Category Archives: Our Toddlers LOVE This!

Italian’ish Lentil Tomato Soup

by

3

I make a ton of soup when the weather gets cold but this is our absolute favorite soup. It’s really easy to make and doesn’t require a ton of ingredients plus it tastes better the longer it sits for leftovers. In fact, I’m eating a bowl of this soup as I type this post!

Lentil Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

* 1 1/2 cups dried lentils – we like red lentils the best but you can use whatever

* 4 cups No-Chicken Broth (OR 4 cups veggie broth)

* 1 cup water

* 1 onion, chopped

* 2-3 garlic clove, minced

* 1/8 tsp black pepper

* 2 tsp maple syrup

* 1 tsp dried oregano

* 1 tsp dried basil

* 1/4-1/2 tsp salt – you can add at the end if you want to, if the soup seems bland you probably need a bit more salt

* 1- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

* 1 (16 ounce) can chopped/diced tomatoes, undrained OR use a tetra pack of no-salt added tomatoes

* 3 Tbsp tomato paste

Directions:
* Sort and rinse lentils in colander
* In a large soup pan, saute onion in the butter until they are tender but not browned
* Add garlic, saute until fragrant – don’t burn it!
* Add broth, water and lentils to onions/garlic

You can buy this broth at Sprouts

* Stir in salt, pepper, maple syrup, oregano, basil and parsley
* Bring to a boil; reduce heat.
* Cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 25-30 minutes.
* Add tomatoes and tomato paste.

You

* Stir well.
* Simmer 10 – 15 minutes longer.
* Serve!
* Add salt if you wish – I rarely add salt when I’m cooking, we prefer to add it later.

One more time...

YUMMY!!! Or as my good friend Meah would say… Nom Nom!!!

Toddler Approved Loaded Kale Salad

by

2

Our toddler couldn’t get enough of this salad, she ate two plates worth! It’s called Kathy’s Fully Loaded Kale Salad and it’s from one of my absolute favorite food blogs Healthy Happy Life. It’s got tons of goodies in it and it keeps very well for leftovers.

Here’s a picture of her devouring Kathy’s salad!

Toddler Approved!

I used Black/Lacinato Kale for this salad. I rip the leaves off of the thick ribs/stems and wash them in one of my favorite kitchen tools – The Pampered Chef Salad Spinner . I use this almost daily and I love it! It’s $60 but it’s totally worth it, especially if you use it as much as I do.

Pampered Chef Salad Spinner – MUST HAVE TOOL!!

After washing and spinning my kale dry, I roll the leaves together and slice them into strips.

Chopped Black/Lacinato Kale

Now you are ready to assemble your salad!

Here’s her recipe, you can also access it by clicking on the name of her salad above.

Kathy’s Fully Loaded Kale Salad
vegan, served 2-3 entrée portions

1 large bunch of kale (any variety) – remove thick stems/shred leaves by hand

Toppings (as shown – but you can add your faves):
2-3 Tbsp hemp seeds (Found in bulk section of Sprouts)
2-3 Tbsp raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup apple, sliced
1/2 avocado, diced/tossed in lemon juice
handful of cherry tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup juice-packed mandarin oranges
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
fine black pepper

Dressing:
2 1/2 Tbsp tahini – (Found by the peanut butter – it’s sesame seed nut butter)
3 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp grade B maple syrup (optional – if you need extra sweetness to balance the bitterness of tahini)

To make:

1.Wash your kale, dry well. Pull tender leaves from thick lower stems. Shred leaves by hand. Add to large mixing bowl. Discard thick stems.
2. Briskly mix together the dressing ingredients. Do a taste test and adjust as desired for your tastes. You can always add in more maple syrup if your tahini is too bitter. I also like to add in an extra splash of apple cider vinegar when I’m craving a very zesty salad.
3. Toss your kale salad in your dressing. I use salad tongs instead of my hands (some will massage the kale) I actually like my kale a tad al dente (not overly marinated with dressing) so I simply toss with tongs until the dressing is evenly distributed.
4. Fold in the hemp seeds and sunflower seeds.
5. Add the remaining toppings in a lovely pattern on top.
Serve!

This salad will also do well in the fridge for a few hours – or even set out at a party or potluck. If not eating right away I’d use a tad less dressing – or add another 1/2 bunch of kale.

Here’s what mine looks like.

All toppings aboard – time to mix!

Yum!!

This salad calls for hemp seeds, you can find them whole in the bulk section at Sprouts or shelled for a great price on Amazon. I’ll be getting more into detail about hemp seeds, they are really good for you! Thanks again Kathy!

Meatless Monday Meatloaf & Gravy

by

3

I’ve made a lot of mock-meatloaf in my day and this one is the best! My husband and daughter love this. You can serve this for Meatless Mondays! It’s so easy to make and doesn’t require any fancy ingredients.

I got this off of one of my favorite vegan food blogs – Happy Herbivore. She has a new cookbook out too, I highly recommend it! You can buy her cookbook here.

The brown gravy requires nutritional yeast and whole wheat pastry flour but you can find both in the bulk section of Sprouts. I bet you already have everything else in your fridge… well, maybe minus the Gimme Lean Ground “Beef”. Gimme Lean also makes a sausage style one too – both are fat-free and delicious!

Gimme Lean Ground "Beef" - find it at Sprouts

These are all the ingredients you will need for the meatloaf – plus onion powder and garlic powder.

Here’s the recipe for the Mock Meatloaf:

* 1 package Gimme Lean (Beef-Style)

* 3 Tbsp Ketchup

* 2 Tbsp Yellow Mustard

* 1 small onion, diced

* 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs (Trader Joe’s has them for cheap)

* 1/4 non-dairy milk (I use rice, almond or soy depending what I have on hand)

* 1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

* 1 Tbsp dry basil

Directions:

* Preheat oven to 350F

* Place a large sheet of foil in a regular bread/loaf pan – enough to make a tent over the top

* Mix all ingredients together well and place meatloaf in pan – smooth out the top and tent the foil over it

* Bake for 45 minutes or until the outside is brown and the inside is firm.

* You can smother the top with extra ketchup if you desire.

** Brown Gravy:

* 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

* 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

* 2 cups vegetable broth – I like to use the Imagine brand “No-Chicken Broth” – Sprouts has it

* 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce

* 1 tsp onion powder

* 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

* Whisk nutritional yeast and whole wheat pastry flour in a medium saucepan, toast until fragrant – about 4 minutes

* Whisk in remaining ingredients

* Bring to a boil and allow to thicken as desired – it get’s pretty thick but if you want it thicker dissolve 1 Tbsp cornstarch in 2 Tbsp water and add it in

* Add salt and pepper to taste

Toast nutritional yeast and whole wheat pastry flour

Gravy... yum!!

This gravy really tastes like the real thing!

Now you are ready to serve and enjoy!

I served it with kale salad… recipe to follow!

Healthy No-Bake Cookie Bars (Protein Bars)

by

0

I’ve had a sweet tooth since this morning, for me that’s pretty rare because I’m not a huge sweets person. I decided to try these Healthy No-Bake Cookie Bars (also could be called protein bars) and WOW am I glad I did! I made a variation of these into cookies but I’ve never tried the addition of protein powder. These would be an awesome post-workout snack!

It only took me about 10 minutes to prepare the mix before pressing it into the pan. The recipe calls for Arbonne brand chocolate protein powder but I used my favorite Organic Nutribiotic Brown Rice Protein Powder and added 2 Tbsp of cocoa powder instead.

Ingredients (makes 20 bars):

Organic peanut butter, 1 cup
Agave nectar, 2/3 cup

1 cup chocolate protein powder OR 1 cup plain or vanilla protein powder with 3-4 Tbsp cocoa powder
Rolled oats, 1 1/2 cups
Ground flax seed, 1/4 cup

Instructions (10 minutes, plus cooling time):

In a small saucepan, whisk peanut butter and agave nectar over medium-low heat for 3 – 4 minutes, until the mixture is well combined and just beginning to bubble.

In a mixing bowl, stir together chocolate protein powder, rolled oats, and ground flax seed.

Pour peanut butter and agave mixture into dry ingredients.  Stir just until all of the dry ingredients have been moistened.  The mixture will be crumbly, this is okay as long as everything is moistened.

Press mixture into an ungreased 8 x 8 inch glass baking dish.  Once bars are completely cool, cut into 20 rectangles.  Serve and enjoy!  (I individually wrap them so that we can literally grab and go!)

I know, it looks weird but trust me these are really good!

They cooled pretty fast and I cut them into squares and put them in a container in the fridge. These are so good! My toddler LOVES them! I surprised her with a little treat with her afternoon snack and she was very happy!

Healthy No-Bake Cookie Bars

Raw Collard & Apple Salad

by

9

I love my greens! I enjoy hearty meal-type salads and I’ve been making a few lately that we really enjoy! Kale is my go-to salad green but I’ve been trying to venture out. I came across this Raw Collard and Apple Salad from my latest favorite vegan food blog MELOMEALS: Vegan for $3.33 A Day. You can use collard greens or kale – I used collard greens. I love the spiciness of the dijon mustard with the sweetness of the raisins! I’ve been eating this with my collard wraps for lunch, it’s just so awesome that it keeps in the fridge and doesn’t wilt and sog like regular salad!

Raw Collard and Apple Salad

Yummy!

Raw Collard Salad
4 c finely chopped collard greens
½ c diced celery
2 c diced or shredded carrots
2 c apples, diced ( toss with ½ t apple cider vinegar before adding to salad )
4 T toasted sesame seeds
1 c golden raisins
1 t chunky sea salt ( less if using fine salt )
2 t onion powder
Pinch stevia powder or 3 T agave or honey
¼ t cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
¼ t white pepper
3 T olive oil
2 T Dijon mustard
3 T apple cider vinegar
Toss everything together with your hands. Allow salad to sit for an hour ( or overnight ) before eating. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Collard Greens... in case you didn't know 🙂

Strip leaves off of the tough stem (chop stem and add to soups for extra fiber)

I roll the leaves and chop them this way, then chop them again into smaller bites

Add chopped celery

then carrots... I like extra carrots...

chop your apples and add

toast your sesame seeds until fragrant - I use my cast iron pan (dry)

Add sesame seeds and golden raisins

Combine dressing ingredients

Add to salad

Mix together with your hands, let sit in fridge for a few hours or overnight before serving

Yummy!

It was yummy with my leftover sushi!

Raw Collard and Apple Salad

Yummy Protein Pancakes

by

2

My latest favorite vegan food blog is MELOMEALS: Vegan For $3.33 A Day. She has awesome recipes and I love everything I’ve made off of her site.

Protein Pancakes

Tried out her Protein Pancakes yesterday morning, they were delicious! My daughter loves them and ate them again for breakfast this morning! I put the extra pancakes in the freezer so I can just pop them in the toaster oven when I need a quick breakfast.

This recipe calls for chickpea flour (also known as besan, garbanzo or gram flour) which is nutrient dense and reasonably higher in protein than other regular flours – 21 grams per 1 cup. It also has almost 10 grams of fiber per 1 cup, that’s 40% of your daily fiber needs. It’s also gluten-free for those who are avoiding gluten in their diets.

I found 2 – 35oz bags of Organic Chickpea Flour on Amazon for $14.62 / free shipping. I plan on using it to make flatbread pizza and wraps next!