Andrew's Joe

My son Andrew LOVES sloppy joes.  We learned that he couldn't get enough of them while on vacation. My dad thought it would be a great meal through the week for lunch; no one anticipated Andrew eating so much.  My dad used canned sloppy joe products to make them.

I wanted to take advantage of Andrew's love of a food, but make it healthier for our family.  You may or may not choose to add the beans to your sloppy joes; we are trying to increase fiber and protein in our diets so this is an easy way for me to do so.

While the kids will eat the meal on whole grain buns each night, John and I prefer to switch it up. Last night, we ate our leftovers over baked zucchini.  You could enjoy it over quinoa, pasta, or on lettuce leaves. 

INGREDIENTS:

Imagine black beans and tomato sauce

• Onion, chopped
• Bell pepper, chopped (I used red so it blended in more)
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 can black beans, rinsed (optional)
• 1 T olive oil or cooking spray
• salt
• tomato sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 t hot pepper sauce
• 2 t maple syrup 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oil in large skillet.  Add onion and bell pepper. Cook 4 minutes. Add garlic. Stir and cook an additional minute.  Set aside mixture in bowl.
2. Brown turkey in the same skillet.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add mixture back to skillet, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepper sauce, and syrup. Mix well. Reduce heat. Allow to thicken over medium-low heat for 15 minutes.

DIFFICULTY: Easy

TIME: 25 minutes

SOURCE: Adapted from Fixate

Breakfast Cookies

These cookies are awesome.  I first tried these cookies at work when I was having a rough day; my coworker told me to take two since they were small.  They appeared again at an end of year breakfast.  I will admit to actually putting a few leftovers in a baggie for my husband to try (the breakfast cookies were so good that I broke my rule about taking items from the staff room).  John loved them.  So I begged for the recipe, which I lost-twice.  After finally finding the recipe again, I made the cookies to rave reviews from the entire family.

These cookies have been great in lots of different situations for my family; they have worked perfectly for everyone. My husband and I are runners;two of these cookies are great as we head out on our long runs.  Then, I  made them for new neighbors as they were unloading their U-Haul.
Just yesterday, I made them for my friend who is always shuttling her boys to practices and games.

Everyone has enjoyed them. 

While I'd love to say that I can eat breakfast at home with my kids each morning, it is too hard given our early departure time. These cookies are easy to grab and go as well as being filling as we head to a packed day of school and work.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup coconut oil, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 t pure almond extract
• 1 t pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 1 T cinnamon
• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup Craisins
• 1 cup flaked baking coconut
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup flax seed
• 1 T chia seeds

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 
2. In mixing bowl, cream together oil and sugars.   Add eggs and extracts; beat well.
3. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and oats. Mix.
4. Fold in remaining ingredients and stir until blended.
5. Drop by tablespoon onto cookie sheets. Bake for 14-16 minutes. 

DIFFICULTY: Medium..mostly because there are a lot of ingredients.  I often make two batches, one to eat and one to freeze. 

TIME: 15 minute prep; 15 minute baking time

SOURCE: I adapted this recipe from my friend; my changes were to make the recipe more clean. 

NOTE: If you don't have coconut oil, you can use 2 sticks of butter.  Also, you could exchange the honey for 1/2 cup sugar.  

Grab & Go Egg Muffins

 Our family is usually a bit rushed.  To practice. To school. To the doctor. To a meeting.  To the store before the snow. It is important to me that my family have breakfast each day.  Some mornings we can enjoy eating together; other mornings, it is a grab and go type of day.

For those grab and go mornings, we can take 2 of these egg muffins. They really kept us full. John was surprised that he didn't need anything else.  I have taken one to work and heated it up for about 15 seconds; it was the perfect mid-morning snack.  We have also eaten them for lunch on Fridays when we try to avoid meat.

You can use any types of veggies you have lying around. I had a bag of mini-peppers and some collard greens, but I easily could have used spinach and mushrooms.






INGREDIENTS:

• 12 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 t sea salt
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper (or regular pepper)
• 1 to 2 cups assorted veggies 
• 1/2 cup feta cheese or 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

DIRECTIONS:

1. Line 12 cup muffin tin with liners; spray lightly with olive oil.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3.   Beat eggs in large bowl; add veggies, seasonings, and cheese.
4. Pour into lined muffin tins to about half full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of egg comes out clean. 

DIFFICULTY: Easy

TIME: 15 minute prep (chopping veggies) 25 minutes baking time

SOURCE: a clean eating group I participated in

Pita Pizzas

As we try to eat healthier, we've tried to eliminate going out to eat as often.  I recently read an article by Mark Bitman in TIME (October 2014) magazine where he was encouraging people to cook at home. He mentions that cooking at home is likely to have 200 calories fewer than the food you eat at a restaurant.

We love our Friday pizza!  It has been fun to cash-in the kids' Book-It reward but anything can get out of control. As a family, going our every week is costly in more ways that one.  These pita pizzas were amazing!  I even added some spicy chicken leftovers.

INGREDIENTS:

• 100 % whole grain pitas
• 1 T Olive oil
• Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Pizza sauce (I use organic, natural sauce)
• Feta cheese, crumbled
• Assorted veggies

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  
2. Brush olive oil onto pita bread.
3.  Top with sauce, spread.
4. Add cheeses and your favorite veggies.
5. Bake until cheese is melted.