And I'm baaaaaack!!!

So I'm not sure if it's the pregnancy hormones, my nutritionist training or the warmer Spring-like weather that has me cooking/baking up a frenzy but I'm loving it!!  I also started my food photog hobby back up.  I figured since I spent the $$ on the camera and my mini-photo studio, I should start putting it to good use again!!

But gosh, I do love food.  If there's one thing I've discovered along my weight loss journey is that you don't have to sacrifice taste when preparing food choices.  You can literally take almost *any* dish or baked good and cut the calories & fat in half.  It just takes some creative thinking ;-)

Another motivator for me to get back in the cooking game are my picky little eaters that used to eat everything from raw peppers to veggie korma when they were 2 & under.  Lately they've been giving me a run for my money.  It's time to get sneaky (just like Jessica Seinfeld) and add healthy, nutritious ingredients to everyday dishes and keep them in the dark!  And lucky me that we live in a day of age that allows me to not only have healthy food but DELICIOUS food at the same time!!

That beings said, after many conversations, I know some of you are in the same boat.  I feel your frustration in trying to come up with solutions so not only our kids, but our spouses & ourselves can eat a wholesome diet that is convenient, not too laborious and are still tasty!  Several of you have requested recipes of recent yumminess that I have prepared for my fam :-)  I'm listing a few here and will continue to as I've got TONS of new recipes I plan on trying the next couple months.  My plan is to cook my butt off in early May and stock our deep freeze with dinners & such to get us through those first few weeks after baby #3 is born!!  

Ok!!  So, in this entry, I'll be listing the recipes for Banana Date Flaxseed Bread, Kale Chips & Raw Brownies.  Make sure to read all of my notes as I've tried these recipes many times and these tips are key to yummy turnouts. The recipes follow directly below the notes. Enjoy & don't forget to leave comments letting me know your thoughts!! :-)


Banana Date Flaxseed Bread - Healthy banana bread recipe that doesn't taste "healthy". I wanted to add more flax to our diet (mainly the kids) and found the perfect recipe. I also make muffins instead of a loaf by baking for 30 mins. The flaxseeds give it a nutty flavor and texture. The kids love the muffins! 


 

Kale Chips - These have a similar taste to potato chips - think I'm nuts?  You have to try them to believe it!! I made mine a little too salty on my first few attempts but they were great. Even the kids ate them, which is saying something for kale. The key??  TIMING OF THE BAKING IS CRITICAL!  Baking too little results in limp kale pieces and baking too long causes a "burned" taste. Be sure to use the "curly" kale variety as it tend to be less bitter. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse and rich in calcium and other vitamins. GREAT way to feed yourself and your kids for a snack!!

Raw "Brownies" -  These are a lot like Larabars.....but more delicious!  My friend, Jody, gave me the original recipe which I then tweaked a bit.  Believe it or not, these actually taste like REAL BROWNIES!!  I am quite surprised and amazed at how the texture of this raw brownie recipe resembles real brownies--especially after they are refrigerated for about an hour or even longer.

You can also use this recipe as a pie crust or as very chocolately raw truffles. This vegan recipe would be good for about six small servings.  Good luck keeping it around for longer than 15 mins after it's done!!  You may want to double or triple the recipe ;-)

And here are the recipes!!!!

Banana Date Flaxseed Bread

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup GROUND flax seed
• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, beat together banana, applesauce, sugar and eggs. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground flax seed. Gradually stir flour mixture into banana mixture. Fold in dates. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean.

KALE CHIPS

Ingredients

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.REMEMBER - WATCH THE TIME!

RAW BROWNIES

Ingredients

-1 cup pecans (you can use walnuts in a pinch, but pecans are much better!)
-1 cup dates
-5 tablespoons organic raw cacao (cocoa) powder
-4 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
-2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar (if using honey, make sure it's not clover - it'll give it a flowery taste that doesn't really go with cocoa....)
-1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Place pecans alone in your food processor and process until the pecans become small and crumbly.

2. Add dates one at a time and process again until the mixture sticks together and the dates are well processed.
3. Add the remaining ingredients to this raw brownie recipe and process again until the mixture turns a lovely dark chocolatey brown. Stop processing before it gets too buttery.  Otherwise, it will get sticky, appear wet and fall apart. (There should still be air between the small bits so that you will be able to press them down into your brownie pan.)
4. Dump the mixture into a brownie dish or small cake pan and press down firmly using your clean hands.
5. Refrigerate this raw brownie recipe for a couple of hours. You do not have to refrigerate it, but it is much easier to slice when chilled. By the way, this is actually a raw brownie recipe that keeps its shape! So it can be good for serving to non-raw fooders because the presentation of this raw brownie recipe is good when chilled.
6. Store this raw brownie recipe in the refrigerator if it lasts that long!