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....