Pecan Crusted Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Crusted Pumpkin Pie is an Applesauce Mom creation that
has been a big hit with my family. Most pie crust recipes call for
butter and shortening. My perfect Applesauce Pecan
Pie Crust is a great way to eliminate the use of shortening which
usually has hydrogenated oils and horrible preservatives such
as TBHQ.... This is also the pie crust I use for all other pies,
just leave out the pecans and it makes a great pie crust for
any occasion.

Perfect Applesauce Pecan Pie Crust.....
Ingredients:
*makes 2 pies

12 TBS cold butter
3 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 TBS sugar
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup applesauce
1/2 cup pecans (finely chopped) *optional
6-8 TBS ice water

In a bowl, mix cold butter, flour, salt, sugar, oil, applesauce and

pecans. Add 6 TBS of ice water, then add a little bit more as

needed. I usually use 8 TBS... 

The dough should not be sticky....form it into a ball and cover the

bowl with a lid. Refrigerate for 30 minutes....

After 30 minutes in the refrigerator, roll the crust out and place
in 9 inch pie pans...

For the Pumpkin Pie:
*makes 1 pie double this recipe
for 2 pies

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
1 can pure pumpkin
6 oz. 2% organic milk

Blend all the ingredients together mixing the milk in last....

I like using 2% organic milk rather than using the canned

evaporated milk.....the pie comes out so much better!

Pour the pie mix onto the crust and bake 450 degrees for

the first 10 minutes. Then bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes

to 1 hour. Let it cool completely before serving (approx. 2 hours).

Mmmm.....the pecan crust gives the pie a subtle delicious flavor!

Hot Chocolate

Hot chocolate this time of year is a must. At the grocery store,
I was reading the labels of all the hot chocolate boxes and the
hot chocolate that is found in the store has over 14 ingredients,
most of which I cannot pronounce. So I decided to
make my own:

Perfect Hot Chocolate:
*makes 2 servings

1 1/4 cup 2% milk
2 TBS cocoa powder
1 TBS sugar
1 TBS brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a blender, mix milk, cocoa,
sugar, and cinnamon until the milk
is thick and fluffy.
In a saucepan, heat on low-medium
heat. Stirring constantly until it is almost
to a boil. Then serve hot.

By blending the milk, this hot chocolate
is thick and creamy, there is no need for
marshmallows!

Avocado Salad

Avocado salad is tasty, filling and extremely healthy...
I serve it as a side dish when I cook tacos, tostadas, or even
as a snack with blue corn chips. My mom serves something
similar but this is my version....

Ingredients:

1 large avocado
1 large tomato
1/2 medium onion (finely chopped)
1 handful of fresh spinach (finely chopped)
garlic powder
salt & pepper

Mix everything together and serve cold.

Vegetarian Night: Tostadas

I'm trying to cook vegetarian once a week, but
we still need protein so I'm attempting to find some nice
recipes that I make with beans. Corn tortillas are very difficult
to find in the store because most of them have preservatives
in them. I do find them in the international section and have
to read labels carefully to find the ones that contain corn,
oil, and lime.


First, make the beans. These take approximately 2+ hours
to cook. Or sometimes I cook them in the crock pot which
takes 4-6 hours. I do not use canned beans. Fresh, whole
pinto beans is what I use....

First, clean the beans by looking through them and making

sure there are no pebbles or damaged beans. (The instructions

on the back of the bag are helpful). Then, wash thoroughly.

Place beans in a large pot with at least 6 cups of water.

Bring to a boil and simmer, covered for approximately

2 hours. Make sure to watch the water, they soak it

up fast. Add 1/2 onion and 1/2 tsp salt while they are

cooking.

They are done when they are tender and a gorgeous
medium brown color.

For the vegetable topping:
 1 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 lb frozen corn
1 small onion
1 green bell pepper
1 medium zucchini squash
1 handful of fresh spinach (finely chopped)
1 clove of garlic
salt &pepper

In a skillet over medium heat,
cook all the vegetables together until
they are tender.

Fry the corn tortillas until they are
crispy. Add beans, cheese,lettuce and vegetable
topping to the crispy tortillas....

Very tasty....

6 Ingredient Meal: Meatballs, Rice, and Brussels Sprouts

My meatballs include vegetables in them that make them taste
flavorful and comforting. Here's how I made them:

Ingredients for Meatballs:

1 lb 95% lean ground beef
1/2 onion (finely chopped)
1/4 bell pepper (finely chopped)
1 large carrot (finely chopped)
salt & pepper

In a bowl, mix the ground beef and vegetables
together. Roll into small balls. Then in a saucepan,
carefully place rolled balls onto the pan. Cook,
rotating them periodically,on medium heat until
they are cooked thoroughly.
*Helpful hint: they won't fall apart if you let
them completely cook on the first side, then
they can be rotated without falling apart.


Let's talk about the rice:

I know that brown rice is much
healthier than white rice. However, I
think that white rice is fine as long as it is
not smothered in butter or other fattening
sauces. I am completely against the boil in a bag,
and or 1 minute rice. Real Enriched Long Grain
White Rice is what I use. It takes approximately
20 minutes to cook.

Ingredients for Brussels Sprouts:

Brussels Sprouts
Onion
salt&pepper


And voila.....a whole meal that has exactly
6 ingredients but still has wonderful flavor!

Vegetable of the Week: Brussels Sprouts

This week I cooked Brussels Sprouts for the first time and
 wow, they were delicious! They are basically mini cabbages
and everyone in my family enjoyed them. I read about them
briefly but what I did  read is that steaming them instead of
 boiling them is much better because it keeps most of the
nutrients in the sprout. They help lower cholesterol, a good
fiber source and just all around healthy.
Here's how I made them:

1) Wash brussels sprouts thoroughly
2) Cut off the little stem at the bottom of each sprout
3) Slice them in half
4) In a pan, add a very small amount of water
5) Add brussels sprouts, onion, dash of salt & pepper
6) Cook brussels sprouts low-medium heat until
they are tender.

Yes, it's that easy.....

Wheat Germ

Okay, I have to admit that before I made the granola
I had never used Wheat Germ before. This is part of
my journey though, finding healthier foods and better
ways to incorporate nutritious foods into my family's
everyday lives. So after reading about Wheat Germ,
 it seems that this is a healthy thing to add to foods
like yogurt,oatmeal, bread, and much more. According
to Wikipedia:
"Wheat germ is a concentrated source of several
essential nutrients including Vitamin E,
folate (folic acid), phosphorus, thiamin,
zinc and magnesium, as well as essential fatty acids
and fatty alcohols. It is a good source of fiber."

I didn't even know where to find it at the grocery
store. It turns out that it is found in the oatmeal
section!
I chose Mother's Natural Wheat Germ because
it didn't have any additives. One thing I found out
that the package does not say is that it needs to
be refrigerated after opening.
So far, I have used it with my granola recipe and
in our morning oatmeal.
Go to http://www.mothersnatural.com/ for more information.

Yogurt Parfait

Yogurt parfaits are a great way to satisfy that sweet tooth!

I serve these as a small snack or after a meal that needs

a dessert to follow. I use my homemade Applesauce

Granola to make this part of a wholesome

ingredient recipe!

Ingredients:

Low Fat Plain Yogurt

Chopped Fruit ( pears, apples, etc)

Applesauce Granola

In a bowl, add layers of granola,

yogurt, and fruit with the desired

amount.

I use Stonyfield Organic Low Fat Plain Yogurt. I like

this yogurt because it has basic ingredients:

"CULTURED PASTEURIZED ORGANIC NONFAT MILK, PECTIN,

VITAMIN D3. CONTAINS OUR EXCLUSIVE BLEND OF SIX LIVE

ACTIVE CULTURES: S. THERMOPHILUS, L. BULGARICUS, L.

ACIDOPHILUS, BIFIDUS, L. CASEI, AND L. RHAMNOSUS."

Many of the popular yogurts at the store are filled

with sugar and unnecessary additives. So even though

I don't buy everything organic, I stick with Stonyfield

for yogurt. They have a great website as well:

www.stonyfield.com

Applesauce Granola

Homemade granola is easy, healthy, and a nice snack to have
around the house. Most granola recipes include butter and are
 loaded with sugar. But my recipe contains no butter and I used a
sixteenth of the amount of sugar that most recipes ask for. It still
has a high sugar content by using the honey so I use this as
a snack but in moderation. It came out delicious and will make
a nice topping for my yogurt parfaits!

Ingredients:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup pecans
1/4 cup applesauce
2/3 cup honey
1 TBS brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 cups dried fruit (raisins, cranberries,etc.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On a cookie sheet, spread out oats, almonds and pecans.
Toast in the oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or
until golden brown.

In a saucepan, mix applesauce, honey, brown sugar, vanilla,and salt.

Bring to a boil then put it on low heat.

 

 

The oatmeal mix should be toasted. Remove out of the oven
and pour into a mixing bowl. Pour the hot honey mixture
onto the toasted oats.



Add the wheat germ and dried fruit to the mix. And stir

until everything is coated with the honey mixture.

Yum.... doesn't that look good?



Now that everything is mixed together, place in a greased

casserole baking dish.

Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees.



Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Cut it up into
bars or crumble it up into small clusters. I store my granola
in jars and keep it in the refrigerator.



Crumbly, crunchy, and filled with flavor.....

 


Granola can be put on yogurt, oatmeal, in muffins, or

just eaten by itself! Either way it is a delicious,

nutrient filled snack!

 



What's Your Daily Intake of the 4 Food Groups?

Below I have provided you with a neat website
that provides a suggested amount of nutritional guidelines
for each person. It gives a prompt to enter weight,
height, etc. and provides you with a daily suggestion
for the intake of all the food groups.

I found it to be a helpful tool in evaluating if I am offering
my family the proper amount and balance of foods each
week.

The Website:

http://www.mypyramid.gov/mypyramid/index.aspx


For example, for a 2 year old toddler,
the website suggested the following:


Estimated Daily Intake:

Grains: 3 ounces
Vegetables: 1 cup
Fruits: 1 cup
Milk: 2 cups
Meat & Beans: 2 ounces
Oils: 3 tsp.

Weekly Intake:
Dark Green Vegetables = 1 cup weekly
Orange Vegetables = 1/2 cup weekly
Dry Beans & Peas = 1/2 cup weekly
Starchy Vegetables = 1 1/2 cups weekly
Other Vegetables = 4 cups weekly

Let me know what you think of this....

A Basic Dinner Meal:Chicken & Rice

I serve chicken and rice all the time. It's quick, easy, and
very basic. Now it's tempting to load the rice with butter but
a basic meal like this just needs a little TLC to make it taste
good instead. A few years ago, I spent some time in Europe.
Their outlook on food is completely different to ours,
generally speaking. I think sometimes we think our food
needs to be loaded with flavors like butter, fried stuff,
bacon, sauces and ketchup, etc. But a meal like this
just needs to be enjoyed for a what it is, a simple
healthy meal. I know many nutritionists encourage
us to eat brown rice, but in my opinion for my family,
I think white rice is good as long as it is served plain
with a vegetable. I baked the chicken, steamed the rice,
and cooked some chard and kale. I cooked the chard
and kale the same way I did the collard greens except I
added a little chicken stock from the chicken instead
of turkey bacon. The chard tastes like collard greens
but it had a little crunch to it. I think I like the collard greens
better.

Vegetable of the Week: Collard Greens

Collard Greens are an amazing nutrient filled vegetable that are
high in vitamin C and soluble fiber. I love serving this as a side
dish, however I have only cooked them twice. I am now trying
to incorporate them into our weekly meals as much as possible
because they are so healthy. I really did not know how to cook
them so I just cooked them the way I cook spinach.

They came out really good and it was easy:

First, start with one bunch of greens.

 I wash them really good. Then cut them up. Leave out stem part,

just focus on the leaves. Add them to a large pot on medium to
low heat. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the
pot so the leaves don't scorch. For one bunch, I add a little less
 than 1/4 tsp and and 1 slice turkey bacon along with half of
an onion, some pepper, and 1 clove of garlic.

Cook covered for about 30 minutes with minimal water
so they are steaming and not boiling. I served this with baked
chicken and plain rice.


Mmm...they came out great!

Okay, some things I learned along the way:
-Add the salt right away so it can cook into
the greens so the greens won't taste salty.
- Turkey bacon, is a low fat, high sodium
flavor so not much is needed.
- They need some time to cook at least
30 minutes.



Potato & Leek Soup

Potato & Leek soup is tasty, filling, and uses only rich
healthy ingredients. Now that it's Autumn, having
warm soup for dinner can make cold evenings
calm and relaxing. When I first discovered leeks,
I had no clue how to cook with them or if they
would taste good. It turns out that leeks have
an extremely flavorful taste that sort of tastes like
a mild onion. Leeks can be a little pricey at the
grocery store but they go a long way. If I don't
have leeks, I make the soup the exact same
way, but omit the leeks and use a small
onion instead.

Ingredients:
*makes 4-6 servings

1/2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 spears of celery diced
2 carrots diced
1/2 large leek diced (wash thoroughly)
3 TBS flour
5 medium potatoes peeled & diced
2 quarts of water
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper

In a large pan over medium heat,
 add oil,celery, carrots,and the leek.
Sprinkle with a little pepper.
Mix flour in with the vegetables. In separate
pan boil potatoes in approximately 2 quarts
of water. Drain (but save the potato water)
after they get tender but not too
soft. Add the potatoes to the vegetable mix
and add half of the water to the mixture.
Add 1 1/2 tsp salt. Add milk and stir.
Continue to add the rest of the water until
you get the perfect consistency. I usually
add all the water. If the soup gets too
thick add more milk or water.
Cook over low-medium heat for
about 30 minutes.

Apple Walnut Crumble

Desserts that consist of real ingredients are so much fun to
make and easier than I'd expected. This dessert is something
that is super fast to make and tastes delicious at the same time.
It's similar to apple pie but without the pie crust. Instead,
it has a delicious crumble topping that brings the whole
dish together.
It took me about 10 minutes for the preparation, then
40 minutes to bake.....so quick and easy!

Ingredients for the topping:
5 medium apples
3/4 stick butter (cold)
1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup traditional oatmeal
1/2 cup walnuts

For the apples:
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar (or less depending on the sweetness
of the apples)

I use about 5 apples for my family but this recipe is so easy

that it is not hard to adjust if you want to use more or less 

apples...

Slice apples into small cubes.....



In a separate bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon, oatmeal, walnuts, and

cold butter. Mix together until it is clumpy...

\

The mixture should be clumpy... I usually mix it with a fork or

my clean hands to get it mixed together good while still

maintaining the clumpiness...

In a baking dish ( I use a cast iron), place the chopped apples

in the dish and mix in some sugar and flour. Then add the

mixture evenly on top of the apples...



Bake 350 degrees 40-45 minutes or until top is golden brown.

It all melts together making the kitchen smell delicious.....

Mmm....warm....just enough sweetness to bring out

the apple flavor......delicious...

Because the preparation is so easy, this is a great dessert

that I make when I'm pressed for time but still wanting

something warm and delicious....



Apple Vermicelli Salad

My grandmother gave me this recipe and it is definitely one
of my favorites. It is an excellent side dish, or put baked
chicken on top to make it a main dish. It's filled with
vegetables and with my modification, apples too!

Ingredients:
1 12oz package vermicelli
1 TBS accent (season salt)
    * I exclude the season salt
4 TBS extra virgin olive oil
3 TBS lemon juice
1 1/2 cups apples
3/4 cup green onions
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup carrots
1 can olives (optional)
1/3 cup real mayonnaise

You can add or exclude anything that you
choose...sometimes I put bell pepper in mine...

Spaghetti Squash

I'm trying to incorporate more healthy choices for my family.
By doing so, I'm also trying to learn what is in season and
what's not. When I go to the grocery store, I see these
amazing, yet intimidating squashes this time of year.
This week, I chose a spaghetti squash because I have
had it a couple of times before. It was the most familiar
to me. This squash tastes really good even cooked
plain but can be flavorful with spaghetti sauce. It has
a very mild taste, almost bland so I think it can
be used in a variety of dishes.
It's fairly easy to make and according to Wikipedia,
contains rich nutrients such as:
Folic Acid
Potassium
Vitamin A
Beta Carotene

And it's low in calories!

After cooking it, I think my family really liked
it and I will be cooking it with my squash patties
tomorrow...so stay tuned!

Ingredients to serve Spaghetti Squash:
Spaghetti Squash
salt & pepper
1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

First, I cut it in half. Okay, this was difficult, I really need

a sharper knife....

Then I cleaned out the seeds, just like cleaning out a

pumpkin! Now I'm really beginning

to feel the excitement for the Autumn season !

I drizzled olive oil, salt and pepper on the inside...

cut off the stem...

Then I placed the halves face down on a cookie sheet.

I put a little bit of water on the cookie sheet; just

enough to cover the surface....

I cooked it at 350 degrees for approximately

1 hour 10 minutes....

Now for the fun part!

After it was done baking, I scraped the inside of the halves

with a fork. This makes it look like spaghetti!

And that's it, just serve on the side of the main dish.



This is something that has to be eased into my family. If I cook

something way out of the ordinary like this and serve it as the
main dish, my family won't be so welcoming to the change. So
I served it as a simple side dish and will have it a few more
times like that until I can make the big transition to serve
it with spaghetti sauce! Stay tuned for my squash patties
that I will make with it tomorrow!