Tag: recipe

Midweek Mashup

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, diet, disease, eating, family, health, Health and wellness, Nutrition, Recipes, wellness1 Comment

MIDWEEK MASHUP

Happy Wednesday. It’s a short week! For that let’s celebrate. Surely all the kids are back in school and this week is probably hectic for many. Here’s some good information and a quick recipe to get you through to Friday.

I’ve always believed that if more people got in the kitchen and cooked meals for themselves and their families, they would be healthier overall. An acquaintance once lamented that she felt like there were so many nutrition rules that it felt impossible to feed herself and her daughter “the right way”, so she gives up and resorts to takeout. I say that the nutrition and wellness community has failed her if that’s what she (and likely so many others) feel. The truth is, a jar of decent quality pasta sauce and a box of whole wheat noodles with a bagged salad on the side is vastly healthier than a drive-thru burger and fries. So, if that’s where you are starting, that’s ok. Trust me, you will progressively become more confident in your cooking and before you know it you will have a repertoire of healthy and delicious meals that don’t feel overwhelming to make on a weeknight. I loved Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl’s take on this in her article “The Cure Is in the Kitchen” in  Experience Life’s recent issue. Take a look.

Speaking of making things easier in the kitchen, one approach that I’ve always practiced is to make extra for the freezer or fridge. When making soup, I often double the recipe and fill up Ziploc gallon bags with the excess. Lay them flat in the freezer for easy stacking. On busy nights just pull out a bag and reheat. Sides like roasted veggies are delicious warmed up or cold from the fridge all week long. In fact, I just bought another rimmed roasting sheet on Monday so I can easily make even more.  After this hectic week of back-to-school and houseguest coming on Friday,  I will also start using my weekends or Mondays to make a big batch of quinoa or other healthy salad that I can eat throughout the week for lunch. 

And finally, here’s a simple and delicious looking recipe for your next Meatless Monday or whenever you want to load up on veggies. These Vegan Thai Curry Vegetables look fantastic for a cool fall day, and the gentle spice should be well tolerated by all in your house. I would serve them over brown rice and fruit on the side and call it a day. In fact, it’s what’s for dinner tonight.

That’s it for this week. I hope you enjoyed reading. As always, please pass it along, post it to your pages, and subscribe if you did! And I would love to hear what you think in the comments.

You might also like:

Midweek Mashup

Hearty Lentil Soup

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Oat Muffins

Friday Cocktails: The Aviation

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, Cooking, holiday, Recipes, summer12 Comments

 

Aviation_cherry_(6127689536)

It’s Friday, and I’ve missed a couple weeks of Friday Cocktails but I am making it up with a whammy of a cocktail that I’ve recently fallen in love with. The Aviator was presented to me last Sunday evening and upon the first sip I knew it would be a keeper.

To back up a bit, I was given a bottle of Luxardo maraschino liqueur for my birthday by my neighbors because I love all things cherry.  Lest you think this is some neon-red concoction full of artificial everything, you should know that maraschino liqueur is a clear liqueur made from special maraschino cherries that has been produced by Luxardo (first in convents in Croatia, then in Italy) since the early 1800’s.  It’s got a fantastic flavor profile and while it is sweet, it’s not cloyingly so.

Since that fateful gift, I have sought out any cocktail I could find that features my new favorite liqueur. I looked at a cocktail menu last Sunday and there it was: The Aviator.  I love the bright flavor from the fresh squeezed lemons. I love the crispiness of the gin. And I love the sweetness from the maraschino liqueur. My  husband, who doesn’t love sweet drinks, thought it was really nice.

I am planning on making this for friends over the long holiday weekend and will look forward to hearing what they think.

One note: some versions of the Aviation include Crème de Violette to make it blue like the sky. I haven’t tried that version, and since I love the Aviation the way I tried it, I think i’ll keep it that way.

So, here it is. Buckle up, this is a strong cocktail that is best sipped! 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 1/2 ounces gin
  • 3/4 ounce maraschino liqueur
  • 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
  • Maraschino cherry (optional)

METHOD:

Add all the ingredients to a shaker and fill with ice.

Shake, and strain into a cocktail glass. I like to pour it over an ice ball so that it stays nice and cold.

Garnish with a cherry if desired.

NOTE: I have not been compensated for mentioning Luxardo in my post. I simply really enjoy the product!

You might also like:

Friday Cocktails: The Caipirinha!

Friday Cocktails: The Great Gatsby

Friday Cocktails: The French Pear

Midweek Mashup

On By Cultivate WellnessIn baking, Cooking, diet, disease, eating, family, health, Kids, Nutrition, Recipes2 Comments

MIDWEEK MASHUP

Happy Wednesday.

This week I bring you a delicious cookie recipe that happens to be vegan and wheat free (whaaaat?!) and some information that will hopefully enrich your life a little and maybe even make it better.

Do you eat granola?  And if so, do you consider it a healthier option than other popular breakfast foods? Nutritionist have long known that most commercial granola is chock full of sugar and consider it a dessert. I suppose that rings true with many of the granolas you’ll find on the shelves. I have found one I love with only good ingredients like oats, dried fruit, millet and quinoa. Purely Elizabeth has an ancient grain line that I love, with my fave being cranberry pecan. It has 6 grams of sugar per 1/3 cup. Ok, yes, 1/3 cup is a very small serving. I pour that much into my bowl and add slivered almonds, fresh blueberries and chia seeds. So, then I’ve got good proteins and fat and it isn’t overwhelmingly sweet. You can also use it to sprinkle on unsweetened yogurt. The thing about granola is that it isn’t meant to be eaten in large quantities. Think of it as an addition to your breakfast rather than the main event. 

As you might have read in previous posts, my 11 year old is in the middle of an elimination diet. She’s about halfway through. It’s been a challenge, to say the least. But she’s getting used to it. Yesterday she told me she thought giving up wheat and dairy would be the hardest but actually it’s corn and nightshades, because potato starch and/or corn derivatives are in most packaged foods. Most gluten-free products contain one or both. Almost all candy has corn syrup (yes, candy isn’t healthy, we know that). It’s hard to avoid corn, no matter how much you might try, unless everything you eat is prepared at home from scratch (hello, unrealistic for most).One thing that she has missed is a good chocolate chip cookie. Most chocolate chips have dairy, but I found a brand called Enjoy Life that are vegan and also free of almost all allergens. Yesterday she made a batch of spelt chocolate chip cookies that were to die for. I’m not kidding, they are so good. She found the recipe here: Chocolate Chip Cookies. The only thing I did to help was put the cookies in the oven and take them out at the end. Don’t these look amazing?


And finally, if you’re like me and try to make meals using up your pantry items a few times a year, here’s a great list of things you can cook. My husband gets super excited when I do this because it means I’m being economical and there’s nothing sexy than being economical!

Here’s to a great rest of your week. As always, please share this post with someone you think might enjoy it. Even better, click to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss any great tidbits!

 

 

 

New Recipe: Easy Peanut Butter Balls (and an update on the elimination diet).

On By Cultivate WellnessIn baking, Cooking, diet, disease, eating, family, health, Health and wellness, Kids, Nutrition, Recipes6 Comments


Today is day 10 of my daughter’s modified elimination diet. Tomorrow is the first day that we start adding foods back in. She gets to eat 5-6 servings of one of the food groups that we’ve been avoiding, followed by two days of “watch and wait”. She has chosen nightshades  because she really misses tomatoes, peppers and potatoes.

I’ll be honest: neither one of us has seen or noticed any changes since starting the elimination protocol. Maybe when we introduce things back into her diet she’ll notice something. Hopefully there won’t be a big reaction which would indicate a sensitivity and a need to avoid.

The last 10 days have been trying for her. I get it. When you’re told you can’t have something it only makes you want it more, right? But she is still being a trooper and I commend her for it. There has been no whining, no tantrums, no pushback. She’s stoic (like her dad) and while she really has disliked this experience intensely, she’s persevered.

We just took a three day girls’ trip and I packed much of our food. Eating out was a challenge but we found some places willing to work with us. Two of the restaurants specialized in vegan and gluten-free which usually means that they are more open to special requests. And both happened to be featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, so that was cool. Shout outs go to At Sara’s Table Chester Creek Cafe and Duluth Grill!

Now on to the new recipe I promised. These Easy Peanut Butter Balls are full of protein, healthy fats, and healthy whole grains. They really couldn’t be easier to make and they are guaranteed to please just about anyone. Make a double batch and keep them in your fridge for an easy grab-and-go breakfast for busy mornings and after school snacks.

EASY PEANUT BUTTER BALLS

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup natural peanut butter (I really like the no-stir Whole Foods creamy)

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup vanilla protein powder (I couldn’t get by without Orgain, which happens to be vegan)

1/2 cup honey (use local if you have seasonal allergies, as it’s thought to help with symptoms)

Optional: chocolate chips

METHOD:

Stir all the ingredients together, then form into balls the size of a golf ball. If they are too sticky, add a bit more protein powder or oats. Likewise, if they are too dry, add a bit of honey or peanut butter. Keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Will you try these? Do you have a variation you like?  Tell me in the comments!

You might also like:

NEW RECIPE! Spelt Pancakes: better than you’d imagine!

New Recipe! Pan Fried Tofu

 

New Recipe! Pan Fried Tofu

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, diet, disease, eating, health, Health and wellness, Nutrition, Recipes4 Comments

Pan Fried Tofu

I love tofu. But I have always been a little afraid to cook with it at home because it felt fussy to me. For years I’ve been wanting to try pan frying it, ever since my friend Becky told me she made it and it was really delicious.

The other day I was hungry for lunch and I had very little in my refrigerator. I did, however, have some organic extra firm tofu. I looked up a few different recipes and decided to use a mixture of all of them. What I love about pan fried tofu is the crispy “skin”. The texture is really pleasing and if you season it well it will taste delicious.

I always buy organic if I can, and I eat it at most a couple of times a week. Lots of studies show that whole soy can be healthy for us in many ways, but there are also conflicting studies that show the opposite.  As with all things, it’s up to the individual to decide what is right for them.  If you are interested in reading more about soy and your health, click here, here or here.  One thing is for certain: it’s high in protein (it’s actually a complete protein, something you rarely find in vegetarian food), low in calories, and has some healthy fat to keep you full.

PAN FRIED TOFU

1 package firm or extra firm tofu (organic if possible)

1-2 T (or more) of olive oil

2-3T corn starch (buy organic if you wish)

Salt and pepper

2 T honey

1/4 cup soy sauce (I prefer the San-J gluten-free Tamari)

1 t garlic powder

METHOD:

Slice tofu into 1/2 inch “fillets”

Place tofu folded paper towels on a plate. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place a small casserole dish on top of tofu, and then place a heavy can or jar of sauce in the casserole dish to press down on the tofu. Let stand for 15 minutes to squeeze out excess liquid.

Pat tofu dry, then place in a colander.  Sprinkle the corn starch all over the tofu.  This is what’s going to give it a nice crust.

Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan and when hot, place the tofu in the pan. Let sit for about 5 minutes to form a nice golden brown crust, checking periodically to make sure it’s not burning.

In the meantime, combine honey, soy sauce and garlic powder in a small saucepan, and heat over medium-low, stirring often, until it reduces to a glaze.

Turn tofu over to brown the other side.  When done, place on a plate and drizzle the glaze on top.

ENJOY!

You might also like:

Easy Posole

Quinoa With Roasted Butternut Squash

Hearty Lentil Soup

 

 

Midweek Mashup

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, diet, disease, health, Health and wellness, Nutrition, Recipes, wellness3 Comments

MIDWEEK MASHUP

Welcome to Wednesday! You’ve made it this far, you should be proud! There’s a lot of health and wellness information coming out this week, and I’m excited to share some of it with you.

Have you ever wondered what might happen if you gave up sugar for an entire year?  Like, really gave it up.  No white sugar, no fruit juice concentrate, no maple syrup, no honey? If I’m being honest, the thought of giving up sweet stuff altogether makes me shudder. I grew up in a house in which my sugar consumption was very strictly monitored. My sister and I would ride our bikes to the corner store to buy candy bars behind our mom’s back. For years afterwards, I was a total candy and soda addict and couldn’t control myself around sugar. I finally figured out how to regulate. Now I raise my daughter differently, to have access to sweets in moderation and to teach her how to self moderate. It’s not easy though, and we sometimes get off track. A reboot sounds like a good idea from time to time. Not a year, but maybe like a week? Read this to find out how one family did it, and how they felt at the end of the year. Thanks to my friend Annie for forwarding this along to me!

I have been subscribing to HelloFresh for a few weeks now, and overall I’m pretty pleased. I love their vegetable boxes because they are more affordable and we are also trying to eat more vegetarian meals. I cringe at the waste of packing materials but we are recycling them so I feel better about that. I love that we get to try new recipes that helps me get out of my meal ruts, especially when time is short and I have less time to give it thought. Tonight I made black bean quesadillas with caramelized onions and they were so good even my 11 year old gobbled them up. Click on the link for the recipe so you can make them at home! Use whole wheat or gluten free tortillas if that’s what appeals to you.

And finally, if you’ve been thinking “Gee, I really wish there was a funny food blog I could read today” look no further than ProntoPup. His most recent post on his attempt to go vegan, only to realize that he’s really a “vaguean” (not that there’s anything wrong with that) is hilarious, honest, and will make you wish you could have dinner with him. Spoiler alert, I get to have dinner with him, and it will probably consist of tofu steak!

Have a great rest of your week, you guys.  Don’t forget to check back on Friday for a new cocktail recipe!

 

Midweek Mashup

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, disease, eating, family, Health and wellness, holiday, Nutrition, summer3 Comments

MIDWEEK MASHUP

Happy Thursday!  I hope you are having a fantastic week.  And, if you aren’t, I hope you find a little bit of happiness here at Cultivate Wellness.

I plan on writing a longer, more thorough blog post about my recent experience being interviewed on our local NPR station, but in the meantime I wanted to post the link so you can listen for yourself.  Remember that post I wrote about the horrible swimsuit spread in Discovery Girls magazine?   It created quite a bit of discussion, including with the host of our morning news show on Minnesota Public Radio.   She decided to dedicate an entire show to the topic of body shaming in young girls, and asked to interview me.  You can listen to the entire show here.  I would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on it and keep the discussion going, so please share and comment!

Speaking of people struggling with body image issues, I read this piece, entitled Fat Dad: The Coffee and Cigarette Diet recently in Well section of The New York Times and it touched my heart.  I thought it was lovingly written.  So often we talk about women and body image, but it’s a good reminder that men struggle with this issue too.

Do you love potato salad as much as I do?  I love it in all forms: with celery, with egg, with mayo, with vinegar.  Dill, parsley, scallions, mint.  It’s *all* good in my book.  Here’s a healthy, delicious looking red, white and blue potato salad just in time for Independence Day.

Have a great rest of your week, whatever you have planned!

As always, I’d be so grateful if you shared my blog with people you think would like it, whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, via email, or word of mouth (or all!).

You might also like:

Last week’s Midweek Mashup

Bikini Body

Potato, Carrot and Leek Soup

 

 

 

 

Cocktails! Prickly Pear Margaritas

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, Cooking, health, Health and wellness, Recipes3 Comments

We just returned from our spring break vacation in Arizona.  I grew up there and I relished the idea of showing my 11 year old all the things I loved about such a beautiful state. Like this sunset:

 


And this mountain vista: 

And this blooming cactus:


And this sunrise:


And the Grand Canyon:

Are you kidding me?  Where else do you see things like this?  We had the best time traveling from the valley to the Grand Canyon and back again.  We were there eight days and could have been there for weeks and weeks.  But we hit some of the best parts and most important of all, my daughter came back appreciating the same things I do about Arizona.  Like the food (oh my gosh the Mexican food).  And the stunning desert landscapes.  And the way the pine trees up north smell like vanilla.

One thing I brought back from Arizona that my daughter didn’t was a love for Prickly Pear Margaritas (yes it’s in caps. They are that good).  I mean, she’s 11.  Funny story: our first night in Arizona my husband ordered a prickly pear margarita. It came out hot pink.  He was secure enough in his masculinity to enjoy every sip.  Anyway, I procured a bottle of prickly pear syrup so that I could recreate these sensational margaritas (and any other cocktail I deem fit) anytime I wanted.

I think it’s my duty to inform you that in Mexico prickly pear is used widely as an anti-hangover remedy.  It’s also high in vitamin C and is full of anti-inflammatory compounds. A very tiny study seems to show that it might also help lower your LDL (the bad) cholesterol levels. Do with that what you will (I write a wellness blog after all, I think you should know these things).  As always, don’t take my word for it.  Talk to your doctor about this stuff.

Anyway, I think this will be the drink of the summer.


PRICKLY PEAR MARGARITAS

Ingredients:

3 ounces tequila of your choice
1/2 ounce Cointreau
2 ounces lime juice (Or more to taste. I squeezed another wedge of lime in my glass)
2 ounces prickly pear syrup (I like Cheri’s Harvest because it’s all natural and doesn’t use preservatives or artificial colors or flavors)
Margarita salt for garnishing the glass

Method:

Combine the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice and prickly pear syrup in a cocktail shaker. Shake well. Use a wedge of lime to wet the rim of a margarita glass and dip into the margarita salt that you’ve poured onto a plate. Pour margarita into glass over ice. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Keep an eye out for more prickly pear syrup recipes, because YUM!

 

Weekend Cocktails! Brandy Old Fashioned

On By Cultivate WellnessIn cocktails, Cooking, holiday, Recipes3 Comments

brandy old fashioned

Tonight is the night we trim the tree.  It’s been sitting bare in the living room waiting for us to have enough time to decorate it.  It’s been a really busy week with work travel and school work (mine and the kid’s) and all the normal stuff a family deals with.  Poor tree has been just sitting there since Sunday waiting patiently.  So tonight we are ordering in some Thai and Vietnamese food (my kitchen is always closed on Fridays.  I don’t think I’ve made dinner on a Friday night for years).  We’ll eat our pho and spring rolls and curry and pad ze-ew and then we’ll get down to business.

I love a good winter cocktail, something fun and festive.  So I think tonight calls for something more than just a glass of wine, at least to start.  This is where the apple brandy comes in.  I have a bottle that I bought for a yummy cider punch I made last year.  So this recipe seems like the perfect choice for tonight.

I love an old fashioned, and I love apple brandy and so what’s not to love about this cocktail?  Bonus, did you know bitters are really good for digestion?  If you’re having some issues after a meal, have a teaspoon of bitters and it should help.

CHEERS!

APPLE BRANDY OLD FASHIONED

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 oz simple syrup OR 1 sugar cube
  • 2 dashes Angostura bitters
  • 1 1/2 oz apple brandy (such as Clear Creek)
  • lemon twist

Method:

  1. If using sugar, place the sugar cube in the bottom of the glass and add the 2 dashes of bitters. Muddle well to blend the sugar and bitters, then add a few drops of water and stir to dissolve the sugar.
  2. If using simple syrup, add the syrup and bitters to the glass.
  3. Place a large chunk of ice into the glass filled with sugar and bitters and add the apple brandy. Stir well to incorporate the sugar and brandy.
  4. Twist the lemon peel over the top, drop it into the glass and serve.

Salmon with Clementine Cucumber Salsa

On By Cultivate WellnessIn Cooking, eating, health, Health and wellness, Nutrition, Recipes, wellness2 Comments

clementine cucumber relish fish

I continued on my quest of cooking every recipe in Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook It’s All Good this week.  I had some salmon in the freezer and the ingredients for the salsa already in my fridge.  My 11 year old, Reese, helped me assemble the ingredients and acted as my sous chef, which means she peeled the clementines.  Sometimes she’s more enthusiastic about being helpful in the kitchen than others.  While reading the recipe out loud to me she said “This is the first recipe I’ve seen in this book that doesn’t have some totally crazy ingredient”.  I laughed because it’s true.  Gwyneth loves a good totally obscure ingredient (gochugaru anyone?).

The recipe for this dish was ultra-easy which is perfect for a weeknight dinner.  It called for cilantro and mint, both of which I didn’t have on hand.  I firmly believe in adjusting recipes on the fly and not adhering too strictly.  I love both mint and cilantro but knew the salsa would still taste good without it.  I ended up eating the leftover salsa as a salad the next day for lunch. I got two favorable reviews from my kiddo and husband and I also thought it was really tasty. I will definitely make it again and again.

Here it is, adapted from Gwyneth’s original:

INGREDIENTS:

4 fillets of your fish of choice (I used salmon but any would be good)

1/2 cucumber, chopped

4 clementines, peeled and chopped

A few dashes of crushed red pepper, to taste

3 shallots, sliced thinly

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste (I love course sea salt)

Olive oil

METHOD:

Combine the cucumbers, clementine, chili, shallot, lemon juice in a bowl, add a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, and stir to combine.

Meanwhile, heat a grill or a grill pan over high heat.  Coat the fish with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.  Grill until firm to the touch, about 4 minutes each side depending on thickness of fish fillets.

Serve the fish with the salsa.

ENJOY!