Hidden Healthy & Deconstructed Cottage (Shepherd's) Pie

I watched the Marilyn Denis show the other day which was about opening ourselves up to new things. I found it quite inspirational for both food and in life. One of her guests was Julie Daniluk RHN and is a leading nutritionist. I love her enthusiasm and her health conscious approach! Today she was talking about how to bump up the nutrition for those folks eat too much of one thing... those who gravitate primarily to fast food, or who eat mostly veggies (no proteins), or those folks who primarily eat meat (no veggies). The idea was to open up your taste buds to new things and balance out your nutrition at the same time. Her strategy of choice was to hide the goodness in things that people tend to gravitate to, or as she called it... use "stealth" to get the good things in.

Whether you call it "stealth" or hidden healthy, the idea is the same. On the show, Julie had some excellent ideas and you can see them here so that you can open up your taste buds to new tastes and flavours! Hidden healthy is a great way to bump up your plant based protein, improve your fiber, and sneak in some extra nutrition, especially for those uncooperative family members!

Some of my successful hidden healthy include chili, spaghetti sauce, sloppy Joes, tourtière, and even meatloaf. In these items, I have simply used cooked lentils with the ground meat. Sometimes I reduce the meat by as much as half and slip in 1 to 2 cups of green or brown cooked lentils. In other cases, I just "bulk" up the dish by adding a little amount, up to about half a cup. It all depends on how well the lentils can be hidden. Spaghetti sauce or chili are dishes that are quite forgiving and as long as there is a lot going on, like lots of chopped up veggies, then I can safely add a larger amount of these nutritious pulses. In dishes like sloppy Joes, tourtière and meatloaf, lentils are added, but with a lighter hand to preserve the integrity of the original dish but also because there is not as much ability to hide much in them! Red lentils are great in dishes that get puréed and so you can hide a lot in your marinara sauce, lasagna meat sauce, and even in your broccoli soup.

So now, without further adieu, I give you one of my tried and true, family approved, hidden healthy meals. It is tasty, satisfying and really bumps up our veggie intake. Cottage Pie is one of my fall and winter go-to meals. It is economical, satisfying, and pretty darn tasty. Sometimes when I am in a hurry, I don't bake my cottage pie in a casserole. I call this my Deconstructed Cottage Pie. If you have a favourite Cottage Pie recipe (on this side of the pond we also call it Shepherd's Pie), you can certainly deconstruct your recipe too. 

This would also be a great recipe to make ahead. You could prepare the meat filling and do the potatoes up fresh on the day. The other thing I discovered was that this was a perfect recipe in which to hide lentils. I discovered that I could make this recipe more economical and incorporate some plant based protein with ZERO family uprising! Wooooot! 

There is a lot going on in the filling providing the perfect camouflage for green or brown lentils, so now I cut my ground meat in half and save the other half for another recipe and add in a cup and a bit of cooked lentils. To further hide the lentils, I found that mashing half the lentils into a chunky puree works like a dream too. Out of sight, out of mind really works.

Cook up your lentils; 1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 cups water.

Sauté your veggies. 

Mix in your flavourings. Remember my budget tip for extra tomato paste? The tomato paste balls are from my stash in the freezer!

Add your broth and simmer for 30 minutes 

While your meat and lentil sauce is simmering, prepare and cook your regular potatoes and sweet potatoes. I like slicing in 1/4 inch slices for quick even cooking. 

Thicken the meat and lentil sauce with a flour and water slurry. Whisk until smooth!

Mix in your frozen mixed veggies. 

Ladle a few spoonfuls onto a plate and add a dollop or two of both kinds of potatoes. 

Deconstructed Cottage Pie 

 

1 large onion, medium dice

1 tbsp grape seed oil, or cooking oil of choice

2 stalks celery, chopped in a fine dice (nice but optional)

2 parsnips, chopped in a 1/4" dice 

4 oz cremini or button mushrooms medium dice (nice but optional)

1 lb lean ground beef or pork, pasture raised if possible 

OR 1/2 lb plus 1/2 cup  green or brown lentils + 1 1/2 cups water 

1 tsp dried thyme

2 garlic cloves, finely minced or 2 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp heaped Dijon mustard

2 cups beef broth, or chicken broth, organic if you can

1-2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, depending on personal tastes

1 tbsp Tamari

1/4 tsp ground pepper, or to taste

3 tbsp flour

3 tbsp stock or water water

3 cups fresh frozen mixed veggies (carrots, peas, corn and beans)

3 large potatoes, I like Yukon Golds or Russets

1/4 cup milk of choice

a drizzle of olive oil or melted butter

A generous pinch of Himalayan pink salt or sea salt

3 large sweet potatoes

1/8-1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

a pinch of nutmeg (I like to use a whole nutmeg and use my rasp to freshly grate it)

A generous pinch of Himalayan pink salt or sea salt

 

In a medium, heavy bottomed pot, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and parsnips and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook until the water has evaporated and the celery is tender, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl.

In the same pot, add a little bit more oil and then scramble fry the ground beef or pork and break the meat up with a wooden spoon. Add in the garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook until the meat is browned, stirring regularly. Add the tomato paste, Dijon mustard, broth, Worcestershire sauce, tamari. If you are using the lentils, add them now with the cooked onion mixture. Add the stock and bring everything to a boil, stirring regularly. Lower heat to about medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes. 

 

In a small bowl whisk together the flour and water. Make sure the slurry is lump free. Add this mixture to the meat mixture and stir until the sauce has thickened. If the meat mixture is not "saucy", add a little water or more stock so that the meat mixture is not dry and the sauce has a gravy like feel to it.

 

Stir in the frozen mixed vegetables and stir to combine. Bring back to the bubble, and simmer gently until the veggies have heated through, about 10 minutes.

 

While the meat mixture is simmering, get the potatoes going.  Peel the regular potatoes and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Place in a medium sized pot, cover with water and add about 1 teaspoon of salt.

Prepare the sweet potatoes in the same fashion except fill the pot about 1/4 full of water so the potatoes steam more than they are boiled. I skip the salt though. You can also cook them in a steamer if you prefer.

 

Cook the potatoes over medium heat until they are tender. 

 

Drain the white potatoes, mash and add about 1/4 cup of warm milk and a little olive oil or butter, salt and pepper to taste, and mash till light and creamy. Cover and set aside. Drain the sweet potatoes, mash and add cinnamon, salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of nutmeg. Cover and set aside.

 

When the meat  mixture is all ready and both kinds of potatoes are done, you are ready to plate!

 

I like to put a few spoonfuls of the meat mixture in the centre of a plate and a spoonful or two of sweet potatoes and then the white potatoes as shown! Tada, deconstructed Cottage Pie.

 

 

My Plant Based Journey Update & Brownies

It has been 2 years now since I started my eat more plant based and whole foods journey. I have been more mindful of where my animal products come from and I try very hard to eat as ethically as I can. I buy organic veggies as often as possible, and if my budget is tight, I choose organic for the veggies that tend to be sprayed most, like peppers, greens, and celery. Although I have always believed in having veggies on my plate at every meal, I think that for the most part, I have improved the family diet. I try hard to incorporate half my plate for veggies and sometimes fruit. Salads of mixed greens, kale, and spinach grace our table 2-3 times per week, and I try to go meatless for at least half of our meals.

I would like my family to eat more plant based as don't want to make TWO meals (one for me and one for them) AND I would like to keep my grocery expenditures down - after all, plant based protein is A LOT cheaper than meat, fish and poultry. In a perfect world, getting my family to willingly eat more lentils, beans and tofu would ROCK! This is easier said than done. Normally, I have to hide plant based protein.

Sadly, most of my completely plant based meals are not successful. Sometimes, no matter how I pitch them, they are not well received and the result is "don't make that again"! Ah, the trials and tribulations of a mom dragging her family along the eat more plant-based path! 

I have had to turn to subterfuge, creativity and my secret strategy of choice... "hidden healthy". Hidden healthy has been the most successful means to sneak in plant based protein since I'm not really allowed to cook much with lentils or beans; sadly the fam is just not feeling the love!

On the flip side, I shouldn't feel too badly. I have always tried to make sure veggies were part of our meals. I know we eat way more veggies now than we did before, so that in itself is a plus! I have managed to increase some plant based protein too, now that I have come to terms with the fact that I have to hide it. Slowly, I am learning how far I can go, shhhhhhhh! We are eating a lot more greens and more regularly (some of us not so willingly, right daughter #2?) and veggies generally cover at least half our plates. 

I have had good success with reducing dairy in general, finding dairy alternatives, and when we do have dairy, I have tried to keep the the quality standards high. Because of better store bought choices and more made at home options, I have been able to reduce the preservatives and mystery chemicals in our meals. I have even managed to successfully prepare more "better for you" desserts which have been very well received; I've even cleaned up some of my traditional ones too. 

When I actually think about all the WINS vs the losses, we aren't doing too badly after all. I need to revel in my successes and accept that my journey to eat better has gone pretty well over the last two years, even while dragging the non-believers along for the ride. For every not so well received meal, I need to remember those that were. There have even been a few that have achieved "Family Favourite Status"! I am a Wellness Warrior, and the war was not won in a day!

No matter your goals... trying to eat better, eat more plant based, to drink more water, consume less sugar, eat fewer processed foods, to eat more ethically or with fewer chemicals, or even just eat more home cooked meals, remember it is a process and positive changes take time, effort and practice. You can't change it all over night and there is always that crazy learning curve!

To celebrate the changes I have made and the changes you have made or are planning to make, I think we all deserve a treat. Best of all, it's guilt free and the perfect way to incorporate some plant based protein in your loved ones diets! 

For this recipe, I used my high speed Vitamix, but I think a good brand of regular blender should work. 

Chocolate Walnut Brownies

***UPDATE! My husband still really likes these brownies, even after he made me disclose the ingredients. A big WIN for me!***

1 - 19 ounce canned white kidney beans, about 2 1/4 cups 

1 1/4 cups milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy)

1/4 cup real maple syrup

3 tsp ground vanilla bean*

1/4 packed brown sugar **

4 tbsp coconut palm sugar

1 cup cocoa

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt

1 cup walnuts

INGREDIENT NOTES:

* I believe you can substitute a good quality vanilla extract, but I think you would need about 1 – 2 tablespoons for the intensity of the vanilla in this recipe. 

** these brownies are not super sweet, more bitter sweet. If you prefer a sweeter brownie, I would be inclined to add another 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp of brown sugar. I prefer the bitter sweet and like to use better choices of sweeteners whenever possible. The choice is yours, but try to keep the brown sugar to under a 3/4 of cup to keep things as guilt free as possible!

________________________________________________________________

 

Line a 9 inch square baking pan with parchment paper with one strip going one way and another strip going another. I use a tiny dot of coconut oil or lard to anchor the paper to the pan. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder whisk to combine. Set aside. 

Place rinsed and drained beans into your blender. Add the all the ingredients except the flour mixture and nuts. Blend on high until the batter is super smooth. 

Pour into a medium sized bowl making sure to scrape out as much of the chocolatey goodness as possible. 

Add the flour mixture and the walnuts. Stir to combine well. 

Scrape the batter into the prepared 9" x 9" baking pan and smooth with an offset spatula or knife. 

Bake at 350°F. for 30 to 35 minutes or until skewer or toothpick comes out clean. 

Let cool on a wire rack in in the pan for about 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely. I use the parchment paper as handles. 

These brownies are tasty naked, but I just happened to have a chocolate mix in my fridges made of coconut oil, maple syrup and cocoa. When this mixture is cold, it creates a lovely chocolate crust I reheated this mixture and let it cool to room temperature. I spread it all over the top of the brownies and chilled in the freezer for about 20 minutes, until the topping was hard. Then I cut the brownies into squares, ready to be enjoyed. Remember to keep your brownies in the fridge to prevent the topping from melting!

From what I remember, I used the following proportions to make my chocolate topping:

1/4 cup unrefined coconut oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tsp. cocoa
2 tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of pink Himalayan salt

Combine these ingredients over a low heat and whisk to combine and create a smooth chocolate sauce. Let cool to room temperature before you drizzle or cover your brownies.

 

Chocolate Walnut Brownies

INGREDIENTS:
 

1 - 19 ounce canned white kidney beans, about 2 1/4 cups 

1 1/4 cups milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy)

1/4 cup real maple syrup

3 tsp ground vanilla bean*

1/4 packed brown sugar **

4 tbsp coconut palm sugar

1 cup cocoa

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt

1 cup walnuts

INGREDIENT NOTES:

* I believe you can substitute a good quality vanilla extract, but I think you would need about 1 – 2 tablespoons for the intensity of the vanilla in this recipe. 

** these brownies are not super sweet, more bitter sweet. If you prefer a sweeter brownie, I would be inclined to add another 1/4 cup plus 3 tbsp of brown sugar. I personally prefer the bitter sweet and like to use better choices of sweeteners whenever possible. The choice is yours, but try to keep the brown sugar to under a 3/4 of cup to keep things as guilt free as possible!

METHOD:

In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking powder whisk to combine. Set aside.

Place rinsed and drained beans into your blender. Add the all the ingredients except the flour mixture and nuts. Blend on high until the batter is super smooth.

Pour into a medium sized bowl making sure to scrape out as much of the chocolatey goodness as possible.

Add the flour mixture and the walnuts. Stir to combine well.

Scrape the batter into the prepared 9" x 9" baking pan and smooth with an offset spatula or knife. 

Bake at 350° F. for 30 to 35 minutes or until skewer or toothpick comes out clean. 

Let cool on a wire rack in in the pan for about 15 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool completely. I use the parchment paper as handles.

Serve these brownies naked or add the chocolate topping. Chill in the fridge until the chocolate topping is hard. Cut into squares an enjoy. I kept my brownies in the fridge so the chocolate topping did not melt.

 

 

 

Recipe Books; Bolognese Sauce, Marinara & More

 

Over the past few years, I have prepared special cookbooks for a few family members. These cookbooks were a collection of recipes that were particularly enjoyed by the recipients and catered to fit their lifestyles. The first collection was given to my sister. I had gone to her house years ago to do a bunch of meal prep for her before her daughter was born. I spent an entire weekend cooking up a storm in her kitchen and freezing several months worth of dinners. She was thrilled with the meals I had prepared, and so for Christmas that year, I made my first recipe book gift. This book included all the recipes I had prepared for her, plus a few more that I thought she might enjoy. Each recipe page had special tips ranging from budget to preparation and substitution. I later made one for my oldest daughter. Her recipe book was geared to a student's life and had some of her family favourites; tips for shopping, staying on budget, substitutions and how to do some "make ahead" meals. In both cases, my recipe books were put together in such a way that I could add recipe pages down the road to reflect changes in preferences or life circumstances. A gift that keeps on giving and one that can only come from me. My latest Christmas recipe book gift was to my niece.  I put together a collection of budget friendly and easy meals that a young mom with a growing family could use plus some super healthy meals that reflects eating more plant-based.

Making homemade Christmas gifts like this lets me use my creativity, hone my desktop publishing skills, AND give a meaningful, heartfelt gifts, perhaps the closest thing I will get to being "published", HA HA HA! Today, I thought I would share a couple of pages from my recipe books. Let me know what you think!

Just as a heads up, this blog post looks best on your desktop or lap top or tablet.



 

 

 

 

 

 

New To Me Products and Pita Veggie Pizzas

I am over the moon! I have discovered 2 new to me brands of "made for me products". I know that much of my blog is about making your own things, but sometimes a busy person needs a little help. When you can find a company that makes its products with the same love you do in your own kitchen and without the use of chemicals, then go for it.  Your tummy will thank you!

The first is a bread company called Silver Hills Bakery. This bakery makes wonderful sprouted whole grain breads and bagels. Their products are non-gmo, vegan, dairy-free, and use organic ingredients. To find out more about this Canadian company, click here! I like their breads for sandwiches and toast, not to mention, I find their breads a little lighter in texture so I think this bread will appease even a white bread only person. There is a variety of breads and bagels and you can even get hamburger and hot dog buns too. 

I absolutely love their bread toasted with a spoonful (or 2) of my homemade chia seed jam! Below are pictures of my Strawberry and Blueberry Chia Seed Jam and my Blueberry Vanilla Chia Seed Jam by Oh She Glows. 

The second brand is the Ozery Pita Break Bakery; another Canadian find. This bakery makes a variety of pita products - some savoury and some sweeter, perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. There are no chemicals, preservatives or additives; when they use all purpose flour, it is the unbleached variety AND they are particular about the quality of all their ingredients. To find out more about this company, click here! 

Today I want to share with you my Pita Pizzas. For this recipe I used the Pita Break Multi Grain large pitas, but you could certainly use their One Buns for a snack size pita pizza too. The regular size pita's make a perfect base for a single serve pizza, so if you are pressed for time, or just don't fancy making your own dough, these large pita's have you covered when you want to have homemade personal pizzas. If you are super hungry, 2 will fit the bill! 

If I don't have any of my homemade marinara for pizza sauce, I will flavour a cup and a half of pasata with some sautéed minced garlic and some oregano and basil, dried is best, and cook it down till the sauce is thick and mounds on a spoon. If I have some leftover marinara, I usually reduce it a little more too.

My favourite pizza as of late is a veggie pizza. I like to play around with various veggie combinations. Some great choices are:

• sauteed mushrooms
• sauteed onions
• sliced green onion
• sauteed kale
• wilted spinach (excess moisture squeezed out)
• sauteed, diced zucchini
• diced red or yellow bell pepper
• tomatoes
• Kalamata olives, sliced

When I feel like a little meat on my pizza I cook up my favourite Italian sausage and slice it or dice it finely. The classic pepperoni would work too, but I have been opting to avoid deli meats as of late. 

Finally, a little mozzarella cheese, grated or crumbled.  If my cheese has been frozen, (I freeze cheese when it goes on sale) I find that it doesn't always grate well so I have opted to crumble it over the pizza. Also, I have been using a lot less cheese in my foods lately because I prefer to eat it as a "sometimes" food. 

Pizza Sauce

1/3 bottle Pasata, a little more than 3/4 of a cup

1 large garlic clove (a heaped teaspoon of garlic granules works too)

1 tbsp dry oregano (not powdered)

1/2 tsp pink Himalayan salt

several grinds of black pepper

Place all ingredients into a small saucepan, stir well to combine. Simmer over a medium heat for 20-30 minutes until the sauce has reduced by about a third and the sauce "mounds" on a spoon. 

This makes enough sauce for 8 pita pizzas, about 2/3 cup.  If you are only making 4 pita pizzas, you can freeze the remainder in a 250 ml jar for another day. 

Ozery Pita Break Whole Grain Pitas (4 per pack)

1/3 cup pizza sauce

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

4 oz sliced cremini mushrooms

1 cup kale cut crosswise into 1/4" ribbons (stem removed)

1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced

1 1/2 roma tomatoes, sliced thinly OR 8 or so cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced 

In a heavy fry pan, saute the mushroom slices in about a teaspoon or so of your favourite oil, over a medium heat. I tend to use olive or grapeseed oil. Once the mushroom slices are golden brown and have released their moisture, remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl or plate. Using the same pan, sautee the kale ribbons over a medium heat with about a teaspoon of oil. Stir regularly and cook the kale until slightly wilted and soft. Set aside in a bowl or plate. 

Dice the red peppers and slice the tomatoes. 

Preheat your oven to 425° F and make sure your rack is at the halfway mark. Place the 4 pitas on a large baking sheet. Spread about about 2 scant tablespoons of sauce on each pita. Evenly distribute your mushroom slices over the sauce. Then evenly distribute the kale. Sprinkle the red peppers and then the cheese. finally, top with the tomatoes.  Place the baking tray in the oven and bake pizzas for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Remove the pan from the oven. Let stand for a few minutes and then transfer, one at a time, to a cutting board. Using a good 6" chef's knife or pizza wheel, cut the pizza into quarters.  Serve with a mixed green salad and your favourite homemade dressing. YUM!

Green Smoothies - Breakfast of Champions!

Last year I did a post about breakfast cookies and green smoothies. I was happy to tell everyone that breakfast could be easy and quite portable if necessary. I still adore the breakfast cookies, but I have to say green smoothies have been my go to weekday breakfast since I took a temporary full time job. They are fast and easy to make. They pack an excellent nutritional punch and can be consumed right away or taken to go. Win - Win - Win I say!

I am not big on breakfast first thing in the morning and certainly not at 7 AM. Instead, I try to start my day with a warm lemon water which has great health benefits. Half of a fresh squeezed lemon, a 1-1/2 cups filtered water and topped with 1/2 cup boiled water provides me with a good start to achieving my daily requirements of vitamin C, helps to promote a healthy digestion system, and is a tasty way (once your taste buds get used to it!) to get some water into the bod after 8 hours of sleep! As a side note, lemons are acidic and can be hard on tooth enamel so I usually drink my lemon water out of a straw... just in case. While I am drinking my lemon water, I make our lunches for the day and blend a green smoothie for 2 to tuck into our lunch bags (my favourite way to transport is in a 500 ml mason jar with the canning lids). Later in the morning, around 9:30/10:00 am my tummy is ready to welcome the green smoothie breakfast I packed in my lunch bag. My husband quite enjoys his as a mid morning snack since he likes his cereal first thing.

Over the past several months, I have perfected my version of the green smoothie. I think it has the perfect amount of sweetness. When my daughter was home for a visit, I got a two thumbs up too. This smoothie recipe can be made in a regular blender but it reached new heights of healthy decadence in my Vita-mix!

When I started blending smoothies, green or fruity, I had a heck of a time not ending up with a blend full of smoothie big enough to feed a small army. Finding the right quantities  and proportions for the ingredients was key, after all, there is only so much smoothie one can drink at one time. Sometimes my smoothie was so thick that I had to thin it down with more liquids or the too thin so I would add more fruit/greens. Before you knew it, my blender jar was overflowing.  Not a good thing! Now after several years of smoothie making, I have managed to eyeball the fruit/greens ratio to liquids so I can consistently make a smoothie for 1, 2, or 3.

My recipe for my favourite green smoothie is pretty consistent in yielding essentially two 500 ml mason jars, the perfect size for breakfast or a mid morning/afternoon snack. This recipe is based on my blender jar which is 64 ounces when I measure out the spinach. If your blender jar is smaller, you may want to add a handful or 2 more greens once you've reached the 1/3 mark. You can also use a little more or less maple syrup too, depending on your taste. I find that if my pineapple is nice and sweet and my banana is quite ripe, I need only 2 tablespoons of the maple syrup.

 

Ingredients

Fill your blender jar about 1/3 full of baby spinach, organic please, and gently packed

1 slice 3/4" or 1" thick pineapple ring, fresh or fresh frozen; not canned

2 Tbsp hemp hearts

1 medium/large banana, preferably with many brown spots (I keep a stash in my freezer)

1 medium avocado

2-3 tablespoons maple syrup

1 to 1 1/2 cups milk of your choice (dairy or non), a little more depending on personal preference.

Method

Add the ingredients to you blender in the order given.  Start with 1 cup of the milk.

Blend on high, stopping if necessary to scrape down the sides and make sure the ingredients blend.

Add the remainder of the milk as necessary. Continue to blend on high until your smoothie is smooth. You may wish to add a little more milk at this point if you prefer your smoothies less thick.

Pour into drinking vessels of choice. I like using the 500 ml wide mouth mason jars with the canning lids if I am taking my smoothie to go!

Substitutions and Options

Hemp seed can be substituted for 2 heaping tablespoons of almond butter or peanut butter 

Spinach can be mixed with some kale, for my tastes, I would only switch out about a handful because kale has a strong flavour. Typically, I use more spinach than kale, but if you like the "extra green flavour", add more kale than spinach.

Maple syrup can be subbed with a good quality raw honey, local if you can get it.

No milk, no problem - cold filtered water or cold green tea will work too!

Tips

When fresh cored and peeled pineapple is on sale, I buy a bunch and then slice it. I then lay the slices on a cookie sheet lined with a silpat sheet and freeze the rings. Once frozen, I transfer them to a freezer bag.

As Kermit the Frog says... "it's not easy being green"! This green smoothie is creamy, tasty and an excellent start to your day OR as my husband can attest, it is also a great mid morning snack. This is truly a guilt free pleasure any time of day!

Burrito Bowls: Two or Three Ways!

On my recent food  journey, I found one of the largest stumbling blocks to eating more plant based and less refined sugar has been my family's resistance to embrace this healthier lifestyle. It has been a tricky juggling act but I have found that my favourite techniques have been "hidden healthy", learning just how much I can hide without getting caught and working diligently to modify my traditional recipes to closely replicate the originals while improving on the nutritional value. Some days, I've even resorted to cooking 2 separate meals which is a total pain in the you know where! So, when I come across a meal that requires very little finagling to provide a meal that makes both me AND my family happy, I can truly do the Happy Dance.

While I was "away", my daughter introduced me to burrito bowls, which we could also call "deconstructed burritos" in the foodie world... ooooo how fancy! This is such a simple meal and easy to customize based on what you have on hand. You can make it completely plant based and without much effort, provide the meat eaters in your family with the meat they want. Yes, you can satisfy the vegans, vegetarians and the  omnivores without cooking 3 completely different meals! Wahoo! 

The hardest part about the Burrito Bowl is the prep work, and certainly if you have a knife, a box grater, a blender, a pot and 2 fry pans, you've got this covered.

Basic Burrito Bowl Components (some or all of the veggies ROCK)

• Brown Rice
• Refried beans
• Kale, mixed greens, or romaine lettuce, sliced finely into ribbons
• Carrot, grated
• Zucchini, grated
• Bell peppers, yellow, red or orange, OR a combination finely diced
• Green onions, finely chopped
• Tomatoes, finely diced/chopped
• Seasoned ground meat - beef, chicken, or pork (pasture raised and organic if possible)
• Sour cream or dairy free sour cream (scroll down the page to find the recipe) or organic plain yogurt.
• Old cheddar cheese, grated
• Fresh limes

Seasoned Ground Meat

2 tablespoons oregano

1 tablespoon chile powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced)

2 teaspoons onion powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 lb ground beef, chicken or pork - pasture raised if possible

Mix all ingredients together.

Brown ground meat until well done.

Add 1/2 cup of water and seasonings and let simmer until liquid is absorbed.

Add additional salt if necessary. 

Refried Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp chilli powder

2 cups black turtle beans or one 19 oz can, drained and rinsed 

2/3 cup chicken or veggie broth, plus more if needed (veggie broth for vegan or vegetarian)

Salt and pepper 

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender.
Stir in the garlic and chili powder and cook for a few minutes.
Stir in the beans and slowly add broth, cooking until the beans are warmed through, about 5-6 minutes.
Mash the beans coarsely with the back of a wooden spoon (I used a potato masher first), adding more broth to moisten, if needed. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Stir in the cilantro** at the very end.

**Note:  If you don't have any fresh cilantro and IF you happen to have some cilantro pest cubes in the freezer, you can toss 2-3 thawed cubes in to the mix instead.

Assembly

In a large shallow bowl, I like to use a pasta bowl, put a scoop or two of  rice, meat (if using), refried beans, carrots, zucchini, greens, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Squeeze some fresh lime over the whole works; add a big dollop of sour cream, regular or non dairy and a sprinkle of cheese (if desired). 

There you have it... a meal for omnivores, vegans and vegetarians alike with not a lot of extra effort. For the vegans, HOLD all animal products. For the vegetarians, HOLD the meat, and for the omnivores, EVERYTHING into the bowl! This is the perfect meal to satisfy a variety of tastes - at the same time. I know I will need more of these kinds of meals to make meal preparation easier for me when I would prefer a plant based meal but my family would not. I will have to put my thinking cap on for that!

BUDGET TIP

Sometimes I mix a spoonful of mayonnaise in with about a 1/2 cup of yogurt to round out the flavour. It is almost a dead ringer for sour cream. Since I always have plain yogurt and mayo on hand, this is a great option because I don't always use sour cream in large quantities so the rest of the container usually spoils before I do. No tossing money in the green bin for this girl!