Recipe: Chocolate Banana Smoothie

I am in the middle of taking the October Unprocessed Challenge (a challenge to eat only REAL foods for the entire month of October.)  I have been drinking lots of smoothies this month, and I have discovered a new one that I love!  This  smoothie tastes great, and it’s made with ingredients I usually always have on hand.  So, when I plan to make another smoothie and discover that I’m out of yogurt or berries, this is usually what I’ve been going to.  It tastes a lot like chocolate milk to me, only without the added sugar!

 

INGREDIENTS

• 8 oz milk (cow’s milk, almond milk, soy milk, coconut milk…use whatever you prefer)
• 1 Tablespoon honey (preferably raw & local)
• 2 Ripened Bananas, frozen
• 1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

 

DIRECTIONS

Add all ingredients to a blender.  Blend until smooth.  Enjoy!

This makes approximately 16 oz (2 servings)

Recipe: Blueberry Pie

It’s the time of the year that my daughters and I love the most – blueberry picking season! We traditionally go on many blueberry picking excursions during this season.  Most of the time, we eat the berries just as they are, but we also enjoy baking them into delicious recipes.  Blueberry pie is a yearly tradition in our home – we make it once each year using freshly picked berries.  We have tried several recipes throughout the years, but this one from Allrecipes.com is our favorite so far.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 pastry for a 9-inch double crust pie
• 1 Tablespoon butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°
2. Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon. Sprinkle over blueberries.
3. Line pie dish with one pie crust. Pour berry mixture into the crust.  Dot with butter. 
4. Top with remaining pie crust.  Crimp and flute edges.
5. Bake pie on lower shelf of oven for about 50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.  Be sure to place a pan or foil underneath it to catch any drippings.

Next time we make this, we are going to attempt to make individual pies rather than one big one.  I will update this post if we are successful.  Happy pie-eating! 🙂

 

 

Recipe: Strawberry Ice Cream

It’s strawberry season here in New England, and my daughters and I love going to pick!  We just finished using the remaining strawberries from our last picking adventure.  This time we decided to make something we had never made before:  Strawberry Ice Cream!  It was a big hit all around.

Here is the recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup milk (we used 1%)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh strawberries, mashed (puree them if you prefer a smoother consistency)

DIRECTIONS

1. Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl.  Whisk until all ingredients are mixed.
2. Add mixture to an ice cream maker.
3. Allow ice cream maker to run for about 25 minutes, or until thickened to your liking.
4. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.
5. Enjoy!

For more recipes ideas using freshly picked strawberries, check out 10 Ways to Eat Strawberries.

 

 

Recipe: Banana Muffins

This is our family’s favorite banana bread recipe.  To simplify the serving process and speed up the cooking time, I have modified this recipe to make muffins instead, but the taste is just as delicious as the original Banana Bread recipe from Allrecipes.com.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup butter
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).  Line 12 muffin cups with muffins liners.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour and baking soda.  In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.  Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir flour mixture into banana mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter evenly into 12 muffin cups.
3. Bake in preheated oven for approximately 24 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Alternatively, bake in a loaf pan for 60-65 minutes for Banana Bread.

Recipe: Salisbury Steak

Salisbury Steak is one of my husband’s favorite meals, and it is very quick, flavorful, and easy to make!  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com many years ago, and I still make it the same way today, with only very slight modifications.  Two of my three daughters love this meal as well.

Here is the recipe I use:

Ingredients

• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
• 1 pound Grass-fed ground beef
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs (I don’t usually buy bread crumbs, so I just toast a piece of bread and then grind in my Nutri-Bullet and use that)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 cup condensed French onion soup with ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt and black pepper. Shape into 5 oval patties.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties. Pour off excess fat.
3. In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth. Mix in ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder. Pour over meat in skillet. Cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Enjoy! 🙂

 

 

Recipe: Cheeseburger Pie

This weekend, my family and I attended an annual Labor Day Cooking Competition hosted by friends of ours.  All attendees were to bring their “signature dish”.  There were many entries in every category:  appetizers, meat, main dishes, beverages, healthy choices, and of course, desserts.  My family decided to submit 2 desserts and one appetizer: our Dirt Pudding, Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Cheesy Salsa Dip (recipe to come soon).  We didn’t win, but the competition was very tough in both of those categories.

At the end of the day, everyone had their fill of delicious foods.  I tried my best to sample as many dishes as possible so I could vote fairly.  Of everything I tried, my favorite entry was this Cheeseburger Pie made by my friend, Danielle.  She was happy to send me the recipe she used.  The original recipe for “Cheap Cheeseburger Pie” can be found on food.com here.  I made it for my family the next night, and everyone loved it!  I’m so excited to bring this new dish into our rotation of meals to eat.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

We modified the recipe a bit from the original because my family thought it was good, but way too cheesy.  Here is our modified recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) can crescent rolls
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onions or 1 teaspoon onion powder (I was out of onions, but the onion powder worked great.)
• 1/3 cup chopped dill pickle slices
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 tablespoons pickle juice
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup shredded American cheese, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Unroll crescent rolls and press into the bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch pie pan.
3. Cook ground beef in a skillet until browned.  Drain well.
4. Stir in onion, chopped pickle, ketchup and mustard.
5. Sprinkle with flour and add pickle juice and milk.  Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
6. Remove from heat and add 1/3 cup of shredded cheese.
7. Pour into the prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes, or until edges of crust are golden brown.
8. Remove from the oven and top with remaining 2/3 cup of cheese.  Let stand until cheese melts.
9. Garnish with extra ketchup, mustard, and pickle slices.

Recipe: Strawberry Pie

Sadly, strawberry season just ended where I live in Massachusetts, but blueberry picking just began, so my family is very excited about that.  We went to pick strawberries at least 5 times this season!  Most of them we just ate as is, but we did manage to save a few this year to make our first Strawberry Pie.  It definitely will not be our last…it was delicious!!

Here is the recipe we used (originally taken from Allrecipes.com here, but we modified slightly)

Ingredients

• 1 (9-inch) pie crust
• 1 quart fresh-picked strawberries, washed and stems removed
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 3/4 cup water

Whipped Cream Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Instructions

1. Bake pie crust according to directions.  We put ours into a glass pie plate and baked at 450 degrees until golden brown (about 11 minutes).
2. Arrange 2 cups (about half) of the strawberries on the bottom of the pie crust, as shown below:
3. Mash the remaining berries and combine with sugar in a medium saucepan.  Place saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water.  Gradually stir cornstarch mixture into boiling strawberry mixture.  Reduce heat and simmer mixture until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour mixture over berries in pastry shell.
5. Chill for several hours in the refrigerator before serving.
6. To make whipped cream:  Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks are about to form.  Beat in vanilla and sugar until peaks form.  Top the strawberry pie with the whipped cream.  Enjoy! 🙂

Recipe: Roasted Broccoli

I am always trying to get more vegetables and Superfoods into my diet.  Broccoli is a Superfood and cancer-fighting food, and roasted broccoli has become one of my favorite foods…especially this recipe.

I’m not very motivated when it comes to washing, cutting, preparing, and cooking vegetables, especially since I’m usually the only one in my family who will eat them.  Unfortunately, more vegetables rot in my refrigerator than I would like.  I have good intentions when I’m at the grocery store, but unless I buy them for a specific purpose, I usually forget about them and they sit there until I get the motivation to do something with them.  Or they rot.  And it really bothers me when I have to throw food away.

So, I was really excited when I first discovered this super-easy recipe for roasted broccoli last year.  I make this often, and oftentimes I eat the entire thing in one sitting.  It is THAT good!

Ingredients

• 1 head of broccoli, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 lemon (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°
2. Place broccoli, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper in a ziploc bag and shake.  Alternatively, place all ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
3. Spread out on baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.  Bake about 30 minutes.

Broccoli will be crunchy and delicious!  If desired, squeeze lemon over broccoli.  This is optional, but I do this because I love anything with lemon.  Enjoy!

Find my original post of this recipe on my blog Journey to Complete Wellness.

Homemade Soup: Tomato with Pasta and Chicken

Homemade soup was my favorite food when I was growing up.  I used to love it whenever my mom made this.  I don’t make it often, but my family loves it whenever I do.  I’m so happy I’m able to share some of my favorite family recipes with my kids (and you).  I don’t know if this is originally a French-Canadian recipe or not, but my entire extended family makes this…and everyone makes it a little bit different.  Here is the recipe I use (and my mother uses as well.)

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breast halves (with skin & bones) OR 2 cups chopped cooked chicken and 3 ½ cups chicken broth.
• 1 onion, cut into quarters
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 can Pastene ground peeled tomatoes (28 oz)
• 2 cups pasta, uncooked (various types.)  I usually fill a 2-cup measuring cup with alphabets, ziti, shells, etc.  Use your favorites.

Directions:

1. Place chicken breasts in a large pot and add just enough water to cover. Add onion, salt & pepper. Boil about 30-40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. Strain
3. Once chicken is cooked, remove it from the broth. Set chicken aside to cool.
4. Strain 3 ½ cups of the water that you just boiled the chicken in to remove any pieces of skin, bones, etc. Pour the 3 ½ cups of the strained water (broth) into a soup pot.
5. Add the can of Pastene tomatoes to the broth.
6. Add pasta to the broth.
7. Remove chicken from the bone. Chop or tear into bite-sized pieces. Add about 2 cups of the chicken to the broth.
8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Enjoy! 🙂

Recipe: Homemade Granola Bars

Granola bars are a staple in my house.  I used to buy a box or two every time I was at the grocery store because my family goes through them so quickly.  When I decided to check out the ingredients list one day, I did not love what I saw.  I saw a huge list of unpronounceable and unrecognizable ingredients, preservatives, corn syrup and oils that I had been trying to stay away from.  You can check out the ingredients in a popular brand here.

I set out to find a healthier recipe to feed my family.  I tried several different recipes until I found one that my family liked.  I started with this recipe called Playgroup Granola Bars from Allrecipes.com,  and then I made some healthy modifications so I could feel better about feeding these to my family.  There is still more sugar in here than I would like, but I feel better knowing there is no corn syrup or dangerous oils or preservatives that I have been trying to stay away from.  It feels great knowing I have carefully selected each ingredient that goes into them, and they do not contain preservatives or any unpronounceable ingredients.

Here is the recipe I currently use, and my family loves them.  The great thing about granola bars is that you can customize them to your liking.  Add whichever nuts, seeds, and dried fruits you like.  My family loves them with chocolate chips, but you could add cranberries or raisins instead.

Ingredients

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 Tablespoons flax seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 cup flour (all-purpose or whole wheat)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (may substitute 1/4 cup coconut oil or applesauce instead)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a 9×13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, flax seeds, cinnamon, flour, chocolate chips and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, maple syrup, egg, vanilla, coconut oil and peanut butter (or applesauce). Mix well. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake approximately 23 minutes in the preheated oven, until the bars begin to turn golden at the edges. Cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bars while still warm. Do not allow the bars to cool completely before cutting, or they will be too hard to cut.