40 Plant Foods Challenge - Winter Edition

Remember when I did the 40 plant foods challenge (Lead by happyhealthymama) back in June? I mentioned in that post that maybe I should do it again in the Winter to see if I also get enough variety when there isn't so much produce in season. Since I live in America I can ALWAYS buy fruits, vegetables, and all kinds of other plant foods regardless of the season, but since I usually stick to the sale items, and not as much produce is on sale this time of year, I thought maybe I lacked variety in the Winter. The past week was the test!

This time I categorized everything according to food types rather than showing the list based on which items I added each day like I did last time. In comparison to the challenge I did in June, I did eat a little bit less fruits and veggies, and I ate a lot more nuts and seeds. This is no surprise to me since I have been eating a lot more nuts and seeds in general. I think if I did the challenge again in the Summer, even if the fruit and veggie categories were a bit higher again, there would still be an increase in the nuts and seeds category.

 Spices and Herbs:

1. oregano
2. basil
3. Cinnamon
4. Chili Powder
5. Ginger
6. Cumin
7. Paprika
8. Black pepper

Legumes:

1. Black beans
2. Red lentils
3. Green lentils
4. Peanuts

Fruits:

1. Pear
2. Cranberries
3. Clementine
4. Apple
5. Grapefruit
6. Banana
7. Blueberries
8. Orange
9. Tomatoes

Nuts and Seeds:

1. Sesame seeds
2. Flax seeds
3. Chia seeds
4. Psyllium Husk
5. Pecans
6. Almonds
7. Cashews
8. Brazil nuts
9. Walnuts

Vegetables:

1. Broccoli
2. Kale
3. Carrot
4. Brussels sprouts
5. Sweet potatoes
6. Sweet onions
7. Red bell peppers
8. Red potatoes
9. Green Beans
10. Garlic

Grains:

1. Oats

Total: 41

I am very happy with my total of 41 different plant foods in a week. In June I had 44 total plant foods, including 5 more veggies for the week and 3 more fruits, but my nuts and seeds category went from 2 to 9! A few of the ways I've been enjoying more nuts and seeds are these crackers, these granola bars, and all kinds of energy bites (black bean chocolate peanut butter, carrot cake, and honey nut bars are all great).

If you're looking to add more plants to your diet and aren't sure where to start, let me recommend a few of my favorites:

honey lime sweet potato tacos

warm fall harvest salad

sweet potato-carrot-apple-red lentil soup

massaged kale salad with lentils sweet potatoes and caramelized onions.

Enjoy! 

Menu - Eating More Fish

Monday - leftover sweet potato-carrot-apple-red lentil soup, bread from the freezer

Tuesday - salmon, scalloped potatoes, and sauteed cabbage -- I'll probable saute the fish in butter with lemon and a fresh herb.

Wednesday - crock pot chicken with apple and sweet potato

Friday - Thai chicken salad

Sunday - homemade buckwheat pasta with chicken, broccoli, cabbage, bean sprouts, and ginger peanut sauce


I decided that this year I want to add more fish to our diet. I used to buy it on a fairly regular basis, but somewhere along the lines I got out of the habit. The fish at the market always looks so good and I've never managed to buy it....Until today!

My go-to way to prepare fish before was to marinate it and bake it. That usually turned out good (except for when I cooked it too long), but I would like to become confident with throwing it in a pan with a couple other tasty ingredients and be certain it will come out the way I want it to. So you can keep me accountable from hear on out to eat more fish.


Happy first week of February!

Massaged Kale Salad with Lentils Sweet Potatoes and Caramelized Onions

I know, I know. You're still not sure about this whole kale salad thing. I wasn't either. I avoided it for a long time because I couldn't imagine how it could possibly be good.

I had even eaten them at buffet style dinners and not enjoyed it. But those kale salads were not massaged. And I'm telling you, when you massage the kale it becomes tender. Let me show you how the kale will change through pictures.

Before

After

That's the same bowl of kale after a three minute massage. It really makes a difference! 

It goes without saying that a salad is healthy, but this salad is particularly nutrient-dense. Lentils are a great source of protein, B-vitamins, fiber, magnesium, and iron (source), the sweet potatoes are a great source of antioxidants and also have anti-inflammatory properties (source), the kale.....Need I go there? We ALL know kale is one of the healthiest foods on the planet (source), and onions even have a lot of health benefits (source)....Who doesn't like caramelized onions? Each ingredient offers a different texture, flavor profile, and nutritional benefit, making this a really enjoyable salad. And definitely filling! Lots of fiber here! This salad is actually a complete meal, as opposed to lettuce with sliced carrots. That's not dinner.

The dressing is very simple. Basically a standard vinaigrette. The mustard is a really important ingredient as it thickens up the dressing quite bit, allowing you to get a generous coating. I don't usually like a lot of dressing on my salads, but a thick dressing is a great addition to a kale salad since the leaves are so durable and do have a pretty strong flavor.  

Are you with me? Have I lost you? Let's summarize in two words: delicious, nutritious. 

Without further ado, I present to you a kale salad that would satisfy me at the buffet table....And hopefully you, too! : )

Massaged Kale Salad with Lentils Sweet Potatoes and Caramelized Onions

Ingredients for the salad:
1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and torn into bite size pieces, 4 - 6 cups
1 large sweet potato, diced small
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3/4 cup green lentils, rinsed and picked through
2 onions, sliced
2-3 bacon slices, diced (optional) -- I've made this salad with and without the bacon. I like it both ways.
1 apple or pear, diced (optional) -- I didn't use this, but I think it would be a great addition to this salad

Ingredients for the dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 - 3 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions for the salad:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place diced sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet, drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and a 1/2 tsp. of oregano, and bake for 20 minutes or until tender, tossing halfway through.
2. Put all the kale into a large bowl and sprinkle it with salt. Massage for at least three minutes until darker green and tender.
3. Put the lentils in a medium pot and cover completely with water (there should be at least a couple inches of water above the lentils). Set stove to high and boil for about 10 minutes or until tender.
4. If you are using the bacon, crisp up the slices in a medium pan, remove to a paper towel lined plate, but leave the excess fat in the pan.
5. Saute your onions until caramelized in the bacon fat. Alternatively, use butter or your choice of oil to saute the onions.

Directions for the dressing:
Place all ingredients in a small jar, shake until well combined, taste for seasoning and adjust. You could also do this is a small bowl with a whisk.

Serving the salad:
I like to serve this salad at about room temperature. After preparing the potatoes and lentils I let them sit for about 10 minutes before tossing them together with all of the ingredients, including the dressing, in a large bowl. You can prepare the kale at any point in the day (or even the day before) because it will definitely last in the fridge after being massaged.

Because kale leaves are so durable compared to other leafy greens you may make salad out of, the leftovers are great! Not mushy at all even after bring dressed for a day. If you want to eat the salad cold you could even make the whole thing the day before you plan to eat it. It really doesn't change over night.

I hope you can conquer your fear of raw kale salads and give this one a try! I think it will change your mind.

If these flavors don't tickle your fancy, try my fruity kale salad with chicken bacon and lemon poppy seed dressing.

Menu and My Exciting Time Blogging

Sunday - massaged kale salad with lentils and sweet potatoes (recipe coming soon!), a bread experiment on the side

Monday - sausage potato kale skillet

Tuesday - sweet potato-carrot-apple-red lentil soup, rustic sourdough bread

Wednesday - roasted veggie and sausage pasta

Thursday - unknown -- Not sure yet if I'm cooking for house church.

Friday - probably cheeseburger pasta


Since I started my blog almost a year and a half ago I have spent very little time planning out posts I would do in the future. Before I started the blog I took some time to think about if I actually had enough post ideas to start one, but other than that I've been wingin' it. Things just keep coming up that I want to show and/or tell you about. I've managed to have two posts almost every week even though when I post my menu over the weekend I usually have no idea what my second post will be for that week. But this is a hobby for me, not a job, so that doesn't stress me out. It doesn't bother me if a week goes by that I don't post, however, when you cook almost every day there will always be another recipe to share.....or a fail to share, or a day of eats, etc. The point is, food is a part of my everyday life, so I can basically always come up with something to say.

All of that is to tell you, this is one of those occasional times when I have SO many posts I want to do but I don't want to post them all in a week, so I am starting them and saving them as drafts for later. Which is really exciting, but more stressful than having no ideas because I just want to share them all at once!.....But I won't. I'm going to save them for those weeks when nothing comes up. All that to say, barring vacations or busy weeks, I should have two posts every week for a while. Some recipes, some thoughts and/or experiments, but something (I think).

I'm not going to do a post about these, but look what I made over the weekend! Macarons! Not to be confused with macaroons. They weren't as pretty as they could have been, and the texture wasn't perfect, but they were still really tasty. They were part of our afternoon tea party yesterday : )

Happy cooking!

The New Black Bean Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites

Remember back in May when I posted my black bean "cookies"?

I realized that with a few minor changes these "cookies" would have fewer ingredients, be no-bake bites, and would have a more desirable texture. So there would be three pros and zero cons to these changes. After making this realization I noticed that the blog I initially got the cookie idea from also had a recipe for a no-bake bite just like the one I imagined.

So today I present to you, the new and improved black bean chocolate peanut butter energy bites based on happyhealthymama's  recipe.

The only change I made was the nuts. I made mine with peanuts, and I think any softer nut, such as walnuts or pecans, would be great for this. I wasn't making a huge batch, so my ninja blender was too big but my mini food processor attachment for my immersion blender was too small (I did it in two batches, but it wasn't ideal). Because of this I did not get my dough completely smooth. The little bit of texture doesn't bother me, but if you have a food processor you shouldn't have this problem anyway.

Since I used peanuts and peanut butter mine are very peanut-y, as you may have guessed. I like them peanut-y, but just like with every recipe, make it the way you are most likely to enjoy it!

Black Bean Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Bites

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peanuts (walnuts, pecans, or  any nut you like)

1 1/2 cups black beans (1/2 cup of dry if you're soaking and boiling them on your own, otherwise use 1 15 oz. can, drained and rinsed well)

3/4 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/4 cup honey (or maple syrup)

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 - 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Place the nuts in a food processor or high speed blender. Process until they are crumb-like. Add the black beans and process until incorporated. Add all other ingredients and process until smooth. Roll into balls (about a heaping tablespoon size) and place in a wax paper lined container with a lid that you would like to store them in. Store in the refrigerator.


I love having these around for a mid-morning bite to get you through till lunch, a post workout snack, or an afternoon pick-me-up. They are NOT dessert, but if you use the chocolate chips they may even satisfy your sweet tooth.

If you have never tried putting black beans in something sweetened before I can see why you would be afraid of this, but the Asians make candy out of beans....I know from experience. It's a texture thing, not a flavor thing. And if that isn't enough to convince you - protein, iron, calcium, and fiber are four big reasons to give these a try!

Weekend Recap - No Menu This Week

A menu this week was basically pointless since I'll be spending two nights this week at work (and I don't know what I'll be cooking there), and one night I'll be at house church (and I'm not cooking this week), so that left Monday and Wednesday.

So instead I'm going to do a weekend recap. Marshall and I both had the day off on Monday, so we decided to do a project. A kitchen project that is!

This was the beginning stages of what became our dessert. Any guesses?

Here's Marshall executing his fat content calculations.

Ever heard of Great Harvest Bread Company? I was introduced to them by Aubrey, and I love what they do. They make fresh bread daily with flour they freshly mill daily, and they use very few ingredients, which is the way bread should be. After going to a girls Saturday morning breakfast, Aubrey and I stopped at Great Harvest Bread Company and brought home delicious bread to our husbands....And to ourselves. This white cinnamon swirl bread with butter (especially when paired with TJ's vanilla and cinnamon black tea {with the lemur on the box}) is an afternoon snack to remember! I'm all about homemade bread, but this is as close to that as you can come without putting  in any effort. That was a special treat : ) ....Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

For dinner I made homemade buckwheat pasta with bacon, black beans, onions, and parsley. Buckwheat pasta has this really nice savory taste that takes your pasta dish one level up....Or two levels up. 

With the red wine, broccoli, and blacks beans this was antioxidant central! 

And our kitchen project was.....Did you guess? 

Ice cream!!

We made butter pecan (plus walnuts) icecream (plus Nutella!). It was delightful.

We toasted the nuts in an excessive amount of butter, and then added the toasty nut flavored butter to the ice cream. This was probably my favorite ice cream we have made so far.

A cup of ice cream and a game of Sequence was a nice way to spend the evening...Followed by a chapter of Farmer Boy, my current bedtime story from Marshall : )


Happy Wednesday!

What I Ate Wednesday

Today I am joining another What I Ate Wednesday party! Let's get started.

Breakfast - Pumpkin spice millet porridge with toasted pecans and cranberries with coffee -- Love this with coffee!

Lunch - smoothie bowl -- Smoothie in a bowl topped with sliced banana, chia seeds, walnuts, cinnamon, and chocolate granola.

Snack - Kalamata olives and cottage cheese -- I have been loving olives lately! The cottage cheese is Kalona Super Natural brand. SO good! 

Dinner - broccoli cheddar soup in a homemade bread bowl -- Though this was tasty, and  the bread bowls turned out way better than I thought they were going to (I used only my sourdough for the rising process, as opposed to commercial yeast), both recipes need some tweaking. It was good enough that I definitely ate too much though.

Besides licking the peanut butter knife and eating an olive while making Marshall's lunch (oh, and a sliver of cheese), this is everything I ate today.


Happy Wednesday!