365 Days of Clean Eating

The Best of 2011

2012-01-24T16:28:00.000-06:00

The Best (& Hardest) of 2011

Well, the most viewed and a couple of my favorites.

I struggled with whether I should include the sadness in this post, but it is a large part of why I disappeared from the blogosphere for so long, so I really feel I need to include it.

2011 was the hardest year for me in a very long time. In addition to other things, I lost my very best friend to cancer on September 18, 2011. She had fought with an unbelievable strength, long and hard for five years and left behind three young boys and a husband who loved her dearly. I'm glad that she's no longer in pain, but it was really a lot harder than I expected it to be when she passed. Her husband and I became good friends, though, and we still talk about her when we're reminded of things she'd do or say. I never realized just how involved we were in each other's lives until she wasn't here anymore.

That whole thing really threw me for a loop and I struggled to keep my house in order. I definitely wasn't up to posting recipes. It actually helped me today to go back and see what posts people enjoyed... it reminded me that there was a lot of happy times last year, and lots of yummy food. Seriously, my mouth was watering while I looked through pictures.

I had a lot of fun going through the posts from the happy times, my favorites are mostly when my husband is on video showing his reaction to the food I made. That, and our Anniversary Post. I love my hubby so much:)

2011 Wrapped up as having been both the worst, and the best year. We ended on a good upswing and started on our new Puppeteering Journey. So I guess whatever the case may be, no matter how down things are, in this rollercoaster of life, there is always another peak coming eventually!

My Personal Most Versatile and Most Used Recipe EVER

Hearty Tomato Pasta Sauce

Most Viewed Post

Convenience Breakfast Foods

Top Fitness Food Post

Cassie Schwartz, Breakfast of Champions!

Top Dessert/Treat Recipes

Apple Cinnamon Crescent Rolls

Almost Clean Cinnamon Rolls

Top Yummy Dinners

Eggplant Parmesan

Panera Style Chicken Sandwich

Panera Style Tomato Mozzarella Sanwich

Mexican Style Bean Soup

Clean Eating #150 Cream of Potato Broccoli Soup

2012-01-24T11:52:00.001-06:00

I've actually been getting some requests for more clean eating posts, and the whole 365 Days of Clean Eating didn't specify that I'd do them all in one year, now did it? (It actually might have, but for now, we're going to pretend it didn't)

My cooking brain is completely blank. Other than the not so clean eating cream of potato soup I made last night ~~when I inadvertently put way too much liquid in my "Dr. Seuss Twice Baked Potatoes"~~ when I purposely set out to do something new and unusual! I love experimenting and making yummy food for my family!

I don't know whether to call this soup or mashed potatoes, but since I already posted about mashed potatoes, I'm going to call this soup.

Hmmm... Honestly, it was a LOT more "soup" last night!!! Apparently in the night, ~~little elves came and drank up all the liquid~~ the potatoes absorbed all of the excess liquid. Hmmm... I might have to add MORE liquid and make it look all soupy again. You know what, on second thought, I'm too lazy, so you can just squint and pretend it looks more soupy:)

Ingredients
5 pounds of potatoes, chopped and boiled until they're soft
2 bags of frozen broccoli
1 12 oz bag of shredded cheese
3 cups of frozen spinach
1 large onion
1 carton of vegetable broth
Skim milk, if desired for more 'soupy-ness'
**To make this more 'clean', replace about 1/2 of the potatoes with Cauliflower &/ puree some cookied white beans in with the potatoes.
Salt/garlic salt & Pepper to taste

Add frozen veggies to the boiling potatoes when they're almost done.
Drain the whole lot
Add too much vegetable broth, because you need to ruin your plans for twice baked potatoes that you didn't want to wait for anyway.
Throw in some cheese to cover your mistake.
Puree half of the veggies until smooth
put the whole thing back on the stove and tell your family "Look! We're having Cream of Potato Broccoli Soup! I learned how to make creamy soup today!"

Onward my readers...

Anyway, I got a bulk food order yesterday. Nine pounds EACH of almond butter, peanut butter and Sesame Tahini as well as a huge bag of whole wheat rotini pasta, a gallon of raw agave nectar and a large bag of slivered almonds. I'm going to try some new recipes for granola and protein bars!

Any ideas? I'm definitely going to mix some of the nut butters and tahini together to make apple dip again, and as a sandwich spread... what are your favorite recipes that include nut butter or Tahini? And look at these awesomely cute containers that I can reuse when the stuff is gone!

Country Life Natural Foods ROCKS!!

Give me your suggestions for future recipes and what you'd like to see more of! (If you say more brownies and cookies and unhealthy food, I will know that its really you, Kainan, my teenaged son... I can TELL!)

New Blog!

2012-01-21T20:15:00.000-06:00

Hey guys!

I'm starting a new project this year. I plan on still doing some clean eating posts over here on a weekly basis, but at the moment I'm starting a new children's series called "Bean's Monkey Business" with a puppet I made. Right now the posts are about the behind the scenes stuff, but soon they will be interactive posts with actual webisodes! We premier on January 30th!

Clean Eating #149: Super Healthy Mexican Taco-Bean-Chili-Soup-Like-Dish

2011-08-17T16:00:00.000-05:00

Super Healthy Mexican Taco-Bean-Chili-Soup-Like-Dish

Yummmy!!

Relax Ladies and Gentlemen, Children, Puppies and other small pets who may or may not have been waiting for me to come back...

Because I'm BACK!!

*Sort of. Actually, next Wednesday, I'm heading out to L.A. with my two girls where we'll stay with several of my mom's friends, be all touristy and I'm going to audition for "The Voice Season 2". We'll be gone about two weeks. Unless we hate it, then we'll come back sooner. Although I imagine a 33 hour train ride after a 4 hour drive will make anything seem tolerable... and, basically, anything that isn't rural town USA will surely be tolerable.

The ingredients (I made a HUGE batch of this and it was REALLY cheap, so it would be great for a big family gathering, potluck or some kind of group gathering. My family ate half of it in one 24 hour period. All 6 of us (except the ten year old doesn't really eat much... she prefers to paint):

Oh wait, I was going to start with the recipe. With school starting soon, my A.D.D. is in full swing... my apologies!

THE INGREDIENTS:

1 bottle of Low Sodium Tomato Juice

1 Large, Industrial sized can of Tomato Sauce

(if you're going small, just use about equal amounts of sauce and juice and vary according to your tastes)

1 Carton of Vegetable Broth

2 bags of Kidney Beans

2 bags of small red beans

2 bags of White Navy Beans

1 bag lentils

1 bag of frozen spinach

Seasonings:

Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy (1/2 bottle)

Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning

And here I am modeling the secret ingredient (well, if secret means that I told everyone, but you can't SEE it, then that's what I mean by secret). You guessed it, pureed spinach in tomato sauce. I AM that good.

You can also see some of the 20 pounds I've put back on since the epic stress has taken over my summer. And on a perhaps unrelated note, let me just say that parenting can be hard as hell. Even if all the things you THOUGHT might go wrong DIDN'T ~ you get new, EXTRA surprises... ahhhh... yeah, its lovely.

Directions:

Prepare your dried beans (you might want to do this the night before, I just did it in the morning and had the soup for dinner. You could even use a crockpot if yours works well and you're gone for the day)

*I soak mine for about 3-4 hours or even overnight if I remember.

*Then bring to a boil on the stove, then turn to medium or med-high heat & cook until soft. (they grow a LOT, so keep them covered with lots of water!)

*Do NOT add anything with salt until the skins of all the beans are soft

ONCE YOUR BEANS ARE READY:

Drain 2/3rds of the liquid.

Puree your frozen spinach with some tomato juice **Note: Do NOT do this if the juice is hot, thinking that SURELY the frozen spinach will cool it off enough. Scroll back up if you think you might forget this tip.

Add all of your other ingredients (including the lentils) and simmer until you're ready to eat.

This soup tastes fantastic with grilled cheese, tortilla chips or whole wheat tortillas. My kids all have their own way of eating it (all of these include cheese:). As my resident carnivore, Kainan even cooks ground beef to throw in his. I tend to 'toast' a whole wheat tortilla under the broiler and use it as a dipper:)

Verdict: This was AWESOME. Even my meat eaters didn't miss the ground beef in this. With all the different textures of the various beans, it was just wonderful. The pureed spinach seemed to deepen the flavor without actually adding any 'green' taste to it. My husband is reading this book:

And is totally sold on the "Slow Carb Diet", so he wants a lot of lentils and spinach. This soup is a great crowd pleaser, it fits his diet, its incredibly versatile and tasty and HEALTHY! Yay!!

And for anyone who came back to read again, thank you!:) I'll try to be better now that it isn't constantly over one hundred and ten degrees outside!

Clean Eating #148: Convenience Foods: Bulk Breakfast Burritos

2011-07-20T15:35:00.001-05:00

Bulk Breakfast Burritos

Okay, okay, the truth comes out. In spite of the fact that I have been really busy this month with movie stuff, I just hate cooking when its hot. I hate even thinking about cooking, meal planning, any of it. If only I hated eating... nah. No such luck.

I would think that logically I would crave fresh fruit, salads and the like. No such luck. I eat junk. I also find that I eat a lot of convenience foods because I'm running around too busy to want to think about cooking. So not only am I eating less healthy, I'm paying too much for it.

Today was my last straw when I bought a breakfast burrito at Quick Trip... ugh. I ate a gas station burrito for Heaven's sake. It is ridiculous.

So I came home and made a dozen breakfast burritos for my hubby and I, and a pan full of kiddable eggs for their own breakfast burritos. Kids and teenaged boys don't really need to worry about having full out eggs and extra cheese:)

Ingredients:

24 egg whites
12 eggs
1 large onions (diced)
8 oz frozen spinach
a little finely shredded cheese of your choice
coconut oil
seasonings to taste
12 whole wheat tortillas

Directions

Sautee the diced onions and spinach in a little coconut oil until tender
add mixed eggs & seasonings, cook on med-low with a lid, flipping occasionally (try to keep it all in one piece for less mess later
cut your eggs into "bars" and roll up in tortillas sprinkled with a little cheese
Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for heating later.

*Kids variations: I used all eggs, extra cheese, plus added a couple of chopped baked potatoes to stretch out the eggs a little so they would last longer. Kainan added jalapenos to his (eww!!)

And here is what happens at my house when I go out to a really long lunch with a friend and Paris and Abyni have a lot of time to kill... Its rockstar makeover and modeling time!! I came home to find nearly 200 pictures on my camera! My 13 year old is quite talented at the makeup and photos, and my 10 year old loves being in front of the camera:)

Those EYELASHES!!!

The pouty lips...

Sorry!!! I have a GREAT future movie star excuse, though:)

2011-07-10T14:02:00.000-05:00

I know I've been gone, but I really REALLY have a GREAT excuse!!

I promise!

My youngest two daughters (Paris, left, 13; Abyni rt, 10) are both aspiring actresses...

And I spent most of the last week on movie sets without internet while I waited for my youngest actress to be done with her really LONG filming days (9 - 15 HOURS).

This is a video of my baby girl... expect to see her on the big screen in the future as she is very talented and even more determined!

I am finally home, unpacked and have our wash in the laundry... so hopefully now I can get back to cooking. For at least a few days before we're expected back on set.

I'm thinking I need to start a new blog about our adventures as movie extras/principles, because it appears to be a pretty exciting ride! What do you think?

Are you interested in hearing the nitty gritty... the boring to the exciting?

Anyway, that is my excuse! First I made an Anniversary post, then had a week of vacation, then got my kiddoes back just in time to have to leave for a week out of town for movies. Its a somewhat exciting time and I can't wait to see what's next!

Clean Eating #146: Super Easy Roasted Asparagus w/Sesame Seeds

2011-06-23T17:37:00.000-05:00

Super Easy Roasted Asparagus w/Sesame Seeds

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

handful of sesame seeds

Directions:

Coat the asparagus with oil

Place on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sesame seeds

Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes

See? Super easy! That's all you get today because my hubby is on his way home from work and we have no kids this week!

Enjoy your day!

Happy 17th Anniversary! Chicken, Wine, Mushroom & Swiss Romantic Dish

2011-06-21T13:07:00.001-05:00

Chicken, Mushroom & Swiss Romantic Wine Dish

Okay, I'm giving a recipe today, but I'm also giving you the beginning of an amazing love story:)

Today is my 17th Anniversary.

SEVENTEENTH!!

I don't feel old enough to have a 17th anniversary yet!

First things first. Here is the recipe (the clean version of the recipe that my husband cooked for me on our first date when we were 19:)
Ingredients:
2-3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins
3 cups of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of white wine
6 slices of thinly sliced Swiss cheese
2-3 cups of whole grain bread crumbs

Directions:
Line a lightly oiled baking pan with the chicken

top with slices of cheese
Mix wine & mushroom soup and pour over the cheese

bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes
top with bread crumbs and return to oven for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

This tastes great with a baby spinach salad and a glass of white wine!

And for dessert... for the one who can't choose, a little of everything! (that's a tiny plate, btw:)

A slideshow of pictures from our marriage and life... all of my hair style & color changes (I have changed a lot over the years!!!:)

Oh, and I'm singing the background vocals to one of our favorite songs to dance around the living room to:)

This was what we looked like way back when (1990)... although my hair often changed color weekly

My husband and I met when we were 19. It was definitely love at first sight for him. He still insists that he knew the very moment he saw me that I was his 'one true love' and that he knew at that moment I was the only one for him.

I didn't have quite that intense of a reaction, but then again, we met when he pulled up to a party on his motorcycle and I was a bit inebriated... so that might excuse it. (No, I'm not proud of my partying days, but I'm not going to pretend they didn't happen either)

He sat and talked with me for a while and asked where I lived. I had just moved, or rather I was staying with some friends and literally could not remember the name of the street I lived on. I didn't have a phone and really had no way for him to get a hold of me. I finally told him that I lived at the green house with the pink door. Boy, did I beat myself up for that after he left.

All was not lost, because he was a pretty determined guy. He hunted down the green house with the pink door and found me three nights later. You might be able to imagine a hint of how shocked I was after spending three days mooning over this guy I'd just met, sure that I would never see him again, when he knocked on my door.

Ahhhhhhh!!! I was so SO shocked. I didn't have good luck with guys in the first place, and certainly hadn't expected him to go to all the trouble of hunting me down. (Wow, that makes him sound like a creeper. He wasn't:)

Anyway, we spent the next six weeks blissed out of our minds. He worked at his dad's bar, so he came over at 2:30 every morning when he got off of work and we would go for walks for hours, just talking and feeling all those 'love bubbles' floating around.

On our first "real" date, he took me to his house and cooked me dinner... the same dinner I posted above. He definitely stole my heart completely. I had never had anyone treat me the way he did (and still does), look at me the way he did, or give me himself completely the way he did.

We danced to Billy Joel in the living room... and then he played the piano for me and our 'magic' song was born:

after about 6 weeks, he had to leave to go back to college. We had a horribly painful time being apart from each other. So much so that after sporadic visits for a few more weeks, Patrick called me one night and broke up with me. (He told me later that it was just too hard being apart and he was actually thinking about dropping out of school, which scared him to pieces. After all, he wasn't going to settle down until he was at least 35!!!)

I cried. A lot. And for a very very long time. I was pretty much inconsolable for longer than we'd even been together. Everyone around me thought I had lost my mind, but I knew KNEW that he was my 'soulmate'. I was devastated... and oddly enough, I didn't want to hear that he was a jerk, or that I was better off without him. I knew it wasn't true (and in hindsight, I was right)

He came to pick up some belongings about 6 months later, and I told him, "Breaking up with me was the biggest mistake you've ever made and you're going to regret it for the rest of your life." or something dramatic like that. I was or rather AM a pretty freaking dramatic person.

Anyway, I didn't see him again for about a year and a half... during which time both of our lives really spiraled out of control. (to be continued, I need more space for this novel:)

Your Turn! Share: What's your story?? If you have a significant other, how did you meet? How long have you been together? What is the best marriage tip you'd give someone else?

Clean Eating #146: Salad w/Toasted Spiced Almonds

2011-06-20T14:52:00.000-05:00

Salad with Toasted Spiced Almonds

I used to buy those 'flavored' almonds at the store for our salads... but of course those are full of MSG, which we are trying to avoid. So I grabbed my slivered almonds and thought I'd give it a go. As you can see, I left them in a bit too long. It seemed like nothing was happening, then I got distracted for a second and boom, brown almonds.

Oh well, we all loved them anyway. I LOVE having crunchy things in my salad.

Easy as pie. Wait, pie isn't even easy.

Take about a cup of slivered almonds and spread them out on a baking sheet.
Spray lightly with Olive oil (if you don't like spray oil, you might be able to get the same effect by tossing them in a bag with some oil)
Sprinkle with seasonings (I used chili powder and garlic pepper)

This was SO easy and so yummy. My hubby didn't even notice that they were in the salad until he started eating and he asked, "YUM! Where did you get the almonds? That is a fantastic flavor combination!)

WINNER!:)

Clean Eating #145: Super Easy Pasta Salad w/Tomatoes & Shaved Parmesan Cheese

2011-06-18T11:49:00.000-05:00

Pasta Salad w/Tomatoes & Shaved Parmesan Cheese

I did it, I finally made some cold pasta salad that I actually enjoyed.

Actually, it was kind of funny because I LOVE pasta. A LOT. But I like it HOT, the cold version has always turned me off. Even this time, I'd take a bite or two and think, "nahhh... no thanks."

10 minutes later I'd be sitting down doing something and think, "Man. I want another bite of that." I'd take a bite or two and again decide that I didn't care for it.

By the end of the day, I'd eaten all the leftovers... which amounted to at least two servings:)

I guess I'm getting to that point of being able to get past the fact that pasta "isn't supposed to be cold"

Ingredients:

1 box whole wheat linguine

3 Tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (to coat, you may want more/less)

McCormick's "Perfect Pasta" seasoning blend to taste

1-2 tomatoes, diced

3/4 cup of cooked lentils

Salt to taste

Directions:

Prepare the pasta to your taste.

Drain and add EVOO, Sesonings, lentils and diced tomatoes.

Top with shaved Parmesan Cheese

Cool in refrigerator for at least one hour.

Serve as a side dish or entree (or just keep picking at it in the fridge all day, but I warn you, you may eat too much that way!:)

Now I want to really experiment with different flavors, beans and veggies in my pasta salads... I'm on a roll! What are your favorite pasta salad ingredients?

Clean Eating #144: Meatloaf made healthier

2011-06-17T15:14:00.000-05:00

Meatloaf

Okay, my poor meat eating son has been tortured for over three months. He turns 16 this month, but he'll be out of state on his birthday, so I took pity on him and bought ingredients for one of his favorite dishes: Meatloaf.

My soon to be 16 year old, Kainan AKA Squatchmo

He was SO shocked and got right to work making some.

Ingredients:
5.5 pounds Extra Lean Ground Beef
1 large onion, finely diced
2 Cups of crushed whole wheat crackers or bread crumbs
8 Egg Whites
2 Cups of Clean Marinara

Sauce:
1 1/2 cup Clean marinara or ketchup
1/2 cup Xylitol brown sugar substitute OR 1/4 cup Agave Nectar

Mix all ingredients except the sauce. Form into loaves or burgers (I often do burger sized because then they cook a lot faster:) and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes for burgers, 30 minutes for larger loaves. Uncover, top with sauce and bake an additional 8-15 minutes until the sauce looks almost caramelized.

I usually bake my loaves on a broiler pan so that any grease can drip off.

Serve with a big green salad to offset the meat:) Enjoy!

Help Me with Recipe Ideas and Money Saving Tips!!

2011-06-16T17:15:00.000-05:00

Wow. Being STILL stuck financially is just so draining! Its been a decade of financially struggling and honestly, I'm tired tired TIRED of it. I'm getting tired of bread and potatoes. And Rice. Forgive me for complaining, I know that I am blessed that my husband now has a job... I just get frustrated sometimes.

I am having a really hard time even thinking of recipes because I know we just don't have the money for a 'real' grocery shop. It is really starting to get to me.

So, I made stuffed peppers again because green bell peppers (which only the guys like) were on sale for 50 cents each and the rice is cheap as well.

I want to make a wishlist of foods I'd LOVE to make before the year is out, and a list of inexpensive foods that I haven't ALREADY made.

Dream Recipes?

I LOVE Panera Bread's Salads, so I definitely want to try some that would be similar.

Stuffed Artichokes that I found at CajunLicious
I REALLY want to perfect the best Guacamole because my hubby loves it SO much.
I want to find a new recipe for green enchilada sauce because its a favorite, and the last recipe was REALLY good... but I'm hoping for a little more 'kick' and flavor. Although it might be as simple as finding better quality ingredients, to be honest.
New Salad recipes. Since its spring/summer and I don't like to really eat hot stuff, I want to find some new ideas for salads. I would like to get in the habit of adding beans to my salads as well as experimenting with fruits and nuts as well.

Inexpensive Recipes?

Since I'm already the queen of toss everything from my freezer into a pot and calling it a recipe, I need to branch out:)

Salad Dressing recipes: I LOVE homemade salad dressings and I really want to find some new ideas to try... and they're cheap to make as well
Beans. I need to find more bean recipes. Dried beans are SO cheap, super filling and healthy. I need to get us all used to eating them more.
Smoothies
Blackberries. We have blackberries out the wazoo, since we have a ton of bushes in our backyard that our landlord lets us have. My son makes cobbler, but I'm thinking that surely there are more uses for them. Maybe I could even make a clean eating jam with them or something? I welcome your ideas!!
Pasta Salads. My hubby and sons LOVE cold pasta salad. I have never cared for it, but I think I'm grown up enough now that maybe I can get over my aversion to cold pasta and find some ways to make it in a recipe that I would like... please, if you have any you love, share your favorite recipes or ingredients with me!

Would you share your top 3 'dream meals' or favorite dishes?

I feel like I'm stuck in a rut... and now my hubby isn't feeling well whilst having to work 6 days a week, so I really need to make some awesome garlic recipes as well. Help! My creativity appears to be drying up!!

Money Saving Tips?

What are your favorite money saving tips? Mine (off the top of my head):

My most recent hair cut other than my own:)

Cutting everyone's hair myself (even my own, which I also dye myself)
Buying whatever food is on the best sale and working around that for a meal.
Making any trip to town count... meaning that I always organize my trips to town so that I use the least amount of gas and get the most done.
Keeping the heat/AC on the setting that uses it the least. We bundle up a LOT in the winter and try to not go nuts with the AC in the summer. Our house is very small and incredibly well insulated, so our electric bills are incredibly low.
Buying food at cheaper prices in bulk from www.clnf.org
Making Vegetable Broth from veggie scraps instead of tossing them
Probably my favorite "frivolous" thing is bartering. I have bartered for tattoos once by making lollipop boquets for my tattoo guys' wedding, once by painting on a leather vest and once in exchange for Zumba punch cards. I'm working on a deal to paint his motorcycle in exchange for a back tattoo. This has been awesome because I love tattoos, but its probably not something I would have ever had $$ for. Have you ever bartered for anything?

Custom Painting GIVE AWAY!!!

2011-06-14T14:38:00.001-05:00

Okay, people... here's the deal. Before I get back to cooking, I am in need of some more customers (money always helps with the groceries, you know. I've found the store expects me to pay for the food every single time I go to the store... go figure!:) And I must admit, I can not seem to get in the mood for cooking when its so HOT! Look for a bunch of salad recipes coming up soon!

Anyway, I have an Etsy shop and I need some more samples to show my work. I do custom portraits in watercolor:

I also have a youtube channel that I want to get off the ground... (and I have an adorable little girl who checks her 'views' every day and is THRILLED when someone comments on her video... and I'd do just about anything to see her smile like she does when someone leaves her a nice comment:)

The Prize: 1 Custom Watercolor Portrait OR Custom Colored Pencil Portrait with up to 2 subjects, delivered to you completely FREE.

I will choose TWO winners from the drawing... so enter as much as you want!

To enter, I will add your name to the drawing one time for each comment/subscriber:

Comment on this post with why you'd like to win.
Subscribe to my youtube channel The Real Modern Family
Watch & comment on any of the following youtube videos (1 entry per comment/per video)

My Son Jaedin after getting his wisdom teeth out

My 10 Year Old Daughter Doing the "Ellen" Dance

My Son Kainan after getting his wisdom teeth out

My husband and son judging the food on our Family Version of "Chopped"

The one where my other daughter is in the background and is funnier than what I MEANT to record:)
And, to get back on topic: A COOKING Video featuring ME:)

Clean Eating #143: Blackberry Cobbler

2011-06-11T14:25:00.000-05:00

Blackberry Cobbler

Guest Post by my awesome fifteen year old son, Jaedin

Who spends his free time picking these:

I found a bunch of blackberry bushes back in the 'forest' by our house. We rent, but the owners told us we were welcome to whatever berries we wanted. So I pick them (sometimes with my sisters' help) and sell them as well as fresh cobbler at the local farmer's market for some extra spending money.

I take the leftovers home and everyone eats them if I don't sell them or freeze them fast enough.

I make some with normal sugar, but most of them I make with Xylitol. A lot of the people who come to the farmer's market want sugar free things because they're diabetic, so I always sell more if I make sugar free. Since mom pretty much never buys 'real' sugar, its not a problem!

I make the regular ones with the berries on the bottom so I can easily tell the difference at the market.

Ingredients

1/2 cup coconut oil
2 cups unbleached flour (You can replace half with whole wheat flour)
1 cup Xylitol
2 cups milk
3 1/2 cups blackberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Pour melted coconut oil equally in the bottom of two pie pans
In a medium bowl stir together the flour, xylitol and milk; batter will be slightly lumpy. Pour mixture on top of melted butter in your pie pans. Do not mix butter and mixture together.
Drop blackberries into batter; if more crust is desired add less blackberries. Bake in preheated oven for about 40-45 minutes until golden brown.

Serve warm or cold, although if you can talk your mom into it, this tastes AWESOME with vanilla ice cream!

Clean Eating #142: Super Easy Spicy Hot Pico De Gallo

2011-06-11T14:03:00.000-05:00

Spicy Hot Pico De Gallo

We cleaned out our freezer and had a few bits of peppers leftover, so in addition to some fresh tomatoes that my hubby found on sale, I made some Pico De Gallo. I have a bunch of dried pinto beans to make "refried" beans with, and Jaedin made tortilla dough that's been soaking since yesterday, so I think we'll have burritos for dinner. I need to go get some rice cooking as well. It will seem like a real meal again!

Ingredients:
3 Pablano Peppers
1 Habanero Pepper
2 Sweet Red Peppers
1 Chopped Red/Yellow/Orange Bell Pepper
1 large Onion
12 Roma Tomatoes

Directions:
Dice all ingredients.
In a heavy pot, bring to a boil on medium heat.
Simmer on Medium-Low for an hour or so..

Serve! My boys like really spicy stuff, and I took about a cup of this and added it to the water and 1 cup of salsa to the brown rice I have cooking for dinner. I'll take a photo of our 'full meal' if I think of it.

Thanks for those who are still around reading. Its been a big struggle to find things to post about lately... and I, for one, am really tired of scraping by financially!! Let's get a break already!

And don't forget about the Father's Day Spotlight!

No Clean Eating... Well.. No money...

2011-06-07T20:01:00.000-05:00

There have been no new posts because honestly, I am out of 'new' food. Its crappy, but we're not starving, just bored with the current stash of potatoes and grains. At least we HAVE food!!

We've been down to whole wheat flour, popcorn, groats,potatoes, yeast and some eggs for a week or so (other than the occasional veggie/fruit that I find on clearance for a great deal that I can stretch a bit). My husband gets paid every other week... and after being out of work for pretty much the entire year last year (and I work VERY part time), we're still playing catch up.

Add to that vehicles breaking down, and needing gas to get to work, well, variety in the kitchen isn't the priority.

I plan to really plan and budget hardcore with this week's check, though, and do a much better job at stretching our food dollars.

Which means Saturday will be a major prep day and then I will have all kinds of yummy budget friendly goodness to share:) Plus, my son has picked a couple of gallons of blackberries to sell at the farmer's market on Saturday, so maybe he will come home with some fresh fruits and veggies that I can experiment with as well!

What are your favorite inexpensive meals?

What do you do to stretch the food budget between paychecks (assuming you live paycheck to paycheck like we currently are)?

Clean Eating #135: Fresh Pineapple Jalapeno Poppers

2011-06-05T17:04:00.000-05:00

Fresh Pineapple Jalapeno Poppers

My husband was craving jalapeno poppers and wanted to try out his own version of "clean" poppers. He used fresh pineapple instead of the flavored cream cheese to avoid any extra additives and the result was fantastic!

Ingredients:

9 Fresh Jalapenos

4 oz of Cream Cheese (low fat)

Fresh pineapple (you won't need a lot, so the kids can fight over the rest:)

Directions:

Slice the jalapenos in half length wise and get rid of the seeds (keep some if you prefer the spiciness)

Fill with cream cheese

Top with a slice of fresh pineapple

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until the cream cheese starts to brown

Serve warm.

Oh, and take what you want before the teenage boys get downstairs, or you won't get any at all!

Verdict: If you consider all the groaning around here, they must have been good. Of course Kainan wanted bacon on his, but alas, he had to do without:) A great, easy decadent treat. Use nofat cream cheese or neufchatel cheese to keep it clean and pair it with some fresh veggies or as an appetizer to a super healthy meal so you don't eat too many!

Clean Eating #134: Sweet Onion Balsamic Salad Dressing

2011-06-04T13:40:00.002-05:00

Sweet Onion Balsamic Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of Balsamic Vinegar

1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 medium Vidalia Onion, diced

1/2 tsp Parsley, finely chopped

1/2 tsp Coarsely ground black pepper

a few drops of liquid Stevia to taste

Put all ingredients in a blender (I used my mini IsaBlender with great results) and blend until all ingredients are blended.

Pour over salad.

Keep tightly sealed in the refrigerator.

We eat a LOT of salads during this time of year, so this goes pretty fast. I've kept it up to a week, but by then its gone. You may need to leave it at room temperature long enough for the oil to settles a bit and then shake well and serve.

Verdict: We were out of "store bought" dressing and some of the kids were hesitant to try my dressing (I dont' know why, they always gobble up my hubby's dressing! They probably thought I put black beans in it:) but once they did, they loved it as much as I did... even the kids who don't care much for onions loved it. In my opinion, it could use even more onions... I think I may be becoming addicted to onions...

Clean Eating #137: Super Easy Cajun Tilapia w/Rice and Corn

2011-06-04T13:33:00.000-05:00

Broiled "Cajun" Tilapia

Okay, so the title says with rice and corn, because I served it with rice and corn... however, my silly old camera died as soon as I took a half was decent photo of the fish. I actually had my fish with a salad, but my kids love corn, and the rice fills them up enough so that they eat something other than four pounds of fish!

Rice:

I cook a mixture of brown and wild rice according to directions.

When it is nearly done, I throw in a bag of frozen corn and about a 1/2 a cup of finely chopped red bell peppers that I stuck in my freezer on prep day.

I add a bit of paprika as well as some pepper, and they're good to go.

"Cajun" style Tilapia

This is SO easy:)

Take your Tilpia filets and place them "dull" side up on a baking sheet (one side should appear more shiny than the other, so put the dull side up)

Rub the fish with your preferred oil (I use cocount oil)

Rub with a sprinkle of Paprika and Ground Red Pepper

Broil on the top shelf with the oven door vented open a little for about 7 minutes until the fish flakes apart easily with a fork.

Serve hot and enjoy (with a lot of water! Its spicy!:)

Verdict: This was SO easy, so simple and I always have these ingredients on hand. It was great with a salad and the kids loved it with rice. I will definitely be making this again. Especially since I'm really trying to drink more water and the spiciness of this dish forces me to drink a LOT!

Clean Eating #140: Super Quick & Easy Egg White Veggie Scramble

2011-06-02T18:11:00.000-05:00

Super Quick & Easy Egg White Veggie Scramble

Ingredients:

8 Egg Whites

1/2 bunch of Green Onions, chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped thawed and drained spinach

4 small, sweet tomatoes

Direction:

Sautee the vegetables until most of the liquid is gone

Add the Egg Whites

Cover & cook on med to med-low about 10 minutes.

Remove lid and cook, turning as needed (and if you have a nice pan, it will probably even turn out looking pretty, unlike mine) and cook until done.

See? I told you mine wasn't pretty. I used a bad BAD pan, apparently.

HOWEVER, it tasted WONDERFUL.

I had meant to make two servings so my hubby could have some when he came home... but I think I ate all but two bites:) I love all the flavor!!

Clean Eating #138 & 139: Green Onion Soup

2011-06-02T16:14:00.000-05:00

Green Onion Soup

Spinach & Green Onion Soup

Truth time. Even thought I recently discovered a love for French Onion soup, I didn't think this recipe would please me at ALL. It seemed too... bland. Too... green. I love green. I love green onions, but I like variety and this seemed like it would just be too... single minded.

I DID end up messing with my original recipe, but even without the additions, I ate a bowl and enjoyed it. I just needed a bit more flavor. Yeah, it had plenty of green onion flavor, but I guess I needed more variety of flavor.

Since my pantries are pretty much bare, I had to go with what I could find, namely frozen spinach and extra caramelized onions. I then pureed them to give a little bit of thickening to the soup without adding any wheat. I'm cutting out wheat for the next three weeks for a cleanse I'm doing. I should probably go wheat free, if not gluten free altogether, just knowing how much better I do without it, but I'm just not sure I'm up for that quite yet.

I figure giving up refined foods, additives, artificial sweeteners, and now most meats... I'm doing what I can:)

Anyway, on to the recipe(s):

Green Onion Soup:
2 bunched of green onions, chopped
1 Tbsp Oil (EVOO or coconut oil)
1 small-medium Vidala onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
3 cups vegetable broth/other broth
1 cup water
salt & pepper to taste

Caramelized the Vidalia onions on medium heat with a tablespoon of oil for about 15 minutes
Add pressed garlic & chopped green onions for another 10 minutes
Add broth and water and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot.

Spinach & Green Onion Soup:

2 bunched of green onions, chopped

1 Tbsp Oil (EVOO or coconut oil)

3 medium Vidala onion, finely diced

1 cup of chopped frozen spinach

3 cloves of garlic, pressed

3 cups vegetable broth/other broth

1 1/4 cup water

salt & pepper to taste

Caramelized the Vidalia onions on medium heat with a tablespoon of oil for about 20-25 minutes

*Separate out approximately 2/3rds of the caramelized onions and set aside

Add pressed garlic & chopped green onions for another 10 minutes

Add broth and 1 cup of water and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Take the separated caramelized onions, spinach & 1/4 cup of water and puree thoroughly in the blender

Add puree to your soup and simmer on medium low for another 20 minutes until thickened.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Verdict: I Liked the first version. I LIKED it. It would have been really good as a small SIDE to another, really rich dish, but since I was eating it by itself, it needed more. If you have a more simple palate and prefer less flavor explosion, this will be your speed.

*The added spinach puree? Loved it. I probably should have done without the puree and just added the onions and spinach chopped, but I was curious:) Plus, I don't much care for really 'broth' liquid soups. I prefer more substance. I don't know why. Something I should probably get over.

Anyway, take your pick! Those are the recipes for today. Or right now, anyway. What is your favorite onion based recipe?

I think the French Onion Soup Tartines are still my favorite!

Blog Spotlight! Your Best Father's Day Recipes?

2011-05-31T11:36:00.000-05:00

Father's Day Spotlight!

In honor of the great dads in our lives

One of my favorite photos of my husband from a few years ago... the Bean nearly asleep on him (she ALWAYS falls asleep on him, then he falls asleep soon thereafter:)

My Dad and the Bean even earlier. I need to get more photos when my dad visits. No one makes me laugh as much as my dad... he is hilarious!

To participate in this Blog Spotlight, all you need to do is send an email to me at bynalways (@) gmail . com with the following information:

Your name & blog link (if you have one)
What makes your husband/father/Someone who always felt like a father figure to you... a great dad
A photo of your father/your husband and kids or any variation! We're just looking for great dads!
Your best memory of them
Their favorite meal & recipe (with photos, if you have them!)

Spotlight posts due by Monday, June 13, 2011

Clean Eating #133: Memorial Day Vacation Tilapia and Onion Campfire Bake

2011-05-31T11:23:00.000-05:00

Campfire Tilapia & Onion Bake

Scroll down for the recipe if you don't want to see our vacation pictures:)

When we first got there, we got everything out and started putting up tents.

We had an inadvertent 'set up the tent competition' and the little girls pretty much won:)

They haz mad skillz:)

Actually, I think the fact that the girls ALWAYS play together, and the boys COMPETE with each other, it makes the girls a much more formidable team, even though none of them have ever put a tent together by themselves before. Actually, I think it was only the second time they'd even helped. We haven't went camping often:)

All of last weeks flooding (see the tree TOPS just poking out of the water?) and storms resulting in "big waves" for at least the younger kids:) They had an absolute BLAST "riding the waves" on their swimming noodles:)

Paris and Abyni jumped right in, first thing, even though the water was too cold for the rest of us. They are like little fish!

Off to find a good place to kick off to ride the waves back to our campsite. I think this may have been one of their favorite things to do... or at least what they spent the most time doing.

Tilapia and Onion Campfire Bake

Ingredients (*For one meal/serving)

Foil

EVOO or Coconut Oil

2 Medium White Onions

Tilapia Filet

Tone's Citrus Grill Seasoning

Oil the foil with your choice of oil, all except the edges.

Add your thickly sliced onions

Top with Tilapia Filet

Sprinkle with Tone's seasonings

Wrap the foil tightly sealing the edged thoroughly by folding several times.

In the campfire (or oven set to 400), scrape some hot coals to the side of the fire and place your double wrapped foil packets directly on top of the hot coals.

You can also cover with hot coals to cook faster, but we rarely do.

Cook for about 15-20 minutes on each side.

The finished product? WONDERFUL!!!

I actually made several different variations of meals this way this weekend and in the past when we lived on the bus. I posted some of those as a guest blogger... so please go check it out!

See my Guest Post at my fellow blogger Kelsey's blog: ChicnSavvy Reviews "Campfire Potato & Cheese Bake" for some other variations and some vacation Video of the Bean jumping out of a tree into the water!:)

Thanks for stopping by! What did you do this weekend?

Clean Eating #132: Blueberry Struesel/Oatmeal raisin muffins by Paris

2011-05-29T10:20:00.000-05:00

Blueberry Struesel muffins by Paris

My 13 year old Daughter, Paris (shown here in her paperclip shirt she designed:), made this recipe for the blog and they turned out tasting AWESOME!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oat bran

1 cup old fashioned oats (we used groats for part of it)

1 cup whole wheat flour or unbleached flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup dark raw agave nectar

2 egg whites

1 cup milk w/1 tsp of vinegar (to replace buttermilk)

1/4 cup oil

1 1/2 cups blueberries, washed

*Adapted from THIS RECIPE for clean eating

start by blending the oatmeal into oatmeal flour

Now add the oat bran, Whole wheat pastry flour, cinnamon, baking powder and soda in a big bowl and stir well so everything is mixed together.

Then mix molasses, egg (or egg substitute), buttermilk, and oil all together,

and finish by mixing everything together in one bowl with a hand held mixer,

Now add the blueberry's (or raisins if you are making oatmeal raisin muffins) After mixing the other ingredients together, Unless you are making mini muffins like me in that case you fill the cupcake cups 1/2 the way full then put the blueberry's in and THEN finish by covering the berry's (or raisins) with batter until the muffin cups are almost full and then.... top with struesel

My mom and I put the batter into a cake decorating bag to make it easier. It was a LOT less messy that way!

Oil and flour your pan (or like me use muffin cups) and scoop pour or squirt your batter into the muffin pan

add struesel and blueberry's

and bake on 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes (for mini muffin pans)

And enjoy!

Clean Eating #131: Tuna Patties

2011-05-29T10:11:00.000-05:00

Tuna Patties

Ingredients:

3 packges of 2.5 oz Albacore or Regular Tuna

(I found these on sale w/ a coupon for around 50 cents each. I bought a lot)

3 egg whites

3 green onions, chopped

1 carrot, finely chopped or shredded

whole grain bread crumbs

Mix ingredients together, form patties, and cook on a lightly oiled skillet or griddle until browned on each side.

Verdict: These were okay. I definitely prefer salmon patties, but I had to give these a try. I also think I'd probably add more ingredients. Maybe some chopped spinach, peas, red bell peppers, etc.

Now, Happy Holiday Weekend!!

I'm off with my family to go camping!

I'll see you Tuesday with some camping food recipes.