Eat Better: Mashed Avocado on Toast

30 Jan posted by

Alright, I know what you’re thinking right now – is mashed avocado on toast seriously what you’re passing off as a recipe today? I promise, it’s not a case of the Mondays that is prompting me to just write down two random ingredients in the title and call it a day, this really is a recipe and a good one at that!

Avocado on toast is actually one of my staple lunches, right next to “last night’s leftovers” and “whatever fell off the high chair”. I am huge fan of avocado, in fact my guacamole is legendary in these here parts, so this is a spin of sorts on that. I adapted my original guacamole recipe just enough to where I could feel good about slathering it on wheat toast and calling it a meal. Add some dressed mixed greens or a fruit salad to this and you’ve got yourself a midday winner or a super fast weeknight meal with loads of nutrients and enough good fat to keep you full for hours.

Mashed Avocado on Toast

Ingredients

  • 1/2 ripe Haas avocado
  • Coarse-ground dijon mustard
  • Sea salt
  • 1/3 – 1/2 of a lemon
  • 2 slices whole wheat bread (I also love Ezekiel Sprouted Grain Sesame Bread for this, usually found in the organic freezer section of your store)

Directions

Slice an avocado in two, and place half of it in a medium-sized bowl. Mash with a fork or old-fashioned potato masher just enough to mix, taking care to leave large chunks intact. Squeeze 1/3-1/2 of a fresh lemon into the bowl (depends on how juicy your lemon is and how much lemon flavor you like, but I always use about half when I make this). Mix well and then season with fresh ground sea salt, to your taste.

Toast the bread in a toaster and then spread all slices generously with coarse-ground dijon mustard. Divide the mashed avocado mixture evenly amongst the 2 pieces of toast and spread it around on top.

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Filed Under: Eat Better, Lunch Recipes, New Year's Resolutions, Recipes

One Meal, Two Ways: Slow Cooker Turkey Chili + Chili Mac

23 Jan posted by

We continue our Resolutions for the Real You series with another Eat Better entry today, one that can take your initial meal through two nights of healthy eating. As a busy mom, I am constantly trying to come up with new ways to dress up leftovers for night two so the kids will eat it again without complaining and just as importantly, so I’ll have to spend less time in the kitchen. Check back here often for healthy first night recipes and second night disguises to get the most out of your family mealtimes.

Chili is a definite favorite in our house, and I generally always make ours with ground turkey versus beef. My favorite two chili recipes involve a lot of chopping and measuring and standing over the stove, and I just don’t always have time for that. If I know I’m headed into a busy day but still want to make sure we’re not eating frozen chicken nuggets for dinner, this recipe is a great go-to. There’s very minimal chopping, just a few minutes of sautéing, and then everything gets tossed in the slow cooker until dinner time. The kids love it, we love it, and it’s easy! This is one of the very rare times when I advocate using a powdered chili mix, generally I prefer adding the individual spices, but it’s great in this and keeps things really simple and quick.


This is all the prep work involved. Sauté up some onions, garlic and peppers while browning the meat and then add to all the other ingredients in the slow cooker.


Three out of three kidlets agree!

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 lbs. lean ground turkey
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
  • 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
  • 1 (1.25 oz.) package of your favorite chili seasoning mix (I use mild to keep it kid-friendly but the level of spice is totally up to your taste)
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Toppings: shredded part skim cheddar cheese, scallions, sour cream

Directions
Cook first 5 ingredients in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain into a colander. Spoon mixture into a 5 1/2 qt. slow cooker, stir in all remaining ingredients until well blended.

Cook at high for 4-5 hours or at low for 6-7 hours. Serve with desired toppings.

Recipe originally adapted from Southern Living (April 2006 Issue)

NIGHT TWO
So you’ve done all your cooking last night and what you really want is to sit down to a marathon of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills instead of standing over a hot stove. Well too bad, you had kids. Those days are over. But what you can do is spend minimal time in the kitchen so the little crazy people that call you mom will have less time to destroy your house and everything in it while you do your best to keep them healthy.

We used to have enough of this recipe leftover to just have chili two nights in a row, but as the boys have gotten bigger, so have their appetites. Now, to make the meal stretch into two nights and to keep it different enough that they don’t complain, I like to add some whole wheat elbows to the chili to make it into chili mac. There is no real recipe here because everyone is going to have a different amount of leftovers, but just add enough pasta to bulk up the meal but not so much that you cancel out the sauciness of the chili. Top with shredded cheese and any other preferred toppings for a great second night meal.


Reheat the leftover turkey chili in a sauce pot and add the cooked whole wheat pasta right to it. Stir it in and let it simmer for about 5 minutes so the sauce can sink into the noodles a bit.

Add your desired toppings to get a healthy and super fast meal two nights in a row!

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Filed Under: Eat Better, Kid-Friendly, Leftovers, New Year's Resolutions, Recipes, Uncategorized

Eat Better: Mediterranean Beef Stew

16 Jan posted by

We are now officially past the two week mark – the point in time when most people have already ditched their well-meaning New Year’s resolutions. How are you doing? Still hanging strong or back to favoring twinkies and wine over rice cakes and yoga? Well, in case you need a kick in the admittedly tighter pants, we’re continuing our Resolutions for the Real You series with another Eat Better entry today: Mediterranean Beef Stew.

Beef Stew and I have a somewhat dicey history, the name alone conjures memories of chewy meat that sat in the crock pot all day and is pretty much the last thing I’d invite to my dinner table. I’m guessing you can see where this is going, much like the last time I posted about how I disliked butternut squash but was willing to start a new religion over this soup, beef stew finally won me over with the inspired addition of some red wine. I first made this recipe several years ago and it’s since become a staple in our house in the winter, the simmering wine smells amazing and even the kids love it which is the sure sign of a winner.

One tip I always make sure to pass on if you want to avoid chewy meat, be sure to trim the pieces into 1″ cubes before you start cooking. The stew meat you buy from the store is usually about triple the size you want it to be, and if you skip this step the results will not be the same at all. Also, a great rule of thumb when adding wine (or any alcohol) to a recipe is to always cook with something that you know tastes good and that you would drink outside of the dish. You certainly don’t need to open a $50 bottle for this recipe, but there are lots of tasty alternatives in the $10 to $12 range and since you only need a cup, it would be wasteful to not drink the rest anyway. What else are you going to do for the hour and a half it takes for the stew to finish cooking?


Be sure to trim your stew meat to 1″ to get the best results.


Beef. It’s what’s for dinner.


Red wine, fresh veggies, organic meat and herbs – can’t go wrong with this combo!


Mom-tested, baby-approved.

Mediterranean Beef Stew

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 3 1/2 cups halved mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
  • 2 cups diagonally cut carrot
  • 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped onion
  • 1 1/2 cups sliced celery
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 (14.5-ounce) cans no-salt-added stewed tomatoes, undrained
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 (2 1/4-ounce) can sliced ripe olives, drained (I am not a fan of oiliness so I’ve never added this ingredient. If you’re not into them, you can leave them out as well with no effect on the finished product.)
  • 3.5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

*If serving the finished stew over mashed potatoes, which I highly recommend, add potatoes to your shopping list as well.

Preparation

Heat oil in a large Dutch or stew pot oven over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan. Add mushrooms and next 4 ingredients (mushrooms through garlic) to pan; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return beef to pan. Stir in water and next 6 ingredients (water through bay leaves); bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in olives, and cook for 20-30 minutes or until beef is tender (check on the beef at the 20 minute mark, some pots heat faster than others and you don’t want to overcook it). Discard bay leaves. Stir in vinegar. Sprinkle with parsley and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve with mashed potatoes.

Originally adapted from Cooking Light.

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Filed Under: Eat Better, Health and Lifestyle, Kid-Friendly, New Year's Resolutions, Recipes

Eat Better: Vegetarian Chili

13 Jan posted by

One of the most comforting meals on a cold winter day is a piping hot bowl of chili. I especially love it with a big piece of crusty bread and some homemade guacamole. I don’t eat much meat anymore, so I needed a good vegetarian chili that was also hearty enough to please my family. The below recipe is super easy, and because it’s made in a slow-cooker, you can literally put everything together in the morning and come home from work with dinner already made.

Recipe modified from Stratford’s Sweet Chili (From 300 Slow Cooker Favorites by Donna-Marie Pye)

Serves 6 to 8

Slow cooker size: 5 to 6 quart

  • 1 can (19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 2 cups home-cooked chickpeas
  • 2 cans (19 oz) red kidney beans or black beans, drained and rinsed, or 2 cups home-cooked beans
  • 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes with herbs and spices
  • 1 can (10 oz) corn kernels, drained
  • 2 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 cup  ketchup
  • 1/4 cup  liquid honey
  • 3 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
  • Sour cream
  • Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • Guacamole

1.    In slow cooker stoneware, combine chickpeas, kidney beans, tomatoes, corn, carrots, garlic and red onion.

2.    In a bowl, combine ketchup, honey, chili powder and cayenne; mix well and pour into slow cooker. Stir mixture to combine.

3.    Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 6 hours, until hot and bubbling.

4.    With 1 hour left, add green pepper, red pepper and yellow pepper.

5.    Serve in bowls with your choice of sour cream, cheese, guacamole or all three.

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Filed Under: Eat Better, New Year's Resolutions, Recipes

Eat Better: Homemade Bolognesé Sauce

9 Jan posted by

People that make their own pasta sauce used to mystify me. It seemed a laborious process, akin to drying your wet unmentionables on an outdoor clothesline or knitting yourself a sweater that is totally out of style and season by the time you actually finish it. Why make sauce when you can just buy a jar of Ragú, right? Then, the day I came home from the hospital with my oldest son, my mom made me some fresh pasta with this sauce on top and it was a tomato-based epiphany. Sure, it was right on the heels of 28 hours of labor followed by two days of hospital dining so anything homemade would have seemed the pinnacle of gourmet, but one thing this girl knows is food and I knew it was beyond good.

This sauce is simple to make, doesn’t need to simmer all day, will impress anyone at your table and freezes so well that I keep containers of it stocked at all times for a last minute, healthy dinner option. Seriously, why buy Ragú when you can just make this sauce at home?

While the name says ‘Bolognesé’, it departs from traditional form in that there is no wine or milk in the sauce. It’s chock-full of three kinds of meat, lots of tomato and small-diced veggies so you can totally go all Jessica Seinfeld “Deceptively Delicious” on your wee diners and they won’t even look up from their plates to complain. I am not at all a veal eater but for some reason in this sauce I don’t mind it. It plays nicely with the ground sirloin and pork so I definitely suggest keeping it in if you too are on the fence.

This recipe makes a lot, enough to serve at least 12, so unless your last name is Duggar and you actually need all of this in one sitting, spoon the leftovers into portioned containers and stick them in the freezer once they’ve cooled to room temperature. When you need a quick meal, just pop a portion in the microwave for 3-4 minutes to defrost it enough to remove it from the container, and then slow simmer in a covered pot until just bubbling. If you do this right when you start the pasta water, they generally finish cooking at the same time. Be sure to bookmark or print this page too if you’re going to be serving for guests, it’s impossible to make this and not hand out the recipe when you’re done.


I have tinkered with the original recipe my mom gave me a little, and doubling the amount of carrots and celery was one of the ways I did this. With three kids that can go either way with veggies, “hiding” them in this sauce is a surefire way to get them in with no complaints.

 


I force my youngest to flash me his belly at least once during each and every meal prep. I’m not saying it makes the food taste better in the end, but I’m not saying it doesn’t either…


The sauce that made “bottled” a dirty word in our house. 


Try serving this sauce over lots of different types of pasta. I usually go with Rigatoni or Penné for parties because it’s easier, but the kids prefer Spaghetti when it’s just us. Fresh Tortellini or Ravioli? Total mouthgasm. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Homemade Bolognesé Sauce

Ingredients
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 lb. ground white veal
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 lb. ground sirloin
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrot (small-diced)
1 cup chopped celery (small-diced)
1 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Two 28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes (look for the San Marzano variety tomatoes if you can find them, otherwise just use a very good quality brand. San Marzano can be easily found at Whole Foods, if you have one nearby)
4 tbsp. tomato paste
Two 15 oz. cans tomato sauce
1 tsp sugar
Dried pasta
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions
Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the ground meats and season with 3/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Cook until the meat has browned, about 5 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon to break it up into small bits. Drain the browned meat into a colander and set aside.

Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, basil, oregano, bay leaf, and the remaining salt and pepper to the already heated pan. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Put the meat back into the pot and add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar and 2 cups of water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat then lower the heat to medium-low and continue simmering uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf.

Serve over your favorite pasta and sprinkle generously with fresh parmesan cheese. Await praise from your family or friends (seriously, it’s coming).

*NOTE: Because ground meat is generally sold in 1 pound packages, I like to split these up and make two pots at once so I have a lot to freeze. If you choose to do this, do not make it all in one big pot because it will not reduce properly and you’ll get a watery sauce. Use two pots and duplicate the instructions for each.

 

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Filed Under: Eat Better, Health and Lifestyle, New Year's Resolutions, Recipes
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