I'm Back!

So I just went on an amazing trip to Israel. The experience was phenomenal! I LOVED the food! I learned so much about how the Israeli's cook and eat. The biggest thing I learned is how fresh everything was. EVERY meal came with manysmall salads. And fruit was served for dessert. (although the bad stuff could still be found in the bakeries - oh it was evil, but so amazing at the same time! :) )

Most of them eat Kosher, so they rarely combine meat and diary. This makes many mealshigh in fruits and veggies - which I love! They eat many beans and legumes to get the protein they otherwise wouldn't have.

It was rare to find processed crap (sorry for the language :)) anywhere. No granola bars, crackers, or energy bars, just plain goodness. The markets were fully stocked with assorted nuts and dried fruits. I am becoming a big believer of just fresh eating.

It gave me a lot of inspiration to try to minimize processed anything in my diet.

So here is a slide show of my amazing food experience!

And stay tuned for some yummy, Israeli inspired Healthy Attempts! :)

Granola Bar low-down

This one is tricky. I have been searching for the best granola bar recipe for years! One that kids will eat and enjoy for a snack, and one that's not full of processed junk. So I found my top three and wanted to share. Enjoy making something you know your kids can snack on all they want! And please - share your thoughts!

First Place:

Fruit and Nut Energy Bars

These are the best! Simple ingredients, easy to make, and so tasty! So much sweeter than I had expected, but no added sugar! They barely lasted one day!

The recipe says it makes six, but I only got three. So double the recipe. Or better yet, Triple it and freeze some! Thats what I am planning on doing. There are a lot of variations on this one - and they are all good! I think I like the cherry one the best. You tell me what you think.

Click here for recipe.

Second Place:

Macro Bars

I got this recipe from my good old Rawsome Recipe cookbook, some of it is quack I have to admit, but this recipe is a gem! I love pure wholesome ingredients and you will be shocked when you taste it! Just don't tell anyone whats in them! I think they are good enough to serve at a luncheon. :) My three year old could not stop eating them!

1/2 C Melted Organic Butter (I only did about a 1/3)

1/2 C Agave or Honey (kids love it with maple syrup)

1 1/4 C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

1/2 C Rolled Oats

1/2 C millet, ground in a processor or coffee grinder (I didn't grind mine and it was fine, slightly more crunchy)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 C prunes, soaked in enough warm water to cover them for 1 hour.

1- Drain prunes, saving water

2- Combine all ingredients except prunes. If too dry, slowly add prune water.

3- Spread dough on cookie sheet. Keep hands moist so it doesn't stick.

4- Process prunes in processor with enough of the prune water to make a firm, but spreadable icing.

5- Spread prune topping on batter and bake 25 minutes at 350. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Third place:

Walnut and Dried Cherry Bars

These are the perfect balance between yummy and healthy, with good fats and full of fiber! I put these third place because they are a little more time intensive and slightly messy considering they have jam on top. They slightly have more of an adult taste and texture, but they are good!

1 C quick cooking Oats
3/4 C Whole-Wheat pastry flour, White whole wheat Flour, or just whole wheat flour
1/4 C toasted wheat Germ
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 C Honey
1/3 C unsweetened Applesauce
1/4 C Canola Oil
1 egg, beaten
1 egg white
3/4 C Chopped dried tart cherries
1/2 C finely chopped walnuts
1/4 C "Fruit Only" preserves

(some of these ingredients can be hard to find. I usually find everything at Trader Joes, but I am sure whole foods would carry the tart cherries and fruit preserves. Wheat Germ is sold at your grocery store.)

Combine dry ingredients. In seperate bowl combine wet ingredients (excluding perserves) Mix both together well, place in lightly greased 8x8 pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350. Bring preserves to boil in small saucepan. Spread a thin layer across bars right when they get out of oven, let cool completely, cut into bars about 4 x 1 1/2 inches, and store in airtight container.
Hope You Enjoy!!
(I got this recipe from one of my favorite shows on the Food Network called Healthy Appetite!)

Zucchini Pizza

I love this one. Perfectly fast and easy week night meal. Something different from the norm. I made my own pizza dough. Which does take preparation ahead of time. Or make a few batches and freeze them. You can always buy store bought dough or if you are lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's by you - buy there dough! Its AMAZING! (I miss that place!)

I did a few tweaks to Racheal Ray's recipe to make it slightly better for you. So here is the healthier version:

Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza Dough:

1 teaspoon white sugar

1½ cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups white whole wheat flour

½ cups all-purpose flour

1. In a large bowl, dissolve sugar in warm water. Sprinkle yeast over the top, and let stand for about 10 minutes, until foamy.

2. Stir the olive oil and salt into the yeast mixture, then mix in the whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup of the all-purpose flour until dough starts to come together. Tip dough out onto a surface floured with the remaining all-purpose flour, and knead until all of the flour has been absorbed, and the ball of dough becomes smooth, about 10 minutes. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover loosely with a towel, and let stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

3. When the dough is doubled, tip the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and divide into 2 pieces for 2 thin crust, or leave whole to make one thick crust. Form into a tight ball. Let rise for about 45 minutes, until doubled.

(to freeze, throw in freezer safe bags after step 2. When you take it out, let it thaw (take it out in the morning) and then roll it out and let it rise.)

Pizza:

2 Cups of low fat Ricotta Cheese

8 Garlic Cloves, minced

3 Cups of Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese

2-3 Medium Zucchini (I say the more veggies the better)

Preheat oven to 425. Roll out dough on a thin sprinkle of cornmeal or flour. Poke a few times with a fork and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in oven for about 5-6 minutes.

In a small bowl mix ricotta with garlic. When you remove the dough from oven spread evenly across the top. Bake another 12-13 minutes.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Slice the zucchini into thin strip lengthwise (do the best you can do). Fill dry skillet with thin layer of strips and cook for 5 minutes. Turning once. Remove to cutting board and repeat with all zucchini. Cut the stacked zucchini strips into small matchsticks shapes. Scatter the strips over the pizza the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time. And sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serve right away! Serve with a simple fruit to make this a meal!

Fiber One Fudge Cookies

Don't let the name fool you!! So easy, crunchy and fun! Full of fiber! Who doesn't love an easy way out for a treat?

For those of you familiar with weight watchers, these cookies are only 1 point! Got it from one of my FAV websites.

Click HERE for the recipe.

(I don't know how I felt about putting the cereal in whole, it left a wierd texture. I might pulse it slightly in my food processor next time to keep it hidden, and maybe add nuts??? We'll see...)

I rate them a 3.5

This was the three year olds reaction:

Green Minestrone (by Rachael Ray)

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this soup! Just ask my family, this is one of the few meals that I repeat. Full of unique and healthy things like chickpeas and spinach! I use Whole Wheat Orzo Pasta (this picture shows a different type of pasta). If you want to change things up a bit and make something different, this is it! Try it, you won't be sorry.

2 T EVOO

8 Cups of Low Sodium Chicken Broth

4 slices of Pancetta (I never have used this, I use cooked shredded chicken or canned chicken)

1 medium onion

2 Ribs Celery, Chopped

2 Large Cloves Garlic

1 Bay Leaf

1 Medium Zucchini, cut into half moon shapes

S & P

1 Can white Beans

1 Can Garbanzo Beans

1 C mini Pasta ( I like Orzo)

½ lb. Green Beans cut into 1 in pieces

10 oz. Spinach

½ C Parmesan cheese

12-16 leaves of Fresh Basil

Directions:

Heat a soup pot over medium high heat. Add oil and pancetta or prosciutto. (or skip this step if you are using cooked chicken) Saute 2 minutes and add onions, celery, garlic, zucchini and bay leaf to the pot. Season vegetables with salt and pepper, to your taste. Saute vegetables 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add white beans, garbanzo beans, cooked or canned chicken, and chicken broth to the pot. Cover soup and bring to a boil. Add pasta and green beans to the soup and cook 8 minutes, or until pasta is just tender. Stir in spinach to wilt, 1 minute. Stir in grated cheese and ladle soup into bowls. Top soup with torn or shredded basil or chopped parsley.

Wheat Berry and Arugula Salad

Yum! Just did this one tonight. One of my favorites for sure! The somewhat crunchy texture of the wheat berries, mixed with the sweet, yet spicy dressing is SO yummo! The perfect meal in one on a summer evening.

Don't forget the healthy benefit of the wheat berries, they are an excellant souce of Dietary Fiber! Something that is really hard to get enough of every day. And the Garbanzo beans are a little gem themselves. They provide good fats, high fiber, protein, and even calcium!! (I have added them to chocolate chip cookies before! Who knew?)

Dressing:

1 C fresh orange juice (about 2 oranges)

1/4 C chopped fresh cilantro

2 T fresh lime juice

2 T water

1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 tsp. honey

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Bring OJ to boil in small saucepan - medium heat. Simmer until reduced to about 1/3 cup. (about 12 minutes) Refrigerate until cool. Whisk in cilantro, lime juice, water, oil, honey, garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, and cayenne. Set aside.

Salad:

1 C wheat berries (I used white whole wheat berries)

Salt

1 Can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

1/2 jarred roasted red peppers (in water) drained and patted dry, and chopped

2 oz feta cheese crumbled

Pepper

8 oz baby arugula (I didn't have this and just used baby spinach)

I had a few extra ing. on hand and wanted to use them, so I added Cranberry's and Avocado

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add wheat berries with 1/2 tsp salt. Partially cover and cook stirring often, until tender but still chewy (about 1 hour). Drain and rinse. Mix chickpeas, red peppers, feta, cranberries, avacado, and wheat berries, and half the dressing in a bowl. Season with Salt and Pepper. In remaining bowl toss arugula with remaining dressing. Place 1 C of berry mixture on top of a each plate of lettuce and enjoy!

Me score: 5 stars

Hubby's score: 3 stars (bummer, should have used arugula)

I kept the lettuce out and just gave the berry mixture to the three year old:

He ate the whole thing!

recipe from: Light and Healthy magazine 2010

Easy Creamy Pasta

I love this dish! This is my go to quick meal of the week. A healthy and low fat version of cream pasta. No cream here!! Its great if I need to use a bunch of unused veggies in my fridge or for the extra speedy version, I use a bag of frozen veggies.

1 1/2 C Whole grain Rotini Pasta

1 Tbs. Olive oil

Mixed veggies (fresh or frozen)

3/4 C Low Fat Evaporated Milk

1/2 C low sodium Chicken Broth

2 Tbs. All Purpose Flour

1/3 C Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Cook Pasta according to directions. Cook Veggies. You can stir fry them in the oil, steam them, or microwave. Whisk Milk, Broth, and Flour in separate bowl. Add to skillet with veggies and cook on medium until thick and bubbly. Mix in pasta and cheese. YUM!

My Score: 4 1/2 stars

Hubby: 4 1/2 stars

3 Year old: LOVES IT!