Super Easy Stir Fry Earns Points in My House!

Yay!  Another jackpot winner!  You know I am passionate about good quality food!  Organic fruits and vegetables, farm raised organic meats and non-processed foods are what I  am committed to.  Sometimes that's all well and good, but sometimes you just have to prepare what is available in a short time frame. This blog post is for those of you who don't think you can have  healthy, good food with limited time.

So, here is one way you can use some prepared foods to combine into a healthy dinner in a flash.  Ok, maybe not a flash, as there is a crock pot involved, but once you are set up it is totally doable.

Some of these products are from Trader Joe's,  however, I do know other stores are carrying versions of these ingredients.  Here they are:

If you can find this it's great as it's precooked and just needs heating

Onion

Soy sauce ... this is a great variety:  Organic Tamari

Fresh grated ginger ... there are also frozen pre-grated varities in stores

Stir-fry veggies already prepped

This is a great vinegar ... omit if you don't have but I love to use this as a condiment as well

Beef Stir-Fry

1 package of pre-cooked sirloin (16 0z)
1 small onion sliced thinly
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1-2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger
1 Tablespoon Ume Plum Vinegar (optional)
1 Tablespoon of olive oil, sesame oil or coconut oil
1 package of stir-fry vegetables
cooked rice

Directions:

1. Place sliced onions on a microwave safe dish.  Heat for about 45 seconds to release flavors.  You may also saute on a stove top instead.
2. Place onions in the bottom of crockpot.  Pour soy sauce, grated ginger, and vinegar over the onions.  Stir together.
3. Top mixture with sirloin.  
4. Cover and cook on low until meat pulls apart easily.  I just turn it on and walk away till the end of the day. 
5. Heat fry pan or wok.  Add olive oil, sesame oil or coconut oil to heated pan.  Add stir-fry vegetable mix to hot pan.  Stir regularly until desired consistency.
6. Optional:  add beef to vegetables to allow juices to cook with vegetables or add separately to individual plates. 
7. Serve over rice.

A grand slam on the dinner table

*I actually made this even easier by using rice from our take out Thai dinner the night before.  See, I do cheat on healthy dinner too!

** Check your package of pre-cooked beef (or chicken).  If there is added sodium, you might want to add 1 cup of water to your crockpot to thin it out.


This is just one way you can get a dinner on the table that the kids will love (and us old folks too!).  Visit your markets to see what you can come up with.  I know what it's like to be stuck in a food rut and really despise the dreaded dinner question, "What's for dinner?"  With the holiday season approaching, we tend to be even busier parents with all kinds of obligations.  You know what happens?  We eat like crap.  Yep, we eat garbage and drink too much coffee, too much wine and then it's the New Year.  Ugh.  "Why did I do this to myself?"

Stay committed to feeling great and plan your meals for your own sanity and for your family's benefit.  Cold and flu season is here, and one thing I've learned,  is food helps keep you well!  Eat well, rest, and take your immune boosting supplements and you'll be on your way to an awesome new start to 2014!

Let me hear from you with your quick dinner ideas!  I get inspired by your meals!

Have an awesome day!
Krista

November Gratitude

I've been laying a bit low on the recipes this week ... time marches on and all of a sudden the days have flown by!

Instead of a recipe, here is something that has changed my life for the past few years.  It's easy.  It's free.  It takes about 3 minutes.  You ready?  A gratitude journal.  Before you groan and think I'm getting all Oprah on you, give me a minute to explain.

Most of you know what a gratitude journal is.  It can be a fancy leather journal or a simple composition pad.  This is mine.

I just like to make sure I can fold book in half to write on both sides of the page.

I even have used apps that let you type in the things you're grateful for along with a photo of whatever it is that you're thankful for.  Those are cool too!

Anyway, what is so great about doing this list everyday?  There are so many reasons,  but here's the easiest one to pick:

IT MAKES YOU FEEL GREAT!

Some days are not as easy as we'd like them to be.  Am I right?  Some days we like to stay miserable about something not working or something not being fair ... did you ever notice those days just continue to snowball into more crap happening?  Yep, negative vibes attract negative energy.

By having some way of keeping track of good stuff, you can change your yucky day into a day that just plain feels great. Gratitude gets the pep in your step, your mojo happening and of course the ability to stay calm when necessary.  For me, that is every single day with two teenage girls! 

Simple Instructions:

1. Get yourself a simple notebook or whatever you would like to record thought on. 
2. Find a time to write.  I like the morning before the day really begins, but lately I have been writing at night before bed. That helps me drift off into a happy slumber.
3. List 10 things that you are grateful for.  They don't have to be extravagant events.  Sometimes I'm just happy to have a cozy blanket on me! 
4. Smile.

Often I feel like I have to remind myself of the things I have, instead of what I think I want or need.  Once you relax into "everything is alright" thinking, things start to happen without all the stress that sometimes we get worked up about.  Trust me.

Positive vibes breed positive energy.  Try it out in this month of November ... the month of Thanksgiving.

I cannot end this without thanking all of you who responded to my simple facebook post 12 days ago.  I had a great visit with my neurosurgeon in NYC who was happy with my latest MRI, 18 months after my radiation with the cyberknife.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your support!

Rockefeller Plaza mums

Conquering my fear of heights with my man!

At my favorite market "Eataly"

Much Love,
Krista

Morning Quinoa Bliss

Hello Busy Parents!!

Just wanted to share this awesome breakfast idea with you!  Maybe you are SO ready to venture out of your comfort zone and try something different.  Maybe you're bored with your Cheerios!  Are you in need of a breakfast that keeps you full till lunch?

I've written about the benefits of the superfood quinoa earlier this fall ... bottom line for those not interested in nutritional facts:  it tastes good, is great for you, and can work as a versatile grain with just about any additions thrown in! 

If you're a busy mom,  you really do not have time to make this in the morning before the school rush begins.  Maybe you will try it this weekend.  Maybe you are reading this now after everyone has gone to bed and you want to prep it for tomorrow ... maybe you're just about passed out on the couch after a very long day and the kids uniforms aren't finished washing yet!  Whatever your reasons, if you are ready to start the day off with a meal that sets the tone for a productive day, you really should try this grain out!  I cannot stress enough how many people skip breakfast ... myself included some days!  When you start the day off in a deficit it just snowballs from there!  You know what I'm talking about right?!

Quinoa Breakfast Bliss

1 Tablespoon of coconut oil
1 cup of cooked quinoa
1 chopped apple
2 chopped dried dates
1 Tablespoon of slivered raw almonds
1/4 cup dried cherries or cranberries (or both!)
a drizzle of honey
a dusting of cinnamon

1.  Heat your fry pan to medium heat.  Add coconut oil.  When melted, add the chopped apple.  Cook until softened.  Add the dates, almonds, cranberries and/or cherries.  Cook until warmed through.
2.  Add the mixture to the quinoa.  Dust with a bit of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey.
3.  Enjoy! 


Here's to keeping your metabolic fire roaring and your energy blazing!!

Sorry, couldn't help myself from sharing!  This is Charlie.  He knows how to chill while I write!

Be Well,
Krista

Beef Provencal Stew

Good Morning Momma-birds!

Here is a really easy recipe for you to try this week as the weather is a little cloudy and rainy here in the Northeast.  I never thought I would be posting a beef stew recipe as the idea of stew brings back images of too much mushy stuff as a kid!  This one is just plain really good as my whole family agreed.  If you're like me,  the season is continuing to keep me busy with games, practices, more games, and homework, cooking is just too hard to fit into my afternoons lately.  I'm feeling the pull of the take-out menu!   But, if you are looking for a good one your kids will eat and you seriously don't have too much prep or clean up, check this one out. 

I start this recipe on the stove and then throw into the crock pot on low all day.  Serve over some medium buttered egg noodles and open a bag of salad and you're done!  Enjoy!

Beef Provencal Stew

Serves 6 (3/4 cup stew and 1/2 cup noodles)

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons of olive oil
12 garlic cloves (use at your discretion ... more or less)
1 (2 pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2-inch cubes  
               (I found already cubed Kosher beef at Trader Joe's)
1 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 cup red wine
2 cups chopped carrot
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cup lower-sodium beef broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Dash of ground cloves
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
3 cups cooked medium egg noodles (about 4 cups uncooked noodles)

Preparation:

1.  Heat a small Dutch oven over low heat.  Add oil to pan; swirl to coat.  Add garlic; cook 5 minutes or until garlic is fragrant, stirring occasionally.  Remove garlic with a slotted spoon; set aside.  Increase the heat to medium-high.  Add beef to pan; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.  Cook 5 minutes, browning on all sides.  Remove beef from pan.  Add wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bit.  Add reserved garlic, beef, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, carrot and next 8 ingredients (through bay leaf) and bring to a boil.

2.  Place mixture in a crock pot.  Cook for 5 hours on high or low all day if you start early in the day.  If you don't have a crock pot you can cook this in the oven at 300 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours.

Hope you add this one to your file!  It just helps to have a few of these slow cooker recipes!

Now you have more time to quiz them for their test tomorrow, run their uniforms through the wash for the games tomorrow and maybe, even maybe get to watch some shows you missed this season!

Have an awesome day!
Krista

Turkey Chili

Here is the chili recipe I was really happy with last night!

Surprisingly I thought I ruined it when I was trying to do too many things at once and forgot about the onions with the turkey at the start!  It was really smoking when I came back to the kitchen!  I'm not saying to overcook your onions, garlic and meat, just don't give up if you do!

I have made chili before with wine and dark chocolate.  I always take out my microplane and grate the chocolate into the chili.  I didn't have time yesterday so I just threw about 2-3 squares of what I had in my cabinet ... Lindt Excellence Dark Chocolate with a Touch of Sea Salt.

Also, most recipes for chili with red wine use a fruity wine like Merlot.  I didn't have any Merlot.  Just Cabernet.  So that is what I used.  I think either would be fine.  Use what you have.

I use whole tomatoes for this recipe and pulse them in the blender a few seconds to give the tomatoes a smooth texture.  If you like them chunky just chop coarsely and you're set.


Turkey Chili

Yields:  8 servings
(Serving size 1 1/4 cups)

Ingredients:
1T olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 medium sized onion chopped
2-4 garlic cloves minced
1 T chili powder (or more to taste)
2 T brown sugar
1 T ground cumin
3 T tomato paste
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t ground pepper
1/4 t sea salt
2 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
2 (28 ounce) cans whole tomatoes, pulsed in blender depending on your family' preferences
2 (15 ounce) cans of kidney beans (I used two varieties:  white and red) rinsed well
Sharp shredded cheddar to top

Directions:
1.  Heat a large pot over medium heat.  Add the olive oil and onions.  Cook a few minutes to soften.  Add turkey and garlic to pan and cook about 8 minutes until no longer pink.
2.  Add chili powder and next 6 ingredients (chili powder through bay leaves), and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Stir in wine, tomatoes, kidney beans and dark chocolate.  Bring mixture to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer about 45 minutes.  Remove cover and cook until desired consistency.  Discard bay leaves.
3.  Sprinkle with cheddar!  Add a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream (optional)

That is it.

Enjoy with your family!
Krista

Quinoa Salad

 When I was first introduced to quinoa (keen-wah) a few years back, I was totally floored!  It is the most versatile grain around and has tons of benefits!  You've got your fiber, your protein (huge when you are eating a plant based diet), low in sugar, low in fat, contains iron (huge benefit for most women), no salt and the list goes on.  The Incas considered it sacred giving their warriors stamina!!

Oh yeah, it's gluten free as well!!  Yippee!

You can use quinoa as a breakfast porridge, a pilaf or a salad.  You can add whatever veggies you have in your fridge and start experimenting!  You really can't mess this up!  If I had tomatoes in the house I would have used them too!

This is what I came up with today ...

Veggie Quinoa Salad
(can you tell I just winged this?)

1 cup of quinoa cooked in broth
2 cups of chicken or vegetable broth
2 cups of roasted corn kernels
1 avocado cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cucumber cut into cubes
1/2 small onion (if desired)
1 cup of canned chick peas, rinsed
feta cheese ... as much as you like
fresh mint ... to taste
sea salt and pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice (I squeezed 2 medium sized)
1 tablespoon of olive oil 
1 fried egg (I love mine cooked all the way through ... not runny, but however you like it!)

Cook quinoa with broth according to package directions. Be sure to rinse the quinoa before cooking.

While quinoa is cooking, combine corn, avocado, cucumber, onion (if desired), feta cheese, chick peas and fresh mint.  Juice lemons.  Add olive oil to the lemon juice.  Top with sea salt and ground fresh pepper.

Mix vegetables with lemon dressing.

Add to the quinoa and mix.

Top salad with fried egg.  Season as desired.

Yay!  A perfect avocado!

You can use red or yellow quinoa for this ...

 

Enjoy!

Krista

Macaroni and Cheeeeze!

So I was fortunate enough to have a great day to host the soccer team's pasta dinner last night at my house.  I was thrilled to have a beautiful day to set up tables outside and eat after their team practice.  Team parents rotate houses to feed the girls every night before a game so we all get to host!  So, me being a newbee parent to high school soccer started picking my brain for something different as I tend to do that ... food wise anyway!  Lol! 

The girls were really great and showed tons of gratitude which of course ranks really high with all parents!  I love the team bonding off the field and the fact that they actually talked to us was just plain cool.

So here is what they loved ... a simple mac and cheese! I have to say when cooking for a large group, I go with the most basic recipes.  I confess, I didn't use whole wheat elbows for this dinner.  I have made it for my family with whole wheat ... they had no idea it wasn't the plain noodles they always like.  So, try it without the whole wheat or venture into the "other" kind of noodle if you want to take it out of your comfort zone :)  Of course, we had 5 pounds of regular penne with vodka sauce, meatballs, garlic bread, tons of salad, bread, a really easy chicken scampi (recipe for another day!), watermelon (really good for refueling muscles), and the best cookies ever:  pumpkin cookies ...


Macaroni and Cheese
Makes: 4 servings
Active Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients
3 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 3/4 cups low-fat milk, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni, or penne

Preparation

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat an 8-inch-square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl.
3. Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. 
4. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted. Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
5. Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender. (It will continue to cook during baking.) Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish.  Top with the remaining pasta; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
6. Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

Tips & Notes:
Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 4. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, if necessary, then bake for 35 to 45 minutes.


Kids love pasta!  A great way to get the carbs into their bodies for their event tomorrow!  Make sure you get some protein into them to help them absorb these carbs! 

Have an awesome weekend!
Krista