Forks Over Knives...

Whether or not you believe documentaries, I think everyone should see the documentary "Forks Over Knives Documentary". (I have linked the product to make it easier for you to find). As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The documentary why dairy and meats are not good for human consumption. I personally consume both but I still was able to take away basic health information that makes me think more when going grocery shopping. Here is a favorite vegan recipe off of their website that I LOVE and the kids LOVE too!

6 ~ Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins*

Serves 6-12

• 1 medium banana, mashed 
• 1 (15-oz.) can sweet pumpkin puree 
• 1/4 cup 100% pure maple syrup 
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 
• 2 cups whole oat flour 
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda 
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg 
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger 
• 1 cup grain-sweetened dairy-free chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, combine mashed banana, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.

2. In a small bowl, combine oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. Transfer mixture to large bowl and mix together gently until well combined. Avoid over-mixing to prevent toughness in the final product. Fold in chocolate chips.

3. Spoon batter into silicon muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are lightly browned. Remove muffins from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Store muffins in an airtight container.

*Recipe derived from Julieanna Hever’s Blueberry Oat Breakfast Muffins in Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, edited by Gene Stone

Chicken with lemon-chipotle salad dressing and a few modifications! Substitute Cilantro for Basil

Chicken with lemon chipotle salad dressing  was...another winner by Williams-Sonoma...This was a great recipe that we tried tonight. I always enjoy putting a spin on recipes. I made a couple of minor adjustments. Feel free to try them, or just follow the #recipe. 

Modification 1: Instead of a rotisserie chicken I chose to grill chicken breasts sprinkled with Mrs. Dash's no salt southwest chipotle seasoning. (I have linked the product to make it easier for you to find). As an Amazon associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

"Modification" 2: Also, the entire theme or at least the ingredients were more "southwestern" but a strong flavor in the dressing was basil. I did not think about it until I was eating the salad but I really think with this theme, cilantro would have made this dish spectacular instead of Basil. Basil seems to be more of an Italian #seasoning in my opinion. 

Modification 3: I also added two more ripe avocados because they are our #favorite.  Overall, the kids loved the #chicken and the #avocados and we would definitely make this dish again! 

Thank you, #Williams-Sonoma!

Leave a comment to let me know your thoughts about the recipe.

A Healthier Version of a "Traditional" Comfort Food....Tator Tot Hot Dish

As you know, we have been trying to eat very healthy over the past year or so because our goal is to get, and to keep Kevin's cholesterol down at "normal" levels. The other day I was really craving a "comfort food" so I decided to investigate the ingredients for Tator Tot Hot Dish to see how I could make it healthier. Here is what I did....

I took very lean ground beef (93% or higher), skim milk, "Healthy Request" cream of mushroom soup (low in fat and cholesterol), tator tots (which don't have fat or cholesterol), low-fat cheddar cheese, and a packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix "Beefy Onion."

Now I know that this is, as a rule, not the healthiest casserole, but I took something a bit unhealthy and made is just a little bit better for us. I think that is the key. Trying to incorporate healthy habits into every meal eventually just becomes a part of you. It at one point seems "sinful" to not try and eat healthier!

Here is the recipe...

Crockpot Lasagna

Sorry that I have not written for so long, but I have been pretty busy. Just recently I was looking at the Healthy Eating section of books at the library and I found one about the thoughts behind belly fat. After reading the book a bit I was not completely "sold" on the author's theory that sugar is one of the main culprits of belly fat. However, the author brought to my attention that there are tons of foods with "hidden" sugars.

Before reading the book I never had taken the time to see how much sugar was actually in every day foods like spaghetti sauces etc... I always thought that sugar was for desserts! What I learned is that there really are "hidden" sugars in just about everything. The spaghetti sauce that I used to buy...blew my mind when I realized that there are actually 21 grams of sugar per 1/2 cup (serving). WOW!!!!

Breads, even the ones that are considered "healthy" because they have whole grains have corn syrup in them. I started to see why the author of the belly fat book thinks that sugar is a main cause for being overweight. So, my mission now is to try and either make my own or buy products with the littles amount of sugar possible.

I recently found this crockpot recipe online for lasagna. I made it a bit healthier by using ground turkey instead of sausage, fat free cottage cheese instead of ricotta (because I don't like the texture of ricotta cheese), and low fat mozzarella cheese. And of course I found tomato sauce that only had 5 grams of sugar per serving...however, I still think that is too much for spaghetti sauce! Another way to make this dish even more healthy would be to use multi-grain or whole wheat noodles.