Trying to get my day started around here is crazy, then when you add in making breakfast and making it healthy....and QUICK on top of that...well, it can be pretty much impossible!  So I've found some ideas that are going to help me and hopefully help you as well!

• Make a shake or smoothie~and to make it EXTRA healthy, be sure to use organic yogurt and/or organic fruits.
• Complex carbs are great, so try to incorporate whole wheat toast or bagels, organic peanut butter, etc.
• Waffles or pancakes can also be really quick. You can either make your own, then freeze individually and pop them in the toaster OR buy the frozen ones from the grocery store. Check for whole wheat ones to make them extra healthy!
• You could make a parfait with organic yogurt, organic fruits, and organic granola.

Also, many of the above ideas can be made by your kids, which would help with the morning craziness!  Have fun, and if you have any ideas to add please leave a comment!

Casseroles are probably one of my favorite things to make~delicious as well as an easy and quick family dinner!  By making the healthy choice and opting for a vegan casserole, you're one step closer to healthy eating.

I found some tasty-looking recipes online, please leave a comment if you try one out or have suggestions for making it better!

Vegan Cheesy Macaroni Casserole (from About.com)
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp oregano
1 4 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups macaroni, cooked

PREPARATION:
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the nutritional yeast and the flour in a saucepan. Place the mixture over low heat, stirring until lightly toasted.

Slowly add the broth, stirring to make a thick batter.

Add water 1/4 cup at a time until the sauce is smooth and slightly thick. Add the remaining ingredients, except the macaroni and stir well.

Place the cooked macaroni in a casserole dish and stir in the sauce.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until sauce bubbles.  


Mexican Lasagna (or Enchilada Casserole)
(thanks to Susan Jackson at the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen)
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
corn tortillas--at least 12
3 cups (28 ounces) fatfree refried beans
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 tsp. chili powder, divided
1/2 tsp. cumin, divided
3 cups black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup salsa
1 can enchilada sauce (or 1 1/2 cups homemade)
sliced black olives

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 375 F.

In a non-stick pan with a little water (1 tbsp.), sauté the peppers, garlic, and onion for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Set aside.

Spray a 9 X 13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray. Line the bottom with a layer of tortillas (you may cut some of them to fit). Make sure you cover the entire bottom of the pan.

Stir the refried beans and spread half of them evenly over the tortillas. Cover the refried beans with half of the pepper-onion mixture and half of the tomatoes; sprinkle with half of the seasonings and half of the black beans.

Add another layer of tortillas and repeat the layers of the other ingredients. Spread the cup of salsa over the final layer of black beans. Cover with a final layer of tortillas, pour the enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle with black olives. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes or until hot throughout. It will be easier to cut if you allow it to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.


Vegan Mexican Stew (from All Recipes)
INGREDIENTS:
5 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 1/2 cups water
4 cubes vegetable bouillon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin
1 1/2 tablespoons seasoned salt
1 (29 ounce) can hominy, drained
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
salt and pepper to taste

PREPARATION:
Place the potatoes, carrots, and celery in a pot with enough lightly salted water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook about 10 minutes, until slightly tender. Drain, and set aside.
Place the 4 1/2 cups water and vegetable bouillon cubes in a pot. Bring to a boil, and cook until bouillon cubes have dissolved. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Saute the onion and garlic until tender. Season with chili powder, cumin, and seasoned salt. Mix in the potatoes, carrots, and celery. Cook and stir about 2 minutes, until heated through. Mix in the water and dissolved bouillon cube mixture, hominy, and diced tomatoes with green chiles. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now doesn't that sound YUMMY?  Doing a stir fry is one of the healthiest and easiest meals you could possibly try. It's a great quick family dinner!  Check out this how-to video I found on You Tube:





And remember.......this is just for a plain veggie stir fry. Make it a healthy recipe by using organic vegetables.  If you're not so much into the whole "vegetarian" thing, you can still enjoy a healthy meal by adding organic chicken or beef.  Try it out and let me know what you think!

I'm dabbling a bit into finding out why to eat organic and what to eat organic. In my searching, I ran across Kids Organics that had an article listing some of the top foods that you should make a priority to eat organic. Let me tell you, my eyes have been opened! And that made me want to share with you some of the foods on their list:

1.  Baby Food -- very young children are extremely susceptible to pesticides. Some organic baby food brands are Earth's Best and Tender Harvest. You could also make your own -- keep your eyes peeled for a future blog about that particular topic!
2.  Milk -- today's milk is loaded with antibiotics and growth hormones. Make sure your milk and other dairy is from organically-fed cows without the extra rBST, rBGH and antibiotics.
3.  Soybeans -- Most soybean in the USA is genetically-modified. Why the fuss over modified soy? The herbicide Round-Up Ready has been spliced into the soybean plant DNA. That means you can never wash that herbicide off because it's "permanently embedded".
4.  Bananas -- because of the short window of ripeness and long distances they have to travel to the store, these fruits are loaded with pesticides.
5.  Green Beans -- Over 60 different pesticides are used on green beans.
6.  Peaches -- peaches often have the highest rates of illegally-applied pesticides.
7.  Rice -- domestic rice is "splattered" with chemicals.
8.  Corn -- not usually considered wrought with pesticides, but if you take into consideration that 75- 90% of all domestic corn has been genetically-modified, that the average American eats 11 pounds of it, that most cooking oils include corn oil, and that most everything is sweetened with corn syrup, then you might be more apt to consider organic corn.
9.   Potatoes -- can be laden with pesticides or genetically altered.
10. Raisins -- grapes are laden with pesticides. Raisins are concentrated grapes, therefore concentrated poisons.

Where oh where can they be? I know those of us who are vegan/vegetarian and/or prefer to eat organic probably know the best restaurants around, right? But there may be people who are curious about the healthy organic, vegan, vegetarian lifestyle ~ then they may need some help in finding a great restaurant. So here's a little list of sites that have vegetarian and organic restaurant guides:

 

 VegDining -- this is a GREAT site, it's not only for the US, but world wide! It's free to browse the restaurants, but you can also get a VegDining card which will give you discounts at a lot of the restaurants listed on their site.
Organic Menus -- this site states that they are "the nation's largest organic and vegetarian restaurant guide." You can also search for grocery markets and farmers markets.
Happy Cow -- besides being a search-able dining guide, this site has a directory of natural health food stores, nutrition and health tips, and recipes.
Organic Highways -- as well as being able to search by state, this site offers restaurant categories such as gluten free, exclusively vegan, and trans fat free.
Vegetarian Restaurants -- this site is huge, it's got a USA Veg Restaurants Guide, a Canadian Veg Restaurants guide, a World Veg Restaurants guide, recipes, and fast-food links among others.

Hopefully the above links will give those who already eat healthy some more options when they go out, and for those who are maybe just curious, I'm sure there are one or two in there that will grab your interest!  Also, if anyone has a great healthy-eating restaurant they know of personally and want to recommend it, please leave the info in the comments section!

Can there be such a thing?  Sure! But why not go one step further and find healthy AND organic snacks for your children? It's never too early to teach your kids the importance of eating right! Here are some ideas you could try:

• Apple slices and organic peanut butter
• Ants on a log (celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins)
• Veggies (carrots or celery) or pita triangles with hummus
• Smoothies made with organic fruits and yogurt
• Muffins (below is a recipe thanks to Group Recipes)

Organic Banana Muffins
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Cups Sugar (Organic)
1/2 Cups Butter (Organic)
2 Large Eggs (Organic)
2 Cups Flour (Organic)
1 teaspoon Baking Soda (Organic)
5 Tablespoons Milk (Organic)
3 Bananas-mashed (Organic)
1/2 teaspoon Salt (Sea Salt)
1 Tablespoon Vanilla (Organic)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
Put cupcake papers into muffin pan.
Scoop muffin mix into pans, fill about 2/3 full.
Bake in preheated oven about 12 minutes.

There are A LOT of really healthy, good-for-you foods that are out there. I did some nosing around and came up with 10 foods that seemed to be mentioned pretty frequently:

Berries -- berries contain a giant portion of phytochemicals, in addition to vitamins, minerals and fiber that provide numerous health benefits. And for the antioxidant power, blueberries come out on top!
Broccoli -- antioxidants, including beta carotene, vitamin C, folate, and lutein, among others. Broccoli is extremely strong in anticancer activity, particularly against lung, colon, and breast cancers.
Garlic -- because of its antiviral and antibacterial properties as well as its vitamin C content, garlic is a powerful agent against the common cold as well as the flu; may protect against certain types of cancer; fights free radicals; has been shown to reduce inflammation and pain in the body.
Nuts -- nuts are one of the best plant sources of protein. They are rich in fiber, phytonutrients and antioxidants such as Vitamin E and selenium; also, researchers found that people who eat nuts regularly have lower risks of heart disease.
Oats -- oatmeal, oat bran and whole oat products are some of the best sources of soluble fiber, which help reduce total cholesterol along with LDL or “bad” cholesterol. In addition to reducing the risk of heart disease, oat fiber can help control blood sugar, too.
Red (Kidney) Beans -- kidney beans are a very good source of cholesterol-lowering fiber, as are most other beans. In addition to lowering cholesterol, kidney beans' high fiber content prevents blood sugar levels from rising too rapidly after a meal, making these beans an especially good choice for individuals with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia. When combined with whole grains such as rice, kidney beans provide virtually fat-free high quality protein.
Spinach -- spinach is a rich source of Vitamins C and A, and also a good source of vitamin K.
Turkey -- naturally low in fat without the skin, containing only 1 gram of fat per ounce of flesh. A 5-ounce serving provides almost half of the recommended daily allowance of folic acid, and is a good source of vitamins B, B1,B6, zinc and potassium. These nutrients have been found to keep blood cholesterol down, protect against birth defects, cancer and heart disease, aid in nerve function and growth, boost the immune system, regulate blood pressure, and assist in healing processes.
Fish -- fish is high in protein and low in cholesterol; fish contains heart-healthy nutrients like Omega-3 and is low in calories.
Water -- is water a food? Maybe not but it is one of the most important things you can consume. If you drink at least 8 oz of water a day (pure and free of any additives), you will (among other things) remove toxins and waste from your body; keep skin healthy; reduce headaches and dizziness; and improve your energy.

So, now that you have a list of some of the best foods to eat, what can you do with them? One idea is to get your kids involved in making healthy recipes for the family! Show the list to your kids and challenge them to use these ingredients to create a menu for dinner. I bet it would be interesting, but it's also one way to get your children involved in the meals, and by being more involved and having some input, they'll be more likely to eat healthy as well as learning why eating healthy is important.

Have fun, play around with the ingredients, and if you'd like, leave a comment to let everyone know what you came up with!

Isn't that an oxymoron? Using the words "healthy" and "desserts" in the same sentence, I mean! Desserts are one of the best things about the holidays, but the calories and fat that go with them.......not so much. So here are some great low-fat recipes that are healthy for you as well!  Happy cooking!

Pecan-Topped Pumpkin Pudding
(from Women's Health Magazine)

INGREDIENTS:

2 eggs, beaten
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
1 can (12 oz) 2% evaporated milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 tsp chopped pecans

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 8 half- cup ramekins with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except nuts and divide among ramekins.
3. Place dishes in a 9”x13” baking dish with enough water to cover bottom of sheet. Bake for 45 minutes.
4. Remove from oven. Sprinkle each pudding with 1 teaspoon chopped pecans. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition Information

Per half-cup serving:
173 calories
4g fat (1 g saturated)
222 mg sodium
30 g carbs
2 g fiber
6 g protein



Ginger Tea Cake
(from the Food Network)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree
1/4 cup reduced-fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 packed cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
Confectioners' sugar, optional

PREPARATION:

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
Line a large (4 1/2-inch by 9 1/2-inch) metal loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Sift the flour, baking soda, ginger and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk the pumpkin, buttermilk, and vanilla in another bowl.
Beat the butter with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the light brown sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes more. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 parts, alternating with the pumpkin mixture in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix briefly at medium-low speed to make a smooth batter. Turn off beaters and add the crystallized ginger. Finish folding batter--which will be thick--by hand with a rubber spatula.
Scrape batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the cake comes out clean and top springs back when lightly pressed, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 to 15 minutes, then invert pan to release cake onto rack to cool. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired. Serve.


Nutrition Information
Calories 139
Fat 3 grams
Saturated Fat 2 grams
Carbohydrates 26 grams
Fiber 1 gram
Protein 2 grams


Finally, here are some more tips on enjoying holiday desserts from Healthdiscovery.net:

• Mix applesauce with mincemeat to reduce the amount of fat and serve with frozen low fat or fat free yogurt.
• Angel food cake contains little or no fat and can make a great dessert when served with fruits such as strawberries, raspberries or a fresh fruit salad.
• If making pumpkin pie – use evaporated skim milk and top with low fat or fat free ice cream or frozen yogurt. Also try our "crustless pumpkin pie"
• Try to make 'wise' dessert choices rather than deny yourself, have a smaller portion and savor every mouthful when you have choices, opt for desserts that are lower in fat and sugar. For example, if faced with a plate of cookies, you may decide to choose the sugar cookies or gingerbread cookies over shortbread cookies as they tend to be lower in fat.

Everyone knows why eating healthy is important, but I know that sometimes it's hard to do around the holidays!  Here are some really yummy recipes for vegetarian side dishes you could make to bring to a holiday gathering, or even use them to introduce your kids to some healthy cooking recipes! 

Enjoy, and please leave a comment to let me know what you think!

(Thanks to The Veg Family for the recipes)

Savory Wild Rice Stuffed Onions

* 6 Large Vidalia Onions or 8 med yellow onions.
* 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 apple, peeled, cored, chopped (about 1 cup)
* 2 TBS fresh parsley, minced
* 2 TBS fresh marjoram, minced (used 1 tea. dried)
* 1 tsp. lemon juice
* 1/4 tsp. paprika
* Salt & pepper to taste
* 1 cup wild rice, cooked
* Vegetable stock (homemade or boxed)

1. Preheat oven to 400F

2. Cut 1/4 bunch off both ends of the onion and peel off dry layers. Bake onions, root end down in baking dish for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool and hollow out each onion from top, leaving 1/2 inch shell (outer most 2-4 layers).

3. Chop 1 cup of reserved onion and sauté with mushrooms in a medium hot pan for 3 minutes. Add garlic and apple and sauté 3 minutes. Add parsley, marjoram, lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper; combine the sautéed mixture with the cooked rice.

4. Fill each onion shell with rice mixture. Pour enough stock to cover bottom of onions (about 1/2 inch). Bake for 20 minutes, basting the stuffed onions with stock occasionally. Makes 6-8 servings depending on which onions you use.

My suggestion on this is that the onions took A LOT longer to cook than 30 minutes. If you want to fix this for a dinner, I recommend that you bake the onions the night before, and then finish up the next evening with the filling. The onions will also be cool then, instead of working with hot onions that just came out of the oven.



Cauliflower Salad with Capers and Olives

* 1 small-medium cauliflower
* 2 cups of watercress or arugala or radicchio
* 2 scallions, including one inch of greens, thinly sliced
* 1 cup diced celery heart with leaves
* 1 small green pepper, julienned
* 1 cucumber, peeled seeded and chopped
* 12 olives, with pimento, halved
* 1 T capers
* 1/2 cup parsley

Slice off thin slices of cauliflower, working around the head. Quarter then thinly slice. Remove large stems from watercress and chop the rest. Prepare the vinaigrette (see next recipe). Toss with veggies, greens, olives, capers, and parsley.

Vinaigrette
Keep the dressing on the tart side, a little more vinegar than oil. Prepare vinaigrette -Any classic vinaigrette recipe will do. I recommend white wine vinegar, or white balsamic. Red vinegars will discolor the cauliflower. I would also recommend some Dijon mustard (2 tsps is fine) to the vinaigrette. I like to use a classic one part vinegar to three part oil recipe. Please use a fruit vinegar for the vinegar part. I LOVE Trader Joe's raspberry vinegar. I also add (blend or whisk) a fresh raspberry or two, a squeeze of lemon, some sea salt and voila! YUMMY!


Roasted Root Vegetables

* 8 medium shallots peeled
* 2 medium red skin potatoes, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
* 2 medium turnips, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
* 2 medium parsnips, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
* 4 medium carrots, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
* 2 cloves garlic minces
* 1/4 c olive oil
* 1 T chopped fresh thyme
* salt and ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450. In large bowl combine vegetables, oil, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper-toss evenly to coat. Transfer coated veggies to baking dish and bake until tender and browned, 35-45 minutes. Serve warm.

I LOVE egg nog at the holidays!  Okay, I can drink it any time, really......problem is, it is definitely not that healthy for you!  So, I went searching and found some really great low-fat and healthy egg nog recipes!  Enjoy!

Low-Fat Egg Nog

6 cups of skim milk
1 cup of Egg Beaters (or your favorite comparable product)
Sweetener to taste
2 teaspoons of real vanilla extract (Rub a little behind your ears and live a little!)
2 teaspoons of rum extract
Ground nutmeg and cinnamon (or you can use a bit of pumpkin pie spice)

Heat the milk, Egg Beaters and sweetener in the microwave on high until thickened, stirring every minute or so. You can also use your stove if you prefer. Remove from microwave or stovetop and stir in the remaining ingredients. Next, cover the mixture very tightly with plastic wrap and chill. Sprinkle with additional nutmeg and cinnamon if desired. You can even add a dollop of nonfat, sugarfree topping for an added treat!

This recipe for Holiday Egg Nog makes about six – eight ounce servings for about 100 calories each.


Low-Fat, Low-Cholesterol Eggnog Recipe (6 servings)

1/2 cup egg substitute
2 teaspoons sugar
1 (13 ounce) can evaporated skim milk
3/4 cup low-fat milk (1%)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon rum flavoring
ground nutmeg

Whip together egg substitute and sugar, combine with two milks and flavoring. Mix well. Chill overnight. Dust with nutmeg before serving.


Low Fat Eggnog recipe 

1 large egg(s)
1/4 cup fat-free egg substitute
1/4 cup sugar
2 cups fat-free evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup brandy or rum, 80 proof
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Beat together egg, egg substitute and sugar.
Return mixture to stove and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened slightly and very steamy. Do not let eggnog boil.
Warm milk until it steams, but does not boil. Very gradually beat milk into eggs.
Stir in vanilla and chill thoroughly.
Stir in brandy. Pour into four glasses and sprinkle a touch of nutmeg on top of each serving.

Yields about 3/4 cup per serving.  Serves 4