Category: Snacks

• Strawberry and cake kabobs.

  Posted at 10:11 pm by myfoodiecall

  Jun 17th

  Ok, here’s the deal. It is my turn to bring the “team snack” to baseball. First off, who the heck ever thought of starting team snack after sports?? I know that when I was little we never had parents bringing baggies of goldfish for the whole team. Can’t we just high five and call it a day?

  Apparently not.

  What’s a healthy mom to do??

  My son’s criteria for the team snack:

  • junky (Cheetos)
  • something not embarrassing (not carrots and hummus)

  My criteria:

  • non-junky (nothing with the words “hydrogenated”)
  • Try to not embarrass. (I realize your teammates will unfriend you if I bring kale chips)

  The compromise:

  

  Kabobs. Because kids love anything on a stick.

  Strawberry and cake kabobs

  Aka: A Non-embarrassing snack for a team of hungry baseball players

  Ingredients:

  • kabob sticks
  • strawberries
  • angel food cake
  • dark chocolate chips (optional, but good for bonus points)
  • 1 can pumpkin (yup, pumpkin)
  • 1 box brownie mix

  

  Where is the can of pumpkin, you ask? In that big brownie pan at the top.

  

  Remove all stems from strawberries.

  

  Cut angel food cake into 1-2 inch chunks.

  

  Pumpkin brownies: All you do is mix one store-bought box of brownie mix with a can of pumpkin and that’s it. NO oil, NO egg. Just brownie mix and pumpkin. Then you bake at the temperature lised on your box, minus 5 minutes. Once your batch has cooled, cut into 1 inch cubes. will be a bit more dense than traditional brownies, but in a fudgy kind of way.

  Thread your kabobs in whichever pattern you’d like. I kind of bounced around a bit, trying to keep mine colorful.

  

  Hope this makes the cut….

  Optional chocolate topping: Easy: Just melt your chips in your microwave in 20 seconds intervals, stirring in between until melty, drippy, oozing. 

  

  Drizzle on top with a spoon…

  

  Then I put these babies in the fridge to keep the kabobs cool and harden the chocolate.

  The verdict: These were a hit. Not hard to make, and if I had to do this again (which I will), I would probably nix the angel food cake and just alternate the strawberries and pumpkin brownie. This fit the bill. Super easy, and embarrassment free. Can’t guarantee next time will be. 🙂

  Posted in Desserts, Snacks | Tagged brownies, dessert, fruit kabobs, pumpkin

• Blueberry banana soft serve. Because it’s March 22nd and it’s hot out.

  Posted at 9:14 pm by myfoodiecall

  Mar 22nd
  

  Blueberry soft serve. Guilt free, baby!

  Do you know how creamy bananas can be when frozen? The consistency is amazing. Years ago I would slice, freeze, and then snack on frozen bananas. Until I discovered this dessert. Gone are the days of my sucking on frozen sliced bananas. This dessert is amazing. A satisfying, dairy free soft serve from a banana base.  I discovered this on a blog that I follow called, Choosing Raw. http://www.choosingraw.com.  Since then I have made 1,000,001 variations of this. Chocolate soft serve, peanut butter soft serve, pumpkin peanut butter soft serve…. All with the frozen banana base, and a couple of add-on ingredients. The possibilities are endless. You just have to be willing to dust off your food processor.

  For today: Blueberry Soft Serve.

  About the ingredients

  • The bananas– DO NOT THROW OUT THOSE OLD BANANAS! I never waste bananas in this house. Brown bananas need love too. Honestly, the most ripe bananas are the sweetest, am I right? Slice them up, freeze in a freezer bag and keep them on hand for smoothies, and this yummy soft serve recipe.
  •  The blueberries– Do you keep frozen berries in your freezer? full-time? Give them a home, in your freezer, permanently. Not just for summer!
  • Truvia– Optional healthy sweetener. Toss your Splenda, this is a better choice.

  

  Looks like this.

  On to the recipe:

  Blueberry banana soft serve 

  (makes 2-4 servings…how hungry are ya?)

  3 frozen bananas (sliced and peeled beforehand)

  1 cup frozen blueberries

  3-4 tablespoons milk (I use almond milk to keep it dairy free)

  1-2 packets Truvia (optional…depends on your need for sweets!)

  Toss all ingredients into your food processor. Process until desired consistency, scraping the bowl down as needed.

  

  Blueberries and frozen bananas. A match made in heaven.

  

  Getting there….

  

  You will be hooked…

  A few Sundays ago we even had soft serve for our family breakfast. Living on the edge.
  Posted in Desserts, Snacks | Tagged banana, Snacks

• A green smoothie recipe for the green smoothie rookie.

  Posted at 6:07 pm by myfoodiecall

  Mar 4th

  I am making Green Smoothies with my 4 year old’s preschool in a couple of weeks. Sort of a good way to combine health, learning, and a little St. Patrick’s Day celebrating. The problem. With twelve-4 year olds, you are bound to get some pickiness. I needed a way to be sure I brought along a winning recipe. 

  Enter:

  The Green Smoothie Taste Test. Green smoothies make an appearance in this house quite a bit. Unfortunately, we all have different ideas about what makes a good green smoothie. I like mine banana based and creamy, the kids like a more citrus-y punch to their smoothie. 

  My solution:

  1. Make two different Green Smoothies for the crew (without them seeing the ingredients)
  2. Pour in marked cups labeled “1” and “2”
  3. Have them try each 
  4. Have them vote (but in top-secret)
  5. Use the smoothie recipe that got the most votes (amazing science, I know)

  Here are all of the ingredients that I used for both smoothies. Note: cups and marker in the back for top-secret labeling. That way there could be no green-smoothie-bias.

  Let the games begin:

  He goes left.

  He goes right.

  She goes center.

  Casting her vote. No peeking.

  I always joke that Landon will eat or drink pretty much anything short of a hub cap.

  This is the one.

  Mr. Foodie Call, unsure.

  Still unsure.

  Our super top-secret voting box.

  
  

  Winner revealed:

  Smoothie recipe #1! 

  Here is the recipe that I will be blasting out with some green smoothie rookies.

  It’s super vibrant green too, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Bonus.

  Super Basic Green Smoothie 

  (perfect for those that either fear spinach or are convinced that it doesn’t belong in their orange juice)

  • 2 cups organic spinach
  • 6 oz  orange juice
  • 1/2  banana
  • 1 cup frozen peaches

  Blend until smooth. Add a fancy straw. Or at least a bendy one.

  Live on the edge next time and add some chia.
  Posted in Snacks | Tagged smoothie recipe

• veggies, beans, and being okay with mindless eating

  Posted at 9:38 pm by myfoodiecall

  Jan 21st

  Kids are always hungry. At least mine are. Always seems to happen when it’s post-afternoon-snack-but-its too-early-for-dinnertime. I try to beat them to the punch when I can. I find that if you stick a plate of veggies in front of them, 9 times out of 10 they will eat them. Although it is “mindless” eating and that tends to be taboo these days, I am a-okay with mindless veggie consumption. This dip is one that I found from  Joy Bauer. http://www.joybauer.com/healthy-recipes/tuscan-bean-dip.aspx

  My kids approved. As a matter of fact, they used spoons for final scooping. That’s a good sign. 

  Super simple.  With an entire can of beans for protein, this has nothing to feel bad about, other than potential garlic breath. 

  Tuscan Bean Dip

  Ingredients:

  1 can cannellini beans (basically white kidney beans), rinse and drain the goop. yuck!

  2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

  2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

  2 tablespoon chopped, fresh basil OR dried basil (but reduce…fresh to dry ratio is 3:1)

  1/2 teaspoon sage, fresh, chopped

  2 cloves minced garlic

  1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes 

  ground pepper 

  1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  
  

  

  In a medium bowl, mash the beans with a hand-held potato masher. Stir in the next 6 ingredients. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. Serve with cold veggies for a winning combination.

  It might not be pretty, but it more than makes up for it  in flavor.

  
  

  Posted in Snacks | Tagged beans, dip

• Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins

  Posted at 5:04 pm by myfoodiecall

  Oct 15th

  
  Whole Wheat Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins

   

  So I am a pumpkin freak. Seriously…I put it in everything. Chili, oatmeal, pancakes, cookies, even spaghetti sauce. I definitely do not think of pumpkin as an exclusive fall veggie. Super packed with Vitamin A and beta carotene, this can of goodness is well worth the couple of dollars. This post is dedicated to Whole Wheat Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins, although I foresee many pumpkin recipes in the future. I am that narrow-minded. ♥

  Lets begin by breaking down the title.

  • “Whole Wheat”. Whole wheat=whole grain. More vitamins, more fiber. More bang for your buck. Great starting point right there.
  • “Pumpkin”. Yes, it is an excellent source of vitamin A and beta-carotene, but did you know about the fiber content in pumpkin? Take a look at the back of your pumpkin can’s label. You might be pleasantly surprised. grams per 1/2 cup serving. This is the real kind. Not the fake fiber crap that is infused in Fiber One yogurt .
  • “Applesauce”. You just know with that ingredient right there that these muffins are screaming moisture. Yum….

   

  Before getting started:

  • Make sure that you buy pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling has lots of extra sugar that is not needed. These will be sweet enough with the brown sugar and you will be adding your own spices…
  • The Applesauce- applesauce is applesauce right? WRONG. Chances are that if you buy a jar that just reads “applesauce” you are probably buying applesauce with high fructose corn syrup. Yuckers. In case you have been living under a rock (no offense, I am sure it is a very comfortable rock), CORN SYRUP IS EVIL.  When purchasing applesauce make sure it says “unsweetened applesauce”. Your body will not know the difference and will reap the health benefits
  • You will notice that I have walnuts as optional. I hope that you decide to keep these in the recipe. Walnuts have amazing health benefits. They are an excellent source of Omega 3 fatty acids, a super source of plant-based protein, an appetite suppressant, a stress reliever. The list could go on and on. I realize that many do not like nuts in their baked goods, I get it…its a texture thing. I know that my older son would freak if there were large chunks of walnuts in his muffins. My solution. I have a 4 cup mini food processor and I pulse those babies to a grainy powder in seconds. Blends in beautifully. No mini processor? You could also use a coffee grinder or your rolling-pin to break up large chunks. The consistency will not be quite as fine with a rolling-pin, but it would still help with the texture problems. Well worth the extra 15 seconds to throw those in to the recipe. Seriously amazing health benefits. Take the time.

  Whole Wheat Pumpkin- Applesauce Muffins

  2 cups whole wheat flour

  1 teaspoon baking powder

  1/4 teaspoon salt

  2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

  2/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

  1/4 canola oil

  3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce 

  1/2 cup canned Pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling…)

  1/3 cup milk of choice (any milk will work. I used vanilla soy milk, but you could use coconut, almond, etc. )

  2 eggs, lightly beaten

  1/4 cup ground walnuts (optional)

  Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400. Use 12 paper muffin liners or spray your pan with non-stick spray.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and walnuts if you decide to use them. In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, oil, applesauce, pumpkin milk, and eggs. Mix well. Fold the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until combined.
  3. Divide evenly into muffin pan. Bake 15-18 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned. Cool the muffin pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes before serving.

   

  
  Posted in Breakfast, Snacks | Tagged applesauce, muffins, pumpkin

• You missed a call?

  • Make friends with…Bean Pasta.
  • Whole Wheat Flax ‘N Apple Muffins
  • Small changes…Eat what’s in season.
  • Whole Wheat Broccoli Mac N Cheese
  • What I pack my kid.

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