Let's Talk Smoothies!

Everyone knows someone who "smoothies". Some of you my have even tried it yourself. I've even written a blog post about smoothies! Matter of fact, if you Google the word "smoothie", you'll get millions of results ranging from a huge variety of smoothie recipes, to articles trying to convince you whether or not smoothies are healthy for you.

First of all, I want to say that not all smoothies are created equal. Let me say that again. NOT ALL SMOOTHIES ARE CREATED EQUAL! While you might be thinking you're making a better health decision by having a smoothie as a meal replacement, if you use lots of sugary additives, you may very well be opening the door to Diabeetus.

Many articles point to the dangers of the high sugar content in the smoothies and juices that people often think are healthy for them. As an avid smoothie-drinker of 3 years, I'm just going to posit myself as a smoothie-ologist here, and relay my personal experiences, as well as tips to help you smoothly navigate the often bumpy road of "health food".  (See what I did there?)

Smoothies vs Juices. What's the difference and which do you prefer?

One word: Fiber. Smoothies are just blended versions of fruits and vegetables, while juices are just what they sound like--the juice extracted from fruits and vegetables. Personally, I prefer smoothies, because they're more filling, and contain the fiber that we all need so much of. And, while the anti-smoothieists argue that fruit and vegetables are best when eaten raw, instead of blended, I have this to say: Who the hell wants to eat 2 cups of vegetables and fuits for breakfast? Not I, said the blind man.

What about dairy in smoothies? Yogurt? Milk?

Nope. Not for me, for several reasons. I make smoothies to help me get my fruits and veggies in for the day. If I used yogurt, it would be taking up valuable belly real estate that I'd rather be filled with spinach. Also, not many people buy plain yogurt, and tend to use yogurts that contain as much sugar as a can of coke! On the few occasions I've added yogurt, I only used Fage plain greek yogurt. I find milk to be gross, so I just avoid it. If I'm looking for a creamy texture, I use a frozen banana, unsweetened almond milk, or a small amount of coconut milk.

What about other ingredients like oatmeal, protein powder, peanut butter, or flax seeds?

Oatmeal? Nope. Protein powder? Nope. Peanut butter? I'd rather it nestled between two slices of whole grain bread with jam. I've added flax seeds in the past, but when I ran out, I never bought any more, and didn't see the need for it anymore. I am very interested in adding camu camu to my smoothies, though!

So, what DO you put in your smoothies?

The formula I tend to follow is 1 C spinach, 1 C of a fruit or combination of fruits (I usually include some berries), and 1 C of liquid--usually water. I use water instead of other liquids, because I try to avoid extra calories and added sugar. With this "formula", my smoothies are not overly sweet, and I get 3 to 4 servings of fruits and veggies in the morning. Some may be skeptical to adding spinach to their smoothies, but I promise you don't taste it! Now, kale on the other hand.....don't add kale to your smoothies unless you have immediate access to a quiet bathroom, as I nearly shat myself at the gym, mid-crunch, after drinking a kale smoothie.

What benefits have you seen from drinking smoothies for breakfast?

For starters, I haven't been sick in more than 2 years! Secondly, my hair, skin, and nails look fantastic! I've always had weak nails, and they're stronger than ever now. Lastly... the poop! The glorious regularity!


A few quick smoothie favorites of mine:

Pour liquid into blender, add fruits and veggies, blend until smooth.



1 C carrot
1 C unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
dash of nutmeg and cinnamon
 splash of vanilla extract

Doesn't it just look like strong immune system? 

1 C spinach
1 C pineapple
1/2 inch piece of ginger
1 C water













1 C spinach
1/2 C strawberries
1/2 C mango
1/2 C coconut milk
1/2 C water













There will always be naysayers when something becomes a trend. However, I strongly suggest you try smoothies for yourself, while keeping these things in mind: limit your sugar consumption by leaving out too sweet ingredients (peanut butter, yogurt--unless its plain greek yogurt), include vegetables (cucumbers, spinach, carrots, beets), and try to use water as your wet ingredient instead of juice or dairy. These tips will decrease the amount of calories and sugar in your smoothies, and increase the amount of veggies and fruits you consume. You can make your smoothie the night before, and put it in a container in the fridge, so you don't have to make it in the morning. Have fun with it! Happy Smoothie-ing!!!

Meatless Monday: Red Lentil Burgers

Since completing grad school a month ago, I've been wanting to get back to blogging recipes, but haven't made anything lately that I thought was blogworthy...Until today. As you can see, it's Monday. Yeah. That's right. Meatless Monday. One of my favorite days of the week! And as I've mentioned before, one of my favorite things to make on Meatless Monday is some variation of a veggie burger.

I bought a bag of red lentils a few months ago from my beloved farmer's market, and knew I wanted to do something epic with it. And we all know that nothing is more epic than a burger.



Red Lentil Burgers


Ingredients

1.5  C         cooked red lentils
3     tsp       curry powder
1     tsp       cumin
1     tsp       chili powder
1/2  tsp       ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste
1                small onion, chopped
1                large carrot, finely chopped
3                cloves of garlic, finely chopped
olive oil
1/2   C       parsley, chopped
1                handful breadcrumbs
juice of 1/2 a lemon

Loverly chopped veggies and lemons

1. Drain cooked lentils to get rid of excess liquid. Transfer to medium bowl.
2. Combine curry, cumin, chili powder, coriander, and salt and pepper in small bowl.

Hey spices. How ya doin'? 

3. Heat 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil in frying pan over medium fire.
4. Add onion, carrot, and garlic to pan. Sautee until soft, about 3 minutes.
5. Add half of spices to pan, and mix to coat vegetables with spice mixture. Sautee for an additional 2 minutes, constantly stirring.

6. Add sauteed vegetables to bowl of cooked lentils. Add remainder of spices, juice of lemon, and parsley. Mix well to combine ingredients.

You can use panko breadcrumbs. I didn't have any so I opted for regular ol' seasoned bread crumbs.

7. Add breadcrumb to lentil mixture, and mix well.
8. Use 1/2 C measuring cup to scoop out lentil mixture to form 4 burger patties.
9. Place patties on a baking sheet, and let firm in fridge for approx 1 hour.

Look at these beauties!

10. Bake or pan fry.

I served mine with 1 slice of whole grain toast, arugula, garlic aioli, tomato, and avocado. I found these to be the perfect accompaniments for this burger. The bite of the arugula coupled well with the texture of the lentil burger, and the garlic aioli gave it just the right amount of acidity. Nomnomnom!!

Garlic Aioli: 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon of mayo, juice of half a lemon. Mix well.

Side Dish Alert!! Garlic Roasted Broccoli

I tend to focus on main dishes on here, but last night as I was making one of my faaaaave side dishes, it hit me: why the heck haven't I posted this on my blog??? Perhaps I find it "too easy" to be blog-worthy. Maybe I make it so much that I've completely overlooked it as being something people would be interested in reading about. But, I decided, let me give this thing the "15 minutes" it deserves, because it's definitely my favorite way to eat broccoli. Since my sister-in-law showed me how to do this a while ago, I actually don't think I've made broccoli any other way! It's crazy easy, delicious, and healthy. There really is no going wrong here.


Garlic Roasted Broccoli


Ingredients:

2         crowns of broccoli, chopped into florets
3 - 5    cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 - 2    tablespoons of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

If you don't have a garlic press, get one! 

Broccoli cut into florets. Nomnomnom... I love broccoli!

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix salt, pepper, olive oil and minced garlic in a small bowl.

2. Put broccoli in a foil-lined baking sheet (I only use the foil for easy clean-up).

3. Pour oil, salt & pepper, and garlic mixture over broccoli. Massage mixture into broccoli florets, making sure you get those yummy garlic pieces in between the "branches" and the "canopies" (lol).

See the garlic on the branches? Don't let any of the garlicky goodness just sit in the baking dish.

4. Spread broccoli out on baking sheet. Pop in oven for approximately 30 minutes.

I love the edges a little crispy.

Are you wondering why the broccoli looks more scant than in the first photo??? Well, when I asked my husband to take the broccoli out of the oven, he decided to eat a quarter of the broccoli straight off the baking sheet. I guess that's a good thing??? Lol

Meatless Monday: Rice Noodle Soup

I try to let my step-sons each pick a meal from my healthy cookbooks that they want to have for dinner during the week. This way, they get involved in the process of food preparation--even if it's indirectly--which, hopefully, would get them open to eating new things. So far so good. A week or two ago, Giovanni had the honor of choosing the Meatless Monday dinner. He decided to go with a Soba Noodle Soup he found in a Vegetarian cookbook we have, since we're a house of soup lovers. I went to the store to get the soba noodles, but couldn't find them! So I had to settle for rice noodles, which, though probably not as nutritious, were damn delicious in their own right.


Rice Noodle Soup

Adapted from cookbook, "Vegetarian: Tasty Recipes for Every Day" by Helen Aitken

8 oz   rice noodles
4        baby bella mushrooms, sliced
64 oz veggie or chicken stock (organic or homemade)
4 oz   snow peas, cut into thin strips
3       small carrots, cut into thin strips
3       cloves garlic, finely chopped
6       spring onions, cut diagonally into 1 inch strips
1 inch piece of ginger, julienned
1/3 C  tamari (or soy sauce)
1/4 C  mirin (or saki)
1 C    bean sprouts
Fresh cilantro, to garnish

1. Combine veggie/chicken stock, mushrooms, snow peas, carrot, garlic, spring onion, and ginger in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add rice noodles, then reduce heat to low and simmer for approx. 10 minutes, until veggies are tender, and noodles are finished cooking.
2. Add soy sauce, mirin, and bean sprouts. Cook for another 5 minutes.
3. Divide among serving bowls, and garnish with cilantro.

Serve with Sriracha sauce and be extremely cautious, as this much deliciousness from a 20 minute meal has been known to cause minds to be friggin' blown.

Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato Leek Soup

Hi there, friends! It's been a while since my last post, but I swear I haven't been neglecting you! I was finishing up the semester, and those last few weeks tend to be the most hectic part of the entire semester. Only two more to go, and I'm finished with my Master's! How exciting?!!?

Anty-way, I've completely dropped the ball on my meatless monday meal posts, so I may as well start with what I had today for lunch to kick this thing off. I wanted to work with what I had on hand, and figured I could do potato leek soup... However....I didn't want just potato leek soup. I happened to have a sweet potato on hand that I had zero plans for, so... why not? Sweet Potato Leek soup, baby! Now, this soup is crazy easy to make. It's not a complex soup, and honestly, I may do a little tweaking to this recipe over time. But, I found it delicious and a good accompaniment to the veggie sandwich I ate it with.

Adapted from this recipe .

Sweet Potato Leek Soup

1 leeks (dark green stems removed), sliced into rings
1/2  of a large white onion, chopped
1 medium sized russet potato, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 medium/large sweet potato, chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 Tbs butter
4 C chicken stock or veggie stock (organic or homemade)
1/2  C  Milk
salt & pepper


1. Fill a large bowl with water, add chopped leeks to the bowl. Separate the rings of the leeks and swish them around in the bowl of water. Let sit for 5 minutes or so for dirt to separate to the bottom of the bowl. Trust me, don't skip this step, unless you like your soup with a side of grit and earth. I'm not here to judge.

2. Melt butter in a medium pot over a medium flame.

3. Add leeks and onions. Let cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.

4. Add russet and sweet potatoes, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.

5. Use immersion blender and blend soup until smooth, adding milk during the blending process.

6. Add salt & pepper to taste.


If you're looking to recreate my little lunch I have there, let me tell you, quickly, how I made this sandwich--it's a favorite of mine. Ok, Boom. Here's what you'll need:

whole wheat/multigrain bread, a few slices zucchini, sliced red pepper, thinly sliced onions, sliced mushrooms (about 2),handful of spinach, few thin slices of mozzarella cheese, slices of tomato, some balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

- mix together equal amounts of balsamic vinegar and olive oil to use as your sandwich dressing. VERY little goes a long way. A half a teaspoon of each should be fine. Add a pinch of salt and pepper if desired.
-put a frying pan on medium high heat, spray with cooking spray or olive oil, add sliced zucchini, and red pepper. Cook on each side for about 1 minute. Remove, and put in a dish until it's time to assemble your sandwich.
-add sliced mushrooms to pan. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, flipping halfway through to make sure each side gets browned. Remove from pan and add to same dish as other grilled veggies.
-Brush one side of each slice of bread lightly with oil and vinegar mix. Assemble grilled veggies, onions, spinach, tomato, and mozzarella cheese.
-(Optional) Wrap sandwich in parchment paper, tightly. Place it in the pan on medium heat. You can either press on the sandwich, or put a small saucepan on it to weigh it down. After 2 minutes or so, flip the sandwich over, and weigh it down again.
-Cut in half, serve with soup. Voila!

Blueberry and Strawberry Almond Flour Muffins!

Everyone loves a snack every now and then. And, though you're eating all clean now, it doesn't mean you should only munch on carrot sticks and edamame. No. You deserve something baked. Like a fudge brownie....
BUT, let's not get ahead of ourselves!

I recently discovered the versatility of almond flour. I've made pancakes with it before, and stumbled upon a blueberry muffin recipe on Pinterest (where else?) using almond flour. I followed the original recipe for the most part, but made a few changes to the it so that I could reduce the amount of sweetener I add to the muffins, as well as omit the oil.  Each of these muffins only adds up to 59 calories!! Whoop whoop!

Blueberry Almond Flour Muffins

2 C          almond flour
3              eggs
1 1/2 Tbs  brown sugar
1/2 tsp      baking soda
1 Tbs        apple cider vinegar
dash        salt
1 tsp       vanilla
1/4 C      overripe banana, mushed (about half a medium banana)
2 Tbs      applesauce (unsweetened)
1 C         blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pan or use muffin pan liners.
2. Mix together almond flour, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt
3. Add in apple cider vinegar, eggs, vanilla, mashed banana, and applesauce. Mix until smooth.
4. Fold in blueberries.
5. Evenly pour batter into muffin tin.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Try not to singe your tastebuds off by eating a muffin right out of the oven.


YUMMY, right? Now this one I proudly came up with by myself, using the blueberry recipe as a base.

Strawberry Lemon Almond Flour Muffins

2 C         almond flour
3            eggs
2  Tbs    brown sugar
1/2 tsp    baking soda
grated peel from 1 lemon
juice from that one lemon
dash       salt
1 tsp       vanilla
1/4 C      overripe banana, mashed (about half a medium banana)
2 Tbs      applesauce
1 C         strawberries, chopped (fresh! don't use frozen or it'll come out soggy!)


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare muffin pan or use muffin pan liners.
2. Mix together almond flour, baking soda, brown sugar, and salt
3. Add in lemon juice and peel, eggs, vanilla, mashed banana, and applesauce. Mix until smooth.
4. Fold in strawberries.
5. Evenly pour batter into muffin tin.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.
7. Try not to singe your tastebuds off by eating a muffin right out of the oven.



I had used frozen strawberries, because that's what I had on hand, so my muffins ended up a bit on the soggy side. They were deeellliiicioouuuss, but I will definitely use fresh strawberries next time! You can have these as just a snack during the day or make it a part of your breakfast. I'll continue to come up with more almond flour muffin recipes, as I really enjoy the simplicity of these.

Eating smart..On a budget!

People assume I spend a lot on groceries. After all, "eating healthy is expensive". They assume I go to Whole Foods and "ball out". Well, as an unemployed graduate student, housewife, full-time stepmom to 3 boys, living on one income, I can assure you that I. Do. Not. We've all been to the grocery store and witnessed people spending hundreds of dollars on one grocery trip! Yikes!

It doesn't have to be this way.

I spend $80 or less per family member (5 of us) per month. Yeah. You read that right. This includes breakfast and lunch for my husband and I, dinner for the entire week, and snacks and food for the kids during the week and on the weekend. And this is my absolute limit. I tend to spend less. When you go to the store and spend $300 per trip, besides wasting money, you waste time at the grocery store, and you waste food when the unused and spoiled portion goes into the garbage! Here are some tips to eat healthy without breaking the bank.

Everything on this table came up to $25.77

1. PLAN
 Every Sunday I sit down and make a list of what I'll make for the week. I'll have my list of lunch and what I'll make for our dinner (my breakfast is always a smoothie), and a list of my husband's breakfast and lunch for the week. From this list of weekly meals, I write a grocery list that corresponds with it, and all the items I'll need for those meals. Also, I'll write down any necessities we've run out of (toiletries, milk, etc.)

2. BROWSE CIRCULARS 
 Always have more than one store you shop from. From each of these stores, browse the weekly circular. Many grocery stores have these online. Every Sunday, I browse the Shoprite, Pathmark, Trader Joe's, and Corrado's Market circulars to see which has the items on my list for the cheapest price. I write down how much the item costs next to the name of the item on my grocery list, and I also write down where I'll be buying the item (Shoprite, farmer's market, Corrado's, etc). The point of this is to keep me on track with my budget, and make my trip more efficient. For the farmer's market items, since there's no circular, I put down how much I think it will cost (from previous experience in going there). So, for example, my list would look like this:
     -wheat bread $1.99 (Shoprite)
     -almond milk $1.99 x 2 (Trader Joe's)
     -bag of spinach $1.79 (farmer's market)

3. DON'T BUY PRODUCE AT REGULAR GROCERY STORES. 
  Produce markets or farmer's markets always have produce for waaayyyyy less than your run of the mill grocery stores. This is usually my first stop on my grocery trip, because sometimes the prices are SO good, that I pay less for an item than I thought I would, and then that money can either be used up for something else at the grocery store, OR I can just save that money for another day!

4. SHOP WEEKLY
 It sounds annoying, I know. But set one day a week, and do your shopping on that day. When you buy only what you need for the week, you tend to eliminate the wasting of spoiled food.

5. BUY MANAGER'S SPECIALIS
  I will GLADLY purchase produce that goes on sale because it is close to becoming too ripe and unsellable. This week, I purchased 4 lbs of tomatoes for $1, and about 12 ears of corn for $1. All because they were becoming too ripe. I made the corn that night, and whatever part of it looked a little shriveled, I cut it off, and threw it into my compost bin. The tomatoes are all fine, though some are more ripe than others! If they become too soft and ripe, I'll make them into a tomato sauce, which I'll freeze until needed. Recently, I bought a 5 lb bag of bananas that were a day or two away from jumping into the grave,  brought it home, and immediately put it in the freezer. I use 1 banana in my smoothie every day, and haven't bought bananas in a month. For whichever portion of fruits/veggies that are too ripe to eat, I cut them up and throw them in my compost bin. It's a win win!

6. WHEN FOOD IS SEVERELY ON SALE, GO OVER BUDGET.
  I know it seems counterintuitive for saving money, but if something you normally buy is severely marked down for some special sale, go over your allocated funds for that item. Sometimes Purdue chicken is 40% off at my Shoprite, and during those times I buy more than I initially intended to buy. I'll spend more now, but I'll save more for the next week or two when I don't have to purchase any meat!

7. DO. NOT. STRAY. FROM. YOUR. LIST
  It seems contradictory from the tip above, but under normal circumstances, don't buy anything off the list. If you saved money on one item, and want to transfer those funds to use toward another item, GREAT. For example, If I see that lettuce is 99 cents, instead of the 1.99 I budgeted for it, I just saved $1 that can go towards something else, or I can just leave the money there for another day and count it as a penny saved. If I take my step-kids shopping with me, and I use less money than I budgeted, I'll treat them to an extra snack or something.

8. MARK EACH ITEM OFF YOUR LIST AS YOU BUY IT
  Just to keep you organized and on track. Plus, it feels really good to know you're sticking to your budget and getting everything you need!


Most of the foods I buy aren't coupon eligible. So, following these rules has saved me lots of money without the use of coupons. Not only that, but planning your meals for the week takes the whole guesswork out of "What am I making for dinner, tonight?". Also, if you plan to make healthy meals, you are more likely to stick to it. Don't give yourself the opportunity to choose unhealthy meals or spend unnecessary money on lunch Monday through Friday. Eating smart and healthy doesn't have to be expensive! Plan ahead!

Do you have any money-saving tips?? Share!