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24 Jun

super greens smoothie

On any given day, if you search the internet for a “green smoothie”, you will undoubtedly find endless variations of just that, green smoothies.

However, I want to let you in on a little secret…

Ready?

You can add spinach to pretty much any smoothie that contains berries and/or pineapple and as long as you blend it long enough, you will not taste it.

Promise.

There are no recipes to follow and you don’t need to get any measuring cups out.

Just get a handful of fresh or frozen spinach and throw it in.

For realsies.

Spinach in smoothies is all well and good but what I really want to tell you about is how to take it a step further and add kale.

Yes, I’m serious.

Kale is good for you. Super good.

Here’s a helpful graphic:

Isn’t it large and informative?

Here’s another graphic just in case you weren’t swayed by the last one:

I drink this smoothie several times per week. I just feel better when I do and I can also see a noticeable improvement in my skin and energy level.

It’s also husband and super picky teenager approved because it tastes like peanut butter and banana – not greens. If that means anything to you.

I used to use fresh kale and just cut the leaves off of the stem. But I recently discovered bagged organic kale at my grocery store for less than $4, so that goes into my cart every week and then right into the freezer when I get home. For this smoothie you can use fresh or frozen greens.

You’ll notice that there are no measurements when it comes to the greens so it’s customizable to your taste. Add as much or as little as you like.

I put two good handfuls of kale and about half a bag of spinach in my smoothie. If it’s too thick, I add a little more almond milk.

It’s a smoothie. It should be simple.

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana – peel and slice a few and store in a resealable freezer bag

1 Tbsp natural peanut butter

1/4 – 1/2 cup yogurt

1 – 1 1/2 cup milk (I use almond milk)

spinach

kale

Just toss all that goodness into your blender and let it whirl for at least a couple of minutes. That gives everything enough time to get thoroughly chopped and blended. Makes for a much tastier smoothie.

If you want more peanut butter flavor, add more peanut butter.

Want a thicker smoothie? Add more banana or yogurt.

Too thick? Add a little more milk.

Now that you’re putting kale in your smoothies, why not take it a step further and put it in rice, couscous, pasta, meatballs, sauces, soups, and mashed potatoes!

Chop it up, saute it in extra virgin olive oil with garlic and a little sea salt until tender and mix it into mashed potatoes. Then top a shepard’s pie with it! I’ve done it – you should too!


* Makes 1 large or two regular sized smoothies.

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Gralowly Bars

13 Jun

gralowly bars

 

These are the granola bars that I give to my kids.

They don’t come individually wrapped in a box.

There’s nothing hydrogenated, high fructose, or artificially flavored about them.

They’re just little bars of oats, nut butter, honey, a little sugar, and whatever seeds and dried fruit I happen to have in my pantry thrown in for good measure.

They got their name from Camryn (naturally). She couldn’t say granola when she was little and “gralowly” was about as close as she could get. Over the years, the cuteness factor caused the name to stick.

Gralowly bars are a bit different from regular granola bars in that they don’t have any puffed rice or sweetened coconut that so many other granola bars have but if you like those things you can certainly throw them in as well.

These bars are dense yet chewy and surprisingly filling.

Making them is easy, there is no baking required, and you can pretty much put anything you want in them.

And because they don’t require refrigeration, they’re great to wrap individually in wax paper or small baggies and throw in your purse for a quick snack when you’re out with your kiddos.

They won’t keep your little ones from screaming their faces off for happy meals but at least you’ll feel better about offering them a healthier option.

Mom win.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup honey

1/2 cup natural peanut butter or any other nut butter (yay protein!)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 cups quick-cooking oats

1/4 cup seeds  (I used my chia/hemp seed mix – use anything you like)

1/4 cup wheat germ

1/4 cup sliced almonds or other nuts (optional)

Dried fruit  (I used goji berries and cherries. I don’t measure. I just throw in a handful or two)

Chocolate chips   (I don’t measure here either. I just throw in a couple of handfuls)

Directions:

Combine the honey, peanut butter, and brown sugar. This can be done two ways:

In the microwave: Put honey, PB, and brown sugar in a microwave safe bowl & microwave on high for two minutes. Stir halfway through and again at the end of the second minute.

On the stove top: Add all three ingredients to a sauce pan and stir over medium heat until combined. You shouldn’t feel any sugar granules when you stir.

Take off the heat and add the vanilla, cinnamon and sea salt.

In a large bowl add all of the other ingredients. Seriously, just throw all that other stuff in and stir to incorporate everything.

Pour the liquid mixture over the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.

Dump mixture into a lightly greased 8×8 pan and pack it down to make everything even.

Let the mixture cool completely before turning out and cutting into bars.

Store at room temp in an air tight container for about a week.

* If you prefer puffed rice cereal in your granola bars, reduce the amount of quick-cooking oats to 2 cups and add 2 cups of puffed rice cereal.

* For a cheaper/vegan friendly option, feel free to substitute honey with corn syrup. The consistency is similar so it should work just fine.

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Untitled

17 Dec

I went back and forth for a while over whether or not to mention anything about the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary on this blog.

I don’t think I’ll be able to articulate into words anything profound enough to do justice to the grief that our nation as a whole is feeling for the families who have lost their precious loved ones. On the other hand, it didn’t feel right to just write up my daily bento post and move on without mentioning it when our nation as a whole is mourning and searching for answers.

So I’ll just say this and leave it alone.

As a parent of a child who is close in age to the victims, this one hit me hard. I can’t help but think of my daughter when I look at the faces of the young victims who were gunned down Friday morning. I know parents who picked their kids up from school early on Friday when news of the shooting broke. Just so they could hug their children and keep them close as they processed this horrifying information. And to be honest, I think we all hugged our children a little tighter as we picked them up from car circles or bus stops all around our nation on Friday afternoon. Our sons and daughters were safe but there were other parents in Connecticut that would never again get to ask how their child’s day was or what they learned in class or who they played with on the playground that day and knowing that was heavy on our hearts.

Sandy Hook Elementary was a school that had done everything right. They had a security system installed, they had an action plan in place, and they did drills on a regular basis. It was a great school in a great town that was full of good and decent people. They did not deserve this. No one does, especially not small, defenseless children.

Life is precious. Our children are precious. Every moment we have with them is precious because as we all saw on Friday as we sat and watched helpless and horrified, it can all be taken away in an instant.

I can only hope that in the coming days, the families and friends of the victims who lost their lives in this tragedy will be able to somehow find some comfort and peace from their grief. That the support and prayers of the entire nation will help to heal their broken hearts. And that the deaths of their children will not have been in vain, but will instead be the catalyst for positive, peaceful change so that no other parent ever has to experience the same grief.

This isn’t to debate gun laws or how mental health issues are handled in our country. I only wish to express my most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the victims and my hope that their dear departed loved ones may rest in peace.

Cass

Creamy Pumpkin Spiced Spread

3 Dec

4 oz. cream cheese, room temp.

1/4 cup canned pumpkin

2 tbsps brown sugar

2 tsps maple syrup

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp vanilla

Beat all ingredients together until creamy.

Smear on toast, biscuits, fruit, bagels, cookies, whatever your heart desires.

Keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about two weeks if it lasts that long.

Cass

Pumpkin Biscuits

3 Dec

pumpkin biscuits

Ingredients

2 cups Bisquick mix
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp milk or heavy cream (I used cream)
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together until soft dough forms. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until it all comes together. Gently roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a biscuit or cookie cutter or a knife. If using a cutter, press straight down but don’t twist. This keeps the biscuits from rising properly. Bake on an ungreased baking sheet for 8-10 minutes.

Pumpkin Spiced Hot Chocolate

3 Dec

1 cup milk (whole, skim, soy, etc.)

2 tbsps white chocolate chips *

1 tbsp pumpkin puree

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp vanilla

Add all of the ingredients listed above to a small sauce pot and cook over medium low heat. Stirring constantly until barely simmering.

Top with any combo of fresh whipped cream, marshmallows, caramel,  chocolate or cinnamon.

* White chocolate can be a bit too sweet to my taste buds, however if you like things super sweet, add more white chocolate chips.

Cass

Spiced Pumpkin Truffle Cups

3 Dec

 

 

I need to tell you three things:

1. O.k. so these are crazy good (if you like pumpkin, caramel and chocolate).

2. These were a last-minute, late night concoction so the recipe isn’t really exact per say. The good thing though, is that it’s pretty hard to mess up as long as you follow all the steps.

3. They are pretty sweet so don’t say I didn’t warn you. After the pictures were snapped, I actually sprinkled a little sea salt on the tops to balance out all that sugary sweetness.

It’s a three-step process here so I’ll break everything down for you step by step.

The first step is to make the truffle mixture.

Spiced Pumpkin Truffle Mixture:

Ingredients

12 oz. bag of white chocolate chips – any brand. Minus about 2 ounces.

1/4 cup of  canned pumpkin puree

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp vanilla

Directions

Microwave the white chocolate in 30 second intervals. Stirring after each one until smooth. Shouldn’t take more than 60 seconds.

Add the remaining ingredients & mix to combine.

Refrigerate the mixture until cool & firm.

Spiced Pumpkin Caramel

Ingredients

1 cup (approx) Kraft caramels. Individually wrapped.

1/4 cup (scant) sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 heaping tbsp pumpkin puree

Directions

Add the caramels and sweetened condensed milk to a saucepan and melt over medium-low heat.

Once liquified, turn off the heat & mix in the pumpkin puree & pumpkin pie spice.

Set aside to cool & firm up a bit.

Assembling the candies:

Add 2 tsps of vegetable oil to 8 ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips. The oil will keep the chocolate from firming up on you too fast. Melt the semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until smooth.

Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Fill the bottom of each liner with 1 tbsp of melted chocolate.

Scoop out about a tbsp of the truffle mixture and flatten into discs. Use slightly damp hands if it’s too sticky.

Carefully lay the truffle discs on top of the melted chocolate in the liner. The trick to this part is to make the disc smaller than the chocolate area so that when you cover the whole thing with chocolate, nothing seeps out.

Pour a layer of pumpkin caramel on top of the truffle disc.

Cover with a layer of melted chocolate.

Once all the candies are assembled, pop the tin in the fridge for a couple of hours to set.

Once the candies have firmed up and the chocolate has set, remove the candies from the tin and trim down the wrappers with scissors.

Sprinkle the tops with sea salt if you find them too sweet.

Store in a cool place.

28 Nov

jasmine rice w/ kale

This is one of those no recipe recipes.

I often add nuts and dried fruit to my rice and couscous so this combo seemed like a no-brainer to me.

It was quick and easy to throw together and quite delicious which really is the most important part.

Ingredients

Jasmine Rice
Sliced Almonds
Dried Cranberries
Kale

Follow the package instructions for cooking your rice. While the rice simmers, saute some kale in a little extra virgin olive oil and garlic just until tender and bright green.

Toast the almonds in a dry pan over medium heat for a few minutes just until you notice a nutty, toasty smell. Then kill the heat and set the almonds aside.

When the rice is done, add the sauteed kale, toasted almonds and cranberries and mix together. Sprinkle a little lemon juice or lemon zest on top and season to taste with sea salt.

The ratios are totally up to you on this one. It’s pretty hard to mess up. So if you’re nuts for kale, add lots. It does shrink down a bit after it’s cooked. If you don’t like almonds, use sunflower seeds or leave out the nuts all together.

20 Nov

My kids are home for Thanksgiving.

All. Week.

Which means my teenage son will spend most of every day with his head in the fridge or pantry looking for something to eat. Teenage boys are bottomless pits. Seriously.

This is how yesterday went:

“Mom, I’m hungry.”

“Mom, don’t you think you should bake something?”

“Mom, I thought you were making cookies.”

“Mom. Seriously, can you bake something? It’s been like 2 days.”

It’s only Tuesday people. I have five more days before he goes back to school.

Five. More. Days.

I made cookies today. Mostly it was an attempt to save my sanity.

I used a cake mix and doctored it up a bit. It’s easy, it’s fast, it’s adaptable to what you have on hand, it’s teenager approved.

Chocolate Cherry Chip Cookies

Ingredients

1 box Devils Food cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup veg oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup chocolate chips (white, milk or semi-sweet)
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries or cherry flavored craisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cake mix, eggs, oil, & vanilla.

Add chocolate chips & dried cherries. Mix to combine.

Roll into small balls, flatten a little if you like, and bake for 10-11 minutes.

*If cherries aren’t your thing, use nuts, small candies or other dried fruit. You can really throw anything into these cookies.


Save Your Spinach

29 Oct

I love adding spinach to smoothies, juices, soups, sauces, casseroles and so many other things. I prefer to buy fresh or bagged spinach because my daughter likes to snack on the leaves and I can add them to salads to bulk up the nutritional value.

Before I wised up and started freezing it, I would often find that a bag of spinach would go bad before I could use it all up. I really hate throwing away food so I looked for ways to keep it fresh longer. Hence the freezing of the spinach.

Freezing spinach or any greens for that matter is crazy simple. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure this out.

I like to freeze mine in two ways. The easiest way is to just toss the spinach leaves into a freezer bag and stick them in the freezer. You can also put the original bag that the spinach came in right into the freezer if it hasn’t been opened.

For the cubes, I just add spinach & a little water, just enough to get it going, to my blender. Then I give it a whirl until smooth, pour it into ice cube trays, pop them out when frozen, and store in the freezer in a plastic freezer bag.

Both methods work equally well. One thing to note is that after freezing, spinach can become soggy so I portion out the amount that I know we’ll eat fresh in salads or on sandwiches. Then I make cubes for smoothies or juice and I freeze the leaves whole that I plan to use in cooked or baked dishes like casseroles, stews, sauces, etc.

 

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