Quinoa can be a tricky ingredient. It can be as easy to cook as rice, but there are some simple steps one must take to ensure it comes out well. I used to wonder why my quinoa was sometimes mushy, had an off taste and well, kind of sucked. I felt so silly when I realized a couple simple steps would make it so much better. So now I’m turning my previous kitchen failure into your success and sharing with you the secrets to cooking a great batch of quinoa. 1. After you measure out the quinoa, pour it into
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This is one of those crazy dishes that came together by accident and can only be attributed to serendipity. Here’s the story: One afternoon as lunch time was drawing closer, Eliana and I were both hungry and there was nothing in the house that was already prepared for us to eat. As I scoured the fridge surveying the odds and ends located inside of it, I remembered something I had heard from a fellow Instagram user. When I posted a photo for Coconut French Toast over the summer, “Bee” left a great tip when she commented that she makes a
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How To Roast Cauliflower I used a pretty green cauliflower Eliana chose at the store but the steps are the same no matter the color. Ingredients: -2-3 cups raw cauliflower, roughly chopped -2-3 teaspoons olive oil -1 pinch each of salt, pepper and garlic powder, mixed together in a small bowl Preparation: Heat your oven to 375°F and line a small baking sheet or baking dish with parchment paper. Add all the ingredients to your baking sheet and mix together. (You can do this in a bowl if you prefer.) Toss so the cauliflower is well-coated. Transfer cauliflower
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Today I’m sharing my final recipe for Sweet September, which is one last sweet treat that is “smart about sugar”. You can check out some of the other recipes I’ve shared, including brownies, milkshakes, muffins and more by clicking here. For this Monday Meal, I’ve given the traditional recipe for Oatmeal Cookies a healthy makeover by cutting down the sugar content and upping the fiber and wholegrain goodness. My Oatie Cookie Bites have ½ teaspoon of sugar per “bite” but since no one ever wants to eat only 1 cookie, you can enjoy two of them and still consume only
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This week’s Monday Meal continues my current theme of Sweet September in which I’m sharing recipes that are “smart about sugar”. Today I’m sharing 3 recipes for delicious, healthy milkshakes that have no added sugar and taste great. By using nutritious ingredients like milk, coconut oil and frozen fruit you get a sweet treat that’s full of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and healthy fats. Before I share the recipes, here are a couple of reasons I love making milkshakes: 1. You can customize these recipes to your preferences by using ingredients that you and your family like. For example, you
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A few months ago I was asked by Diana Rice and the folks at The Monday Campaigns to take part in a really fun cooking challenge. My task, if I chose to accept it, was to create a special recipe for brownies that followed the strict guidelines listed below: 1. Don’t use any artificial sweeteners, only real sugar 2. A fruit purée, without added sugar, could provide additional sweetness 3. Each serving should contain no more than 4 grams, or 1 teaspoon, of sugar 4. Use 100% whole-wheat flour 5. Use traditional, easily accessible ingredients that people can find in
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If you’ve read some of the most recent Monday Meal recipes I’ve shared, you might have noticed I’ve been on a bit of a “sugar binge” lately. No, I don’t mean I’ve been eating tons and tons of candies and sweets. I’ve been binging on learning about sugar. As a result, it’s made me want to make a variety of sweet things that are “smart about sugar” and contain either no added sugar or around 1 teaspoon of sugar per serving. What? Something can be sweet without adding sugar? It sure can! Using fruit and fruit purées is one way
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With summer starting to wind down, I thought I’d share one last refreshing and delicious treat the whole family can enjoy for this week’s Monday Meal–Peppery Peach Purée Pops! Something I love to do with leftover purées is make popsicles. Popsicles are a perfect warm weather treat because they simultaneously satisfy your sweet tooth and cool you down. Plus, your whole family from 6 months old and up can enjoy them! Most brands of popsicles you can buy in the store have a ton of added sugar. Don’t be fooled by labels that boast “all-natural” and “made with real fruit” because
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I love quesadillas for a bunch of reasons. First, I’m basically a cheese addict, so something that consists mostly of melted cheese is a favorite in my book. Second, quesadillas can be on the table in around 10 minutes, so they are a lunch and dinner staple around here. Third, I love quesadillas because they can be customized to include anything you, and your family members, want. This way, everyone in the family can have fun “building” his or her preferred quesadilla and the food battles are kept at bay. Mom likes carrots and black beans? Toddler wants just corn
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I like to have fun in the kitchen. But I especially like to play around with recipes for muffins by adding various fruits, vegetables, herbs, seeds and whole grains to the mix. Literally. It’s a fun culinary challenge to come up with different, sometimes wacky and unexpected, flavor combinations. For this recipe, though, I wanted to create something simpler, using the bare minimum of ingredients necessary to create a muffin. These Straight Up Strawberry Muffins are delicious, easy to make alone or with the help of your teeny tiny sous chef and…they have less than 1 teaspoon of sugar per
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I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again, one thing I love about eggs is that I can toss just about anything in them and make it into a meal. This week’s Monday Meal came about when I was emptying out the kitchen recently before leaving town. As I was searching around the kitchen I found a bunch of different ingredients that would need to be used before we returned. Here’s what I found: an onion, an ear of corn, and one zucchini leftover from our trip to the farmers market. I also found some leftover fresh mozzarella
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Over the last several weeks, we’ve been on an avocado kick in the teeny tiny foodie home. Avocados are delicious and are really good for you, though they can have a bad reputation because they are high in fat. However, they are full of good fats, as well as numerous vitamins, minerals and nutrients that provide many health benefits for the whole family. For example, avocados are filled with folate, which is a vitamin that promotes healthy cell and tissue development. This means it is an especially great addition to the diet of a pregnant mama, nursing mama, baby or
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