know about you, but I am planning to enjoy this dressing often!

Creamy Italian Dressing

3/4 Cup Avocado Oil Mayonnaise

1 Tablespoon Garlic Infused Olive Oil

3 Tablespoons of White Balsamic Aged Vinegar

1 Teaspoon Honey

1/2 Teaspoon Dried Organic Parsley

1/4 Teaspoon Dried Organic Oregano

1/4 Teaspoon Dried Organic Basil

1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/3 Teaspoon Black Ground Pepper

Directions:

Whisk all the ingredients together until completely blended. That’s it! Enjoy!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Delicious Italian Mini Meatloaves and Make Your Own Sunshine

After spending a glorious few days in the sunny San Diego area, we flew home this weekend to Maryland returning to rain and cold due to the effects of a tropical storm. It was a drastic transition from warm sunny beaches and green juice available everywhere you looked!

So, what’s a girl to do? I find great benefit in eating with the seasons, and meatloaf seemed like the perfect comfort food for a cold rainy evening. I wanted one that was gluten and grain free, dairy free and low fodmap, but utterly delicious and flavorful! I really don’t like to settle. 🙂

Here is my recipe for mini meatloaves that will definitely hit the spot and remind you of your childhood.

I incorporated some finely chopped carrots and spinach in the meatloaf to boost the nutritional value and combined a mixture of grass fed beef and turkey.

Delicious Italian Mini Meatloaves

This meatloaf is my way of bringing the sunshine home! Other ways I like to do this is with warm hugs, a cheerful welcoming smile, reading a great book, and green juicing!

What’s your perfect way to bring your own sunshine when life delivers lemons? What do you do?

Italian Mini Meatloaves:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground grass fed beef

1 pound ground pastured turkey 92% lean

3 large organic carrots, peeled

2 cups organic packed baby spinach (5 oz.)

1/2 Cup Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons Garlic Olive Oil

3/4 Cup Organic Tomato Paste (I used Bionaturae .7 oz jar) divided

1 tsp. Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 teaspoon each of dried organic thyme, basil, parsley and oregano

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375º degrees. Lay out a rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper or lightly grease it.

In a food processor, add the peeled carrots, sliced into chunks, and process until finely chopped. Add to a large bowl. Add the spinach to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add this to the large bowl also. Add the ground meat and remaining ingredients and 1/4 cup of tomato paste. Mix with your hands until thoroughly incorporated.

Divide the meatloaf mixture into 8 equal sizes, and make a ball of each with your hands. Set the balls onto the lined baking sheet, and pat into the shape of a mini meatloaf.

Now the ketchup topping:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup organic tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Divide evenly over the tops of the mini meatloaves and spread.

Bake the mini meatloaves in the oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165º degrees.

These meatloaves are full of flavor and hidden veggies!

Here are some photos of our trip to sunny San Diego!