Cinnamon Rolls

Yesterday was such a beautiful spring day! The weather was perfect for an outside bbq and a relief society board meeting. I spent part of my morning before church making cinnamon rolls. These may be the best ones I have ever made and might be comparable to moms. Here is a post of hers! I love cinnamon rolls and so did everyone at the meeting! I just wish more people came to learn about their callings... After our meetings and ward prayer, Ashlee and I came home and played the awesome game Trek to Zion. Yesterday was a beautiful and awesomely fun day!

Today I have a lot on my plate. First of all I am making zucchini bread, stir-fry and attempting homemade whole wheat bagels. Then I am turning in my thesis yet again to my chair for further critiquing and then I hope to work on the yard, and take the puppy out for a walk (we already biked this morning because it is sooooo beautiful!) Hopefully tomorrow I will have some new recipe posts for you! Until then toodles! (for anyone that watches mickey mouse play house)

A Protein Packed Snack

Quinoa is such a great food for flexitarians because it not only contains a high percentage of protein in a serving (18% to be exact) but, it also contains a balanced set of amino acids making it a complete protein. Winner Winner Quinoa Dinner :) I have only had quinoa in dishes that are savory not sweet, but today we busted that myth with this delicious treat!

Baked Quinoa Bars

adapted from: Shape


1 c quinoa raw
2 c water
1/2 c peanut butter
1/3 c agave
1 c rolled oats
1/2 c dried, unsweetened, shredded coconut
1/2 c raw cocoa nibs + more for sprinkling the top

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9x9 baking pan with pam. Cook the quinoa in the water until almost all of the water is gone (be careful not to let it burn). Cool quinoa while you make the rest of the recipe. In a bowl combine the peanut butter, agave oats and coconut. Add the quinoa. It will still be warm. Add the chips and mix just enough to get them incorporated. If you mix too long the chips will melt. Spread into the pan and sprinkle the top with more chips. Bake for 30 min or until the edges start to brown and the toothpick comes out clean. Cool and enjoy. and trust me when I say a little goes a long way. In the picture I put three bars. I was so full that I only ate 1 and 1/2 or maybe even a little less. Protein sure seems to fill me up :)

On a side note: Here is a picture of my Herb Jars! They are growing out of control and I LOVE it! I used the mint for my pho the other night! Here is the post for that recipe

Ashlee made food!

Ashlee is an amazing sandwich maker and today she decided to put those skills towards wraps for lunch! oh so yummy! I ate mine so fast I forgot to even think about taking a picture! Wraps are such a versatile dish. It can be filled with just about any combination of fillings to suit your tastes. Today it was a veggie wrap with romaine, spinach, alfalfa sprouts, bell pepper, tomato (she skipped them on hers :)) cucumbers, green onions, avocados and drizzle of zesty italian dressing! I cannot start to describe how yummy it was!

I also found a recipe on pinterest for baked oatmeal individually made. I decided that was worth a try since I go to work so early in the morning I usually forget to take breakfast. I also took pictures! Finally!


Baked Oatmeal

adapted from: Sugar free mom

1 banana, mashed
2 c applesauce, unsweetened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons xylitol
4 T soy flour
4 T water
5 c, Old Fashioned rolled oats
1 T ground cinnamon
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 3/4 c milk (I used soy)
the sky is the limit with toppings! (no I am serious, the picture above is paprika cashews and raw coconut)

Preheat oven to 350. Put liners in muffin tin and spray with pam. Mash the banana into a large bowl, add the applesauce, vanilla, and xylitol. In a separate small bowl mix the soy flour and water until it forms a paste. Add paste to banana mixture. Add oats, cinnamon, baking powder and salt and mix. Add the milk and mix thoroughly. It will be soupy. add 1/4-1/3 cup mix to each cup. Top with any toppings you want. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

What the Pho?

Last summer I went to Seattle with my family on a much NEEDED vacation. We got there the day that the last Harry Potter movie came out. We decided that it would be fun to go see it so my dad Matthew and I all went to a cute little theater not too far from my grandma's home. We left very early to beat the crowds and there was no one there at all. That left us enough time to stop for lunch. We just randomly picked a restaurant and went in. I cannot describe how wonderful the meal was. It was an all Pho restaurant that served cream puffs for dessert. I had never even heard of Pho (pronounced fuh), but that day had changed my life! It is the meal I crave more than anything else! I dream of Pho, or to quote Kung Fu Panda I had the noodle dream!

Here is a little background of the meal for those of you who like to know where your food originated!

Phở ([fɤ˧˩˧] ( listen)) is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà).[1] The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with Asian basil, mint leaves, lime, and bean sprouts that are added to the soup by the person who is dining. The dish is associated with the city of Hanoi, where the first pho restaurant opened in the 1920s.

Now back in Utah I had to find a Pho restaurant. I was on a mission. I found Pho Plus Noodle house. I was also very yummy, but more expensive so I determined that I must learn how to make it! Luckily we have an Asian Market right in Provo (I frequent it a lot). It is called Choas. I love it! I can get everything I need including fresh lemon grass and well everything else I have ever needed. They have a product that is a paste that is Pho bo flavored (beef) and it is soooooooo easy. All you do is add it to your water and voila instant pho! Wahoooooo! So here is my recipe for Pho. I must warn you though. Once you go Pho you can't go back!

Some of the ingredients are special Asian ingredients, so if you are interested in trying it before you buy call me and I will fix some up for you... and well of course I will have to have some too :)

Pho

By Krista Prusak


12 c water
2 T Pho Bullion (image below)
1 chicken breast thawed and sliced thin
1/2 bag of 1mm rice noodles (image below)
3 carrots peeled and sliced
3 cups fresh broccoli
2 T chopped cilantro
1-2 c fresh bean sprouts
1-2 sprigs of fresh mint
1 fresh jalapano sliced thinly (seeds in for more heat)
chili sauce to taste (image below)
hoisan sauce to taste (image below)
salt and pepper to taste

Add your pho bullion to the water and bring to a boil. Add your chicken (for flexitarian leave out the chicken; i did last night and it was still delicious!) boil until cooked through. Add your noodles. Boil until tender. Just like any other pasta. Add your carrots and broccoli about 5 min before serving just so they get tender, but not overly soft. Take off the heat and add your cilantro. Serve immediately. Once in your individual bowl add the mint bean sprouts jalapanos, chili and hoisan sauce and salt and pepper to taste. I must warn you the chili sauce goes a lonnnnnnggggg way. I mean seriously one or two drops is enough for the unsuspecting mouth especially if you add the jalapenos. Enjoy!

Poor Pup

Dash has had a abscess that has plagued him pretty much since we got him. It is a little bump below the jaw that we have tried to fix with 2 antibiotic rounds. It went away for a few weeks but always came back. Today Dash went in to get it lanced and cleaned out. Needless to say we have one sad puppy today. Here he is with his hot compress on.

On a better note we had delicious food for dinner a couple nights ago that is blog worthy!

Taco Boats

by Krista Prusak

Bean and rice mix

1 c prepared rice
1 T cilantro chopped
1 T lime juice
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp veg. oil
1 T agave
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 can corn drained and rinsed
1/2 bell pepper chopped
1 avocado diced
1 tomato diced

Mix the cilantro and lime into the rice then add the beans, corn, pepper, avocado and tomato. top with the vinegar, oil and agave. Salt and pepper to taste.


Boat Construction

1 c taco TVP prepared
6 romaine leaves washed and dried left in the "boat" shape
bean and rice mix
salsa
dollop of sour cream


Fill each boat with a spoonful of TVP, bean and rice and salsa. Add a dollop of sour cream (soy version in my case) and enjoy!

Chickpea salad and puppy love

Sorry it has been so long since the last post! I have had a lot of fun trying to create a healthy lifestyle for myself and it has taken up a lot of my time. I plan on posting about it fairly often to help anyone that needs ideas and motivation to make the jump into living life not just letting it pass you by.

The first thing I want to share with you is a lifestyle that finally makes sense to me! This lifestyle of eating is called "flexitarian". Now when I looked on line I found one RN that has a complete diet plan of what you can and cannot eat each meal etc. This is NOT what I am doing. I don't want to have a "diet" I am following each day, but rather I am just making choices that my body likes. Those choices have led me to be a flexitarian. The first I ever heard of this was through a documentary called "Forks over Knives". It was a fantastic 97 min documentary discussing the negative consequences of eating a "western diet". A western diet is high in animal protein and dairy and low in whole grains and fresh fruits and veggies. It seems like common sense right? I further believe this because of the word of wisdom found in the Doctrine and Covenants Section 89:10-20.

10 And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome aherbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—

11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.

12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;

13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.

14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;

15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.

16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—

17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.

18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive bhealth in their navel and marrow to their bones;

19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;

20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.

One of the stats that I was most impressed with was a study that was done in India and repeated several times since using mice to test a diet high in casein (20%) (a protein found in animal milk) compared to a diet low in casein(5%). The results were astounding. Those rats who ate a diet high in animal protein "turned on" cancer cells and those who consumed low amounts "turned off" cancer cells. What a concept! We can control what happens to our bodies much more that we think. Vegetarians tend to live 3.6 years longer than those who don't live that lifestyle. We think no big deal 3.6 years is not that long but they also have a higher quality of life through out that time. They tend to weight 30lbs less than the average american. I think those are stats I am interested in.

So some of you may be wondering "what about your food allergies?" Well, I am not sure yet. I am going to try and slowly incorporate whole wheat, barley and rye and see how I handle it. I hope that if it is in it's true form (not overly processed) I will be able to utilize it in my body with out the ill effects I had before. Fingers crossed!!!

I have spent a ton of time on pinterest looking up recipes and trying to plan yummy healthy meals that focus on whole fresh fruits and veggies and whole grains. I will post ones that I come up with that we particularly like. That way even if you don't plan on the flexitarian lifestyle you can incorporate a few healthy recipes to your repertoire. So join me on my quest for a healthy fulfilled life!



Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad

adapted from Heather at http://www.heathersdish.com/


3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 loosely packed cups fresh spinach
1/2 onion, chopped small
juice from 4 limes
1 bunch of cilantro (about loosely packed cup)
3 Tbsp xylitol
2 Tbsp homemade mustard (recipe below) or dijon mustard
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/8-1/4 cup olive oil

Chop the spinach very finely.Put the spinach, chickpeas and onion, in a large bowl. Blend the lime juice, cilantro, sugar, mustard, garlic, chili powder, and olive oil until it resembles a dressing. Pour over the chickpea mixture and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for about 10 minutes to marinade the chickpeas. Serve alone as a salad or use with crackers as a "dip".

Thanks Heather for such a yummy dish!!!

Homemade Mustard

from HCG Diet Recipes Phase 2 by Carla Martell and Audrey Scott

1 c apple cider vinegar (I like Braggs if you are looking to purchase some)
2 T garlic powder
1/2 c water
2 T onion powder
2 T lemon juice
1 tsp ground ginger
4 T ground mustard powder
sweetener to taste (I used xylitol)

Heat all ingredients together thoroughly in a saucepan for a few minutes. Refrigerate and use in recipes as needed.

Now last but not least time for a shout out to PetSmart! We enrolled Dash in the puppy training class and it ROCKS! Our trainer Allison is awesome with Dash! She understands that Border Collies need breaks through out the hour and is patient when he seems to lack all interest in learning. To top it all off we had only one other dog enrolled in our class and they dropped out and so Allison offered to let us join her beginner class that starts up in a couple of weeks so that Dash could get more socialized with lots of dogs. Thanks PetSmart and Allison for such a great opportunity!