All posts in category Recipes

Homemade and Healthy PB&J Uncrustables

This is the ingredient list for Smucker’s Uncrustables Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly Sandwiches:

Ingredients:

BREAD: ENRICHED UNBLEACHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, UNBLEACHED WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN OIL, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: SALT, WHEAT GLUTEN, DOUGH CONDITIONERS (DISTILLED MONOGLYCERIDES, SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, DATEM, ENZYMES [WITH AMYLASE, LIPASE, ASCORBIC ACID, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, AZODICARBONAMIDE, WHEAT STARCH]), YEAST. PEANUT BUTTER: PEANUTS, DEXTROSE, SUGAR, MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES (PALM AND/OR SOYBEAN OIL), CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (SOYBEAN AND/OR COTTONSEED AND/OR RAPESEED), SALT, MOLASSES. GRAPE JELLY: GRAPE JUICE, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CORN SYRUP, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: PECTIN, CITRIC ACID, POTASSIUM SORBATE (PRESERVATIVE).

YUCK and NO THANK YOU! Trans Fat (Hydrogenated oils), corn syrups, sugars, white flour, and preservatives. Quick and easy for a busy family? Yes. Nutritious? No. What’s an alternative? Make a bunch yourself for those rushed mornings and feel good about sending these ‘Uncrustables” to school in your child’s lunchbox.20130808-201343.jpg

What you need:

  • Whole grain bread (I love our local Busy Bee’s Organic Stone Ground Whole Wheat Bread)

  • Peanut Butter – no trans fat, little to no added sugar

  • Jelly – fruit juice- sweetened, no added sugar

  • 3″-4″ round cookie cutter (or any fun shape!)

  • A slice of banana, peel still on but slightly pulled back

  • Wax paper

  • Freezer bag/container

Use your cookie cutter to cut out 2 circles from the bread slices. Rub around the outside of one of the circles with the banana holding the tip as a handle (I learned this “glue” trick from Bobby Deen on The Cooking Channel!). Place a dollop of peanut butter in the middle of that circle. On the other circle, place a scoop of jelly in the center of the bread. Turn the peanut butter slice onto the jelly slice. Pinch the edges together to form a tight seam. Place the sandwich onto wax paper and fold the wax paper over to completely cover the sandwich. Place into a freezer bag or container. Pull out as needed.

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by M. Terry on August 8, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Family, Food, Nutrition, Recipes
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Posted by M. Terry on August 8, 2013

https://wholetothecore.com/2013/08/08/homemade-and-healthy-pbj-uncrustables/

Salad Bowl Shake Up

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To go along with my weekly salad ideas, including yesterday’s Broccoli and White Bean Salad, I came across this “Savvy Salad Ideas for Summer” post from the nutritional blog by the Mayo Clinic. It “breaks down” a salad into different components and makes suggestions on how to incorporate each of the following groups: Leafy greens, Carbohydrates and whole grains, Proteins,Vegetables and fruits, Herbs and spices, and extras. 

Your salad bowl is a blank canvas! Use these ideas to create a lunch or dinner that satisfies your hunger AND cravings!

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by M. Terry on August 7, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Food, Motivation, Nutrition, Recipes
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Posted by M. Terry on August 7, 2013

https://wholetothecore.com/2013/08/07/salad-bowl-shake-up/

Broccoli and White Bean Salad

20130802-085618.jpg With the craziness of schedules starting back up for young families, my goal is to post one salad a week for through the next school year. These salads will be make-ahead dishes that you can grab-and-go and will last a few days in the fridge. Therefore, you have no excuse for not having something healthy on hand for a snack or meal- whether for you or your kids 🙂

Broccoli is inexpensive as are white beans. This dish is packed full of fiber and has some protein and healthy fats as well to keep your tummy full. You can eat it ‘as is’ for a snack or always add in some chicken or turkey to make this a perfect lunchtime meal.

  • 1 head broccoli, chopped

  • 1/4-1/3 cup (depending on its strength and your preference!) purple onion, diced

  • 1 cup white beans

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

  • 1 good squeeze of an orange

  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic

  • 1 teaspoon honey

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Place oil, vinegar, OJ, garlic, honey, and s&p into a medium bowl. Whisk together. Add in broccoli, beans and onion. Mix together to coat and then place in fridge to chill. This is best served after sitting for a couple of hours and is even better the next day since the flavors marry and the broccoli absorbs the oil, vinegar, and juice.

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by M. Terry on August 2, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Nutrition, Recipes
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Posted by M. Terry on August 2, 2013

https://wholetothecore.com/2013/08/02/broccoli-and-white-bean-salad/

Pickle Salsa

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My daughter, Aleyah, arrived home yesterday from a 10 day trip. If you’re like me, you feel the need to “detox” after vacation. While I try my hardest to stick with my healthy eating lifestyle, vacation always seems to throw a kink into it. Eating out, being off schedule, and sometimes insufficient cooking /refrigeration needs lead to an overall feeling of sluggishness. With this in mind, when she arrived home last night, I had a cuban roasted pork loin waiting for her (loads of garlic, key lime juice fresh from the tree, cumin, and fresh cilantro), black beans (not from a can!) and organic brown rice, cantaloupe slices, and pickle salsa. Yep. Pickle Salsa! The salsa was a hit and I made it again tonight!

  • 1 cup chopped dill pickles (I use WF’s 365 brand – no food dyes in this one!)

  • 1/2 cup fresh chopped tomatoes

  • 1/2 cup chopped yellow bell pepper

  • 1/2 cup diced onion

  • 1 cup pickle juice

  • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced

  • Touch of salt

  • Pepper

  • Fresh cilantro

Place all ingredients (except cilantro) into a bowl. Stir and cover. Chill and serve with fresh cilantro as garnish. It is best made the day before. Enjoy on black beans and rice, with tortilla chips, or over a bed of romaine.

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by M. Terry on July 22, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Food, Nutrition, Recipes
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Posted by M. Terry on July 22, 2013

https://wholetothecore.com/2013/07/22/pickle-salsa/

Not a Treat, Just Plain Trash

flvrice

Just in case you had any doubt, the above item is trash, not a treat. A quick read of the ingredients will confirm that:

Water, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Fruit Juice (Contains One or More of the Following: Apple, Grape or Pear Juice from Concentrate), Contains Less than 2% of the Following: Citric Acid, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Sodium Benzoate and Potassium Sorbate (Preservatives), Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Blue 1.

Try my watermelon popsicles instead!

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by M. Terry on July 17, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by M. Terry on July 17, 2013

https://wholetothecore.com/2013/07/17/not-a-treat-just-plain-trash/

Cooking with Kids – One of my Favorite Parts of Summer!

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Last week, I once again had the honor of opening up my home and kitchen to a handful of kids. We spent time around the table creating some fun meals. Below are the menus we whipped together and enjoyed together as well. Click on the menu items to take you to the recipes so you and some of your favorite little ones can also create and eat!

Mexican Feast

Italian Cafe

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by M. Terry on July 15, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Food, Nutrition, Recipes
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Posted by M. Terry on July 15, 2013

https://wholetothecore.com/2013/07/15/cooking-with-kids-one-of-my-favorite-parts-of-summer/

Brownies for the Finale

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This was another recipe I searched for online since the kids in last week’s cooking class requested brownies for our final day. I made these brownies exactly according to the recipe, and they turned out great! I will be making these again but will try replacing the butter with coconut oil or extra light olive oil. I will also decrease the sugar by 1/4 cup and add in 1/4 cup of local honey to replace it. We topped off our brownies with fresh whipped cream and strawberries!

  • 1/4 cup organic butter

  • 1/2 cup organic sugar

  • 2 eggs

  • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

  • 1/3 cup white whole-wheat flour

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, eggs, applesauce, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat in 1/3 cup cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake in preheated oven until brownies are just set in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

 

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by M. Terry on July 15, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Food, Nutrition, Recipes
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Posted by M. Terry on July 15, 2013

https://wholetothecore.com/2013/07/15/brownies-for-the-finale/

Homemade Pizza

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I found this recipe online as I researched whole grain pizza crusts. This was recipe #2 that I tried, and it was the winner! Next time I will try to mix a higher protein flour (like chickpea or brown rice) with a lighter protein content flour (like a whole wheat pastry flour) just to see how it turns out.

      2 c. whole wheat flour
      1 pkg. rapid rise yeast
      3/4 tsp. salt
      1 c. warm water
      1 tbsp. olive oil
      1 tsp. honey

Pour flour into a large mixing bowl. Add yeast and salt. Mix well. Add water, oil and honey; mix well. Spray with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot for 10 minutes to rise.
Punch down. Lightly cover pizza pan with cornmeal. Press dough onto pan. Spread sauce and other ingredients on pizza crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted.

1 Comment
by M. Terry on July 14, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by M. Terry on July 14, 2013

https://wholetothecore.com/2013/07/14/homemade-pizza/

Fresh and Simple Salsa

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Here is one of the recipes we made today in my kid’s cooking class. I love the coolness of salsa on a hot summer day!

Fresh Salsa

6 Roma tomatoes

½ large green pepper

â…“ cup finely chopped sweet onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 key limes

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh cilantro or parsley

Cut tomatoes and green peppers into small pieces. Place into a medium bowl and add onion and garlic. Squeeze the key limes over the veggies. Add salt, pepper, and fresh herbs. Stir and chill for at least 3 hours. 

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by M. Terry on July 8, 2013  •  Permalink
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Posted by M. Terry on July 8, 2013

https://wholetothecore.com/2013/07/08/fresh-and-simple-salsa/

Oven Fries with Balsamic Ketchup

20130629-214900.jpgHomemade Balsamic Ketchup

  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

  • 1 Tablespoon tomato paste

  • 1-2 teaspoons crushed garlic

  • 1 sprig fresh oregano

Place vinegar, tomato paste, and garlic into a small sauce pan. Whisk together until the paste is incorporated. Put in oregano. Allow the mixture to sit over medium heat for about 5 min. Reduce to a simmer and allow to reduce until it becomes a thick syrup. Remove from heat, discard oregano, and serve with oven fries (or chicken, pork, or with whatever floats your boat!)

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by M. Terry on June 30, 2013  •  Permalink
Posted in Nutrition, Recipes
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Posted by M. Terry on June 30, 2013

https://wholetothecore.com/2013/06/30/oven-fries-with-balsamic-ketchup/

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