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Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Cooking with Elise

August 17, 2012 By SunnyB 4 Comments

Today on Healthy Lunchbox 2012, fellow FoodNetwork Summer Fest blogger, Elise Johnson from Cooking with Elise shares her tips for packing healthy and fun lunches for children of all ages.

Elise is well-known for her Cooking with Elise television segments, her blog and is also a Chef Spokesperson for BJ’s Wholesale Club. Additionally, Elise’s first cookbook: You Never Cook Alone was released earlier this year!

With such a busy schedule, I am grateful Elise took the time to share her brilliant healthy lunchbox ideas.

Thanks, Elise!

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My one-stop shopping destination for all my needs is BJ’s Membership Club! With 30% off of organic fruits, vegetables and dairy, BJ’s makes lunch preparations fun, easy and healthy for your whole family! I enthusiastically accepted the challenge when BJ’s asked me to create some exciting, flavorful and nutritious lunch ideas. The lunchbox makeover was born!

Remember the days when your mom brown bagged your lunch? Most likely it consisted of the typical P B & J, chips, a cookie and a sugary drink. With all the processed foods, allergies and hunger pains kids have today, a boring, uninspiring (and not to mention less-than-nutritional lunch) just won’t cut it!

My mom, Mary, is so organized. As a child I remember her getting our lunches ready the night before school. She would lay the brown bags with napkins and any non-perishables she was including in our lunches for the next day such as raisins or rice cakes on top of our microwave which sat in one corner of our cozy kitchen. Our sandwiches were usually tuna salad, ham, turkey or peanut butter and jelly.

Mom knew a quick, easy and affordable lunch would keep her kids (and her, too) happy as well as energized all day long. I have some great ideas that will help you make your kids lunches go from “blah” to “oohh la la!” by sprucing up sandwiches and helping your kids embrace their fruits and veggies. Here are some strategies to keep your kids happy, healthy and well fed!

The Main Course

Reinventing the Sandwich — Sandwiches are the quintessential lunchbox staple, but there are so many simple ways to sneak in nutrients while providing variety and great flavor.

Peanut Power: With all of the different types of spreads available these days, choose your child’s favorite like almond, cashew or even sunflower. If you are going to use peanut butter, be sure to use a brand with less sugar and no preservatives. In place of jelly (which can be loaded with sugar) add a sliced banana. Bananas are full of vitamin B, manganese, potassium, and fiber. Here a heart-shaped cookie cutter was used to show how loved your child is.

Here I used two different kinds of bread, cut the sandwich in nine pieces and then turn every other piece over to create a checkerboard effect. Imagine the reaction your child will have when he or she opens their lunch box to see this cute sandwich looking back at them!

Wrap it up and pump up the protein — Use hummus instead of processed deli meat. It’s full of protein and you can add slices of crisp cucumber and chewy, sweet grated carrots. You can also use tomatoes and avocado, especially now when they are readily available. You can get my hummus recipes here. Use a colorful paper napkin to wrap…well, your wrap in! It’s like giving a big hug to your little guy or gal! (Sunny’s note: Rudi’s Gluten-Free Tortillas would be perfect for these!)

The deconstruction of a sandwich equals fun for your child– I love the high-quality deli meats offered at BJ’s. The nice folks who work behind the counter are so helpful, too! Ask them to simply slice your favorite deli meats in one-inch slices. You will have enough cubes of deli meat to make several sandwich skewers. Thread pieces of bread (can be omitted), grape tomatoes, turkey, ham and lettuce onto your skewer. Make certain to cut the sharp tip off of your skewer for safety. Serve your sandwich skewer with a tiny container of yellow mustard!

You can also use sectioned off containers for your deconstructed sandwich. Kids love playing with their food and finger food is FUN!

Start Snackin’

Super Simple Creamy Fruit Dip (for dairy eaters)

In a blender combine 1 cup fat-free or Neufatchel cheese (1/3 less fat than regular cream cheese), 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (you can use any fruit) and 1 tablespoon of raw honey or agave nectar. Blend together and watch the beautiful color it makes! Kids (and adults, too) will love dipping their fruit into this creamy dip! (Sunny’s note: I bet this would be delicious with some cashew cream cheese!)

Kids eat with their eyes, so choose colorful fruits and vegetables. And remember that fresh is always best — Here I’ve made a rainbow by cutting up a strawberry or two, a couple slices of orange, a couple chunks of pineapple, a few green grapes, two slices of kiwi, a few blueberries and a few red grapes. I’ve paired it with the super simple and creamy fruit dip.
Kids love playing with their food – Healthy dips and yogurts are great choices for the lunch box because children love eating with their hands!
Serving sizes — All types of snacks such as chips and natural popcorn can be found in easy to send to school small packages. You can also create your own snack bags of plantain/banana chips, freeze dried fruit chips and rice cakes.
Know your children’s schedule – Choose snacks that are low in saturated fats and sugar and are in high in protein, nutrients like nuts, colorful veggies like carrot sticks, red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers strips, fruits salad and guacamole with blue corn chips

Filled with veggies, a good quality salsa is a great choice! Get a double dose of veggies and fiber by serving the salsa with slices of fresh zucchini and yellow squash instead of only corn chips.

Beverages keep them goin’ all day long

Water — Kids should have a bottle or two for the day. If your children are not water drinkers, send an individual Crystal Light Pure package for your child to bring with their water bottle. They can create their own fruit flavored drink without all of the sugar as in juice.

Send organic milk (dairy or non-dairy) vs. a juice box. Milk has 8 times more protein than a juice box. If you send a juice box send healthy options made with fruits and vegetables or 100 % juice.

For those children who don’t like to eat fruits and vegetables, make a smoothie with celery and carrots in a reusable thermos. Children won’t even taste the celery or cucumber!

Blueberry Smoothie

So easy…

Celery – clean and organic, if possible. Two small to medium stalks
Blueberries – frozen and organic. As many as you like to sweeten the celery
Fresh Water
Agave (optional – to further sweeten if you desire)

Whirl it up, drink it up, and soak up the nutrients!

Pack it properly

Make your child’s lunch in a reusable lunch box with food stored in sectioned off containers. This is not only eco-friendly, but is fun and will keep everything separated and fresh. You won’t have any squished sandwiches or broken snacks. Eliminate the need for silverware by sending items that can be eaten with your child’s hands (what fun!)
Choose foods that can be left out at room temperature or get an icepack for your child’s lunch box or bag. In addition to the thermos, companies are now making insulated sandwich sacks, too.
Last, but certainly, not least, pack a loving handwritten note to add the final ingredient to your child’s lunch!

Happy packing!

From our hearts to yours,

Elise and family

Filed Under: Healthy Lunchbox, Other Tagged With: Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Healthy Lunchbox, Main Dish, Nut Free, Snack

Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Janet from The Taste Space-Steam, Bake, Boil, Shake

August 16, 2012 By SunnyB 5 Comments

Janet from The Taste Space- Steam, Bake, Boil, Shake is a regular contributor to my monthly challenge, otherwise known as Ingredient Challenge Monday and since I try every recipe entered into the challenge, I am very familiar with how delicious her recipes are.

Imagine my excitement when Janet volunteered to join in on this year’s Healthy Lunchbox series!

As always, her recipe does not disappoint.

Beautiful, simple and easy to transport…this is a salad fit for a queen (or king).

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First of all, let me say I am not envious that Sunny needs to make 7 lunches to go every.single.day. I can barely put together my own lunch sometimes, but have figured out a few tricks to make portable, tasty lunch eats. I am so excited that Sunny invited me to join her for this year’s Health Lunch Box Series.

I am no stranger to Mason jars, as they line my pantry filled with beans, grains and dried fruit. I have also converted my morning chocolate protein oatmeal to single-servings pre-portioned into smaller Mason jars. I add a bit of water, throw the oatmeal in the microwave for 2 minutes, top with my toppings of the day and off I go.

In the morning, while rushing out to the gym, I might have 30-45 minutes where I munch on some fruit, drink some tea (if I am lucky) and gather my breakfast and lunch for the road.

Sometimes I have all the right intentions for eating salads, but come morning, the last thing I want to do is rinse and spin my greens and chop some veggies.

My newest solution? Spend some time to make a bunch of salads to go. This is where the taller Mason jars work really well: you can add your dressing to the bottom, place your favourite veggies on the bottom, where they can marinate until you munch through your salad. You want enough veggies so that your layer of greens do not mix with the dressing. After that, though, you can pack in your greens. Next, top with more delicate ingredients that you want to spare early dressing intervention: nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc. This is also where I will put my beans and cooked grains, because I don’t like it when they absorb too much dressing. Once lunch arrives, I turn the jar upside down and shake away! A long fork helps to eat through the monster salad.

I used to bring my salad greens, dressing and toppings all separately to work, but this is much more simple. Just grab and go!

I have made this a few times already and the salads have still been great after 3 days after I made them.. and I hear they are still good after 5 days, too.

I have included a basic salad recipe below, but do not hesitate to use it as a template to create your own portable Salad in a Jar. I am now on a mission to try even more dressings, since this is an easy and healthy lunch. The dressing below is really nice, too, with a perfect blend of lemon, ginger and a hint of sweet paprika. Please share with me your own favourite salad dressing.

Here are a few of my other favourite salads:

Strawberry, Avocado and Mint Salad with a Chocolate Balsamic Vinaigrette

Strawberry and Roasted Chickpea Salad with a Cinnamon Vinaigrette

Blackberry, Avocado and Walnut Salad with a Ginger Lime Vinaigrette

Asparagus Pecan Quinoa Salad with a Maple-Mustard Dressing

Quinoa and Chickpea Salad with a Balsamic-Tahini Dressing

Roasted Beet, Orange and Brown Rice Salad with an Orange Sesame Vinaigrette

Pomegranate-Lime Asparagus Quinoa Salad

Moroccan Barley and Pea Shoot Salad with an Orange-Cinnamon Dressing

Black Bean, Apricot and Spinach Salad with a Mango-Ginger Dressing

Mexican Chopped Salad with a Creamy Tomato Dressing

Salad in a Jar (with a Topaz Dragon Ginger Dressing)
Adapted from Healthy Happy Life

1.5 tbsp Topaz Dragon Ginger Dressing (see below)
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (or veggies of choice)
1/2 head red lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (or greens of choice)
1/4 cup cooked adzuki beans (or beans/grains of choice)
(other toppings – chopped nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc)

1. Layer your salad with the dressing on the bottom, then the cucumber, tomatoes, lettuce and finally the beans.

2. Store in the refrigerator until ready to eat. Then shake well and eat with a long fork!

Serves 1.

Topaz Dragon Ginger Dressing
Adapted from Rawesomely Vegan!

2 tbsp water
2 tsp agave, or your choice of sweetener
1 tsp lemon zest (I used 1 lemon)
1 tsp minced ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp onion granules
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground black pepper, to to taste (I used less)
1/4 tsp sweet Hungarian paprika
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp flax oil (or oil of choice)

1. Add all ingredients together and mix well. Store in an air-tight container in the fridge and mix well prior to serving.

Makes 1/2 cup.

Filed Under: Healthy Lunchbox, Other, Raw, Vegan Tagged With: Healthy Lunchbox, Main Dish, Vegan

Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Dawn Allen from Cuter than Gluten

August 14, 2012 By SunnyB 11 Comments

Today on Healthy Lunchbox 2012, Dawn Allen from Cuter than Gluten.

Dawn is, what I consider to be, a gluten-free/dairy-free bento box expert. I knew when she joined this year’s Healthy Lunchbox series that we were in for a treat! I love her cookie-cut fruits and veggies, the recipe below is a great alternative to more traditional grain-filled breads and who doesn’t love waffles?

After you read her post below, be sure to visit Cuter than Gluten and learn more about Dawn’s soon to be released cookbook: Culinary Creativity: Let your restrictions set you free. For more great ideas, you can also follow Dawn on facebook.

Thank you Dawn! xoxo

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Thank you Sunny for inviting me to talk about lunches for kids.

When I was in second grade in rural West Virginia, the lunch my (hippie) mom packed for me got a lot of strange looks. She often packed her thick homemade bread in repurposed bread bags (to reuse/recycle). My vegetarian lunch was always full of carrot sticks and red peppers—not common fare at the lunch table. Now I am proud of my mom for packing healthy lunches. Back then I liked my lunch but I didn’t like all of the attention it drew. Everyone else was eating bologna on white bread with potato chips. I pleaded with her to purchase sandwich bags.

Fast forward 30 years and now I am the alternative mom packing the different lunches …

A few years ago, when my daughter started preschool, I discovered the Japanese tradition of decorative bento lunches for kids. It looked like tons of fun to do little art projects made of food. It also seemed like a great way to send my daughter to school with gluten- and dairy-free lunches without drawing attention to her special diet. It worked, all of the attention goes to the cute boxes and fun food themes, and no one notices she doesn’t have food coloring or sugar in her lunch. (Best of all she doesn’t notice!) And as a bonus there is no waste, so in the tradition of my mother, I don’t need to purchase sandwich bags!

Getting started with bento is easier than you might think. I will share some of the basics here and you can always visit my website to see more bento lunches or check out my book which offers more details on how to create the lunches.

1) Start with a container that will contain enough food to fill up your child. This might take a bit of experimenting. You don’t need a special bento box (although they are fun); you can just use food storage containers. Stainless steel bento boxes are available too.

2) Be sure to use nutrient dense food (no potato chips or space consuming sweets and snacks).

3) Try to provide some balance nutritionally. (Of course we all go about nutrition from our unique perspectives. The great thing about bento is that it works for gluten-free, paleo, raw, vegan, etc.)

4) Make it fancy, keep it fun, and stop before it feels like a burden.

5) Save aside foods as you prepare dinner for the next day’s lunch. I generally don’t make lunches that require additional cooking (to save time in the mornings).

6) Pack lots of raw fruits and vegetables. They add color, nutrients, and require very little preparation.

7) Cookie cutters, food picks, small sauce containers, and other fun accessories can make a simple lunch a little bit fancy.

8) Kids like to help, and that can be a great, fun project. And sometimes it is quicker and easier to do it yourself. We take it day by day.

I thought it would be fun to take a pile of ingredients from my refrigerator and show you three different ideas of how to make cute bento lunches. I didn’t plan these designs in advance and I just used what I had on hand. Sometimes I plan my fancier bento lunches but I wanted to show you how this can be a fun simple project that can be done any day. The simplest took about 3 minutes and the most complicated took less than 15 minutes. I don’t really time the work and my kids interrupt a lot … so who really knows how long it takes? In each bento the lunch is centered on leftover Grain-Free Waffles prepared as almond butter and jelly sandwiches.

For this abstract bento I simply cut the sandwich to fit the box. I made “turkey maki”; rolled up nori paper, turkey, red and yellow peppers with mustard to hold the roll closed. I filled in the remaining spaces with sugar snap peas, watermelon, kiwi, and a peach musical note (I used a cookie cutter).

This building block box actually has a second level but I was just making a small breakfast bento for my daughter so I didn’t need the extra food. This bento couldn’t be easier. I simply cut the sandwich and fruits into blocks and stuffed them in. If I were making a lunch I would be sure to get some vegetables in there.

I wanted to show you what a more elaborate bento can be like, but typically kids are happy with just one cute element, so you could easily do a simple salad on one side to accompany the face.

For the face, I used the bento box to cut the sandwich to size (like a cookie cutter). Then I made a small slit for the mouth and inserted a ham tongue and a red pepper lip. (Vegetarians could use a thinly sliced beet.) Then I simply added a few other facial features and the top of the box held everything in place on the way to school.

I used a cookie cutter to make the watermelon dancer and rolled peppers in ham. The rest is filled with raw vegetables. It is doubtful that my daughter will eat the greens, but I persist in offering them just in case she gets curious.

I hope you give bento a try, and remember to keep it simple and fun!

Grain-Free Waffle Recipe

Dry Ingredients
2 tablespoons coconut flour
½ cup almond meal/flour, packed
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon honey
¼ cup full fat canned coconut milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl.

Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Sift the dry ingredients into the large bowl with the wet ingredients (sifting really helps here). Whisk to combine thoroughly.

Cook in your waffle maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If your waffle maker has settings; I recommend using low browning.

Yields 4 standard waffles or 2 Belgian waffles

Filed Under: Healthy Lunchbox, Other Tagged With: Casein Free, Corn Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Healthy Lunchbox, Main Dish, Paleo, Side Dish, Snack, Soy Free, Sugar-Free

Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Phoebe Lapine from Feed Me Phoebe

August 13, 2012 By SunnyB 2 Comments

Today on Healthy Lunchbox 2012, I am thrilled to have Phoebe Lapine who has shared a gorgeous and very grown-up lunch salad with us today

I am blessed to know Phoebe through the FoodNetwork Summer Fest series and am always impressed with her brilliantly healthy recipes. Be sure to visit Phoebe’s beautiful sites which include: Feed Me Phoebe and Phoebe Lapine, where you will not only learn more about this amazingly talented New Yorker, you’ll also find many more of her recipes and striking images! You can also follow Phoebe on twitter and facebook.

Thank you, Phoebe!

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The summer after I graduated from college, I traveled around Israel for two weeks. I saw many sites, I learned many things, and I ate my weight in falafel. Now, fried balls of ground chickpeas are decidedly not the healthiest of lunches. But there were plenty of other options that were.

On days when we weren’t wandering the open air markets and grabbing a quick pita pocket, we’d sit down to a more formal lunch. The table would be littered with small bowls of various salads – the classic Israeli version of cucumber, tomato and lemon, and others that included healthier interpretations of chickpeas. I love this type of grazing, and I heart any dish that forms its personality from fresh lemon juice, herbs, and little else.

When I’m looking for a healthy lunch I often think back to Israel and these salads, all of which keep very well in the fridge and don’t require a last minute doctoring of dressing. This particular version is a hybrid of that classic Israeli salad, and the chickpea dishes I came to know and love. To give it a little more body, I set it on a bed of mustard greens, which stand up to the lemon juice a lot better than everyday lettuce, which tends to wilt by lunchtime in a Tupperware container.

I’m not going to lie: I would still happily eat a pocket of fried falafel over a salad any day (I have a gluten-free baked version here). But this bowl of greens is so healthy, filling and delicious, it puts my cravings at bay. At least, until I’m forced to walk by the halal cart on my corner.

Eat up!

Phoebe

Israeli Chickpea Salad with Mustard Greens

Makes 4 side servings

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chickpeas (rinsed and drained, if from a can)

1 cup diced seedless cucumber, skin removed

4 purple or regular scallions, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

1/2 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 bunch mustard greens (about 8 leaves)

¼ cup roughly chopped parsley leaves

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the chickpeas, cucumber, scallions, garlic, lemon juice and zest, cumin, paprika, and salt. You can make the salad up to this point and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days.

2. Stack the mustard green leaves with the largest at the bottom, smallest at the top. Trim away the stem and discard. Roll the leaves width-wise into a cigar. Turn the roll over so that the opening is touching the cutting board. Thinly slice the cigar – the result will be beautiful ribbons of mustard greens.

3. When you are about ready to eat, fold in the mustard greens and parsley with the chickpea mixture. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and lemon juice as needed. Serve at room temperature.

Filed Under: Healthy Lunchbox, Other Tagged With: Casein Free, Corn Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Healthy Lunchbox, Main Dish, Raw, Soy Free, Vegan

Healthy Lunchbox 2012: Susan from Real Kids Eat Spinach

August 12, 2012 By SunnyB 3 Comments

Today on Healthy Lunchbox 2012, Susan from Real Kids Eat Spinach is sharing some of her favorite school lunchbox tips and three, count ‘em, three, delicious recipes!

A single mother of two children, Susan spends much of her time preparing healthy meals that her children love. As a certified holistic health coach, Susan offers insight and healthy solutions to families through the internet and her home. Be sure to contact Susan directly if you are interested in knowing more.

I am so glad Susan chose to join the Healthy Lunchbox series again this year. To see more Healthy Lunchbox ideas from this year and last, visit the tag cloud on the right and click “Healthy Lunchbox.”

You can also follow Susan on facebook.

Thanks Susan!

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My kids always delight in letting my know what their classmates’ lunchboxes contain. I feel that I’ve really done right as the years pass, as their comments have gradually become less envious and more informed. I don’t encourage self-righteousness in my offspring, but seeing them really grasp the notion of healthy food makes me proud.

And while I also reserve judgment when it comes to double-stuffed Oreos and chocolate Pop-Tarts, their presence on the elementary lunch circuit reminds me that the most fun part of a school lunch is almost always the treat. Of course kids don’t need processed treats to fuel their afternoons, so wanted to share a couple of ideas and recipes that embrace the concept of dessert at lunch. Without the sugar crash an hour later…

All three of these recipes are free of gluten, grains and dairy and naturally sweetened. Perhaps even more importantly, however, they have all passed rigorous taste testing (performed on my children and several of their peers). I’ll start with a treat that just screams fall and back-to-school time: Cinnamon Apple Snack Bars.

These bars have a triple whammy of cinnamon, which means they will fill your kitchen with the most comforting, cozy scent. Based on almond flour, they are obviously not suitable for a nut-free school lunch. I wanted to include them, however, as they are a perfect candidate for after-school snacking or even a quick breakfast, if your kids’ school doesn’t allow nut products.

Cinnamon Apple Snack Bars

2 cups almond flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dairy-free milk of choice
3/4 cup natural applesauce
1/2 cup chopped, peeled apple (about 1/2 large apple)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbs. palm sugar
large handful of raw walnut pieces

for topping:
1 tbs. melted coconut oil
1 tbs. cinnamon
2 tsp. palm sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Combine almond flour through salt in a large bowl. Add milk and applesauce. In a separate smaller bowl, combine 1 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tbs. palm sugar. Toss apple pieces in mixture until they are well coated. Fold into batter long with nuts.

Pour into a greased 8×8 baking dish. In a small bowl combine melted coconut oil, cinnamon and palm sugar. Using a spoon, drizzle all over top of the cake. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow to cool and cut into bars.

My next two school-worthy desserts are both chocolate-based. My daughter doesn’t love anything too rich, so both of these are perfect candidates without being overly fudgy or indulgent. First I wanted to come up with a replacement for the ever-popular pudding cups that often sneak their way into lunches. I’ve made my kids avocado-based chocolate pudding in the past, and love how the fruit adds a creamy texture. I wanted to come up with a version that wouldn’t require additional sweetener, however, so I turned to a different secret ingredient: baked sweet potato. While you can’t taste the potato in the finished product, its inclusion adds both nutrition and the perfect amount of natural sweetness. I can’t wait to try this recipe out with canned pumpkin as well!

This turned out amazingly well, and was ridiculous easy. I cooked my sweet potatoes in the microwave, measuring out the other ingredients while the potato cooled. My pudding was plenty sweet as written, but for a special treat I also stirred in some dairy-free chocolate chips. Using a Vitamix, the chips and the coconut oil emulsified easily; if you don?t have a high-powered blender, melt your butter/oil first.

I suggest you taste your pudding for sweetness before deciding to tinker with it. If it needs more sweetness, you can use a smidge of raw honey, maple syrup or chocolate chips. This pudding tastes great warm, but even better once chilled (thus a perfect candidate for lunchtime).

Sweet Potato Chocolate Pudding

2 large baked sweet potatoes, skins removed
1/3-1/2 cup non-dairy milk of choice
2-3 tbs. of unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tbs. coconut oil or butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbs. vanilla extract
optional: raw honey, maple syrup or chocolate chips, as desired

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

My final recipe was a slam dunk at a healthy eating lecture I gave to children and their parents at our local library this summer. Even the kids who didn’t really really engage in the subject matter weren’t shy when it came to devouring the brownies I brought! Everyone was shocked when I shared what made it possible to make them grain-free: canned chickpeas. I personally follow a Paleo diet and as such avoid legumes, but even I made an exception to enjoy one of these little brownie bites. They are a good source of fiber and taste positively sinful. I baked mine in mini muffin cups to make them perfectly portioned for kids.

Mini Chickpea Brownies

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup raw agave nectar or honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbs. vanilla
2 eggs
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life dairy-free chips)

Preheat oven to 325. Heat coconut oil and cocoa powder in a small pot over low heat; warm until oil has melted and cocoa dissolves. Stir well.

Meanwhile, run chickpeas, sweetener and salt in a food processor until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla, processing again until thoroughly blended. Pour chickpea mixture and chocolate into a large bowl and allow to cool.

Stir in chocolate chips. Scoop batter into greased mini muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

I made all three of these recipes with help from my 6 and 8-year olds; while the older one isn’t always in the mood to get busy in the kitchen with me, they are both equally eager to lick spoons. I hope these healthy treats inspire you and yours as well, and offer them a sweet little reminder of how much love and effort you put into sending them off to school nourished and ready to grow.

Filed Under: Healthy Lunchbox, Other Tagged With: Casein Free, Dairy Free, Dessert, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Healthy Lunchbox, Nut Free, Paleo, Side Dish, Snack, Soy Free, Vegan

Healthy Lunchbox 2012

August 10, 2012 By SunnyB 4 Comments

Welcome to Healthy Lunchbox 2012!

One year ago, I had an idea…

Every year the struggle to fill my children’s lunchboxes with healthy foods they will enjoy seems to become a little more complicated.

To keep things interesting, I asked some of my favorite bloggers for some help.

Thus, the Healthy Lunchbox Series was born.

Last year was the first year all five of my children were full-time students.

This year, with a new dedication to healthy eating, my husband joins the list of lunches that must be packed.

And if you weren’t certain, I too work full-time and bring my lunch to school as well.

That’s a whopping seven lunches every day, and sometimes I run out of ideas!

To help with this, I once again sought help from a number of fabulous bloggers and am happy to announce that over the next 31 days, dozens of fabulous bloggers will be sharing their secrets to a healthy lunchbox with you!

What makes a healthy lunchbox?

Well, that depends on who you ask.

The government will tell you that a healthy lunchbox should reflect the new MyPlate plan.

I don’t know about you, but I trust the government with my health about as much as I can throw them, collectively.

My pyramid looks a little more like this one from Mark Sisson:

We love to bring sandwich rolls containing uncured meats, tuna, lots of veggies and healthy fats. Hard Boiled eggs, planned-overs and slices of salami make for easy to eat and carry lunches, too.

There is always a side of vegetables and often a side of fresh fruit, although for variety I love to throw in things like these Perfectly Sweet Fruit Roll-Ups.

Most importantly, a healthy lunch is a simple lunch.

These are the lunches I packed for my week away from home.

Planned overs with Shirley’s Bacon Chicken, Farmer’s Market Plums and Cucumbers.

Hard boiled eggs, carrots, cucumbers, grape tomatoes and Roasted Red Pepper Paleo Hummus

Dixie Chik Bok Choy Tuna Rolls (sans dip), cucumber and grapes from the farmer’s market.

Uncured turkey rolls with Melissa Joulwan’s Olive Oil Mayonnaise vegetables, cucumbers and cherries.

Columbus Salami, avocado dipped in lemon juice, carrots and cucumbers.

The cucumbers serve a double purpose…not only are they refreshing and nutritional, eating cucumber slices after your lunch can help refresh your breath without the need to rely on a chemically-packed piece of gum.

Once I learned this trick, cucumbers became my new best friend.

I cannot wait to share all of the amazing lunches my friends have been sending my way.

Be it school or work, I know you’ll find lots of new ideas and tasty ways to be proud of the lunches you are sending every day.

xoxo

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Healthy Lunchbox, Main Courses, Other, Paleo, Sugar Free, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: Casein Free, Corn Free, Dairy Free, Farmer's Market, Gluten Free, Healthy Lunchbox, Main Dish, Nut Free, Paleo, Side Dish, Soy Free, Sugar-Free, Whole30

Roasted Red Pepper Paleo Hummus

August 8, 2012 By SunnyB 20 Comments

I must admit that, when giving up legumes, hummus was not high on my list of things I would miss.

Don’t get me wrong…I love a good hummus. It’s just not one of those things that was on our regular shopping list. In fact, previously, I might purchase hummus once a year and I might make it once or twice a year on top of that.

So you can imagine that creating a paleo-friendly hummus was not high on my priority list…and it wasn’t. That is until Shirley shared her Brazilian Un-Cheese Rolls/Biscuits where red pepper hummus is a key ingredient.

Couple this with the opportunity to adopt Shirley in last month’s Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event, perfecting a red pepper hummus suddenly hit the top of my to-do list.

To my surprise there are a number of paleo hummus recipes available online, but I still couldn’t find one that was just-right for what I needed.

I did find though, that I prefer cauliflower based hummus recipes over nut and squash based recipes.

Isn’t cauliflower amazing? From potatoes to hummus, this vegetable makes a delicious replacement for so many less nutrient-dense foods. I love it!

My contribution to this week’s FoodNetwork Summer Fest, this recipe is so delicious that once I finalized it, I had to kick my kids out of the kitchen and force them to stop scooping vegetables through this to ensure I had enough to make Shirley’s Biscuits with!

Use this as a dip, a spread or as part of Shirley’s delicious recipe, I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

xoxo

Roasted Red Pepper Paleo Hummus

Ingredients

1 large Red Bell Pepper
1 head Cauliflower, cut into flourets
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 tsp Ground Cumin
2 tsp Smoked/Regular Paprika (I prefer smoked)
½ tsp Smoked/Regular Cayenne (I prefer smoked)
¼ tsp Salt
3 cloves Garlic
½ c Tahini
¼ c Lemon Juice

Instructions

Broil red pepper in the oven or over open flame until skin is charred and flesh is beginning to become tender, turning often to ensure even roasting. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Lower/preheat oven to 500f.
In large bowl, mix together cauliflower, olive oil, cumin, paprika, cayenne and salt.
Spread seasoned cauliflower evenly over parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
Once roasting is complete, peel skin from pepper and place this, the roasted cauliflower, garlic, tahini and lemon juice in blender or food processor. Blend/process on medium/medium-high speed and tamper as needed until ideal texture is achieved.
Remove from blender and serve as-is, with vegetables or in your favorite hummus based recipe.
Makes approximately 2 cups

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For more pepper persuasion, be sure to visit all of this week’s FoodNetwork Summer Fest bloggers.

Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Stuffed Peppers With Quinoa Grilled Vegetables and Pesto Sauce

Cooking With Elise: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

What’s Gaby Cooking: Oven-Roasted Peppers With Herbed Breadcrumbs

Feed Me Phoebe: Grilled Flank Steak With Gazpacho Sauce

Big Girls Small Kitchen: Seared Pepper Tacos With Pintos and Avocado Crema

Delicious Lean: Peppery Kung Pao

Daily*Dishin: Shrimp and Chorizo With Red Pepper Chermoula Sauce

Napa Farmhouse 1885: Spicy Roasted Red Pepper Dip With Baked Corn Tortillas

Thursday Night Dinner: Black Bean and Sweet Pepper Salad

Cooking Channel: 5 Stuffed Pepper Favorites

HGTV Gardens: Garden to Table: Peppers

Sweet Life Bake: Rajas de Poblano con Elote y Crema

Dishin & Dishes: Bacon, Onion and Green Chile “Jam”

Healthy Eats: Peppers for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

FN Dish: Meat and Peppers

Filed Under: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Other, Paleo, Recipes, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian Tagged With: Casein Free, Corn Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Food Network, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Nut Free, Paleo, Side Dish, Snack, Soy Free, Sugar-Free, Summer Fest, Vegan, Whole30

July Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger Round-Up!

August 6, 2012 By SunnyB 9 Comments

I had such a great time hosting July’s Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event and can’t thank Sea enough for giving me this opportunity! I hope her dissertation is progressing well and look forward to seeing more sweet images of her and toddler Yum before their trip is through.

Did you see the number of adoptions this month? What I enjoyed most were the number of new-to-me and long-time-favorite bloggers who participated and bloggers who were adopted. So many gluten-free sites to love!

First, my friend Shannon from Enjoying Gluten-Free Life adopted Caitlin from Roost and used this as her chance to give some of Caitlin’s recipes a try. I have to admit, these Harvest Cake Muffins look fantastic and make the idea of turning on my oven, even in this West Texas summer heat, seem worthwhile.

Delish!

Next, Dawn from Cuter than Gluten adopted Amber from The Tasty Alternative and made her Chewy Granola Bars.

Of course, now that I am sitting here in a hotel room away from home for a week of work-related training sessions, I am kicking myself for not making a batch of these to bring with me! Hop on over to Dawn’s page and take a look at the little house Dawn’s daughter made from her Granola Bars, so fun!

Then I so honored when my friend Heather, the Gluten-Free Cat chose to adopt me this month! Heather made my Strawberry Mojito Sorbet and says she loved it. I love her brilliant idea to freeze individual scoops of sorbet on a cookie sheet for future use, so smart!

After that, Alta from Tasty Eats at Home adopted France from Beyond the Peel and made this gorgeous Chipotle Corn and Zucchini Salad. With a mix of sweet, spicy and a hint of mint, this salad sounds devine!

Of course, Alta didn’t stop sharing her Beyond the Peel wishes from there…I mean, how could you with recipes like this Healthy Almond Butter Banana Fudge? Oh my!

Alta is hosting the August Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event, so be sure to check back with her for more over at Tasty Eats at Home!

After this, Heather from Rise & Shine Life adopted one of my Ingredient-Challenge Monday regulars, Tessa The Domestic Diva, and had a really difficult time choosing a recipe to share (who could blame her?!). Heather finally zeroed in on this Creamy Pumpkin Breakfast Cereal, yum!

Heather says she is a bit of a pumpkin-holic…a girl after my own heart. I’m so glad she shared Tessa’s cereal with us.

Next, Mary from Sweet Roots adopted Christina from Dandelions on the Wall where she made both these Gluten Free, Raw, Vegan Chocolate Macaroons and this Spanish Style Rice in the Rice Cooker.

Mary says these recipes were easy and delicious, and they certainly look to be! Those macaroons certainly have me swooning!

In a fun twist, when Christina heard that Mary was adopting her, Christina chose to adopt Mary from Sweet Roots in return! (Fun!) Christina made Mary’s Refreshing Garbanzo Bean Salad.

There is something about cucumber and mint that scream refreshing, and from the looks of it, this salad is no exception. I am so glad these ladies joined in with us!

Next, Paula from Live Free, Gluten Free adopted Megan from Allergy Free Alaska and made two fantastically frozen treats!

These Fudgesicles and Orange Cream Popsicles are both dairy-free and refined sugar-free and I cannot wait to give them a try! (From the looks of it, neither could Paula’s boys). Yum!

And the adoptions kept rolling in when Tessa, The Domestic Diva adopted one of my favorite cookie makers, Jenni from The Urban Poser. Tessa made Jenni’s Perfect Grain-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies and shared them with her family, her neighbors and of course, herself and says everybody loved them!

I mean, they are the perfect grain-free chocolate chip cookie…how could you not love them?

Then my friend Shirley from Gluten Free Easily joined us with her lovely adoption of Brittany from Real Sustenance. With this, Shirley gave me another oven temptation with Brittany’s Nut (or Seed) Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. I mean seriously, is there a better combination than banana and chocolate?

I.think.not.

Shirley also went on to make Brittany’s Grain-Free, Thick Crust Pizza which she says is extremely filling. I love it when our foods trigger the full feeling the way they should! All in all, Shirley seems like she had a great time with her adoption.

Finally, I was thrilled to not only host this month’s event, but to also be able to adopt a woman I consider to be my friend, mentor and inspiration for keeping it simple. As you read, Shirley from Gluten-Free Easily certainly meets that description very well for me.

My family has loved every one of Shirley’s recipes that have graced our table, this Bacon Chicken and these Brazilian Un-Cheese Rolls/Biscuits are certainly no exception. In fact, my children have already asked me to make both of these items again. They loved them that much. Seriously.

While July came and went too quickly, this event made every moment worthwhile. I am so happy you have all stopped by and paid a visit, and hope you’ll take a moment to adopt your favorite blogger with Alta later this month.

Have a wonderful Monday! xoxo

Filed Under: Gluten Free, Other Tagged With: Adopt a GF Blogger

Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger: Shirley from Gluten-Free Easily

August 3, 2012 By SunnyB 7 Comments

Have you met my friend Shirley Braden?

Shirley is the author and creative mind behind Gluten Free Easily , a website dedicated to making gluten free living, well, easy. More than that though, Shirley is a mentor, advocate, leader and recipe developer.

As a blogger in the gluten-free world, I don’t know where I would be without the support and guidance Shirley gives.

Not a month goes by where I don’t benefit from words of wisdom from this dear friend, so imagine what joy I felt when I was able to adopt Shirley for this month’s Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger event.

Of course, that is certainly one of the perks of hosting this event…first dibs on your favorite bloggers.

Having tried a number of Shirley’s recipes, I was anxious to make a recipe or two from her site that we had yet to enjoy.

The problem is one of the recipes I really, really, REALLY wanted to try had one ingredient that required me to do a bit of recipe writing on my end.

You see, these Brazilian Un-Cheese Rolls/Biscuits are made with hummus.

As you know, hummus is made with beans.

Beans are legumes.

My family and I are not currently eating legumes.

To compensate for this, I first had to perfect a paleo-safe red pepper hummus. And I did. Finally.

And you know what?

Not only was it worth developing a recipe to make these biscuits paleo-friendly…I now have a fantastic veggie dip that is out of this world.

Win-win!

The hummus recipe will be coming your way next Wednesday. I promise. But as for these crunchy on the outside soft on the inside just like gluten-filled yeast biscuits without the gluten or the yeast, the recipe can be found here.

No doubt you’ll love these as much as we do.

To make these grain-free, I simply used my homemade grain-free baking powder which is modeled after Kelly, The Spunky Coconut’s grain-free baking powder, simply replacing the potato starch with arrowroot powder. This recipe works perfectly every time.

My family loved these biscuits and look forward to making them for mini sandwiches throughout the school year!

Before I had a chance to select a second recipe from Shirley’s archive, she had to go and post this bacon chicken recipe.

I mean, what’s not to love? Caramelized onions, garlic and red pepper with chicken that has been sautéed in rich bacon drippings before being baked into one delicious dish.

Yes, please!

While we made these without the optional ingredient, I am anxious to give the Majestic Garlic Spread a try as I am certain this will make this chicken even more heavenly.

Served with a simple side of sautéed summer squash, this meal got the thumbs-up from everyone at my table.

With five kids and a picky husband, that is no small feat.

Brazilian Biscuits and Bacon Chicken.

A delicious adoption, indeed.

xoxo

Filed Under: Other Tagged With: Adopt a GF Blogger, Casein Free, Cheeze, Corn Free, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Main Dish, Nut Free, Paleo, Side Dish, Soy Free, Sugar-Free, Vegan, Whole30

Roasted Garlic, Basil and Tomato Paleo Tart

August 1, 2012 By SunnyB 20 Comments

This week on FoodNetwork Summer Fest, food and garden bloggers are joining up to share their favorite tomato recipes.

I don’t know about the other Summer Fest bloggers, but for me this was no easy task. You see, tomatoes are a staple in our home.

Quartered tomatoes are the perfect side with our morning breakfast.

Marinara sauce is one of the greatest inventions ever.

Ever.

Tomato based chili is on our menu at least once a month.

Have you ever had tuna, mayonnaise, fresh dill and tomato chunks together?

Because you should. It’s not only easy, it’s super delicious.

Then there are green tomatoes, which are a southern staple. We love to coat them in an almond flour mix and ‘fry’ them in the oven.

In fact, when we were given the challenge to bring forth our favorite tomato recipes, I was certain that is what I would share. But that would require green tomatoes and unfortunately my garden hasn’t been producing tomatoes (it’s too hot and they are rebelling), my tomato vendor hasn’t had them nor did any of the local grocery stores…

So instead, today I am pleased to share this Roasted Garlic, Basil and Tomato Paleo Tart with you.

You see, my husband and I just finished his first and my second Whole30, a clean-eating plan created by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig from Whole9Life. If you have been to my page before, you have heard me talk about this program… if not, you can learn more about it through any number of my Whole30 related posts.

Even with the drastic changes this plan called for (at least in regard to my husband’s eating habits), we have found renewed energy and a commitment to stay as close to this way of eating as possible while allowing for the occasional treat.

This recipe is made with Whole30 approved ingredients, but because it is officially a ‘paleocized’ recipe I’m not certain Dallas would approve of this for the Whole30 plan itself.

That being said, served with a side of grass fed beef meatballs, this made for a perfect day 31 meal.

My children’s only complaint?

That there wasn’t more to go around.

No worries.

Don’t let the long list of instructions frighten you, this dish is actually very simple and goes together easily.

Roasted Garlic, Basil and Tomato Paleo Tart

Ingredients

Crust

2c Blanched Almond Flour
1 Tbs Italian Seasoning or Dried Basil
½ tsp Sea Salt
2 Tbs Coconut Oil
1 Tbs Ground Flax Seed (I self-grind)
3-4 Tbs Hot Water

Filling

2 heads of Fresh Garlic, roasted (directions below)
3-4 tsp Olive Oil
1 oz fresh Basil, stems removed + some for garnish
¼ tsp Salt
¼ tsp Pepper
2 Tbs Olive Oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400f.
Peel the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Using a knife, cut ¼ to ½ inch off the top of the cloves, ensuring each individual clove of garlic is exposed.
Using a muffin tin, place each head into its own section and drizzle a couple of teaspoons of olive oil over each. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cloves are golden and feel soft when pressed. Allow to cool.
Using food processor, make the crust by mixing almond flour, Italian seasoning or dried basil, sea salt, coconut oil and ground flax seed. Slowly add hot water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture begins to form a ball.
Remove dough from processor and knead slightly, just enough to bring the mix together.
Press dough into tart pan, ensuring even coverage across the bottom of the pan and about ¼ to ½ inch on the sides.
Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly golden.
Prepare basil by washing, removing stems and drying completely. Prepare tomatoes by thinly slicing.
Once tart crust has been baked, prepare garlic by squeezing cloves out of their skin. Mash garlic with a fork and spread this evenly over the entire crust.
Layer basil leaves evenly over the roated garlic and top with layered tomoato slices.
Sprinkle salt and pepper lightly over the entire tart and drizzle with remaining olive oil to ensure even coverage.
Bake the tart for 30-35 minutes or until tomatoes are tender and tart crust is a deeper golden hue.
Top with fresh basil, slice and serve.
Makes 8 servings.

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I hope you enjoy this dish as much as we have and look forward to seeing the other tantalizing tomato treats this week from all of the Summer Fest bloggers!

Cooking With Elise: Fresh Tomato Sauce
Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Tomato Gazpacho Salsa
Napa Farmhouse 1885: Tomato Cobbler Anyone?
Virtually Homemade: Spaghetti With Tomatoes, Prosciutto and Fresh Corn
What’s Gaby Cooking: Chicken Kebabs With Romesco Sauce
Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Salmon Spaghetti With Plum Tomatoes and Avocado
Feed Me Phoebe: Roasted Fresh Tomato Puttanesca Sauce
Chez Us: Easy Tomato Tart
Made By Michelle: Tomato and Pesto Pizza
Ingredients, Inc.: Lighter Fried Green Tomatoes
Delicious Lean: Creamy Light Tuna Salad Stuffed Tomatoes
Daily*Dishin: Spicy Tomato-Tomatillo Chicken Tenders
From My Corner of Saratoga: Tomato Jam
Dishin & Dishes: Tomato Zucchini Frittata
Healthy Eats: The Fresh-for-Once Tomato
Sweet Life Bake: Pico de Gallo
Zaika Zabardast: Grilled Tofu and Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Sandwich
Thursday Night Dinner: Tomato and Watermelon Salad
Cooking Channel: How to Prepare Summer Tomatoes
FN Dish: Tomatoes Go Beyond Salads