Black Bean PIco de Gallo

So I'm trying to serve less meat to my family.  It's all part of the good ole Word of Wisdom. 
To this end, I developed black bean happiness.  Littlest bit loves this stuff- it's one of the few dinners I make that he will eat happily without assistance.  My oldest sister tried it and said he has the right idea.  

Ingredients:

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup corn

4-6 tomatoes, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1/2 onion, diced

1- 2 avocados, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 bunch cilantro

2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

2 Tbsp Lime Juice

1 Tbsp Chili Powder

pinch of sugar

Combined beans, corn, tomatoes, pepper, onion, and avocado.  Chop garlic and cilantro in the blender.  Before you dump the ensuing deliciousness into the mix, take a good whiff.  It's good.  Now that you have whiffed, pour the cilantro/garlic mix on top of the vegetables.  Add the vinegar, lime juice, chili powder, and sugar.  Mix until well combined. 
This is best if you let it sit for a couple of hours to let the flavors mix and get wonderful.  It also gives the beans a chance to absorb some of the liquid so they're not quite so crunchy.  I love this with wheat thins.  You could also use it to make vegetarian or even vegan tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, or any number of delicious things.  This raw salsa is a powerhouse of protein, vitamin a, vitamin e, vitamin c, calcium, magnesium, and potassium, along with a few other minerals.  It's also delicious.  I've made it 3 times in as many weeks, and I can tell you that it doesn't last long.  I'll try and post a picture soon- I apologize for the poor quality of my photos!

Waffles

I adapted this recipe from the good ole, red and white, Better Homes & Garden Cookbook.

Whole Wheat Apple Waffles

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 c white flour
2 Tbsp sugar *
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
2 c buttermilk
1/2 c no sugar added applesauce
1 tsp vanilla

I a medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside. (Want to know a secret?  I only used one bowl.  I didn't sift my flour, and I didn't make a well.  They were still good).
In another medium bowl beat eggs slightly; stir in milk, applesauce, and vanilla.  Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture.  Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy). (Don't be like my Grandpa.  According to my mom, when he made waffles, he would let the beater run for a couple of minutes.  He also put bacon grease in his waffles.  They were gross.  I repeat, don't be like him).
Pour 1 to 1 & 1/4 c batter onto grids of a preheated, lightly greased waffle baker.  Close lid, bake according to manufacturer's directions.  When done, use a fork to lift waffle off grid.  Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.

 The batter, lightly mixed.

 This meal could have been sponsored by kroger- I used Kroger applesauce, white flour, wheat flour, sugar, and vanilla.  I'm a fan of cheap stuff.

Pour the batter on the waffle iron.

Wait for it...

Mmmm.  These were good.

Now here's the deal.  I topped these with Dandelion Mama's Buttermilk Syrup.
Mainly because it is delicious.  I think it would also be delicious with raspberry sauce.  Or even just fresh fruit- strawberries, raspberries and blueberries would be delicious, get a 2nd serving of fruit in, and cut down on the sugar.  My boys all loved these waffles.

*Because you're using applesauce in place of oil, and the applesauce is a little bit sweet, I think you could easily leave out the sugar.

Taco Salad!

Often when I ask my boys what they want for dinner, Elmer will ask for tacos.  He loves them.  I think his favorite part is dipping chips into the taco mess, but whatever.  I'll take what I can get.

Often I will just use my chili with less broth as a taco meat, but last night I changed it up a bit and used the taco seasoning recipe from my friend over at Love to Be in the Kitchen.  Now this looks a lot like her Corona Turkey Taco Mix, but I was doing this before she posted that recipe, I swear!  Tacos are a great way to sneak in some veggies. 

So here is my taco meat. 

Here is the base for the salad.  I got pretty lazy and bought the salad mix with carrots and red cabbage in it.  It was cheap, and it was good.

All mixed together...

And here are the boys, all digging in.  I think my favorite part about this was when Elmer said "Mom, this is good dinner" about two bites in.  Hooray!

They liked it so much they were eating it without the Doritos to dip into it!  (I still gave them Doritos about halfway through though).

In full disclosure, when I made the seasoning, I left out the salt because I prefer not to use much salt.  I didn't miss it.  I also left out the cayenne pepper because I didn't have any.  It was still delicious and had plenty of kick.

Taco Meat:
1/2 lb ground turkey
1 can black beans
1 green pepper
1 c frozen corn
2 carrots
taco seasoning (packet or homemade)
1 clove garlic
(Add 1 can tomatoes, it'll be great!)
(and an onion if they don't make your husband cry!)
Brown turkey in iron skillet (I got one for Christmas, I'm so excited!).  Finely chop pepper, garlic, and carrots in food processor.  Leaving skillet at medium heat, add beans, pepper, seasoning, and chopped veggies.  Stir until well blended, let veggies heat through, then reduce to low until you're ready to use it.
To make the salad:  I really hate to have the huge chunks of lettuce that are too big to be eaten in one bite.  So I took scissors to the lettuce and cut it into tiny pieces that my boys could handle eating.  Then I quartered some cherry tomatoes and shredded some cheese over the top.  Top with the taco meat, serve with Doritos!
In the future, I think I'll toss the tomatoes in with the meat, since tomatoes are one of the few veggies that are actually better for you if they're cooked.  (You could also use canned tomatoes if you go that way, which is a bit cheaper).  I would love to put some onion in as well- cook it with the meat even!  But my husbands eyes go nuts when I use onions.  He's a good sport, but sometimes I take pity on him). I would also normally serve this with sour cream, but mine was at my parents house from making them Ritz Chicken Cordon Bleu the other night. 
This dinner went over really well with my littles, even Littlest Bit!
I loved the colors- Green pepper, green lettuce, orange carrots, red tomatoes, purple for the red cabbage, yellow corn, black beans.  Hooray for eating a rainbow!
In this meal you get cold busting vitamin C, Vitamin A that's good for your eyes and skin, lycopene, antioxidants, and lots of protein!

Another way to serve this if you don't want to give your kids Doritos?  Make a quesadilla.  Or case of dee-a as Wiley calls it.  This meat is extremely versatile!

Tomato Soup

This tomato soup is a little different from the creamy variety that is most often associated with the name.  This stuff has smallish chunks of other veggies in it, and it's awesome.

This is another freezer meal, and it usually keeps us going throughout the winter.  This is great for those nights when you have zero time to make a meal, but don't want to resort to going out to dinner (or can't afford it!)  Plus, this is much healthier than fast food.

Ingredients: (Not pictures because I made this with my mother in law before I had this blog)
1/2 Bushel tomatoes
12 medium onions
8 green peppers
1 bunch celery
2 carrots
1/4 Tbsp ground pepper
1/4 c salt
1 1/2 - 2 c sugar

Wash tomatoes, then quarter them.  Place them in Victorio Food Strainer & Sauce Maker.  (These things are awesome, man!)  Throw away seeds & pulp (or use for mulch for your garden), place sauce in pot.  (Make it a really big pot-like the kind you use to do your canning).  Grate the onion, peppers, celery, and carrots in food processor, add to the pot.  Then add pepper, salt, and sugar, stir.  Bring to a boil (since it's in such a huge pot, you will probably want to do this on high heat), stirring occasionally.
Let cool, then separate into freezer bags or tupperware.  (How much will depend on how many servings you will need for your family.  Figure approximately 3/4 c per serving.  So if you have 6 family members, you'll want 4 1/2 c in each container).  Label, then freeze.

To thaw: reheat in the microwave or on stovetop.  
Optional:  Throw in a pound of meat, or a cup of rice, or cheese, or all three. (We usually throw in ground meat or sausage, but once we had it with cilantro lime shrimp.  It was amazing).
This soup is also delicious with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Here's the thing.  This soup is a lot of work to make initally.  I recommend working with at least one other person, because clean up alone might make you want to cry.  I work with my mother in law, because she's awesome and this is her recipe.  But after your one day of hard work, you have at least a dozen nights of easy peasy guilt free dinners.  Low fat, high fiber, high antioxidant, and nutrient dense. (Hello vitamin A, vitamin C, and lutein!)

Also, one year, we added some spaghetti squash.  Because I grew some and we had it.  It was delicious- it added a sweetness to the soup that I really enjoyed.  With this soup, you can get your kids to devour vegetables that they wouldn't normally touch, because they can't see them!  (I love tomatoes- they hide so many things!)

My boys all love this soup.  I love this soup.  I know it's a bit late in the season this year, but next year, when you have tomatoes coming out your ears?  Make this soup. 

Breakfast of Champions!

Now that it's getting colder, I'm going back to giving my boys oatmeal for breakfast.  There's an easy way to get a couple servings of fruit in for breakfast when you have oatmeal!

Here's the cast of characters: frozen blueberries, unsweetened applesauce, and original flavor oatmeal packets.

Wanna know why I use packets and not regular oats?  Vitamins.  The packets of original flavor oatmeal have way more vitamins.  This is one of the rare times where I actually prefer the additives to the food.

Prepare oatmeal according to package directions.  While oatmeal is setting up, microwave 1/4-1/2 c. blueberries for 30 seconds to 1 minute.  When oatmeal is set, add applesauce and blueberries, stir together.

 

 Then Enjoy!

It's ridiculously easy, and I prefer this to the flavored packets that are available.

Spaghetti Sauce

I really do love spaghetti.  So do Elmer & Wiley.  They get excited whenever they see this on their plates!

You have to admit, this looks pretty good!  I'm sorry, I don't have a cast of characters this time around, but I really wanted to post this recipe.  Here's my secret: I add zucchini and carrots!  I got the idea for adding carrots from my mom, whose body is not a big fan of acidic foods.  She adds carrots to her spaghetti sauce to cut the acid. 
I got the idea for adding the zucchini when my zucchini plant started going nuts (as zucchini plants are wont to do!)

I do cheat a little bit- I use McCormick seasoning packets, although I have made my own sauce when no seasoning packets are to be found.  But things are busy and seasoning packets are easier.  But here is my recipe for spaghetti sauce.  I like to do a double batch so I can freeze some- I like to keep it on hand for making lasagna.  It makes life simpler.

Spaghetti
1 lb ground turkey (I prefer the 90/10)

1 pkt thick and zesty spaghetti seasoning
1 pkt mushroom spaghetti seasoning
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cans tomato sauce
3 medium sized carrots
1/2 large zucchini, or 1 cup chopped frozen zucchini

In a large pan, brown the turkey.  Remove your pan from the heat and drain the grease.  (I like to dump the meat on a plate with paper towels.)  In your food processor or blender, chop your carrots and zucchini.  Return your pan to the heat, and add all ingredients to the pan.  Bring to a boil, and then allow to simmer for 20 minutes, until all vegetables are cooked through. 

Now since you've made a double batch (and stretched it even farther with the carrots and the zucchini)  You can put half the sauce in a gallon sized Ziploc baggie, label it (including the date) and use it the next time you need a meal in a flash.  Also, you may prefer to have more meat in your spaghetti and wish to use 2 lbs of ground meat.  We just do a little less around these parts.

I like to put romano or parmesan cheese on top of my spaghetti.  We served this over whole grain spaghetti noodles, which Mr. Wonderful and I both thought were a bit too thin.  We had garlic bread on the side, mainly because I thought it sounded good. 

I love how simple this is, and I love that there are multicolored veggies in there.  We've been told to serve up a rainbow, and this dish does it with green, orange and red.  But if your kids are finicky, the red hides the orange and green pretty well!  This meal is a powerhouse with protein, lycopene, and vitamins A, B, and C.  Enjoy!

 

Pumpkins!

When I was showing my husband the pumpkin puree I made, he said we as Americans are goofy, and I agree.  The reason we're so goofy is this: For example, in Brazil, where my husband served his lds mission, people grow pumpkins to eat them.
 Not many Americans grow their own pumpkins any more (how would we get the requisite picture of our children in a pumpkin patch?!?).  We prefer to spend too much money on them at the store.  Then we carve them up and throw them away.
Then we go to the store and buy cans of pumpkin so we can make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancakes, etc.
Yup, we're goofy.

Lacking land for a garden, this year my pumpkins came from my sisters garden.  We carved our pumpkins Halloween morning so they didn't cave in and get all gooshy.  Then I was on Pioneer Woman's website, and I saw her post about roasting her own pumpkins to make pies from scratch.  I was sold.  So I cut my pumpkins up and roasted them in the oven for about 45 minutes...

Then I cut up the roasted pieces and put them in my food processor...

and pureed them.  My pumpkins were a little bit dry, so I added about 1/3 c of water to the puree to get it looking pretty, like this.

This is the part where, if I was cool, I would have put about 1 cup into 1 qt size ziploc freezer bags.  But I didn't have any of those, all my freezer bags are gallon size.  So I put 1 cup into fold over sandwich bags, and put those in a giant freezer bag.

Then I made pumpkin smoothies.  Forgive my terrible photography, my camera is not stellar.

But I highly recommend you make one of these.  It tastes like pumpkin pie in a milkshake.  However, it's low fat, and nutrient dense!

1 c apple juice (I prefer 100% juice, rather than something with high fructose corn syrup)
2 dollops vanilla chobani yogurt (Probably about 1/2-3/4 c)
1 frozen banana
1 c frozen pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp vanilla
dash ginger
dash cinnamon
dash allspice

Place all ingredients in blender, puree til smooth.  I did discover that the huge chunk of pumpkin takes a lot of time, I ended up having to cut mine into smaller pieces.  In the future, I will probably freeze some pumpkin in ice cube trays, ala baby food style, to avoid this problem. 

My boys loved this smoothie.  So did my husband and I.  I also loved that it is packed with vitamin A, vitamin C, protein, and potassium.  Make it, please.  Enjoy!