Pumpkin- Applesauce Muffins

      Thinking of summer treats? They can be healthy too. Muffins are a good way to get fiber into your little ones and for some who aren't very fond of fruits or veggies, a creative way to sneak them into their diet. You can experiment with pureeing different fruits and veggies and adding them to your mix. Plus, baking is a great way to introduce the kids into the kitchen, let them help stir or pour and even use the time to talk about what the food you are preparing will do for their bodies.

      Pumpkins are rich in carotenoids, leutein, iron, zinc and fiber. They help fight free radical damage and eye conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration. This recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of flour and then 1 cup of whole wheat flour, but I substituted whole wheat for the whole recipe and thought they came out very well. I also used safflower oil in the recipe, which is high in Vitamin E (a free radical fighting antioxidant). Also, when buying applesauce, look for *no added sugars* and check the label for unnecessary things like high fructose corn syrup or added colors.

I found this recipe in a cookbook called "pigtails and frog legs" ...

Pumpkin-Applesauce Muffins

1 1/2 cups flour


1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs beaten or  1/2 c  egg substitute

1 16oz can pumpkin

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 ¼ cups applesauce

In a large mixing bowl, combine flours, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, soda and salt. In a medium bowl, combine beaten eggs, pumpkin and oil. Add pumpkin mix to flour mixture and stir well. Add applesauce and mix until smooth. Don't over mix. Fill greased muffin cups. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Yields 16 muffins.


Enjoy :)

Busy Busy...

     So this month has been insanely hectic. Finals, volunteering, field day, kindergarten graduation (which I think, positively, was the cutest thing I have ever seen.. As they stood in the outdoor amphitheater singing to the tune of "New York, New York" "If we made it here we can make it anywhere, see you soon 1st grade, 1st grade!!!..".. But, I digress :) So, I've been a little pressed for time to blog- but here we go...

     So summer is here, the kiddo's are home and it is so easy to want to hit up your local fast food restaurant of choice, or feed them a lunchable for that matter, while you are out and about experiencing beautiful warm days; but with a little planning it is so easy not to fall into this rut- not to mention your wallet will thank you ;). Buying fresh fruit is a great way to get those nutrients in your little ones, however once we become pressed for time, the fruit may sit and go bad because who has time to cut a few slices of watermelon when there are swimming lessons or soccer practice or whatever other lovely activities your kiddos are involved in. So forgive me if this sounds moronically simple, but I know many people are not in the practice of it...*cut the fruit ahead of time*. Whether you prefer a nice big tupperware in the fridge or individual plastic baggies ready for little hands to eat, it will be there, begging to be eaten. Easy. As. Pie.
     Whether you're headed to the pool, the beach or even to the back yard who says you can't still pack their lunches in the summer? Whether you continue your school year routine of making lunch at night or in the  morning, have it ready in the fridge. When lunchtime comes or if you decide to head out for the day, it's there, and you won't be tempted to eat out and eat unhealthy. Plus, I know my daughter likes the fact that she can grab her own lunch box just like during the school year and eat when she's hungry. It may seem like a pain, but it really simplifies things, no last minute trying to decide what to make- it's already done :).
     Trying to think of things to do with your little ones? Try farmer's markets and local farms. Most farms will let you do a tour, you may have to call ahead and plan it but it is a great experience for them to see where food comes from, beyond just the grocery store. You can head to fruit farms near you where you can go and pick your own, and have a really fun experience. Farmer's markets are  a great opportunity to expose them to all sorts of fruits and veggies and they may be more likely to want to try something new when they are surrounded by all the bright colors and different textures.
     If there are local parents out there who are interested in their kids eating habits and what they are served at school, check out Denver Food Revolution on facebook. We can use the page to share ideas and recipes :).   

Birthday, bananas,burgers and beets

   Yesterday was James' birthday. I started the day early, early making banana pancakes with fresh berries and agave nectar and smoky tempeh strips:

    After a super delicious breakfast and dropping E off at school we ran some errands (including taking his birthday shoes back to the Vans store), then went to a burger place in Denver called Park Burger (http://parkburger.com/). Friggin' awesome. I had the turkey burger with bacon and guacamole... One of the best burgers I've ever had. James had the buffalo burger with brie and slices jalapenos which he said was also pretty killer. We split a side of sweet potato fries too, which were perfectly crispy and salty. After lunch we headed downtown to see a daytime showing of Sucker Punch which was a pretty good flick, then headed home to pick up E from school and start on the birthday cake.

    So this cake we made (which came out really good), I saw on an episode of Christina Cooks on PBS. This woman has amazing recipes all of which are wholesome and great for you, but an even more amazing story. She was diagnosed with terminal leukemia at the age of 26, she met with a whole foods advocate, radically changed her diet and lifestyle and overcame her diagnosis. This particular recipe was a chocolate red velvet cake, instead of using food coloring like most recipes would call for to get that rich red color, she used beets.
(you can find her recipe and read her story here:
http://www.christinacooks.com/_webapp_3121462/Chocolate_Red_Velvet_Cake)

  

 It came out really good. There is a definite interesting flavor from the beets, but it all blended together super nice. I added vanilla gelato in between the two layers and drizzled the chocolate icing (which is included in her recipe) all over the top. It was definitely a cake you don't have to feel bad about enjoying :)


    Also last night I was able to watch the premier of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution which I missed Tuesday night because I was in class. Again I want to say how amazing this man is for what he is trying to do for the youth and future of America. I can not believe that he would be denied access to public schools in California. It is an absolute shame that his help wouldn't be accepted, and probably for no other reason than that the school board is ashamed of what they are feeding their kids, they should be even more ashamed of not allowing change to happen. The information he presented about beef and "pink sludge" I believe he called it was sickening. I can not wait to see how much progress he is able to make this year.


Birthday, bananas, burgers and beets :)
Valley

Spring Planting

     So E is so excited to start planting a garden this year, we already picked up all of our seed packs from the store and put down the little wire fencing stuff around where we are going to plant, but I think it's still too early for anything to survive the cold nights.. Plus just when you think the weather is starting to get nice here it seems to snow soooo :). Anyway, to help curb her excitement in the meantime we planted a strawberry plant in a big terra cotta pot we can bring in at night:

     The little guy looks so lonely in the big pot, hopefully it will take root in its new home and turn into a pretty (producing) plant.. How great would it be for her to pick fresh berries this summer while she's playing outside- all those great nutrients :).
     Tonight's dinner was a little lazy, but really good...MorningStar Farms spicy black bean burgers (just one of their veggie burgers for E) on whole wheat buns and corn on the cob:

       On a side note, I'm super excited about the premier of Jamie Oliver's second season of Food Revolution starting next week! He also has a link on his food revolution website to send an email to the USDA regarding better food in school lunches, which you can sign up for too here:

http://www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/usda

Here's to blossoming strawberry plants and food revolutions ♥

Valley

Spring Break and Spring Cleaning

So spring break had me cleaning out my house and kitchen. I decided to trash the microwave- sure it's more convenient but, it isn't really a necessity, plus, since the space where it was was free-d, I was able to fill it with these beautiful fresh herbs :). Not only are they super pretty to look at, but they smell amazing, like a natural potpourri. Also, an unanticipated bonus, Esther couldn't be more excited about popping popcorn on the stove in our glass lid pot where she can see each kernal pop. She finds it extremely entertaining :)

This week I made these super yummy personal size pizzas:



 I used pre-packaged whole wheat pizza crusts we found at Sunflower Market, pesto, mozzarella flavored rice shreds, tomato and artichoke. They came out really great and E had tons of fun 'decorating' her own pizza, she threw sliced black olives on hers and made a smiley face :).

Although yesterday was unseasonably warm (we saw record breaking high temps) and we slept with the windows opened for the first time this year (which is always refreshing), today we woke up to dropping temps and now- snow :(. So E and I made a trip to the local Ace hardware and picked up all of our seed packets for the garden we're going to plant as the temperatures normalize. We got lots of veggie seeds, and we're very excited to see if they take :).

Watercourse Denver

Yesterday we had brunch at the Watercourse restaurant in Denver.. SO awesome. The restaurant is vegetarian with some vegan options. We split the breakfast burrito, which was huge and really filling- whole wheat tortilla filled with eggs/tofu, homefries, refried beans, tempeh chorizo then topped with asadero cheese and gravy or green chile. We each had one of their delicious cinnamon rolls for dessert.. The decorations in the restaurant are so cool, the walls are filled with scenes of rabbits and forrests, and lots of windows so lots of natural light meet the wood floors and bar. If you're in Denver I highly recommend you give this place a try :)

Savory Spice Shop

Yesterday we went to the Savory Spice Shop in downtown Denver... It might just be my new favorite store! They have almost any spice you can imagine you can buy bulk or in a small pre-packaged container. It smells delicious, has gorgeous wood floors and old wood displays, and it smells absolutely AMAZING in there. We left with a jerk rub, which James threw on some chicken and we put on the grill last night... I also made some fresh green beans with ginger, garlic,onion and shallots; and some cuban style sweet potatoes (another great Kind Diet recipe) that had garlic, lime juice, salt, and fresh parsley tossed in olive oil.. super good!

We finished eating just in time for another round of snow to start falling, but at least we were filled with super yummy food that had us dreaming of warmer days :).