Category Archives: healthy recipes

Dec 17 2023

Week 18 – Done

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And that’s a wrap – Semester One has come and gone. We have learned so much through it all. The biggest change from last year was that we dropped violin lessons and orchestra. The kids did not feel they wanted to practice anymore than they usually did. Therefore, we did not see much progress. Why bother? Besides, orchestra would have put us back home at 10pm every Monday – not exactly ideal.

Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls I make from scratch – the bread machine makes the dough, so I don’t have to work that hard.

One other big change: both children take Saxon math and we love it. We have even discovered that we can work through two lessons per day. This helps with making up for co-op days or hiking days. Continue reading »

Dec 18 2017

Santa Hat Edible Craft

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‘Tis the season to bake goodies and make special Christmas crafts. Why not combine the two and eat your creation once you are finished? Enter the edible Santa hat craft.

Santa Hats - edible craft

Santa Hats – edible craft

What you need: your favorite chocolate (or carob) muffin recipe, whipped cream (or your healthy, vegan version of it) and strawberries (cut off the end with the leaves). If you are looking for a good muffin recipe, I added mine below, gluten free and vegan.  Continue reading »

Nov 19 2017

How to Cook Acorn Squash

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In case you did not know this, I did not grow up in the United States. Where I grew up, we did not have acorn squash. We had pumpkins and gourds, to be sure, but nothing like the varieties I see around me here in Tennessee.

Baked acorn squash halves

Acorn squash baked by my own two hands

For the longest time, I thought one could not eat acorn squash. Somebody even told me they were only for decoration and I took their word for it. Boy, was I mistaken. Continue reading »

Nov 10 2017

Gluten Free Apple Crisp

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September and October are apple months where we live. That’s when we can applesauce and make apple crisp almost every day. November can be apple crisp month too. Why not?

Gluten free apple crisp to warm you on a cool fall morning

If you ask me, any month is apple crisp month. I love, love, love apple crisp and any kind of fruit crisp, really. And since becoming gluten free, I have changed my baking recipes and the result is just as tasty if not even better.

Gluten free apple crisp with vegan cream

Option: serve it with vegan cream

This recipe I will share with you is inspired by the Minimalist Baker apple crisp, but I had to modify it because I like a different apple-to-topping ratio than what their recipe was. Also, I like a healthier take on it, so I put less sugar in mine. Continue reading »

Oct 27 2017

Gluten Free, Vegan Enchiladas

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Over the summer months, I found out what has been causing my abdominal pain for the past 24 years: gluten. As a result, I am now adapting all my recipes to be gluten free. Most of them are easy to switch. There are so many gluten free substitutes out there.

However, there is a learning curve. I have never been afraid of a little learning, so it’s all good. So far, I have been pleasantly surprised to hear from my husband and children that they like gluten free pancakes better than regular ones. The same goes for store-bought gluten free cookies and a gluten free zucchini cake I made a couple of weeks ago.

Here’s how I have adapted my enchilada recipe to be gluten free and vegan. By the way, if you do not like vegan cheese, you can always use the genuine article.

Gluten free, vegan enchiladas

Gluten free, vegan enchiladas

 

Ingredients

One pack of Bfree tortilla wraps (or use whatever brand you like)

1 1/2 c Bob’s Mill TVP

1 jar of your favorite Marinara sauce Continue reading »

May 24 2017

Green and Pink Smoothies

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Lately, I have had a lot of fun making smoothies for us. That blender gets washed every day, I tell you. That’s because it gets used every day. It is such an easy thing to do and yet it took me a bit to get on the bandwagon of this food trend. You don’t need a cookbook either.

Raspberry and cocoa parfait

Raspberry and cocoa parfait (or smoothie)

A couple of years ago, I read a cookbook about kale. All the recipes included kale in some form. It overwhelmed me. I tried a few kale smoothies and other kale recipes, but I did not get inspired.

Well, something happened this year. Not sure what exactly, but one morning I just felt the courage to get the blender out and here’s what I put in it: 1 cup of rice milk, a cup of spinach, and one banana. Continue reading »

Nov 24 2016

Happy Thanksgiving 2016!

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This year, we stayed home and played host and hostess to a small group made up of family and friends. There were ten of us around the table, including the four of us. Viewed differently, there were six adults and four children.

Thanksgiving plate

Thanksgiving yummy food

I made Quorn vegetarian turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green beans, fresh salad with greens, tomatoes and petite sweet peppers, cashew gravy, five-minute cranberry relish, corn and dinner rolls (bought frozen). For dessert, I made pumpkin pie, white cake with cream cheese frosting and crustless cranberry pecan pie. We drank apple cider.

Continue reading »

Nov 21 2016

Dutch Oven Bread

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Mothers work too hard. We do. It’s no wonder we must find shortcuts in the kitchen. Recently, I found a shortcut for making my own bread and thought I would share it with you. You may know about this already. But just in case you don’t, here it is: dutch oven bread. No kneading, no kidding.

dutch oven bread

Dutch oven bread, no kneading – so easy, a five-year-old could do it

If you think you don’t have energy to make your own bread, think again. This bread is so easy, you could have your five-year-old make it. I followed the New York Times no-knead bread recipe and changed it a bit. Feel free to adapt it to your own likes and dislikes.  Continue reading »

Sep 16 2016

Strawberry Shortcake

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As a breakfast food or as a dessert, strawberry shortcake does not disappoint. I like mine in the morning, for breakfast, with the sauce over it and topped with banana slices. The picture does not do it justice, but then I have already told you this is not a food blog, right? Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Strawberry shortcake

Strawberry shortcake

 

Ingredients

1/3 c oil

3/4 c non-dairy milk

2 Tbsp. Sugar-in-the-Raw

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c flour

1 tsp. salt

3 tsp. aluminium-free baking powder

1 lb. strawberries, fresh or frozen

2 Tbsp. cornstarch Continue reading »

Sep 10 2016

Scrambled Tofu

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If you like scrambled eggs but your cholesterol is over 200 overall, you might want to learn how to fix scrambled tofu. You get 0 cholesterol and all the benefits of lean protein. The taste, while not close to eggs, is savory and delicious. You can put it on toast and serve it with tomato slices or, even better, on a bagel, with your favorite orange juice or warm morning drink. I like Kaffree Roma prepared with rice milk. If you add a teaspoon of honey, it tastes better than hot chocolate.

Scrambled tofu and toast

Scrambled tofu and toast

As you know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A hot breakfast based on lean protein helps your homeschooling day go much better than a high-sugar cold cereal one.  Continue reading »