Meatless Monday: Orange-Balsamic Roasted Beets and Carrots over Quinoa and Spinach

The storm's-a-comin' as I write this: the winds outside are picking up and the rain is just starting to come down. We are all ready with a stocked kitchen, extra filtered water, and plenty of candles at hand. We don't know just how bad Sandy's going to be, but we will be cozy :)

I was craving fresh vegetables after 3 days in a row of eating a less than stellar intake. Turkey loaf with Rice-a-Roni one night, carnival fare at the pumpkin patch for lunch on Saturday, then lasagna with tiramisu for dessert- I needed vegetarian pronto! And beets were on my mind...I picked up a bunch at my last trip to the supermarket, and roasted them along with some carrots in a sweet and slightly sour marinade...

Orange-Balsamic Roasted Beets and Carrots
(serves 2-4)

Ingredients:

3-4 beets
4-6 carrots
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp orange zest + extra
Salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Set oven to broil. Slice off tops and bottoms of beets, then peel with a peeler. Wrap in tin foil, and place on baking sheet, then into oven like in picture below. Broil for 45 minutes-1 hour, or until they are easily pierce-able by a fork.

Meanwhile, trim and peel carrots then cut into thirds and quarters, or however you'd like. Reserve them for the last 20 minutes of roasting; at the appropriate time, arrange them on tray beside beets.

Once ready, remove beets and carrots from oven and allow to cool. While they're cooling, heat balsamic vinegar and orange juice over low heat in small saucepan. Heat for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens slightly. Slice beets up like an orange into sections, or however you prefer. Toss veggies in bowl and some salt and pepper to taste if desired.

We ate this served over quinoa and fresh baby spinach, along with some orange slices and extra orange juice squirted right onto it all. It was delicious and refreshing, just what I was craving. Paul and Lily enjoyed it as well. This is a great way to introduce these kinds of healthy foods to your family. The veggies are extra sweet with this marinade, and it all mixes well with the spinach and quinoa. I cooked 1 cup of quinoa according to the package, along with a tsp of olive oil. 

she likes her beets!

Balsamic vinegar is my most often-used salad dressing. I like to mix it with a little olive oil, and salt and pepper. Did you know this low-fat, low-cal condiment also contains some health benefits? It is high in antioxidants, aids the digestive system in breaking down proteins, and also helps to regulate blood sugar, making it especially beneficial for those with diabetes.

If you have little ones under a year old, serve some of the carrots and beets mashed up plain, or with a little orange juice if desired. This is truly a meal the entire family can enjoy, whether you partake in Meatless Mondays or not.   

Now it's your turn to share your Meatless Monday dish below! No rules, other than please only link-up meat-free recipes. No other un-related links or I will remove them. Sorry to sound so harsh, but let's keep it true to what it is, ok? Link up as much as you want, and feel free to spread the word with the button below. Thanks, and have a great week! 

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Sweet Saturday #13: Strawberry-Kiwi Lemonade!

Once again, we had a great turn out last Sweet Saturday. Yay! Thanks to everyone who linked up! Let's make it BIGGER this time, ok? I'm officially addicted to having a large turn-out at my link parties now :) ...


Today's recipe was inspired by this tasty-looking treat I came across last week that I just had to try: Strawberry Lemonade from Addicted to Recipes. Mine is a little different because I used less sweetener and added kiwi since I had 2 that were a bit overripe and needing to be eaten. The result came out REALLY GOOD, so I hope you like it enough to try it. Let me know if you do!

What a pretty color, right?

Strawberry-Kiwi Lemonade
(makes 1 pitcher full)

Ingredients:

3-4 lemons
1 cup strawberries
2 kiwis
1/2 cup sugar or 1/3 cup stevia
1 1/2 cup water
1 small aloe leaf
4 cups water

Heat the sugar or stevia with the 1/2 cup of water over medium heat until dissolved, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat once sugar or stevia is completely dissolved and allow to cool. Meanwhile, juice the lemons and set aside. Hull and halve then quarter the strawberries then put into blender with 1 cup if water. 

Strawberries in water

Slice the aloe leaf lengthwise so one side of the leaf exposes the gel. Scoop the gel out and add it to the strawberries and water. Next, add the sugar syrup and hit puree. Lastly, add the lemon juice and water. You can just mix them together with the strawberry concoction if your blender has a "Mix" or "Stir" setting, or just pour everything into a pitcher and stir it up that way.

It will look like this once you blend it all up

And you may have a mess to clean up that looks something like this

You can serve this sweet and refreshing drink with fresh fruit or mint as garnish. Additionally, you could also add some ginger and/or cucumber to the mix, similar to the last lemonade recipe I posted. I recommend allowing to sit your fridge overnight, or at least for a few hours, before serving, to allow the flavors to blend properly. I know my first sip was almost too sour-tasting, but the next morning when I had a glass it was perfect!


This lemonade is particularly healthy and detoxifying with the added benefit of aloe. Aloe is already largely well known for it's cleansing benefits, as well as its soothing benefits when used topically on burns. But, did you know aloe also helps to halt tumor growth, lower blood sugar and cholesterol, prevent kidney stones, and boost cardiovascular performance, among many other things? Read this link to learn more!

This is terrific punch to serve to your family, friends, or at a party. It will be a hit with everyone, especially the kids. Adding the kiwi to this makes me reminisce about the Strawberry-Kiwi flavor Snapple used to make, but this is so much better! Better tasting and better for you ;)

Notice I added aloe gel to this; I use aloe all the time. It's the best burn treatment and can easily be added to any fresh juice of smoothy. But, alone it tastes rather bitter. You can even use it as a moisturizer and to speed up the healing process on cuts and scrapes by apply a little bit right onto the wound. Aloe truly is a wonder plant!

This is how one of my plants looks when the leaves aren't all chopped off. This image is courtesy guide-to-houseplants.com

I will warn you of one thing when consuming aloe, though: it's diuretic, so don't give too much to little ones unless you want them to poop a lot! Just a tip ;)

OK, now it's your turn! Follow these simple rules:

1. Link up something sweet to really WOW us all- your blog, Etsy store, Pinterest, Facebook, whatever you want! 

2. Link-up as much as you want and please follow me if you aren't already, and our guest-hostess, Mary, at A Day in the Life. Leave us a comment if you are a new follower so we can follow you back!

3. Hop around and say hi. 

4. Share my button to get more people to join us (not required, but it would be nice!)


Please show Mary and her lovely blog lots of love, she's new to the blogging scene- plus she has really cute twins for you to ogle!

Thanks so much for linking up, I really do love the weekend even more because of this :)

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Meatless Monday Blog Hop #2: Juicing for the Whole Family

Something I like to do- especially in preparation for spring -is to juice cleanse. If you have a good juicer, it's relatively easy to do (although clean-up not so much) and what can be better than freshly squeezed juice? Here are some of my favorite combinations:

1-2 Granny Smith Apples
3 carrots

2 carrots
1 red apple (like Braeburn or Red Delicious) 
1 stalk celery
1 small piece fresh ginger (about 1 tsp)

1-2 cups cubed watermelon
1 small/medium sized aloe vera leaf (skinned)
Sprig of fresh mint

1-2 carrots
1-2 apples (any type)
1 handful spinach

These are all healthy and delicious combinations that we have tried and enjoyed in my home. We have a Juiceman Jr. that a dear friend of mine was thoughtful enough to give me while I was pregnant with Lily. The idea behind that being that it would help me lose any unwanted leftover "baby weight" I'd accumulated and also help me get back onto a healthy diet if need be.

Best. Gift. Ever.

Luckily enough for me (and please don't be jealous!), I was able to lose the extra weight after giving birth pretty quickly, but having the juicer was quite nice. We enjoyed many glasses of watermelon juice and aloe vera with fresh mint from the garden, and freshly squeezed orange, apple and carrot that summer following my little child of spring's birth :)

Carrot and Granny Smith apple juice

Lily likes the juice too, as long as fruit as involved. She is not too crazy about vegetable juices (neither am I...)- not even carrot! But, she loves some freshly juiced oranges and apples.


You can juice just about anything, although a lot depends on what kind of juicer you have. If you don't own a juicer, here are some great ones that can help you get started. Juicing benefits in many, many ways. It helps to cleanse and detoxify your body from the day-to-day stress and toxins we put into it. It provides healthy sugars and natural energy. It provides a multitude of nutritional benefits, including antioxidants, fiber, and phytonutrients. You can use it to help and maintain any function of the body, depending on what fruit or vegetable you choose to juice. 


One thing you should keep in mind when giving fresh fruit or vegetable juice to a small child, is that there is a large amount of high-energy natural sugars in most of them, especially in carrots, apples, pears and pineapple. You should only give children under 5 years old about 4 ounces  of fresh juice at a time; otherwise, the strong sugar content may be too much for them to handle and they will surely be bouncing off the walls! Also remember that these are healthy, beneficial sugars, but it is one of the good things you can have a bit too much of. It is not the same as when you buy juice in the store that is watered down, overly processed and pasteurized. Six ounces of fresh fruit juice is equal to one adult-sized serving of fruits and vegetables, so you'll want to give children a little less, depending on their weight and age.

I hope you enjoyed this change of pace with today's Meatless Monday recipes. You may not own a juicer yet, but this may entice you now. Once you drink fresh juice, it's hard to go back to the bottled kind!

Now it's time to share! Please link up a meat-free recipe at the bottom and visit some of the other blogs too. It can be a recipe for anything- soup, dessert, beverage, entree, whatever -as long as it doesn't use meat products. You can also link up multiple recipes if you'd like. Just follow me, your hostess, and please pass along.

Very Veggie Meatless Monday

Today is a very full moon. I have been feeling its strong and draining pull since last week. At first I brushed my laziness off as my body forcing me to take a break after a busy last 2 months, and I'm sure that had a lot to do with it, but I have seen many are being affected by la luna as well. If you haven't gone out to take a look yet, do it now! It may be a little late for my Meatless Monday post, but it's definitely not too late to look at that moon!

I did not have a recipe planned or prepared for today, otherwise I would've posted yesterday. However, Paul requested one of his favorite sides I make- Sweet Curry Glazed Carrots -and carrots were something I just happened to have in the fridge (thanks to Paul, who apparently had planned out tonight's meal, at least somewhat). I also had a lonely russet potato waiting to be eaten, so that got used tonight too, along with a mix of frozen peas and corn which I simply steamed. Have a gander at my veggie-based Meatless Monday dinner!

Sweet Curry Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:

3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced into quarters (as shown)

2 tbsp butter or buttery spread

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

1 tbsp curry powder

Dash of pepper *

Dash of nutmeg*

*approx. 1/4 tsp

There are two ways you can successfully make these carrots, and I will provide you with both: the first is to blanch the carrots in about an inch of boiling water in a large sauce pan for about 5 minutes. Drain water from the pan, then add the butter, syrup and curry and mix it in well with the carrots until they're coated. Cook, stirring, over low heat for about 5 minutes, then add the pepper and nutmeg and cover the pan. Allow to cook for another 10-15 minutes, or until tender and glazed. They will be hot, so allow to cool before serving.

The second way you can do this is to steam the carrots seprately in a steamer basket for about 5 minutes. Once ready, set aside then mix the butter, syrup, curry, pepper and nutmeg in a saucepan over low heat until a thin paste is formed, then add the carrots and coat. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, then cover as directed in the afore mentioned mode of preparing. 

I wouldn't say either way is easier or better, I have just had success doing it both of these ways. 

Cheesey Baked Potato Slices

Ingredients:

1-2 russet potatoes, sliced width-wise

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried chives (or fresh)

Salt and pepper

About a handful of shredded cheddar cheese or anything else good for topping potatoes with

Preheat oven to 400. Once potatoes are sliced, line up on baking sheet(s) greased with a little of the olive oil. Spread the rest of the olive oil on the potato slices faced up with a basting brush. Sprinkle the parsley, salt and pepper on the slices, then pop in the oven for 10 minutes. Take them out after 10 minutes and top them with the cheddar cheese, then put them back in the oven for another 10 minutes. Once lightly browned to your liking, take them out and sprinkle the chives on top before serving. We like these taters a little crispy in my house.

The cheese is totally optional too, btw. You can keep it vegan by subtracting the cheese, or using soy-based cheese, although having tried that type of cheese myself, I would not recommend using it unless you really are a strict vegan! I think it tastes like glue! Well, what I would imagine glue tastes like anyway...

For baby:

Steam some of the carrot sticks until very soft, then mash some butter or milk into them for flavor, depending on your babe's age. If they're over 6 months, a little butter is fine for them. You got peas and corn to toss in too!

Lily and Paul gobbled this all up :) Kids will like the added sweetness to the carrots, and you can rest assured knowing that maple syrup- despite its high sugar content -has plenty of healthy benefits to it! You may not know it, but maple syrup (in its pure form) contains strong immunity boosting minerals zinc and maganese. The zinc is also good for your heart and can strengthen reproductive organs in men. Maybe that's why Paul likes it these carrots so much...not to mention waffles with lots of syrup!

So, don't worry if you have a child (or other family member) who likes to load up their pancakes with extra syrup. Although it is very sugary, it at least has enough benefits to balance the sweetness out. This does not include maple syrup made by brands like Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworth's (how sad is it that both of those brands negatively exemplify black women?). Make sure the syrup you buy is PURE maple syrup, grade A or B, such as the one I usually pick up, Maple Grove Farms Pure Maple Syrup. I use this one because it is less costly than most pure syrups; also Stop & Shop carries a good Nature's Promise pure maple syrup that isn't too expensive. Of course, if you're a real maple syrup aficionado, you probably go directly to a farm to get the freshest you can find.

For added bonus, here's a site that explains the detoxifying benefits of maple syrup. I learned about the master cleanse formula a long time ago, but never actually tried it, mainly because I had to go to work everyday and could not just be at home relaxing while the formula did its magic, seeing as how I was supposed to drink virtually nothing but a light concoction of water, lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper for 10 days (!). If you are looking for what I have been told is an incredible and simple way to lose weight quickly and detoxify your body, take a look. If the formula alone doesn't intrigue you, maybe this will.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: Simple Turkey Soup

Here is the second recipe in my Thanksgiving series, and will likely be the final one unless I come up with something else awesome. This one is pretty quick and simple as long as you have the stock ready. This would make the ideal quick lunch, at home or to-go.

Simple Turkey Soup

4 cups turkey stock (click here for recipe)

2 cups water

2 cups chunks of roast turkey

3 carrots, peeled and sliced

3 celery stalks, sliced

1 small or medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp parsley

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Saute the onion and garlic with the seasonings in the olive oil until fragrant for about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and veggies and stir around until coated with the aromatics for about 1 minute then add the stock and water. Boil until carrots are softened. Add seasoning to your liking. Ready to serve or store! Great with crackers and cheese or rolls fresh out of the oven.

This is super easy. You can even make it per bowl if you have everything right on hand; in fact, that’s what I did when I made a version of this with just the turkey, veggies and a little seasoning in broth. I simply boiled the stock then threw in all the ingredients, cooking for 5 minutes on high. Even easier!

I neglected to talk about the health benefits of turkey in my last post, so here’s that info now if you were wondering. First of all, not only is turkey particularly high in protein, but- as we all know –it contains a significant amount of tryptophan, which is notoriously known to promote sleepiness, when in fact there is no research that proves this. It also contains, selenium, B6 and B12, and is a good choice if you are on a low fat diet as it is not associated with the health risks that eating red meat is.

Now I want to talk about celery, which is actually a pretty amazing detoxifier. It contains a large amount of vitamin K as most green veggies do, and a fair share of folate, and vitamins A and C. Celery has cholesterol and blood pressure lowering benefits and acts as a strong diuretic making it the perfect addition to your detoxifying fresh-squeezed juice. In fact, here’s a really good recipe for your juicer if you happen to have one.

Detoxifier

1 apple

2 regular size carrots or 1 large one

2 celery stalks

1 small piece of ginger, approximately the size of your thumb

Squirt of lemon juice

Throw it all in the juicer according to instructions and top off with a squirt of lemon before drinking. Very refreshing!

I also just found out, according to WHFoods.com, that celery contains “coumarins that help prevent free radicals from damaging cells, thus decreasing the mutations that increase the potential for cells to become cancerous.” Pretty interesting! This is a vegetable that is often over looked and merely thought of as a “diet food” or filler for soups and stews, when in fact it is good for you in a number of ways. Makes a great snack with some peanut butter or pimento spread on top!

Lily loves celery with peanut butter on it; it’s the only way she’ll eat it actually! Celery is very good for your little one who has trouble eliminating due to it’s diuretic properties and large amount of fiber. If your young child or toddler (with teeth) has tummy troubles, give them a piece of celery to chew on.

Here’s a classic you may already know that your kids will enjoy:

Frogs on a Log

2-4 celery stalks cut into quarters

Cream cheese

2-4 green olives, sliced

Spread some cream cheese onto each celery section enough so that the little cavern is filled. Top with 4-6 olive slices as shown in the picture below. Serve as an afternoon snack.

Image courtesy delish.com

Kids will like the name and you will like that it’s healthy and easy to make. You could also use peanut butter and raisins instead!

Do you have any interesting celery recipes to share? Share in the comments!

November Cookies: White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

I used to work at a Crabtree & Evelyn a few years ago and they sold cookies like the ones in the recipe below; they were my favorite! I figured I could try and make them myself, so here is a version that uses whole wheat flour and less sugar than most cookie recipes. The tartness of the cranberries with the delicate white chocolate makes them sweet enough, and the whole wheat flour and oats add the whole grain goodness that make these cookies guilt-free.

White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

    ½ cup sugar

    ½ cup packed brown sugar

    1 cup butter, softened

    2 large eggs

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    1 teaspoon baking soda

    ½  teaspoon salt

    1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

    1 ½ cups rolled oats

    1 cup dried cranberries

    1 cup white chocolate chips

Combine the flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the sugars, butter and vanilla together until smooth, then add the eggs one at a time. Bit by bit, add the dry ingredients to the wet, beating until well blended. Once the flour has been added, add the oats and then lastly add the white chocolate chips and cranberries.

Preheat the oven to 350. Drop rounded spoonfuls of cookie dough onto ungreased baking sheets in rows, at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-15 minutes in oven on center rack until golden brown. Allow to cool before serving and then enjoy.

Once again I did not have an image of them readily available, but this picture courtesy cookingchanneltv.com looks a lot like how mine turned out the last time I made them

Cranberries are a well-known diuretic that help prevent urinary track infection, and help your bladder in general. Because of this, they are great for helping flush out your system if there are toxins in your body you want to eliminate; I suggest giving some to your baby or child after they’ve had vaccines to help remove toxic preservative chemicals left over from the initial shot (apples and lemon juice are also verygood to help draw out the aluminum found in most vaccines). Cranberriesalso contain a fair amount of anti-oxidants, vitamin C, manganese andfiber. They’re also in season now, and these cookies would even make a great treat for after your big Thanksgiving meal this year.

These cookies are great for little ones the same way the Honey, Flax ‘n Almond Cookies are since they use whole wheat flour; honey can also be used in place of sugar if you want, just use about 25% less (3/4 cup).

Here is a bonus recipe since it’s flu season now and my little Lily has a little cold right now, giving her the runniest nose I have ever seen. Since she hasn’t quite mastered soup yet, I made her some chicken broth-infused pasta for dinner yesterday which she gobbled up, and it genuinely seemed to make her feel a lot better. Here it is below:

Lily-style Chicken Noodle Soup

1 cup chicken broth (preferably organic)

¼ cup small-shaped pasta (I used alphabet shapes)

1 clove garlic, diced

1 tsp olive oil

Sauté the garlic in the olive oil in a small pot for about 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then add the pasta and cook until fairly soft, or to your child’s preference. Serve the pasta strained from the broth, but still very wet. Add a little grated cheese like Parmesan (Lily’s favorite) to entice your tike even more, but just a little as the dairy could make their phlegm thicker. You can also add chopped veggies, like peas and carrots, to this soup; I would’ve, but not only was I out of any ready-to-use frozen veggies, but Lily has also been quite picky due to her little cold. You can keep the broth for other uses, or just drink it yourself (I gave it to Paul since he’s been sick too, hence why Lily now is and why I most likely will be by the weekend d%@%it!). 

Num-num pasta

My little sickface. She likes to take her bibs off now as you can see

Do you have any sick-busting recipes you’re kids enjoy that you’d like to share? Tell me about them in the comments! Have a great weekend!