Carrot Cake Bites

I love the ingredients in carrot cake. This is a fun way to get a mouth full of the flavors of carrot cake in a snack bite. They passed the taste test with my 3 year old grand daughter and my husband. Eating one is not enough. I hope you are having a beautiful week. 

Carrot Cake Bites

Ingredients  makes approx 16 bites

10 medjool dates Pitted

1 cup  pecans

1 cup  almonds

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 1/2 Tablespoon of coconut oil

2 teaspoons cinnamon

pinch of salt 

Directions

Pour all of the ingredients into a power blender and blend until crumbly. It will require you turning on and off the blender to stir with a rubber scraper to redistribute the mixture. Then when process  of blending is complete, roll the mixture into small balls. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy

 

Vegetable Bean Soup

Here is another wonderful soup. It is loaded with vegetables and lots of flavor. You can decide what kind of beans you want to add to the soup. It is a great way to warm up on these cold days. It is also a wonderful way to enjoy a lot of vegetables.

 Ingredients

3 T olive oil
1 onion chopped up
3 cloves minced garlic
1/4 red chili seeds removed finely chopped *optional
1 boneless skinless chicken breast chopped up * for non- vegan option
4 celery stalks chopped
1 C chopped up carrots
6  C water
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/3 C chia *optional
1 14 Oz can of beans drained and rinsed garbanzo, northern, black etc..
1 14.5 oz whole tomatoes pureed in blender
Serve topped with cilantro, parsley or cheese for non -vegan version
*You can eat with tortillas or tortilla chips.

Directions

1. Put large cooking pot on the stove and turn heat to medium. Pour in the oil and let heat up
2. Add garlic and onions and let them cook until soft and light golden.
3. Add chili if desired and chicken for non-vegan version. Add 1/4 C water and let the chicken cook and turn light golden.
4. Stir in the celery, carrots, water, thyme, salt, pepper, oregano, and chia. Let the mixture come to a boil and then turn down and let simmer for 20 min until vegetables are tender.
5. Then stir in the tomato puree and beans and let simmer for 20 minutes.
6. Take off the heat and serve in soup bowls with desired toppings.
7. Store leftovers in airtight container in fridge or freezer. Enjoy!

Carrots and Leeks

 It is fun to find new ways to eat vegetables. I have found that if I put some effort into the preparation of my vegetables I enjoy eating them.  It is fun to find new ways to eat them too. I am always looking for new vegetables to try. This way a yummy dish. The combination of the orange and honey was a nice addition. They made a wonderful afternoon snack that I loved.

Ingredients

boiling salted water
2 C carrots stick cut in 1/4 pieces
1 leek sliced
1/3 C fresh orange juice
1 T honey
1/2 tsp thyme
2 T chia * optional
garnish with orange zest.

Directions

1. In a sauce pan on the stove add water and some salt. Bring the water to a boil on medium heat.
2. Add the vegetables and let them cook for 4 min.
3. Drain off the water and add the juice, honey, thyme, and *chia. Toss the vegetables until they are all covered. Garnish with orange zest. Eat them warm.

fun 

Indian Spiced Cauliflower Soup

Britney had a busy day yesterday. She welcomed her 4th son into the world he is a beautiful little boy. It is a wonderful way to end a great year. Britney and baby are doing great.

This is a fun way to use cauliflower by adding some Indian spices to the soup. It makes it a yummy lunch or dinner. A great way to stay warm.

Ingredients

olive oil
1 large cauliflower head washed and chopped
3 T olive oil
1 C chopped up carrots
1 onion chopped
3 garlic cloves minced
2 tsp grated ginger root
1/4 C chia * optional
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black mustard seeds
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
4 1/2 C water
1/2 C plain yogurt

Directions

1.  Place cauliflower on cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil, and roast. Place in middle rack heated to 375. Cook about 25-30 until it starts to soften.
2. Put the oil in a large pot and put in the roasted cauliflower, carrots, onion, garlic, ginger, chia, cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric, and salt. Cook together on medium heat for 5-10 min. Until vegetables start to soften
3. Stir in the water and let mixture come to a low boil. Turn down the heat to medium low and put the lid on. Stir occasionally. Let cook for 30 min.
4. Place mixture into blender and puree you may have to do it in two batches. Then blend in the yogurt.
5. Serve warm with a nice naan bread. Happy New Year!

Mulligatawny Soup

We have enjoyed some snow. It has been a mild winter here. We were in need of snow. It was the perfect amount of snow for Christmas it made everything so pretty and white. It was fun to stay cozy in our warm home.

This is a wonderful soup that will keep you nice and warm in the winter. It is based on a soup that was popular with army officers in India at the beginning of the century.

Ingredients

3 T olive oil
1 large onion chopped
3 carrots chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
1 large apple peeled and cored and chopped up
2 T whole grain flour
1/4 C chia *Optional
2 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
5 1/2  C water
1  14.5 can of whole tomatoes
2 C brown rice cooked
garnish with plain yogurt if desired

Directions

1. Heat oil in large pot add onion, carrots, celery, and apple. Stir and let soften and brown slightly.
2. Stir in flour, for a minute. Then stir in chia*, curry, salt, and thyme.
3. Then stir in water and bring it to a boil. Then stir in the tomatoes. Turn down the heat and let cook on low with the lid on. Le simmer about 30 min.
4. Pour into blender or food processor and blend and pulse until smooth.
5. Return to the pot and stir in the rice and heat until all warm.
6. Serve hot. You can put on a dollop of plain yogurt on top if desired.

Turkey Quinoa Soup

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for. It was wonderful to have all of our family with us except our son and his sweet wife. We missed them. It was neat to look around the table and see the sweet people that I love. My life revolves around my family. They bring me my greatest joy. I think we can have Thanksgiving every day being grateful for all of our blessings.

So after dinner I was cutting the turkey off the bone and debating if I should use the bones to make soup. Britney encouraged me so I did. It made the house smell so good while it was cooking on the stove. It just isn't' the same smell when you pour soup out of a can. If you don't have the carcass you can make it with just chopped up turkey.

This is a wonderful soup that you could enjoy for lunch or dinner. Yum!

Ingredients

1 turkey carcass *Optional
water to cover it
4 C cooked chopped up turkey (if you don't have the carcass)
8 C water
1 C quinoa washed
3/4 C chia *optional (nice thickener and great source of protein)
1 C carrots chopped
1 C celery chopped
1 onion chopped
3 cloves of garlic minced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp marjoram
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 tsp pepper
additional salt and pepper to taste if needed

Directions  serves 8

1. In a large pot place car carcass and water to cover it. Place on low heat and let it cook for a couple hours. The meat will fall off the bone.
2. Take pot off the stove and strain through the water to remove the fat, and bones.
3. Place broth back on the stove. Add water to make a total of 8 cups. If you don't have turkey carcass add chopped turkey and water together instead and cook together for 20 minutes.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and let cook at least another 30 min. to let the vegetables soften and the quinoa to cook. Add additional water if it gets too thick.
5. Serve in soup bowls.

Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

I really enjoy parsnips. They have a delightful natural sweetness to them. These vegetables are a wonderful addition to any meal. They would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving meal. You healthy and delicious.

Ingredients

2 parsnips peeled and sliced
3-4 carrots peeled and sliced
olive oil to coat
salt and pepper

Directions   heat oven to 350

1. Coat vegetables with olive oil. Shake on salt and pepper.
2. Place in baking dish and bake 30 min or until desired tenderness. Serve hot.

Mango Chia Dressing on Tossed Salad

It is so fast and easy to make your own salad dressings at home with a blender. They are so much healthier for you too. I love the natural sweetness of mangoes so they are a perfect choice for a salad dressing. Chia added to the dressing boosts up the protein and also works as a nice thickener. This is a great way to enjoy a healthy salad.

Ingredients

Dressing

1 C mangoes frozen
1/2 C water
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 T olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 T honey
2 T chia

1. Pour all the ingredients into the blender and blend until smooth. Place in fridge while you make the salad.

Salad

4 C spinach
1 C chopped broccoli
1/2 C dried cherries
1/2 C dried apricots
4 green onions chopped
4 stalks of celery chopped
1/2 C diced carrots
feta cheese * optional
sunflower or pumpkin seeds or both

1. Toss all the ingredients together in a bowl, and serve with the dressing.

Barley Chicken Soup

Enjoy a great soup with a lot of vegetables and barley added that is a wonderful grain. 

Ingredients: Serves about 8
2 Chicken Breast skinned
7 C Water
2 olive oil
2 onions chopped up
 2 minced garlic
3 stalks of celery washed and chopped
1 T thyme
1 T chicken seasoning
1 tsp pepper
1 C barley cooked
*extra seasoning to your taste preference 

Directions:
1. Pour water into pot. Heat on the stove to medium heat. Place chicken breasts in the pan. Cook the chicken till completely cooked.   
2. Once the chicken is all cooked take the pot off the stove. Take the chicken out and shred the chicken. Put the chicken back into the pot. Put back on the stove on medium low heat.
3. In a small frying pan heat the oil to medium heat. Place onion in the pan stir and let cook till soft. It should take 3-5 min. Then stir in the garlic cook another 2 min. Then take the onion and garlic mixture into the chicken pot.   
4. Pour the remaining ingredients into the pot and cook until the carrots and celery are soft. 
5. Serve warm.
   

Blender Tortilla Soup

I am always in the mood for some Mexican food. This soup is a great  way to satisfy that craving. It is quick and loaded with with a lot of great foods too.

Ingredients:
3 Roma tomatoes quartered
1 large peeled carrot
1/2 avocado peeled an pitted
3 T onion
1 C green chilis
2 oz mozzarella cheese or pepper jack cheese
3 sprigs fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2 1/4 C warm water
1 can black beans or pinto beans drained and washed
*optional toppings cheese, green onions, chips, sour cream 

Directions: 
1. Pour all the ingredients in a jar except the beans and optional toppings. Blend until all smooth about 2-3 min. 
2. Add beans and pulse a couple seconds. Serve with your favorite topping. Yum!  
 

Balsamic Sauce on Baked Vegetables

We got some rain last night, and some more this morning. I love how rain wakes up the plants and brings new life into them making them more vibrant. I wouldn't do well living in an area where it rains all the time (I guess it is really what you get used to), but I do like getting rain. It is especially fun when you are all cozy in bed listening to it.

 My son was leaving for school yesterday, and I told him to have a great day. He responded back with, "How can it be a great day I have 2 tests?"  Those words rang in my ears all day. I am guilty of having those same feelings sometimes. Each day is a choice of what we want to make of it. I am working on not letting my outside circumstances effect whether or not it is going to be a good day or not. I was waiting in a line in Costco and I really appreciated the lady in front of me starting up a conversation, and making the time pass quickly. I felt like a made a friend at the end of the visit. She added sunshine to my day. The lady behind me was complaining on the phone to her friend about the wait.  Every situation is a choice. Sometimes I succeed in this area, and sometimes I don't, but I am still going to keep working on it. It is Fall ! It is a great time to be alive. Enjoy today ! :) 

I loved this dish again it was a great way to eat vegetables adding a little more excitement to them. I loved the combinations of flavors it added a nice new twist. I had not had this flavor combination before. My family seemed to enjoy it as well. I love changing things up and trying new things.

Ingredients: preheat oven to 400 
Sauce
1 purple onion chopped finely
1 garlic clove minced
2 T olive oil
3 T balsamic vinegar
2 tsp honey
2 1/2 T cream
2 tsp sage
salt and pepper to taste

Vegetables
1 sweet potato peel and chop into thin pieces
2 carrots peel and chop thin pieces
1 potato peel and chop into thin pieces
1/4 butternut squash peel and chop into thin slices


Directions:
1. For the sauce put onions and garlic in a frying pan with oil. Let cook together about 2 min.
2. Add the vinegar, honey, cream, sage,  salt, and pepper. Set aside.
3. For the the vegetables. Put all of them in a bowl and stir the olive oil  and salt until they are covered.
4. Spread out on baking sheet. and put in preheated oven. Bake about 20 min or until done.
5. Pour warm sauce over the vegetables and serve. :)

   

Healthy Carrot Snack Bread

I whipped this up Saturday night after working a long time in the yard. It tasted so good! I was looking forward to a piece the next morning, but it was all gone. With only 4 of us eating it that must of meant others liked it too. :)

Ingredients:

1/3 C coconut oil
1/2 C coconut sugar or sweetener of your choice
2 T honey
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C carrots grated
1 1/2 C whole grain flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pumpkin spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions: heat oven to 350

1.Cream oil, sugar and honey together. Then beat eggs in one at and a time. Then beat in vanilla.

2.Stir in carrots, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin spice and cinnamon.

3. Pour batter into greased pan. Place in oven and bake 20 to 25 min. Rub butter on the top of the bread. Serve  

Healthy Morning Side Muffins

Image credit NASA 

I love the morning when the sun is just coming over the mountains. I love seeing how the sun sheds light on to the mountains. I love the sunshine it warms my soul. The sunrise brings a fresh start to a new day. Look to the sun for light. :)  I love light. This world is a beautiful place. :)  

I love the weekends It is so nice to have my husband home and regroup as a family. This weekend we left the projects behind, and enjoyed a "field trip" as my husband called it. We were gone for the day and evening enjoying time together. We went and visited a college campus for my daughter, and a new shopping center. Then another daughter was in a pageant and we enjoyed watching  her stretch to new limits. My children teach me by the things they do.  It was a fun day to be together. The cool thing is when your gone all day, and leave a clean house, the house stays clean. It is nice to have a day off every once in a  while. We all need it.

These were yummy muffins, As have said before I think muffins are even better the next day. I think all the flavors are enhanced. I look for muffins not to be sweet like a cookie. If you are looking for sweeter you can increase the sweetener. These are a great way to start your morning. :)

Ingredients:

3 C whole Grain flour (I used mixture spelt, kamut, and buckwheat)

1 T baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp allspice

6 T coconut oil 

3/4 C coconut sugar or other sweetener

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 C rice milk

1 ripe banana mashed

1 C grated carrots

1 to 1 1/2 C pineapple tidbits (drained)

Directions:

1. Measure and pour into a bowl all the dry ingredients. Stir together with a wire whisk and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl beat the softened coconut oil and then beat in the sugar till creamy. Beat for a couple minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time and then the vanilla. 

3. Then beat in the milk and  bananas.  Stir in the dry in ingredients. 

4. Stir in the carrots and pineapples.

5. Pour into greased muffin pans. Bake 375 for 12-to 25 min. depending on the size of your muffins. 

6. Remove from the pan while still warm. Store extras in airtight container.