My Foodie Call | Dial in to your health. | Page 5

- A Roasted Veggie and Rice Casserole
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  May 12th
  You would think with all of the veggies this household consumes that I would be this insane gardener. Insane gardener I am not. I kill plants, not purposely of course, but I just do not make them my top priority and by the time I realize they have dried out or are seriously diseased, they are on their deathbed.
  
  Needless to say, I would probably not make the best vegetable gardener. Not that I don’t wish that I was. And yes, I have attempted to grow a few edibles along the way.
  
  Attempt one
  
  Remember the Topsy Turvy things? I had a strawberry one a few years ago. It had a couple of small strawberries, “yay, me!”, but then the stupid thing fell off my deck (to its death) and the remnants got munched on by some sort of rodent. grr.
  
  Attempt two
  
  I tried to grow herbs in my window 3 years ago…Only to have them grow for a few weeks, tease me, and then die. Failure two.
  
  Attempt three
  
  I tried herbs again last year when a dear friend made me an awesome herb garden as a birthday gift. It was so beautiful in its large pot that I told myself:
  
  “Self? You will not kill this herb garden ESPECIALLY because of the nature of its’ origin. A good friend made you this and this may be a metaphor for your friendship. Don’t kill it!!!”
  
  Well, I did pretty dang good for a while with that herb garden, clipping things as needed, smelling and sniffing up the awesome oregano scent like a crazed person (I went through a big oregano kick during that period.)
  
  Yes last summer, I tended to the herbs with great care and they were doing FAB, until…
  
  I went up north for the whole month of August. My herbs paid the price and did not survive my vacation.
  
  womp womp.
  
  Okay my point in this story? I am attempting herbs (again) and venturing out and growing tomatoes in a pot at the moment. Super excited. I know to most a lousy tomato plant is not a big deal, but this is big for me. Stay tuned.
  
  My tomato plant. Cherry tomatoes, but still, tomatoes.
  
  Speaking of tomatoes…Today’s recipe is a yummy marinara with rice and roasted veggies. This sauce was so good, I could have eaten it solo.
  
  Check it out.
  
  Make this yummy sauce, and seriously, it’s good…
  
  Cook up some rice.
  
  Roast some veggies.
  
  Layer it.
  
  Top it and bake it.
  
  A well balanced meal, no meat required.
  
  Roasted Veggie and Rice Casserole
  
  Ingredients
  - 3-4 cups cooked rice (cook according to package directions)
  - roasted veggies (see directions below)
  - marinara sauce (see directions below)
  - grated parmesan
  Directions for the Casserole
  1. Prepare a casserole dish with non-stick spray.
  2. Spread rice at the bottom on the dish.
  3. Top with your roasted veggies.
  4. Top with your marinara.
  5. Top with parmesan.
  6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
  Ingredients (for the roasted veggies)
  - 2 medium sweet potatoes
  - 4 or 5 carrots
  - 1 asparagus bunch
  - 2 tablespoons olive oil
  - salt and pepper, to taste
  Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F.
  2. Peel the sweet potatoes and carrots.
  3. Then cut up into chucks about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.
  4. Just keep them somewhat similar to ensure even cooking.
  5. Trim the ends off of the asparagus stalks and cut into 2 inch long pieces.
  6. Place the sweet potato and carrot pieces into a bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Toss well so that the vegetables are coated evenly.
  7. Add asparagus pieces into another bowl, then add 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt & pepper.
  8. Spread the sweet potato and carrots onto a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes (stirring midway).
  9. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Spread the asparagus over the sweet potato and carrots and bake in the oven for another 20 minutes.
  10. Remove the baking sheet from the oven.
  Ingredients (for the marinara)
  - 1/2 cup olive oil
  - 3 garlic cloves, minced
  - 1- 28oz can organic crushed tomatoes with basil
  - 1-2 T balsamic vinegar
  - 5 packets stevia (or you could just use sugar)
  - 1/2 tsp onion salt
  Directions
  1. Add olive oil and garlic cloves to a sauce pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until totally fully incorporated. Simmer for an hour.
  Seriously delicious, give it a shot!
  Posted in Meatless mealtime | Tagged carrots, rice, sweet poatoes, tomatoes
- 10 Healthy Snack Options you can find at Target
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  May 5th
  
  How are your school lunches looking these days?
  
  Feeling less than enthused?
  
  Are you done packing thoughtful lunches?
  
  Have your Ants on a Log turned into one big celery stock wrapped in plastic?
  
  Let us moms unite, throw in the towel and just buy packaged snacks for these final 4 weeks of school. Pinterest moms need not apply.
  
  The fine print: No Lunchables. I’m not that desperate. We can still pick healthy packaged things.
  
  Remember my post about good snack choices from Walmart? Did you pay attention? Well if not here is another shot. Today is the same idea, but this time I using Target.
  
  10 Healthy Packaged Snacks from Target
  
  1) Fruit Burst Squeezers
  
  Del Monte Fruit Burst Squeezers
  
  Not too shabby of an ingredient list. I’ll take it.
  
  2) Simply Balanced Popcorn
  
  When you can’t be bothered to make your own.
  
  Only 3 ingredients, and a 3 cup serving size is only 100 grams of sodium? Your Baked Lays can’t make those claims.
  
  3) Fruit Cups (that are actually in their own juice.)
  
  Pineapple Tidbits. These are in straight up juice, not syrup. Of course fresh fruit is best, but if you are going with a fruit cup?? Go with the ones in syrup.
  
  4) Salmon or Tuna Packets (Admittedly, this is a weird snack, but keep an open mind.)
  
  This one is for all you high protein people out there. If you are a protein junkie, try to keep away from those protein bars and get your fix from somewhere that doesn’t have 20+ ingredients, all of which are produced in some lab.The cool thing about these tuna pouches are that they do not need to be drained, just have a disposable fork nearby and you are in business.
  
  5.) Clif Kid- Z Bar
  
  Speaking of bars, you can buy these in bulk. Sugars in these babies are not so bad and if you are going to stock an arsenal of granola bars, these should be at the top of your list.
  
  6) Siggi’s Yogurt Tubes
  
  Yogurt tube anyone?
  
  Nothing artificial and only 6 grams of sugar. Have you looked at how much sugar is in your yogurt lately?? I bet it’s double and for some even triple this amount.
  
  7) Simply Fruit- Fruit Rolls
  
  These are not fruit roll-ups, although they are pretty dang similar. Minus the high fructose corn syrup.
  
  But hey, wow, this actually has fruit in it. How about them apples?
  
  8) Single serving Cashew or Almond Packs
  
  These are great for anyone that has zero self control and would eat triple this amount.
  
  9) Vita Coco- pure coconut water
  
  Coconut Water. Super hydrating and way more potassium than a banana. Try to steer clear of the ones infused with juice. Keep it clean people!
  
  Check out those percentages.
  
  10) Chobani yogurt
  
  Love these packs.
  
  There are many greek yogurts on the market, but this one does not have as much sugar as some of those others.
  
  Happy Shopping. 4 more weeks, let’s do this!
  
  Posted in Random stuff, Snacks
- Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins (vegan)
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Apr 29th
  Guess what? Zucchini season is upon us. You know what this means? I will use and make zucchini dishes for the next few months and drive my family crazy. As a matter of fact, I think I may have to revisit zucchini cheese casserole recipe. But for today’s post I am sharing a recipe that I made last week that is completely vegan and is very low-fat.
  
  Vegan Zucchini Muffins
  
  Vegan Zucchini Muffins
  - 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  - 1/2 cup flaxseed meal
  - 2 teaspoons baking powder
  - 2 teaspoons baking soda
  - 1 teaspoon salt
  - 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  - 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  - 1/4 cup grape seed oil (or canola)
  - 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  - 3/4 cup agave nectar
  - 3/4 cup almond milk (or soy milk, or any other non-dairy milk)
  - 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
  - 2 cups shredded zucchini
  1. Preheat the oven t0 325 degrees.
  2. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger.
  4. In a smaller bowl, combine the oil, applesauce, agave nectar, almond milk, and vanilla.
  5. Slowly add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until the batter is combined, being careful to not over mix.
  6. Add the zucchini and gently fold into the mixture.
  7. Distribute batter into muffin tins.
  8. Bake the muffins on the center rack for 20-24 minutes, pretty much until the top is lightly browned.
  Not bad for an eggless, healthy muffin.
  Posted in Breakfast, Snacks | Tagged vegan, whole wheat, zucchini
- Pesto Pizza in a snap
  
  Posted at 9:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Apr 27th
  This family loves pesto. This is slightly shocking to me because they are not too big on fresh herbs. As we all know, pesto has lots of basil. In regards to fresh herbs in recipes, I am pretty used to putting way less than is called for. Especially Cilantro. While I love Cilantro, here is what the family says about Cilantro:
  - tastes like soap
  - tastes like garbage
  - is disgusting
  - tastes like multiple toilet analogies
  But back to the pesto. My kids do like pesto. On pretty much anything.
  
  Here is an easy pizza recipe. If you do not have time to make your own, just buy the store pesto, but really it’s easy!
  
  Pile the ingredients in…and whir up that food processor.
  
  Also, I like to use walnuts in my pesto. Cheaper than pine nuts and healthier! Here is the recipe I used.
  
  Basil Walnut Pesto
  
  Ingredients
  - 2 cups gently packed fresh basil leaves
  - 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  - 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  - 1/3 cup walnuts
  - 1/2 teaspoon salt
  - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  - 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  Directions
  1. Add walnuts and garlic to food processor and process until coarsely chopped.
  2. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper and process until mixture resembles a paste, about 1 minute.
  3. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube and process until blended.
  4. Add the Parmesan and process 40-60 seconds more.
  Next grab a jar of these.
  
  Fine chop them.
  
  Spread some pesto and red peppers on your crust and cook according to package directions.
  
  This here is an organic wheat crust from Trader Joe’s. You could use a Whole Wheat Boboli if it’s easier. This pizza is light on the roasted red peppers because I was a little unsure how the family would react. I had visions of them all being picked off and tossed on their napkins.
  
  Surprisingly they ate this pizza without a second thought which means next time the pizza gets doused with red!
  
  Pesto Pizza
  Posted in Meatless mealtime | Tagged walnuts
- Veggies and Seitan. Cooked to perfection in parchment.
  
  Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
  
  Apr 24th
  Veggies and what??
  
  Seitan
  
  Seitan. Are you following me?? Then you remember this stuff. If you missed it, check out this post.
  
  If you haven’t bought it yet, get out of your chicken breast comfort zone and give it a chance.
  
  Veggies and Seitan
  
  Do this.
  
  Start with your cut veggies, marinade, and Seitan.
  
  Spoon mixture onto parchment like so…
  
  Fold and wrap like so…
  
  Tuck ends under so your veggies do not fall out.
  
  Transfer to a pan. Roast it up.
  
  And done. Perfectly cooked and fool-proof. Trust the parchment!
  
  Veggies and Seitan
  
  (Cooked to perfection in parchment)
  - the juice of one orange
  - 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
  - 3 cloves garlic, minced
  - ¼ tsp black pepper
  - 3 cups broccoli florets
  - 5-6 carrots, sliced on bias
  - 1 8-oz. pkg. Seitan, drained and sliced (if it is not already cubed or in pieces)
  - ½ cup dried cherries (or cranberries)
  Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Cut 5 sheets of parchment paper, and set aside.
  3. Whisk together orange juice, oil, garlic, and pepper in large bowl. Add broccoli, carrots, parsnips, Seitan, and dried cherries and toss to coat with juice mixture. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  4. Arrange 1/5 of vegetables on one sheet of parchment. Fold parchment over  food overlapping, then tuck in sides. Flip over onto baking sheet (so that tucked sides are down…trap that heat!)
  5. Repeat with remaining vegetables and parchment.
  6. Bake for 15 minutes. Let stand 2 minutes before serving.
  7. Serve on top of grain of choice. Brown rice, farro, or quinoa. I did quinoa this time 🙂
  Posted in Meatless mealtime | Tagged broccoli, carrots, quinoa
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