Archive for the ‘Healthy Recipes’ Category

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Happy Apple Oatmeal

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

I’ll admit it, I used to feed my kids the instant oatmeal.  Not because I was lazy.  It was because they have that Dinosaur Egg variety.  The oatmeal has little candy eggs which dissolve into different dinosaurs. Sounds healthy hey?  Well, my son Riley is a dinosaur fanatic and that was the whole reason I ever even got him to try oatmeal.  I was very excited about it because he actually ventured beyond Cheerios for breakfast!

I am so happy to announce that we have made great progress since then.  We now all happily consume a much healthier version (however I just can not reproduce those dinosaur candies).  The beautiful thing about oatmeal is that it can be made ahead and simply warmed up for breakfast.  I plan oatmeal for those hectic mornings with the kids. It is nice and soft and doesn’t require a lot of chewing which makes for quick consumption for kids.  I try to avoid using any sugar especially for breakfast.  This oatmeal is mostly sweetened with the apple sauce;  the sweeter the apple the less sugar you will find you need.

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Posted in Breakfast, family nutrition tips, Healthy Recipes, Kid Friendly Foods, recipes | 3 Comments »

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

Tuesday, March 15th, 2011

Whole grains and cereals are important to a balanced diet because these food sources have the potential to supply fiber to our diets along with some other very important nutrients.  The average person should consume 20-35 grams of fiber a day. Most people in the United states average 5-10 grams per day.  Getting enough fiber in the diet can lower the risk of developing heart disease, cancer, diabetes, diviticular disease, gallstones and kidney stones. Not to mention help to keep our weight under control.  Foods containing plenty of fiber have more bulk and they reduce the glycemic index of a meal by slowing down how quickly sugar enters our blood stream, thereby helping to manage insulin levels. This is particularly important to those with Diabetes or Hypoglycemia .

The highest fiber vegetables include broccoli,peas, brussels sprouts, cabbage, and greens (collards, kale, spinach.)

The highest fiber fruits include dried fruit, pears, berries, apples, oranges, bananas.

Other high fiber foods include beans, lentils, whole grain breads, nuts and seeds, brown and wild rice.

Lets quickly discuss blueberries! S0me recent studies suggest that blueberries may help reduce belly fat and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.  Blueberries have the highest antioxidant capacity of all fresh fruit.  They also promote immune functions by  raising haemoglobin and oxygen in the blood.  It is hard to believe that these berries can even heal damaged brain cells, neurone tissue, and keep your memory sharp.  Researchers found that diets high in blueberries significantly improve both learning capacity, motor skills, as well as preserve vision.

This “Blueberry Oatmeal Muffin” recipe combines the benefits of soluble and insoluble fiber as well as the powerful nutrients from blueberries.  The recipe yields 12 muffins with 4.2g fibre each and again 10g or less in sugar, 160kcals 4.6g fat, 26.8g carbohydrate, and 4.8g protein.

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Posted in Bread/Cake/Pie, Breakfast, Healthy Recipes | 1 Comment »

Simple Pasta Salad

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

Since I have moved to New York I have not been able to find the time to make myself anything very interesting for lunch.  Since I woke up to rain this morning I figured I would stay inside and get creative with some of the ingredients in my fridge.

At school this week we learned how to make Nicoise salad as well as mayonnaise.  I know that if I practice the techniques at home I am going to be able to remember them a lot better at school.  The Nicoise salad called for hard boiled eggs, so I decided that whatever I was going to make today had to include those.  We also learned how to cook vegetables in the a l’étuvée style.  I love this method of cooking vegetables!  All you have to do is put your vegetables in a single layer in a saucepan and add enough water to come halfway up the vegetables.  You then add a pinch of salt and about 1 Tbsp of butter.  Cover the saucepan with a parchment paper lid cut to the size of the pan with a small hole in the center.  Cook the vegetables over medium heat until they come up to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium low.  Cook until all of the liquid evaporates and the vegetables are tender.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  If you are not a vegetable fan seriously try this cooking method out; I am sure you will be shocked at how much better they taste!

Before I started school I had never made homemade mayonnaise before.  The difference in taste compared to the stuff from the supermarket is huge.  I also love that once you have mastered making mayonnaise you can add herbs and other flavourings and make many difference sauces for vegetables, sandwiches, and fish.

This salad came together quite quickly and all of the colours really made this gloomy day feel brighter.  It was great to just play in the kitchen and try out some of the cooking methods that I have learned at school so far.

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Posted in Healthy Recipes, Salad/Sandwich, Vegetarian | 4 Comments »

Dinosaur Dumplings

Saturday, February 26th, 2011

Dinosaur Dumplings

Our  4 year old son Riley is constantly in motion!  Even when he is falling asleep he has to somehow keep moving.I have struggled to feed him from the time he started eating solids. He has always been very small for his age and so when he started playing hockey this year,  his diet became  even more important. My biggest problem above anything else has been to get him to eat protein. He would not eat lentils, beans or any kind of meat.   In my opinion for a growing child protein intake is a priority, after all protein is the building blocks of our cells.  I have been racking my brain for years on how to get Riley to eat meat, when my neighbor told me about these Dinosaur Dumplings.  I modified the original recipe to include pureed vegetables.  I usually make the dumplings from buffalo or elk; however you can use any good quality ground meat that you like.

I made up a story about dinosaurs and told him that dinosaurs ate these dumplings to get big and strong.  I am learning that if I give a fun name and create a story about a food my kids are more accepting of trying new things.  Just last week Riley told me that he loves Dinosaur Dumplings!  The reason that my kids love them is because they are really soft and have a delicate texture.  I make them small enough for one mouthful; that way I avoid the little birdy bites that make a meal last hours.  I like to serve the dumplings with steamed or raw veggies and they are even a great snack to eat on the go.

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Posted in family nutrition tips, Healthy Recipes, Kid Friendly Foods, recipes | 1 Comment »

Coconut Rice with Edamame

Wednesday, February 16th, 2011

The Coconut Rice with Edamame Beans serves as a great side dish or a complete vegetarian meal with 28.2 g of Carbohydrate, 10.4g of Protein, and 10.2g Fat.

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Posted in Healthy Recipes, Side Dish | No Comments »

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