Nutritionists will tell you that healthy diets around the world, whether vegetarian, or high in animal fats, high fish diets, mediteranean diets, and more, all have two things in common. The health and longevity associated with these diets is based on the principle of pure, whole food diets, and the absence of sugar. What that means is foods with low or no processing, healthy animals without horomones, and pesticides. So, if you truly want your family to be eating healthy you just need to get back to basics: unprocessed, no pre-packed foods with preservatives and sugars. There are plenty of sweets in nature, from fruits to honey. Even chocolate lovers will find that antioxidant rich Cacao and agave make a great chocolate syrup!
Easy Ice Cream - No Sugar, No Dairy... but so delicious
Peel 1 banana per person
Break them into about 4-5 pieces and freeze.
Let thaw about 20 minutes, then place in your food processor!
In less than 1 minute you will have a creamy banana ice-cream.
Mix in cherries, cinnamon, or whatever delight you can think of!
I was amazed at how creamy this is!!
Spinach Cheese Balls
2 cups Shredded Cheddar or Mozzarella
8oz Frozen Spinach, Thawed, and water squeezed out
Just mix together with your hands, form into balls and cook at 350 deg. for 10-15 minutes!
So easy I throw these together for dinner for my 14 month old. He has a tendency not to want to eat meat to somtimes I will add a little leftover chicken or beef to them and he doesn't even realize it! They make great appetizers for holidays and parties.
Easy Greens:
Kale is very nutritous but what do you do with it?
Easy, (buy organic because leafy greens are high in pesticides)
Rinse the leaves, pack into a freezer zip bag. Then pull it out and smash the bag to break it into tiny pieces, easy to do when frozen, and pour into rice and beans, or scrambled eggs, or pasta sauces, meat balls! And if you crumble it good then the kids won't even notice it!!!!
Meat Balls
1 pound ground turkey or ground beef bread crumbs wheat germ 1 egg spices such as garlic, pepper, basil, thyme and/or oregano
Mix ground beef with approximately 1 cup of bread crumbs, 1/4 cup wheat germ, 1 egg and the spices you like.
Roll into balls, bake at 375F until golden or for about 25-30 minutes. Use a small baking pan so you may shake and roll the meatballs around - helps to keep even cooking . Serve, or Cool and Freeze.
Easy Nachos
1 can (15oz) Black Beans (or dried and cooked)
1 package shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 bag tortilla chips
First drain half the liquid from the black beans. Pour into a food processor, run for 30 seconds, until almost pureed. Spoon about two teaspoons of beans onto each chip. Top with shredded cheese. Microwave at 80% power for 35-45 seconds. Do not cook them on full power; it overcooks the beans & cheese and it doesn't look appetizing at all. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or salsa on each chip or on the side.
My son’s Favorite:
Homemade Corn Tortillas:
Only required ingredients: Instant corn flour, Water
See my video on how to quickly prepare this snack or meal your child will love. My son has been gobbling them down since he was about 9 months (even when he was sick and would eat nothing else he ate these). This is great for the whole family! Great way to get kids to eat veggies!
Great additions: Cheese, spinach, dash of sea salt and pepper, avocado, Frontier basil, Frontier Taco seasoning, Tomatoes, grilled meat. I like to tear up some spinach leaves and hide them under cheese, or mix avocado and tomatoes together to make a paste and then melt the cheese on top.
Even quicker Alternative: buy whole wheat tortillas and microwave the cheese in it, and add some veggies (tomatoes, spinach, or mashed up avacado) and fold in half to make the cheese seal the tortilla. Cut into pieces for toddlers, and makes a great quick and nutrious lunch.
Well loved Beans! Surprisingly I have found kids love beans. My son had a Honduran nanny and he quickly fell in love with her cooking. He loves black beans, which are very nutrisous (especially when a baby has only a few teeth and has a hard time eating meat).
See below for tips on cooking beans
Healthy Refried Beans (Serves 4)
2 Tbsp Olive oil 1 Small Onion, diced 1 Garlic Cloves, chopped 1 14 Oz Can Pinto Beans, drained and rinsed (or dried beans cooked the night before) 1 Tsp Salt (preferably sea salt, why?) 2 Tbsp Hot Water Accompaniments: Cheese for sprinkling on top
1. Heat olive oil in a small heavy bottomed pot. 2. Saute the onions for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook another minute. 3. Add the pinto beans and salt to the onions and mash with a potato masher or fork. 4. Add water, stir and cook until heat through. 5. Serve.
Why sea salt: Sea salt is totally natural. Table salt contains additives such as dextrose, which is a sugar, and no minerals except in some cases added iodine.
Mashed Potato Patties
Great for school lunch, my son loves holding them in both hands.
2 Cups Mashed Potatoes (I like to take potatoes, rinse, then poke holes with a fork and microwave for approx 10 minutes and then scoop out) 1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese 1 Egg, whisked 7 Tbsp Whole Wheat Flour Butter or Oil, for pan-searing Accompaniments: Sour cream 1. Place mashed potatoes, cheese, egg, and 3 tbsp flour in a bowl and stir to combine. 2. Take a scoop of the potato mixture and form into patties. 3. Place the remaining 4 tbsp of flour on a plate. 4. Lightly coat the potato patties in the flour. 5. Heat a thin layer of the oil or butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. 6. Cook the potato cakes for 3 minutes on each side 7. Serve
Slow Cooker: This method works best for harder beans, such as kidney, black small red, and garbanzos (not to be used for navy beans or lentils as they will turn to mush). Place beans in slow cooker, Cover with about 3-4 times as much water as beans. Cover, cook on high until the beans are soft, usually several hrs. Drain and rinse before using.
Quick Soak: ( I like to do this on a weekend and save enough for a couple nights or lunches) Place 2-3 cups of beans in a pot. Cover with water (3-4 cups). Bring to a boil. Remove beans from heat. Allow to soak for an hour. Drain water and replace with fresh water. Bring to a boil and cook for : Black beans 1.5 hrs Anazansi 2.5 hr Garbanzo 4 hr Kidney 2 hr Lentils 45 min Navy 1.5 hr
