World Cuisine
Zucchini Stuffed Quinoa Boats
Summer is here and if you have planted a vegetable garden you may be harvesting the first crop of zucchini, peppers and tomatoes. 
Here is a delicious way to serve zucchini. These stuffed zucchini quinoa boats can be your side dish with turkey burgers or chicken on the grill or you can eat them as your main dish because they are packed with protein and veggies.
Ingredients
6 medium zucchini (3 large zucchini forgotten in the garden for a few days)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic smashed
1 onion finely diced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper finely diced
2 roma tomatoes or 1 large tomato chopped
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 sprigs of fresh thyme chopped fine (2 teaspoons dried thyme)
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
4 basil leaves chopped
3 cups cooked quinoa (I used red quinoa)
½ cup grated parmesan
½ cup grated mozzarella
¼ cup pine nuts
Wash and cut the zucchini in half lengthwise. Scoop out the center portion of each half zucchini and dice up what you have scooped out.
Saute garlic and onions in olive oil. Add peppers, tomatoes and chopped zucchini and stir until all vegetables are soft. Add thyme, salt, pepper, chopped spinach and basil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and add cooked quinoa and parmesan cheese and stir until blended.
Fill zucchini boats full of the quinoa mixture and sprinkle pine nuts on top. 
Bake in 375 degree oven for 30-45 minutes depending on the size of your zucchini. Sprinkle grated or sliced mozzarella cheese on top and bake for 5 minutes more until cheese is melted. Serve and enjoy!!!
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 …
American Sukiyaki
Asian food is wonderfully healthy. An authentic Japanese diet is composed of fresh vegetables, lean meats, fish and tofu and rice. When I was growing up, my mom loved to serve international dinners for our family. She created this easy sukiyaki recipe that became a favorite at our home. We named the recipe American Sukiyaki (probably politically incorrect in this day and age) because it had a similarity to the Japanese dish with an American flair. It is so easy to make and really yummy. When you need a quick dinner that gives you an extra dose of iron and beef protein, this is the recipe to try.
Ingredients
1 lb lean top round steak thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions thinly sliced
1 garlic clove smashed
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon sugar or honey
1 (16-20 oz) package of frozen FRENCH CUT STYLE green beans
2 (15 oz) cans stewed tomatoes
1 cup rice cooked according to package (we use Hinode short grain rice for authentic sticky rice)
Brown thinly sliced beef in olive oil on high in a large skillet (I use an electric fry pan on 400 degrees). When browned but not cooked all the way through, add the onions, garlic, soy sauce and sweetener.
Stir until onions start to soften about 2 minutes. Turn to medium (325 degrees for fry pan) and add bag of frozen green beans and stewed tomatoes. Stir once or twice, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over rice.
- 1 lb
Fall Food, Friendship and Gathering
Fall reminds me of family, friendship, food and gathering. Gathering beautiful leaves that have changed colors and have fallen off the trees. Gathering around the table to celebrate all the things we are thankful for. Gathering back the friends you have not seen all summer because people’s schedules get uncharacteristically crazy during the summer months. Gathering back with life groups or volunteer organizations you belong to that take a break for summer. This weekend, I did a little bit of all of the above. On Saturday evening, after a wonderful day of nourishing my soul at a retreat (I will write about it next week), I was privileged to spend a few hours with my daughter and two friends. One friend was one of my most valued friends and the other was her friend (a new friend to both my daughter and me). We were blessed to share a few hours together. It was a time of enrichment for all. We talked about the fantastic day we had spent together learning about a great work that is going on in Malawi, Africa and we shared about our lives and how God had been encouraging us in our walks with Him. Friendship and gathering together is medicine for the soul. Sharing with women who are committed to serve in their community and abroad and are involved in amazingly interesting activities is one way to be encouraged and to contribute to your own healthy mind and body.
We shared a meal together and the food was spectacular…nutritious and delicious!!! Here is my rendition of the dish that we all ordered…..
Bombay Bowl
1 yellow onion
20 large or 30 medium brussel sprouts trimmed and cut in half
1 head of cauliflower
4-5 carrots
1-2 parsnips
4-5 small red, white or purple potatoes…
Forever Fit Families – Rachel’s Wellness Story
Hello! I’m Rachel. I am the eldest Growing Weisser daughter, wife to an amazing and hard-working hubby, and Mamae to 3 super fun girls.
If it is ok with you, I’d love to share my story and my passion for what I like to call, “Forever Fit Families.”
Almost one year ago (11 months to be exact) I had my third baby in 3 years. It has been a whirlwind couple of years in our family for sure! Although I was blessed beyond measure I was also drained, tired, and just trying to survive until bedtime each day.
I knew I couldn’t live my life that way and I also knew that I wasn’t being my best self for my husband, my kids, and myself.
A friend of mine introduced me to a solution and a way to fuel myself better and help my body work the way God designed it to JUST BY EATING GOOD FOOD…and not even just good food…BETTER FOOD. Food that fueled me, food that was fast and convenient for a busy mom like me, and food that helped me see past the tired fog I have been living in.
As a result of putting this amazing nutrition in my body I now feel fueled, energized, and excited for each day. I love going out with my kids and we have a fun schedule of activities to keep us moving, learning, and LOVING LIFE each day.
I now believe that I can LIVE LIFE LOUD and excited about each day, not just surviving each day.
Here’s the exciting thing: This nutrition has done more than just change my physical life. It has also provided me with an opportunity to make financial contributions to my family while living my passions: being a mom (seriously my dream job), …
Read MoreBaklava-a Traditional Mediterranean Sweet Treat
Baklava has always been a food full of memories for me. Growing up in a family that loved to cook foods from different cultures, in addition to marrying into an Armenian family , I have had a passion for Mediterranean food for years. My fondest memory of Baklava is from my college years when some girl friends and I spent our spring break in Greece. We loved every minute of our time in Greece and although it was the Europe on $5 a day era….we found ourselves a bit short on money the last three days of our trip. Knowing we needed to save enough money for our ferry boat ride back to Italy where we were living and studying, we decided the best use of the remainder of our money would be to skip conventional restaurant meals and survive for our last three days in Greece on Baklava. What a GREAT decision that was. This weekend we had our reunion with the folks we had the privilege of traveling with through Turkey and Greece a few months ago. I decided to bring Baklava for us to all enjoy since it had been one of our group’s favorite treats on our trip. Years ago, my husband’s Nana taught me how to make her Armenian version of Baklava and I have tried various other recipes over the years, but I decided to go back to our roots make my favorite Baklava Recipe…….and I will share it here with you……
Ingredients
1 (16 oz) package Phyllo dough, thawed according to package instructions
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 pound (4 cups) walnuts finely chopped (for a more authentic Turkish version, use pistachios)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ cup sugar
1 cup honey
3 Tablespoons lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon)
¾ cup water…
Moshu Chicken
When I was growing up, my mom loved to have theme dinners. One of our favorite international themed dinners was Chinese food and we LOVED it when she made Moshu Chicken. I continued the tradition of theme dinners with our girls and they have enjoyed learning how to cook foods from all different cultures as well. Here is a healthy rendition of Moshu chicken and tonight we recharged the classic recipe by using firm tofu in place of the chicken and whole wheat low carb tortillas for the wrap.
Ingredients
2 cups shredded Chinese napa cabbage
1 cup gated carrots
6 green onions sliced thin ( I used red onion)
1 cup bean sprouts
1 can bamboo shoots sliced thin
1 zucchini sliced in thin matchsticks
1 can water chestnuts sliced in thin matchsticks
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
3 Tablespoons sesame oil
1 Tablespoon sugar or honey
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic
6 eggs beaten
1 package rice pancakes (enroll wrappers) or flour tortillas
1 jar Hoisin sauce
Slice chicken into thin strips. Stir fry chicken in 2 Tablespoons oil with 2 cloves garlic crushed until chicken pieces are cooked through. Remove chicken from wok or pan and put into medium sized bowl. Add 2 Tablespoons Hoisin sauce to the chicken and stir and set aside. Stir fry vegetables in sesame oil, soy, and sugar until crisp tender. Add the chicken and stir together. Scramble the 6 eggs and cook until soft. Add to the chicken and vegetable mixture. To serve, warm the egg pancakes or tortillas and place one spoonful of Hoisin sauce down the center. Spoon a generous portion of the chicken, vegetable, egg mixture down the center, sprinkle with some sliced green onion and roll up like a burrito. when our …
Read MoreRe-invent the Roti
Extending our commitment for RENEWAL to creativity in the kitchen can result in delicious healthy meals for your family. My husband and I have a new passion for Indian food so I have been experimenting with some recipes. Last year I hit a home run (in my husband’s opinion) when I created a Bombay Bowl , so I had a bit of confidence that he would be up for trying another Indian surprise. Last week we enjoyed an Indian style wrap called a Roti. Roti is the flat bread made form stoneground whole wheat flour. In contrast to Naan bread, Roti is unleavened and therefore is perfect for a wrap style Indian meal. If you do not have the interest or time to make your own Roti flat bread, you can use Trader Joe’s whole wheat tortillas for a perfect Roti wrap. I had read about an eggplant curry from East India called Vindaloo. This curry is a popular dish from the region of Goa and is also found in the cuisine of Mumbai. Knowing that eggplant is not my husband’s favorite vegetable, I added equal amounts of roasted zucchini and roasted eggplant and the results was perfection. I also made a potato, carrot, pea and chicken filling as well.
Ingredients for Eggplant Zucchini Vindaloo Curry Roti Filling
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 yellow onion sliced thin
4 Indian eggplants or 1 medium regular eggplant cubed (1 1/2 cups needed)
2 zucchini cubed
3 cloves garlic smashed
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoon Garam Masala spice
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 plum tomatoes chopped
1/4 cup water…
Healthy Cinnamon Oat Pancakes
A great way to start each day RENEWED is to eat a healthy breakfast! I found this recipe through a database of Biggest Loser Recipes. I have changed it slightly but it is still healthy and delicious and easy to make!
Healthy Cinnamon Oat Pancakes
6 Egg Whites
1 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup Cottage Cheese
2 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
2 tsp Vanilla
What to Do:
1. Place all ingredients into a blender, and blend until smooth.
2. Heat and grease a griddle or large pan at medium heat
3. Use a 1/4 or 1/3 cup to scoop out batter and place on the hot griddle. Flip when that side begins to bubble.
4. Repeat and Eat!
These pancakes are really delicious! They are also very moist so they are pretty tasty without syrup for a healthier option – Add extra cinnamon on top for more flavor!
Go here to see the Nutritional System Per Serving (The numbers will be slightly different with the modified recipe, but they will still be close)
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Pan-Tossed South Indian Flavored Vegetables
This vegetable dish accompanied our fantastic Indian Tomato Curry with Chick Peas and Potatoes dinner last Friday evening. We adapted a basic recipe we found and came up with this delicious and nutritious dish featuring cauliflower, brussel sprouts and cabbage.
Ingredients
1 pound brussel sprouts, washed, trimmed and cut in half
1 large head cauliflower, washed and cut into bit-sized pieces
1 large head green cabbage, washed, cored and shredded
1 Serrano pepper or Thai green chili (optional) sliced open and seeded
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
4 cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon tumeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon Garam Masala seasoning
Heat oil in a large deep pan or wok. When oil is very hot, reduce heat to medium and add mustard seeds, garlic and Serrano pepper. Spices should crackle and sizzle. Add Brussels sprouts and cauliflower and stir to coat with spice mixture. Spread chopped cabbage on top of Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. Sprinkle cayenne pepper, tumeric, Garam Masala and salt over all. Add ⅓ cup water. Cover and steam 5 minutes. Stir all vegetables and spices together. Add a few tablespoons more water, cover and continue steaming for 5-10 minutes until vegetables are tender and spices are spread evenly over all. Serve with brown rice and the Tomato Curry with chick Peas and Potatoes that we posted yesterday. Enjoy experiencing a unique culture and try these Indian recipes.
What is your favorite Indian food recipe?
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