My Husband Doesn't Cook

Simple Smoothie Prep

Awhile ago, I posted about a make-ahead smoothie mix:

http://myhusbanddoesntcook.tumblr.com/post/46671753807/smoothie-power-mix-mix-your-powders-together-to

Ever wanting to make things simpler and quicker, I have now made some made-ahead smoothie fruit cups.  Instead of taking out the container of spinach, the separate bags of berries and the carton of juice, I now take out a frozen fruit cup, defrost a bit and then add it to my smoothie maker with some of my powder mix.  Whew, that was easy!

I used paper cups.  I put in organic spinach, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. I added about 1/4 cup of organic juice.  After placing the cups in a container, I put it all in the freezer.  The container I use holds 7 cups.  Just right for a week of berry smoothies.  Of course, you can put whatever you want in your cups!

When I’m ready for a smoothie, I take one of the cups out of the freezer and zap it in the microwave for a bit to defrost it all so it’s easily blended.  If your smoothie maker handles frozen chunks, you may be able to skip this step.

I add more juice, yogurt or Almond Milk and the powder mix and that’s it. 

Old Fashioned Pea Soup

It must be a week for comfort food. This is my second post in just two days!

Another great, favourite meal in my childhood household was Pea Soup.  My mom made the best soup…and I must have inherited the soup-gene because I can make a mean pot of soup out of just about anything.

This recipe serves about 8

• Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry green or yellow split peas [use whole if you prefer]
• 2 quarts water [or broth]
• 1 meaty ham hock, fat removed
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 teaspoons fresh, minced garlic
• dash pepper
• 1 cup chopped bok choy [or celery]
• 1 cup chopped carrot

If using whole peas, soak for 4-8 hours first.

Directions for split pea soup
In a large saucepan, cover dried peas with 2 quarts of water or broth. Add the ham hock.  Bring to a boil; boil gently for 2 minutes. Set aside to soak for 1 hour. Add chopped onion, garlic, and pepper. Bring split pea soup to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for at least one hour, stirring occasionally. Remove meat from bone; dice and return to pea soup with chopped veggies. Simmer soup slowly for at least one more hour, stirring occasionally. Taste  soup and check that the peas are tender.  You likely won’t need to add salt if the ham hock was smoked/salted.

For vegetarian version, omit the ham and add a dash of smoked flavouring.

Top with grated, sharp cheddar cheese and serve with a crusty baguette.

I Didn’t know Chicken had Haddies!

Chicken Haddie really isn’t chicken at all, but fish. 

As a young girl, creamed chicken haddie on toast was one of my favourite meals.  I used to have it for lunch often when I was at my piano teacher’s house.  She was my Mom’s best friend and I loved eating at her house after my lesson!

For a while back in the 80s, I was able to buy it from the grocery store, in the same area as canned tuna and salmon.

After several years of searching, I found it here in town at Jessinek’s Fish Market on Lasalle. 

Typically, haddies are served in some sort of creamed dish.  I make a basic white sauce, add the haddies and some seasoning and ta-da…top it over whole grain toasted ciabattas or bread. It also makes a great chowder or fish patty.

It is primarily Haddock, Hake and Pollock, chopped up and canned.  Unfortunately, there’s a lot of sodium in each can.  I haven’t found a sodium-reduced version yet.  I suppose you could soak the haddies in some milk or water and then drain to dilute the water, but definitely don’t ADD salt to your recipes.

This is the brand I buy:

Creamed Chicken Haddie on toast.  Yummmm…..a feel-good, high protein meal!

Make your own Greek-style yogurt!

Everybody is on the Greek-Yogurt bandwagon these days.  Thick, creamy, protein-rich yummyness.  But ouch…it’s so much more expensive than the other yogurts.  It’s another one of those food items that we are charged more for because the manufacturers are taking something out!  It’s the whey.

So why, not take out the whey yourself?

I purchased a 750g tub of low-fat, plain yogurt for $1.97.  Choose your favourite kind of yogurt…it doesn’t matter what kind you use for this.

Line a strainer with a basket-type coffee filter, or a paper towel.  Put the strainer over a medium-size bowl and then scoop all the yogurt into the strainer.  Put it in the fridge and leave it alone for 8 hours or so.

When you take it out of the fridge, be careful….the bowl will have liquid in it [whey].  You can dump the whey down the sink.  I’m not sure if there’s anything you can do with whey!

Put your thick, delicious yogurt back in the container and VOILA….greek-style yogurt for half the price!

:)

An article about GMOs

Buttery spread

I’m not posting this to tell you that butter is better than margarine or vice versa.  For whatever reason you choose to use either, is up to you.

I love butter. 

Our kitchen is so cold in the winter months that butter stays hard and unspreadable.  In the summer, it’s so warm that the butter starts to melt and goes rancid too quickly.  I don’t have a special butter-keeper to keep it at the perfect spreadability.

I’ve tried the store-bought spreadable butters [found next to the real butter in the dairy section], and they are good but too pricey for me.

So, I made my own.  Oh yeah.

1 cup [half the block] of butter.  I use unsalted.

1/4 cup of oil.  I used canola this time, but experiment to find an oil you prefer.

2-4 tbls water

In a bowl with a hand mixer, a food processor or a mixer:

Mix butter until softened.  Add the oil a bit at a time.  Gradually add the water until you’ve got the desired consistency.  Store in the fridge in a covered container.

Buttery goodness.  No excessive packaging. Minimal cost.  :)

Carrot Cake … a wee bit healthier version

I love carrot cake.  Wanting to use up some extra carrots I had in the fridge, I used this tried and true recipe, but tweaked it a bit to make it a little healthier.  This did it!!

Serve with a drizzle of warm, home made caramel sauce.

• 1 cup organic Palm sugar
• 1/2 cup of cream cheese
• 2 tbls of ground flax seeds
  
• 6 tablespoons water
  
• 1 cup flour [I used organic white, but I’d like to try a different flour the next time]
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 1+ cups finely grated Carrots

Juice Jigglers

When my girls were little, one of their favourite treats was Knox Blox.  Instead of making them with Jello, I would use fruit juice.  I haven’t made them in many years but thought I’d try to find a healthier alternative for little grandson, J.

These are quite yummy, but I want to try to find an alternative to Gelatin.  Next time, I will experiment with Agar to make these a vegan choice.

I used frozen strawberries and didn’t add the water.  Actually, I don’t think I would add the water even if I use fresh fruit.  The blocks gelled, but not as firm as I would like.

            Juice Jigglers

• 1 cup organic mixed berries
• 1/4 cup water [may or may not be needed]
• 1/2 cup organic apple juice
• 1/2 cup organic juice
• 5 teaspoons of gelatin *

* When I figure out the amount of Agar to use, I will re-post

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the berries and water. Bring to a boil and cook until berries are soft, about 5 minutes. Blend [or use an immersion blender] berries until smooth. Return to pot. Add applesauce.  Return to a boil, remove from heat, cover and set aside.

In a bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold fruit juice and let stand one minute. Add to hot fruit mixture and stir until gelatin completely dissolves, 3 to 5 minutes.

Pour into 8 x 8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish.  Cut into squares when set!

Energy Gel with Chia Seeds

Who knew something so simple could pack such a punch!  No need for energy drinks that are full of sugar and other bad stuff.  This is a treat for anyone who wants a healthy alternative for a pick-me-up!

Chia seeds are full of omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, magnesium, protein and good carbs.  If you mix it with organic juice or coconut water … whoa! 

Coconut water is loaded with electrolytes, natural sugars and other good nutrients.  If you choose a healthy juice, you can water it down a bit to lessen the sugar content somewhat.

Soak 2 tbls of Chia seeds [whole or ground] in 1 cup of liquid.  Experiment with using more or less liquid, depending on your preference of consistency.  Let it soak for about 10 minutes, shake or stir and let it sit.  Stir again.  Let it sit in the fridge overnight or for a few hours.  It will keep in the fridge up to two weeks. 

You can make a batch and drink it as is or add it to your smoothies!

I made mine with 1 cup of Kiju Organic juice, water and 2 tbls of ground Chia seeds.

Have you got any favourite Chia Seeds recipes?

For more info:  Chia Gel

Protein Bars, made at home!

It’s amazing!  I had no idea it was so easy to make protein bars at home.  Sometimes I can’t be bothered to make a shake, but after whipping up a recipe of these bars, it’s so easy to grab a quick snack…that’s packed with protein!

I start with Protein powder that has no antibiotics, no GMOs, no Growth Hormones and is Gluten-Free.  A Beef source that is grain-fed is even better.  You can also use plant based protein powder such as Hemp, Pumpkin Seed, etc.

Homemade Protein Bar Recipe:

• 4 scoops of protein powder [I used Vanilla] **
• 1/3 cup ground flax
• 2 tbls hemp seeds
• 2 tbls chia seeds
• 2 tbls wheat germ
• 1/4 cup [heaping] peanut butter
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup chopped dates, softened
• 2-3 tbls unsweetened cocoa powder
• [optional sweetener] Agave Nectar or Stevia to taste.  Some protein powders are sweetened, so you may not need to add any extra sugars.

I used to mix it all in a bowl, but I found that it’s much easier in the food processor.  Just dump everything in and pulse at first to mix the ingredients up, then process till everything sticks together.

Empty the mixture onto a clean board or counter and ‘knead’ until well mixed.  Roll into a thick tube and slice into 6-8 bars or more if you want.  

Store the bars in fridge.  Once set they will be dense and chewy.  Makes 6-8 bars, depending on how big you want them.  1 bar [of six] contain approx. 28g of protein.

Next time, I’m going to add some pureed prunes or dates to the mixture.

** When I was having a really hard time mixing up the ingredients, I realized that the Kaizen Protein Powder that I use has a larger scoop than others I’ve tried.  Each scoop packs 35g of protein, where most other scoops are roughly 25-28g.  You may want to alter your recipe accordingly depending on what size scoop your powder has.

Gluten-Free Brownie in a Mug

This is by far the best brownie-in-a-mug recipe I’ve tried.  I tweaked the recipe a bit from this blog.  Gluten-Free and delicious!

Mug Brownie - Gluten-Free

• 1/4 cup oat flour, quinoa flour or other gluten-free flour blend**
• 1/4 Coconut Palm Sugar
• 2 tbls unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tbls melted coconut oil or other mild oil
• 2-4 tbls milk, coffee or water

In a microwave-safe mug or bowl, stir together the dry ingredients until no lumps remain. Stir in the oil and milk until you have a creamy paste. I used 3-4 tbls of liquid and it turned out more gooey than dense.

Microwave on high for a minute, stir, then cook until set.  Microwaves vary, so this may take up to two minutes.  Serve warm!

**  I didn’t have any gluten-free flour on hand, so I ground some quinoa in my coffee-grinder until I had a fine powder.  Voila….flour!!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Molasses Cookies

These are seriously sinful.  That is all.

This recipe is originally from here.  I made it a little simpler

Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter [if using salted, omit the added salt]

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
1 large egg

2 teaspoons flax seeds [No biggy if you don’t have flax seeds]
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-2 cups dark chocolate chips or chunks
course sea salt for sprinkling on top of cookies just before baking

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Melt the butter small saucepan over low heat or in a microwaveable cup. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

In a mixer, blend the molasses and granulated sugar.  Pour in the melted butter.  Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for about 1-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Slowly incorporate the flour mixture until thoroughly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spoon.

Chill the dough for about 20 minutes, then scoop onto parchment-lined baking sheets or lightly grease a cookie sheet.  Lightly sprinkle each dough ball with a few flecks of sea salt.  It really brings out the chocolate flavour.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown, checking the cookies after 5 minutes. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Ranger Debb’s Hot Cereal Spectacular [aka Sexy Gruel…because it’s SO. DARN. GOOD]

**edited

Oatmeal, Shmoatmeal.  That’s boring. 

Hubby and I have been trying to eat healthier lately, and long-story short, we are trying to reduce our meat intake and increase our fruits, veggies, grains and whole foods. 

Being a fan of hot cereal in the morning, my go-to was usually oatmeal.  Not the instant kind, but the whole grain rolled oats.  Sometimes I’d have Oat Bran, sometimes Red River.  I love it all!

Then I started to add some ground Flax seeds.  Then some Chia Seeds.  Then, badda-bing-badda-boom, I had concocted this amazing medley of whole grains and seeds for an amazing morning meal!  It packs a punch.

**I’ve been tweaking the ingredients for a while and I think I finally came up with a mixture that I like.  It’s not too mushy, not too grainy.  As in the words of Goldilocks……”it’s just right!”

I make a big pot of this and it’s good for about a week of morning goodness for hubby and me.

• 1/3 cup ground Flax seeds
• 1/4 cup ground Wheat Germ
• 1/4 cup Quinoa
• 1/4 cup Amaranth seeds
• 1/4 cup Chia Seeds
• 1 cup Scotch oatmeal OR Steel Cut Oats  [or a mixture of both] OR Red River Cereal
• 1/2 cup Oat Bran
• 2 1/2 cups whole grain Oatmeal [you can also use Spelt and/or Kamut flakes]

This makes a total of 5 cups dry cereal [approx].  Add 2 1/2 - 3 times the amount of liquid.

**Optional:  1/4 cup Kasha [buckwheat].  Be sure to adjust the water content accordingly.  For added protein punch, add some Hemp Seeds

FOR GLUTEN-FREE CEREAL:  Be sure you are purchasing Gluten-Free whole oats and oat bran.  Omit the wheat germ and replace with more flax, quinoa, chia and/or amaranth.  Do not use Red River Cereal.  Experiment with other gluten-free grains to find the right mixture for you!

Measure everything into a large pot.  Add the liquid* (see below).  Stir thoroughly and bring to a gentle boil.  Be sure to stir often as the amaranth tends to sink to the bottom in the beginning and can stick or burn.   Turn the heat to low and cover the pot.  Stir once in a while until cooked - about 20-30 minutes.

*I always cook with some milk, usually Almond Fresh.  You can do a 50/50 ratio if you want, but I add at least one cup of fresh milk.  If you find it a bit dry when nearly done, just add another 1/4 - 1/2 cup of liquid. 

Smother it with fresh fruit, some maple syrup or Agave nectar and you’ve got yourself a kick-ass kick-start to your day!