Broccoli Cakes

My family goes crazy for these, especially the baby of the family. I was inspired by a recipe I found online, but the comments were not favorable as it lacked flavor. So, I decided to make a flavor-filled recipe of my own.

I found frozen organic broccoli in bulk at my local BJ's club. It's so convenient to have organic veggies anytime I need them to whip up easy veggie dishes.

Try serving as healthy appetizers along with dill Greek yogurt dip.

We never have any of these left over. Enjoy!

2 c. frozen broccoli florets

1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese

1/3 c. panko

2 eggs

2 t. worcestershire sauce

1 t. adobo seasoning 

1 t. dried parsley

Pinch of red pepper flake (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Parboil frozen broccoli for five minutes.

Drain the broccoli in a colander, rinse under cold water and roughly chop.

Mix broccoli with all other ingredients. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment. Form 10, 3-inch cakes. The cakes will not stick together well, but will form when cooked. Bake for 20 minutes, lightly golden.

Devotion

I just love drinking my lemon tea in this mug I was recently given. How can you not smile at that!

Morning Glory Smoothie

I am taking antibiotics for a minor eye infection that wasn't healing on its own with home remedies. I avoid antibiotics but I know that sometimes they are necessary. Antibiotics wreak havoc on my stomach as they kill off the good bacteria for proper digestion. When I am on antibiotics I up my probiotics, try to adhere to The Candida Diet (more on that some other time) and I eat plain yogurt.

My dear friend Mindy, a registered dietitian, helped me lose weight after having baby number one. The following recipe is adapted from one of her meal plans. In my smoothie, I add almond milk to have a thinner smoothie, Chia seeds and strawberries, when they are available. This is a satisfying breakfast for me and helps out my belly blues.

Morning Glory Smoothie 

1 c. plain fat free Greek yogurt

1/2 c. plain almond milk

1 banana

1 T almond butter

1 T chia seeds 

1/4 c. strawberries (fresh, not frozen)

1/2 c. ice

Blend and enjoy right away. 

My Vitamix makes my smoothie frothy. The chia seeds soften and expand slightly. 

Craving Crusher Spinach Cacao Smoothie

I am working on losing baby weight from my last pregnancy. I'm feeling really great already having lost 35 pounds with the help of Bikini Body Mommy (more on that in a future post). With the most stubborn last 10, give or take, pounds left to lose I know what I eat is very important to reach my goal.

Like many people, I adore dark chocolate. Over the years, I learned that I am a stress eater, wanting to reach for something sweet during those tense and exhausting times with my children.

Here's a delicious and healthy smoothie that is my go-to craving crusher. My toddler enjoys it too, so it is a win-win recipe. I think it's delicious and I hope you enjoy it as well. 

Here is my recipe:

1 1/2 c. almond milk (plain, not sweetened)

1 banana

1 T of cacao powder (not cocoa)

1 big handful, about 1 cup of raw baby spinach

1/2 c. ice

Blend and enjoy. Makes about 16 oz. 

You can add almond butter or your favorite protein powder to make this a complete meal replacement. 

Just love the frothy bubbles the Vitamix makes.

Chicken Chili Soup

This is another rotisserie chicken recipe. I was able to make three recipes, including this one, from a precooked chicken that cost about $6. This is a comfort food for me especially during frigid temps. I do not recommend making extra batches of this soup and freezing as the beans tend to break down and do not reheat well. However, you can omit the beans and it freezes very well. 

Ingredients:

2 c. shredded chicken 

1 (32 oz./4 c.)low sodium chicken stock 

1 (28 oz.) can chopped tomatoes 
1 (15 oz.) can of each- kidney, canninelli 

and black beans, rinsed and drained

1 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small sweet onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves minced

1 T. adobo seasoning

1 T. cumin

1 T. dried cilantro (optional)

1 T. olive oil for sautéing 

In a large soup/stock pot sauté onion, peppers and garlic in olive oil until translucent and soft. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer for at least 30 minutes. 

Optional Toppings:
Crushed tortilla chips

Shredded cheese

Greek yogurt

Avocado 

Chicken Black Beans & Rice Casserole

One of my rotisserie chicken recipes. Buying a rotisserie chicken is time and budget friendly. If you are looking for a healthier casserole option that does not use canned soups (not knocking them) and is packed with flavor check this one out. This dish is also Freezer Friendly!

Chicken Black Beans & Rice Casserole

Use a 9 x 13 casserole dish or two square dishes, to eat one now and freeze one for later.

Ingredients:

3 c. shredded cooked chicken

1 c. uncooked black rice

1 c. sliced zucchini *

8 oz. bella mushrooms, chopped

1/2 of sweet or red onion, chopped

Minced garlic clove 

1  15.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained

1 t. cumin

1 t. adobo seasoning 

1/4 c. salsa (optional)

Splash Hot sauce (optional)

1/2 c. chicken stock, 1/4 c. reserved

1 c. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

Toppings- plain Greek yogurt, salsa, avocado and green onions.

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.

Cook black rice according to package, takes approximately 35 minutes. Ratio is one cup dry rice to two cups water.

Sauté chopped onion, mushrooms and minced garlic until translucent and soft. Combine chicken, cooked rice, mushroom and onion mixture, beans, zucchini, cumin, adobo, salsa, hot sauce and 1/4 cup of chicken stock in casserole dish. (At this point the casserole can be covered and frozen).

Bake for 30 minutes. If casserole is dry, add reserved chicken stock. Top with cheese and cook until cheese is melted. 

Add your choice of toppings.

Serenity Saver-

When in season (and cheaper) buy extra vegetables, blanch and freeze them to use in dishes throughout the year. I used frozen zucchini in the casserole that I sliced, blanched and froze at the end of the summer. 

Here is an affordable vacuum sealer I use. With a coupon, I received the vacuum sealer free with purchase of the vacuum bags. http://mobile.walmart.com/ip/Ziploc-Vacuum-Starter-Kit-1-kt/12443047

Cork Butterflies

I love cork projects. Here's a toddler edition and just in time for Valentine's Day, Cork Butterflies. I had a few corks taking up space in my kitchen drawer. This craft really brightened up my mood on this snowy day. 

What you will need:

Corks

Construction Paper

Googly Eyes

Markers

Glue

Glitter

Scissors/safety scissors

Trace and cut out hearts on the construction paper. Glue on the heart wings and googly eyes. Add glitter and draw on a smiley face. 

Quinoa Pancakes with Blueberry Compote

Mmm, pancakes...

Not sure why it took me so long to make quinoa pancakes because I have been cooking quinoa for five years now. Today was the day. I had four of these and they were incredible. 

I really enjoy pancakes, but often regret eating them later. Immediately I feel like I'm walking around with bricks in my stomach yet I am hungry a short time after eating them. I researched a lot of recipes last night and put a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Some recipes called for quinoa flour. I don't have the dry blade for my Vitamix, so I opted for the cooked quinoa version which happened to be the most common way way I found on the web the recipe was prepared. 

Here is my tweaked recipe:
3 cups cooked quinoa (which was 1 cup dried, none of the recipes gave me the conversion, so thanks Google. Never needed a specific cooked amt, so now I know).
3/4 c. almond milk
4 eggs
1 T of agave
1 t of vanilla
Pinch of salt
3 t baking powder
Cooking spray or oil for the pan
Yielded fourteen 5' pancakes

Put all ingredients in blender and blend for a few seconds. While your skillet heats up on medium high heat let the batter sit for a few minutes to let the mixture thicken up.
The quinoa tends to sink, so stir occasionally and before you poor a fresh batch of batter into skillet. Otherwise, you'll have some very thin pancakes in the beginning and really thick ones at the end. The pancakes bubble up similar to traditional pancakes. Flip when the edges are dry. The inside of the pancakes will be a wetter consistency than traditional pancakes and a lot hotter inside. Just a word of caution if you are serving kids. My daughter ate three and the baby ate one.

Blueberry Compote: I warmed up a cup of frozen blueberries with 1t of brown sugar and a few T of water over medium heat, covered and then let it simmer until the blueberries broke down a little but, about 10 minutes.