Healthy Egg Salad

Do you have tons of leftover Easter eggs sitting around? I know I sure do! I'm pretty sure we'll be eating boiled eggs all. week. long.

My family loves egg salad, so I decided to try to make a version that's just a little healthier. It turned out pretty yummy!

 We had leftover pitas from the other night when we tried the Tabbouleh pitas that Alanna posted (which were SUPER yummy, by the way!), so that's what we used for our egg salad today.

Basically, all you have to do is take your favorite egg salad recipe and replace the mayonnaise with plain, whole Greek yogurt. I like to stay away from the reduced fat versions because I feel like they are more processed.

So, here's what I did... tweak it to your liking! :)

Healthy Egg Salad
4 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup plain, whole Greek Yogurt
1/4 tsp. onion powder (you could use real onion, but I'm lazy)
salt and pepper to taste

Remove the shells from the eggs and chop or mash into small pieces. Add other ingredients and mix well.

Oh, and if you were wondering, this also makes really yummy deviled eggs! :)

Plant Based Pesto

I miss dairy.  Just a little.
I'm nursing a baby with a dairy sensitivity so I had to go cold turkey off of it 2 months ago.  It honestly hasn't been as difficult as I anticipated but there are still a few things I miss.  Like cheese.  We eat plenty of pasta in our home and tend to garnish it with a lot of cheese.
That's why I'm in love with this vegan pesto dish.  It's versatile, flavorful and oh so creamy.

Ingredients:
fresh basil
fresh parsley
walnuts
silken tofu
garlic
lemon juice
nutritional yeast (optional)
salt/sugar (optional)

In a high powered blender or food processor blend 2 cloves fresh garlic with 6oz extra firm silken tofu (about 1/2 package), juice of 2 small lemons and 1/2 cup walnuts (or pine nuts, toasted) until creamy.  I used one bunch of fresh basil (about 2 cups, rinsed leaves only) and 1/2 bunch of parsley (rinsed, stems removed).  Add greens and nutritional yeast and pulse until desired color/consistency.

In the photo {above} I used whole wheat noodles and added 1 can diced stewed tomatoes and 1 can sliced olives.  There are so many greens in the sauce, I don't bother with a salad.  "Green Spaghetti" night is quite popular with my children.    

*Tips: I salt to taste once the sauce is on the pasta (and sometimes add a teaspoon of sugar).  If your pesto seems too thick in the processor, add more lemon juice or even some olive oil.  Fresh garlic is far more potent than sauteed garlic so be careful not to add too much at first.  I buy nutritional yeast in the bulk section at a natural foods store.  It's a powder that has a cheesy/nutty flavor.  It's often used as a garnish in place of Parmesan cheese.  Sometimes I make an extra batch of pesto to freeze.  I fill ice cube trays with the pesto, freeze for a few hours then pop them into a large freezer zip lock bag.  The cubes are perfect for single serving pasta dishes and pizza sauce.

**This recipe is an altered version of 'Basil Pesto' from the Forks Over Knives Cookbook.

Green Juice

I woke up this morning craving something energizing, fresh and GREEN!

I knew there was kale in the fridge so I pulled out the juicer and made this sweet-tart-succulent juice.

I had to fight my children for my glass since they finished theirs before I could take this photo!

If you're new to juicing or scared you won't like it, start with this recipe. 

Ingredients:
kale
spinach
green apple
ginger
lemon

This morning I used 2 heads of kale, 4 Granny Smith apples, 2 handfuls of spinach, a thumb sized piece of peeled fresh ginger and 2 small Meyer lemons.

This recipe is also delicious with cucumber, celery, parsley and any other greens you fancy. 

My sister and I started juicing together after we watched the documentary Fat Sick & Nearly Dead.  We went to a thrift store that day and bought 2 used juicers. {One was $4, the other was $8.}

Since then I've purchased a nicer juicer and found several amazing juice recipes. 

*Tips: Rinse and chop everything before you begin and then alternate the ingredients as you juice to keep your juicer from clogging.  I usually wrap the peeled ginger in a piece of kale to keep it from getting kicked off the blade into the pulp.  I peel my lemons and throw them in whole.  The apples I quarter and juice, seeds and all.  Be sure to rinse your juicer as soon as you finish juicing.  It's a royal pain to clean once the pulp dries.  Happy juicing!

Baked Veggies

In an effort to feed my young family more vegetables, I've had to get creative in how I prepare/serve them.  It's been hit or miss lately but when I want a guaranteed veggie-meal without protests, I start with baked vegetables.

EVERYONE in our house likes these veggies.  They tend to caramelize when baked this way and come out of the oven tasting like candy.  So delicious!

To get started, chop an assortment of vegetables into bite sized pieces and put them in a giant mixing bowl.  I use whatever veggies I have on hand.  Pictured above are:

red and orange bell peppers

sweet potatoes

purple carrots

cauliflower

Other possibilities: 

broccoli

russet potatoes

zucchini squash

brussel sprouts

any vegetable!

Sweet potato, broccoli and cauliflower are our family favorites.  Drizzle about a quarter cup of oil over the vegetables and mix well to coat.  I like to use coconut or olive oil.  Spread the vegetables out in a single layer on two baking sheets and bake @ 475° for 12-15 minutes.  Take the baking sheets out of the oven and mix the veggies around, turning them a bit.  Put them back in the oven for another 12-15 minutes.  If both of your baking sheets don't fit on the same rack in your oven (like mine), rotate them at this point. 

When the vegetables are done cooking, salt to taste and serve.  They are great as a side or as part of a main dish.  

Our favorite way to eat baked veggies is mixed with coconut curry sauce over brown rice.

These two products make this delicious meal truly quick and easy to prepare.  I find the microwavable rice at Trader Joes and the vegan curry sauce at Costco.

Please leave your meal suggestions using baked veggies in the comments.  I'm excited to read them!

*Tips:  When using coconut oil, melt the oil before adding to the vegetables.  Mix quickly as the cold veggies will return the oil to solid.  Try adding various seasonings to the vegetables with the oil.  Olive oil and Italian seasonings are a nice combination and coconut oil goes well with Asian spices.  I've even added taco spices and used them in vegetables enchiladas.   Get creative.  The possibilities are endless.

Tabouli & Hummus Pitas

Have you ever tried tabouli?

I like to describe it as Mediterranean salsa.  This parsley packed salad is supper yummy and versatile.  You can serve it with tortilla chips as an appetizer, on a Greek salad, in a wrap, or my favorite...

In a pita with hummus.

Ingredients:

whole wheat pitas

tabouli (homemade or store bought)

hummus (homemade or store bought)

I've had these little pitas for lunch quite a bit lately.  They are fresh, filling and very fast.  Sometimes if I'm really in a hurry I don't even bother filling them I simply pile the hummus and tabouli on the pita like a mini pizza.  

I bought this tabouli at Costco {Hannah brand}.  While nothing beats homemade, it's a decent version.  If you're up for making your own, I like this recipe.  It uses quinoa, which is a great way to sneak in extra plant protein.  

When I buy hummus I like to get it at Costco because they sell it in large containers and we go through it so quickly.  I usually find the little whole wheat pitas at Trader Joes.  Enjoy!

Spinach & Bean Pasta

I'm a big fan of tossed pasta.  It's become a go-to meal for nights when I don't have a lot of time--or ingredients.

I was at my best friend's house a few weeks ago and she tossed up this delightfully simple pasta dish.  I had never thought to put beans and noodles together, but I'm super glad she did.  I've made this several times now and my children {almost} don't complain about the spinach.

Ingredients:

whole wheat penne

fresh spinach

canned black beans

extra virgin olive oil

salt

Boil noodles till al dente, drain and return to pot.  Drizzle with olive oil and mix to prevent the noodles sticking together.  In a separate pan sauté spinach and beans then combine with noodles.  Add more olive oil if desired and salt to taste.    

Loaded Whole Wheat Muffins

I have such a hard time getting my kids to eat vegetables. Luckily, I'm sneaky and find ways to hide veggies in their food as much as possible. These muffins have squash and carrots hidden in them and they are still super yummy!

I struggled with what to call these scrumptious little muffins. I got the idea of adding fruits and veggies to the muffin batter from a recipe called "toddler muffins", but my almost-eight-year-old won't eat them if I call them that. So we'll go with "loaded muffins" because these bad boys are packed full of nutritious stuff! :)

Loaded Whole Wheat Muffins

1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or sweetening agent of your choice)
2 large bananas, mashed
1/4 cup pureed squash
2 carrots, pureed (or grated)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup whole wheat flour
 1/2 cup oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375. In a mixing bowl, blend wet ingredients together. Mix in oats, baking soda, and spices. Add the flour last and stir until combined. Spoon batter into greased muffin cups and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

*Tips: For the squash, I freeze pureed squash in ice cube trays and keep some handy in the freezer. Aside from these muffins, I can sneak it into pasta sauces and some soups. If you happen to have a little one in the baby food phase, a jar of baby food squash works, too!