All posts tagged: healthy

Mixed Berries Balsamic Low Sugar Preserves

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You will find that this recipe is very similar to my Strawberry-Rosé Low Sugar Preserves. Once you master the basics of making a low sugar preserve and how to can it, you can use different ingredients to come up with different flavors. As long as you adjust a few key items, such as the acidity level, then it can be a breeze to make these. Mixed Berries Balsamic Low Sugar Preserves Ingredients: 1 lb strawberries (I used frozen) 1 lb mixed berries (I used frozen blueberries and blackberries) 2-3 Tbsps. balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup sugar 1 cup honey 1/2 tsp salt 5 Tbsps. Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin (I used the Ball brand one). Directions: If you are canning your preserves you need to sterilize your jars and get your water boiling for water-bath canning. In a saucepan add your frozen strawberries and mixed berries (for this recipe I used a mixture of frozen blueberries and blackberries, but you can use raspberries, or any other berry you want) and cook over medium heat until they …

Under The Sea Bento

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I put this one together last night, I made dinner and her bento at the same time. Nothing too crazy here, sautéed shrimp, boiled mini sausages, corn, rice, and fruits. I added organic, no chemicals (or anything weird) added food dye to the rice to make it blue. I found that all the stirring required to spread out evenly the blue made the rice extra sticky (even though I took care not to smash the rice). I don’t know how I feel about that, I might try just adding it to the water when cooking the rice next time. No real recipe this time. Just sharing the cute little fishies and showing off baby A.’s new bento box (a yumbox).

Friday Easy Bento

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After yesterday’s very labor intensive bento, I just wanted a very easy lunch that I could throw together in the morning with minimal fuss. Therefore today baby A. got an easy sandwich bento. The sandwich is made of brioche bread, home made hummus, ham and lettuce. I used a cutter to turn into a cute little piggie. As a side I made mini sausage “octopi” and just threw some berries in the container and called it a day. The hummus is what took the longest out of everything, and I threw that together fairly quickly the night before. I found these cute little cans of chickpeas that are perfect for making a smaller portion of hummus. I also made a very simple recipe since it was for a five year old, here it is: – 1 8oz can of garbanzo beans – 2 Tbsp of tahini – 2 garlic cloves – The juice of half a lemon – 1 green onion – salt and pepper Blend all of the above in a food processor, add …

Sunflower Bento

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The things we do for our children!! So yesterday, after a full day of work and a workout I headed to the kitchen to cook dinner. I knew today baby A. was heading back to class and I had sort of planned a bento in my head. After cooking the components, which were fairly easy, all I had to do was assemble it. I debated whether or not to wait until very early this morning to put it all together like I did last time, but decided I would just go ahead and leave it ready. After we finished dinner I went back into the kitchen and what proceeded was a two hour bento assembly. I had to cut each little petal by hand, then set it all so it would look like a sunflower. Then I had the great idea of making a cherry tomato stuffed with a creamy cheese filling which I had dyed blue, just to have baby A. try it and say she didn’t like it -_- so that got scrapped …

Vegan Oatmeal

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We actually like oatmeal in my house. We find it to be the perfect base for so many toppings, it is extremely versatile, and can be made to anyone’s taste. This one is a very simple vegan recipe. I like to boil my oats in milk, I find it makes them creamy and gives them more flavor. Ingredients: 1/2 cup oats 1-2 cups almond milk (depends how thick you want the consistency to be) 1 tsp sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp vanilla Pinch of salt Mix all of these in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until oats are the texture and consistency you prefer. Toppings: The list of toppings is endless, so many possibilities, in the above picture I used: Sliced strawberries Walnuts Agave syrup Other options that would make a great vegan oatmeal are: Mango Coconut flakes Almonds Agave syrup Add 1 tsp of cocoa when cooking oats Toasted hazelnuts Chopped dates Brown sugar Add 2 Tbsp pumpkin purée and 1/2 tsp nutmeg when cooking oats Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) Pecans …

First Day of School Character Bento

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Today our eldest goes to school for the first time ever. We are excited but also a little  nervous, since a whole new stage of our life just started today. To commemorate such an occasion I decided to get back to writing in this blog, even more since I made this cute little character bento (kyaraben) for her first lunch at school. While it required a little assembly, it was a very easy lunch to put together and can be prepared the night before, so the next day is just the assembly. Components: Hard-boiled egg turned into a hatching chick (I followed this tutorial from HGTV). Sliced strawberries. Cherry tomato. Ham flower (bend ham slice in half, make several cuts around folded edge, and roll until it looks like a flower. I thought this was a great explanation on how to do it, but my husband says that after reading it he still does not know how to make it -_-, so here is a great tutorial from Just One Cook Book). Soy sauce noodles: …

Curried Chickpea Wraps

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This is one of the easiest, yummiest lunch or dinners you can put together. It is a vegan recipe, however it is extreme filling and satisfying. I recommend you save this recipe for a really busy night. You know, one of those when you get home late, and dump all your things on the floor, and just stand there with a glassed look in your eyes, starring at the kitchen and thinking of ways of setting it on fire so that you don’t have to cook, but opting not to since it would be too much work in the first place… Or is that just me? Regardless of this is the perfect meal for one of those nights. Very little effort, big rewards. Curried Chickpea Wraps Ingredients 1 can chickpeas rinsed and drained 1 Tbsp curry seasoning (several options out there, just choose your favorite) 1 tsp cumin salt & pepper to taste 1 tsp minced garlic 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1/4 cup coconut milk Spinach or any other leafy green Pita bread or Naan …

One smoothie a day

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Breakfast for the past week has been a smoothie. Now, I know it can get repetitive and boring when you eat the same thing every day, but that is the beauty of the smoothie, it is a magical concoction that can be whatever you want it to be that day! It is also a great way to eat a LOT of fruit and even sneaking some vegetables in right at the beginning of your day. The combinations are endless and they can be vegan, vegetarian, or not. Whatever you like them to be. I like to buy fruit in bulk and flash freeze them. That way I know my fruit are fresh and organic, and all of that (like to get whatever is in season also). However you can just buy the bags of frozen fruits and make your life easier if you do not have the time. So far my favorite smoothie is one that reminds me of my college days. It is a blend of tropical fruits and juice that is absolutely refreshing. Here …

New Year Resolutions – 2017

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This year one of my main resolutions is to eat healthier. By this I don’t mean cut out a few carbs or fats. No. I mean I am going to try a mostly vegan diet. That being said my target is 80-20. 80% vegan, 20% non. The idea behind this is that I am the main cook for my entire family and they are not on board with being vegan (not that I am fully ready for that either) therefore the 80-20 seems like a good compromise for all of us. We will be getting some meats and dairy while at the same time increasing the consumption of good, healthy, plant based food. And if as a byproduct I get to look like a super model, well I wont be too upset about it 😉 So to kick off the year and my new resolution I made one of my favorite breakfast: Avocado Spread on Toast. This is as easy as recipes get and can be made any number of ways. It really depends on …