Update no Sugar and a Super Super Yummy treat!

So I'm almost done with my fifth day of no sugar. It's been going pretty good. I've had some really hard moments and some really good empowering moments. I say empowering because I feel like I am taking control of my health and eating habits how I want to. For a while I felt so out of control with my sugar consumptions. I HAD to have a treat at least once a day, and whenever I went places I always was thinking of what bakery we would pass and I could swing in and grab a cupcake. It's interesting-I still have those thoughts. When Micah and I are driving around my mind goes to "where can we grab a fun treat?!" I just have to retrain my way of thinking and know that I can still have fun if there's not a treat involved:) I've been feeling physically good, even though I still do crave treats I feel like my mind is a lot more clear. Ok so enough about my updates, on to a really fun recipe:)

I've recently stumbled acrossed the site/blog unconventional kitchen. It's a great site with lots of healthy recipes. I saw these snowball cookies on her site and just had to try them. You can go here if you want to see a fun little video of her making them. I made them today and they were so so good! Ok so some of you may say "that's cheating! There's honey and brown rice syrup in those!" Ya ya I know, but I am not going off natural sweeteners, and plus there's a lot of health benefits from consuming raw unheated honey. These little cookies are full of energy and nutrition. Protein from the peanut butter, energy from the honey that wont make you crash in an hour, and lots of nutrition from the chia seeds, go here to read about how good they are for you. I can't wait to make these into granola bar forms and pack them full of flax and nuts and send them off with Micah to work. I am also planning on making them to send in my kids school lunches, kinda planning ahead I know but it's really fun to find healthier yummy alternatives to treats. These would be great rice krispy treat substitutes, and you don't have to add the chia seeds if you don't have them. Hope you can try these out, they are really nummy:)

Snow Ball Cookies

1 C peanut butter
1/2 C honey
1/4 C brown rice syrup, or more honey
2 1/2-3 C cereal, I used a brown rice cereal from Good Earth that is like rice krispies
1 C puffed millet cereal, also found at the health food store, again any puffed grain cereal would do, or you could do 1/2 C of oats (I just used the brown rice cereal, couldn't find puffed millet
2 T chia seeds, or flax, or both

Mix all of the ingredients together and scoop out with a mini ice cream scoop, or you can press the mix into a baking pan to make bars, they will soften as they sit. After lettting them soften for 1-2 hours cut into bars.

Feel free to add coconut, wheat germ, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, really whatever your heart desires. You can also make them with almond butter instead of peanut butter.

Here's what Desiree of Unconventional Kitchen has to say about Chia Seeds:

Chia seeds are SO good for you, they have more omega threes than salmon. Chia has fifteen times more magnesium than broccoli, three times more iron than spinach, six times more calcium than milk, and two times more pottasium than bananas. 2 oz of chia seeds gives you 560 mg of vitamin c! Chia seeds soak up to 10 times its weight in water, this helps you to stay hydrated longer (which helps with endurance).
The greatest part about chia seeds is that they are tasteless, so you can add them to salads, smoothies, power bars, muffins, cookies, ext. ext.
To get the most nutrition out of them put a 1/4 C in a jar and fill it with water. The chia seeds will soak up the liquid in the jar, making it like gel. You can then add this gel to your smoothies. Don’t let them sit too long or they start to get really thick, because chia seeds can also be used to thicken things.
Chia seeds are very filling, and some people use them as a weight loss aid. They make you feel full, and so you can take a 1/4 cup of the gel before meals to help curb your apetite, and still get all of the nutrition that you need.

Greek Chicken Kabobs with Lemon Rice

I am excited to say that I have found a yummy, easy, and healthy recipe! I have felt like I have done the same dinners the past month-stir fry, pasta, breaded chicken breasts. I needed something new, and something amazing. These chicken kabobs definitely fit the description. They are so flavorful while tasting so light. I paired these kabobs with a Greek salad and Greek lemon rice. Rarely do I ever make a meal, sit down to eat it, and rave about my own work-but last night I couldn't stop saying how delicious the whole meal was! The rice was wonderful, the salad fresh, the kabobs so flavorful. I am so excited to make this meal again. It's definitely going to become a staple meal in our home. The rice recipe calls for white rice, but you can substitute brown if you want. I rarely ever cook with white rice, in fact, before last night I couldn't remember the last time I had used it. I was lucky we even had it. Since it's such a rare occasion when I use white rice I didn't feel the least bit guilty using it for the rice dish. I will probably try the recipe out next time with brown, but the white rice was so good in it! A quick tip, if you don't have a grill or don't want to take the time to fire it up, I grilled my kabobs on my panini maker and they turned out great.

Marinated Greek Chicken Kabobs

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) container fat-free plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese with basil and sun-dried tomatoes (I used plain feta)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 large red onion, cut into wedges
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

1. In a large shallow baking dish, mix the yogurt, feta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper, and rosemary. Place the chicken in the dish, and turn to coat. Cover, and marinate 3 hours in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
3. Thread the chicken, onion wedges, and green bell pepper pieces alternately onto skewers. Discard remaining yogurt mixture.
4. Grill skewers on the prepared grill until the chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Pilafi (Greek lemon rice)

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Serves 4 people

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup long grain white rice
• 1/4 onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth
• juice and zest of one lemon

Directions

1. heat olive oil and butter in saucepan over medium heat.

2. cook onion, garlic and rice for 3-5 minutes until onion is soft and rice is completely coated in butter/oil.

3. stir in black pepper, lemon zest and chicken broth.

4. bring to a boil.

5. turn down heat and let simmer for 15 minutes covered.

6. when rice is fully cooked take off heat and add lemon juice.

7. serve as is or add a touch more butter and pepper.

Vegetable Curry Stir Fry

Ok, so I know I am posting another stir fry recipe right in a row, and this picture pretty much looks like the last one I posted, but I made this one the other night and loved it. I am a huge fan of curry and this sauce will now be my go to stir fry sauce. I will give you the full recipe to this stir fry, but I just used the sauce and did my own thing for the rest. I got the recipe from here, and it has all the nutritional information for this whole meal if you want to try it out.

Ingredients:

1/2cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

2teaspoons cornstarch

2teaspoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

1-1/2teaspoons curry powder

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I left this out because I didn't have it)

Nonstick olive oil cooking spray

3 green onions, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups broccoli florets

2/3 cup sliced carrot

1-1/2 teaspoons olive oil

6 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2/3 cup hot cooked rice, prepared without salt

Preparation:

1.

Stir together broth, cornstarch, soy sauce, curry powder and red pepper flakes. Set aside.

2.

Spray nonstick wok or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium-high heat. Add green onions and garlic; stir-fry 1 minute. Remove from wok.

3.

Add broccoli and carrot to wok; stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from wok.

4.

Add oil to hot wok. Add chicken and stir-fry 2 to 3 minutes or until cooked through. Stir broth mixture; add to wok. Cook and stir until broth mixture comes to a boil and thickens slightly. Return all vegetables to wok. Heat through. Serve over rice.

Quick and Easy Stir Fry

Lately I have been making a lot of stir fry. It's a great meal for when you have no idea what to make, it's inexpensive, and it can be very healthy. Now, I say it can be healthy, because a lot of stir fry recipes call for cooking the vegetables in oil or butter for a while. I used to do that, but lately I have been steaming my vegetables and find that the stir fry's turn out just as good. This stir fry is hardly an exact recipe. Whatever vegetables I have I use. I usually have brocoli and carrots on hand, so sometimes I just do a brocoli and carrot stir fry. But if I plan ahead I will grab zucchini, green onions, and peppers. Bok choy would be a great addition as well. I used to serve my vegis over brown rice, but lately I have been serving them over quinoa which I like better because it takes less time to cook and it's better for you. So like I said, this isn't an exact recipe but I will give you the jist as to what I do for my quick and easy stir fry meal:)

For the Sauce:
3 T. soy sauce (low sodium if you have it)
1 T. corn starch
1/4 c. water
1 T. honey (this is optional, but I like to add it to give it a little sweetness)

mix and set aside.

Steam assortment of vegies. I usually steam over a cup of vegies per person. You could do more or less if you like. I steam my vegies for about 10 minutes, I like them to remain a little crunchy. After vegies are steamed transfer them to a pan with just a tsp of olive oil, and sautee for just a minute (this step is optional, I like to do it because it sears the vegis a little which I like). Toss in the sauce and green onions if you have them (I like alot of green onions, about half a cup) Cook until sauce thickens. Serve over rice or quinoa.

Note: The sauce makes a lot, you could probably get 4 servings out of it. You could also toss in some chicken if you wanted, but quinoa is a good source of protein so this really is a nicely balanced meal.

Chicken Chili

I have never been a big fan of traditional chili, I think it is great that we have two alternative chili recipes in a row. I don't really like to call this chili because it doesn't taste anything like a typical bowl of chili...it's so much better and good for you too! I love this chili! Oh, and one serving, about 1 1/2 cups, has around 170 calories (not including toppings).

Chicken Chili

by Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 onions)
• 1/8 cup good olive oil, plus extra for chicken
• 1/8 cup minced garlic (2 cloves)
• 2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
• 2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes in puree, undrained
• 1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
• 4 split chicken breasts, bone in, skin on
• Freshly ground black pepper
• I added 1 cup of cooked quinoa - thanks for the idea Dana

For serving:

• Chopped onions, corn chips, grated cheddar, sour cream
• I top with avocado slices and corn tortilla strips

• Cook the onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute. Crush the tomatoes by hand or in batches in a food processor fitted with a steel blade (pulse 6 to 8 times). Add to the pot with the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Rub the chicken breasts with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked. Let cool slightly. Separate the meat from the bones and skin and cut it into 3/4-inch chunks. Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes. Serve with the toppings, or refrigerate and reheat gently before serving.

Tortilla Strips

Stack 2 or 3 small corn tortillas and cut into thin strips with a pizza slicer. Heat some olive oil in a saute pan over med-high and then add the tortilla strips, cook until lightly browned and crunchy.

Turkey Chili

The other day I was going through my freezer and found some frozen ground turkey. I got so excited because I had no idea it was in there and I felt like I was just given a free pound of ground turkey! I quickly started thinking about what I was going to make with it and decided to try out a Turkey Chili. I found this recipe on Simply Recipes. It turned out pretty good. Micah raved about it. I halved the recipe and had to make a few changes. I felt like it was very dry and not "soupy" enough so I had to add a couple more cups of stock to get it the right consistency I wanted. I also played around with the spices until I reached the flavor I liked. So if you happen to find some ground turkey in your fridge/freezer give this one a try! :)

Turkey Chili Recipe


Ingredients

* 2 cups chopped onion
* 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
* 1 cup chopped green pepper
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 2 (35 oz) cans stewed tomatoes, crushed
* 2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans, drained
* 2 Tbsp tomato paste
* 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock (I used chicken stock)
* 2 Tbsp chili powder (or up to 4 Tbsp if you like it really hot)
* 1 Tbsp ground cumin
* 1 Tbsp dried hot red pepper flakes (I left out)
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 1 Tbsp salt, plus more if desired to taste
* 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
* 3 to 4 cups of shredded, cooked turkey meat
* Sugar

* Shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onion, sour cream for optional garnish.

Method

1 In a large, 8-quart, thick-bottom pot, cook the onion and green pepper over medium high heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for a minute or two more. Add a bit more olive oil if needed.

2 Add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock. beans, oregano, salt, pepper, and cooked turkey meat. Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for an hour.

3 Salt to taste. Add 1 to 3 teaspoons of sugar to take the edge of the acidity of the tomatoes if desired.

The chili may be made in advance and chilled for 2 days, or frozen for 2 months.

Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onion, and or sour cream. Serve alone, over rice, or with corn bread.

Makes about 12 cups. Serves 8.

Tostadas

I found this recipe years ago in the Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen. When I made them way back then, I felt like it took hours, and I was left feeling exhausted! But I always thought it was worth the work because they are really good. Now when I make this meal, it doesn't seem like a big deal at all. I've got pretty good chopping skills now and more help in the kitchen. The beans are cooked in a little olive oil, rather than bacon fat, and you don't need to fry the tortillas in oil, so it really is a - good for you too - recipe.

Refried Beans

2 cups dry pinto beans, soaked

2-3 Tbs. olive oil

2 cups minced onion

5-6 (or more) medium cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp. cumin

1 1/2 tsp. salt black pepper

optional: 1 small bell pepper, minced

1) Cook the presoaked beans in plenty of boiling water until very soft. Drain and set aside.

2) Heat teh olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, half the garlic, cumin, and salt. Saute over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Add (or don't add) the optional bell pepper, and saute another 5 minutes. Add remaining garlic; season with black pepper.

3) Turn heat to low, add beans, and mix well. Mash with a fork or a potato masher, and cook for just a few minutes more. Serve right away, or store in refrigerator or freezer until time to reheat.

Tostadas

Tortillas - You can deep fry them or just spray a pan with Pam and heat. I've been making my own and they are fabulous.

Refried beans - layer on top of tortilla.

Accessories -(use all or some - I always use cabbage rather than lettuce.)

shredded lettuce, shredded cabbage, avocados, minced olives, grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, shopped hardboiled egg, minced mild chilies, sour cream

Salsa Fresca - I think this is what makes them so good. Recipe follows.

Salsa Fresca

3-medium-sized ripe tomatoes

2 scallions, finely minced

2 medium cloves garlic, minced

a handful of parsley, finely minced

a handful of cilantro, finely minced

1 tsp. lightly toasted cumin seeds

3/4 to 1 tsp. salt

1 T. cider vinegar

1 T. olive oil

1 T. fresh lime juice

crushed red pepper, to taste

Just combine everything in a small bowl, cover tightly and chill.