Eating Natural

My daughter is allergic to food dyes- which in turn, anything processed makes her break out as well. It has taught me SO much about foods. And for the most part our house is all natural/organic now. We eat lots of eggs, veggies/fruits. Smoothies for snacks. We're not vegetarian so we eat lots of chicken ect. So I dont have any recipes. But make sure your house is stocked up with fresh fruits/veggies! Snacking will be easy Good luck dear!

Here's two I just made:

Pasta Fagiolo

We always make ours in the crock pot, but you can also make on the stovetop as well.

Start with some olive oil in bottom of pot.

Add 1 whole diced onion
2-3 carrots sliced
2-3 stalks celery sliced.
2-3 finely minced smashed cloves garlic
¼ teaspoon flaky red pepper…or add more to taste
2 or 3 bay leaves…leave whole then take out after done cooking
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups water or low sodium chicken stock
2 or 3 cans Great Northern Beans rinsed well (we use 3 cans because of large family, but 2 works also)
Take 1 28oz can of whole peeled tomatoes; pour all juice from can into pot. Squish ½ of the actual tomatoes and add those to pot. Save the other half for another recipe.
Salt to taste
Pepper
Small Chunks of ham (optional)
Small noodles (optional)

You can cook for several hours. I start mine in the morning and let it cook all day. Or turn it off midday and then reheat for dinner.
No matter how many times we have made this it comes out slightly different, so
Add more of the spices as you go along according to taste.

If you have some chunks of ham to add, that’s great! Also, separately cook some small noodles, and serve Pasta Fagiolo over them..(or not, whatever you prefer). I wouldn’t add the noodles to the whole pot of Pasta Fagiolo because they will absorb all the moisture.

When serving top with grated cheese and enjoy. Very healthy!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Here it is...I have a couple modifications:

It call for velvetta light at the end, some people are appalled by that...sometimes, I sub it with real cheese when I see the cheese guy at the store and he'll recommend a soft cheddar...but, if you are watching fat, stick with the VL

Also, I have had a flame on at the end and curdled the whole damn thing because it wasn't thick enough..not once, but twice....aggravating....I add a little more flour now, instead of trying to reduce it.

I skip the pepper and sprinkle with paprika...has the pepper taste and add a nice orange cheesy color

Lastly, I skip the blender part (too lazy and too many dishes)....I just take some out and use a potato masher

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=231619

Processed cheese melts beautifully, giving this 30-minute broccoli and cheese soup a smooth texture and mild flavor.

Total: 33 minutes
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)


Ingredients
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (16-ounce) package broccoli florets
2 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces light processed cheese, cubed (such as Velveeta Light)
Preparation
Heat a large nonstick saucepan coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; saute 3 minutes or until tender. Add broth and broccoli. Bring broccoli mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; cook 10 minutes.

Combine milk and flour, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add milk mixture to broccoli mixture. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly. Stir in pepper. Remove from heat; add cheese, stirring until cheese melts.

Place one-third of the soup in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Return pureed soup mixture to pan.

Nutritional Information
Calories:203 (28% from fat)
Fat:6.3g (sat 4g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.4g)
Protein:15.6g
Carbohydrate:21.7g
Fiber:2.9g
Cholesterol:24mg
Iron:1.2mg
Sodium:897mg
Calcium:385mg
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2002

I am vegetarian also and am looking for easy recipes that are kid friendly since I babysit my 4 grandchildren who are also vegetarians.

last night I watched "good eats" on the Food Network and Alton Brown made these Power Bars. there are a few recipes I will attach here for you to look at. I see this as Eating Natural... maybe this is something that appeals to you. good luck!!


Protein Bars

Ingredients
4 ounces soy protein powder, approximately 1 cup
2 1/4 ounces oat bran, approximately 1/2 cup
2 3/4 ounces whole-wheat flour, approximately 1/2 cup
3/4-ounce wheat germ, approximately 1/4 cup
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
3 ounces raisins, approximately 1/2 cup
2 1/2 ounces dried cherries, approximately 1/2 cup
3 ounces dried blueberries, approximately 1/2 cup
2 1/2 ounces dried apricots, approximately 1/2 cup
1 (12.3-ounce) package soft silken tofu
1/2 cup unfiltered apple juice
4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/2 cup packed
2 large whole eggs, beaten
2/3 cup natural peanut butter
Canola oil, for pan
Directions
Line the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with parchment paper and lightly coat with canola oil. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the protein powder, oat bran, wheat flour, wheat germ, and salt. Set aside.

Coarsely chop the raisins, dried cherries, blueberries and apricots and place in a small bowl and set aside.

In a third mixing bowl, whisk the tofu until smooth. Add the apple juice, brown sugar, eggs, and peanut butter, 1 at a time, and whisk to combine after each addition. Add this to the protein powder mixture and stir well to combine. Fold in the dried fruit. Spread evenly in the prepared baking dish and bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees F. Remove from the oven and cool completely before cutting into squares. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.


Granola Bars

Ingredients
8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups
1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup
3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup
1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup
6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup
1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed
1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries
Directions
Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.


In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.


Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week



Brown Rice Crispy Bar

Ingredients
3 ounces puffed brown rice, approximately 6 cups
3 tablespoons flax seed oil, plus extra for the pan
1 tablespoon orange blossom honey
7 ounces mini marshmallows, approximately 4 cups
3 ounces toasted slivered almonds, approximately 3/4 cup
1 1/2 ounces coarsely chopped dried cranberries, approximately 1/3 cup
1 1/2 ounces coarsely chopped dried cherries, approximately 1/3 cup
1-ounce dried blueberries, approximately 1/3 cup
Directions
Lightly coat the inside of a 13 by 9 by 2-inch metal pan with oil and set aside. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spread the brown puffed rice evenly on a sheet pan. Toast in the oven for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. While the rice is toasting, prepare the marshmallow mixture.

Place the oil, honey, and marshmallows in a large mixing bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water. Stir until the marshmallows are melted, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Once the marshmallows are melted, quickly add the toasted brown rice, almonds, and fruit and stir to combine. Coat your hands or a spatula with oil and spread the mixture evenly into the pan. Once the mixture has cooled completely, cut into squares and store in an airtight container for 1 to 2 days.

bump to read later :flowerforyou:

My husband made a great quinoa last weekend, boiled it with chicken stock although you could change to veg stock. He chopped up onions and fresh basil. Sounds simple but was great. YUM.