CREPES

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1.5 C milk (we use coconut almond)
1 C all-purpose flour
1 T coconut oil
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt

(Additional ingredients for sweet crepes: honey, cinnamon, nutmeg)

Savory Toppings: egg whites, spinach, basil, diced chicken, vegetables, etc.
Sweet Toppings: nutella, berries, bananas, chopped nuts, coconut, etc.

Directions:
Beat together the eggs, milk, flour, oil, vanilla, and salt. Place in the fridge for an hour or so. Then pour a very thin layer into a pan or use a crepe maker. Cook for just a few minutes and then gently flip to cook for about another 30 seconds on the other side. Place cooked crepes on a plate and cover until ready to serve. I usually do this for about 1/2 of the batter and then when I am done with my "dinner crepes", I mix in about 1 T honey, 1/2 t cinnamon and 1/4 nutmeg into the remaining batter to make my "dessert crepes". For a light dinner, I love to wrap egg whites, turkey bacon, spinach, basil, and goat cheese into the dinner crepes and then wrap nutella and fruit in the sweeter ones for dessert.

A simple crepe maker makes this meal super easy!

VEGAN CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

ZUCCHINI CHOCOLATE CAKE

I'm ALWAYS on the look-out for "healthy" sweeties. This one from Yammie's Noshery is one of my favorites so far. Head over to her site for the full recipe. This is the simple ingredient list:

• 1/3 C whole wheat flour
• 1/3 C unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C brown sugar (her recipe calls for 3/4 C)
• 1 t baking soda
• 3/4 t baking powder
• 1/2 t cinnamon (her recipe calls for 1/4 t)
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 C cocoa powder
• 2/3 C applesauce
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 medium zucchini, shredded (about 1 or 1.5 C) (or carrots)
• 1/2 C chocolate chips

I've baked it in cake-form and mini cupcake-form. (The mini cupcakes baked for 25 minutes.) YUUUM!

SPAGHETTI and MEATBALLS

Tonight we took dinner over to a friend's house so I wanted to make something a little more "normal". It needed to be a quick meal too because we didn't have much time between church and getting there to help paint. 

I've never made meatballs before; but thought it could be a good option because our friends could add the meat to make the meal a little more filling and Scott could opt out, keeping his veg-friendly. The recipes I put together were quick and easy and we all loved 'em.

Spaghetti Sauce (this made a LOT -- Maybe 10ish servings)

• olive oil, salt and pepper
• 1 sweet onion, diced tiny
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 16 oz can of diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• 16 oz can of tomato sauce
• 2 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• pinch baking soda

Saute the onion and garlic cloves in about 1/2 T of olive. Once softened, add in the remaining ingredients and simmer for about 25 minutes.

Meatballs (5 servings)

• 1/2 lb organic ground beef
• 1/8 C Italian breadcrumbs (or plain + extra seasonings)
• 1/2 t pepper and 1/2 t salt
• 1 T dehydrated onion
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 t basil
• 1/2 t oregano
• 1/2 t Italian seasoning
• 1/8 C finely chopped cilantro (or parsley)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Prep a broiler sheet with foil and lightly spray with olive oil. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Scoop out balls (I used a 1/2 tablespoon and it made about 24 meatballs). Broil for about 15 minutes (or cook at a lower temp for longer). 

BRAZILIAN BEANS AND RICE

This meal was so refreshingly different from our current meals. I loved it! I tweaked the recipe just a little from a recipe I found on Livvy'ssite  (and she tweaked it a little from a recipe she found on Erin's). 

My list of ingredients was as follows:

• 1 C sprouted brown rice
• 2 C water
• 1 C tomato sauce
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced tiny
• 1 red or orange bell pepper, diced tiny
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1.5 C vegetable broth
• 1 sweet potato, diced small
• 2 carrots, diced small
• 1/2 t thyme
• 1/2 t oregano
• 2 t cumin
• 1/2 t red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper
• 1 C black beans
• 1/2 C cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 limes, juiced 
• Optional Toppings: avocado, banana

Bring the water and tomato sauce to a boil. Add the rice and simmer until cooked through (mine took about 45 minutes). 

Meanwhile, saute the onion, pepper and garlic in olive oil. Then add in the broth, sweet potato, carrots and spices. Simmer until the veggies are tender. Add the black beans, cilantro, and lime juice. 

Serve the bean mixture over rice or just mix it all together (we mixed it). 

I served it with avocado and banana slices. I know... bananas sound so weird, but try it! We grew up eating a different Brazilian rice and beans recipe (to be posted later) and always ate it with bananas and sour cream on top (Thanks to my Dad who lived in Brazil for a few years!). Deelish!

VEGAN SPELT SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

According to my sister, these taste more like pancakes and according to Scott, they are more like cookies. I don't really agree with either of them; but since pancakes and cookies are both AMAZING, that's an indication that you can NOT go wrong with these delicious "biscuits". I LOVE THEM. You can find the recipe here, on Kathy's blog. For once, I followed her recipe to the T and I won't change a thing when I make them again tomorrow.

These are the ingredients that you'll need:
2 C spelt flour
1/4 C flaxseed meal
1 T baking powder
1 t salt, 1/2 t pepper
1/2 t cinnamon
1/3 C coconut oil
3/4 C warm water
1 C mashed sweet potato
1/4 C thick cornmeal
2 T maple syrup
1 T fresh lemon juice

BREAKFAST BALLS

Scott starts every single morning with a protein smoothie and whatever little, breakfast muffin, bar or ball I've made for him for the week. His very favorite is an easy no-bake breakfast ball. I found the original recipehere and have tweaked it just a little to decrease the sugar content and up the flavor just a bit. Our recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

• 1 C dry oatmeal
• 1/3 C mini chocolate chips
• 1/3 C honey (this sweetener works the best to bind the ingredients)
• 1/2 C unsweetened coconut (toasted, when I have time)
• 1/2 C flax seed (freshly ground)
• 1/2 C peanut butter
• 1 T chia seeds 
• 1 1/2 t vanilla
• 1 t cinnamon

Stir all the ingredients together in a big bowl and then refrigerate for about half an hour. Once chilled for a bit, they are easier to roll. I scoop them out with a 1/2 tablespoon and the help of a baby spoon. The soft tip of the baby spoon helps to easily pop the breakfast ball out of the tablespoon. Using this method, it makes about 25+ balls. But of course, you could totally roll them or scoop them any way you like. Store them in an airtight container, refrigerate them, and eat them within a week (easy!). 

BEEF & VEGGIE SLOPPY JOES w/ CARROT FRIES

On T-Rex Tuesdays, I make a meal with meat. I've really been craving a good ol' Sloppy Joe recently so that's what we had last night (and Scott ate 3!!!). I made some carrot fries too.

Sloppy Joes: 4 servings

• 1 lb of lean ground beef or turkey 
• 1 small sweet onion, diced tiny
• 1/4 red or orange bell pepper, diced tiny
• 1/4 C carrots, diced tiny
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 t dried mustard
• 1/2 t smoked paprika
• 1/2 t brown sugar
• 1 1/2 t Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 C ketchup
• 2 T water
• salt and pepper

Cook ground beef over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Then add in the onion, pepper, carrots, and garlic. Cook until meat is cooked through and then drain any grease. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Carrots Fries

• carrots
• coconut oil 
• salt and pepper

Slice carrots (long or mini) into fries. Mix carrots, salt and pepper, and coconut oil in a bowl. Spread out on a baking sheet and cook at 450* for about 30 minutes (stirring occasionally).

(You want to use WAY more carrots than you think you can eat. Like, cut as many as you think look right and then double that. For two servings, I cut about 3 C of carrots and used about 1/2 T of coconut oil.)

TROPICAL GREEN SMOOTHIE

• 1.5 C filtered water or coconut water
• .5 C juice (Naked Mighty Mango or orange juice are our faves)
• 4+ C spinach
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 C pineapple
• 1 C frozen berries (mixed or blueberries are our faves)
• 1 T honey
• 1/2 tray of ice (or crushed ice is even better)

= about 3 Servings

Pour the liquids into a high-speed blender. Then add about 4 C of spinach or until it reaches the top of the blender. Blend until it is a smooth, green liquid. Add the remaining ingredients (ice on top!) and blend again until smooth! (As with all green smoothie recipes, the ingredients can always be tweaked to best suit your mood or your fridge :-)

WHOLE WHEAT & SEED PIZZA DOUGH

Friday night has become our in-home Pizza Date Night (we go for a date-on-the-town (+1) on Saturdays).
Our pizza crust keeps evolving a bit, but this is what I've put together for the last few times





Ingredients

• 1 C whole wheat flour  
• 1/2 C soft white wheat flour (or unbleached all-purpose) 
• 1/2 C oat flour (just coarsely grind oats) 
• 1/4 C hemp seeds (or ground flax) 
• 1 C warm water 
• 2 1/2 t yeast 
• 1 t garlic powder 
• 1 t dehydrated onion 
• 1/2 t onion powder 
• 2 t Italian seasoning 
• 2 T oil 
• salt and pepper 

Whisk together the yeast and warm water. Then stir in remaining ingredients. Sometimes I need to add about an extra 1 T of water. Sprinkle dough with a little extra flour, cover and let it rise in a warm area for about 25 minutes. Roll out the dough on a well-oiled stone or sheet. Poke the crust with a fork in several places. Bake at 400 for about 6 minutes. Add toppings and then bake for about another 15 minutes. 

Serve with popcorn and a green smoothie! (Just kidding... but that's what we do!)

Making a Menu Board

Making a Menu Board (and all the recipe cards) has been a life-changer in planning and implementing our meals for the week. I found some great ideas on-line and meshed my favorites together to come up with mine.

I have a different box for each day of the week. I typed up all of our favorite recipes onto little cards. The front has the name of the recipe and the back has the full recipe, serving size, and the source. I then sorted them into 7 categories so each day of the week has a different category assigned to it. For now, this is the best way to menu-plan for our family. I was getting overwhelmed with going through tons of recipes to pick out my meals for the week and now I can just sit down for a few minutes on Sunday evening and go through a themed box for each night. I pick out my meals and then flip the cards over to write my grocery list. I'm sure these categories will change as our tastes change, but for now we have 
- Mondays: Mexican 
- Tuesdays: T-Rex (our meat dish of the week)
- Wednesdays: Veggie or Pumpkin or Quinoa Burgers and/or Soup
- Thursdays: Asian, noodles
- Fridays: Homemade Pizza Night
- Saturdays: Date Night
- Sundays: Breakfast for Dinner


These were the steps I took to make the actual board:

First, cut out your board from a sturdy box. Pick out your fabric. I chose one fabric to cover my board and a different fabric for my daily boxes. Choose the boxes that you'll use for your days. I used old conversation hearts' boxes from Valentine's Day (the one that come 12 to a pack so they're smaller than the standard version). For my mother-in-law, we found similar ones at Easter time that had chewy eggs inside them. Then you'll just need a hot glue gun, scissors, mini clothespins and labels (I printed mine on a label maker, but handwritten would work just great too). 

Glue the fabric tightly to the board

Arrange your boxes in the order that you'd like

Wrap the boxes in fabric and glue it down

Once all your boxes are wrapped, (make sure to leave the opening of the box unwrapped so that they can hold the recipe cards) arrange them on the board and then glue them down. Personalize the board in any other ways to make it work best for you. I labeled the clothespins with the days of the week, put our family name on the top, and attached a bow to hang it to my pantry door and added a sharpie and dry-erase maker. 

Low-Fat Turkey Meatloaf (with lots of veggies)

Meatloaf is one of those delicious, comfort-foods that I just can't give up. I was so excited when I stumbled upon Cook Yourself Thin's healthier spin-off. The following is a slight variation of her original recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 C dried cranberries (and/or frozen)
• 4 T mustard
• 1/3 C milk (we use non-dairy)
• 1 slice of dry, wheat bread
• 1 small onion
• 3/4 C parsley
• 2 carrots (+ lots more for surrounding it)
• 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t pepper
• 2 T oil
• 1 lb extra-lean ground turkey
• 1 egg white
• 1 lb parsnips and lots of carrots

Soak the dried bread in the milk. Blend 1/2 C cranberries and the 4 T mustard. In a separate, large bowl, mix the remaining 1/4 C berries, chopped onion, chopped parsley, salt and pepper, 2 carrots, egg white, 1 T oil, and ground turkey. Mold and place in a casserole dish. Spread blended berry-mustard mixture on tip. Surround the loaf with additional carrots and parsnips. Lightly drizzle with 1 T oil and salt and pepper. Bake at 400* for 1 hour. (It makes about 4 servings.)

Tropical Green Smoothie

Ingredients:
1.5 C filtered water or coconut water
.5 C juice (Naked Mighty Mango or orange juice are our faves)
4+ C spinach
1 ripe banana
1 C pineapple
1 C frozen berries (mixed or blueberries are our faves)
1 T honey
1 tray of ice
= about 3 Servings

Pour the liquids into a high-speed blender. Then add about 4 C of spinach or until it reaches the top of the blender. Blend until it is a smooth, green liquid. Add the remaining ingredients (ice on top!) and blend again until smooth! (As with all green smoothie recipes, the ingredients can always be tweaked to best suit your mood or your fridge :-)

Homemade Raviolis

It's always nice to have a few quick, go-to meals on hand. These raviolis have become an easy meal for us because we can throw in any on-hand ingredients. The ingredients are wrapped in these great, all-natural, super low-cal, low-fat wraps (ten wraps only have a total of 160 calories and 1/2 gram of fat). The shelf life is a few weeks so we make sure to always have a pack in our fridge.

We've found these at Winco and Fred Meyer's

Ingredients:

Mini wraps
Steamed spinach

Coconut Oil to brush on the tops before baking them

Spaghetti Sauce

Meat Idea: chicken (diced, seasoned, cooked), cheese (diced), basil (shredded)
Veggie Idea: sweet potatoes (cooked and cubed OR mashed), basil (shredded) 

Directions:

Prep the ingredients.

Then place a small spoonful of the ingredients in the center of each wrap. Wet the edges with water before folding it in half so that they will stick together better. Crimp the edges with a fork or use a press to form the raviolis quicker. Lay the raviolis on a baking sheet coated lightly with oil. 

Lightly brush the raviolis with coconut oil.  Bake at 350* for about 10-15 minutes until slightly browned.

Serve with sauce.

Enjoy! 

As you can see, it's a simple recipe that can easily be adjusted with whatever ingredients you're craving!
It's also a great option for those times when you just need to make dinner for one or two.