My Foodie Call

Dial in to your health.
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Tag: chia

    • 10 Healthy Grab-N-Go Trader Joe’s Snacks

      Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
      Feb 13th

      So do you remember when I posted about 10 healthy snack packages from Walmart and also snack options from Target?

      I found it fitting to include Trader Joe’s of course. After all, it is my go-to spot.

      1) Apple + Mango Fruit Bar

      Apple and Mango Bar Fruit Bar. Although there are four flavors, I chose to profile the Apple and Mango. Tis my fave.

      Although there are four fruit bar flavors, I chose to profile the Apple and Mango. Tis my fave.

      And check out the ingredients. All 2 of them. Yes that matters. Should be two. Apple and Mango. And  for $1.00? all around winner.

      And check out the ingredients. All 2 of them. Yes that matters. Should be two. Apple and Mango. And for $1.00? all around winner.

      2) Fruit Bar with Flax & Chia Seeds

      For those that want to step up their health game we have the bar laced with chia and flax.

      For those that want to step up their health game we have the fruit bar except for this time it is laced with chia and flax.

      Another fantastic nutrition profile. Also, like it's Apple + Mango Bar Cousin, only a $1.00.

      Another fantastic nutrition profile. Also, like the Apple + Mango Bar above, only a buck.

      3) Roasted Seaweed Snack

      IMG_6178

      Okay you have probably seen these around. If you have already tried them and didn’t like them, I highly suggest you give it another shot. These are completely vegan,  because seaweed is a “sea vegetable”, and a super source of iodine. Also only a $1.00.

      4) Inner Peas

      IMG_6179

      Ive always been a fan of these. Either straight from the bag, or tossed on a salad for crunch. It all works.

      IMG_6180

      And really…it’s just peas. Go ahead, eat the whole bag. Not judging.

      5) Just Mango Slices

      IMG_6168

      Just Mango Slices. Sometimes dried fruits have a bunch of added sugars. But these babies are, yup…Just Mango. A good alternative to the real thing.

      IMG_6170

      Great nutrition profile as well.

      6) Roasted & Salted Pistachios

      IMG_6166

      Pistachios. I push these on people. A lot. High Fiber, Plant protein. And only with a touch of salt.

      7) Roasted Plantain Chips

      plantain

      Might be my favorite TJ’s snack so far. I dip these in almond butter or guacamole and I feel like I’ve died and gone to plantain heaven. And these are under $2. Seriously. Try them.

      8) Inner Bean

      bean

      Yes, these look strangely familiar and that’s because they are Inner Peas’ long lost cousin. Big difference is that these babies are made with black beans instead of peas. For $1.50? Definitely worth a toss into your cart. Tired of your carrots and hummus? Try these dippers instead.

      9) Cold Pressed Juice

      juice

      Okay green juices are all the rage, don’t you know??? This product is cold pressed and what that basically means is that when it is processed, there is no heat generated  therefore leaving all of the awesome plant enzymes intact and ready for you! These things are $5, which may seem hefty but when is the last time you bought a cold pressed juice for that price?

      juice

      And for those that just can’t do the green juices? There are two other Cold-Pressed options: Red and Yellow Juices that have a little less punch.

      10) Seasoned Kale Chips

      kale chips

      Have you made kale chips at home? Not hard, but slightly time-consuming. These things are so good and when you are in a pinch for time, a great alternative. And for the bargain price of $4.00. I have seen some stores sell the same-sized pouch for $8.

      Happy Shopping!

      What would you add to this list??

       

      Posted in Random stuff, Snacks | Tagged chia, kale, Snacks
    • Strawberry Cream Cheese Pita Pizzas

      Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
      Apr 9th

       

      gotta a pita?

      Gotta pita?

      Strawberry season is here in the south. A reason to celebrate! Although blueberries are my favorite of the berry family, strawberries are right up there in rank. Check out this strawberry pita treat…complete with a chia infused cream cheese.

      You should be eating this daily. Sick of chia, yet?

      Chia seeds. You should be eating this daily. Sick of chia lectures, yet?

      There will be leftovers after this recipe too. Bonus.

      The base flavor for the recipe. Strawberry Chia Cream Cheese.

      How to make the Strawberry Pita Pizzas

      Buy some whole wheat pitas. These come in various  sizes. You could even get the cute little ones like in this post.

      Buy some whole wheat pitas. These come in various sizes. You could even get the cute little ones like in this post.

      Vegan cream cheese. You could use regular.

      Dairy-free cream cheese. You could use regular…whatever you are feelin’.

      You chia.

      Again, your chia.

      Pile it in your bowl with some strawberries and a tad bit of sweetener.

      Pile it in a bowl with some strawberries and a tad bit of sweetener.

      Whip it up.

      Whip it up.

      Assemble.

      Assemble and…

      and cut. Eat.

      cut.

      Strawberry Cream Cheese Pita Pizzas

      Ingredients:

      • 1 tub Tofutti cream cheese
      • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
      • 2 Tbls sugar (or stevia)
      • 1 package strawberries
      • 1 package whole wheat pita bread

      Directions:

      1) Combine cream cheese, chia seeds, sugar and 3 hulled and fine-chopped strawberries to a bowl.

      2) With a hand mixer, blend for 1 minute on high. Stop, scrape down bowl. Blend for one more minute.

      3) The rest is pretty self-explanatory. Spread cream cheese on pitas, thin slice some strawberries, arrange them on your pita and that’s it!

      Slice and serve.

      Slice and serve.

      Posted in Breakfast, Desserts, Snacks | Tagged chia, strawberry
    • Chocolate Dipped Pretzels (healthy ones.)

      Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
      Apr 5th

      Want to get your family to eat chia?

      Got a snack for you.

      Yes, these little guys are whole wheat. Yes, that's dark chocolate, and yes those are chia seeds stuck on the ends.

      Yes, these little guys are whole wheat. Yes, that’s dark chocolate, and yes those are chia seeds stuck on the ends.

      Have you ever made chocolate covered pretzels? So super easy. It is usually my go-to snack to bring in to Valentine’s Day parties at school. I use the long rods and I have always been slightly bugged that they do not make them whole wheat, whole grain or something slightly healthier than enriched wheat. What’s up with that?

       

      These guys. "Hey Utz. Can I get a whole grain version please?"

      These guys. “Hey Utz, can I get a whole grain version please?”

      You can find whole wheat regular pretzels. It’s just super hard…I know Newman’s makes them.

      Or Trader Joes. They have these babies.

      ...And they are actually whole wheat.

      …And they are actually whole wheat.

      So here is the snack. Whole Grain Pretzels sticks, 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate, and Chia Seeds.

      Let's marry these three things, shall we?

      Let’s marry these three things, shall we?

      Melted chocolate.

      Melted chocolate.

      Chia seeds.

      Chia seeds.

      Line them up and get to work.

      Line them up and get to work.

      Dip, dip, and let them chill out for a bit on wax paper. That's it.

      Dip, dip, and let them chill out for a bit on wax paper. That’s it. Told you it was easy.

      Healthy Chocolate Dipped Pretzels with Chia

      Ingredients

      • 1 bag Whole Grain Pretzels
      • 1-2 bars of the darkest chocolate you can find (get those antioxidants!)
      • Chia Seeds

      Directions

      1) Melt your chocolate bar down in a small bowl in the microwave in 15 second intervals, stirring in between (Don’t overdo the microwaving. Don’t want any burnt chocolate. That would be tragic :(. I always leave a tiny bit of chocolate unmelted and by the time I am ready for it, it is good to go)

      2) Dip your pretzels into the chocolate, about a third of the way up. (I also use a knife to help me spread it.)

      3) Dip the chocolate into the chia seeds.

      4) Lay the pretzels on the wax paper and allow to set. (You can speed up the process a bit if you put them on wax paper and then set in the fridge)

      I made a ton of these!

      I made a ton of these!

      Kids loved them, although my oldest complained about chia in her braces. #chiaproblems

      Enjoy!

      Enjoy!

       

      Posted in Snacks | Tagged chia, dark chocolate
    • Thoughts on Granola… (and an Almond Chia Granola recipe)

      Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
      Mar 4th
      Granola done light.

      Granola done light.

      Recently I was asked if I had a good granola recipe to use as a yogurt topper. Hmm, this takes some thought. For myself, this can sort of turn into a lengthy conversation because honestly??

      I am not the biggest advocate for granola.

      I used to make granola all of the time, but now kind of steer clear of it. Why?

      Gobs of sugar.

      While there are plenty of low-fat options out there, most of these have too much sugar and hardly make the benefits of granola worth it. Why do people feel like granola is healthy? Well, look at the nickname that earthy-type eaters are given: “Granola”.  

      “Oh, she’s so Granola….”

      This nickname implies to a person that lives off the land, wears Birkenstocks and is the picture of health, right?

      But in reality, granola is just not that good for you. Too much sugar. The health benes from granola are really in the oats and nuts, so why not just eat those? It is in fact these same oats and nuts that provide the fiber that consumers are searching for.

      Fiber= good. Loads of sugar=bad.

      Again, not worth it.

      It is for this reason that I tend to lean towards straight up “cereal” as a topping for yogurts. For example, good old-fashioned Cheerios, has 3 grams fiber and only 1 gram of sugar for a whole cup (and 100 calories). Yes, Cheerios can be a tad boring,but still, you get a whole cup of it.

      If you do want to go the granola route, this is what I sometimes will buy.

      vanilla alomnd

      Yes it is low in sugar, but here is the deal.

      4 grams of sugar, 120 calories for ONLY 1/4 cup.

      Translation. BARELY ANY. So it is up to you which you would prefer. 8 oz of Cheerios (1 gram sugar) on top of your yogurt or 2 oz of Bare Naked Granola (4 grams sugar).

      For me? I am all about quantity. I’d rather eat more.

      This granola question did get me motivated to make granola again. I did sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, and CHIA (of course). And I think it turned out pretty good, if you want to give it a shot too.

      Check it out.

      Here is my dry ingredients.

      Here is my dry ingredients.

      And the wet.

      And the wet.

      Mix the two.

      Mix the two.

      Spread on a prepared baking sheet.

      Spread on a prepared baking sheet. Bake. Make your house smell crazy good.

      A low-sugar granola.

      Top it. A low-sugar granola.

       

      Low-Sugar Almond Chia Granola

      • 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
      • 1 cups of sliced almonds
      • 1/2 cup shelled sunflower seeds (optional: food processor them for less crunch)
      • 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
      • 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon
      • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
      • 1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla
      • 3/4 cups of no-sugar-added applesauce
      • 2 tablespoons honey

      Directions:

      1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.
      2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
      3. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
      4. Add wet ingredients to the dry and blend.
      5. Add a teaspoon or two of coconut oil if it seems a bit too dry.
      6. Spread the granola on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
      7. Bake the granola in the oven for 45 minutes, mixing up the granola blend every ten minutes.
      8. Taking baking sheet out, lower heat to 200.
      9. Drizzle 1 tablespoon honey over the top and stir.
      10. Bake for another 25 minutes, stirring midway.
      11. When you’re done, let the granola cool before storing.
      12. You could add raisins or cranberries to the mixture when cooled, but if you are truly trying to follow a low-sugar diet, you should skip it because it is good stuff that way it is!
      Granola done light.

      Granola done light.

      Posted in Breakfast, Desserts, Random stuff, Snacks | Tagged almonds, chia, oats, sunflower seeds
    • Healthy Fruit and Protein Snack Wrap

      Posted at 8:00 pm by myfoodiecall
      Feb 27th
      Yup, those are green grapes.

      A sweet snack (or lunch).

      Remember my post about Ezeikel Bread? Guess what. Food for Life (the Ezekiel bread people) make other stuff besides bread, like these wraps.

      If you forgot what sprouted grains are better than whole wheat, go back and read the link above.

      Sprouted Grain Tortillas

      Of course you do not have to use Ezekiel Tortilla. If you are just starting your health journey, start small and buy straight up whole wheat tortillas. Still be delish. :).

       Try this yummy dessert-snack-breakfast-could be a meal recipe by following these directions.

      Make your spread. It's easy don't sweat it.

      Make your spread. It’s easy, don’t sweat it.

      Grate your apple. Or fine chop it if you are on a time crunch.

      Grate your apple. Or fine chop it if you are on a time crunch.

      Plate your tortilla.

      Plate your tortilla.

      Your spread.

      Spread your spread. Profound, I know.

      Add your apple.

      Add your apple.

      Then some sliced grapes and drizzled honey.

      Then some sliced grapes.

      Wrap it.

      Wrap it.

      Arrange in pretty stack on plate so people think you worked hard.

      Cut and arrange in a pretty stack on a plate so people think you worked hard.

      Healthy Fruit and Protein Wrap

      Ingredients

      For the spread:

      • 6-7oz  silken firm tofu (Eyeball it. Don’t stress on it being exact. It’ll still work.)
      • 3 Tbs. natural peanut butter (No Jif, Skippy or any of that other nonsense. Your peanut butter should just be peanuts. And maybe some salt.)
      • 1 tsp chia seeds
      • 3 Tbs. Honey
      • 2 tsp cinnamon

      1) Mash it really good OR process in the food processor until creamy (what I did)

      For the wrap:

      • 1 package sprouted tortilla (or whole wheat tortilla)
      • 2-3 apples, shredded or fine chopped (I used granny smith, but use what you have!)
      • 1 cup seedless grapes, halved
      • 6 halved red seedless grapes

      1) Spread tofu/peanut butter mixture on tortilla.

      2) Place grated apple and grapes on top.

      3) Roll up tortilla, folding in sides as you go.

      4) Slice and serve.

      Kids can easily help with this one too.

      Kids can easily help with this one too.

      Posted in Desserts, Meatless mealtime, Snacks | Tagged chia, peanut butter, tofu
    ← Older posts
    • 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.
    • Categories

      • Breakfast
      • Desserts
      • Make friends with…
      • Meatless mealtime
      • Pancake Day
      • Random stuff
      • Salads, Soups, and Sides
      • Small changes
      • Snacks
      • What I pack my kid.
    • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

  • dial in to your health

  • The Stuff

    • Breakfast
    • Desserts
    • Make friends with…
    • Meatless mealtime
    • Pancake Day
    • Random stuff
    • Salads, Soups, and Sides
    • Small changes
    • Snacks
    • What I pack my kid.
  • What have I missed?

    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • August 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
    • October 2011

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • My Foodie Call
    • Join 61 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • My Foodie Call
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...