Tag Archives: Healthy Eating

Tasty, Healthy Blackberry Muffins

20 Apr
I love muffins, but in general they are completely terrible for you. Especially the ones that I end up buying out when I get a major craving for them (like the Starbucks muffins).I have a tendency to get cravings for baked goods when I am traveling. I’m not sure why that is. Maybe I subconsciously give myself the “go-ahead” to eat like total crap while I am away from my kitchen or something. It’s weird, but at least I know this about myself, and can fend off some of my bad habits by coming prepared. I absolutely always make some sort of healthy snack to take with me when I travel anywhere.I have been testing out muffin recipes for some time, and I think I have pretty much perfected it. They have a good texture and fluffy-ness, but are pretty good for you! Can’t go wrong with that.Yesterday afternoon I baked up a batch of my tasty, healthy blackberry muffins for our trip to Washington, DC this weekend. Hopefully they keep me from indulging in too many terrible treats while I am away!

Healthy Blackberry Muffins :: unflattering photo of my muffin *::
:: ingredients ::
1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 T agave syrup (honey would work fine too)
1 T fresh lemon zest
1 egg
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1/4 cup apple sauce
1 cup fresh blackberries
:: directions ::
1) Preheat oven to 400F. In medium-sized bowl, stir together the rolled oats, flour, baking powder, salt, and dried lemon zest. (If you’re using fresh lemon zest, add it with the wet ingredients.)
2) In a small bowl, beat the egg with a fork, then stir in the milk, agave syrup, and apple sauce. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until barely combined, being careful not to overstir. When ingredients are combined, gently fold in blackberries.
3) Spray muffin pan or silicone muffin cups with nonstick spray if desired. (I sprayed the muffin cups I used.) Divide batter equally among muffin cups, filling about 3/4 full. (If your muffin pan has large cups, this may only make 9 muffins.)
4) Bake muffins 20-25 minutes, until tops are starting to brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Silicon baking liners
:: reusable baking liners ::
And if you are wondering – “Yes.” I am absolutely the crazy person who bakes her own food and brings it with her on the plane. I have no shame about it at all, although I am pretty sure the husband wishes I wouldn’t. He thinks its pretty odd… not so odd that he declines my tasty snacks when I offer to share though. These babies would also be tasty with blueberries instead of blackberries.
In unrelated news, my dog has taken to sitting up-right like a human in chairs and I love it! I feel compelled to take a photo every single time I see it.
Dog- dog sitting like a person
Happy Friday!
KayleeAnn
*Also I wanted to note, in the batch of muffins that I photographed above I used steel cut oats instead of rolled oats. I liked them a lot, but I suspect they are a bit chewy and grainy for the average consumer. Your muffins will look slightly different then this.

Tags: , , , , ,

New Ingredient :: Lentils

13 Apr

Happy Friday! Actually, happy Friday afternoon, the very best part of Friday! I have another “New Ingredient” post for you. These posts have really just become features for food that I have eaten, but never cooked before. Oh well, works for me! Hope they inspire you to get in there and try some new things. I am confident that bringing variety to your plate is key to a happy, healthy belly. It always has been for me.

 

New-Ingredient Lentils

 
I have always been intimidated by lentils and I am not sure why. I have cooked dry beans before (in fact I do it all the time), and I assumed that it was essentially the same thing. Truth be told, it is actually easier than cooking dried beans because you don’t have to soak them first. I guess I thought it would be hard to season them and make them taste good… The recipe I had, made them super tasty though!

Lentils

Lentil Facts:
They are a flat, oval-shaped legume that comes in many varieties – brown, green, yellow, red, black, etc – and are often used in Indian food. They are rich in fiber and oh-so-good for you! I made the green ones for my first adventure!

Lentils

Cooking:
Rinse the lentils first. Then take 3 cups of water per cup of lentils and boil for 20-30 minuets (until tender). Super easy!

I used my lentils to make these Ancho Lentil Tacos from The Post Punk Kitchen (same as the Risotto I posted). They were so delicious! You really should make them!

The PPK Ancho Lentil Tacos
:: Photo Courtsey The PPK ::

I really like to take my own photos, but I had company and that has a tendency to make me a touch self-conscious about photographing the food :/

Anyway, I have big plans to make many more lentil dishes!

:: have a lovely weekend ::
KayleeAnn

Tags: , , , , ,

Pesto Risotto with Zucchini

9 Apr

Just a quick check in. This weekend I made a very tasty meal and wanted to share.

Pesto Risotto with Zucchini

I got the recipe for this from Post Punk Kitchen, so it is completely vegan and gluten-free. Pretty cool!

:: For the risotto ::
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups or so vegetable broth
3/4 cup pesto (I recommend Bestest Pesto, it makes plenty)
1/2 teaspoon salt (more or less depending on how salty your broth and pesto are, so taste for salt often)
Fresh black pepper

:: For the zucchini ::
1 lb zucchini, cut on a bias into chunky half moons
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced

:: Optional ::
Extra toasted pine nuts
Extra pesto for drizzling

1) Warm the vegetable broth in a saucepan. Keep it warm on the lowest setting possible as you prepare the risotto.

2) Preheat the oven to 425 F for the zucchini, and have ready a large rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

3) Now let’s make the risotto! Preheat a heavy-bottomed 4 quart pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion in oil and a pinch of salt until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.

4) Add the rice and use a wooden spoon to stir and coat with oil. Add the white wine and stir occasionally, until wine is mostly absorbed, 4 minutes or so. Add a few dashes fresh black pepper, and half of the salt. Turn the heat down just a bit to medium-low.

5) Add the broth by the cupful, stirring the risotto after each addition until the broth is mostly absorbed (6 to 8 minutes). After 2 cupfuls, add about half of the pesto and stir well, then continue to cook, adding broth by the cupful, stirring, and letting the liquid absorb.

6) At some point in there, your oven will be preheated. Toss the zucchini with oil, salt, pepper and garlic. Roast for about 6 minutes on each side, or until softened and lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside.

7) With your last addition of broth, add the rest of the pesto. Taste for salt and add the other 1/4 teaspoon if needed. Risotto is ready when the rice is chewy but still firm, and the sauce is very creamy. For a firmer risotto, just cook a few minutes extra to absorb more of the liquid.

:: To serve :: scoop risotto into each bowl, and top with zucchini. Drizzle with extra pesto and garnish with a few toasted pine nuts.
:: Recipe source :: The PPK

 

Pesto Risotto with Zucchini

It turned out super tasty! I would definitely make it again, but it does make a ton, so I will probably cut the recipe in half. I served mine with a whole pear, but I think a spinach salad would have been a tasty alternative too!

:: enjoy ::
KayleeAnn

Tags: , , , , , ,

Meal Planning And Grocery Lists

6 Apr

I do still have one installment of my “Workout Routine” series, but I wanted to take a break and talk about meal planning first. I will jump back into the series next time!

Meal planning is key to my success in healthy eating. If I plan out a week of meals and go to the store to buy all the things that I need to cook, it leaves no room for excuses. In fact, I usually feel bad if I don’t make it (I hate being wasteful!).

Meal Planning

So every Sunday afternoon I try to set aside time to come up with everything that I want to cook that week and time to go to the grocery store. In total it probably takes me about 2 hours (maybe a little more), but it makes my whole week go much more smoothly and it makes it easier to plan meals that use the same ingredients (so I don’t have to throw extras away). If you don’t already have a grocery day – I highly recommend you get one.

GroceryIQ App

In related news, I found an iPhone app that I just love! It is called Grocery IQ. I use it to keep track of my ongoing grocery list (so I don’t waste/loose paper lists). I pretty much always have my phone near me, so anytime I use the last of something I just snap a picture of the bar code and it adds the product to my grocery list. You can organize all your products by the store you want to buy them from and the app automatically organizes products into areas of the store (like “fruits and vegetables” “spices and baking,” and “international & ethnic cuisine”) so I can get all the items in one area before moving to other areas of the store (without forgetting anything). It makes my shopping trips go much more quickly!

Grocery IQ iPhone app

Plus, I am able to share my account with The Boy, so if he happens to be at the store without me, he knows exactly what we need (and vice versa). It’s free…so you should probably try it out!

Smart phones are amazing…not sure how I ever lived without one!

:: Thanks ::

KayleeAnn

Tags: , , , ,

Green Smoothies

1 Mar

Tasty Green Smoothie

I have stared a new breakfast routine. For the past 2 weeks I have been eating green smoothies when I wake up (more like while I am driving to work).

I have always been curious about green smoothies because in theory they are such a great idea. Whiz together some fresh fruits and vegetables, and gulp them down. It’s healthy, fast, easy to digest, and I start eating green vegetables earlier in the day then I normally would (and ultimately get another serving of them in a day). See what I mean, on paper these things are like a magic elixir. I was a bit afraid of what the reality of drinking a thick, room temperature vegetable drink would be like

They are way more tasty than I thought they would be! If you make them right, it is almost just like drinking a regular fruit smoothie – which I love.

So how do you make them “right”?

Standard Green Smoothie

:: ingredients ::
1 cup spinach
1 small to medium apple (I use gala, but pretty much any kind would do)
1 banana
3/4 cup water

:: directions ::
1) Add half of the water and half of the spinach in your blender. Blend until combined.
2) Add the second half of the spinach and the rest of the water and blend.
3) While the blender is still running, slowly add in the fruit. Blend until smooth.

Tasty Green Smoothie

 

This recipe is just a starting point. It gives you an idea of the proportions. I always use 1 cup of greens, but I don’t always use spinach. I have also tried turnip tops, kale, and cabbage. You can also mix in any kind of fruit you want. Anything you would put in fruit smoothie is applicable. Mango, oranges, kiwi, grapes, blueberries -  the possibilities are endless (sort of).

I have found that bananas are a great binder and really give the smoothies a nice texture (plus they are cheap) so I almost always add at least a half of a banana to all my smoothies.
Give it a try! Pretty amazing.

KayleeAnn

Tags: , , , , , ,

← Older Entries

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.