Sausage and Veggie Stuffed Shells

I had the distinct pleasure visiting the home of Cooking and Kids’ owner, Vlada Vladic.  She wanted to share a savory dish but the catch was I had to help! Me? Yes! I thought how blessed I am to learn first-hand from an amazing mother who has a passion for cooking healthy. Just my kind of thing!

  

Cooking and Kids’ desires to “Help America conquer childhood obesity and related diseases, preparing children to pass on healthy lifestyles to our next generation by enabling young families to make permanent changes in their daily diets and lives… TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS!”

Vlada offers cooking lessons in the student's home for up to 6 people for 2 hours for $100. This is a fantastic rate! To further inquire you may contact her through her website. She also creates live cooking videos from her kitchen sharing on YouTube. I highly recommend you subscribe to her channels, 57Vlada and CookingandKids. She is the winner of Food Network’s Family Feast Challenge 2010. You can enjoy her award winning recipe by visiting the article contributed by Barbara Rolek on About.com. 

I know you’re waiting on what we made so here it goes – Sausage and Vegetable Stuffed Shells.

Ingredients:

3 cloves of chopped garlic

¼ cup of olive oil

1 tbls of dry or fresh basil or parsley

¼ medium chopped onion

6 mild Italian sausages

½ cup shredded zucchini

½ cup shredded large carrots

12 oz of precooked jumbo shells 'al-dente'

1 egg

1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese

2 cups of tomato sauce of your choice

Preheat oven to 360. In pan on stovetop, heat olive oil, add onions. Once onions are translucent add carrots but wait until they soften a bit before adding zucchini. Add sausage. While it's browning add garlic and basil. Remove from heat after all is cooked well. (We added an egg to keep the ingredients from separating.) Spoon the sausage mixture into the precooked shells. Top with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. Top with foil for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.  Remove foil, add parsley and place in oven for 10 minutes. The foil keeps the shells moist, cooks the egg and brings the food to the right temperature. 

Buon Appetito!

We served this dish with a nice side of steamed broccoli coated with an EVOO and butter sauce.

Cooking and Kids was also featured in my Jan-Mar 2012 Conveying Awareness newsletter. 

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Green #Smoothie #Recipe

I'm in love with vegetables (and fruit)! I love nearly everything in the green department for vegetables. I know this is not a favorite color among many. So, I recommend two things: 1) blend up a smoothie and / or 2) eat whole food nutrition in a capsule or chewable!

This morning we made a green smoothie comprising of banana, pineapple with its core, fresh spinach and kale, water and ice. Fill Vitamix in this order. Blend for 30 seconds.

*Benefits of banana: potassium, rich in vitamin B6, elimination properties (think electrolytes)

*Benefits of pineapple: antioxidants and inflammatory properties, highest in Maganese, digestive benefits

*Benefits of spinach: antioxidants, carotenoids, highest in Vitamins K, A, C and folate

*Benefits of kale: cholesterol lowering benefits, Omega 3 properties, detox support, several dozen flavonoids, high in vitamins K, A, and C, inflammatory properties

What is your favorite green smoothie recipe? Don't have one? Try this one! Then share with me your favorite smoothie (one that you make). 

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

*WHFoods dot org

I do receive a small commission from Amazon.com if you purchase anything through their site using one of the links above (read my full advertising disclosure here). 

Thank you very much for your generosity in helping to offset the costs of website upkeep, so that I can keep sharing wellness resources with my community and beyond.

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Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Sunday #Dessert - Dirt Cake, Improved #Ingredients

I have had a taste for chocolate pudding for a minute now but nearly, if not all, pudding packages and pre-made in the cup types have controversial ingredients that I’m not willing to bake from (i.e. high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), hydrogenated oils, and artificial dyes). I know there’s the “in-moderation” factor but that usually comes in the territory of eating at someone else’s house (a restaurant, etc) and not pigging out. Ha!

Before I knew about HFCS, I used to make a dirt cake. Its main ingredients I’m sure you’re familiar are cream cheese, pudding, and of course, Oreos!

I’d like to share a new version of the dirt cake below. It varies a bit from the traditional dirt cake. You’re welcome to substitute or add ingredients to your liking.

Dirt cake, new version:

End product - Caution: SUPER Sweet! 

Crust:

9 Graham Crackers, finely crushed 
6 tablespoons of melted butter

1/3 cup of organic cane sugar

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Mix together. 
Spread in pan of your choice, bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

Filling:

Organic chocolate pudding (Dr. Oetker's brand is a good option) - cooked on the stove top.

Toppings:

16 Newman's Own chocolate sandwich cookies, divided; finely crushed and coarsely chopped (filling removed and not used)

Whipped Cream

Recipe for whipped cream:

1 pint of heavy whipping cream

6 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar (make your own in a blender using organic cane sugar)

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

While preparing ingredients, put the mixing bowl in the freezer to facilitate the mixing process of the cream.

Mix on medium 1 pint of the whipping cream until peaks form. Do not over mix. Stir in sugar and vanilla. Refrigerate until ready to use.

After Graham Cracker crust cools, spread pudding on top, apply a dusting of finely crushed cookies then spread whipped cream on top. Finally, sprinkle coarsely chopped cookies over cream. Cover with foil and chill 3-4 hours. (Note: You can use serving dishes or whatever fancies you.) 

Buon Appetito!

I do receive a small commission from Amazon.com if you purchase anything through their site using one of the links above (read my full advertising disclosure here). 

Thank you very much for your generosity in helping to offset the costs of website upkeep, so that I can keep sharing wellness resources with my community and beyond.

Subscribe to my blog here to never miss a post. 
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Download my free eGuide when you subscribe to my monthly newsletters for free.

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

#Recipe: #Banana Bread

I was inspired by a recipe I found on All Recipes for banana bread and this is my rendition.

I've made plenty of banana bread recipes in the past but they came out far too dry. Two ways to fix this: Find a better recipe and /or use mini loaf pans! 

Ingredients:

2 cups of whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup butter slightly softened

1/2 cup coconut sugar

2 eggs, beaten

4-5 medium sized bananas, over ripened (2 1/3 cups)

Pam organic non-stick spray

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a mixing bowl or with hand mixer, cream together softened butter and coconut sugar. Add eggs and mix thoroughly. Add bananas and stir thoroughly. Batter will be somewhat watery looking. This is a good thing. If it’s not, you probably didn’t use enough bananas. At last, fold in flour mixture until just moistened.

Spray 4 mini loaf pans with Pam and pour batter evenly into all pans. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until nice brown color and toothpick comes out clean. You want it to be somewhat spongy on top. Do not over bake. Bread will have pockets of banana throughout.

Cool on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans. Continue to cool for 10 minutes then wrap in foil and store in air tight container.

Slice and serve warm, if desired.

Buon Appetito!

I do receive a small commission from Amazon.com if you purchase anything through their site using one of the links above (read my full advertising disclosure here). 

Thank you very much for your generosity in helping to offset the costs of website upkeep, so that I can keep sharing wellness resources with my community and beyond.

Subscribe to my blog here to never miss a post. 
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Download my free eGuide when you subscribe to my monthly newsletters for free.

Choose, eat, and live well! =)