Healthy and Delicious Smoothie Recipes for Kids

There is no better way to get you and your children started off to a great day than ensuring a nutritional breakfast. When I was a child, I woke up many a school day to the sound of the blender. That always meant my mother was downstairs whipping up another delicious smoothie concoction for us before school. Smoothies taste great, they are an easy and quick addition to breakfast, and are even fantastic on their own for those busy parents and for kids who simply do not have much of an appetite in the wee hours of the morning.*

Most children will love smoothies because they are like a treat but you can rest assured knowing that these smoothies are a great way for you and your family to get those reccommended daily servingsof fruit and many other vitamins and nutrients necessary for healthy bodies and minds. All you need make these tasty delights is the ingredients, a blender, and under five minutes of time!

(Notes: 1.Ingredient amounts are mostly approximations as recipes are flexible and can be easily adjusted for the desired amount of servings, 2. Dairy ingredients in these recipes can be substituted with soy, rice, or other alternative milk, 3. Once you have a basis for making smoothies, there is no limit to the combinations of different ingredients you can create! )

Banana-Berry Blast

Ice (Approximately 2 handfuls)
1 cup of plain yogurt
2 whole bananas, each cut in half for easier blending
1 cup of blackberries (Fresh or frozen, frozen berries are great because they last longer, blend well, cost less per volume, and are easy to find in your grocery store’s frozen section)
1 cup of blueberres (Fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup of milk

Toss all items in the blender in this order and blend away until smooth!

Orange Creamsicle

Ice
1 cup of vanilla or plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups of orange juice
Dash of lemon Juice (optional)

Blend and enjoy!

Brytt’s Favorite Smoothie Combo

Ice
1 cup of blueberries
1 banana
Two kiwi fruits, peeled and halved
1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
1 mango (see my related short article on the best way to slice a mango!)
1/2 cup milk

*Smoothies can be enjoyed at any time of the day!…

Lebanese Recipes for Healthy Post-Holiday Salads

The Mediterranean Diet is not your typical cut out this, add more of that diet. It's just the way people living in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea happen to eat on a regular basis. Fresh fruits and vegetables, grains and beans, a lot of fish and healthy oils are the staples of the diet. Adding in fresh herbs and spices provides a ton flavor to the dishes making them as delicious as they are healthy.

Salads in particular offer a lot of flavor punch with the added benefits of plenty of fiber and healthy fats. Although a salad recipe from Lebanon may sound exotic and difficult to make, they are super simple and don't require any obscure ingredients. Plus, you make the dressing yourself so you know exactly what's in it and limit those nasty additives and preservatives.

Try these healthy salad recipes with chicken or fish.

Lebanese Fatoush Salad

2-3 small or 1-2 large loaves of good, thin pita bread
1 tablespoon of dried mint
1 bunch of scallions
Juice of 2 lemons
1/3 cup of olive oil
1 head of lettuce or equivalent amount of leafy greens
1 large cucumber
1 small clove of garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place loaves of pita on oven racks and toast for 10-15 minutes until hard. Be careful not to burn the bread.

While the bread is toasting, cut up lettuce, scallions, and cucumber into small bite-sized pieces and place into a bowl.

When the bread is finished toasting, crush the loaves into small pieces over the salad. The pieces should be mostly bite-sized, but a few smaller pieces are fine too.

Mince the garlic with a microplane grater over the bowl. Add mint, crushing it finely by rubbing it between your hands. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and combine all ingredients until the salad is evenly coated with the dressing.

Serving Tips

  1. Wait to dress the salad until just before serving so the bread doesn't get too soggy.
  2. If you don't plan to serve the salad all at once, make dressing in a separate container and keep pita chips in a separate bag. Top salad with pita chips and dressing just before serving.
  3. Use whole wheat pita for added fiber.

Lebanese Tabooleh Salad

½ cup fine bulgur (cracked wheat)
2 large bunches of flat leaf parsley
1 pint grape tomatoes…

Healthy and Unique Omelet Recipes

I like to make an omelet that I can sink my teeth into! Here are several delicious omelet recipes of mine.

  1. Sometimes I start with one or two whole extra large eggs and then add two or three egg whites; The smaller amount will feed one, but I made the larger number to feed my husband and I, along with turkey bacon and toast. Next, I lightly spray a non-stick pan with non-stick olive oil spray and drizzle one or two teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil on the pan. Take a half a bunch of asparagus, a few slices of onions, a couple of sliced garlic cloves, and several mushrooms that are washed well and saute them lightly in the pan. When the vegetables are a little soft, add the well-mixed eggs that have two tablespoons of milk added to them to the pan. Sprinkle a half-a-cup of sharp cheddar cheese on top of the mixture. Fold in half when the egg mixture seems to be solidifying. Cook on both sides of the folded omelet until browned to taste. Add black pepper. There’s enough salt in cheese, so if you want to be healthy, don’t add more.
  2. Take one small package, about nine ounces, of Birds Eye frozen cauliflower, broccoli, and carrots in a cheese sauce. You can saute the mixture in a small sauce pan until cooked; separately mix one or two whole extra large eggs and then add two or three egg whites; Add the eggs, along with two tablespoons of milk, and pour into pan sprayed with butter flavor non-stick cooking spray and drizzle two teaspoons of olive oil on the pan. Add the egg mixture; add pepper; after the eggs start to solidify, add the vegetable and cheese mixture. After it mostly solidifies, fold in half; cook both sides until lightly browned.
  3. Take your two eggs and three egg whites and mix in two tablespoons of milk and add to pan prepared as in previous recipes; cook until eggs are solidifying and add to the vegetables that you steamed or sauteed last night for dinner, like broccoli, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots. Cover with a couple of slices of Swiss cheese. When mostly solidified, fold in half; cook on both sides until lightly browned.
  4. Prepare pan as in previous recipes; mix egg and milk and pour into oiled pan. Take leftover sliced, baked eggplant Parmesan slices
…

Siobhan's Healthy and Simple Recipes

Cooking healthy and tasty meals shouldn't have to be time-consuming or stressful. I rarely use a cookbook, instead opting for experimentation. The following recipes are my very own creations.

Spinach Delight

This dish is my own personal take on quiche. Who has time to make real quiche these days? And it's so fatty with that crust. Here is a simple solution which is even tastier than the real thing.

Lots of washed, uncooked spinach broken into pieces

2 slices of ham cut in pieces

Half an onion cut into pieces

1 or 2 Fresh mushrooms sliced

1 1/2 slices of whole wheat or multigrain bread broken into bits

Grated marble cheese

Dash of black pepper

1 egg beaten

1/2 cup milk 2%

Put a layer of bread bits on bottom of aluminum pie pan. Pour egg milk mixture over top. Add spinach, press spinach down so that it is soaked. Sprinke ham and mushroom. Sprinkle onions last. Sprinkle grated cheese over top. Add small sprinkle of black pepper. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes. Grill for a couple minutes. Take out, cool down for 5 minutes. Cut, scoop out with pancake flipper, eat.

Beans and Toast

This dish is really simple, yet really satisfying.

Pinto Beans

Kidney Beans

Chilli Pepper

Red Pepper chopped

Green Pepper chopped

Chopped tomato

Chopped onion

Tomato Sauce

Black Pepper and Salt, just a dash

Sprinkling of grated marble cheese

Mix all the ingredients together except for the cheese. Decide how much you want to eat, put in bowl, sprinkle with grated cheese. Warm up in microwave 1-2 minutes. Eat with a slice of whole wheat or multigrain toast.

Curry Rice

2 tsp of yellow curry

2 cups of rice

2 1/2 cups of water

2 tbs of butter

1/2 tsp of brown sugar

1 small onion chopped

1 cup black raisins

1/2 tsp of salt

3/4 cup almond splinters

Mix all the ingredients together in a large pot. Bring to boil, reduce temp to medium low, continue to boil till most of liquid is gone, cover with lid and boil on low until liquid is gone. Stir frequently before putting lid on. Careful not to burn, adjust temp. accordingly.…

Healthy and Hearty Fall Recipes

Summer is coming to an end and the crisp fall nights are returning. If your looking for recipes that will keep you warm on a cold night, here are two of my family's favorite fall crockpot meals that are easy to make and really delicious.

Chicken Casserole
1 pkg. scalloped potatoes
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pkg. frozen vegetables
1 pkg. stir fry vegetables
1 lb. chicken breasts
1 teaspoon paprika

Put potatoes in crock pot. Mix together the soup, water, potato sauce and garlic powder.

Layer all vegetables in crockpot. Add the chicken and pour the soup mix over the top.

Cook: Low 5 hours

Pot Roast with Vegetables
4 lbs roast
4 potatoes, cut into small quarters
2 carrots, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons seasoning salt
1 cup water

Add everything to the crockpot. Cook on low for 10 hours…

4th of July Healthy Dessert Recipe Idea: Festive Blueberry-Strawberry Roulade

Fruity and light desserts like the Festive and Blueberry-Strawberry Roulade are perfect for holiday or summertime picnics, including the Fourth of July.

This Fourth of July dessert is best when refrigerated. Because of the yogurt filling, it also should not be left out in the heat too long.

The good news is, once you bring out this Fourth of July dessert, it won't last long!

Ingredients for Fourth of July Healthy Dessert Recipe Idea

Before you go to the grocery store for you Fourth of July BBQ or picnic needs, print out this list so you have everything you need for this cool and light dessert.

The fruits in this Fourth of July recipes are blue blueberries and red strawberries. The listed amounts are for the filling. Save some to decorate the plate when you serve this dessert on the Fourth of July, to add patriotic colors to the roulade.

3 large eggs
1 cup super fine white sugar
1 cup flour
1 tbspn water
non-stick spray

Filling:

3/4 cup low-fat yogurt
1 tspn almond extract
1/2 tspn Pure vanilla extract
1 tspn lemon extract (optional)
1 cup fresh slice strawberries
1/4 cup fresh blueberries (cut in half if small children will be eating this dessert)
2 tbspns slivered almonds
1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Preparation for the Fourth of July Festive Blueberry-Strawberry Roulade

Before making this healthy dessert, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. If it's hot or your house is without air conditioning, do this part in the evening.

To make this 4th of July healthy dessert you will need to gather the following cooking supplies, in addition to the ingredients above:

2 large nesting bowls or one bowls and one pan large enough to fit the mixing bowl
1 mixer
1 10×14 jelly roll pan or shallow baking dish
1 whisk
parchment paper
one long or narrow serving platter or dish
1 clean dish towel

Place a large piece of parchment paper on the counter.

Make the Pastry for the 4th of July Healthy Dessert Recipe Idea

First, make the dessert pastry for the 4th of July Healthy Dessert. Combine the three eggs, one cup of sugar in the bowl.

In the larger bowl or pan, add hot water. Place the smaller bowl on top of that. Use the whisk to mix the eggs and sugar. The mixture will thicken.

Next, take the mixing bowl out of the …