Sunday Sundae- Healthy Style

I'm going to tell you about it someday!

One day when I am sure that I can speak about it
with some level of confidence and humility-
right now it is still pretty personal,
But I joined An Addiction Recovery Program.

One reason I don't want to talk about it
YET...
Is that my Addiction is a widely debated topic
in the diet, nutrition and addiction fields

Some say "ABSOLUTELY" and others
laugh and scorn and say things like
"You don't know what you're talking about"

So I've kept it relatively to myself-
I've teased with my friends for a long time that
I was going to do it,
and Finally, I decided it wasn't a joke
(at least, it wasn't to me)
and I joined a program sponsored by my church-
You can learn more here if you are interested

My addiction is to Sugar-
To me it is a real, powerful and to easy to ignore problem-

But like I said,
more on that later!!

I have found that there are a few things I can
do to enjoy Dessert Time with my family on
Sunday evenings.
This is one of my Favorite-

The Waffle Bowls are Homemade

My Hubby is the Master at Waffle Bowl Making

and are made with alternative ingredients for me
but honestly, I don't often eat mine anyway
(I've just learned I'd rather not eat,
than deal with all the substitutions sometimes)

I add some delicious Fruit-
a hearty and healthy serving thank you very much!

I add lime juice and lemon & lime rind 20 minutes before I serve it

I top my "Sundae" with Plain Greek Yogurt
flavored with Cranberry Balsamic Vinegar
or Vanilla Bean Paste and Lemon Extract

What's Not Fabulous About This?

The last time we had ice cream Sundaes,
three of my five kids at home
opted for my version and said no
to the ice cream :)
Oh happy DAY

Little Miss Sunshine Salad

It doesn't seem like
anything special at first glance.
With just a few ingredients it
just seems to good to be true.
But I can promise you this salad
will make you smile :)

Seriously, my mouth is watering just thinking of this salad!!

Even Dear ole' Hubby liked it
and he is usually not too fond
of vinaigrette dressings.

Let's just cut to the chase here shall we??
This salad starts with some pretty
simple basics:

A mixture of baby spring greens and baby spinach
Fresh Raspberries
Craisins
Bleu Cheese or Feta (depends on what you like)

Than you add some delicious Glazed Cashews,
* we make these by melting butter in a heavy pan,
adding cashews and tossing them until lightly
roasted. We then add agave nectar and continue tossing
until they are nice and glazed over. We have used
various flavors of agave and have never been
disappointed with the flavor of the nuts. 

Drizzle lightly with this Vinaigrette
Grapeseed Oil
Pomegranate Balsamic Vinegar
Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar
Lemon Extract
Sea Salt
Coconut Sugar

Go Ahead- admit it
You like it LOTS!!

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

I found this pancake recipe many years ago
in a fitness magazine. It is originally
from a spa in Utah that focuses on
health and wellness.

I forget about this recipe ALL the
time and I don't know why.

My family LOVES these pancakes,and they are a wonderful way to
start the day.

The fresh fruit cooks right into
the batter, which gives them a
fun little extra oomph.

Because the fruit adds so much
extra flavor,

we use very little syrup on them-

less sugar to start the day-
Can't help lovin' that!

And of course,
for the picky face eaters in the house,
I make some without the berries-

I just can't believe they are soo picky!!
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes w/ Fruit

3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
3 TBSP. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 t. baking soda
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 TBSP. maple syrup
1 egg
1 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. milk
1 c. berries ***
2 1/2 TBSP. canola oil

***I stewed a mixture of blackberries,
raspberries and blueberries. I added
the zest & juice of 1/2 orange.
 
In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients.
In a medium bowl, combine remaining
ingredients except for oil and berries; mix well.
Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until smooth.

Lightly coat griddle with canola oil (don't skip this
& don't use spray)

Ladle approximately 3 T. batter on griddle
& sprinkle with 1 T. berries. Cover berries
with additional 1 T. batter and cook until
bubbles form. Flip and cook until other
side is golden brown.

Puff Oven in a Bowl

I shared a list of our all time
favorite breakfasts
here, when I talked about finally
having the opportunity to
eat breakfast each morning
as a whole family.

Well, I have discovered a new twist
on this time honored classic
Puff Oven Pancakes-

I'm not going to lie or pretend that
they are healthy in any way-
but one thing we all agreed on
was that having them this way
forced a more moderated approach
to one of our favorite breakfasts.

These are quick & tasty,
and made this way, most of the kids
used the berries rather than the
syrup and powdered sugar we usually
SLATHER on!!
So though they aren't a pure definition
of healthy,
they are a "Healthier" way to eat a
Peterson morning Favorite.

I used the regular recipe
and filled well greased muffin tins
about 1/2 full with the egg mixture
and baked them for 12 minutes at 375.
For Miss Lactose Intolerant,
I make a separate batch using
almond milk.

While they baked,
I stewed blackberries, raspberries and
blueberries very slightly. I added the zest
and the juice of 1 orange and the smallest
amount of cinnamon (I do NOT care
for the taste of cinnamon, you should
add to your liking)


These puff big in the oven, and than
fall perfectly to form a little bowl
once they are out of the oven. Don't
expect ones made with a milk
substitute to puff as much, but they
still taste great.

We added the berries, and sprinkled a
tad of powdered sugar on top-
and voila! Yummy, Yummy Breakfast.

Heart Happy Breakfast Yogurt

I went to a Girls Night Out with my church
awhile back and the hostess was asked to share
a healthy eating tip.
Famous for her unbelievable skills & knowledge
in health & nutrition, she is also an amazing
cook with at least one cookbook to her name!

I have incorporated this into our lives ever since
she shared it with us and decided that today
it is time to share it with you!

As a substitute for the more expensive
Greek Style Yogurts available on the market,
she suggested this method of removing the
extra fluids in regular yogurt.

Start with your favorite Plain Yogurt
(yogurt is good for you in this form-
when you start buying the flavored yogurts
you end up with fillers and artificial colors
and flavors- AVOID!!!)

Line a mesh strainer with coffee filters,
and place the yogurt in the strainer.

Place the strainer over a bowl that is
just large than the strainer

Cover the strainer with a dish cloth
and place in fridge over night.

In the morning,
remove the yogurt into a serving bowl,
discard the extra fluids (you will be amazed
at how much is there)
and stir in a little vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)
and some lemon or orange zest.

Add fresh berries and nuts if you like,

and enjoy a delicious start to your perfect day!

Breakfast this morning was focused
on my desire to supply the fam
with protein, fiber and fruit
to start their busy days off with
the energy they would need to
go about their various activities.

I am desperately waging the war
against teenagers who think nothing
of skipping breakfast and lunch
and then devouring all their daily calories
+ some...
in the hours between school and bed!
It's just NOT HEALTHY I tell ya!!

What I have discovered is that as long
as I have it all out and ready,

I can get ALL of my kids
and my hubby,
down to the kitchen to eat together.

We sandwiched scrambled eggs
& turkey bacon topped with
a small amount of cheese
between two Whole Wheat English Muffins.

I served it with strawberries and a delicious
homemade juice smoothie!

 I used my juicer to juice some green apples
and 1/2 of a HUGE pineapple.
I dumped that in my blender with a frozen
blend of strawberries, papaya and mango.
I didn't blend it smooth,
so there was some chunkiness to the smoothie,
and because I added the frozen fruit to
the fresh fruit juice,
it was thick like a smoothie-
but had nothing but fruit goodness
to go down to our belly's.

It was a delicious way
to start our day.

Heat to Your Sweet- Mango Salsa

I'm going to be straight forward on this one-
maybe if you know how I felt about it first,
you won't be so hesitant to try it for yourself,

If I saw Mango Salsa on a menu,
I would have avoided the dish it was with!
The first time I was served it at a friends house,
I politely declined dishing it up!
And I NEVER would have looked for a recipe
for Mango Salsa-
it just wasn't on my radar-
I think fruits are sweet,
and I didn't need no Heat to my Sweet!!

And than I got trickered-
and I partook of that sweet fruit,
mixed in with some serious spice-
and I found myself a little bit hooked!

So yesterday,
as I was peeling mangoes,
and thinking they were absolutely perfect-
and I saw the kiwi in the fruit bowl,
and the blackberries on the counter-
I knew I had to get me a mango salsa FIX!
"Hey Kids, who wants mango salsa and pita chips
for afterschool snack today?"
I can ALWAYS convince myself,
that my needs really meet the needs of others-
it's the mother in me!

Ooh La LA,
That's all I have left to say,
okay except for
Isn't it beautiful?

Mango Salsa

4 mangoes, peeled and cut in dices
10 blackberries, cut in half if they are big
2 kiwi, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 red onion
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
jalapeno, large minced
1 TBSP. crystallized ginger
small pinch of sea salt (I actually skip this, but I'm not a salt lover)
(My recipe calls for fresh pineapple too, but I left it out this time,
and I really liked it without)

after the blackberries had time to spread their love of color