Simplest Cherry Pie

Cherry pie is my favorite dessert in the whole wide world. When I was younger (in like my 20's) I knew I would have it made as an adult when I could knit socks and make a really fantastic pie crust. 

so Far,  I am still working on the pie crust.  

You can use this recipe with any fruit that you desire , peaches, apples, plums, strawberries, or a mix.... Doesn't Peach Raspberry sounds just Heavenly? 

I used a prepared crust, but if you want to make your own, there is a recipe for a 

Whole Grain Pie Crust. Here. 

You can even use the fancy French name for the Galette, I couldn't even pronounce it, let alone hope people to know what I was meaning when I talked about it. 

so thaw out a pie crust, or better yet, whip one up really quickly and use some of the delicious summer fruit that you picked up at your farmer's market and impress your family, friends and strangers on the internet with your French dessert making skills. 

Easy Veggie Breakfasts

Almost all the time breakfast is a meal of sweetness, from oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins to pancakes with syrup and yogurt parfaits with fruit. None of those are bad breakfasts, but breakfast is also a really great (and over-looked) time to start getting those veggies into your day!

You don't have to just toss some veggies into an omelet - although that is Amazing!!

• The Best Breakfast Sandwich  was posted over at Eat Well Utah. You can add lots of delicious veggies to an egg breakfast sandwich

• Mashed Avocado Toast with Veggies -  This new food craze isn't going anywhere anytime soon. With a healthy whole grain bread and some imagination, the sky is the limit (or perhaps the garden is the limit - Hahaha!). Huffington Post wrote a whole article on 16 ways to get all crazy with this basic idea. Get breakfast crazy, People!

• Veggie Breakfast Tacos - There isn't anything that you can't put in a tortilla and not find delicious. Be sure you are adding a whole bunch of veggies with those eggs and lean meats. Yummly has a whole slew of vegetarian breakfast tacos if you are wanting to be inspired.

• Healthy Breakfast Burritos - Anything  you can put in a taco, you can put in a burrito - to make it wildly healthy, instead of a tortilla use a leaf or lettuce or kale. 

• Breakfast Pita Pizza - A whole wheat pizza is a great start to assembling any meal. Add a little cheese and all the veggies of your choice - melt away (in a pan or the microwave) and you're done! For my pita pizzas I prefer to dip in the sauce than to put in inside the pita. You could have BBQ Chicken, Egg with Siracha, Veggies and yogurt sauce. You are only limited by your imagination - and the time you have left in the morning. Here is a recipe for an amazing one from Veggie Girl.

• Sauteed Vegetables Bagel Breakfast Sandwich - The recipe can be found over at Mountain Mama Cooks . Sure, this recipe may call for butter and oil, but research shows that adding fat in moderation to your veggies can help absorb their nutrients better. Plus, it makes them taste even more amazing! Reap all the vitamin C and lycopene of the summer squash and tomatoes with this bagel breakfast—and if bagels are just too heavy for your taste, we’re guessing these veggies would taste good on just about anything else.

• Mexican Breakfast Pasta - This recipe is from Living Well Kitchen, If pizza for breakfast is a thing, why can’t pasta be too? Switch up your morning carbs with a serving of spaghetti (make it whole-wheat for extra fiber) and black beans sautéed in a skillet with a generous few servings of diced veggies. The eggs cracked over the top give the whole thing a protein upgrade along with that breakfast-y vibe.

• Put Those Veggies in a Hash -  When you are mixing up your breakfast hash toss a few veggies in and then toss in a few more. 
• Here is an amazing recipe for a Sweet Potato Hash from Blissful Basil. 
• And one from Inspired Recipes for Hash with Spinach and Carrots. 
• A Roasted Vegetable Skillet that is so good, you'll want to make it for dinner too. 
• Ham & Veggie Breakfast Hash 

Breakfast doesn't always have to be sweet and it doesn't always have to be expected. If you love it, you can eat it for breakfast - what a great way to start the morning... with a whole lot of Good for You and a little rebellion. 

Peanut Butter Banana Bites

You can make this snack early in the day and freeze it, or you can make them and server them right away.  

I also have had the kids help me and make them - and I have made them for the kids. 

We have topped them with nuts, dried fruit, cereal and trail mix! - This recipe is too easy and too delicious not to share with you. 

You can use almond butter or sunflower nut butter, but I feel like those butters are thinner and if you want to use one of them, I like the method of rolling the banana in the nuts with the butters spread on the outside. 

Classic Collard Greens

You don't have to get too fancy with fresh ingredients to make them taste amazing. I love this recipe for greens because it is so simple. 

You can substitute any greens that you have and it will taste amazing.  I like that they stay nice and bright green and don't remind me of the scary spinach on tv and cartoons that I saw as a kid. 

After you have made them a few times, feel free to start experimenting with red pepper flakes, vinegar, and lots of yummy spices like cumin or paprika.  

You'll be eating and cooking greens like a truth southerner in no time at all. 

Red Monster Smoothie

I just love this Red Monster Smoothie - I am still trying to love the green ones as much as the rest of the whole world does. 

 

 I really like to buy lots of berries when they are in season and freeze them for making smoothies and nice cream. Berries never seem to last as long as I would like them to in my fridge. 

If you are using frozen fruit, go ahead and leave out the ice - you'll have a plenty frozen smoothie. And I really do like to use water in mine, anything else just adds sugar and calories that you won't miss. And adding more water, which your body will thank you for! 

 

Crock Pot Cooking

One of my favorite cooking tools for the summer months is my crock pot. It doesn't heat the house up like the oven does, I can start it in the morning and not have to worry about dinner getting started when I am out running errands or doing afternoon classes.

Food $ense teaches an amazing slow cooker cooking class and you can learn to adapt ANY recipe to be used in your slow cooker.

If standard recipe says: 
Standard Recipe       slow cooker on high heat          Cook in slow cooker on low heat
15 to 30 minutes              1½    to                                  2 ½hours 4-6 hours
35 to 45 minutes              3-4 hours                              6-10 hours
50 minutes to 3 hours       4-6 hours                            8-18 hours

From my extremely informal research, these are my top three favorite slow cooker recipes.

Beef Goulash   Or Veggie Stew  You can load this up with seasonal veggies or you can use canned or frozen vegetables in the winter time. With the addition of whole grain pasta this is a meal really worth putting on your favorites list.

Lime and Cilantro Chicken This is amazing just served with rice. But if you use the Food $ense "cook once, eat twice" program you can have amazing chicken tacos or fajitas on the second night!

BBQ Pork There isn't anything that this isn't amazing with. It is yummy on rolls and in tortillas, it is great on salads and just plain.  You can make it as spicy or as sweet as you choose with the sauce that you use.

I love my slow cooker, especially in the summer months. I urge you to pull yours out and start experimenting with it.

Roasted Tomato and Lentil Salad

I may have to change the name of this blog soon to The Girl Who Always Ate Lentils. I think it would get a lot of traffic. At least from me.  (oh wait... ) 

They are just so delicious, and so easy to prepare and so cheap and so darn good for you. That's it! They are Everything!!

Just because it is summer doesn't mean that I have stopped roasting all kinds of delicious veggies. These are some roasted tomatoes, which don't take long to roast at all - and they are so yummy. 

You can eat this, hot, cold or room temp.  I make it on the weekends and then eat it all week for lunch because you guys... I need adult food in the summer time. It is what keeps me mostly sane. 

Watermelon Raspberry and Lime Pops

You know those times when you buy a watermelon and it just isn't as good as you want it to be.  You don't want to waste it, but it isn't going to be delicious to just eat.  I have a solution for you - add some raspberries and lime and make popsicles!

It's a genius idea, refreshing and cold it is everything a summer treat could need to be!

The perfect way to enjoy that watermelon that you swore was going to be perfect and then turned out to be a little bit less than. 

Let's Get Popping! Some of the Best Ways to Flavor Your Favorite Whole Grain

One of my most favorite things to snack on in the whole world is popcorn. Since I love to share with you my healthy favorite things, I am going to share with you some of the most delicious ways to top this amazing whole grain.

A whopping 3 cups of air-popped popcorn is a mighty filling whole-grain snack yet only has 92 calories, plus 19 g carbs, 3 g protein, and 4 g fiber.

For the best and most even flavor distribution put half your popcorn in a bowl then sprinkle half your toppings / seasonings and then the second half of your popcorn and then top with the rest of your toppings / seasonings. I like to then put a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the bowl and shake shake shake. 

Here are some other ways that I like to top my popcorn. 

Sweet - 

Chocolate Chips ( or any flavor chips for that matter). I like the mini ones. This can get messy, but boy is it ever delicious. 

Cinnamon Sugar - used melted butter or coconut oil and then sprinkle with a cinnamon sugar mix. (most of us have one). Try pumpkin pie spice or chai spice as well and sugar and powdered ginger or nutmeg. My mouth is watering just typing this. 

Maple Butter - Mix together 1 tsp of melted butter and 1 tsp maple syrup and drizzle it over your popcorn. It is a good thing this one goes so fast, because it can get soggy. 

Marshmallow - Instead of using your regular crispy rice cereal use popcorn to make these easy treats. 

Mexican Hot Chocolate -  Toss with 1/4 teaspoon each cocoa powder and cinnamon. 

Fruit Salad- Toss with 2 tablespoons each dried cranberries, dried tart cherries, and raisins.

Pumpkin Pie -  Toss with 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon each allspice, ground cloves, and nutmeg

Caramel -  In a small saucepan, simmer 1 1/2 teaspoons olive or coconut oil and 1 1/2 tablespoons pure maple syrup. Drizzle over popcorn and toss.

Chocolate Peanut - Toss popcorn with 1 tablespoon dark chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon peanuts.

Swiss Mix - Toss with 1/4 cup mini marshmallows and 1 tablespoon hot chocolate mix.

Spiced Nut - Toss with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, and 1 tablespoon each sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and raw unsalted slivered almonds

Agave Crunch -  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon agave nectar and toss with 2 tablespoons granola and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Savory - 

Barbecue Popcorn - with brown sugar and paprika this recipe is sure to please at your house. 

Garlic Oil and Pecorino cheese - You can use any specialty cheese with this recipe. I find it just fine to omit the salt that the recipe calls for. 

Italian Seasoning - (oregano, fennel, red pepper flakes, marjoram, and basil) with olive oil.  This one tastes like Pizza Popcorn!

Parmesan Parsley - Toss with 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh parsley.

Truffles - Drizzle with 1 teaspoon truffle oil and 1 teaspoon olive oil and toss

Sesame - Drizzle with 1 teaspoon sesame oil and toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons gomasio (toasted sesame seeds and nori seaweed. Can’t find it in your grocery? Use 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds)

Orange Rosemary - Toss with 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, 1/8 teaspoon orange zest, and 1 dash garlic powder

Vegan Cheese - Drizzle with 1 teaspoon coconut oil and toss with 1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

Lemon Pepper - Toss with 1/4 teaspoon black peppercorn and 1/8 teaspoon lemon zest

You just use almost any prepared seasoning that you have Old Bay with Lemon Pepper and butter is to die for, as well as Caribbean Jerk Seasoning. For all of us ranch fans out there, we can use a packet of Ranch Dressing mix. 

Spicy - 
Spicy Paprika - Toss with 3/4 teaspoon chili powder and 1/4 teaspoon paprika. 

Thai - Toss with 1 teaspoon each curry powder and dried basil, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, and zest of 1 lime.

Chipotle Chocolate -  Toss with 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder and 1/8 teaspoon chipotle seasoning.


Cajun -  In small saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon canola oil over medium heat. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon each cumin, garlic powder, dried basil, dried thyme, and paprika; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; and 1 dash cayenne pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 minute. Drizzle over popcorn and toss.


Chili Lime -  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and a few shakes of Tabasco. Toss with 1 teaspoon each freshly squeezed lime juice and lime zest, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, and 1/8 teaspoon each chili powder and chili flakes

Wasabi -Toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons wasabi powder, 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, and 1 finely crumbled sheet nori.

Sweet Chili - Combine 1 1/2 teaspoons honey and 1 dash each garlic powder, chili powder, and cayenne pepper. Microwave mixture on high for 15 seconds. Drizzle over popcorn and toss with 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

How can you not love a snack that you can make so many different ways and still be healthy eating it. If you can, use a mister for your butter or olive oil. (or cut it out all together). What a great way to get your daily whole grains! 

Ya gotta wash your hands.

One of the first lessons that Food $ense teaches is about Food Safety. If you haven't been able to take a class locally, (by contacting a local agent), you can take the class online. I have a few random thoughts about Food Safety, well not the entire realm of Food Safety, but Hand Washing in particular.

This last week we had people on both sides of our extended family come down with the stomach flu. With all the business of the summer, I was desperate that none of our immediate family come down with the dreaded sickness. So I started preaching and became really vigilant about hand washing. I was shocked at how little of it went on in our home. I even noticed that I wasn't washing my hands as much as I should have been. Thankfully, I think we escaped the dreaded germs.

Here is some Great information on Food Safety basic practices. If you follow these all the time, you will be in the clear when it comes to food borne illness, but I bet as you read through them, there are some that you aren't doing. I was breaking quite a few of the rules.

CBS News ran a report a little while ago and they reported that 95% of people are washing their hands wrong. Say WHAT?!?! Am I living around all these people? Is everyone using those cleaning wipes at the grocery store to clean their carts and forgetting how to use soap and water to wash their hands? The CDC says Handwashing Saves Lives, I am sure that it does, but it can save you a lot of other things too, like discomfort, sick kids and dirty laundry. A healthy family is a happier family. I know we are going to be much better about keeping our hands clean.

Supermarket Survival

One of the household tasks that I absolutely hate the most is grocery shopping. I find it intimidating, and I really feel the pressure to "do it right", so when I buy something that I shouldn't I feel a lot of guilt. It doesn't seem fair that most of the store intentions are to trick you into spending more money on foods that aren't that great food you. It feels like an mission into enemy territory.

I would like to say that it doesn't have to be that way, but I haven't exactly found a way around it yet. Shopping at roadside produce stands, and farmer's markets can greatly add to the pleasure of your food buying experience. But it still feels like the big bog stores and the chain marts are still out to get me and gobble up my little grocery budget on things that won't nourish my family, but make them lots of money.

I found this AMAZING super market guide that I wanted to share with you. It has great tips for grocery shopping smarter in every area of the store.

Food $ense also has a really smart shopping guide to help. Here is there super market shopping guide with their ideas on how to make us smarter more savvy shoppers.

And here are some ideas from SNAP-Ed

• It can be a challenge to make healthy food choices and stay within your food budget. Here are some tips to help you get the most from your grocery budget:
• Take an inventory of the food you already have in your home. Plan your meals for the week, keeping in mind what you already have in your pantry.
• Make a shopping list and stick to it.
• Compare unit prices (cost per ounce or pound) to determine if you are getting the best deal.
• Buy the generic store brand versions of foods.
• Take advantage of store loyalty savings programs, as well as clipping coupons and online discounts.
• Remember that stores retain your purchase habits. Make sure you are protecting your privacy and know your rights.
• 
  
• Only take advantage of the deal if you know you will eat the discounted item. It’s not a deal if the food goes to waste.
• Shop the perimeter of the store for nutrient dense foods. Processed and packaged foods tend to be more expensive.
• Visit your local farmer’s market to find fresh produce. Arrive early to get the best selection or late to get the best deals. Fresh food spoils quickly so don’t buy more than you can eat or freeze. Find your local farmers market.
• Shop for foods that are in season. When the supply is plentiful, the prices tend to be lower.
• Some stores offer discounts to customers for bringing their own bags.

We don't have to be at the mercy of our the stores eating up our grocery budgets. A few smart tricks and lots of informed shopping can make us the masters of our own fate.  - And we can use our food budgets fully nourishing our families and taking care of ourselves.  Remember to always plan, the most expensive food item you can buy is the one you end up not using.

Beet and Bean Dip - Ginger Beet Hummus

Isn't that just gorgeous? Don't you want to just dive in? 

Beets are one of my most favorite foods in whole wide world. I love them anyway that I can get them. so making them into a delicious dip was a given for me. 

When I made this dip and set out the rainbow of veggies my kids came flocking to it. They all ate it and loved it. The flavors of the hummus (tahini, cumin and ginger) really balance out the earthy flavors of the beets. Its so yummy on everything!

I have a really detailed tutorial for you on roasting beets at home - without making a huge beet juice mess all over your kitchen.  Its Here!  

You can also buy beets pre-roasted, but with farmer's markets in full swing - there are LOTS of beets available and you can eat the greens - and you can roast a bunch, freeze some for later, keep some in your fridge for salads and make this yummy dip!

If you love this dip, don't be limited by just dipping veggies, chips and pita, you can spread it on sandwiches, you can use it in wraps and you can add it to Buddha bowls, rice bowls and veggie bowls. YUM!