Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts

Friday, April 13, 2012

Deep Dish Cookie Pie



Yesterday I mentioned how much I love Pinterest.  This recipe is proof of that love!  I am also in love with Chocolate Covered Katie and her healthy dessert blog.  First of all, I love dessert.  Second of all, they are healthier (but still 'oh so good').  What's not to love?

This chocolate covered pie uses garbanzo beans or navy beans. (I used the garbanzos).  At first there is such a distinct smell to the beans that you wonder, is this going to smell like this when it's cooked?  No.  It smells divine, just like a deep dish cookie pie should!  Even though it was healthy, even though my children saw the beans going in, they begged to have more at every meal until the pie was finally all gone.  That is also proof of how good something healthier (when done right) can be!

Now, I'm saying healthier, and not healthy. This is not diet food, people.  There is still sugar (although I replaced half of the brown sugar that is called for with splenda), and chocolate chips and chocolate sauce or ice cream at the end.  But the flour is replaced by beans which will provide protein, fiber, iron, manganese, and folate.  All that from a dessert!  So without any further delay or description, here is the recipe!

Deep - Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie



(recipe, adapted slightly from Chocolatecoveredkatie.com)

2 cans white beans or garbanzos (drained and rinsed) (500g total, once drained)
1 cup quick oats (or certified-gf quick oats)
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 T canola oil
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar (You can sub evaporated cane juice or white sugar). I used 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 regular splenda)
1 cup chocolate chips

Blend everything (except the chips) very well in a good food processor (not a blender). Mix in chips, and pour into an oiled pan (I used a 10-inch springform pan, but you can use a smaller pan if you want a reallydeep-dish pie.) Cook at 350F for around 35-40 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan.



Thursday, April 12, 2012

Overnight Oats

So like a lot of other people, I have been finding amazing new recipes on Pinterest! I'm addicted, but the good thing is that it is also productive (well, most of the time)!  One recipe I decided to try was the overnight oats.  There aren't many ingredients involved, but one gave me a hard time - Chia seeds.  Yes, you remember correctly, cha cha cha chia!  The same seeds, I believe that are used with those cute Chia pets go into this oatmeal.  There are many different combos, but I've only tried one so far (strawberry jam with bananas).  I hope to try many more combinations in the near future!


This breakfast provides a healthy start to the day because it is chock full of fiber, protein and Omega 3's.  I have provided the recipe below (taken from pepperlynn.com) with lots of variations.  Enjoy!




Makes 1 large serving.

  • ½ cup rolled oats (not quick cooking)
  • ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl or jar, cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and allow the mixture to sit in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, stir in the mix-ins of your choosing.

Variation #1 – Pumpkin Peanut Butter

  • ½ cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Variation #2 – Strawberry Banana (I used this option)

  • 2 to 2 ½ tablespoons strawberry jam
  • 1 small banana, mashed (I used sliced rather than mashed)

Tips and Tidbits (from pepperlynn.com)
  • The sky is the limit when it comes to the possible flavor combinations! In addition to the toppings I mentioned above, you could add any of the following: dried coconut, granola, nuts, ground flax seed, Nutella, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, or fresh or dried fruit.
  • If you don’t have Greek yogurt on hand, feel free to use whatever type of yogurt is available. You may want to reduce the amount of milk depending upon the consistency of the yogurt so that the final result is thick and creamy.
  • What are chia seeds? These tiny, dark colored seeds can be found in most health food stores and are a nutritional powerhouse of fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Chia is also a complete protein, containing all 8 essential amino acids.
The craving for overnight oats sometimes strikes unexpectedly, and I don’t want to wait overnight before consuming a bowl of this healthful treat. In these instances, I reduce the liquid slightly and allow the oats to soak for at least 30 minutes. The more soaking time, the better, but a half hour is usually sufficient to soften the oats to my liking.

    Welcome and Bento Lunches!

    Welcome to my blog, ZK My Way.  Here you will find little pieces of me and my life, from cooking, scrapbooking, photography, henna and life in general.  For my first post, I'd like to feature something I'm passionate about - healthy lunches for my kids.  I've been making Bento lunches for a good 6 months now and it's very addictive!  Check out my facebook page for many options! http://www.facebook.com/pages/ZK-Food-Family/167277520015250

    First, what is Bento? A bento lunch is a compact, balanced, visually appealing meal packed in a box. Historically, it’s a Japanese box lunch, similar in concept to the Indian tiffin...Bento lunches seem to be becoming popular in N. America lately. The two key points for me are feeding children a variety of healthy, home made food (combined with a few healthy treats/snacks) and the idea of being eco friendly (by using reusable containers and utensils, rather than adding waste to the ever growing landfills). For more info on Bento, see the link below.
    http://lunchinabox.net/faq/

    What you need to get started:



    1. An insulated lunchbox and ice packs. These are available in grocery, department and kitchen specialty stores, as well as online.

    2. and 4. Plastic or metal compartamentalized boxes. There is just something to be said about a box with compartments and a kid's increased willingness to want to eat from it. Try it, you'll be surprised. The boxes in pic 2 (http://www.easylunchboxes.com/) were $13 for 4, from Amazon.com. The boxes in pic 4 were 2 for $2.50 at Walmart.

    3. You will also need a few smaller reusable containers and utensils. I have pictured a few here, but the possibilities are endless. Things you might want to have are reusable juice/water bottles, containers with and without lids, fork and spoon, etc. Buy a few supplies and use what you have at home. Be creative and be organized and this can be sooooo easy, rewarding and fun!


    This is my angry birds lunch that I created for my 2nd grader.  I got the idea (and copied it blatantly) from http://www.anotherlunch.com/2011/10/easylunchboxes-angry-birds-bento-lunch.html.  I am so proud of this one!  The smile on ZK Sr.'s face, followed by a hug and a "I love you, Mommy" was so worth it!


    On the left we have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich cut into five sticks to make the structure. There are 4 grapes. I didn't have patience to cut 4 sets of eyes for them. On top of the structure is a babybel cheese for the red bird. The eyes are marshmallows topped with olives, a carrot beak, and olives for the eyebrows.

    On the top right is a boiled egg white bird with olive eyes and eyebrows, and a carrot beak.

    Finally, I think it's king pig kiwi, with the kiwi skin for a mustache, marshmallow eyes, olive eyeballs, a piece of kiwi for his nose.

    You can get little candy eyeballs and other things to make this look perfect. To be honest, ZK Sr. did not care that they didn't look perfect. Just have fun with it and I promise your kids will love it!



     This is one I call a Funchable (for Fake lunchable or fun lunchable).  You can get many ideas by looking at the real (unhealthy) lunchables in the grocery store and then coming up with your own (healthier) versions.  Believe  me, the kids will not care as long as the concept (fun food, compartments, fruit, drink, snack) is the same! 

    How to put a pizza funchable together:

    One sandwich thin (use only one or both depending on your child's appetite)

    pasta sauce, cheese, olives (use your child's favorite toppings)

    pineapples

    A spoon to spread pasta sauce

    Use the lid as a plate