Penne with Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomatoes.. YUM!

Recently I purchased the BEST book.. Feeding Baby Green It's a great resource for recipes and information about feeding your baby wholesome, natural foods. I altered this recipe to fit what we had on hand and it turned out fantastic! Enjoy!

Penne With Broccoli and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

(Altered from Feeding Baby Green)

3/4c sun-dried tomatoes, julienned

5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1/4c olive oil

8 oz whole wheat penne pasta

3 cups broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces

4 oz black olives

4 oz swiss cheese

2 oz Parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Put the sun-dried tomatoes and chopped garlic in a small bowl

and pour the olive oil over them.

Let them stand for at least 30 minutes before cooking,

or overnight,to allow the tomatoes to reconstitute

and to flavor the oil. If you let the flavors sit for more than 4 hours,

put them in the fridge.

2. Cook the penne according to package directions

While the pasta is cooking, begin cooking the sauce.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tomato mixture to the pan.

Saute for one minute. Add the broccoli and saute over medium heat,

stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is tender but still crisp.

If the mixture is dry, add a little water.

3. When the pasta is al dente, drain the water and pour the penne back into the pot.

Add the sauce to the pasta. Gently stir in the olives and cheese.

Divide into four servings and sprinkle Parmesan on each (if desired)

Dutch Pancakes with Buttery Apples

Believe it or not, this recipe came from a kids and parents Sesame Street cookbook. I adapted it to make it clean and William helped me make it for our breakfast today. It was so delicious! Owen, William and I scraped our plates! Not to mention the fact that it is completely healthy!

Dutch Pancakes with Buttery Apples

2 eggs

1 t olive oil

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 T honey

1/4 t salt

1/4 t fresh ground cinnamon

1 T butter

2 large apples, peeled and sliced

honey for drizzling

Preheat oven to 425. Grease 9" pan or dish. Crack eggs into medium bowl. Beat eggs, oil, and milk until smooth. Add flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon to bowl. Stir until a smooth batter forms and pour batter into greased dish. Bake pancake for 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350, bake until very puffy and lightly browned all over, (5-8 minutes longer).

Meanwhile, heat butter in large skillet. Add apples and saute, stirring often, until apples are tender and lightly browned (about 10 minutes).

To serve, spoon apples over pancake and drizzle honey over the top.

Chicken Piccata

Another wonderful recipe that I thought I would share. This recipe has been on my list of those to make for months, and I kept putting it off. Nate and I had never had Chicken Piccata before and I think we were a little apprehensive. From the ingredient list it sounded somewhat bland, but I finally worked up the nerve and made it. I AM SO GLAD I DID!! It was so tender and flavorful! Even William scarfed it down and begged for more! :) That's what I call a job well done!

Chicken Piccata

(Clean Eating Magazine)

Chickpea Puree

1 T olive oil

1 small onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1/3 c chicken stock

sea salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Chicken Piccata

1/4 c whole wheat flour, divided

sea salt, and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

4 4oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/4" thick

3 t olive oil, divided

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 c chicken stock

1 T fresh lemon juice

2 T olives, rinsed and coarsely chopped

1 T flat leaf parsley, chopped

Prepare Chickpea puree: Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and chickpeas, and cook, stirring frequently for 6-8 minutes (or until onions are light golden-brown and tender). Remove from heat, and pour into a food processor. Add Chicken stock and puree until smooth, adding more water or stock if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Cover, set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.

While chickpea mixture is cooking in skillet, prepare chicken. Reserve 1 T flour for later use. In a shallow dish or plate, combine remaining flour with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture to coat completely and shake off excess.

Heat 1 t oil on large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken to pan and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan and transfer to plate.

Using same pan over medium high heat (do not wash) add remaining 2 t oil, garlic, and remaining 1 T of flour. Heat mixture, stirring constantly for about 1 minute, scraping up any brown bits from pan. Add stock, lemon juice, and capers. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to med-high and simmer for about 3 minutes until sauce thickens.

Add chicken back to pan and continue to simmer for an addition 2 minutes. Remove from heat, stir parsley into sauce, and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, scoop 1/4 c chickpea puree onto plate, top with chicken piccata, and spoon sauce over the top. Enjoy!

Ginger-Pomegranate Muffins

When I was at the grocery store the other day I stumbled upon the most beautiful pomegranate.. I just had to have it! I had never purchased or prepared one before, so this was an adventure. After googling how exactly one cuts pomegranates, I proceeded to harvest all of those gorgeous, delicious seeds..

The endless possibilities flooded my mind. I decided that I was in the mood for baked goods (as always). I decided to use a ginger muffin recipe I have and add pomegranates to it.. Here's what happened..

Ginger-Pomegranate Muffins

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 - 1/2 cups honey

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup minced ginger

Zest of 1 lemon

1-1/4 cup pomegranate seeds

1 cup milk

1 large egg

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted and cooled

In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Mix honey, ginger, lemon zest, pomegranate seeds, and combine with milk and margarine.

Mix together with dry ingredients and stir until just incorporated. Spoon batter into 12 (2-1/2 inch wide) or 24 (1-3/4 inch wide) buttered muffin cups, filling each almost to the rim. Bake in a 425 degree oven until lightly browned, about 13 - 16 minutes. Remove muffins from pan at a once. Serve hot or set on a rack and serve warm or cool.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Recently I have been hearing so many wonderful things about carrots. I've always thought carrots were.. fine, nothing amazing. Boy, was I wrong! Carrots are FULL of incredible vitamins and minerals, and I have truly come to love the unique taste! Imagine how elated I was when my step-grandma called me up and told me that she had a huge sack of carrots fresh from her garden to give me. YUM!

I also heard recently about the benefits of cooking your carrots whole, instead of chopped up.. Here's a quote from an article published in Medical News Today:

"Brandt and colleagues found that carrots boiled before cutting had 25 percent more of the anti cancer chemical falcarinol than those that were cut up before boiling. They also found uncut cooked carrots had higher concentrations of the naturally occurring sugars that give them their distinctive flavour." ... "Chopping up your carrots increases the surface area so more of the nutrients leach out into the water while they are being cooked." "By cooking them whole and chopping them up afterwards you are locking in both taste and nutrients so the carrot is better for you all round," she added. Read More Here

Here is one of my favorite recipes to share with you.. My SIL made this recipe for us when we visited her a few months ago. I changed just a few things to make it clean. Enjoy!

Moroccan Carrot Salad

1 lb carrots, steamed whole

While carrots are steaming, mix in a large bowl:

1/4 tsp salt

2 T Lemon/Lime juice

1 Tbsp Honey

2 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried parsley flakes

1/4 tsp cinnamon

When carrots have finished cooking, slice them,

or cut them into strips, however you prefer to eat them.

Toss with sauce and let it sit for several

hours to overnight to increase the flavor.

Enjoy!

Tuna Tahini Wraps with Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad - YUM

Hello again world! I am so excited about this recipe; even William gobbled it up! Here goes...

Tuna Tahini Wraps:

6 burrito size whole wheat tortillas

2 large cans of tuna packed in water

1/2 cup tahini

1/4 cup orange juice

3/4 cup water

3 cloves garlic

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 bunch of (6) scallions/green onions chopped

4 cups baby spinach

Pulse garlic and salt in food processor until minced. Mix together tahini, orange juice and cayenne pepper. Slowly add this mixture to your food processor until it is well blended. Add water until the mixture is the consistency of heavy cream. Mix with tuna and scallions in large bowl until blended. Fill wraps with tuna mixture and spinach.

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad

1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 large tomato, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup fresh chopped mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup fresh chopped basil leaves

4 cups baby spinach

Toss all ingredients together and serve with the tuna wraps.

Natural Laundry Detergent Recipe... :)

Well, in an effort to be cheap and use more natural things around the house I learned how to make my own laundry detergent. I LOVE it so much more than buying it from the store; not to mention the savings! Here is the recipe I'm using!

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Borax Natural Laundry Booster

1/2 Cup Baking Soda

1 Cup Grated Soap Flakes

Directions:

Stir to combine; use 2-3 Tablespoons for each load. :)

Coming Soon: Recipes for Very Berry Multi-grain Pancakes and Spicy Thai Chicken! Ooooh how exciting! :)

Happy Wednesday! :)

Dessert Mania!

Cherry Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

1/4 cup agave nectar

2 t pure vanilla extract

2 c cherries, pitted and chopped (I pulsed them in the food processor)

Mix together and pour into your ice cream maker and let it do it's job! :)

I am new to this whole *insert pictures in blog* thing so my formatting is n00bish.. Oh well.. Anyway, above you will see the results from my first coconut experience.. I loved it! Here is what I did with it...

Coco Loco Banana Popsicles

1 1/2 c ripe bananas, smashed

1 1/2 cups 100% natural coconut water

2 tsp agave nectar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 c shredded unsweetened coconut

In a food processer, puree bananas and coconut water until smooth. Add agave and vanilla and blend until combined. Use a spatula and scrape into a mixing bowl. Mix in coconut. Pour mixture into cups or popsicle molds and freeze until firm.. Deeelish!

Squash and Tomato Pasta Sauce

Hello there! I have recently adapted a new lifestyle; I call it my "Jesus food diet". Basically the way it works is I only eat naturally occuring foods. I thought it would be difficult, but really; it's kind of fun! My biggest hurdle is chocolate.. So I'm just kind of really limiting it right now. I have been trying so many new recipes and am going to be sharing some of my favorites! Today.. Squash and Tomato Pasta Sauce. I am actually proud of this one because it is one of my very first attempts at creating something all on my own! Well... Here it is; enjoy!

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 c red wine

1/2 summer squash, diced

1 starship squash, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

8 oz tomato sauce

1 tomato, seeded and chopped

small palmful dried oregano leaves

pinch marjoram

2 T extra virgin olive oil

In a skillet heat olive oil. Add garlic and onion and simmer until translucent. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for about a half an hour. If you feel you need a little extra liquid mix in some tomato juice. Serve over pasta or rice.