Guest Bloggin' over on Stone Soup, a Food and Nutrition Magazine Blog

Polish Cabbage Rolls!

Do you need some comfort food to get through this Winter Saturday? Try this and get a belly full of vegetables and whole grain, to boot!

Head over to the Stone Soup blog for the recipe! Leave some feedback and let me know how you like it!

Staying On Track While You Are On The Fly!

The alarm goes off before the sun, feet hit the floor and go until we collapse into bed at night. Many of our meals get eaten absentmindedly, while checking emails or behind the steering wheel. Guilty, guilty, guilty of this, almost on a daily basis. So how is a trying-to-stay-healthy-gal supposed to survive this may-I-take-your-order culture? Planning, re-routing and packing.
For years, the kids’ activities have kept us on the go. In effort to stay on budget, we have become accustomed to packing coolers for the day. Occasionally, we have to get things while we are out, so it is important to know what could be good options on the go. I will try to offer some options for you!

If I had only 10 minutes to go grab some food for the family, rather than drive-thru, think about what you can grab at the grocery store.

First, hit the produce section. Having a water bottle on hand can serve as an emergency produce wash.

• Apples
• Oranges
• Bananas
• Precut pineapple and melons
• Plums/nectarines/peaches
• Berries
• Washed and de-stemmed green beans or sugar snap peas
• Carrots
• Peppers (red, green, yellow, orange)
• Celery
• Pouchables (Pureed fruits and vegetables are a good option in a pinch, but are ingested quickly, and you may not realize you are full and continue to eat unnecessarily)

In the produce section, many carry mixed nuts in bulk containers. Look for ones that are not roasted in oil, sweetened or coated. For my family, I buy the big bags of roasted peanuts in the shell. Nuts in the shell are great for portion control, because the shells show you how many you are eating. Plus, you cannot just throw the nuts in your mouth by the handfuls!

Dried fruit and/or trail mixes are not likely to be your best choice unless you are very careful to select the type that has not been sweetened. Raisins are good, most dates are good, and apricots. Most other dried fruits are coated with dextrose or some other type of sugar. Trail mix was designed to offer a significant amount of energy for those back-packing/trail-trekking folks. If you are not doing that sort of activity, chances are you will just be storing all that extra energy, aka: putting on the pounds. Granola is the same sort of a beast. To make it tasty, it is sweetened with a variety of additives.

Ok, move on to the deli. There are some grab-and-go items in most deli sections such as:

• Rotisserie chicken (high in sodium, but a decent option if you are on the go) If needed, see if the associate can cut up the chicken for you.
• Hummus is great to dip the carrots, raw green beans, peppers and raw sugar snap peas.
• Hard boiled eggs
• Whole wheat pitas, mini or regular size to use for sandwiches or dippers
• Natural peanut butter (Publix has fresh ground peanut butter in the deli section. To. Die. For.)

Now for the dairy section. I am VERY brand/ingredient selective in the dairy case. So many of the yogurts and cheeses have way too many additives in them, which work against your weight loss process. Many of them include starches and stabilizers to lengthen the shelf life.  

• String cheese- Look for the ingredients to list milk, cultures, salt. Simple ingredients
• Greek yogurt- I am going to camp here for a minute. Greek yogurt is a protein powerhouse, when it is the actual traditional Greek variety. This means that the yogurt has been strained to release additional whey liquid and the consistency of the yogurt is much thicker. This allows for a denser amount of protein per ounce. Read the ingredient label carefully. The best brands will only contain milk, live and active cultures (must say this or it does not contain the needed good bacteria). Many brands will add whey protein powder, potato starch, guar gum or other fillers.  Good brands are Fage, Chobani, and even the Winn Dixie brand is good. For weight loss, it is better to select the plain yogurt and add your own fruit, crushed pineapple, honey, or a tsp of Polaner (unsweetened) All-Fruit spread. Most fruit-flavored yogurts use high fructose corn syrup in addition to sugar. These will work against you in weight loss.
• Cottage cheese- As stated above, several varieties contain unnecessary fillers. Daisy cottage cheese is a good, clean variety that you can trust.

Lastly, there are some select items in the isles of the store that are good choices:

• Pickles (the dill variety)
• Snyder’s pretzel sticks is one of the better brands, containing no high fructose corn syrup, however, they are made with enriched flour (not whole grain), and so these are on my “occasional” list.
• Barbara's Bakery Fig Bars, Multigrain may not be sold in all stores, but you can find them here. Traditional fig bars consist of a large amount of high fructose corn syrup, but Barbara’s are sweetened with pineapple juice and are made of whole grains.
• Popcorn kernels for homemade microwave popcorn. (1/4 cup of kernels in a brown paper bag, fold the top down 2 times. I use the popcorn button on my microwave and it comes out perfect every time. Pour the popcorn in a large bowl, spray lightly with olive oil cooking spray and dust with sea salt, cayenne pepper, garlic, or parmesan cheese). Allow it to cool completely and put it in an airtight container for on the go.
• Unsweetened applesauce is good, but READ THE LABEL. Most of them are sweetened.

Keeping fresh foods ready to eat in BPA Free Plastic Containers help to make busy days easier.  Do you have any other great ideas that you use?

*This post contains affiliate links to products that I love!

Yummy Inside-Out Eggrolls

Sometimes I want a taste of Chinese food, without the guilt! The truth of it is, most original Oriental food is vegetable based, however when American-ized, we turn it into some deep-fried concoction.

This super fast concoction can serve as a side dish, or a main dish, depending on what you add. I will give you the framework for it, and you can do the rest...

If you are short on time, you can begin with a package of shredded cole slaw mix found in the salad area of the produce section, but honestly, you can make way more if you buy a head of cabbage.










1/2 half of a head of cabbage
3 medium-large carrots
1 onion (I used purple, but you can use a yellow onion)
2 stalks of celery
1 crown of broccoli
Soy Sauce or Bragg Liquid Aminos,a much better alternative)
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Sea Salt
Extra virgin olive oil
(optional) 2 eggs
(optional) shrimp, chicken, pork
(optional) water chestnuts
(optional) bean sprouts

Prep:
Using a julienne tool like Trademark Titan Peeler Plus Julienne Tool and Slicing Board,shred the cabbage.



One of my favorite kitchen tools is this julienne tool (and it the peeler is the sharpest thing I've ever seen).
It is easy to use and so versatile. It makes beautiful carrot strips for stir fry and can be used to make zucchini noodles. Use this to julienne the carrots.



Finely chop the celery, onion and broccoli with a knife, chopper, or throw it in the Ninjafood processor for quick work!

On a Electric Griddle orGrill/Griddle,turn the heat to medium. Place the red pepper flakes in the pan and begin to toast. Add 1 tsp of EVOO and add enough of  the vegetable mixture to the pan to cover the surface without  piling it too deep. You want to sauté the mixture, but not steam it. If you add too much, you may not get the yummy carmelization that tastes so good.

As the mixture becomes slightly translucent, you may decide if you want to add the egg or seafood/meat additions. The meat should be cooked about 90% before added to the veg mixture, because you do not want to overcook the veggies. During the last 3 or so minutes of cooking, add the soy sauce and sea salt to taste. Depending on how much vegetable mixture you have, you can determine the amount needed.

You can add brown rice to this dish and make it a complete meal containing plenty of vegetables, protein and whole grains!

*This post contains affiliate links. These products are items that I enjoy and recommend!

Clean Eating "Bite You Back" Black Bean and Brown Rice Soup

Market days always give me inspiration to get in the kitchen. There is something about gathering fresh ingredients that makes me feel like I am doing my best to nourish my family. I think about the verses in Proverbs 31:14-15 which say,

"She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants."

 

My children may argue that they are the servants :-).  Though most of the items at the market are not from far off, it does take some effort to go out of the way each week, but it is well worth it.

 

While I love to cook, I don't like to be pinned down to an exact recipe, simply because I like to work with what is on hand. If you do not have these exact ingredients, don't fret, just allow this to give you a little inspiration and make your tummy rumble...

 

This is where I began:

 

12 oz. pk. of dried Black Beans (soak overnight) ~ or begin with 3 16oz cans of black beans, rinsed

1 can of Rotel tomatoes

1 cup of brown rice

4 carrots

2 celery ribs

1 onion

1 red pepper

5 garlic cloves
1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil

4 green onions

1 tsp. coarse sea salt

2 shakes of black pepper

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

2/3 tsp. cumin
2 tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup fresh oregano or 1 tsp. dried

You will add water to this recipe as you go along

 

 

If you have never used dried beans before, know that black beans are one of the more hard beans when they are dried. They need to be soaked overnight. In the morning, drain and rinse them thoroughly. Then put them in a stock pot with enough water to cover them about 2 inches deep in the pot. Place a lid on it, bring it to a boil, and then allow it to simmer for at least 1 1/2 hours. This can also be done in a crock pot, beginning on high until it is boiling, and then reduce to low for at least 2 hours.

 

*** Know that this recipe will work easily with 3 16oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed. The dried beans are more economical, and have no added sodium, but feel free to do what works for you.

 

 

 

 

This recipe does not use premade vegetable stock, so we are going to make some of our own. Begin by chopping the onions, carrots, celery and red pepper.

 

 

In a skillet, or shallow sauce pan, place the cumin, crushed red pepper, tomato paste, olive oil, and use a garlic press for the garlic cloves. Turn the heat to just under medium. As the pan warms, you will begin to smell the cumin. Stir the cumin and the red pepper around to completely toast (it only takes about 30 seconds once the pan is warm. Begin to stir all of the ingredients together. The tomato paste will become more rich in flavor with the heat and the garlic will soften. Work this around for just 1 minute and incorporate 1/2 cup water. This is the base for which you will sauté the vegetables in. Go ahead and add the chopped veggies and turn the heat up slightly above medium. Allow this to cook for about 5 minutes or more. If it becomes too thick, add water by 1/2 cup increments just so that the mixture looks about like this:

 

It doesn't look like much, but I could eat these by themselves. They are so full of flavor! Check for tenderness. You should be able to easily bite into the carrots.

Now we are going to do the "hidden veggie" thing...

 

 

Do you have a Ninja? This is my kitchen workhorse! I use it to make smoothies, puree veggies for soup, or to hide ingredients that unsuspecting eyes may pick out if it were staring at them in the face.

 

I really like this particular model because in addition to the 72oz pitcher, it has the single serve blenders work well for making on-the-go smoothies, as well as the processer bowl and blade set, which is perfect for making salsa in! The instructions say that the processor bowl can be used to make dough as well (can you say pizza night?)

Ok, where was I? Right, first put the fresh oregano in (if you have dried, you may add it directly to the pot of beans). Pour the sautéed vegetables into the Ninja and puree until there are no visible chunks.

 

 



Before you add the veggies, go ahead and add the Rotel tomatoes and the sea salt. If you have begun with canned beans, you may want to scale back on the salt, as there will be some in the beans already.
Add the veggies and as much water as you need to make the soup stir easily and to your desired thickness. Simmer on medium low.

Now on to the brown rice...

 

Brown rice is becoming a regular household item, but I find some folks are still having difficulty cooking it. I have been using this Martha Stewart method for the last few years and it comes out great. The key is to leave the lid on (no peaking!) and just allow it to do it's thing. While your black bean soup is simmering, go ahead and cook up 1 cup (dry) brown rice, and when it is done, the soup should be perfect as well.

 

 

This is what you should have when it is all done... yummy goodness..

I added the rice directly into the soup and turned the heat off.

You may choose to keep your brown rice separate.

 

 





 

You can chop the green onions, adding the white/core section of the onions directly to the soup and using the green tops to garnish.

 I added a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt to compliment the spicy heat and to add some protein to this flavorful rendition of Black Bean Soup. The crushed red pepper steps things up a notch and makes this a festive bowl-full.

 

Beans and brown rice are both great sources of fiber and when they are combined, they give you a great complimentary source of protein. Eating whole foods is the way to go!

 

 "I love you once, I love you twice, I love you more than beans and rice"

 

Recipe By Tasha Brickhouse