Category Archives: Food

Sugar-Free Zucchini Banana Blender Bread

05/03/2016 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Our weekly CSA order has been full of zucchini lately. It’s delicious when simply sliced and steamed with a little sea salt and pepper, but I wanted to use some of it in a different way.

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Since I already have my plate full (pun intended) with cooking the meals for our family, I knew it shouldn’t take too much time, but I still wanted stray from the norm. Hmmm, something different, something fast, and something zucchini; what to do…..

I quickly decided to make use of my favorite kitchen tool, the Vitamix! Then I’d really turn that zucchini into squash. Yes, pun intended once more.

Bananas are usually always around our home since Avery loves them and they are an easy and healthy breakfast. Especially when on the go since they have their own “built-in” wrapper.

Thus, this sugar-free zucchini banana blender bread was ~~born~~ baked. If you don’t have or want to use oats, try protein powder or peanut flour instead. The taste and texture will be different, but I think equally delicious. Actually, I might make a protein version soon.

Zucchini Banana Blender Bread

by RC Liley

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Keywords: bake bread gluten-free sugar-free

Ingredients (1 Loaf)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup coconut flour
1 ripe banana
1 small zucchini or 3/4 of a medium to large one
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
12 drops regular or vanilla liquid stevia
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk of choice
1/4 cup egg whites or 3 whole eggs

Instructions

Grease a 9×5 loaf pan making sure to get all the up the sides and corners. I used coconut oil.

Preheat oven to 350 F

Put the oats and coconut flour in your blender and blend until you see a fine powder.

Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the rack for 40 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely to room temp. This allows the bread to retract from the sides as it cools which makes it MUCH easier to remove.

Go around the sides with a thin rubber spatula or butter knife and turn upside down to remove from loaf pan.

Slice as thick or thin as you’d like and enjoy your healthy bread plain or with a pat of grass-fed butter. Better yet, smother it in NuttZo!

Have your kiddos help by throwing the ingredients in the blender and turning it on. Parenting tip: never actually use the word “throw” when asking your kids to do anything in the kitchen. Now that I’m at that point with Avery, kinda, this is an easy way to get her cooking healthy food with me in the kitchen.

When and if you give this recipe a try, come back and let me know how you like it.

Food, Going Healthy, Life, Parenting

Healthy Cooking With Daddy

05/02/2016 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Finally, the time has come to teach our little girl the ways of healthy cooking! In our house, pants are optional….

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I’ve thought of this before she was even born, and it warms my heart now that it’s becoming a reality. Oh, wait, that’s my shirt on fire!!

Okay, all better. So she’s not exactly ready to start slicing and dicing ingredients, but with a little help, she can add spices pretty well.

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This was us making a lunch for Mommy to bring to work. Now if she calls sweating from a little too much cayenne, I can blame Avery. She knows that we add fresh ground black pepper to all of our meals and made sure she had a “hand” in that part too.

I had to hold the dish lower since her new non-slip Froggie Step Stool is not quite high enough for her to reach the counter. It’s called the Mommy’s Helper Step Up Froggie Stool, but looks like we just changed that to Daddy’s Helper, huh? Time for a product name change!

Product naming conventions aside, our growing toddler is using her stool for potty training and cooking training. Yes, we use a butter knife to stir in this house, but don’t worry, I was supervising.

I usually tackle several meal preps at a time, so I took the time to get her dinner plate ready as she posed for the camera. Or maybe she was watching the cat walk by….

Either way, she gets so excited if I ask her to help me, and even though she has a way’s to go before I can really trust her to do a few simple things, this is how it starts. For anyone who has cooked with kids, I’m sure you know they are more likely to eat the healthy food if they have a roll in helping prepare/cook it. This includes quality control of whatever we make.

And the verdict?

It’s an underwear-iffic win for dinner tonight!

Avery continues to put a smile on our face every day, and she seems to learn/grow more faster than we can keep up with. Soon, she’ll be stating things to us that we never knew. To those with older kids, when should we expect this?

When time allows, get your kids in the kitchen and explore a new food/recipe together. It will pay dividends well into the future in the form of bonding, healthy eating, and cooking skills.

Food, Going Healthy

3 Quick & Healthy Vegetarian Mexican Recipes

04/18/2016 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

I have been craving Mexican food lately, but since we choose not to order from food establishments, that means I have to make my own Mexican recipes. No problem, I using simple ingredients most of us have in the kitchen, it’s easy to put something healthy and tasty together in under 30 minutes. To make it easier, omit the meat for Meatless Monday and give these guys a break…..for at least one day.

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Being Monday where no one is happy about the end of the weekend and beginning of a work week, it’s good to keep meal prep nice and simple. Simple is not the same as a convenient drive-thru window at a nearby fast food chain, a little prep in your own kitchen is needed. But, this can be fun and done in less than 30 minutes.

Here’s what you’ll need:
– 1 can of fat-free refried pinto or black beans
– Reduced fat (part-skim) mozzarella cheese or cheese sticks
– Dried cilantro
– 16oz Jar of your favorite salsa
– 6 inch Corn tortillas; I prefer the Food For Life sprouted whole grain tortillas; or use butter or romaine lettuce for a grain-free option
– Garlic, Cumin, and Onion Powder
– Cayenne pepper
* Optional toppings: Shredded lettuce, sliced avocado, chopped raw onion (green, red, or yellow), and sour cream (plain yogurt is a great substitute too)

With these ingredients you can make many vegetarian Mexican-style snacks/meals. Here’s how I make easy tostadas, chips and dip, and bean burritos.

Bean Tostada

Mix the can of refried beans with your jar of salsa, cilantro, garlic, cumin, onion, and cayenne powder. Cut or shred the cheese to your liking. Spread the bean mixture on top of a corn tortilla and sprinkle about 1/2 or 1 ounce of cheese on top; toast in a toaster oven or conventional oven at 375 degrees until the edges start to turn brown and crispy. Remove from oven, let cool, add shredded lettuce, sliced avocado, and a dollop of plain yogurt if desired, and eat!

Healthy Bean Dip

Mix the beans and other ingredients like you did for tostadas, then mix in 6 ounces shredded cheese. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, microwave 30 more seconds, stir; continue until the cheese is melted and well incorporated in the mix.

Cut the corn tortillas into 6 or 8 wedges, sprinkle with a little salt, and bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven until lightly browned (about 5 – 8 minutes).

Now you have homemade chips and dip. If you don’t want to make your own, Beanitos are a favorite chip in our home.

Mix the plain yogurt in the dip if you would like, it adds a cool and tangy taste that’s pleasing to the palate. For an even healthier option, I choose crudites like raw baby carrots, broccoli, or celery as the perfect dipping devices.

Bean Burritos

With the same bean mixture as the other two quick-fix recipes, fill the middle of a corn tortilla (flour tortillas usually contain hydrogenated oils and I do not recommend them) or use a hardy lettuce like butter lettuce or romaine for a grain-free option with about 2 heaping spoonfuls and a half ounce of cheese.

Wrap in paper towel and microwave for 30 – 40 seconds; enjoy! Since these are smaller, you will probably want more than one. They are more like flautas, only not fried and much better in my opinion.

For reference, an ounce of cheese is similar to four dice; if shredded, about a 1/4 cup.

The combination of beans and a whole grain like corn provides all essential amino acids to make a complete protein, so you will not miss the meat today. Treat your friends, family, and self to one or all of these easy Meatless Mexican meals this Monday or any day and relax.