A "Colorful" Dinner For My 3 Year Old!

I bought some purple cauliflower from Underwood Family Farms the other day. I steamed it and then whipped it into mashers. :) Kids love color, and this was my son's plate the other night.

So pretty :) Of course he ate the mango first....

Healthy Food Fusions!!

(Article from - trendhunter.com)

Studies are beginning to prove that the interactions of the foods we eat can be much more healthy for us than eating one beneficial food at a time. Here are the most powerful food synergies currently known to science as per Best Life:

1. Tomatoes + Avocados
2. Oatmeal + Orange Juice
3. Broccoli + Tomatoes
4. Blueberries + Grapes
5. Apples + Chocolate
6. Lemon + Kale
7. Soy + Salmon
8. Peanuts + Whole Wheat
9. Red Meat + Rosemary
10. Turmeric + Black Pepper
11. Garlic + Fish
12. Eggs + Cantaloupe
13. Almonds + Yogurt

I think I’ll go make a peanut butter sandwich right now, on whole wheat bread, of course!

Epidemiologist David R. Jacobs, PhD, of the University of Minnesota calls it food synergy, and he, along with many other nutritionists, believes it might explain why Italians drizzle cold-pressed olive oil over tomatoes and why the Japanese pair raw fish with soybeans. "The complexity of food combinations is fascinating because it's tested in a way we can't test drugs: by evolution," says Jacobs. And, he adds, "it's tested in the most complex of systems: life." (bestlifeonline)

Kale-Pomegranate Quinoa Stuffing - Dr. Oz's Thanksgiving SUPERFOOD LIST

This is NOT just for Thanksgiving. This is going into my monthly rotation for sure! This recipe is SO HEALTHY AND the pomegranates are a BURST OF FLAVOR in your mouth!!

I will post a picture next time I make this. I have to say this is so DELICIOUS!!! and filling and I ate the entire thing myself over a 4 day span. The only down side of this recipe is the next day, after being in the refrigerator, it doesn't look as pretty but the taste is even better.

**I made a few additions such as: 1/4c Roasted Corn & a little Goat Cheese sprinkled over and melted in & 1 Leek cut up (light green to white part)

Article & Recipe from Natural Health Magazine -

Pomegranate
**(Bought this at Trader Joe's: currently they have them already seeded and still in shell)

WHY IT'S A SUPERFOOD A favorite of Dr. Oz's, pomegranate may be one of the gut-friendliest foods around. Its anti-inflammatory compounds help protect the colon from damage caused by diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's.

Leek
**(Bought this at Trader Joe's already trimmed and Whole Foods has HUGE ones)

WHY IT'S A SUPERFOOD A single leek provides over half the recommended daily value of vitamin K, "a nutrient so vital to bone health that people deficient in vitamin K2 [which the body makes from K] get osteoporosis," Dr. Oz says.

Quinoa
**(Bought this at Trader Joe's - Organic)

WHY IT'S A SUPERFOOD Quinoa is a triplethreat: "gluten-free, a complete protein, and a prebiotic [meaning it stimulates the growth of probiotics or good bacteria already found in the gut]," Dr. Oz says.

Kale

**(Bought this at WHOLE FOODS)

WHY IT'S A SUPERFOOD Consuming the leafy green increases HDL ("good") cholesterol and decreases LDL ("bad") cholesterol. "It's also a very good source of calcium, which your heart needs in order to beat properly," Dr. Oz says.

Kale-Pomegranate Quinoa Stuffing

Serves 12

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil,
divided
6 cloves garlic, finely sliced, divided
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 pounds young kale, stems and leaves
coarsely chopped
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups pecans
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (strip the
leaves from the stems)
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

1. Preheat oven to 325[degrees]F. Lightly oil a 9 x
13-inch glass baking dish.

2. In a large saucepan over medium-high
heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add
half of the garlic and cook until soft but
not yet golden. Raise heat to high, add
the stock and kale and toss to combine.
Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover
and continue cooking, stirring until all the
liquid has evaporated. Season with salt
and white pepper. Set aside to cool.

3. Add cooled, cooked kale and pecans to
a food processor; pulse several times until
pecans are chopped and kale is shredded
but mixture is still chunky.

4. In a separate saucepan over medium-high
heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil;
add the onion and remaining garlic; saute
2 to 3 minutes. Add the sage and continue
cooking until onion is caramelized,
approximately 3 to 4 more minutes. Stir
in the pecan-kale mixture.

5. Transfer the onion-pecan-kale mixture
to a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked
quinoa and stir to combine. Stir in the
remaining tablespoon of oil and melted
butter. Season with salt and white pepper.
Add the egg and wine and toss to
coat. Transfer the mixture to the prepared
baking dish. Cover and bake 30 minutes.
Garnish with pomegranate seeds before
serving.

Per serving: 220 calories, 18 g fat (2.5 g
saturated), 13 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein,
3 g fiber, 214 mg sodium (9% Daily Value).

Thanksgiving Sides: Spicy Parmesan Green Beans and Kale

Spicy Parmesan Green Beans and Kale
Recipe courtesy

Giada De Laurentiis

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/spicy-parmesan-green-beans-and-kale-recipe/index.html

(Photo courtesy of FoodNetwork.com)

*This got 5 out of 5 stars. I am going to try it this year probably without the spice so Baby P can eat it. I am trying to incorporate more of a "VARIETY of VEGETABLES" at our table.

Prep Time: 10 min Inactive Prep Time: -- Cook Time: 15 min Level:
Easy Serves:
6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, sliced
1/4 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered (about 14 mushrooms)
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed and slice into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bunch kale (1/2 pound), rinsed, stemmed, and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
Directions
Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the mushrooms, green beans, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the wine and continue cooking until the green beans are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and the kale and continue cooking until the kale has wilted, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice and the Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat and serve immediately.

Trader Joe's - Organic Unsweetened Apple Sauce

I love this as a HEALTHY SIDE DISH for Baby P. He loves to dip almost EVERYTHING in it. I love how it is made from ORGANIC APPLES and is TOTALLY NATURAL.

This is soo easy to have in the refrigerator at all times and I know he is getting some fruit in his diet. I try to get him to eat an apple a day, with the skin of course, but this is a good filler.

Kashi - Black Bean Mango Frozen Entree

This is sooo good. You can use it for so many meals and it is PACKED with healthy food. I buy this at Whole Foods. It's approx. $6 but sometimes on sale.

1. Main Entree (I add a Brown Rice packet from Trader Joe's)
2. Put it over Organic Herb Salad (TJ)
3. Put it in a Breakfast Burrito
4. Use as a side dish with eggs and toast
5. Put it in lettuce cups as a side dish

"Fresh" SWEET POTATO FRIES

I usually but these at Trader Joe's in the vegetable section. These are sooo convenient, tasty, and healthy. My son really thinks these are, "Fries!!"

• *Toss with a little EVVO, Salt, and Pepper
• *Place on cookie sheet with aluminum foil
• *Bake @ 425 for approx 30-40 mins
• *2 BAGS is good for 3 people

Tip: If you need them to come out a little quicker, microwave for a few mins to get the cooking process started, then bake

Tip: If you make them as a side dish with Salmon, drizzle a little MAPLE SYRUP or AGAVE at the end...YUMMY!!!

(The first 2 years I didn't like to microwave a lot of my son's food but it really speeds up the baking process on many foods.)

The Veggie Steamer - My $5 Best Friend

I had my VEGGIE STEAMER for YEARS and had never used it until NOW!!
For all the Moms that ask me how to get an EASY and HEALTHY DINNER on the table...here is part of my trick.

BOILING VS STEAMING VEGGIES???

I had always boiled my veggies, frozen & fresh. The frozen veggies always turned out really mushy and watery. I have since learned that boiling veggies waters them down which in turn depletes much of their vitamin content.

Check out this article from MSNBC.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16382205

Now, ...this steamer is in my dinner repertoire almost every night. It is soooo easy and the veggies, wether frozen or fresh, turn out yummy!!!

I buy the following from Trader Joes:

• Fresh Baby Carrots
• Fresh Organic Broccoli/Cauliflower in a bag
• Fresh Yams in a bag
• Fresh Sweet Potatoes in a bag
• Fresh Asparagus
• Frozen Organic Sweet Peas
• Fresh and Frozen Multi colored Bell Peppers
• Frozen Corn

I buy the following from Whole Foods:

• Frozen Organic California Blend Veggies (This is one of my BEST food finds.) This is a mix of veggies for approx. $2/bag. They turn out like FRESH veggies when steamed. They have other blends as well.

**If you want to get a little FANCY, you can always steam the veggies until AL DENTE then toss them into a saute pan and add a little butter, salt and pepper then cook until soft.

**I just saw these steamers at Ross for approx. $5. They are easy to locate. :)

Fat Flush Tortillas

http://FrenchMeadow.com

They come 6" and 12".

These are made with sesame seeds, six sprouted grains, and legumes.

They really fill me up and I think they are pretty healthy?

(I met a lady that worked at a nearby French bakery who recommended them to me. She told me she had lost some weight eating them? Hmmmm....I thought I had to check them out. :)

Let me know if you try them and what you think.

(I have not given them to Baby P yet?)

Stonyfield - Yo BABY Organic Yogurt

STONYFIELD "YO BABY" ORGANIC YOGURT

Baby P LOVES this yogurt and the great thing is it doesn't have a lot of sugar. I usually give him 3/4 of the cup in the morning and I take the other 1/4 over my oatmeal.

**Breakfast Idea***

Parfait -

Yogurt, fruit, and granola

Baby P says "Parfait Mommy? .....it's soooo cute!!! You can stack the layers and it looks really fancy. (I think he thinks it's dessert.)

Organic Jellied Cranberry Sauce - WHOLE FOODS

ORGANIC JELLIED CRANBERRY SAUCE

I buy this at Whole Foods regularly. We love a "Thanksgiving type Dinner" every few weeks. This has NO HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP and is tastes really great....just like the other stuff I used to by at Ralphs. It comes in a can.

***Dinner Idea****

Turkey Cutlets from Trader Joes - meat section

Cranberry Sauce form Whole Foods

California Blend -Organic Frozen Vegetables from Whole Foods - frozen section

***Sandwich Next Day*****

Toasted : Harvest Whole Wheat Bread - TJ

Turkey

Cranberry Sauce

Follow Your Heart -Vegenaise -WF

SMOOSH TOGETHER!!!

YUMMYYYY!!!!