Healthy eating truly relies on planning. Rarely can you just throw together items on a moment's notice and have a healthy meal. I believe the effort it takes to eat right is a deterrent to many Americans. We like to just "wing-it," which doesn't work well when you are talking about dietary health. You need to have produce, and the right produce, on hand. There isn't a way (that isn't wasteful ) that I've found enabling me to have the right produce available without planning. There's just no way around it. Plan your meals and you will eat, and feel, better.
I usually plan for 3-4 meals at a time and make my grocery list accordingly. I always go back to the grocery store mid-week for more produce. Believe me, I hate the grocery store, but it's unavoidable. To shop only once a week, puts a lot of produce in your fridge, and unfortunately, it won't last. By the end of the week, you won't have any viable veggies, and you'll be irritated at the money you have thrown out. Europeans shop nearly every day. They take their own bags, carry them in their bicycle baskets and get fresh food throughout the week. Take a look at European health vs our health. Perhaps they are on to something! I'm looking forward to the summer when I can take the boys and walk to the local grocery store for those smaller, mid-week trips. For now, we're stuck driving.
So, today was a shopping day for me. Today we will be eating split pea soup and vegan black bean brownies! Yum! Andrew and I stocked up on goods this morning, and then spent the rest of the morning in the kitchen. The results were delicious!
Now, as you all know, I don't claim to be a chef. I can follow a recipe, that's about it. So I cannot take credit for either of these recipes. The pea soup recipe is actually found on the back of the dried split peas at Giant Eagle, but if you don't have a Giant Eagle, then here is the recipe for you. The brownie recipe was given to me by a coworker and fellow health food lover. I have to credit Amanda for finding the recipe and for turning me on to a great website: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/. They have tons of great recipes. In fact, I'm planning a vegetarian stuffed mushroom dinner one night this week. I'll let you all know how it goes!
For now, here are my recipes from today:
Split Pea Soup:
2 cups dry split peas
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 cup chopped celery (I use 5 stalks, it's usually just a bit more than needed)
1/4 cup chopped onion (I use half of an onion, also a little more than called for)
1/2 cup diced carrots (I use 4)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste (I use white pepper)
Bring peas and broth to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes and remove from heat. Let stand for 1 hour. Add vegetables and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until peas are soft. (I only simmer it for about an hour. The veggies get mushy when you cook it the whole time, and I prefer them not mushy). Add salt and pepper to taste.
This is your finished product:
Now, on to dessert! I finally was able to use the nifty food processor that my parents got us for Christmas. I was excited about that in and of itself! (Sometimes it doesn't take much to amuse me!)
Black Bean Brownies
15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 whole bananas
1/3 cup agave nectar (I used apple juice concentrate, because Agave nectar spikes blood sugar the same way high fructose corn syrup does. I love it, but I'm trying to avoid it now)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup instant oats (you may want to use 1/2 cup of oats. My brownies were a little fudgy, for my taste)
Combine all the ingredients in either a food processor or a blender:
Pour into 8x8 greased pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (it took mine about 45 minutes).
The finished product. These brownies were good, but if you are expecting them to taste like Duncan Hines, you will be disappointed. They are a good substitute, but they definitely taste like a healthy alternative. I would make them again, though. I might add a touch more sugar and I will definitely add more oats next time. But I love that the sugar content is relatively low, and the carb content is derived mostly from fruit and beans, so much healthier than flour!
I usually plan for 3-4 meals at a time and make my grocery list accordingly. I always go back to the grocery store mid-week for more produce. Believe me, I hate the grocery store, but it's unavoidable. To shop only once a week, puts a lot of produce in your fridge, and unfortunately, it won't last. By the end of the week, you won't have any viable veggies, and you'll be irritated at the money you have thrown out. Europeans shop nearly every day. They take their own bags, carry them in their bicycle baskets and get fresh food throughout the week. Take a look at European health vs our health. Perhaps they are on to something! I'm looking forward to the summer when I can take the boys and walk to the local grocery store for those smaller, mid-week trips. For now, we're stuck driving.
So, today was a shopping day for me. Today we will be eating split pea soup and vegan black bean brownies! Yum! Andrew and I stocked up on goods this morning, and then spent the rest of the morning in the kitchen. The results were delicious!
Now, as you all know, I don't claim to be a chef. I can follow a recipe, that's about it. So I cannot take credit for either of these recipes. The pea soup recipe is actually found on the back of the dried split peas at Giant Eagle, but if you don't have a Giant Eagle, then here is the recipe for you. The brownie recipe was given to me by a coworker and fellow health food lover. I have to credit Amanda for finding the recipe and for turning me on to a great website: http://www.nomeatathlete.com/. They have tons of great recipes. In fact, I'm planning a vegetarian stuffed mushroom dinner one night this week. I'll let you all know how it goes!
For now, here are my recipes from today:
Split Pea Soup:
2 cups dry split peas
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 cup chopped celery (I use 5 stalks, it's usually just a bit more than needed)
1/4 cup chopped onion (I use half of an onion, also a little more than called for)
1/2 cup diced carrots (I use 4)
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste (I use white pepper)
Bring peas and broth to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes and remove from heat. Let stand for 1 hour. Add vegetables and spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until peas are soft. (I only simmer it for about an hour. The veggies get mushy when you cook it the whole time, and I prefer them not mushy). Add salt and pepper to taste.
This is your finished product:
Now, on to dessert! I finally was able to use the nifty food processor that my parents got us for Christmas. I was excited about that in and of itself! (Sometimes it doesn't take much to amuse me!)
Black Bean Brownies15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2 whole bananas
1/3 cup agave nectar (I used apple juice concentrate, because Agave nectar spikes blood sugar the same way high fructose corn syrup does. I love it, but I'm trying to avoid it now)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup instant oats (you may want to use 1/2 cup of oats. My brownies were a little fudgy, for my taste)
Combine all the ingredients in either a food processor or a blender:
Pour into 8x8 greased pan. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean (it took mine about 45 minutes).
The finished product. These brownies were good, but if you are expecting them to taste like Duncan Hines, you will be disappointed. They are a good substitute, but they definitely taste like a healthy alternative. I would make them again, though. I might add a touch more sugar and I will definitely add more oats next time. But I love that the sugar content is relatively low, and the carb content is derived mostly from fruit and beans, so much healthier than flour!Let me know what you think ~ or if you have any other dessert substitution recipes. I'd love to have them! In the meantime, Bon Appetit!
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