Honey Oat Teddy Grahams

Like most kids, my 17 month old LOVES graham crackers.  He always wants to munch on them and I want to make him happy, despite knowing that our store bought overly processed graham crackers are probably not the healthiest snack choice out there. 

So, after trying out a few recipes and adapting it to what I think is taste good without sacrificing his baby figure, I'm sharing my honey oat teddy graham recipes.  It's not overly sweet, but that could always be adjusted to your tastebuds.  I figured Dustin doesn't know just how sweet life can get yet, so might as well keep him in the dark for now :)

 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/8 cup wheat germ
• 1/8 cup wheat bran
• 1/2 cup oat flour (I just buy whole oats and put them in the food processor)
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 Tbsp skim milk or vanilla almond milk (for a vegan or just tasty option)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place the rack slightly above the middle.
2. Mix all the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another.  Slowly mix in the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until well combined.
3. If the dough is too sticky, pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour. 
4. Roll the dough in between two pieces of parchment paper to about 1/8" thick.  Using a bear cookie cutter (or any shape of your choice) press into the dough.  Place the bears on your lined baking sheet.  Repeat this until all the dough is gone or until you have no more room on your baking sheet.  I had to make mine in two batches.
5. Bake for 9 minutes, remove from the oven, and carefully flip over the teddy bears.  Cook for an additional 8 minutes.  Remove from the oven and transfer the bears to a cool surface.
6. Happy snacking!

*I bought my cookie cutter from Michaels.  It came with 5 other shapes and it was the Noah's Ark themed cookie cutters.  Don't forget to print off your 40% off coupon from their website!  I've also seen these at JoAnne's Fabrics.

Breakfast Sausage Balls

I try to get most of our breakfasts for the week cooked on Sundays and I especially like to make things that are easy to take on the go since my husband has to go to class in the mornings.  I saw a picture of these sausage balls and thought I try them out. 

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 56g turkey sausage, divided in half
• Non-stick spray

Directions:

1. I first boiled my eggs in salt water for about 8 minutes.  Let them cool so you can use your hands to work with them.  Peel the eggs.
2. Take 28g of turkey sausage and form into a ball.  Flatten as thin as you can and drape over the egg.  Carefully press turkey sausage around the egg and try to patch up any holes.  Because the sausage is a little greasy, you really have to work with it to get it to stick around the egg, but keep at it and it will work.  Repeat for as many eggs as you want.
3. Line a casserole dish with tinfoil.  Spray with non-stick spray.  Place the sausage balls into the casserole dish and cover with tinfoil.
4. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until the sausage is cooked.  Flip the sausage balls over halfway through. 
5. Enjoy your low-carb breakfast!  (We usually eat the egg yolk for one, but then pick out the other yolk and just eat the turkey sausage and egg whites to reduce the fat.)

Low-Carb Cauliflower Pizza

My husband and I have decided to go on a low-carb "lifestlye" change.  We are following one diet that keeps their carbs under 30g a day, which is not very much considering how much bread and pasta we use to eat.  This has forced us to get a little bit more daring and try new recipes, thus PINTEREST becomes our life saver!  I kept seeing these cauliflower pizza dough recipes and was a little curious.  So, we finally tried it out last Friday and it was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!!!  My husband, Dylan, went as far as to say "it is better than a Papa Johns Pizza" . . . I'm not going to completely agree with that statement, but it was pretty good. 



 

I used the recipe from the website Eating Bird Food at http://www.eatingbirdfood.com/2012/09/healthy-pizza-with-a-cauliflower-crust/
I only made one adjustment and that was to add 2 Tbsp ground Flaxseed.  I was hoping it would help the dough stick together a little more and it would add some more nutrients.  Also, all the carbs in ground Flaxseed are dietary fiber, so my husband and I don't count those.  Here's the recipe, but again you can also go to their site to find more pictures.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raw cauliflower, blended
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 cup mozzarella, low-sodium
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• 2 Tbsp ground Flaxseed
• Non-stick spray

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, saute the cauliflower on low-medium until translucent.  About 8 minutes.  Let cool.  (Makes it easier to work with your hands)
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients.  Add the cauliflower to the mixture.  Use your hands to really mix in the ingredients and form a ball.
3. Cover a pizza pan with tinfoil and spray with non-stick spray.  Place the dough in the middle of the pan and slowly start to flatten into a crust shape.  (It took me awhile to really work the cauliflower into the right shape and patch up all the holes that kept forming, but it did end up working.  I pressed the dough down to about 1/4" thick and pinched the edge up so hold in the ingredients.)
4. Bake at 400 for about 25-27 minutes or until golden.  Turn your pan at the halfway point.
5. Top with your favorite sauce, meat, and veggies.  (Don't over do it though, because the crust is not that thick and won't be able to hold the weight.) 
6. Broil for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  (Because you only cook it for a few minutes longer, I sauted my veggies and precooked the chicken before putting it on top of the pizza.)

It's packed with so much flavor because of the herbs and cheese, you can't even taste the cauliflower.  I couldn't at least, but I like cauliflower too.  Be daring and try this recipe!

Vegan Whole-Wheat Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles

I've been trying to find a good waffle recipe that tasted good without all the butter and syrup, but usually they end up tasting too much like baking powder. So after several recipes and experiments, I am finally happy with these Lemon Poppy Seed Waffles. They are tasty enough to not need any toppings, they are crunchy and soft at the same time, and they are vegan! Here's what you'll need. In a medium size bowl, mix together:

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup white flour

In a small bowl, mix together:

• 1 cup rice milk (or your choice of milk subsitute)
• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp melted margarine (Smart Balance Lite is dairy free)
• 2 Tbsp oil, coconut or canola (I used coconut because it is healthier, but you can definitely taste the coconut in the end result. So if you don't want that, use a more neutral flavored oil.)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp poppy seeds

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients.
Get your waffle iron nice and hot. Spray with some non-stick spray and cook until the waffles are a nice golden brown. My waffle maker makes 4 waffles at a time and uses about 1/4 cup per waffle.Eat plain or dust with a little bit of powder sugar . . . it's practically a dessert for breakfast!Enjoy :)

Vegan Samoa Cookies

I found this great vegan Samoa Cookie recipe from this website http://www.alisacooks.com/2011/03/15/samoa-girl-scout-cookies/   They looked so delicious and didn't have any scary ingredients that some vegan recipes have, so I had to give it a try . . . and they turned out awesome!  I pretty much stuck to the recipe exactly and barely modified it.  I ended up using a vanilla bean in the shortbread cookie, only because I didn't have enough vanilla extract at the time.  Anyway, go to her site!  She has a ton of great looking recipes.  I can't wait to try another one :) 

 The recipe calls for parchment paper, but I didn't have any.  They didn't stick at all to my pan, but I would't definitly use parchment paper if I had it.

I increased the baking time to 20-22 minutes.  I'm at a higher altitude, so things take a little longer to cook here. 

 I dipped the shortbread cookies in the chocolate before I added the coconut topping using a fork.  I was worried if I put the coconut topping on first, it would fall off.  Set them on wax paper so the chocolate doesn't stick when it hardens.

I use Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate.  They don't add any dairy, but it says it may contain dairy because of the facility it was made in.  It doesn't seem to bother my son's allergies if I eat stuff like that.

 The recipe calls for 1 1/4 cup of coconut, but my sugar mixture lookd a little runny so I used a whole package of coconut that had 2 2/3 cups.

 I used a chopstick to drizzle the chocolate over the cookies . . . what a yummy mess!

Watch out, these are dangerously good, but not really good for you, so eat with a buddy.  That way you can't eat them all yourself!

Chap Chae Noodles

One of my many favorite Korean dishes is Chap Chae noodles!  I seem to always make it alittle different each time, so I finaly measured out my ingredients to get the perfect sweet and salty combo.

•  First you'll need to head over to an asian store and buy sweet potato starch noodles (500g).  I've never been able to find them at an amercan store, so let me know if you do!

Soak the whole package of chap chae noodles in cold water overnight.  If you forget to do this, you can always boil them when you need them, but the texture turns out way better if you soak them first and they are easier to handle the next day.

The rest of your ingredients should be easier to find.

• 2 Portabella mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 yellow onion, sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 1 bunch of spinach
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2Tbsp sesame seed oil
• 1/8 cup sy sauce, reduced sodium
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 pound beef bulgogi (I make this in advance.  Recipe can be found here:) http://amomknowsmess.blogspot.com/2012/04/bulgogi-korean-barbecue.html

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce, reduced sodium
• 2Tbsp sesame seed oil
• 3 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 Tbsp fresh garlic, minced
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan on medium heat.  Stir until the sugar has melted.  Keep on low heat until you are ready to add them to the noodles.

In a large frying pan, add 2 Tbsp sesame seed oil and all the veggies.  Cook on medium/high heat until the vegetables are tender.  Mix in 1/8 cup soy sauce and 1 tsp sugar.  Remove from heat and set aside.

 Cook the bulgogi on medium/high heat and set aside.

 Drain the Chap Chae noodles (they'll still be fairly stiff) and put them in a large frying pan with the sauce mixture on medium/high heat.  Mix the sauce in with the noodles and stir for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until the noodles are tender.

Add the veggies and bulgogi to the noodles.  Mix well.

Serve while still warm!  This made plenty for two women and two very hungry boys with some to snack on later.

Bulgogi (Korean Barbecue)

Bulgogi is a very popular Korean dish made of thinly sliced beef marinated in a sweet and salty sauce.  I was very hesitant on sharing this recipe, only because it feels like a family secret.  My mom gave me her recipe several years ago when I moved off to college, but it always seemed a little off.  Probably because she couldn't give me exact measurements of what she used since she always just used her hands as measuring cups and instinct.  I remember one time I asked her to teach me how to make a different korean dish over the phone and she tried to describe the flavor to me as a "spicy donut" . . . because I have had a lot of those (sarcasim).

Anyway, after years of making this recipe, I think I have finally gotten it to where I am really proud of the end result.  It'll never be quite like how my mom makes it, but is it ever!?!?

 So here it goes . . . the secret bulgogi recipe straight from a Koreans kitchen (well half Korean in my case).  There are other recipes out there, but not quite like this or as good.  Here's what you'll need:

• 1-1 1/2 lbs beef roast, thinly sliced (You want to get this as thin as deli meat if possible.  My mom's tip is to cut it while it is partially frozen.  It makes it a lot easier to get super thin slices.)
• 1 kiwi, mashed (just the green parts)
• 1 cup coca cola, flat
• 3/4 cup soy sauce, reduced sodium
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 Tbsp sesame seed oil
• 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 2 green onions, diced
• Optional: Mushrooms, green peppers, yellow onions

Get a big bowl and pour in the coke.  I do this first so it has time to get a little flat.  

 Cut the green parts away from the kiwi and mash.  Pour into the bowl with the Coca Cola. . .

 Along with the soy sauce, sesame seed oil, sugars, pepper, garlic, and green onions.  Mix thoroughly.  Taste it to see if you would prefer it sweeter or saltier. 

 Add the beef and mix well.  This could probably be done a few hours in advance, but it'll be way better if you marinate it overnight.  Add veggies at this point if you want them in the bulgogi.

 *Whenever I make bulgogi, I usually make an extra pound or two so I can put it in the freezer.  That way I'll have some ready whenever I have a craving or whenever a Korean recipe calls for it.  I don't usually add the veggies if I'm going to freeze it.  I do that after it thaws and right before I cook it.

 When you are ready to cook the bulgogi, heat a frying pan on medium/high heat.  You want the pan fairly hot.  Drain most of the juices from the bulgogi (you don't want the meat to boil) and cook for about 5 minutes or until the meat is fully cooked.  More juices will appear as your cooking.  If it's a lot, I drain the juices someone before putting it in a serving dish.

Unbutton your pants and serve with some rice and kimchi! 

Let me know how you like it.  I've read a ton of other recipes using honey and pears, but this I think is the best bulgogi recipe by far, maybe because it's my moms :)

Chicken and Barley Soup with Leeks

My mother-in law wasn't feeling good yesterday, so we decided soup would be the most comforting thing for supper instead of Korean food, which is what I'm going to cook tonight.  

We had two leftover leeks from the night before and chicken, so I went on an internet search for a chicken leek soup . . . and I found a few that sounded really tasty!  This is the site I got the recipe from, but then I altered it based on what we had and by taste: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/soups/chicken-barley-soup-with-leeks-and-mushrooms/  

 Here's what you'll need:

• 3 boneless chicken breasts (I want to try this with a whole chicken next time.  Then you wouldn't have to buy chicken broth.  Just simmer it all day)
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Margarine (I used dairy-free margarine)
• 10 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 4 carrots, sliced
• 8 ounce mushrooms, sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp pepper (start off with 1/2 tsp if you don't love pepper like I do)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 whole leeks, diced
• 1 cup pearled barley, uncooked

Get your dutch oven out or a big pot and melt the butter in the oil on medium/high.  Brown the chicken breasts.  (I used two chicken breasts and two small thighs, because that was all I had) 

 Pour in 10 cups of chicken broth.  Cover and let simmer on low for 45 minutes to an hour.

 While the chicken was cooking, I got the rest of my ingredients together.  That way, when Dustin woke up from his nap, I could easily pour everything into the pot without having to worry about chopping anything.

 After 45 minutes to an hour, pour in the mushrooms, celery, carrots, and seasoings.  Cover and simmer for anoter 45 minutes or until the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken and shred with two forks. Cover and keep warm.

Add the leeks and barley.  Simmer for 45 minutes or until the barley is nice and soft.

Stir the chicken back into the soup, turn off the stove, cover, and let stand for 10 minutes.  This will help the juices soak back into the meat . . . and it will help cool the soup down.

Serve with some crackers and enjoy a very filling, comforting meal! . . . This makes a lot, so there will be plenty for leftovers too!

Sun Butter

I am obsessed with peanut butter. I love it in cookies, on bread, in a smoothie, you name it! So it only makes sense that my son would be showing signs of sensitivty to all nuts while I'm nursing. I started looking up alternatives for peanut butter and found that you could make a sun butter out of sunflower seeds. Even though they probably aren't going to be making an reese sun butter cups any time soon, this will have to do for now until our son (hopefully) grows out of his allergies.

I've also read that sun butter has 1/3 the saturated fats compared to peanut butter and has more nutrients, especiall fiber.So, this is what you'll need:

• Sunflower seeds, say WHAT . . . I know, who would have guessed. I used 2 cups of unsalted, unroasted sunflower seeds for this recipe.
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1-2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1-2 tsp honey (optional) I didn't add this to mine because I thought I may not always want the honey flavor, but if you do choose to put it in there, it is really yummy! Probably don't need the sugar if you put 2 tsp of honey in it.

Toast the sunflower seeds in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. You don't want them to change color too much, because that will make them too dry. I did it enough to get that roasted flavor.Put the sunflower seeds, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process for about 5 minutes. Scrap the bowl every now and then.This is what mine looked like after 5 minutes. It'll start getting a little moist and start sticking together. Now you can add the oil. Add 1 Tablespoon at a time. Blend for another 3-5 minutes, or until your sun butter is the consistency you prefer.

Find a nice mason jar to store your sun butter in and keep refrigerated. I'm not sure how long this will last. I probably wont eat it too fast, so I'll keep an eye on it.

Red Wine Beef Stew

I've been trying to make the perfect beef stew for the longest time and something was always off. It was too sweet, too salty, not thick enough . . . etc. Well, I have finally did it and am really pleased with this beef stew recipe, plus it gives me an excuse to open up a bottle of wine too!Get your pen ready, because there are a few ingredients with this one:

• 2lb beef, cubed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups beef broth, low sodium
• 1/2 cup red wine, dry (like a Merlot)
• 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 Tbp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 3/4 tsp black pepper
• 3/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp celery salt (if you don't have this, I think adding an extra celery might do the trick)
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 medium potatoes, cubed
• 4 carrots, diced
• 1-2 celery stalk, diced
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup of cold water

Combine the beef, onions, oil, and salt in a Dutch oven. Brown the beef on medium/high.Add the rest of the ingredients except for the peas, corn, and cornstarch.

Don't forget to add the wine!

Simmer on low for about 4 hours or until the vegetables are soft. Add the corn and peas. Simmer for another 30-45 minutes.

Mix in the cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Simmer for another 15 minutes.
Serve with a nice piece of buttery (Smart Balance Lite is dairy-free) toast and pour yourself a large glass of red wine.

*If you don't have a Dutch oven, get one. They are awesome, but you can easily do this in a slow cooker too.

Yummy Hummus

I was never too much of a chickpea fan until recently and man am I glad I like them now, because what would I do without hummus! I adjusted this recipe after looking at Emeril's version and another from the Moosewood cookbook. Separate they are okay recipes, but combined and tweeked, it makes one delicious combo! Give it a try. Get all of your ingredients together:

• 3 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained (my mother-in law buys dried chickpeas and slow cooks them all day in water. This is much better than using the canned ones, no added sodium or perservatives.)
• 3 Tbsp Tahini paste
• 2 lemons, squeezed
• 2-3 Tbsp garlic (I use three, but if you don't want your breath smelling like garlic, maybe just use two)
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Dash of cayanne, optionalPut all the ingredients in the food processor except for the olive oil. Start to blend. Slowly poor in the oil through the top as it is blending. Continue to add the olive oil until it is at the consistency you prefer. Stop every now and then to scrap the sidesof the container. Blend until nice and smooth.Put the hummus in your favorite dish, drizzle a little olive oil on top and serve with some lemon wedges, pita chips, veggies, whatever you prefer.
  

Vegetable and Turkey Tomato Soup

It finally snowed here a few days ago, so what better way to celebrate that than with a healthy and comforting soup simmering on the stove all day. I got this recipe off of Allrecipes.com, but made a few adjustments and I have to say it is quite tasty and easy!

I made this in a Dutch oven, but you can definitely cook this in a regular pot or a slow cooker. Here's what you'll need (and you can vary up any veggies to your liking):

• 1lb of ground turkey or chicken, 93/7 if possible
• 1tsp olive oil (optional)
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 (14.5oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (28oz) can tomato sauce
• 2 (14.5oz) can kidney beans
• 4 cups of beef broth, reduced sodium
• 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp celery salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 3 cups cabbage, chopped
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 (15oz) can of green beans, drained
• 1 cup uncooked macaroni, rotini (your favorite pasta noodle pretty much)

Once you get all that stuff together, the hard part is over! Start off by browning your meat in the dutch oven. You may need to add a little bit of oil if you got the lean meat and it is sticking to the pot. Next, put the oven on medium heat and throw in the onions, garlic, celery, carrots, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, and beef broth. Stir.Add the parsley, basil, oregano, bay leaf, pepper, nutmeg, celery salt, and cayenne. Mix well. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce down to a very light simmer. Simmer for 4 hours or until the carrots are soft.Add the cabbage, frozen corn, green beans, and uncooked pasta noodles. Simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour, or until the pasta and cabbage are cooked.Remove from heat, get in your footie pajamas, and serve with a buttery (dairy-free) piece of bread.