Posts by Kerry Weisser
Red Lentil Stew
Lentils are legumes, seeds of a plant whose botanical name is Lens ensculenta. They grow in pods that contain either one or two lentil seeds. Lentils are classified according to whether they are large or small in size with dozens of varieties of each being cultivated. While the most common types in the United States are either green or brown, lentils are also available in black, yellow, red and orange colors. Lentils are low in calories and high in nutrition, lentils are the perfect legume to eat in the summer in salads, spreads and are a perfect protein on a vegetarian dinner plate. Lentils are a hassle-free compliment to any meal. Nutty and earthy in flavor, lentils have a high nutritional value.
Their health benefits include:
1. Lowering Cholesterol – Lentils can help to reduce blood cholesterol because of their high levels of soluble fiber.
2. Heart Health – Several studies have shown that eating high fiber foods like lentils reduces your risk of heart disease. Lentils are also a great source of folate and magnesium, which are big contributors to heart health. Folate lowers your homocysteine levels, a serious risk factor for heart disease. Magnesium improves blood flow, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.
3. Digestive Health – Insoluble dietary fiber found in lentils helps prevent constipation and other digestive disorders like irritable bowel syndrome and diverticulosis.
4. Stabilizing Blood Sugar –The soluble fiber in lentils traps carbohydrates, slowing down digestion and stabilizing blood sugar levels. This can be especially helpful for those with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.
5. Good Protein – Of all legumes and nuts, lentils contain the third-highest levels of protein. 26 percent of lentil’s calories are attributed to protein, which makes them a wonderful source of protein for vegetarians and vegans.
6. Increase …
Read MoreHigh Protein Arugula Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette
This month we are experimenting with new “Clean Eating” recipes. Rachel found an App on her phone called Mealime. The other day she tried an Arugula salad that she loved and so I decided to change it up and add a few things to make it our own. So here is a revised version of the Mealime Arugula salad…….a High Protein Arugula Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette. The amounts listed make a salad that will serve 8-10. I made ¼ this recipe and it was perfect for 2 people.
Ingredients
8 cups arugula
3 cups spinach
1 avocado cut into small pieces
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup feta cheese crumbles
1 cup pistachios
½-1 cup raw sprouted pumpkin seeds
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup dried golden berries, golden raisins or chopped dried apricots
4 cups fresh raspberries
½ cup white balsamic
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon honey
Cook 1 cup quinoa in 2 cups chicken broth. Combine in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer for 20 minutes until quinoa is soft. Cool until ready to serve salad. Make dressing by putting 1 cup raspberries, ½ cup white balsamic, ¼ cup olive oil and honey into a blender and blend until completely mixed. Chill in refrigerator until ready to toss salad. Shell pistachio nuts and set aside. Cut arugula and spinach up a little bit into bite sized pieces and combine in a large salad bowl. Add avocado, garbanzo beans, feta cheese, cooked and cooled quinoa and stir to combine. Add 3 cups raspberries, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, dried golden berries and gently toss to combine. Pour ½ chilled raspberry vinaigrette dressing on salad and toss to coat. Taste and add remaining dressing as desired.
This delicious …
Read MoreHomemade Applesauce-Clean Eating Style
A great dessert or snack or breakfast treat. When you have a daughter that lives near Apple Hill and she calls to say a 40 pound box of apples is $14 you jump at the opportunity to share a box. Even though it took me a few weeks to pick up my apples, and they did not look as fresh as they had, I knew I was going to make applesauce so the appearance of the apples was not a deterrent. I set aside a morning to have fun in the kitchen making the applesauce and it went so fast, I was done in under 2 hours.
Ingredients
20 apples (about 8 pounds of apples-I used golden delicious and granny smith)
2 whole cinnamon sticks
1 lemon peel grated off
4 tablespoons lemon juice (2 lemons juiced)
⅓ cup honey (original recipe calls for ¼ cup brown sugar and ¼ cup white sugar)
1 cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
If you have a vintage cone shaped food mill you can make your applesauce without peeling your apples. To purchase one click here. Otherwise, peel, core and chop the apples. Place into a big pot with all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the apples are soft. If you have a food mill put 2 cups of apples at a time into collander and press applesauce through the strainer with the pestle. Place applesauce into 1 quart Ball jars and seal according to canning directions or place in refrigerator and use up within 2 weeks. My recipe made 3 quarts.
I love homemade applesauce with plain yogurt as a wonderful snack or dessert. YUMMY!
What is one of your favorite healthy desserts?
…
Clean Eating Mediterranean Style
A perfect start to our Clean Eating challenge is a recipe for Tabooleh. It is delicious and extremely nutritious and it’s my husband’s favorite Mediterranean side salad. Last night we paired it with a big Greek salad and a small portion of garlic sautéed Greek seasoned chicken for a fabulous dinner salad. Since we set our intentions this weekend to join the Clean Eating challenge together, we were both excited to have our first meal. As the base to our Tabooleh, I made a big greek salad with romaine lettuce and heirloom cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and a tiny bit of feta cheese. I used a light homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. We piled the Tabooleh on top of the salad, spread the sautéed chicken around the edge and enjoyed some steamed cauliflower, hummus and carrots to dip on the side. A very satisfying meal.
Tabooleh Ingredients
2 cups bulgur wheat (medium grind #2)
3 cups boiling water
1 1/2 cups chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped green onions (about 4-5)
1/4 cup chopped mint (fresh is best, but if only dry is available use 2 Tablespoons)
2-3 large tomatoes chopped into small 1/4 inch pieces
1 large cucumber chopped
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1-2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 head romaine lettuce
Pour the boiling water over the bulgur wheat and let it sit until the wheat kernels are soft and cooled completely. Add all chopped vegetables except romaine lettuce and stir. Mix the oil, lemon juice and spices and pour over wheat vegetable mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Greek sautéed Chicken
1 large chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces (serves 2)
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic smashed
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon fine …
An Egg-cellent Egg Hunt
If you are going to include an egg hunt in your Easter celebration and you have a wide age span of egg hunters…here is a fantastic, organized and creative way to do your egg hunt. (This is a family tradition in my SIL’s family) They hosted an Easter celebration yesterday and I was able to witness this ingenious idea first hand.
Supplies Needed
1 Easter egg basket per person
1 paper bag per person lunch-sack sized paper bag-(Spring/Easter designed bags make it more fun)
16 plastic eggs per person (different colors for each child necessary-you can split the egg colors for example half yellow/half green and half green/half purple and half purple/half yellow)
fun treats for kids…small boxes of raisins, M & Ms, gummy worms, jelly beans, fruit snacks and any other of your favorite Easter candy treats.
Fill the plastic eggs with treats. Put one paper bag and one egg into each basket (a different color in every basket) Have the kids go into a part of the yard or house where they can not see, as the egg hiders do their job. Have the egg hunters line up from youngest to oldest. Hand out the baskets and explain to the children that they ONLY HUNT for the egg color in their basket. Reassure the kids that everyone will be finding the same number of eggs so they should pass up all eggs that are not their color and let the other kids find their own colored eggs. The kids at our party seemed to really understand this concept and once they had found their own 15 eggs they began to help the younger children find their last ones. After all the eggs had been found. The parents helped empty the contents of the eggs into the paper …
Read MoreBaked Oatmeal Carrot Muffins
Bekah and I made these muffins last week and they were a perfect treat for breakfast or for a snack. We liked the extra nutrition provided by the grated carrots. (I made a batch with grated zucchini as well-you have to let the grated zucchini weep for about 15 minutes on paper towels to absorb the extra moisture.) The carrots were a fun addition to this delicious and nutritious gluten free, vegetarian muffin. You feel like you are eating a bowl of oatmeal with yummy toppings packed into a muffin. A wonderful accompaniment to serve for an Easter breakfast/brunch.
Ingredients
2 ripe bananas
1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
2 Tablespoons chia seed
2 Tablespoons hemp seed
¾ cups milk (I used almond milk)
⅓ cup almond butter
⅛ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¾ cup grated carrots
½ cup raisins
¼ cup chopped pecans
In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Add the oats, chia seeds, hemp seeds and milk and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in the almond butter, honey and vanilla. Beat the egg and add to the mixture along with the salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Fold in the carrots, raisins and pecans.
Lightly grease 12 muffins tins or use cute muffin papers. Fill muffin cups almost to the top. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20-25 minutes.
- 2 ripe bananas
- 1 ½ cups old fashioned oats
- 2 Tablespoons chia seed
- 2 Tablespoons hemp seed
- ¾
White Chicken Chili-Slow Cooker Method
During the month of March, our theme has been PEACE. As we approach one of the most significant days of the year, Easter Sunday or Resurrection Sunday, I wanted to share a recipe with you that can help you maintain peace in your home, in a practical way. I know it can get very hectic preparing for Easter gatherings, parties and community events as we plan to get together with family and friends. So I decided to post this delicious recipe that you can make this week in your Crockpot or slow cooker. You can grab these 5 simple ingredients (plus any toppings that sound good to you) at the store, run home and throw everything in the crockpot and have a wonderful meal prepared for your family without adding extra stress to your week.
Ingredients
6 cups chicken broth
4 large boneless skinless raw chicken breasts (4 cups cooked shredded chicken for stovetop method)
4 (15-oz) cans Great Northern beans, drained
2 cups salsa verde (store-bought or homemade http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/tomatillo-salsa-verde/)
3 tsp. ground cumin
optional toppings: diced avocado, chopped fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, chopped green onions, sour cream/greek plain yogurt, crumbled tortilla chips
Add chicken broth, 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, beans, salsa and cumin to a slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or high for 3-4 hours until the chicken is cooked through and shreds easily with a fork. Shred the chicken.
Serve warm in large bowls with desired toppings.
Resurrection Eggs-DIY with your Kids or Grandkids
I am always looking for creative ways to incorporate the gospel message into activities with my grandchildren. When my own girls were young, I listened to Family Life Today and Focus on the Family faithfully every day. Often times they had great ideas of how to teach your kids about important bible concepts in fun ways. I remember buying a set of Resurrection Eggs and using them every Easter to remind all of us of the significance of this season and to remind us of all that Jesus went through as He suffered and died for us. Now that I have a little bit more time to get creative…I thought it would be fun to put together homemade Resurrection Egg Kits for the grandkids and take them with me to do together as a fun activity. I started by printing this Resurrection eggs free printable and then gathered my supplies and the next time I see the kiddos, I will have my DIY Resurrection kit all ready to be assembled. Here is what you need.
1 empty egg carton
12 small plastic eggs
resurrection eggs free printable
silver coin
piece of rope
thorn
stone
piece of purple fabric
small sign “King of the Jews”
cross
nail
cloves
sponge
small piece of bread or oyster cracker
scissors
sharpies
extra construction paper in various colors
Print your own verses to put into your resurrection eggs. Gather your supplies. Pick one of the children to cut the printable verses up into 12 individual slips of paper. Have another child fold the paper slips up so they fit into the eggs. Have one of the children write numbers 1 through 12 on the eggs. Engage the children in the activity of filling the eggs with the supplies and match the verses with the …
Read MoreBunny Cakes for Breakfast
Looking for a fun and easy breakfast to serve on Easter morning or sometime in the weeks leading up to Easter, to get in the mood for Easter Sunday. Here is my grandmother’s famous buttermilk pancake recipe that she made for us and served every Saturday or Sunday morning when we had the privilege of spending the weekend in one of my favorite places growing up. She was a fabulous cook and everything she created had a certain extra special flair and each dish holds precious memories for me. Rachel took this recipe and turned it into a fun holiday treat for her girls. Read on to see how to turn this buttermilk pancake recipe into “Bunny Cakes”.
Ingredients
2 eggs
2 ½ cups buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Accessories for Bunny Cakes
½ cup shredded coconut
1 banana sliced thin
¼ cup mini chocolate chips
sliced strawberries
Measure dry ingredients into a medium sized bowl. in your kitchen aid of mixer bowl, beat eggs until foamy. Add buttermilk alternately with dry ingredients. Mix on medium-low until batter is smooth. Cook on a hot lightly greased griddle.
To make Bunny Cakes, make one circle pancake 4 inches in diameter, one circle pancake 2 inches in diameter, 2 oval pancakes that are about 1-1 ½ inches long and 2 triangular pancakes about 1-1 ½ inches in length. Assemble bunnies on separate plates with triangle ears down first, then small circle, then large circle and them paws n top according to photo below. Decorate with coconut, bananas, mini chocolate chips and strawberries. Enjoy!
Planting Jelly Beans in Home Grown Easter Grass
Here is an Easter project that is easy and fun for your family and can utilize some learning concepts outside of the typical “Easter Bunny” activities.
Supplies needed
Jelly beans or M & Ms in assorted pastel colors
tootsie roll pops, colored lollipops, blow pops or peeps
small metal, clay or glass containers
potting soil
small pebbles
wheat seed (hard red wheat is best for growing grass)
saran wrap
To grow your home grown wheat grass, select your container and gather your other supplies. You can get creative with choosing your containers. Look around your house and garage and see what you have. Or make a quick trip to Goodwill, the Dollar Store, your local hardware store or Target to pick up some containers.
Metal containers or clay pots found in the gardening section work great. Clay pots have a hole in the bottom so you will need some type of plastic liner in the bottom so you don’t have to worry about the water or the dirt getting on your table. You can purchase it in the bulk food section of the grocery store. Hard red wheat works best.
After selecting your container, add a layer of pebbles in the bottom of each container. Because your Easter grass grows for such a short time, drainage isn’t crucial but I do like to add a layer of small pebbles in my containers to help with drainage. Nest, fill each container with potting soil and then a layer of wheat seeds. Sprinkle the top of each container with water (don’t drown the poor little seeds). Then cover each container with some plastic wrap and then place in a sunny window. You will want to make sure that the soil stays moist, (not wet) so that the seeds can germinate. The plastic …
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