Homemade Ranch Dressing

Update:  I just corrected the amount of agave in this recipe.  It originally said "1 - 2 T." but it should be 1 - 2 tsp.  Sorry about that. 

This is yet another recipe that I expected not to fully love considering that I am admittedly addicted to anything sugary, processed, or full of MSG.  Or at least I was.  Now I just do my best to stay away from it... mostly, so as not to tempt myself too much with it.  Because although my tastebuds say they need it, my body does not love it once consumed. 

Here's the mix part of this recipe (store in an airtight container):
2/3 c. dried parsley flakes
3 1/2 T. dried dill weed
5 tsp. garlic powder
1/3 c. onion powder
1/4 c. sea salt

When you're ready to make your dressing:

Place 5 tsp. of dressing mix into small bowl and add the following

1 c. Vegenaise* (found in health food stores in the refrigerated section -- you can use mayonaisse in a pinch but try to find one made with olive oil or other heart healthy oil)

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. plain yogurt

1 - 2 tsp. agave nectar (remember to buy raw)

1/2 - 1 tsp. raw apple cider vinegar

Mix well with a whisk.  Refrigerate for up to 4 weeks.  So yummy!  And it's thick like my favorite brands too. 

 Enjoy!

Recipe source:  The Diet Rebel's Cookbook

Taco Seasoning

When I first made this taco seasoning, I have to admit, I was expecting something sort of bland.  The packets you buy in the store are full of MSG which really helps enhance the flavor of certain foods.  Nevermind that it's absolutely horrible for our bodies. 

So, when I used it in my Taco Soup recipe, I was expecting to tell my family that it's just something we'll have to get used to... the bland taste. 

What I wasn't expecting was to actually like it MORE than the convenient little packets I have been using for years!  No joke, even my kids and Anthony said it was better.  So happy about that! 

So, here's the recipe... I'm positive you're going to LOVE it!

2/3 c. onion powder (or onion granules)
1 1/4 c. chili pepper powder
1 3/4 T. garlic powder
2/3 c. ground cumin
3 1/2 T. paprika
3 1/2 T. dried oregano
2 T. Sucanat (dehydrated cane juice)

Mix it all up and store in an airtight container. 

So easy, right?  And definitely yummy.  After a tiny bit of research (because I have never measured a packet of taco seasoning) I learned that 4 T. (1/4 cup) is the equivalent of one packet.  Now, go make yourself some tacos or something.

Recipe Source:  The Diet Rebel's Cookbook

Sesame Noodles with Jerk Chicken

This is a recipe I discovered while signed up for the services at Deals to Meals.  It's a great service that shows you how to save money at the grocery store without coupons.  I don't know about you but the idea of coupons, for me, sounds wonderful.  However, the reality is, it takes up a lot of time and energy that, quite frankly, I just don't have.  Besides, with our new found style of eating, there just really aren't a lot of coupons out there for the types of things we eat now.  Most of them are for highly processed and highly sugared foods.  Not all, but most.  Is that fair enough to say? 

I don't get the newspaper anyway so I don't get the inserts unless I ask my grandpa to save his for me.  He's perfectly willing to do so but I have found the services at Deals to Meals to fit my needs just right.  Besides the list of groceries on sale at a store you choose, she also gives you a whole menu for dinners, desserts, and other things for the week.  You should check them out.  They aren't available in every state but it is growing.  And the cost is very minimal.   

I tried this recipe for the first time about a year ago and I absolutely fell in love with the flavors!  Anthony, however, really liked the noodle part but wasn't such a fan of the jerk chicken flavor.  When I made it again a couple of weeks ago, he decided he liked it only after he had already grilled himself a boring piece of plain chicken.  He tried my jerk chicken just for good measure and really liked it.  Crazy guy!  So then I was forced to split my delicious chicken with the jerk husband.  OH wait!  Let me try that again... that came out wrong.  I happily split my delicious jerk chicken with my handsome husband who decided he really liked it.  That's better!  And just for the record, I don't really think my husband is a jerk.  It was just my lame attempt at being funny.  

Jerk Chicken
Marinate as many pieces of boneless skinless chicken breasts as you think you will need in the following for about 1-4 hours:

Juice of 2 limes
1/2 c. orange juice
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 t. allspice
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Grill chicken when it is done marinating.  (We always grill it but you can prepare it in a crock pot until ready to shred if you want.)

Noodles:
1 lb. spaghetti noodles
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 clove of garlic, grated
3 T. peanut butter
1/4 c. low sodium soy sauce
a dash or two of hot sauce
2 T. canola oil
2 T. honey
3 T. Sucanat (or brown sugar in a pinch)
1 can of pineapple chunks, drained (or 1/2 of a fresh pineapple)
1 red pepper, sliced thin
1/2 bag slaw salad mix (last time we made this I didn't have any so I just thinly cut some green cabbage and threw in some spinach leaves.  We actually liked it best this way)
Green onions, sliced small
Sesame seeds

Cook spaghetti according to directions.  While pasta cooks, heat chicken broth in small saucepan.  Once warm, add ginger, garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce, hot sauce, canola oil, and honey.  Whisk into broth. 

In large bowl, combine peppers, pineapple and salad mix.  Add drained pasta to the bowl and toss to combine.  Pour sauce over noodles and toss again.  Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. 

You can either shred chicken and combine it with pasta mixture or eat the chicken on the side.  We like it both ways. 

The great thing about this recipe is that it's completely clean as long as you use Sucanat, peanut butter with only peanuts (maybe some salt), and whole grain pasta.  But either way, it's still not a terrible dish! 

Kebab, anyone?

So, what do you do when dinner isn't planned out and it's 5:30 already?  Spaghetti, right?  Oh wait, that was tonight... but last night we were in this exact predicament. 

Hmm, what should we have?  I had two chicken breasts, a small container of cherry tomatoes and one green pepper.  KEBABS, of course! 

To be honest, Anthony and I have never made these before.  The only thing I know is that you take meat, a bunch of veggies and fruit.  The only fruit I could think to use was pineapple.  I was out of the canned chunks but had some canned sliced pineapple.  Voila! 

Ok, so maybe in a perfect world we would have had more options (maybe some mushrooms, olives, steak, onions, etc.) but this worked great in a pinch.  We used what we had and loved them! 

Forgive the pictures... remember I'm using Anthony's phone while my camera is somewhere in California being serviced 'under warranty'.  We'll see.  My guess is they come back and say that I did something to it.  I didn't, but I'm guessing they'll say so. 

The best part?  Completely CLEAN!!! and delicious, of course.

Oh crap!  I just remember that I was going to post the Sour Cream Chocolate Cake. 

Recipes

I want to know what your take on recipes is. 

Are they something that should be shared or something that we should keep secret so that when you make them, everyone ooohs and aaahhs over you and the prized recipe you make but won't share?  Or maybe you feel that there are some recipes that should be shared while others should be kept a secret. 

I admit, having people go nuts over something you make feels great!  It's a sense of accomplishment that you know no one else can touch.  However, while I used to be of the mentality that I should keep the great ones to myself, I have changed my tune the past few years.  

My MIL would say that it's 'selfish' not to share recipes.  She's had one too many people tell her that they won't share a recipe for one reason or another. 

The internet is a worldwide cookbook in and of itself and I have found so many recipes that will be a part of my treasury for years to come.  Some I've loved as is while others I've adapted to my own or my family's liking.  A lot of recipes have come from friends and family members and some are concoctions we came up with ourselves.  

While my family has been eating pretty clean for a while, we still like to treat ourselves to a sugary sweet or dessert.  And with all the birthdays we celebrated last month and of course Easter, we've had our fair share of sweets.  And with Easter and all... well, let's not go there. 

I've decided that not only is sharing recipes a good thing, a blog is also a great way to keep track of recipes, sweet and savory.  So, I'm going to be adding a lot of our tried and true recipes for myself to keep track of and also for anyone else that might want to try them.  I promise to only post the real keepers, not the ones that were just mediocre.  And trust me, if I can make them successfully... ANYONE can.  I am the poster child for kitchen mishaps and blunders.  Besides that, I'm a very average cook/baker.  Nothing extravagant or fancy.  Plain Jane, here.

Some recipes will be clean while others are extremely dirty.  But hey, they're great for a cheat meal! 

Which reminds me, I never did share the recipes for the cakes I made from the Birthday Post.  That's first up...

What's your take on the recipe discussion?  To share, or not to share? 

Green Smoothie 'Recipe'

It seems that ever since I started talking about green smoothies, not just here on the blog but just in general, I get a lot of people wanting recipes.  Let me just say, I don't use a real recipe, although, I have a .... what should I call it? a formula? 

So, for those that are interested in incorporating more vegetables and fruits into their diet, here's what I've got for you.  This is the only way I get all the servings of veggies I'm supposed to get in a day, according to the Food Guide Pyramid.  I have a hard time eating that many just on their own.  And trust me, you eat enough, you become VERY regular if you know what I'm sayin'. ;) 

Here are the basics:
**Remember, I'm usually making a large batch because of my family size.  When they see me pull the blender out (or HEAR the blender) they all come running.  They LOVE drinking their vegetables**

• Milk -- 1 - 1 1/2 cups (or more)... cow, rice, almond, whatever you have on hand
• 2 large handfuls of spinach
• 1 large kale leaf (benefits of kale are wonderful but if you have too much, the flavor overpowers everything else) *optional*
• 1 small bunch or 1 leaf of any other kind of green leaf (collard greens, butter leaf, red leaf lettuce, etc.) you might have *optional*
• Blend all this up.  If your blender is having a hard time, you may need to add more liquid 

Not very appetizing yet.  But here's the yummy part...

• 1 or 2 ripe bananas (this helps make a creamier texture, not to mention great flavor)
• Other fresh and frozen fruits -- blueberries, strawberries, pineapple, peaches, mangos, apples, pears, etc.  Leave the skin on the apples and pears.  That is where many of the nutrients are.  A good blender should have no problem with it.

My family likes to have about 1/2 - 3/4 of the fruit frozen to make it cold and thick.  And here's a tip with the fruit; we have found that mild flavored fruits such as strawberries, peaches, apples, and pears are really great in green smoothies but they don't cut the "green" flavor out as much as the stronger flavored fruits.  So, in addition to the mild fruits we like to add blueberries and especially pineapple which cuts the "green" flavor out pretty well.  I'm not going to tell you they taste like Jamba Juice but they are pretty darn good.  My kids devour them! 

Extras:

• a couple spoonfuls of flax seed
• replace part of the milk with orange juice (that will help with the "green" flavor as well)
• add plain Greek yogurt, it really adds to the overall texture and flavor
• replace some greens with other veggies such as carrots and cucumber,

Just play around with the ratios.  We started out with about 1/3 greens or veggies and 2/3 fruit.  Now we are about 50/50.  Our tastebuds needed to break themselves in slowly. 

If you haven't given green smoothies a try, I'm tellin' ya, you're missing out!  They're a great way to incorporate more of the good stuff.  Great meal replacement!  Trust me, you won't be hungry after drinking one of these. 

A Clean Recipe ---- To start us off

K was in charge of the 'skills demonstration' this week at Liberty Girls so we found this recipe for her to demo.  We had to have a practice run at home.  I'm pretty sure it's clean... I think! 

I know the peanut butter and the honey are clean.  Yes, peanut butter is clean if you buy the right kind.  Not the Jif or the Skippy or some other bigger brands.  I'm talking about the ones you have to stir.  The 'natural' kind! 

Be careful though, some of the Jif and Skippy etc. are labeled as 'natural' but still contain sugars.  Usually LOTS of sugar. 

We really like the Adam's brand.  We don't buy the 'no-stir' kind (which Adam's also carries) because it contains hydrogenated (or maybe it was partially hydrogenated) oils.  YUCK!  Those are bad, stay away from them!  Straight peanuts is what you're looking for.  It's ok if it has a little salt in there too. 

Anyway, the part I'm not sure about is the powdered milk.  I'm not absolutely sure that it's clean but I don't see why it wouldn't be.  It's just milk solids, right? 

Another thing I'm curious about is freeze-dried fruits and vegetables.  Would they be considered clean?  As far as I know, it's just fresh produce... the water's just been taken out.  Add water and VOILA!  It's like fresh again.  From what I hear, all the nutrients are still there as well.  Clean?  I don't see why not.

But wait!  I'm talking about Peanut Butter Balls here.  No fruit or vegetables needed.  Can you imagine?  Gross! 

So, here's the ever-so-complicated recipe. 

Peanut Butter Balls
1 c peanut butter (I suppose you could use the sugary stuff ;))
1 c honey
2 c powdered milk

Mix it all up and form into balls, whatever size you prefer.  You can roll them (or not) in finely chopped nuts, whole grain cereal or, dare I say, powdered sugar.  *EEK*  If I write it small, it's like I never said it ;P

Then place them on a cookie sheet lined in waxed paper or foil and refrigerate for 20 minutes or so. 

They were pretty darn good.  Anthony thought they kind of tasted like the nougat in a candy bar.  I decided that he's right.  They actually turned out very sweet!  And while they are clean, I'm pretty sure I didn't do myself any favors by eating several, then several more.  Darn that sweet tooth of mine!  I'm dying, people! 

Well, enjoy!