Super Power Smoothie

 It's said that you can't judge a book by its cover.  Well, you can't judge a smoothie by its color either  :)

Being the good health conscious mother that I am, I bought a big bag of "power" greens from Costco last week.  The bag was full of kale, chard and spinach.  When I got home, the idea of making a salad out of the greens didn't sound too appealing though so I thought I'd try putting them in a smoothie.  I've done it with spinach with good success so, why not?  And besides, I didn't want to waste a whole bag of "good stuff".

I got out my trusty blender and put two big handfuls of power greens in the container.  Then I added one chopped apple, a handful of frozen pineapple and about a cup of cold water.   I blended it all until super smooth and tried it.  It actually tasted really good!  I can handle healthy greens this way any day!

If I have to eat dark green leafy veggies, I'd rather drink them in a smoothie than have to suffer through chewing them in a salad or cooked or whatever other creative idea someone comes up with. 

If you're brave, give it a try  :)

Temptations

Today I hid the chocolate chips and all the other "grab a handful" unhealthy snacks in the house.  It doesn't seem to matter how many healthy snacks are available, if chocolate is close, it's picked over anything else.  So why tempt everyone?

Sure, we all need to develop self-control but putting temptation in easy reach only makes it harder.  Replacing healthy snacks for unhealthy ones is great in theory but those healthy snacks have to be as accessible as the bag of chocolate chips or potato chips (and as tasty!).  If I put grapes on the counter, they do get eaten.  If they're in the refrigerator, they'll rot.  Same for other fruits and veggies.

Nuts can be a healthy alternative.  They don't require refrigeration and don't spoil like fresh fruits.  Their problem is that they are so calorie-dense that it's easy to eat waaaaay too many!  When I'm on top of things, I pre-measure 1/4 cup portions and put them in baggies.  If I'm lazier, I put a 1/4 cup measuring cup in the container of nuts as a subtle reminder that that is how much should be eaten.  Sometimes it works, sometimes not.

I'm just as guilty of reaching into the chocolate chip bag as anyone.  In fact, it's because of me that I'm hiding them!  I know where they are but they are nowhere near as accessible as they were.  It's going to take some effort to get them and that is what I want.  Wish me luck!

Making meal planning easier

choosemyplate.gov

Menu planning and grocery shopping are not my favorite activities.  I often wish Purina (who makes cat chow, dog chow and other animal feed) would come up with People Chow so I didn't have to worry about planning what to cook.  :)   Not only do we have to plan and make meals, we have to be mindful of nutrition, budget and health.  Purina, where are you?!

Having studied nutrition and worked with families who needed education on planning healthy, inexpensive meals,  I found that the best resource for teaching these things is found on the USDA's website, choosemyplate.gov.  This is the latest guideline for health and wellness from the federal government, replacing the My Pyramid program.  Its name come from the visual representation of how the proportion of various types of food should look on your plate.

This website has information, recipes, and tips for planning and preparing healthy meals that are based on different families needs and lifestyles.  They focus on whole grains, fruits and veggies, lean meats and foods that are naturally inexpensive.  Included are charts and calculators for tracking your food input, weight, goals and exercise.  There is even a section for teaching children about food and nutrition which is quite entertaining and fun (well, however fun learning about nutrition is, anyway).   It is quite inclusive! 

I highly recommend this website and hope you take a look at it!  Anything to make the process easier is my type of program!

The popped finger

Four year old KP wanted to play outside with her older brothers and sisters who had just built a see-saw from some old boards, a tree stump and who knows what else.  Apparently she got just a little too close at just the wrong moment because it wasn't long before there was screaming, crying and running.  Oh yes, and blood.  I learned something very quickly that day.  Smashed little fingers don't flatten like a pancake.  They pop open like a grape.   It was immediately clear that we were going to spend the afternoon at the hospital getting stitches.

When things like that happen, there is no question what is needed to do.  Not so clear are the times when you just don't know if an injury is bad enough and if it will get better on its own.   The same is true with illnesses.  No one wants to take a sick child to the ER and find out she just had a cold.  But no parent wants to miss something that is truly an emergency.  It is a judgment call and personally, I think it's better to err on the side of caution than have regrets later.   The decision is ultimately up to you and your gut instinct. 

If you're unsure what to do, a quick call to your doctor's office can help determine whether symptoms can wait or should be seen immediately.  They are a wonderful resource for parents, especially unexperienced ones!  They also can prevent an unnecessary trip to a crowded ER.

At the hospital with KP that day, the doctor wanted to give her a general anesthesia because of her age and the procedure.  I told him that I thought she'd be ok with just a local.  The doctor told her not to watch.  She held perfectly still and stared intently at the doctor's face.  I watched her closely and realized what she was doing.  I asked her if she was watching her finger get stitched through the reflection of his glasses.  She nodded slightly and continued watching.  I guess we didn't have anything to worry about  :)

A healthy start to the new year!

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie!

Happy New Year!  Do you have the goal of losing weight or eating healthier this year?  You're not alone!  To help you start out right, here is a new smoothie recipe for you to enjoy...

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie
2 oranges
2 bananas
2 peaches (optional) (I used frozen today)
2 carrots
1 scoop protein powder
water to blend

Blend everything together until smooth.  That's it!

I like to use at least one kind of frozen fruit in my smoothies so I don't have to use ice cubes.  I always have frozen bananas, blueberries, mangoes, and pineapple in the freezer.  I just happened to have frozen peaches left over from summer so I used those today.

What's cooking? Wednesday - Super Smoothie to the rescue!

Blueberries, spinach, beets, bananas...Super Smoothie!

It's blueberry season and what better way to enjoy the sweet little berries than by pulverizing them into a smoothie?  Not only does this smoothie taste good but it's packed with healthy fruits and veggies.  Love it!  Your kids might even like it!

Super Smoothie

2 bananas
1 big handful of raw spinach
1 medium size raw beet, cut into quarters
1 to 1 1/2 c. blueberries
1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Combine all ingredients in blender.  Add about 1 c. water.  Blend until smooth.  Ahhhhhh....

What's cooking? Wednesday - Apple Pie Smoothie

This is one of my favorites!  Rich, creamy and satisfying, it has only a few ingredients and can be made in minutes.  On a hot summer day, try it out!

Apple Pie Smoothie
2 apples, cored and quartered
2 bananas, cut into chunks
about 1/4 c. almonds
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
about 1 cup water (or ice if your fruit is room temperature)

Blend on high power until smooth and creamy.  Serve with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.

Note - I buy several bunches of bananas at a time and when they're ripe, I peel them, cut them into pieces and freeze them.  I always have a freezer bag of banana chunks ready to add to any smoothie.  I rarely need to add ice to make the smoothie cold.

Apple Pie Smoothie - apples, bananas, almonds, cinnamon and protein powder.  Super satisfying!

What's cooking? Wednesday - Broccoli Salad Smoothie

Broccoli Salad Smoothie - Before

This smoothie was my husband's idea.  He loves broccoli salad and wondered what would happen if he combined all the ingredients for the salad in a blender and made a smoothie.  Well, the first time I tasted it, I was not impressed  :)  His smoothie was more like a lumpie than a smoothie.  He liked it though and over time, I've tweaked it so that it actually tastes good.  Blending it long enough to make it smooth does help!  If you're brave, give it a try  :)

Broccoli Salad Smoothie

2 apples, cored and quartered
2 c. broccoli florets
1 c. pineapple chunks (I use frozen)
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. dried cranberries
1 scoop protein powder (I use the whey based vanilla powder sold at Costco)

Combine all ingredients in blender.  Add about 1 1/2 c. water (more or less depending on how thick you want it).  Blend until smooth.  Drink...if you dare  :)

Broccoli Salad Smoothie - After

What's cooking? Wednesday - Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

Oranges, bananas, carrots, peaches, protein powder

This has been one of the family favorites so far!  Super healthy and so good tasting!

Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

2 oranges, peeled and cut into quarters
2 bananas, peeled and cut into quarters
2 carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
2 peaches, pit removed and cut into pieces
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
enough water to make blending easier.*

Blend until smooth and creamy.  Love it!

*If you are using frozen fruit, increase the water.  If using room temperature fruit, decrease the water and add a handful of crushed ice.

VitaMix Orange Creamsicle Smoothie

The big food experiment - Part 2

After my husband had a heart attack (at the age of 42), I really wanted to change the way we were eating.  You know, cut down on fat, sugar and other unhealthy things.  So, I got all kinds of cookbooks and experimented with new recipes and substitutions.  Unfortunately, even though I was trying hard, my husband just wasn't into it.  I did succeed in making several changes in our diet but they weren't enough to make a difference in my husband's weight or overall health.  In fact, he was soon diagnosed with type 2 diabetes as well.

Then a month ago, he heard about a diet that his mother was on and something clicked.  He thought it sounded doable and wanted to give it a try.  (It's based on cutting out grains, dairy and meat and increasing beans, nuts and fresh produce.)  I  wrote a blog post about it March 18, 2013.

We are generating a TON of compost!

Do you know how hard it is to change habits that you've been used to for more years than I care to admit?  I'm having to learn new techniques and ways of preparing food.  I'm trying to figure out how to keep our meals balanced.  And I'm trying to use up the fresh stuff before it spoils!  Not an easy task!  I've learned I don't like broccoli in smoothies (yucky texture!) but adding raw spinach doesn't affect the taste or texture at all.   Protein powder adds smoothness and sweetness so it's kinda cheating but oh well.  I learned that hummus is pretty good.  I can say now that soy milk (Silk) isn't bad.  Most of all, I have learned that adding more vegetables and cutting out meat in a diet isn't as hard as I thought.

It's been a month since the grand experiment and my husband has lost 10+ pounds and his diabetes is showing signs of improvement.  I admit...I still eat bread products and I have a stash of chocolate when I get desperate  :)  Hey, a wife can only go so far...

What's cooking? Wednesday - Chocolate Frosty, vegan style

Playing around with our new toy  :)

Last week my husband bought a new Vita-Mix blender and we've been experimenting with it, making smoothies and green drinks and stuff that I call glop  :)  We're trying not to use sugar, unhealthy fats or processed products in these experiments. 

I've been researching the internet for recipes that sound both palatable and healthy.  I found the following recipe on Pinterest and adapted it slightly.  The texture is really smooth and it's pretty good, although if I were cheating, I'd add some powdered sugar to sweeten it a bit more.

Chocolate Frosty
1 ripe banana, cut into 5-6 pieces
1/2 ripe avocado, cut into pieces
1 T. unsweetened cocoa
1/4 c. milk or milk substitute
2 c. crushed ice

Put all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Frosty made with banana, avocado, unsweetened cocoa, milk, crushed ice.  That's it!  Healthy and tasty!

The big food experiment

Sigh...the things we do for our husbands  :)  My dear husband (DH) watched a two hour documentary on getting healthy and losing weight by going on a juice fast and that led into research on juicing, smoothies, raw food, and fruits and veggies in general.  He wants to try it for two weeks.  Being the supportive wife that I am  :)  I watched the film and I'm going to do it with him (ok, maybe modified).  The program WAS compelling and we really don't eat enough fruit and veggies so I figure I should be able to do it for at least one week and then I'll reevaluate.  Sounds wacky to me.

In preparation for this adventure, I went through my cupboards and packed away all the products that had white sugar and/or flour in them (the cake mixes, cornbread mixes, cold cereal).  Out went all processed food.  Next was the refrigerator.  If I am going to stock up on fresh fruit and veggies, I need to have room in the refrigerator!  Out went the eggs, butter, condiments and leftovers.  I gave a big box of food to my daughter.  (and I told her that I may come and "visit" her for maybe a snack or two   :) )  I'm still not sure what to do with my beloved chocolate chips...I might get desperate!

A few of our Costco purchases for this experiment!

The kitchen ready, we went to Costco, Winco and Cash &Carry.  DH is not one to do things in moderation...he tends towards being extreme...so we ended up with far more food than we can possibly eat without it spoiling.  Luckily, most fruit can be chopped up and frozen.  The veggies?  We'll see.

This weekend, DH started playing around with the freshies and his new Vita-Mix blender.  I'll admit, the first green drink was so awful I could barely swallow the first sip.  I think it had large amounts of kale, a lemon, an apple and fresh ginger.  Ugghhh!  I took about 1/4 cup of the stuff, put it back in the blender and added a banana.  It tasted a little better after that but I'd omit the ginger.

Anyway, he got better at combinations and most of his drinks were actually pretty good.  I made some pretty good ones too  ;)

So, now we're at today Monday, Day 1.  Doing ok but missing my chocolate  :).

P.S. The documentary we watched was called Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.  The guy who made it has a website called (not surprisingly) fatsickandnearlydead.com

What's cooking? Wednesday - healthy eating

Last Wednesday, I was flying to my daughter's house and couldn't make anything.  Today I am flying home so no cooking for me today either.  However...I thought I'd share some thoughts about eating healthily.

At the age of 42, my husband had a substantial heart attack.  He had no warning symptoms although he was overweight and his desk job didn't allow for much exercise time.  All that changed pretty much in the blink of an eye.  Talk about wake-up call...not only for him but for the kids and I.  We would all have to learn new ways of eating and living.

I remember taking my younger children to the grocery store shortly thereafter and my youngest daughter, age seven,  went up and down the aisles, pulling boxes and cans off the shelves (don't worry, she replaced them), reading their nutrition labels.  A fellow shopper asked me in a whisper if my daughter had a health problem.  :)  No, no problem, just trying to help her daddy.

I had to learn how to adjust recipes to lower their fat content and calorie content.  Out went the butter, shortening, the whole fat milk and other dairy products.  In came the egg replacer, olive oil and canola oil, the fat free milk.  Out went the huge portions of beef.  In came chicken breast and seafood.  Whole grains were substituted for enriched and processed grains.   I tried new recipes.  Some worked, some were flops.  But, this was a learning process for me and for the family and the changes we made were good for everyone, not just Dad.

Having a major life change can be really scary but if the whole family works together, new habits are easier to make and maintain.  Over the months after his heart attack, my husband lost 50 pounds and we all learned to drink fat free milk  :) 

What's cooking? Wednesday? Nothing!

Today is What's cooking? Wednesday and I'm not cooking anything!   All I've had to eat today is a gigantic Costco Pumpkin Spice muffin (about 800 cal.) and my tummy is still feeling the effects of it.  Note to self...1/2 Costco muffin is more than plenty!   Too much of a good thing is still...too much!

Accidents happen

Accidents happen.  It was so traumatic when my oldest (who was 1 1/2 at the time) tripped and fell against the outside corner of a wall and cut open her forehead, needing several stitches.  Head wounds really bleed!  I don't think a mom is ever prepared to see her child suffer but there are things you can do to help lessen the pain...if only emotionally.

This seems to be a common theme I have but I'll say it again...the most important thing you can do for your child is to remain calm.  You might be freaking out inside but you need to show your child a calm and in-control exterior.  He is upset enough.  It will only make things worse for him to see his mother panicky.  No matter how scared you are,  talk calmly and soothingly and reassure him that everything will be all right.

Even big kids get owies!

Always keep a first aid kit at home and in your car.  Restock it every year and replace items that have expiration dates.

Enter the phone numbers of your doctor and hospital and other emergency professionals into your cell phone.  You never know when you might need them.

Keep a supply of red washcloths to clean up cuts and scrapes.  Some children (and parents) are especially bothered by the sight of blood.  Red washcloths will make it not quite so obvious. 

Any time you are in doubt about the seriousness of your child's injury, call your doctor and get her advice.  It's better to err on the side of caution when dealing with the health of your family.