With two rambuncious pre-grade school boys on my hands, I never seem to have the time to bake. But a combination of guilt and necessity dominate my thought process at some point, usually by the end of each week. As a stay-at-home mom of two, aren't I obligated to "bake cookies?" Isn't it the requite activity of moms and young children? Further, I am continually faced with the challenge of feeding my vegetarian boys healthy snacks with nutritional value but without heaploads of cane sugar found in store-bought products. In addition, these treats have got to be vegan -- made without eggs, butter or milk -- since my younger one breaks out in hives after eating a crumb-sized bite of anything with dairy in it.
Below is the latest conconction to come out of my latest spontaneous Friday afternoon baking session. Without wanting to over tout my mommy baking skills, I must say that these mini muffins might just be the best-tasting healthy kiddie treat invention of mine yet! (Feel free to replace types of flour used here with whatever you have in your pantry - whole wheat flour, oat flour and soy flour are also nutritious options).
3/4 cup white flour, organic
1 1/4 cup spelt flour, organic
1/2 corn meal, organic
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup apple juice, organic
1 large or 2 small extra ripe bananas, organic (mashed)
1/4 unsweetened apple sauce, organic
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbs white vinegar
1 cup grain sweetened chocolate or carob chips
Mix wet into dry, then add chocolate chips. Bake in mini muffin pan for 15 minutes. (Makes 24 mini muffins.) Let cool then munch away. So moistalicious that you and your kiddie (s) had better eat your fill then hide them from yourself and/or share them with neightbors before they dissapear completely in one sitting!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Creamy Ground Beefless Tomato Sauce With Pureed Spinach (Your Baby Will Love It!)
I'm being presented with the quagimire of many new mothers: my one and a half year old is a picky eater; he will gobble something up one day, then toss it on the floor while laughing mockingly the next.
And my food challenges are more difficult than average since I am raising my boys on a vegetarian diet, not to mention the fact that said baby is allergic to all dairy, which means that he is essentially vegan. I recently stopped breast feeding him, so I am more concerned that ever that he is getting the nutrients he needs on a daily basis.
To add to my food feeding ails, Mr. Baby will not eat vegetables; this poses a yet even more difficulty for a vegan child. A mother recently recommended that I added pureed spinich to tomato sauce. I know about the pureed thing, yet, for whatever reason, had not tried this combo yet. So I went to work ASAP creating a pasta sauce that's as easy as possible to make, since I usually find myself rushing through the cooking process. I came up with this hearty, high protein topping for the pasta of your choosing that both baby and carnivorous daddy ate to the last bite.
16 ounces organic tomato sauce, home-made or store bought
1 container (8 ounces) ground seitan (wheat gluten) or 1/2 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP), soaked in water
1/2 cup soy milk
2 cups spinach, washed or prewashed, blanched then pureed with 1/4 cup water
3 gloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup grated cow's milk cheese, soy cheese, or vegan cheese (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook at medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Pile a top the pasta of your choice and eat till you're stuffed!
And my food challenges are more difficult than average since I am raising my boys on a vegetarian diet, not to mention the fact that said baby is allergic to all dairy, which means that he is essentially vegan. I recently stopped breast feeding him, so I am more concerned that ever that he is getting the nutrients he needs on a daily basis.
To add to my food feeding ails, Mr. Baby will not eat vegetables; this poses a yet even more difficulty for a vegan child. A mother recently recommended that I added pureed spinich to tomato sauce. I know about the pureed thing, yet, for whatever reason, had not tried this combo yet. So I went to work ASAP creating a pasta sauce that's as easy as possible to make, since I usually find myself rushing through the cooking process. I came up with this hearty, high protein topping for the pasta of your choosing that both baby and carnivorous daddy ate to the last bite.
16 ounces organic tomato sauce, home-made or store bought
1 container (8 ounces) ground seitan (wheat gluten) or 1/2 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP), soaked in water
1/2 cup soy milk
2 cups spinach, washed or prewashed, blanched then pureed with 1/4 cup water
3 gloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup grated cow's milk cheese, soy cheese, or vegan cheese (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cook at medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Pile a top the pasta of your choice and eat till you're stuffed!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Grain-Free Apple Crisp Minus the Sugar, Plus More Apples!
I recently posted about this fabulous-sounding recipe for Grain-Free Apple Crisp from a fellow mommy blogger that's passover-friendly. I must say that the yum factor was sky high: the in laws and crew gobbled it up, while dissing mom-in-law's store bought Kosher for Passover egg-based cake/bread concoction, which apparently led to choking and spitting due to its unbearable dryness. the pan of my yumminess was craped clean.
However. I would make several changes if made again. Add twice as many apples! The coconut/almond topping is quite rich, and a heavier load of baked apples beneath would have made it a heartier desert. Also, skip the cane sugar! Not necessary at all. Other, unprocessed options would surely taste just as good, include lower glycemic index brown rice syrup and antioxidant-based honey. I threw in half cane sugar and half agave, which I recently read is high in frutose and therefore not quite as healthy as thought.
However. I would make several changes if made again. Add twice as many apples! The coconut/almond topping is quite rich, and a heavier load of baked apples beneath would have made it a heartier desert. Also, skip the cane sugar! Not necessary at all. Other, unprocessed options would surely taste just as good, include lower glycemic index brown rice syrup and antioxidant-based honey. I threw in half cane sugar and half agave, which I recently read is high in frutose and therefore not quite as healthy as thought.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Pass over the eggs 'n milk on passover
It's time for passover. As a family of heathens, we rarely celebrate. But as new owners of a car (see previous posting about the Leer of Green-ils) there really is no excuse to dissent: we can easily hop in the set of hybrid wheels and head to the in laws, who are doing all the work for the first night's feast. That said, the boys and I won't be eating the classic dishes made with poultry, eggs and dairy. We'll likely gorge on veggie burgers, then try this recipe for a vegan, grain-free desert from fellow tribe member, upper wst side mommy blogger Upper West Side Mom.
her recipe for Grain-Free Apple Crisp sounds delish and looks like a quick recipe. I'll let you know how it turns out!
her recipe for Grain-Free Apple Crisp sounds delish and looks like a quick recipe. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Skip the butter n' sugar banana chocolate chip muffins
It's easy as cake (and tastes as good too) to whip together this banana chocolate chip muffin recipe fit for a king - or at least, healthy enough to keep him fit since there's not a pinch of butter, sugar or eggs in them!
It goes without saying that they're great for the kids and daddy too. Butter and eggs contain saturated fat, while refined white (cane) sugar supresses the immune system, not to mention having a high glycemic index, which causes the kidney to over produce insulin, which can lead to diabetes and weight gain.
And the replacements for these ingredients have a thing or two going for them as well: canola oil is a fabulous healthy fat and one of the few food sources rich, specifically, in omega 3 fat. Then there's honey, which contains a spate of antioxidants and other healing properties. Here's the recipe, so get going!
Buy organic ingredients when you can:
1 1/2 cup white flour
1 cup spelt flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 baking powder
4 extra ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbp white vinegar
1 cup chocolate or carob chips, grain sweetened
Mix wet into dry, divide into 12-cup muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Eat in large bites!
It goes without saying that they're great for the kids and daddy too. Butter and eggs contain saturated fat, while refined white (cane) sugar supresses the immune system, not to mention having a high glycemic index, which causes the kidney to over produce insulin, which can lead to diabetes and weight gain.
And the replacements for these ingredients have a thing or two going for them as well: canola oil is a fabulous healthy fat and one of the few food sources rich, specifically, in omega 3 fat. Then there's honey, which contains a spate of antioxidants and other healing properties. Here's the recipe, so get going!
Buy organic ingredients when you can:
1 1/2 cup white flour
1 cup spelt flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 baking powder
4 extra ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbp white vinegar
1 cup chocolate or carob chips, grain sweetened
Mix wet into dry, divide into 12-cup muffin tin and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Eat in large bites!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Butter Me Up: Soy and Sunflower Seeds as Alternatives to Peanuts
A classic sandwich that my four-year-old boy N happens to be obsessed with these days is PB&J. He would eat two slabs of bread with nut butter and a smear of jelly for breakfast, lunch and dinner if I let him. And why not? I've considered the nutritional value and determined that PB&J is not so bad, especially if you make sure the PB is organic (peanuts are sprayed with chemicals too), or taken out altogether (replaced by a non-peanut based nut butter), and you look for J that has no added cane sugar.
Now, why change things up, why mess with success and eat nut butters that are not made of peanuts? Aside from the allergy issue, peanuts may contain aflatoxins, according to Dr. Thauna Abrin, my sister, a naturopathic docor and contributing author to my book. Eating aflatoxins, which are caused by fungal growth, can cause a number of health conditions and diseases, according to the FDA. In addition, peanuts also contain mold, and are so not good with people with candida/yeast in their body, according to Dr. Thauna. People who have been on antibiotics, birth control pills, consume high sugar levels or have low immune systems are predisposed to developing high candida levels in their bodies, and should therefore avoid eating peanuts.
In today's day and age, the gamut of alternatives to peanut butter can be found at your local healthfood store. IM Healthy's soy nut butter is an all-time favorite of mine, and the perfect replacement for PB since N's preschool is nut-free. Soy nut butter contains a solid 7 grams of protein in one serving (2 tbsp), not to mention notable amounts of fiber, calcium, potasium and phosphorus.
A die-hard soy nut butter fan for a decade, I recently thought that it would be good for N to mix it up a bit - literally - by trying another type of nut butter that isn't soy-based (soy is argued to be potentially harmful to boys/men becuase it contains a receptor that acts like estrogen in the body), and one that may offer some different or additional nutrients. So I decided to give him sunflower seed butter, a fluffy, if not milky tasting nut butter. While it contains slightly less protein (6 grams a serving), it has more fiber (4 grams a serving) and vitamin and mineral contentm with notable amounts of vitamin B 6and folate, plus magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper and manganese.
By comparision, peanut butter contains 8 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and notable amounts of vitamin E, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese.
Of course, all nuts are packed with omega 6 fatty acids, whereas soy contains higher levels of omega 3 fat - providing a nice balance for the omega 6 fat, which can inhibit absorption of omega 3 if eaten in larger quantities than the daily recommended amount.
Now, why change things up, why mess with success and eat nut butters that are not made of peanuts? Aside from the allergy issue, peanuts may contain aflatoxins, according to Dr. Thauna Abrin, my sister, a naturopathic docor and contributing author to my book. Eating aflatoxins, which are caused by fungal growth, can cause a number of health conditions and diseases, according to the FDA. In addition, peanuts also contain mold, and are so not good with people with candida/yeast in their body, according to Dr. Thauna. People who have been on antibiotics, birth control pills, consume high sugar levels or have low immune systems are predisposed to developing high candida levels in their bodies, and should therefore avoid eating peanuts.
In today's day and age, the gamut of alternatives to peanut butter can be found at your local healthfood store. IM Healthy's soy nut butter is an all-time favorite of mine, and the perfect replacement for PB since N's preschool is nut-free. Soy nut butter contains a solid 7 grams of protein in one serving (2 tbsp), not to mention notable amounts of fiber, calcium, potasium and phosphorus.
A die-hard soy nut butter fan for a decade, I recently thought that it would be good for N to mix it up a bit - literally - by trying another type of nut butter that isn't soy-based (soy is argued to be potentially harmful to boys/men becuase it contains a receptor that acts like estrogen in the body), and one that may offer some different or additional nutrients. So I decided to give him sunflower seed butter, a fluffy, if not milky tasting nut butter. While it contains slightly less protein (6 grams a serving), it has more fiber (4 grams a serving) and vitamin and mineral contentm with notable amounts of vitamin B 6and folate, plus magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper and manganese.
By comparision, peanut butter contains 8 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and notable amounts of vitamin E, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus and manganese.
Of course, all nuts are packed with omega 6 fatty acids, whereas soy contains higher levels of omega 3 fat - providing a nice balance for the omega 6 fat, which can inhibit absorption of omega 3 if eaten in larger quantities than the daily recommended amount.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
High protein pasta for hungry boys
Despite the fact that I am living proof that raising a child as a vegetarian is safe and healthy (I've been a veggie all my life), I continue to get dubious glances and skeptical stares when mentioning that I don't give my two boys any meat to eat. Surely they've missed the memo on high protein pasta.
My four-and-a-half year old can eat 3 bowls of pasta at a time, and I unfailingly give him high protein pasta as an unbeatable alternative to popular brands of pasta made of refined wheat flour. Eden Organics kamut pasta is a favorite; kamut is a hearty, nutty grain with seriously high in nutritional content - 9 grains of protein, 5 grams of fiber, plus magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium and plenty of B vitamins per serving. Another top choice is BarillaPlus pasta. The Plus line of this otherwise mainstream brand is packed with a multitude of protein sources, including flaxseed, spelt, oats, barley, lentils and egg whites. Each serving contains 10 grams of protein, 4 of fiber, plus lots of folic acid, iron, and B vitamins.
My boys are growing like sprouts, and being supported to do so by a high protein, animal-free diet. And high protein pasta is a quick n' easy solution to giving them their needed daily intake of protein.
My four-and-a-half year old can eat 3 bowls of pasta at a time, and I unfailingly give him high protein pasta as an unbeatable alternative to popular brands of pasta made of refined wheat flour. Eden Organics kamut pasta is a favorite; kamut is a hearty, nutty grain with seriously high in nutritional content - 9 grains of protein, 5 grams of fiber, plus magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium and plenty of B vitamins per serving. Another top choice is BarillaPlus pasta. The Plus line of this otherwise mainstream brand is packed with a multitude of protein sources, including flaxseed, spelt, oats, barley, lentils and egg whites. Each serving contains 10 grams of protein, 4 of fiber, plus lots of folic acid, iron, and B vitamins.
My boys are growing like sprouts, and being supported to do so by a high protein, animal-free diet. And high protein pasta is a quick n' easy solution to giving them their needed daily intake of protein.
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