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! 

Creamy Avocado Cucumber Salad

Crunchy, creamy, tart with the juice of lime and crisp with cucumbers this salad has me loving summer. 

It marries perfectly with the feta cheese and the cilantro. 

Although there is quite a bit of lime juice in this recipe, Your avocados won't stay green forever, so it isn't really something that you can make ahead of time to enjoy later. 

But it would make an AMAZING topping for some spicy tacos or on top of a rice bowl.

I'm just eating it by the fork-full and living my dream to just eat guacamole plain. 

Caprese Pasta Salad

I remember the first time I discovered Caprese Salad. I felt so sophisticated and glamorous. It seemed like a fancy thing to be eating, glorious in its simplicity. I still can't get enough of the stuff, I just love it. 

And so when it gets to be tomato season and the fresh basil is plentiful, I could eat it everyday. 

But eating it everyday, means that I'm still hungry. Let's be honest, when I make it, I use a pretty heavy hand with the tomatoes and skimp on the cheese. That means, I'm just mostly eating tomatoes. And after an hour or two... I'm hungry again. 

This summer, I am solving that problem with pasta and making my beloved Caprese Salad a meal. 

It's genius! The balsamic vinegar and olive oil are the perfect simple dressing for a pasta salad. And the flavors of the fresh tomatoes along with pungent basil make the perfect compliment to plain old pasta. 

This keeps amazing in the fridge. I have been eating it all week at lunch and for snacks. (Yes! I really do eat that much of it!) The last day, I added a bit more balsamic and oil because the pasta had absorbed so much, but it was still just as tasty. 

Edamame and Chickpea Salad

I haven't liked a salad this much since I made my Marinated Lentil Salad. This salad is full of lean protein in the chickpeas and the edamame. You can add any veggies that you have on hand. 

The dressing is simple ans flavorful. I kept mine in small round containers that I could just grab and eat for lunch or a snack - I'll be honest, I ate one in bed at 10:30 pm on night. 

 It is much better the second day. If you are going to make it for a potluck, I highly recommend that you make it the day before. But that just makes this recipe all the more perfect.  

7 Easy Ways to Eat Healthier This Week

How are you doing on your New Year's Resolutions?  Have you burst into a ball of flame yet? Have you turned into Cindy Crawford?  Me Neither, but that is mostly because I didn't actually make any New Year's Resolutions - that's one way to be wildly successful, isn't it?!

The way I feel about things, is that living a healthy life takes life changes. Things that you do forever and ever, evermore, and not just for 30 days or until you reach a goal weight or until you stumble across that sleeve of stale Oreos in the back of the pantry.

In my life, I try and make the best choices that I can in the moment. That means Meal Planning when I can (because I know that makes me successful). Prepping food and snacks "before" instead of saying that I will get to it later. And making the little things count - and not giving up the whole show when something doesn't go right.

Maybe this week - Try Baking with Some Healthy Substitutions.  It is much easier than you think, and you don't have to go all out - You can cut the sugar in half, or substitute half the flour for a whole grain flour. You don't have to give up chocolate chip cookies and only eat carob. You don't even have to be so brave as to add or cut half, do half or a half. One little step in the right direction, is Still in the right direction.

Try an in-season fruit or vegetable that you’ve never had. If you like summer stone fruits like peaches and plums, you’ll probably love persimmons, too. Have you eaten fresh cranberries, or tried a new citrus fruit - what about artichokes? Eating in Season not only is so much better for you, but foods taste better when they are fresher and they cost quite a bit less.

Stuck in a Rut with Pasta or Rice - Eat Well Utah - has some amazing information and recipes on cooking with whole grains. Use quinoa instead of rice, add barley or groats to your menu. What about making some veggie "noodles" with zucchini or rocking it old school with spaghetti squash!

Make-Over a Comfort Food - Instead of frying chicken, bread it and bake it in the oven. Try a creamy macaroni and cheese recipe, you can find recipes that are for beginning healthy eaters all the way to recipes that use cauliflower to make the "cheese" sauce. Use a substitution that is better for you than heavy cream to thicken a soup, use something besides mayonnaise to make a salad creamy.

Choose Your Beverages Wisely -  One of the best things that we can all do for our bodies is to Stop drinking soda.  Choose to drink more water, eat whole fruit instead of drinking juices, make low-fat and skim milk part of your healthy habits.

Change Up Your Breakfast - Start your day by making a choice to take better care of yourself.  Start your day with a whole grain - or how about adding some veggies to your breakfast.  If you aren't someone who regularly eats breakfast, start a new habit that will make you feel great. Lots of us feel like we don't have time to make a big healthy meal in the morning, and that makes weekends great for preparing freezer breakfast burritos or sandwiches to put in the freezer. You can pop something in the microwave and have breakfast made in less time than it takes to brush your teeth.

Choose Fruit - When those late night snack cravings happen, Choose Fruit. When you get that afternoon slump or those terrible 10am "how can it NOT be lunch yet?!" feelings. Choose a piece of fruit.

Try just one way to be healthier this week, or try each time once. Try something else that you have had on your list of things you want to do - Keep being brave, keep moving forward!

Tilapia with Tomatoes and Capers in the Oven or the Instant Pot

I hardly ever cook fish. First of all because I don't really like it and second, because I have no idea how to cook it.  It is a new experience for me. Joseph really really loves fish and he has asked that we have it more. The USDA recommends eating 8 oz. of fish a week. 

This recipe involves cooking the fish inside a foil packet that you make, That means that the fish stays nice and moist and all the flavors steam right it. It is a really great recipe for a newbie to figure out how to cook fish in a pretty safe can't-mess-it-up kind of way. 

Mix your tomatoes, capers, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil into a bowl. I used this cook spoon that I have as a measurement tool and put one spoon of the mixture into each packet of fish. 

This is the trickiest part of the whole recipe - Fold up the edges of your foil and pour your mixture right into the center - then fold up the sides and roll them, then fold up the edges. 

My packets weren't going to make it onto the front page of pinterest for packet dinner origami, but I was pretty impressed with myself for not spilling out the juices. 

 Then after they were done cooking, I took a small knife and cut a huge slit in the side, peeled back the edges and slid the whole contents of the packet onto plate with cooked rice. 

I put the fish / sauce right on top of the rice so all the yummy cooking juices would flavor the rice. It was a hit for the fish lovers in my family. 

Curried Chickpeas with Spinach

I made this so fast for a quick and healthy lunch this week. I wasn't expecting much, but since it was healthy, low cost and really fast, I figured that was good enough reason to make it. 

I had some leftover brown rice that I was looking to top and this was a super easy option.

So I assembled it nice and quick and left it simmering on the stove while I finished up cleaning the kitchen. It smells pretty good and I was looking forward to lunch.  I tested it with a small spoon to check the seasonings. I didn't want it to have a huge Curry flavor, so I had been a little stingy with the curry spice and when I use plain tomato sauce, I sometimes feel like things need a bit more salt after they have simmered for a while. 

So I checked the seasonings with a small spoonful of sauce -  Holy Cow!  It was amazing! I couldn't believe how good it was. How could something with so few ingredients, not really anything "special" and put together so quickly taste so Fantastic!  I don't know, but it sure does. 

89 Simple Swaps for a Better Life

Just one smart change to be the first step (or the next step) to living your Best Life!

This  for  That  !! 

Fitness

1. Dynamic for Static Stretching

2. Interval Workout for Relaxed Run

3. Incline for Flat Treadmill

4. Zumba for Elliptical

5. Planks for Crunches

6. Warming up for Rushing Right To It

7. Standing for Sitting at a Desk

8. Exercise Ball for Office Chair

9. Gym for Napping

10. Free Weights for Machines

11. Pull-Ups for Biceps Curls

12. Squats for Leg Press

13. Personal trainer for Guessing Games

14. Foam Rolling for Static Stretching

15. Exergames for Mario Kart

16. Rowing for Biking

17. Stairs for Escalator

18. Fun Workout for Dreaded Workout

19. Active Date for Dinner and a Movie

20. Parking Farther Away for Getting A Spot Up Close

21. Walking Farther for Running Shorter

22. Working Out With a Pal for Exercising Alone

23. Hands-Free Running for Holding Handles

24. Cherry Juice for Muscle Medicine

25. Homemade Post-Workout Snack for a Protein Bar

Health

26. Cooking at Home for Eating Out

27. Whole Fruit for Fruit Juice

28. Pan-Fried for Deep-Fried

29. Local Produce for Supermarket Veggies

30. Oil and Balsamic for Other Dressings

31. Raw Spinach for Iceberg Lettuce

32. Greek Yogurt for Sour Cream

33. Cinnamon for Sugar

34. Salsa for Cream Cheese Dips

35. Frozen Grapes for Popsicles

36. Sparkling Water for Soda

37. Fresh Fruit for Syrup at Brunch

38. Air-Popped Popcorn for Chips

39. Doggy Bag for Food Coma

40. Brown Rice for White Rice

41. Whole-Wheat Pasta for White Pasta

42. Oatmeal for Sugary Cereal

43. Biking to Work for Driving

44. Packing Lunch for Eating Out

45. Eating Three Meals for Skipping and Snacking

46. Mustard for Mayo

47. Avocado Toast for Butter

48. Lean Meats for Fatty Ones

49. Marinara Sauce for White Sauce

50. Red Wine or Beer for a Margarita

51. Chewing Slowly for Speed Eating

52. Eating at the Table for Chowing in Front of the TV

53. Eating Breakfast for Hitting Snooze (Again)

54. Black Coffee for Latte

55. Toast for Bagel

56. Medium Plate for Large One

57. Eating From the Bowl Over Digging Into the Box

58. Hard-Boiled Eggs for Fried

59. Chopsticks for Forks

60. Grocery Shopping When Full for Shopping Hungry

61. Stopping When Full for Cleaning the Plate

62. Raw Nuts for Nut Butter

63. Power Nap for Energy Drink

Happiness

64. Gratitude for Complaining

65. Outside for Inside

66. Book for Television

67. Meditation for Comfort Food

68. Yoga for Facebook

69. Being Upfront for Acting Passive Aggressive

70. Breathing for Being a Stress Mess

71. Working at a Desk for Working in the Bedroom

72. Fun Alarm Clock Song for Annoying Ringer

73. Fancy Silverware for Plastic

74. Carpooling for Driving Alone

75. Journaling for Emotional Eating

76. Smiling for Frowning

77. Color for Drab Shades

78. Keeping the Same Bedtime for Winging It

79. Little Milestones for Big Goals

80. Clean Workspace for Clutter

81. Venting to a Friend for Bottling It Up

82. Self-Love for Self-Criticism

83. Focusing on the Future Instead of Dwelling on the Past

84. Moderation for Deprivation

85. Calling a Friend for Texting

86. Honesty for Excuses

87. Comfy Shoes for Fancy Footwear

88. Saying No for Over-Committing

89. Planning for Procrastination

My Favorite Foods to Always Have on Hand

I have a few foods that I always try and make sure I have in my pantry. I thought I would share some of them with you, because I ran out of one the other day. Joseph and I were shopping at Costco and he asked, do we have peanut butter. I replied that of course we had peanut butter and so we didn't get any.  But last week, I used up the last of the jar of peanut butter and went to the pantry to get a new one....  and I couldn't find one.  I went downstairs into storage to get a jar, there wasn't one there either. Not to be deterred, I went back upstairs and began to search the pantry for peanut butter, I just couldn't imagine that I had actually let us run out of my go-to ingredient. But no, there was no peanut butter. 

I got me thinking, I need to clean up the mess that is my pantry, so I can actually find things, and I needed to share with you my favorite foods to always have on hand. 

Peanut Butter -  You bet we eat a lot of peanut butter sandwiches around here. But peanut butter is the main ingredient in my favorite Thai peanut noodles.  It is my go-to pantry meal, everyone in my family eats it and it isn't spaghetti, so I can serve it the same that I serve spaghetti (WAHAHA evil laugh)  To make this ingredient as healthy as possible. check your label for added sugar. Ideally your peanut butter should have peanuts and a little bit of salt. 

Brown Rice -  We love rice at our house. Some people are much bigger fans of white rice than brown rice, but we are trying to slowly make the transition to just eating brown rice. We aren't there yet.  I love rice because it goes into and with nearly everything. You can add it to soups, casseroles, skillet meals. You can cook it and saute up some veggies and have a delicious stir-fry. And my family finds rice very non-threatening. When I say that dinner is chicken and rice. I have a sure hit on my hands, no matter the form that I have made it in. 

Quinoa -  I wasn't that big of a couscous fan until I began toasting it. That changed everything for me. I know that a lot of people use it as a swap for rice or grains, but it is too expensive for me to do that. When I make quinoa, I always use it as my protein.  That makes some quinoa and frozen veggies an amazing for you dinner, packed with nutrition and very filling. 

Lentils - these are another one of my favorite cheap and quick proteins.  I love beans, but cooking them from dry honestly takes more time that I have 90% of the time.  Lentils only take 20-30 minutes and since they don't look or taste like beans, the bean haters at my house eat them. 

Pasta and Jar Sauce -  This is one of my dinner emergency kits. My kids love noodles and white sauce, and they love spaghetti, so on those nights when practice runs late or I forgot to get food out of the freezer, this is our backup plan. We have found a few prepared sauces that we really like and I feel good about eating and feeding my family. And a jar of sauce and a package of pasta can feed a family for less than 3.00$. It can feed me entire family for less than 6$. 

This is a wonderful list from Food $ense that has quite a few pantry foods that are great to have on hand.  

And they have put together a list of what you can eat and make with those foods you have on hand.  Enjoy!!

Maple Roasted Pumpkin and Veggies

When I first started trying to follow My Plate I had no idea how I was going to feed my family all those vegetables. I didn't know how I was going to eat all those vegetables.  Trying to achieve half a plate at every meal seemed like a nearly impossible task. 

But as I have learned through Food $ense classes and just putting the things I have learned into practice, it isn't as hard as you might think - and actually can be really really delicious. 

I began first by adding a green salad to lunch and dinner. It was easy, the kids could help me prepare it, and my bigger kids could easy do it on their own. Everyone could choose their own dressing and so I never had to face any, "but I don't like salad" complaints.  It quickly became habit and I felt really good about the changes we were making. 

Something else that I have recently started doing, is roasting up all the veggies that I have left in the fridge on Saturdays during my meal prep. I always add a great big onion to them, toss them in a little bit of olive oil spread them out on two baking sheets (because I make a LOT) and then sprinkle them with a little bit of salt and pepper.   I used these veggies as a go-to side dish all week until I run out of them. 

That means that without even having to think about it, I have added a green salad and then a side of roasted veggies to my plate without even having to think about it.  Then when I make dinner during the week, I can plan much smaller portions of protein and grains because I already know we have lots of vegetables to fill up on.  I don't even worry about "do roasted veggies go with this" because you don't think that for a second about a green salad, it just goes with everything, I feel that way about roasted veggies. 

Ingredients

2 lbs cubed pumpkin (sweet potatoes or winter squash)

1 lb brussels sprouts 

2 red onions, peeled and each onion cut into wedges

1/4 cup walnuts (or other sturdy nut like almonds or pecans)

3 tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp dried chili flakes, adjust to taste 

1/2 tsp salt

Black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400F.

Peel and dice the pumpkin into 1“ cubes, If your brussels sprouts are large, cut them in half.

Place the pumpkin, brussels sprouts, onion and walnuts onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup, then mix with your hands until it is evenly coated.

Sprinkle the veggies with the dried chilli flakes, salt and pepper.

Roast for 25 minutes, or until the pumpkin is browned and cooked through. 

Toss once at around 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven, Serve immediately.