Simple Solutions Series: Grazing on the Go

Simple Solutions Series

March Healthy Eating Presentation

I enjoy putting resources into the hands of people who want to dive deeper into wellness. One of my favorite activities is holding free presentations for communities in need. I've been invited back twice since holding my first talk with the local diabetes chapter. They would like me to come back monthly but due to time constraints, I'll be back every quarter. 

For the first time since moving to the High Desert, I was able to put on a collaborative event (this makes my heart sing!). My friend and I teamed up in March to give busy parents some helpful ideas on how to make healthy foods in a jiffy and with ease. We both know this is a need in our community as we live in a food desert. 

My neighbor was so kind to let me use her outdoor shaded kitchen for our talk. We demonstrated 4 healthy recipes that the guests could sample.

My friend demonstrating the chopper after serving our guests the hummus dip.

Topics

#1 – Importance of Breakfast

I shared L.E.A.N. tips and talked about boxed cereals. I shared two types of boxed cereals - one seemingly healthy and the other a much better alternative then we made: 

Complete Breakfast in a Muffin

#2 - Grazing

I shared why small nutrient dense meals are preferable over 3 large meals.

We demonstrated a hummus dip with vegetables and a grazing tray.

Grazing Tray

#3 – TLE (Traffic Light Eating)

I shared the importance of eating a variety of fruits and vegetables.

        I blended my signature green smoothie. (A new recipe to follow with images.) My friend demonstrated her container that prolongs the freshness of fruits and vegetables and she also demonstrated a veggie omelet using her tools.  

We served pineapple infused water in between the demonstrations. 

All adult guests left with a door prize and two guests went home with a giveaway valued at $35 each. 

We are looking forward to doing more of these events in the months ahead. Our goal is to do these "solution" based talks several times a year. Each talk will somewhat overlap the previous and they will build upon one another. 

All the recipes are using mostly green and yellow light foods. More on this color, search Traffic Light Eating on my blog or click the link above in #3.

The outline and discussion points for our April talk will be shared soon. Stay tuned.  

Choose, eat, and live well! =)

Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Got asparagus? 

Wrap it with prosciutto. It is delicious! 

This recipe has been moved to my new blog. You can find it on Conveying Awareness. 

Choose, eat, and live well! =) 

Apple Wedges with a Secret

Apples. They are sheer delight, right? YES! But, sometimes we've got to change things up especially if we have children. Or maybe we use that as inspiration to try more foods? Either way, I like these apple wedges not only for their chocolate and granola toppings but also for their secret ingredient. Can you guess what that is? 

That secret ingredient is not what you think it is.. or is it? The images I've seen for apple wedges used the chocolate to coat the apple. I used the secret ingredient because I wanted added nutritive benefit and not just added sweetness. The secret ingredient is naturally sweet but it offers so much more!

Ingredients:

1 large organic Fuji apple (makes 12 wedges)
1/4 cup organic granola
1 ounce of 70% (at least) dark chocolate 
1 tsp of organic cold-pressed coconut oil 

Edit: If you're using cacao powder, I recommend starting with a small batch so you can get the flavor profile you're seeking. I made a batch with 2 tsp of coconut oil, 3 tbs of cacao powder, and 1 tsp of raw honey. I heated the coconut oil and added the cacao (can use cocoa (organic)) powder, stirred and allowed it to bubble on low heat. After a few minutes, I turned off the burner (stir while it's heating) then I added the raw honey. It was somewhat bitter as cacao naturally is so I think I will add maple syrup in lieu of the raw honey next time to give it a slightly different taste. For this rendition, I coated the apples in the cacao (after it cooled) then I topped it with crushed walnuts and almonds (you can sub seeds if allergic to tree nuts). Pretty good! 

Preparation:

1. Melt the chocolate and the coconut oil together. This will eventually create a shell over the granola.

2. Take the ... raw honey [secret ingredient] and spoon a little on each wedge (may need to use two spoons to keep one clean at all times to dip again for more honey). The honey may slide down the sides of the wedges but that's great! The more the merrier! 

3. Sprinkle the granola over the honey on the apple wedges.

4. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the granola. 

5. Refrigerate until ready to devour. =)

I really enjoyed the ease of this recipe and my son really enjoyed eating most of it. Thankfully I ate a few before I took the dish out to him. My husband should have eaten one when he had the chance because he didn't get any! Maybe next time. =)

Choose, eat, and live well! =) 

Choose, eat, and live well! =) 

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Taste Test: Carrot Walnut Muffins

Nope, this is not fruit cake. 

Wouldn't you agree that it is extreme joy making a recipe for the first time and your family raves for it!?! This is what happened when I made the Gluten-free, Sugarless Carrot Walnut Banana Muffins from This Original Organic Life. I'm going to share the few minor changes I made to the recipe.

Rachel from This Original Organic Life had mentioned that the recipe is sugarless because no sugar was added. The sweetness comes from the fruits only. I used the almond flour for my base and used two bananas (instead of 3) and 1/3 cup coconut oil (instead of 1/4 cup). I also used tri-color carrots for added color, depth, and taste. I also added raisins and cranberries with the chopped walnuts. My husband had the nerve to ask if this was fruit cake. As if! When I shared what was in it - he said 'fruit cake.' I said, no it's carrot-walnut muffins with ... then proceeded to list the ingredients. Even though he considered it as such, he still had several minis. =)

The recipe made 36 miniature muffins. Though it's probably not a good idea, I did eat some of the raw batter before baking and it was good and had a nice naturally sweetened taste. I was surprised of how yummy these muffins were after baking and was stoked that my 5 year old asked for more after eating 4 minis. I had some for breakfast the next day. YUM-O! 

You have to try this recipe. It is so good! Rachel of This Original Organic Life shares some ingredient substitutions on her blog. Now that I've peaked your interest (again), be sure to visit her blog post for further inspiration! 

Choose, eat, and live well! =)