low carb, warm and fabulous!

it's cold outside, but your watching your diet. you want comfort food, but you don't want it tomorrow when you can't fit in your clothes. nothing soothes the heart, mind and soul like a creamy, warm and comforting soup, but you promised you were on your way back into your healthy, leaner days of your youth. ok, so we all know that last one might be a bit of a stretch, but we all know what it's like to do our best to stick to eating healthy and keeping active, but the cold weather sometimes toys with our hungry emotions. so here's the perfect answer to keeping both sides of you happy. the one who is eating right and working hard and the one who wants to curl up in front of the fire with a delicious bowl of warm and creamy potato cheese soup. this recipe doesn't have a potato or an ounce of cream or milk, but you would never know it, unless of course you were the one cooking it. so get off the couch and make this super easy, low carb and fabulous soup. then curl back up and enjoy your fire without the guilt and knowing those pants will still fit in the am.

roasted cauliflower and cheese soup

1 ( 1 1/2 pound ) head of cauliflower
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth***
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup shredded white cheddar cheese***
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

preheat the oven to 400

in a large bowl, toss the cauliflower and garlic cloves in the olive oil until well coated. season with salt and pepper, to taste. place on a large baking sheet, in a single layer. roast the cauliflower until lightly golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. set aside.

 heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat, add the onion and celery and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes. chop up the roasted garlic. add the garlic, roasted cauliflower, vegetable broth, thyme, and rosemary and bring to a boil. reduce the heat so that the mixture simmers and cooks until the cauliflower is tender, about 20-25 minutes.

using an immersion blender, food processor or regular blender, blend the soup until smooth. add the cheddar cheese and stir until melted. if the soup appears too thick to you, just add a little extra stock until you reach your desired consistancy. season with salt and pepper and remove from heat. ladle the soup into bowls and serve warm. serve the soup with crusty bread or homemade croutons. another great topping is the heat a little olive oil in a pan and add a little smoked paprika, heat just until warm and turn off and allow flavors to steep. drizzle over top of soup. enjoy!

snack time for kids!

do you hate that after school hour, when your kids come home and say "i'm hungry" or how about when you give them 15 choices and they say "i'm bored of that" or "i don't want THAT again" ugh!  sometimes snack time is worse than meal time. you want to give them something healthy, but you don't want to fill them up with unneccesary calories or have them not hungry for dinner.

here's a quick and easy snack that's good for them and will make snack time easier for you.

this yummy dip is easy, healthy and just a little bit different than plain peanut butter. try this the next time your kids are looking for a snack. mix 1/4 cup of greek yogurt either plain or vanilla and 1/4 cup of your favorite peanut butter, add a teaspoon of honey and mix till combined. loaded with protein  the dippers are endless, my kids love pretzels, bananas, apples and graham crackers. it's sure to keep your kids satisfied and happy until dinner time.

not your everyday oatmeal

the other day my girl and i were having a mommy and me day. as we were lying in bed snuggling that morning we were searching through recipes together. might sound like a strange thing to do, but my kids and i really love doing this and putting recipes together that we think we would want to try. this is also the way i get them to try new things. so anyway, back to my point. we came across this yummy breakfast that calls for oatmeal, which is one of my daughters favorite breakfasts. she decided it was time for us to get up and make breakfast and this was what we were making. so begrudgingly i dragged myself from my warm and toasty bed and followed her down to the kitchen.

the recipe is simple and my 8 year old proceeded to make the whole thing, so none of you can use the excuse you can't cook, to not try it. we named our treat banana oatmeal bake, and that is just what it turned out to be, a treat. it was warm and delicious, the caramelized topping gave it a great crunch and it's completely good for you. beat that! a breakfast that tastes good, sticks with you, is good for you and all four of our family members liked it, even two of us who aren't oatmeal fans.

i'm not a big fan of oatmeal, but when it comes to eating a breakfast that sticks with me and warms me up, i have to admit nothing works quite like oatmeal. it is truly the only thing i can eat that sticks with me through an entire work out, especially if i swim. so i usually make myself a bowl and then attempt to add just about anything to make it taste worthy of enjoying. agave, brown sugar, fruit, but nothing really makes it a culinary delight. now remember that whole thing about using the recipe hunting to get my kids to try new things, well i guess it works both ways. i would not have picked this recipe, or for that matter willing gone about making it, but as i said before my daughter had made up her mind. so here we go,  and this is all you need

 

1-1/2 cups milk(soy or almond milk)***

1 egg

2 over-ripened bananas, smashed***

1 tbls vanilla extract

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup chopped strawberries(i used frozen)***

1 over ripened banana, sliced

¼ cup dark brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, beat together milk, egg, smashed bananas, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon until combined.

 

Add baking powder oats and half the strawberries. Stir well. Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour the mixture in the dish, spreading evenly. Top with the remaining strawberries and bananas slices. Sprinkle with brown sugar and bake 25 minutes. Turn broiler to low and broil 5 – 7 minutes until topping is caramelized.
Serve warm

now the other good thing we found about this is it is good the next day cold or reheated with a little milk to moisten it. so doubling the recipe is on the agenda the next time we make it so we have leftovers for during the week. my son who never touches oatmeal loves this too and it is great on a cold winter morning. nothing like sending your family off with a little warmth from home.

*** feel free to use any milk or milk product, even vanilla flavored almond milk would be good.

***if your bananas are not truly overripe, just add a little extra brown sugar in the milk mixture for a little more sweetness, overripe are a lot more sweet than just ripe bananas.

*** i used frozen strawberries and just sliced them and threw them in with out defrosting, great since strawberries are out of season. 

warms the soul

ever had a day where you don't even want to get dressed. you know the kind i'm talking about, it's cold, rainy and nothing sounds better than your pj's, a fire and snuggling with your favorite kiddos. to me rain and soup go together like peanut butter and jelly. it's also days like this that cooking an elaborate meal is not something i want to do either. so one pot dishes like soup are great.

 i learned this recipe from my aunt and it always reminds me of her when i make it. i grew up spending summers on the east coast and being the youngest cousin of 22 i was often left behind with my aunts and uncles, and grandparents and a few of the other younger cousins while everyone went off for the day. we usually spent the beginning of july there which is rarely rainy, so i guess that's why it sticks out in my memory so much. my aunt and uncle lived above my grandparents at the time and since it was raining my cousins and i were playing up and down the stairs and everywhere else between the two apartments driving everyone crazy,  so in order to bring  piece to the chaos she enlisted the 4 of us kids into helping her in the kitchen. we were put to work making meatballs for this fabulous soup. i have not included a recipe for meatballs here, but i will post that recipe soon.

 every good italian girl is taught when making gravy, meatballs and sausage to always make double and keep the leftovers in the freezer for a rainy day. that day we must have made meatballs for 10 rainy days!!! figure 4 kids were pretty cheap labor for my aunt and for us it was like playing with play dough. 

i learned more than a meatball and soup recipe that day. i learned how cooking, traditions and family can make any day special, any kid a great cook and how to keep squirrelly kids from sending you to the funny farm. i have since enlisted my children on several occasions when i need some peace from the fighting and stir craziness of rainy days or long summer days.

maybe a few of you out there are good italian girls and have some frozen meatballs stashed away for a rainy day, but for those of you who don't, never fear a bag from your local grocery store will work just fine. i will even confess to using a bag or two of those every now and then. let's just keep that part a secret, i don't want to tarnish my good italian girl reputation.  i prefer trader joe's if i need a quick go to bag.

this soup has several names, italian wedding soup, meatball soup and meatball stew. whatever you want to call it, i call it home.

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/4-1/2 c white wine

1 quart of chix stock

water as needed

1 can of cannelloni beans, drained

16 small meat balls ( i make my own, but feel free to use any kind of your choice)

3 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tsp each dried basil, oregano, parsley ( you can use fresh, i didn't have any on hand. double amount)

a little creative license

in a large pot over medium heat add olive oil to heat and  saute onions, carrots, and celery, about 3-5 mins until they start to get soft. add garlic and saute 1 min, add tomato paste and cook for another 1-2 mins. deglaze pan with white white, scraping all the delicious brown bits from the bottom of the pan. at this time feel free to pour yourself a glass of that wine to enjoy while cooking. i also learned this from my aunt. i'm pretty sure that also helps in keeping your sanity. add chicken stock, beans and meatballs. if there is not enough liquid for your taste or to cover meatballs add water to liking. season with herbs and worcestshire sauce and salt & pepper to taste. simmer at least 1/2 hour covered. i like to add crushed red pepper to taste, but if it's not for you, serve it on the side.

 here is when your creative license comes in. you can add whatever veggies you like to this or just leave as is. i always add whatever i have available and most always spinach or cooked veggies at the very end of the simmering cycle. if you add uncooked veggies such as green beans, add them during the simmering process to ensure they are tender.

i serve this with garlic bread, or for a little something extra garlic cheese toast and while your at it, it's never a bad idea to sprinkle some of that cheese on you bowl of soup. of course that is entirely up to you ;-)

the only thing i will ask you now is to go and create a little memory and tradition of your own. there is also nothing better than using that memory/recipe to make you feel better when life has gotten the better of you and you need to pick yourself up. so no need for a rainy day.

get a fresh start for the new year!

so you made your new years resolution to lose weight, eat better, yada, yada, yada. we all know we make these statements with good intention. truth be told being a wife, mother and for those working outside the home, is a lot harder than good intentions. for one thing it's hard to eat what is good for your mind, body and soul and get your family on board too. this usually means separate meals and snacks and then your healthy meal /snack loses out to the kids(and hubby's) taste buds. let's face it how many kids just randomly choose veggies for breakfast. i have mentioned before i am blessed with kids who are pretty good with their broad taste buds and they even juice with me. this doesn't mean it isn't an uphill battle sometimes to get all four of us, hubby too, eating and enjoying the right foods for our bodies and lifestyles. 
we are a very active family my son hasn't really met a sport he doesn't like and is a year round water polo player. my daughter has been swimming and now playing polo, not to mention is part monkey/acrobat and is constantly climbing, jumping and flipping all over the place. i will do just about anything to stay active, dance, swim, walk and even dad gets a run or a swim in every now and then. it is important with active kids and adults that  we get enough protein, calcium and vitamins to keep our bodies and bones healthy, not to mention the wonderful things all these nutrients do for our minds. the best way for our body to process a lot of these fruits and veggies are in their natural state which is fresh and raw. juicing first thing in the am is the best way to absorb all of the goodness we need, but it is not always practical(time consuming) or enough to keep the kids going thru school or a 2 hour pool workout. protein and carbs usually need to fit in the mix some way to keep them going. a good way to incorporate all these things are smoothies and sneaking in those green veggies while your doing it is always a plus. 
here is a favorite at our house and your kids will never know it's good for them, because it tastes great. i call this our peanut power smoothie  it's simple and requires nothing but a blender. 

peanut power smoothie

4 servings

11/2 cup chocolate almond milk

1 large banana

2 cups of raw spinach

3 tbsps of natural peanut butter

place all ingredients in blender and enjoy.

carrots and beet juice is also great in smoothies, add them into your favorite fruit smoothie with either some almond milk or plain greek yogurt. you might need a tad bit of honey or agave if the yogurt is particularly tart, but usually the carrots and beets have enough sugar with the fruits.

so good luck in the new year and with your resolutions, hope this one little idea gets you closer to staying on track.

cinnamon apple sticky bread

the christmas holidays are my favorite time of the year. it's a time for family and a time for making memories, creating traditions and teaching our kids about slowing down and appreciating what they have. for me it's also a time for being home together, taking time to just be. this means jammies, board games, books, movies and the opportunity for me to fill our home with delicious food. yesterday was definitely one of those days. late night new years eve fun, left us sleeping in late and cleaning up after all our previous night fun. so i took the opportunity to make a yummy warm treat as a reward for the kids and my hard work. this yummy warm bread is an old and easy recipe. it is nothing fancy and not gourmet, but worth the smiles it receives from all who eat it. so here you go, make some memories and smiles of your own. 

cinnamon apple sticky bread

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

 

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

2 cans (16.3 oz each) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup butter or margarine, melted 

 

1 med apple (any kind) diced small

 

heat oven to 350°F.  Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube cake pan.

  in large bowl, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. separate dough into a total of 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters toss in bowl to coat. arrange in 1/2 of the quarters in pan. Mix brown sugar and butter and apples; pour  1/2 mixture  over biscuit pieces. arrange rest of pieces in pan and pour rest of butter mixture over the top. place in oven and bake for 35 - 45 mins until all dough is cooked through. cool 10 mins and invert onto serving dish and enjoy!