Use a blender to mix nondairy milk with cocoa or carob powder. I’ve tried both stirring with a spoon and using a wire whip but a blender or battery operated whisk works best to eliminate lumps and give the milk a nice froth. I sometimes blend up a big batch and pour it into a pitcher that I keep in the fridge. This way it’s ready for a quick drink, or to heat up for a nice hot cocoa in the morning.
Taste and if needed sweeten with one of the following sweeteners:
Serve up these after-school snacks and your kids will be running home from school to snap them up!
Serve any of the following as dippers:
In the morning line the bottom of a square cake pan with graham crackers. Cover with any flavor sugar-free pudding, then a layer of graham crackers, then pudding until the pan is filled, ending with a layer of pudding. By the time the kids come home you’ll have a delicious cake for them to snack on. And it doesn’t need to be frosted!
Topped with:
The quickest way to make this sandwich is to melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Place bread slice(s) in pan, top with nondairy cheese, then second bread slice. Add more butter if necessary when turning to brown other side.
Add one of the following between the bread slices:
Wrap whole wheat dough* around soy “hot dogs”. Bake according to dough instructions. You could also place some nondairy cheese between the biscuit and dog before rolling.
* Trader Joes and many other markets carry whole wheat pizza and bread dough that work nicely for this recipe.
When you’re stumped for a healthy Protein-based after-school snack that your kids will actually eat, try one of the suggestion below. They’ve all been tested on kids and friends of kids, nephews and nieces and passed. By “passed” I mean that they ask for more. That’s the kid version of a “thumbs up”.
Serve plain or mix eggs with any of the following:
Slices of apple topped with slices of any of the following:
cheese
nut butter
cream cheese sweetened with maple syrup, honey or agave nectar
Serve any of the following as a dip:
This is a can’t-fail, mix and dump recipe. Throw everything in the food processor, dump it in a bowl, toss it in the fridge. That’s it – it’s done!
To cut down on dairy I like to use 1/2 soy cream cheese and 1/2 real cream cheese but it does affect the taste. Use low fat cream cheese if you want but not non-fat, it tastes terrible.
In a large bowl, beat 8 ounces cream cheese until fluffy.
Gradually beat in until smooth 3/4 cup cream, or nondairy milk, or a mix of both.
Stir in 1 cup maple syrup and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour into bowl or individual dishes. Chill 3 hours or until set.
Substitute silken tofu for the cream cheese and nondairy milk for the cream.
For a thick and rich Fruity Yogurt, drain sugar-free yogurt overnight and up to several days, in the refrigerator. You can do this by placing the yogurt in a filter-lined coffee basket set over a bowl, or a cheesecloth lined sieve or colander. This step isn’t necessary, it just gives you a yogurt more similar in texture to commercial yogurts, without all the sugars and thickeners.
Some Fruits have more water content than others and will therefore produce a much thinner yogurt. There are several ways to make these Fruity Yogurts thicker:
Puree the Fruit of your choice. Stir Fruit into yogurt. Do not beat or use a blender as the yogurt will become very thin. Taste and add any of the following to taste:
Fruits to try:
Stir together with a wire whip in a medium-size heavy pan over low heat:
Continue stirring occasionally. When the mixture begins to bubble around the edges, remove from heat. Remove the cinnamon sticks and stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract.
I always have a few of Amy’s Organics prepared meals in my pantry and freezer. I’ve tried many of the frozen and boxed brands and haven’t found them to be that tasty, but Amy’s Organics have been a hit every time I’ve served them. And it’s fabulous to know that all of the ingredients are organic, and most meals use whole grains. Many of the frozen items come in individual and family size. On a busy day all I have to do is pull one out, heat and eat. They’re great as is, but a few semi-homemade meal hacks such as adding frozen veggies or leftovers from the fridge I can up the veggie intake and stretch one meal into two.
And when they’re on sale I stock up on as many as my freezer and cupboard can hold.
Amy’s refried beans are perfect for making a healthy burrito, nachos or a layered dip. I like to stir refried beans into broth with some of Amy’s salsa for a quick bean soup.
These burritos are all around 250 calories and delicious. I love to serve them with loads of salsa and call it a meal. For the little ones, I put them in a bowl and cut them up. They look like a mess but that doesn’t matter since they disappear real fast.
Amy’s has lots of great cereal choices. Perfect in the morning with nondairy milk and sliced fruit.
Another great quick and easy dinner. If you need a little somethin’ somethin’ to feed a hungry teen you can heat up a can of Amy’s refried beans to serve with the enchilidas.
Your little darlings will love these healthy lunches and dinners. Serve them with sliced fruit or veggies on the side for a little extra nutrition.
Much better for you than a can of orange spaghettios.
lasagna
There are several varieties to choose from.
macaroni & cheese
These meals have so much sauce that you can stir in up to a cup of cooked veggies.
So MANY varieties. May favorite is the Roasted Vegetable. Eat as is, or pile a salad on top and eat it like a sandwich.
Kids, adults, everybody loves these. I heat up a cup of pasta sauce and serve it as a dip.
These are not my favorites but it’s nice to see that they offer this option
Love, love, love their soups. My fave? Any of the chilis. I eat the chili straight out of the can as soup, on hot dogs and hamburgers, and over eggs. If I want a light meal I’ll add some broth to the chili.
What are your fave Amy’s Organics hacks? Share in the comments.
We all know that water is good for us, but often the reasons are a little fuzzy. And even if we know why we should, it’s not a habit that many people form.
But there are some very powerful reasons to drink lots of water every day, and forming the habit isn’t hard, with a little focus. The above is the beginning of an excellent, short & very informative article published by Dumb Little Man. Read the rest of the article here.
Replace your plastic water bottles with stainless steel.
Fill a stainless steel bottle 1/2 full of water and place in the freezer. When you’re getting ready to leave the house fill the bottle to the top with fresh water and you’ll have ice cold water for quite a long time.
Fill ice cube trays with orange, lemon, lime, grapefruit or watermelon juice. Pop them into your water glass for a little extra flavor.
Puree mint with enough citrus juice to make a smooth puree. Freeze in ice cube trays and add them to your water glass whenever you need a flavor boost.
Use herbal tea bags to add flavor to your water.
This is one of Global Health & Fitness’ Healthy Recipes with some UnDiet variations.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Heat 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil over medium high heat. Saute 1 cup stewed tomatoes, with their liquid and 1/4 cup chopped onion, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir in 1/2 cup unrefined sugar, 1 tablespoon mustard, 1 & 1/2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, 3 cups and 3/4 cup canned red kidney beans; cover and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
Remove lid and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Nutritional Information: Calories: 243 ~ Carbohydrate: 54 grams ~ Cholesterol: 0 milligrams ~ Dietary Fiber: 7 grams ~ Fat: 0 gram ~ Protein: 9 grams ~ Sodium: 600 milligrams
More healthy, delicious recipes from GHF and a suggested shopping list.
Ranch-Style Pasta: spoon hot Ranch-Style Beans over buttered whole grain pasta.
Ranch-Style Tacos: spoon hot Ranch-Style Beans onto warm corn tortilla. Top with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes or salsa.
Ranch-Style Sloppy Joes: add browned ground meat to beans. Heat through and spoon over whole grain buns.
This summer squash dressing is a nice way to enjoy a winter comfort food with your summer garden bounty.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Saute ingredients below in extra-virgin olive oil until crisp tender, about 7-10 minutes:
Mix 1 can cream of celery soup* and 2 cups creme fraiche, sour cream or low-fat yogurt or a mix of these.
Stir veggies into soup mixture.
Mix 2 cups whole grain bread crumbs and 1 teaspoon seasoning mix such as Mrs. Dash or Spike. Pour 1/2 cup melted butter over crumbs, stir to combine well.
Place half of crumbs into buttered square pan. Place soup mixture on top. Top with remaining bread crumbs. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
*You can use pretty much any “cream of” soup such as asparagus, cream of chicken, cream of broccoli …
Replace the zucchini with mushrooms and the carrots with celery and use cream of mushroom soup.
