Sneaky Mommy Secrets

Double Smoothie Strawberry Pie

2011-01-23T17:45:00.002-06:00

Here is a new recipe that I tried this week and my family loved it. I also shared it with a fellow church family and they enjoyed it as well. It is from the website http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com/. These moms are dieticians who have written two cookbooks and offer recipes as well as recipe makeovers on their website.

Immediately below is the picture from the actual website which is a lot prettier than my cell phone picture below, but I did like that my filling cooled with the shape of heart in it, so I thought I would share it, too.

My husband especially enjoyed the crust which contains crushed graham crackers as well as flaxseed. I think it could easily be substituted for any other graham cracker crust recipe.

Please check out the Meal Makeover Moms website for more great recipes and tips to encourage healthy eating in your home. Click the title of this blog post or here to get the full recipe.

Enjoy!

Sneaky Sloppy Joes

2011-01-18T17:14:00.002-06:00

I have been cooking lately just not blogging. So here goes my attempt to add some of my favorite recipes that we have tried and enjoyed over the last several months. First, I want to share this yummy and easy recipe for sloppy joes. I tried the Sneaky Chef's recipe for "Camouflage Joes," but felt that it was kind of bland for our tastes. So, I consulted my old faithful Betty Crocker Cookbook and found a recipe for sloppy joes and decided to combine the seasonings of the Betty Crocker recipe with the Sneaky Chef recipe. It was a successful experiment. The Sneaky Chef recipe recommended ground turkey and called for white puree for added health benefit. I added old-fashioned oats, seasonings such as worcestershire sauce, garlic and chili powder as well as chopped green pepper for flavor.

I did have to make two versions: the grown up version, pictured below, with large chunks of onion and green pepper and the picky husband/kid friendly version where I pureed the onion and green pepper which is pictured in the picture below.

Grown-up Sloppy Joe

Picky husband/kid friendly Sloppy Joe

For convenience, I made a double batch of this recipe and then froze individual servings of snack size bags which I then placed in a freezer bag. Now when I need a quick lunch or dinner, I just have to thaw the number of servings that I need.

Click here or on the title of this blog entry to get the entire recipe in a printable version.

Enjoy!

Got Breakfast Cookies?

2010-09-16T17:17:00.000-05:00

No one questions the importance of providing your family a healthy breakfast these days. Some of the benefits include: better brain power, especially when it comes to memory; better test scores, school attendance and mood; longer attention spans in school; better overall nutrition; and, healthier body weights, even for breakfast-eaters who end up eating more overall calories than those who routinely skip the first meal of the day. The dilemma becomes finding the time on busy mornings to make any breakfast, much less a healthy one. Honestly, some of the convenience foods that are available in stores these days are just plain scary when you examine their nutritional content (or lack thereof).

I guess you can say that I am a bit obsessive about breakfast. I love to test breakfast recipes and then figure out the best way to make them ahead of time for a quick breakfast on a busy morning. That is one of the reasons that I started this blog. I wanted to share some of the yummy, healthy recipes that I had found with family and other moms.

The very first "sneaky" recipe that I ever tried was for Breakfast Cookies. That was over two years ago and to this day if we are out of breakfast cookies there is an air of panic in our home. I love this recipe for many reasons. First, they are delicious. Second, they are super healthy stocked full of wheat germ, whole grain cereal, whole wheat flour and low fat ricotta cheese. Finally, when I make a quadruple batch like pictured above then freeze the dough in balls, I have a quick and easy breakfast that is ready in less than 15 minutes, 12 of which I don't have to do anything but wait for the timer to go off. Click here for the first post that I ever wrote about breakfast cookies.

This is a great place to start if you are thinking about trying some healthier options in your home. Besides what kid (or grown up) would not love having cookies for breakfast.

Enjoy!

Skillet Wagon Wheel Pasta

2010-09-08T16:09:00.001-05:00

I am so excited. I got a new cookbook in the mail. I could seriously sit and pour over a cookbook for hours (or squeeze in 5-10 minutes as often as I can). I may have even taken a cookbook to read while waiting for my son at Kindermusik. I love cookbooks and cooking magazines. My new love is America's Test Kitchen which is a great, informational TV show on PBS. You can visit the website, too. America's Test Kitchen is also responsible for the magazines Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country. Their mission is to create and test recipes until they perfect them and then share the results. They have scientists on staff to analyze ingredients and explain why certain reactions occur and therefore why your bread turns out flat, for example. The inner science geek in me thinks that is awesome. Their job is to test and re-test and re-test recipes until they get it just right. How cool is that? Well, as you can tell, I am pretty excited that America's Test Kitchen came out with a Healthy Family Cookbook. I have tested three recipes so far and have not been disappointed.

First, I wanted to share this easy, one-skillet recipe for a healthy, kid-friendly meal. The recipe calls for turkey or chicken italian sausage, spinach, peas and fun wagon wheel pasta. It had a great flavor and the best part is that I was able to cook it all in one large skillet. I also thought that incorporating the spinach with the pasta was a great way to include wilted spinach without setting out a serving of pure wilted spinach which may not look too appetizing for grown ups much less kiddos. I used a seasoned chicken sausage as pictured below, but the recipe calls for sweet, Italian sausage. You could change the recipe easily just by changing the type of sausage and style of pasta that you use. I do think that I will add a few more peas the next time because I really like their sweetness with the other flavors in this dish. It was also really good reheated for lunch the next day. I do wish that some of the healthier pastas, like Ronzoni Smart Taste, came in fun shapes like this.

Click here, to get the full recipe in a printable version and ENJOY!

Homemade Fruit Roll-ups

2010-08-03T16:03:00.001-05:00

Recently I found this handy tip for hulling strawberries. It is great for when you need to hull several strawberries and not waste any of the strawberry by using a knife to cut the top off. It works better with a sturdy straw (like the ones you get from Sonic). Simply place the straw through the bottom/center of the strawberry and push toward the stem. The center/hull of the strawberry comes out through the straw and all you have left is yummy strawberries. I used this technique to make homemade fruit roll-ups not long ago.

This is something that I had wanted to try for awhile. My mom, Seth and I made the annual visit to Reid Valley Orchard in Kentucky and picked lots of fresh blueberries. It was surprisingly easy although it did require 5-6 hours on the lowest setting in my oven to completely dry out. But, it did not require any specific attention during that time. I just had to be in the house (which some days is hard to find that kind of time).

Just click here to get the full recipe, but here is the short version. I pureed the fruit, cooked it on the stove-top with some honey and almond extract until it was thick and then poured it on top of parchment paper in a large bar pan, placed it in the oven and waited and waited. It was worth the wait. Once the fruit leather cooled, I covered it with plastic wrap and cut it into to three sections which I rolled up and then sliced into individual roll-ups. Stored well and travelled well. Tasty fruit treat without all the crazy preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.

For more kitchen tips, click go to http://www.tammysrecipes.com/ and check out some of her yummy recipes and other great tips.

Enjoy!

Homemade Fish Sticks

2010-06-17T14:52:00.002-05:00

I cannot believe that it has been a month since I last posted here. Where does the time go? I have been cooking, sometimes it feels like all I do is make a mess in the kitchen, clean it up, make a mess, clean it up . . .you get the picture. But, I have to admit that I have been using up my stores of pre-made food and purees and that my usually well-stocked freezer is almost bare. Now, I just have to find the time in our busy summer schedule to schedule another puree party and maybe a chicken tender making party, which I hosted several months ago (I forgot to take any pictures and therefore figured that it would not have made a great blog post), but have since emptied my stores of frozen chicken tenders.

Recently, my son tried fish sticks for the first time and enjoyed them. But, trying to find a "healthy" premade fish stick is practically impossible. I have used resources such as Eat This, Not That and while it does offer one or two products to try, those brands are not available in my area. The other part to this endeavor is that I am trying to be a big girl and try new foods that I previously would not eat. Fish, would be one such food. So, I got out my sneaky cookbooks, waited until my mom was here for moral support and finally took the plunge. I don't know why I was so intimidated by working with fish, but I was, and maybe you are too. I learned that my irrational concerns were just that, irrational, and made some yummy and healthy fish sticks that my family now enjoys. As far as my journey with learning to eat fish, it is off to a slow, steady start with several successful ventures involving tilapia. Any suggestions for a newbie fish eater would be greatly appreciated.

This recipe is fairly simple and almost identical to the tasty chicken tenders that I have been making for quite a while. I started with fresh tilapia (the recipe also says that you can use flounder). I cut the fish into "sticks" about one inch wide strips or whatever looks like a fish stick in your home. Before I got the fish out of the refrigerator I prepared my breading station which looked like this except I used white puree instead of orange.

Once your fish is cut into sticks then it is time to bread it. Simply, coat it in the flour mixture on both sides, then dredge it through the white puree and egg mixture and then coat in the better breading mixture. I added some simple seasonings to the breading mixture, but could you get creative and add your favorite fish seasoning here as well. If you are going to use immediately then you can go ahead and pan-fry or bake in the oven. But, if you are making these for future use, then place on a waxed paper covered cookie sheet and place in the freezer to "flash freeze" for about 1-2 hours then you can store in freezer bags until you are ready to use. Simply, pan-fry or oven-bake the frozen fish sticks as you would the fresh.

These fish sticks cook more quickly than the chicken tenders and are a great option for a quick dinner or lunch. As a bonus, researches at the University of Sydney have found that children who regularly eat fresh, oily fish have four times lower the risk of developing asthma than do children who rarely eat such fish.

To get the full recipe in a printable format, just click on the title of this post or click on the tab in the sidebar labled recipes and then scroll down to "white puree." Fish sticks should be listed there.

Enjoy! Hopefully, it won't take us this long to catch up again!

Friends' Recipes

2010-05-16T14:52:00.000-05:00

I want to share several healthy recipes that friends have shared with me. You can access these recipes under the "friend's recipes" tab in the right side bar.

First, from my blog friend Ruth: sneaky lasagna

Second, from my real life friend Liz: sneaky cornbread muffins and banana bread.

I would love to try and share any of your favorite healthy recipes as well.

Enjoy!

Guacamole and more

2010-04-28T16:29:00.001-05:00

So very excited to share these great and easy ways to make your own corn chips, guacamole and cheese dip. I recently made these recipes when I was hosting a group of ladies to have a chicken tender making party. I wanted to share some sneaky snacks with them while we made a ton of chicken tenders for our families. The snacks met with great reviews from all my friends as well as myself and my son.

It is not hard to make your own corn chips for dipping or snacking. Not only are you missing out on all the calories, fat and preservatives of packaged tortilla chips, you are providing a good source of calcium, iron and fiber. Basically, you just brush a corn tortilla with olive oil on the front and back and then cut into wedges with a pizza cutter. Place on a large cookie sheet or bar pan and sprinkle with salt. Bake for about 8-10 on each side. For more specific recipe instructions click here.

Then, I needed something to dip my chips in. Salsa is a given and already pretty healthy as is (as long as you keep an eye on the sodium). Then, I found a recipe in my Sneaky Chef cookbook for guacamole. I have to be honest it sounded kind of bland. So, I combined the Sneaky Chef's recipe with one from another cookbook and came up with this concoction. Not only do you get the health benefits of avocado, there is no mayonnaise. Quickly the recipe contains: one avocado, 1/4 c. green puree, 1/4 c. salsa, dash of lime juice, clove of garlic and pinch of salt. Click here for printable guacamole recipe. Isn't it pretty?

Finally, I made a cheese dip for dipping as well. I know that you are thinking that there is nothing healthy about cheese dip, but again the Sneaky Chef came through for me. By using low fat American cheese which melts really well, orange puree and a little milk this dip is creamy and very tasty. It would also be really good drizzled over veggies if your kids needs some camoflage for their veggies. Unfortunately, I forgot to get a picture of the cheese dip. I guess it is time to make more. Click here for entire recipe.

The added benefit is that you are making these snacks and avoiding the processing that comes in the conveniently packaged varieties.

Random side note, a mama bird made a nest in the wreath on my front door. Which has resulted in one hilarious attempt of me shooing her out of my house with a broom and several hilarious startlings of my husband when he opens the front door (he was not amused). Last week I took the wreath off the door and discovered that she had laid four eggs in the wreath which have now hatched into fuzzy little balls of baby birds. So, if you stop by my house beware of the birds as I guess they have now made themselves a part of the family.

Enjoy the snacks and let me know if you have any healthy treats for your family that you would like to share.

Watermelon Popsicles

2010-04-22T08:22:00.001-05:00

It's almost summer and what is more refreshing on a hot summer day than watermelon? How about a watermelon popsicle? I found this recipe on the Meal Makeover Moms website and just had to try it out. It is so simple and great way to use up some of that extra watermelon that may be hanging around.

1 1/2 c. watermelon
1/2 c. pomegranate/blueberry juice

Combine in a blender and then add to popsicle forms or paper cups with popsicle sticks inserted and freeze.

The Meal Makeover Moms recommend Welch's pomeganate/blueberry juice, but after reading some labels in the juice isle I decided to go with V8 V-fusion Light Pomegranate/Blueberry. It has almost half the sugar and calories as the Welch's brand and is fortified with vitamins A, C and E.

There you have it, super simple, super refreshing and super yummy.

Enjoy!

More Mommy Food Blogs

2010-04-13T18:17:00.000-05:00

I recently told you about the website http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com/ which is a website written by two registered dieticians/moms with lots of great recipes as well as tools to arm your arsenal to improve your family's eating habits. I just ordered their cookbook and am really excited to read it from cover to cover as soon as it arrives.

I was so excited to learn that these sneaky and healthy moms have been selected as on of the 50 Best Mom Food Blogs on the internet by Babble.com. I thought that I would include the link here so that you could check out some of these great blogs. I have started reading through some of them and "wow" there is so much information out there that it is a little overwhelming. Maybe we should divide and conquer to be able to check them all out. Here is the link.

Not all of these blogs are super healthy recipes, but they are all about making food with love in your own home. Please let me know if you find a particular blog that peaks your interest or has information that you find particularly valuable.

Enjoy devouring all of this great reading!
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Homemade Gummy Worms

2010-04-08T16:54:00.002-05:00

Do your kids like gummy candy? Mine does. I don't even buy the stuff and he loves it. But, doesn't that seem like the nature of kids - they want the stuff that they don't have on a regular basis and that other kids have. So, when I found out how easy it is to make my own gummy candy I jumped at the opportunity. The ingredients are simple: jello, unflavored gelatin and water. I have used both sugared and sugar free jello in making this recipe at home as I am still torn on my preference for decreasing the amount of sugar that my child consumes and decreasing his exposure to artificial sugar. Just know that you can choose what is right for your family and it will work fine with this recipe. Bonus, these are easy and fun to make with your kids. My son thinks it is fun to open all the packets and pour them into the pan and stir.

Are you dying to know how to do it yet? Here you go:

1 package sugar free jello

5 packages unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients together in a small sauce pan. As you mix it all together, it will get thicker until it is almost the consistency of play-dough. Then heat over low until completely melted. Pour into 8 x 8 pan and place in freezer for about five minutes or until set. If you want to have two colored gummy worms then repeat this process with another flavor of jello while the first color is in the freezer and then add to the top of the other color and return to freezer until set.

The just pull the entire blob of jello out of the pan. It will come out in one big block. Then use a pizza cutter to cut into strips or worms. Just so you know, you cannot use a cookie cutter to cut out shapes from the blob. I tried - it was not successful. If you want to have gummy shapes, then you can use a candy mold and pour the melted jello mixture into the individual molds and let set. Then, just pop them out of the molds. I would like to try this, but my son is pretty hooked on having gummy worms.

I also know that there are some ways to try this from scratch without the jello and maybe with real juices, but I have not gotten that experimental just yet. But, I will let you know when I do!

Enjoy!

Evolving Broccoli and Chicken Casserole

2010-04-04T13:35:00.001-05:00

This recipe is known in our home as Yunker casserole after the family friends that introduced us to it. It has been a staple in our home for years which is amazing since it is a casserole and my husband does not usually like casseroles or food all mixed together. Since I became a "sneaky mommy" I have been steadily and slowly making changes to this recipe to make it healthier.

First, I replaced the store-bought bread crumbs with whole wheat bread crumbs that I keep on hand. You can read about how I make them here. After doing that for several times, I started replacing the mayonnaise called for in the recipe with white puree, which is pureed cauliflower and zucchini. I started by just replacing 1/4 cup of the one cup of mayo and then gradually progressed until I was able to replace the entire cup of mayo with one cup of white puree.

Most importantly, these subtle changes went completely unnoticed by my picky husband. VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!! When you click to see the recipe, I will post both the original and my modified version.

Enjoy!

Happy Accident

2010-03-25T16:54:00.005-05:00

I was trying to quickly whip up a batch of granola bars the other day and accidently added too much oil. The bars will not stick together as well with the extra oil, so I decided to make granola. A couple of times during the baking process I just mixed up the ingredients so that it did not stick together very well.

I was able to make this yogurt, granola and fruit parfait.

It was also delicious with a little milk poured over it like cereal. Sorry, no pictures of that.

If you want to make some accidental granola, just click on this link for the grab-n-go granola bars and add 1/4 cup extra canola oil. Then, drag a fork through the mixture about half-way through baking and then after baking for about 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Banana Waffles

2010-03-25T16:09:00.006-05:00

I found this great website for sneaky mommy cooking a while back and even linked to it under my "Sneaky Mommy Links" tab in the right side bar. But, alas I basically forgot about it. I had one of their recipes on the perpetual "to do" list until finally, last week, I made these super yummy chocolate, banana waffles. The website is http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com/ and it is written by two moms who are registered dieticians. The website includes recipes, a blog, video demonstrations, mom's club which includes newsletters and opportunities to submit recipes for a makeover and much, much more. It is a fabulous resource and I wanted to share it with you as well as this tasty recipe.

I knew that my son and I would probably like these waffles, but was a little concerned about my husband who does not like the flavor of banana AT ALL. But, to my surprise he was the first one who complimented them and asked for seconds. So, I guess you would have to say that the banana flavor is subtle and if you want more banana flavor then you may want to add more banana puree. Plus, this is a great use of those bananas that are about to go bad. Just stick them in the freezer until you are ready to make your waffles. Other healthy or sneaky ingredients include whole wheat flour and wheat germ. Just click on the link here to go to the website and recipe, click on the title of this post or go to the recipes side bar to find the actual recipe.

Below, you will see my version of these waffles this morning. I sprinkled mine with a little powdered sugar and strawberries.

Seth enjoyed his with whipped cream, sprinkles and strawberries on the side.

Finally, this is NOT what you want your waffles to look like, but I thought it might make you smile! I forgot to spray my waffle iron with non-stick spray. Ooops!

These also freeze well and reheat in the toaster. Or , you can make the batter up the night before and cook the waffles in the morning.

Enjoy!

St. Patrick's Day Smoothie

2010-03-16T13:40:00.004-05:00

Enjoy this green smoothie as a yummy St. Patrick's Day treat!

1 peeled banana, sliced and frozen
1 cup frozen green grapes
1 peeled kiwi
1 cup washed baby spinach
8 oz. lime yogurt
1/4 c. limeade

Put the frozen ingredients, kiwi and spinach into the blender.
Add the yogurt and limeade.
Blend until smooth.
Pour the smoothie into glasses and enjoy.
Makes three servings.

Enjoy!

Egg/Tofu Salad

2010-03-11T16:18:00.007-06:00

This is the first recipe that I ever tried with tofu in it. If you are new to reading my blog, you may not know that I have always been a very picky eater and that I would have never even looked at tofu much less eaten it. So, when I decided to try this recipe I definitely needed some moral support. I waited until my mom came to visit and asked her to take the tofu plunge with me. If you are attempting to break out the routine and try some new recipes and ingredients, I think that it is incredibly helpful to have someone there as moral support and taste tester. She was pretty incredulous that I would even want to attempt something like this as neither of us had ever tasted tofu before, much less bought it in the grocery store. In case you are wondering, it is in the produce section.

Tofu comes in different varieties which I explained more about in this post. It is soft and basically assumes the flavor of whatever it is cooked with. It blends easily with the eggs in this egg salad and it is hard to tell when you are eating an egg or tofu.

In addition to replacing some of the egg with tofu, most of the fatty mayonnaise has been cut with white bean puree. Below, you can see the mayonnaise, white bean puree and mustard mixture.

This is the finished product to which I added celery. I just love the crunch that celery adds. You could also add sweet pickles.

At last, my favorite way to eat this egg salad . . . on homemade whole wheat pita bread that you can find the recipe for here.

This was a great learning experience for me and gave me the courage to try this chameleon ingredient in other recipes.

Have you tried cooking tofu? What is your favorite way to eat it? How do you sneak it into your family's diet? Maybe you don't have to sneak it, but I do, for me and for them.

Enjoy!

Sneaky Lasagna (with tofu)

2010-03-09T14:15:00.007-06:00

Yes, one of the recipes that I made with tofu was lasagna. But, not only is this recipe the perfect place to sneak in some healthy soy protein I also added pureed carrots, sweet potatoes, cauliflower and zucchini. I started with this sneaky marinara sauce that I ran through the food processor because my husband does not like chunks of anything that could remotely look like an onion or tomato in his sauce. You could also use your favorite marinara sauce and add some purees. I added some italian sausage because I just like the flavor that it gives the lasagna. If you are looking to keep this recipe low fat or vegetarian you could simply leave out the sausage or just use less.

The recipe calls to combine part skim ricotta cheese with the tofu in a bowl. Being overly cautious, I ran this through the food processor as well, just to make sure that the tofu would not be identifiable to the wary eaters who knew this was going to be sneaky.

As you can see, this ricotta/tofu mixture turned out to be extremely creamy. Instead of making one big 9x13 lasagna, I made this recipe into two smaller lasagnas. One of these I baked immediately and the other I froze and plan on eating when my in-laws visit this weekend.

I could not find whole wheat, no-boil lasagna noodles or lasagna noodles made by ronzoni smart choice which are my favorite so I did use regular, no-boil noodles. I will make more of an effort to find the other kind the next time I make this recipe.

With the part-skim ricotta/tofu mixture there was really very little mozzarella to add on top with a little parmesean and some dried parsley to make it pretty.

It was DELICIOUS!!! My mom was here when I made it and we both thought that it was the best lasagna that we had ever tasted. My husband found it OK, which is about the same reaction that I get with any Italian dish that I make for him, so I determined that is was a rip roaring success!

Remember all you have to do to get this recipe is click on the title of this blog entry or go to the recipes tab on the sidebar and scroll down to find Lasagna.

Come back and check in soon to find another yummy recipe that includes tofu!

Enjoy!

Tofu?

2010-03-05T14:09:00.004-06:00

Tofu? Just that word alone would have struck fear in my heart only a year ago. I would have never dared to eat ANYTHING with tofu in it much less use it to cook. I knew it was super healthy, but was not willing to go there. But, I am older, a little wiser and certainly more daring when it comes to my food choices. So, I have begun to experiment with a few recipes that include tofu and thought I would share a little about tofu with you.

What is tofu? A soft food with no distinctive flavor made from coagulated soybean extract pressed into a cake. Tofu is a chameleon that takes on the flavor of the food and spices that surround it. It is an excellent source of high-quality protein, calcium, B vitamins and iron. It is low in saturated fat and contains no cholesterol.

There are two kinds of tofu, silken or soft and firm or regular tofu. Silken or Japenese-style tofu is softer than regular tofu. Recipes should specify which type of tofu is needed. It comes in varieties such as soft, medium, firm or extra-firm, but can be exchanged for each other if your grocery only carries one type. Salad dressings, sauces and desserts usually call for silken tofu to give the recipe a smooth and creamy texture.

Regular, firm or Chinese-style tofu is more common than silken tofu and can be found in a plastic container in the refrigerated or produce section of the grocery store. Firm or extra-firm tofu is best used for stir-fries, casseroles or bakes where you want to the tofu to retain its shape. Firm, medium or soft tofu will work well for recipes that call for mashed or crumbled tofu, such as mock ricotta or scrambled tofu. Medium or soft will give a smoother texture.

If you have more questions about tofu, click here to go to a website to tell you all you ever needed or wanted to know about tofu, including recipes.

Stay tuned here for recipes that I have tried and highly recommend as sneaky and tasty ways to introduce your family and maybe even yourself to tofu.

Enjoy!

Getting Sneaky at the Grocery Store

2010-02-26T14:36:00.014-06:00

There are a million ways to be a "sneaky mom." I choose to be a sneaky mom and wife by sneaking healthy ingredients, including pureed fruits and vegetables, into everyday foods that my family enjoys. Another way that I have found to be sneaky is to make healthier choices at the grocery store. This can be hard as everything in the store seems to scream low fat, low sugar, all natural, light or healthy and deciding what to buy can seem overwhelming. I have become a huge fan of the "Eat This, Not That" series of books to help me make more informed decisions about what to buy for my family. So, I thought that I would try to share some of that information with you. If you are interested in learning more, you can click on the "Eat This, Not That" book in my sidebar. My goal is to share some of the suggestions from the book with you, so that you, too, can make better choices at the grocery store.

First, here are several great options for yogurt:

Breyers' Yo Crunch Light
120 calories
1-2.5 g. fat

11 g. sugar

Great for a super healthy dessert

Dannon Light-n-Fit

80 calories

0 g. fat

11 g. sugar

The lightest cup of yogurt at your grocery store.

BONUS: 15% of your calcium and 20% of your vitamin D

Dannon All Natural

110 calories

1 g. fat

19 g. sugar

Made with real fruit and no chemicals.

Yoplait Kids Yogurt Drink
70 calories

1.5 g. fat

10 g. sugar

Made with REAL fruit puree.

Also, fortified with DHA.

Here are some other recommended brands that I could not find pictures of or are just not as common in my area of the country:

FAGE total 0% non-fat Greek style

FAGE total 2%
Whole Soy & Co.

Stonyfield Farm lowfat plain

Oikos Greek vanilla

Stonyfield Farm Organic YoBaby Simply PLAIN

Brown Cow Low Fat Maple

Now, look closely before you buy these yogurts:

Dannon All-Natural, Low-Fat Yogurt

150 calories

2.5 g. fat

25 g. sugar

Contains as much sugar as a Kit Kat!!!

Danimals Drinkables

180 calories

3 g. fat

30 g. sugar

Yoplait

170 calories

1.5 g. fat

27 g. sugar

Others to avoid:

Stonyfield Farm Organic Lowfat Caramel

la Creme by Dannon

Stonyfield Farm o'Soy All Natural

Horizon Organic Fat-Free Vanilla

Stonyfield Farm Organic Fat Free Chocolate Undercover - 35g sugar!!!

Breyers Fruit on the Bottom

Stonyfield Farm Whole Milk French Vanilla

Now, I am sure that some of these brands may have come out with better versions of their yogurts since this book was published, but at least we have some place to start when trying to shop for healthfully.

Enjoy!

What is wheat germ?

2010-02-20T15:03:00.014-06:00

What is wheat germ? Until about three years ago, I had no idea. But, now, it is a staple in my pantry and while I knew it was good for me I don't think I realized just how nutritious it is until I did some research for this blog post.

According to http://www.wisegeek.com/ "wheat germ is part of the wheat kernel. The germ is only a very small part of the kernal, approximately 2 1/2 percent in total. The word germ does not have anything to do with bacteria; it simply refers to germination. The germ is the reproductive part that germinates and forms the wheat. "

Here is the nutritional information. Hold on to your hats because this is pretty exciting! "Wheat germ is very high in protein. It contains around 28 percent protein and has more protein than can be found in most meat products. The human body needs protein in order to repair tissue damage and to help minerals and nutrients reach our cells."

"The nutrients that are contained within wheat germ seem endless. It contains more potassium and iron than any other food source. It also contains great qualities of riboflavin, calcium, zinc magnesium and vitamins A, B1 and B3. Vitamins B1 and B3 help to maintain energy levels and maintain healthy muscles, organs, hair and skin."

"Another important vitamin found in wheat germ is vitamin E which is an important antioxidant. It is helpful in preventing the body's aging process and heart disease. Vitamin E is also needed to prevent blood clots and strengthen the body's immune system."

The Sneaky Chef describes wheat germ as a powerhouse of nutrients, offering an excellent source of iron, protein, B vitamins, folic acid and vitamin E. It is one of othe best food sources of zinc, magnesium, manganese and chromium. The B vitamins nourish the whole nervous system and may help prevent fatigue and migraine headaches.

Now, I know you are dying to find out where you can buy this super food. Most health food stores carry it. I have found it in our local Schnuck's store and at Wal-mart. I have posted pictures below of the three brands that I have seen in several different stores and cities. I even wrote a post about where to find the wheat germ.

The Bob's Red Mill is usually found with the other health food and Bob's Red Mill section in the store. The other two brands I have found near the cereal isle. Please note that the Kretschmer's is toasted wheat germ and has a toasted or more nutty flavor than the raw wheat germ. If you are starting out using wheat germ, you might stick to the raw as it has less flavor than the toasted.

Now, you know what it is and where to find it. Your next question may be "what do I do with it?" ANYTHING! Wheat germ can be added to oatmeal, yogurt, ice cream, smoothies and as a replacement for flour in bread recipes. You will notice that I use flour blend in a lot of my bread recipes which is a combination of flour and wheat germ. The possibities are endless and so healthy.

OK, so I was going to list ALL of the recipes that contain wheat germ, but when I looked through my list of recipes it is almost all of them. So, I will just list a few of them:

Better Breading for Tasty Chicken Tenders

Breakfast Cookies

Meatloaf

Grab-n-Go Crispy Granola Bars

Please let me know the creative ways that you use wheat germ!

Enjoy!

Apple Muffins

2010-02-14T16:01:00.007-06:00

Here is another recipe that I altered from my Apple Lover's Cookbook. The original recipe called for shortening, gasp, I know . . .but I was able to successfully substitute canola oil using about half of the called for amount since the canola oil is liquid. Again, I used flour blend and did not peel my apples. I have to say that I am pretty proud of myself (my mom can attest to this as I made a very excited phone call to her after tasting these yummy muffins) for the success in substitutions to make this a much healthier recipe.

These muffins also freeze well and are a great way to use apples that may be getting soft.

Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T13:22:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I made these cupcakes for Seth's Valentine's party at pre-school this week. They are far from healthy, but were tasty. You can get the recipe that I used for strawberry cake and frosting here. My goal is to try to modify this recipe to make a healthier version of the cake for the future.

Enjoy!

Apple Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2010-02-08T07:35:00.012-06:00

I'm baaaack! So, my plan to blog more frequently in the new year has gotten off to a rough start. A minor eye procedure with a couple of complications will severly limit the time that you can spend on the computer. In fact, it will probably take me four or five attempts to complete this post. But, I have been dying to share this recipe with you.

This past summer my mom and I went to a local orchard and picked lots of fresh fruit including apples and I posted about it here. We made some applesauce and I froze a ton of apples. So my mission recently was to find some sneaky ways to use my frozen apples. Now, please understand that I am still experimenting with creating my own recipes and making sneaky adjustments to existing recipes so this was a big and exciting undertaking for me.

I found this recipe for apple oatmeal raisin cookies in the "Apple Lover's Cookbook." I loved the idea of apples combined with yummy and healthy oatmeal and raisins. But, I wanted to make a cookie so I did not mess with the butter content as I have not had great success in modifying butter content in cookies without making a complete mess and not very tasty cookies. Butter is important to maintain the consistency of the cookie as well as carry the flavor of the other ingredients. If you have found success in substituting butter in cookie recipes then I would love to hear about it.

So, now that I look at the recipe the main substitution I made was using flour blend for the white flour. Flour blend is a combination of unbleached white flour, whole wheat flour and wheat germ that you can read about here. It is a great way to sneak some whole grains and fiber and can be used in almost any recipe as a substitute for white flour.

Oh, and I did not peel the apples as instructed. I never peel apples. Never. So far, it has not affected the recipes. Why get rid of all that fiber?

You will notice that these cookies are very flat. This is my first attempt at making this recipe and substituting the same amount of flour blend as flour. Well, actually I made a an entire cookie sheet that looked like this the first time I made these cookies. Not sure what it is about this recipe, but anytime I have made it with the called for amount of flour this is what happens. Usually, you can substitute the exact amount of flour blend without any problem. Not so here, but this may happen if you use regular flour, too, but I have not tried that yet. So, this is what I did . . .

I added another 1/2 c. of whole wheat pastry flour and they got a little thicker, but not quite what I call a good result of baking cookies. So, I . . .

added another 1/2 c. of whole wheat pastry flour and finally got cookies with a great consistency and that were soft and chewy just the way that we like them around here.

So, there you have it. Apple oatmeal raisin cookies with some extra whole grains and fiber! Remember all you have to do is click on the title of this post or on the recipes tab at the side to get the entire recipe in a form that you can print out.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Waffles

2010-01-18T06:35:00.007-06:00

I love peanut butter and I love the convenience of frozen waffles so this recipe is double yummy. This recipe contains whole wheat flour, wheat germ, orange puree and natural peanut butter! Just mix it all the ingredients up together and pour in your waffle maker. Simple. Remember if you don't have pre-made purees on hand you can use these baby food substitutes listed here or for orange puree you can use baby food sweet potatoes and carrots.

Below is a picture of the batter mixed together. It is pretty dense and therefore, makes very dense waffles. I like using about 1/2 cup instead of the 3/4 cup that my waffle maker calls for so that they are not quite as thick and then fit in my toaster a little better to reheat.

Below, is the batter again after I added a little milk to thin it out some. I just like my waffles not quite so dense. But, if you like them dense then skip this step.

These waffles are delicious served with pure maple syrup, jam or fresh berries and powdered sugar as shown below.

Sometimes I put these waffles in my son's lunch with jam on it as a twist on peanut butter and jelly.

Remember that you can make this recipe ahead of time. I usually make a double batch because if I am making the mess I might as well make a big one. Then, I flash freeze the waffles which simply means that I freeze them individually on a cookie sheet that is covered with wax paper for about an hour or so. Then place them in freezer bags for storage. To reheat, just pop them in the toaster like an Eggo, but healthier. The other option is to make the batter the night before and leave it covered in the refrigerator overnight.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Breakfast Cookies

2009-12-27T20:32:00.004-06:00

Hellooooooo! Wow, I seriously did not intend to take this long of a break before posting a new recipe here on my blog, but time around the holidays just seems to go even faster than the regular amazing speed of time. I may not have been blogging much over the last month, but that does not mean that I have not been cooking. Let's see, I have made peanut butter waffles, rainbow pancakes, quadruple batch of breakfast cookies, healthier version of bisquick and turned it into sausage balls and sausage pinwheel, peanut butter banana muffins and just today, chocolate breakfast cookies and homemade whole wheat pitas. My mom and I also canned potato soup, beef vegetable soup, chili, white chili and bolognese sauce. I am sure that I am leaving something out, but you get the idea that I continue to do lots of cooking and have lots to share.

One of my favorite Christmas gifts was the Sneaky Chef's new cookbook Sneaky Fitness. It has lots of ideas to sneak physical activity into your everyday routine in addition to more sneaky recipes. Today, we tried the recipe for chocolate champion cereal cookies, since the regular breakfast cookies are now a staple in our household. How do you think your kids would react if you offered them these cute and tasty chocolate cookies for breakfast?

The sneaky ingredients include purple puree (pureed spinach and blueberries), wheat germ, whole wheat pastry flour and old-fashioned rolled oats. NOTE: This recipe calls for 1/3 c. of purple puree and I usually recommend storing your purees in 1/4 cup portions SO you will have to use more than one serving of your stored purees or just make a triple batch and use one cup of puree. These cookies have a nice little crunch and look great when you dust them with powdered sugar. Most importantly, my taste testers whole-heartedly approved!! Seth actually ate three cookies for dessert tonight and I think they would make a great snack for pre-school. You could make this dough ahead of time and flash freeze on a cookie tray and store to bake in the morning and then top with powdered sugar.

Enjoy and I look forward to blogging again soon!

Eggo Emergency?

2009-11-20T15:03:00.008-06:00

In case you have not heard there is going to be a shortage of Eggo waffles. If you would like to read more about this shortage just click here. DON'T PANIC!!! Especially, if these are a staple in your freezer. You can make your own - Yes you can! We just had these for breakfast and they are so easy to whip up fresh and cook. Even better, they do not contain all the preservatives of the store bought variety and they are SOOOOO much cheaper. I just calculated (yes, the girl from Kentucky can do some cipherin' but I have to admit that I am not wearing shoes at the moment) and it cost me $1.32 for the ingredients to make 16 healthy waffles! Of course, that does not include the cost of a waffle iron. But, if you click here, you can see the list of waffle makers available at Target and mine was only $19.99, although it is not pictured there.

My waffle iron calls for 3/4 cup of batter to make two waffles, but last time I used that amount of batter the waffles were a little too thick for me and would not fit as well in my toaster to reheat. So, I only used about 1/2 cup of batter at a time and they were perfect. What we didn't eat for breakfast, I then placed on a cookie sheet in a single layer and placed in the freezer for an hour or so to "flash freeze" them. Then, I simply placed them in a freezer bag for storage.

These homemade frozen waffles reheat just as well in the toaster. You may consider not cooking them until they are completely crispy if you are planning on putting them in the toaster to reheat. But, you may need to play with that.

For those of you needing as close to an Eggo as you can get, I did find this website where a chef created his version of the waffle. I have not tried this recipe yet, but wanted to share it and the website with you. Let me know what you think if you try them before I have a chance. I do like his suggestion of using pieces of dried blueberries in the batter for the blueberry flavor.

So, here is your chance to start the break from pre-packaged convenience foods and start making some of your own convenience foods at home. It does take a little planning and time to get started, but once you have these yummy waffles in your freezer you will forget about Lego or Eggit or whatever they were called. Did I mention how much money you can save???

You can do it!

Oops! Almost forgot to include the link to the recipe. It if from http://www.tammysrecipes.com/ and if you have time you should browse around for more great recipes.

"Buttered" Noodles

2009-11-10T18:06:00.006-06:00

Can you really have healthy buttered noodles? Sure, if you get a little sneaky with it. This recipe is simple and tasty. I found it in the Deceptively Delicious cookbook and make it as directed. Just click on the title of this blog post to get the full recipe or you can go to the "Recipes" tab on the sidebar.

First, start with a healthy pasta such as Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Extra-Wide Noodle Style Pasta, Ronzoni Smart Taste Pastas (any shape) that contain 30% of your daily calcium, Hodgson Mill Whole Grain/Whole Wheat pastas or if you insist on white noodles then DeCecco spaghetti is one of the best. I used the Ronzoni Smart Taste Rotini.

Second, you will need to make a yellow squash puree which is so easy. Just cut the ends off of the squash and cut it into about one-inch pieces and steam (I use my Pampered Chef microsteamer) in the microwave or on the stove top for about six minutes or until tender. Then, just throw it in your food processor or blender until smooth.

One decent sized squash made about 1/2 cup of puree which was perfect for this recipe. Next, just combine the cooked and drained pasta with pureed squash, 1/4 c. of skim milk, 2 T. trans-fat free soft tub butter/margarine spread, 2 T. grated paremesean cheese and 1/4 t. salt.

This is the batch that I made for dinner last night and it was enjoyed by all in my household.

Seth enjoyed it, too! Cast and all!

Sorry that the posts have been few and far between lately. My husband was out of the country and my son broke his wrist, so things have been a little crazy. Hoping to be a little more frequent in posting in the near future.

Enjoy!

Happy Healthy Halloween

2009-10-30T07:14:00.002-05:00

I am soooo sick of Halloween candy and my son has not even gone trick-or-treating yet. I know, I know, all things in moderation. But, seriously some of this stuff is just nasty. I'm all for GOOD candy. Alas, he loves it ALL.

I wanted to post this healthy cookie recipe that was tasty and easy to spruce up for the festivities of a preschool Halloween party. It is from the new Sneaky Chef cookbook that is due out in December. The recipe is for Smores cookies and calls for regular marshmallows on top, but I replaced those with pumpkin marshmallows to suit the occasion. In all honesty, they would be much better with just plain marshmallows, maybe you could find colored marshmallows for the occasion.

Here is the link for the cookie recipe and here is the link to the Sneaky Chef website with some ideas for making your Halloween more active.

Also, here is another link to a blog that I follow on my sidebar that has some other healthy, but yummy treat options for Halloween.

Happy and safe trick-or-treating.

Great Idea?

2009-10-28T13:16:00.004-05:00

I love it when a plan comes together. You know what I mean. You think that you have a great idea, whatever it may be, and it actually turns out to be a great idea. As opposed to the times that you think that you have a great idea and it turns out to be a disaster. I know that the suspense is killing you and that you must know my great idea. Well, here you go. . .

I used the oatmeal pancake mix that I told you about in this post. I am sure that you have tried it by now and that it is a staple in your household. If not, we will talk later. I combined this recipe with orange puree and a little cinnamon for a yummy twist on traditional pancakes. This was super easy because I already had my pancake mix pre-made and then just added 1/2 cup of orange puree and 1/4 t. of cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice) to the original pancake mix recipe.

In the recipes section of my blog, I will call these "orange pancakes."

Next time, I think that I will try it with a little pumpkin puree. I hope that turns out to be another great idea. We'll see.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Animal Crackers

2009-10-18T13:12:00.005-05:00

Here is another second chance recipe. I tried this recipe over a year ago and was not thrilled with my original results, but recently tried again with a few modifications.

This homemade cheese cracker recipe starts with pureed chickpeas, a little olive oil and lots of whole grains rather than a stick of butter and loads of cheese or the unpronouncable ingredients found in store bought crackers.

I did modify the original recipe by using sharp cheddar cheese instead of low-fat cheddar cheese. I just don't like what they do to the cheese to make it low fat, so instead, choose to use the real stuff in moderation. I chose sharp cheddar because I thought the crackers could use a bolder cheese flavor.

When you roll out the dough, I recommend that you do it in small batches so that you can get the dough thin enough to make crackers.

When you bake the crackers, I recommend baking them for 10-12 minutes and then turning your oven up to broil for a minute or so to make the crackers more crispy.

These are fun because you can choose whatever shape you want. I made these out of small Noah's Ark cookie cutters because the lesson in Sunday school today was about Noah's Ark. We also made some out of Halloween cookie cutters.

One can of chickpeas makes a quadruple batch of crackers. So, for sake of ease, just puree chickpeas in food processor and throw in enough ingredients to quadruple the recipe. These crackers store for weeks or freeze for months so it is worth the time to go ahead and use all of the puree while you have it in the food processor. Also, I mix all of the ingredients together in the food processor so that the cheese is completely combined. When I mixed it in the mixer the cheese remained kind of stringy and it looked like some of my crackers had hair (that's never good).

Lastly, these crackers have been taste-tested and approved by my fellow Mommy & Me ladies, their kiddos, my husband (but, please don't tell him they have chickpeas or cheese in them) and the Sunday school class at church.

Enjoy!

PROUD!

2009-10-14T14:07:00.003-05:00

I know that this blog is supposed to be about sneaky food and cooking, but I am just so PROUD that I am about to pop! So, I had to share. . .because being a healthy mom is not just about eating healthy but being active and setting a good example for physical health.

About five months ago, my friend Christa over at Motivating Mommies, decided that she was going to run a half-marathon and challenged several of us to do the same. I am not sure why, but I thought this would be a good idea. Let me preface this by saying that I have never been a runner! I was the person saying, "Why would anyone want to run that far?" or "only if I'm being chased." But, something inside me said that I could do this. I just had to get my husband on board, because even if he didn't want to do it with me, I would need his help to accomplish the training. He said YES! So, we embarked on this crazy adventure together. He found this program online for a "couch to 5K" training. We started running 60 seconds at a time and this past weekend we actually RAN 13.1 miles. We were certainly not the fastest people on the road, but weren't the slowest either.

The best part for me was running the entire time with my husband by my side. You see, about a year and a half ago he broke his back. He suffered a T12 burst fracture in his spine in a freak accident while attending a toddler gymnastics class with our son. Our life was turned upside down, especially when we did not know what the long-term prognosis would be. This man that I married, who could have wallowed in self-pity and despair, chose to count his blessings. He only missed six weeks of work despite being in a hard shell brace for over three months and set an amazing example of how to handle adversity for our young son. So, when he said yes to this challenge we weren't sure how his back would tolerate so much running. I am so PROUD of him and of us. I am PROUD of the man that he is and has grown to be. I loved running beside him and hugging him as we crossed the finish line. I loved that we challenged each other when the other was not motivated and accomplished this goal together.

I am just so PROUD that I could pop. So, if we can do it, then so can you. Set a goal and as my friend Christa says, "Get up and move it!"

New Sneaky Ingredient

2009-10-08T15:36:00.015-05:00

We are on a journey to improve what we are eating in our home. I say journey, because it is a constant, ongoing process/adventure to become healthier. It is a journey that we have taken in baby steps. I have become a label reader, a blog reader, a book/magazine reader to try to make better choices about the food that we consume. The more I read the more frustrated I become with the products I find in our local stores. I thought I was buying the best bread as the first ingredient was "whole wheat," but not too far down was "high-fructose corn syrup." Really, in bread?

Soooo, as I was reading and reading and reading some more, I came across recipes for whole wheat bread, pitas and english muffins. These are not difficult to make, but do require some time at home as they need time to rise. They do not require any special equipment, but do call for some different ingredients if you plan on making these whole wheat.

Whole Wheat Bread

First, this recipe for whole wheat bread can be made with either part white and part wheat flour or entirely with whole wheat flour. Please note that if you plan on making this bread entirely with whole wheat flour then you will need to follow instruction further down the page. This bread was delicious!!! Light and a little sweet. We used it for sandwiches, dinner bread and toast. If you decide to make it entirely with whole wheat flour then you will need to purchase some ingredients to use as dough conditioners to help make the bread lighter.

The vital wheat gluten can be found in the health food or whole wheat section of the store. The granulated lecithin is a supplement that I found at a health foods store, but could also be found at a supplement store such as GNC. You use very little of this in the recipe so if you are in the Evansville area and want to make bread just let me know and I would be happy to share. I just realized that I did not include a picture of the citric acid, but it can be found with canning supplies.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Next, homemade whole wheat pita bread. I tried pita bread from the store because it was supposed to be healthier, but it was tough and frankly I did not enjoy eating it. Then, I found this recipe and I cannot tell you how much better homemade pitas are than store bought. Again, they are not difficult, but just take some time to allow the dough to raise. Plus, it is so much fun to watch them raise in the oven. Again this recipe was taste tested and approved by my boys and is in demand from my husband as we speak. Please make sure that your yeast is fresh as the first time I tried this mine was old and the pitas did not raise. Very disappointing, but yummy flat bread.

Whole Wheat English Muffins

I didn't know you could make your own English muffins. But, you can and they are YUMMY! Again, not hard, just need time to raise. And, you pan fry them in a skillet on the stove top and do not bake them. I chose to make mine completely with whole wheat pastry flour and they turned out very well.

So, my new sneaky ingredient is LOVE. Something that cannot be found on the labels of the store bought version.

Moral to the story - even though there is nothing "sneaky" in these recipes you can easily identify every ingredient that is in them and feel confident when you family is enjoying them.

Sorry, for the delay in posting new recipes. I have been working on this post for about three days now and just could not find the words.

Happy Baking!

Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins

2009-09-24T15:49:00.005-05:00

My friend and neighbor, Jen, called last night. She had been at home yesterday with a sick kiddo and found herself with some extra time and decided to do some baking. She also decided to try to clean out the left-over baby food that her toddler no longer eats. So, she found a recipe that would allow her to bake and use up the left-over baby food. Success! She called to tell me that I just had to try this recipe and post about it on my blog. So, here you go!

I made these muffins this morning. I just happened to have some overripe bananas in the freezer that needed to be used. Just as Jen said, they were delicious! They were taste-tested and approved by myself and my son, by his teachers at pre-school, my friend Linda and the ladies who attended the Zumba class that I taught this afternoon and a few others along the way.

While Jen used baby food bananas for her muffins, I used a banana that I had in the freezer and just threw it in the blender. She used baby food carrots and I used orange puree (pureed sweet potatoes and carrots) that I had in the freezer. We both used flour blend instead of plain whole wheat flour. Slightly different ingredients, but the same result-healthy and delicious muffins!

Hope you enjoy these as much as we have. I even have some stuck in the freezer to take for snack next week at pre-school.

Just a reminder - all you have to do is click on the title of this post to access the recipe. Or click on the Recipes tab on the right sidebar.

Puree Party Schedule

2009-09-22T14:40:00.002-05:00

Who wants to Party? Puree Party that is! Are you curious just what exactly a puree party is? Then just click here to check it out.

If you live in the Evansville area and want to join us then just click on the sign-up link and pick your date to attend.

The dates being offered right now are 9/29, 10/7, 10/14, 10/19, 10/29 - all from 8-11 pm.

Look forward to partying with you!

French Toast and Rocks

2009-09-09T16:19:00.011-05:00

I made french toast for the first time today. I am not sure why I had never made it before, but nevertheless, it was a first. I made orange puree earlier in the week so that I could make a ton of chicken tenders to freeze and had some puree left over. My intention was to make applesauce muffins, but I discovered that I was out of brown sugar and therefore could not make muffins. I was determined to make something for breakfast that would use this orange puree. So, I looked through my cookbooks and discovered this simple recipe for french toast. Eggs, orange puree, cinnamon and whole wheat bread. Yum! There are a million variations of this recipe I am sure and I intend to try more, but this was a good start.

I almost forgot about the rocks. If you ever need to make some rocks, I have a great recipe. I attempted to make oatmeal raisin breakfast cookies, but instead ended up with, you guessed it, ROCKS. No taste, hard as a rock and just plain awful. They can't all be winners, right? Do you have a favorite oatmeal raisin cookie recipe to share? I would love to hear it!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday - No mess meatloaf

2009-09-01T14:38:00.007-05:00

I love meatloaf. But, I certainly do not love mixing it up. If you are like me and don't like getting your hands dirty or cleaning up the mixing bowl later, then try placing all ingredients in a sealed plastic bag and smash/mush/smash/mush until the meatloaf is completely mixed.

Then, place in pan to cook. Toss the bag!

Also, I never just make one batch of anything. If I am going to make the mess then I might as well make it really big. This past weekend I made my favorite meatloaf recipe x 8.

Even if you don't have a ton of freezer space at least double the recipe so that you have dinner tonight and one to freeze for another night.

Another reason I love meatloaf, is that with this super healthy and tasty recipe I turned 8 pounds of lean ground beef and turkey into 16 pounds of meatloaf. Not only am I stretching the budget, but I am sneaking healthy ingredients such as old-fashioned oats, wheat germ and pureed broccoli, spinach and peas into dinner.

Don't forget to hop on over to Tammy's Recipes to check out more kitchen tips.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

2009-08-17T14:43:00.003-05:00

Quickie: We have frozen lots of seasonal berries this summer after going to the orchard to pick blueberries, raspberries, black raspberries and blackberries. To make them easier to use at a later date, freeze them on a wax paper/parchment paper lined tray in a single layer for about an hour and then place in freezer bags.

Sorry no pictures this week.

If you want more kitchen tips head over to Tammy's Recipes and check out her new look.

Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies

2009-08-07T15:12:00.004-05:00

Cookies? Strawberries? Oatmeal? I am in!!!!

When I got my new Sneaky Chef cookbook this was one of the first recipes that I tried, but I was not a big fan. My husband liked these cookies, my son liked these cookies, my mom liked these cookies, but I thought they needed a little work. So, I waited a while to make them again. Quite a while. In fact, several months passed with a batch of these hanging out in my freezer. Then, my son requested strawberry cookies for snack at school and I decided I needed to get busy. I think I just didn't give this recipe a fair shake on my first attempt, because with very little modification that have met both my approval and my friends at Mommy and Me aerobics today. So, I thought that I should share this delicious recipe with you.

It is made with strawberry puree. Sounds fancy, but just take any strawberries that you are worried will go bad (doesn't happen often around here, but it is possible), wash and top them and throw them in a blender or food processor with a couple of tablespoons of water. Turn on the food processor until the consistency is smooth and you have strawberry puree. This can be frozen like other purees for future use.

The recipe calls for one cup of puree. I added just a smidge more. That is a technical and very specific measurement. Then when I baked them I sprinkled the tops with sugar. I used a one tablespoon Pampered Chef scoop to measure out the cookie dough and then about 1/4 teaspoon strawberry jam to fill the tops. The original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of jam in each cookie, but my cookies must be a smidge smaller as there is no way that there is room for 1/2 teaspoon of jam on each one. I also baked them for about 10-11 minutes. My oven must run really hot, because the recipe calls to bake them for 25-28 minutes and they would have been crispy critters if I had left them in the oven that long. Also, I like my cookies a little soft and not too crunchy so I tend to bake them for a little less time, too. Please modify the time as appropriate for your oven.

I did freeze these in the dough form and they were just OK. I also tried making the dough the night before and baking in the morning and again they were just OK. I am going to try to freeze some fully cooked tonight to see how they turn out, but so far they are best made fresh and enjoyed then or shared with friends!

Moral to the story, don't give up on a recipe; try, try again!

Applesauce

2009-08-05T14:53:00.009-05:00

This past weekend my son and I travelled to Kentucky to visit my mother and were fortunate to visit Reed Valley Orchard to pick blackberries. It is amazing to me how much sweeter they are when you pick them fresh as opposed to buying them in the store. Earlier this year we were also able to pick fresh blueberries, raspberries and black raspberries as well. At that time, I froze the blueberries and black raspberries and my mom and I made raspberry jam/syrup (supposed to be jam ended up more like syrup, but still delicious). Seth really enjoyed picking the berries, although I think that we ended up on the winning end of the deal as he ate as many in the orchard as he picked and were weighed so that we could pay for them. He does love fruit. After this visit, we made blackberry jam-YUM! You can see how beautiful the blackberries were:

Something I learned while at the orchard is that they sell imperfect apples. What I mean by imperfect is that they were not picture perfect. They had small spots on the peel or were an odd shape, but otherwise they were perfect apples. So, I bought a bushel of these "imperfect" apples for $6.75. Can you believe that? What a great deal! Always one for a great deal, but then I thought what am I going to do with that many apples? APPLESAUCE! These were the earli-gold variety and known for making great applesauce.

Most recipes for applesauce call for coring and peeling the apples, but I couldn't make myself cut off the healthy peel. So, we had a little experiment to see if we could make applesauce with the peels left on. I sliced and cored the apples using an apple wedger.

Then boiled them with a little bit of water and sugar. After making one batch of applesauce we decided to use even less sugar than called for in the recipe.

Then, the recipe called for putting the cooked apples through a food mill. Well, I don't own a food mill and neither does my mother and we also thought that sounded like a tedious process, so we threw it in our trusty food processor and VOILA . . .applesauce with peels and all.

Now, I am no expert canner. In fact, novice may be stretching my experience at canning, but Mom has canned her share of green beans, jams and soups. So, we canned our applesauce in a pressure canner. For more specific instructions on this entire process you could visit a website like this.

We did not add cinnamon or anything to the applesauce as I am planning on using it in some of my sneaky recipes, plus it just didn't need it. It was delicious and simple and homemade. What a feeling of accomplishment.

Planning on adding a real sneaky recipe soon, for those of you who have noticed that there has not been one of those added in a while.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

2009-08-03T22:19:00.006-05:00

Welcome to my first edition of Kitchen Tip Tuesday. It is my goal to participate in this blog carnival weekly to share a kitchen tip as well as learn something new, too. Just click here to visit the home of Kitchen Tip Tuesdays and learn other kitchen tips.

So, here we go.

Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs-I don't like to eat the ends of our loaves of whole wheat bread because they tend to get stale. This makes my husband crazy, among other things. But, I found a solution to this problem. I throw the left-over whole wheat bread in the freezer. Then, when I have a little extra time at home, I will gather all the left-over bread to make bread crumbs. I dry them in the oven for about 30 minutes at 200 degrees turning once to dry both sides of the bread. Then I throw them in the food processor to make bread crumbs that can then be stored in freezer bags. Now I have convenient and cheap whole wheat bread crumbs that can be used to make a family favorite, chicken tenders.

I plan on posting the links to Kitchen Tip Tuesdays under my "Sneaky Tip of the Week" section in the right column of my blog.

Please feel free to join the carnival and add your tips as well.

Other Sneaky Moms

2009-07-29T14:35:00.003-05:00

Calling all sneaky moms!!!

Aren't we all sneaky moms when it comes right down to it? Whether it is getting our kids (and husbands) to healthier foods, turning boring chores into games to entice a toddler or sneaking in 15 minutes to take a power nap or catch up on reading other blogs, er, I mean polish my toenails or should I say empty the dishwasher.

Have you tried any of the blogs that are on the left of my blog text? Well, these next two recipes will give that opportunity.

First, I found this tasty granola bar recipe at Cents to Get Debt Free. This mama has lots of great ideas for frugal living as well as lots of recipes and ideas for other homemade items such as laundry soap and fabric softener.

While I was visiting Cents to Get Debt Free I saw her post for Meal Plan Monday and a recipe for oatmeal pancakes which was from Lynn's Kitchen Adventures. This mama has tons of wholesome and delicious recipes that might inspire you, too.

These granola bars were super easy to throw together and took no special skills to make them stick together. I baked them for about 25 minutes and will probably bake the next batch just a smidge longer as they were pretty chewy. But, Seth loved them and so did I. Sure beats those prepackaged "granola bars" with mystery ingredients. Plus, if you check on the math on the cost of the ingredients listed here they are much, much cheaper than the prepackaged bars. Plus, these are made with love and you know exactly what is in them.

I have been trying to make the oatmeal pancakes for about two weeks now, but kept putting it off. Silly me! WOW, these were great! They got the super tasty seal of approval from everyone in my household! PLEASE NOTE: the recipe is for a pancake mix that can be kept on hand for quick pancakes in the morning, BUT you will need to plan ahead a little as the mix needs to sit in buttermilk for about 20 minutes before cooking. To simplify even more, when I make my next batch I will make a double or triple batch and store in the freezer for a really quick breakfast. I even took a picture of what my pancake mix looks like for you.

I will also place links to these recipes in my recipes section for quick reference for you.

Puree Party

2009-07-15T14:54:00.023-05:00

What's a puree party you ask?

Well, let me show you!

We took all of this beautiful, nutritious food and . . .

made these convenient bags of puree to use in "sneaky" recipes for our families.

We boiled,

(bonus, steam facial)

we steamed,

we processed,

we scooped,

and scooped,

we drank (these refreshing smoothies),

we bagged,

we counted,

and this is the "fruit" of our labor.

All of these bags of puree are able to be frozen and used at a moment's notice to add sneaky nutrition to any meal.

We also ate. What's a party without food? I made lots of samples of my sneaky recipes to share. Unfortunately, I was too busy eating to take any pictures of this part.

Sound like fun?

Wanna host your own puree party?

Let me know if you have any questions about hosting your own party. I would love to help. You can either leave a question in the comments section or email me at bdcannon@insightbb.com.

Wanna come to one of my puree parties?

Keep checking back here as I am trying to schedule some more parties and will link the sign-up form to my blog.

Did I mention that we had FUN!

Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sticks

2009-07-01T15:56:00.006-05:00

I am a big, no, HUGE fan of bacon, eggs and cheese almost as much as I am a fanatic about having a healthy breakfast. I am not such a big fan of the fat and calories associated with the above-mentioned foods, but know that in moderation I can enjoy and relish! So, this recipe is a great way to have my bacon, egg and cheese and sneak some healthy and convenient in along the way.

I found the recipe in the Sneaky Chef to the Rescue and tried it several months ago, but the outcome was dry and bland and I would not have recommended it to you as I made it then. But, after a little modification this recipe just won its place as one of my favorites. It even got the approval of my Mommy & Me aerobics class today. Still waiting on the husband and kid stamp of approval as I made this after our breakfast today. I will post the original recipe and my modifications. Some changes were made deliberately. Others were made out of convenience, such as I did not have buttermilk in the house, but used plain yogurt as a substitute.

These refrigerate for several days and can be frozen to enjoy as a hearty, healthy breakfast at a later date.

True Love

2009-06-29T21:48:00.003-05:00

You know that it is true love when your husband sends you an internet link for something that he thinks will be good on your blog. While he was at work last night he found this link for more smoothie recipes http://www.delish.com/fruit-smoothie-recipes?kw=ist.

We tried one this morning and used the fresh black raspberries that we picked while visiting my mom in Kentucky this weekend. The flavor was good, BUT noone could get past the seeds. So, in short don't use black raspberries in these smoothies, but I guess if you wanted to do the extra work and strain the seeds out, but seriously who has time for that!

Here is a picture of Seth eating, I mean picking, raspberries this weekend!

Smoothies

2009-06-23T14:44:00.003-05:00

It's HOT outside. REALLY HOT! So, here are a few recipes to help you cool off. These are easy and nutritious. You can use either a blender or food processor. If you have a hand held blender that you stick down in the cup then I would choose recipes that don't have frozen fruit in them.

Smoothies are a great way to get some nutrition in kiddos who are under the weather, too.

Experiment! You will see that all of these recipes are very different and you will be successful with a hundred combinations of any of these.

Red Smoothie

Flu Fighter Smoothie

Ashley's Smoothie

Peach Melba Smoothie

Peach Passions Smoothie

Tropical Treat Smoothie

Nectarine and Strawberry Smoothie

OR, just throw whatever fruit you have on hand (frozen or fresh) in the blender with some yogurt, pomegranate/orange/cranberry juice, sugar/honey and maybe some ice and see what you come up with.

CHALLENGE: Create your own smoothie or try one of these and let me know how it turns out.

Please send me your favorite smoothie recipe/creations!

Happy blending!

Tidbits

2009-06-12T15:15:00.006-05:00

It has been almost two weeks since I last posted here. Sorry, things have been a little crazy around here. I have been having drama with my eye which culminated in me wearing an eye patch (ARRRGH Matey) for the last 24 hours, so, needless to say that staring at a computer screen for any amount of time was not fun. Just because I haven't been blogging does not mean that I haven't been cooking. 'Cause I have and LOTS.

This past weekend my husband was out of town and my mom came to visit which was a huge help in getting re-stocked on some of my sneaky supplies that I was getting low on. I made whole wheat bread crumbs out of all my old, leftover loaves of bread; ground almonds and made bags of better breading to keep in the freezer; SAM's had fresh chicken breasts and chicken tenders for an incredible price this weekend, $1.97/pound and $2.17/pound, so I stocked up and made lots of chicken tenders to freeze; I also got tons of fruit at SAM's including cherries which my wonderful mother pitted and I then turned into cherry puree, individual bags of frozen cherries and Seth finished off the rest. Monday night, my friend Ashley came over and we made puree, TONS of puree. In case you are curious how much a ton of puree is, about 168 1/4 cup bags of white, orange, purple and green puree. We had a some good girl time, made healthy stuff for our families and got to know each other better.

MODIFICATIONS: I have a couple of modifications that I will include here as I discovered during my cooking craze this past week. In making the blueberry oatmeal bars I discovered (*gasp*) that I was out of purple puree (thus sparking the fire for the puree party). But, I did have some spinach and made a quick puree out of that to use in the bars. It was actually better with the plain spinach puree. So, my next mission is to make some plain spinach puree to use for this favorite recipe. After that, I want to try it with blackberry preserves.

Also, I have had great success in making the Grab-n-Go Granola Bars stick together for my last two batches. So, here is what I did different. I used a 9x7 inch pan lined with foil. One attempt, I added a smidge more honey and the other I did not and it did not affect the outcome. So, add a little more honey if your tastes allow. I did make sure that I thoroughly mixed the dry ingredients with the wet before placing (smooshing them really good) in pan. Once I baked the bars, I let them cool completely (as in I covered them with foil and left them overnight on the kitchen counter). The next morning I was able to cut the bars beautifully. What a feeling of accomplishment!!!!

Finally, I am going to include a new recipe. It is for bolognese sauce. I have experimented with several sneaky recipes for a pasta sauce and had a hard time finding the right combination of sneaky ingredients and spices to get good flavor. But, this recipe passed the test. It even passed the picky husband test. It has lots and lots and lots of sneaky ingredients which is even more exciting. I used it over pasta and then froze some. Later, I used it to create a baked pasta dish. Hope you enjoy and modify as you and your family will enjoy.

Any red sauce is a great place to hide purees. Just start with a small amount and gradually add more for the health of your unsuspecting family. Orange, green or white purees hide especially well. I also sneak in some purees when I make chili in the winter.

I have been spinning a lot of sneaky ideas around lately including hosting a puree party to help other moms stock their kitchen with purees and have a good time while doing it.

Anyone interested?

Must Blog Quickly!

2009-05-30T14:35:00.003-05:00

I wanted to post a couple of new recipes while Seth was napping today, but spent too much time reading other blogs and now he is up and at 'em. Soooo, here you go - both of these recipes can use the purple puree as made by the Sneaky Chef.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Pancakes

These pancakes are super easy and Seth loves them. I have to admit that they are a little too rich for my taste buds. I usually make a double batch so that I can freeze them and have a quick breakfast. These are also tasty treats or snacks for a lunch box. Just put the frozen pancake in and when it is time to eat they should be thawed.

Blueberry Oatmeal Bars

I love, love, love this recipe. I adapted it from the cookbook Deceptively Delicious. I really like this as a snack on the go. I have made this recipe before travelling. I cut them into bars and place in snack bags and then it is ready to eat in portion sized servings. These are also great to share-I have made these for a friend who just had her second child and one who is pregnant with her fourth boy as a healthy and filling snack that they can grab and know they are getting a filling and nutritious boost. I love to have these for lunch with a carton of yogurt. Yummy!

FRENCH FRIES!!

2009-05-21T19:50:00.002-05:00

Who loves french fries? I DO! I DO!

Here are a couple of recipes for yummy french fries. One is made with white potatoes and the other with sweet potatoes. Both are delicious!!

The white potato recipe is basically a twist on steak fries. We enjoyed them with seasoned salt, but I also think they would be tasty with kosher salt and cracked black pepper or maybe with greek seasoning.

My friend Ashley forwarded me the sweet potato recipe that her kids and husband all loved. We tried them last week and they magically disappeared! My mother-in-law recommended leaving the skin on them so that they will stick together better. I think I would like them even better if they were a little crispy. Any suggestions? I'll let you know what I figure out!

Also, when you coat the potatoes, place them in a large ziploc bag for easier clean-up!

Tasty Chicken Tenders

2009-05-13T13:07:00.004-05:00

Do your kids like chicken tenders? Mine certainly does and so do I, honestly, and so does my husband. It's chicken, right? Gotta be nutritious. Well, if you are buying the store brands it may be chicken and it is probably not that nutritious. I combined a Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious (shhhh, don't tell anyone!) recipe to get these delicious and nutritious chicken tenders that we ALL love!!!!

I use an orange puree to dredge these in, but you good use green as well. They are breaded with Better Breading: wheat germ, whole wheat bread crumbs and ground almonds (add more wheat germ if you have a nut allergy in your home).

What I really like about this recipe is that if you start with FRESH chicken tenders not frozen, then you can lay these out on waxed paper and freeze before you bake them. Then wrap in waxed paper and place in freezer safe container or bag until you are ready to cook. Then just cook as directed. My friend Karyn baked hers in the oven after they were frozen and enjoyed them this way as well.

I have a confession . . .

2009-05-05T13:50:00.004-05:00

I have a confession. I don't really like munching on fresh fruit and vegetables as a snack or with a meal. What I mean is that those yummy, healthy items are not what I naturally think of when I am hungry. I want some chips or peanut butter or ice cream or cheese or more chips or cookies or well, you get the idea. I did not grow up with these healthy choices and therefore they are not the options that I readily go to in my mind when I need/want something to eat.

As a grown-up I have learned to eat yogurt, salad, bagels (by now you are probably wondering what I actually did eat as a child - I told you that I was picky!) and yes, I have learned to eat yummy things like celery, carrots, red peppers, sugar snap peas, but, and here's the kicker, I need some ranch dressing to truly enjoy these veggies. I know, I know then I am just adding lots of fat to something that is super healthy and good for me. Sooooo, I made my own ranch dip this weekend that was delicious and better (I am not going to say good) for me.

It's all about making better choices, right? So, if I can make a better dip and actually enjoy my veggies then that has got to be a good thing. Please let me know if you have any dips or suggestions for ways that you enjoy your veggies.

Gotta go cut up the veggies I just bought because if I don't have them cut and ready to eat they won't get eaten!

Happy dipping!

I did some investigating!

2009-04-29T13:53:00.002-05:00

I did some investigating today while I was at Schnuck's (here in Evansville) about prices and locations of wheat germ. In an earlier post I showed you pictures to find wheat germ, well evidently there is another location in the store in the cereal isle near the oatmeal. The picture I showed is Bob's Red Mill which was 16 ounces for $2.99. In the cereal isle, you can find Kretzschmer's "toasted" wheat germ which was 12 ounces for $4.97. Also in the cereal isle, Hodgson Mill makes an untoasted wheat germ which was 12 ounces for $2.09.

What's the difference between toasted and untoasted wheat germ? Toasted wheat germ is just that and it has a nuttier, richer flavor than untoasted wheat germ.

So, shop wisely and informed!

More Favorite Recipes!

2009-04-24T14:09:00.003-05:00

I talked with several friends this week and these recipes kept coming up as my favorites, so I figured that I would go ahead and post them.

Easy Chicken and Dumplings

This recipe is so easy and fast! My husband was sick this week and I made this for him (OK, and me, too!) and I think it was instrumental in his road to recovery. There is nothing sneaky in this recipe as it is relatively healthy on its own (just don't pay attention to the yummy dumplings).

Turkey Burgers

I got this recipe from the Sneaky Chef cookbook, How to Cheat on Your Man in the Kitchen. It was a little bland so I added some spices to it. My husband loves these and that says a lot if you know my husband!

Meatloaf

Another Sneaky Chef recipe that requires no modification. It is delicious as is and another one that my husband loves! I usually quadruple the recipe when I make it and freeze several meatloaves for later use. To freeze, place the shaped meatloaf on a tray (cutting board, cookie sheet) lined with wax paper and freeze. Then wrap frozen meatloaf in plastic wrap and place in freezer bag. Then just cook as directed.

I hope you enjoy these recipes!

Where's the Wheat Germ?

2009-04-24T14:01:00.007-05:00

Several of you have asked me where to find wheat germ, so I put my cell phone camera to work today while I was shopping. Here in Evansville you can find it at Schnuck's or one of the specific health food stores. They do not carry it at Buy Low or Wal-mart. In other parts of the country I know it can be purchased at Kroger and nicer grocery or health food stores.

Start in this isle:

Then look for this section. It is usually between muffin/cake mixes and cooking oils.

Here is the actual brand that I use!

Let the hunt begin!

UPDATE: Christine from my Mommy & Me class also told me that she has found wheat germ in the cereal isle by the cream of wheat and oatmeal. The brand is Kretzschmer and she thinks that it is probably cheaper than the Bob's Red Mill brand. I will have to check this out and let you know. Thanks Christine!!!!

New Blogs and Links

2009-04-23T21:11:00.004-05:00

My husband is out of town. I am telling you this because that is the reason that I had so much time tonight to surf the web for other blogs and websites that deal with healthy, kid friendly and appealing food. It's both good and bad-lots of resources and recipes that I can't wait to try (and share with you), but overwhelming in deciding where and when to start.

I have added several of the blogs to the list of blogs that "I follow" on the left side-bar. You can also access them through the "Sneaky Mommy Links" button on the right side-bar. But, here they are as well: http://www.mealmakeovermoms.com/; http://www.ittybittybistro.com/; http://www.foodwithkidappeal.blogspot.com/; and www.superhealthykids.com.

So, I am off to do more web-surfing since I have the house, the couch, the computer and the TV all to myself tonight.

Purees . . .

2009-04-21T20:53:00.002-05:00

Why use purees? *Sneak healthy ingredients into foods your kids and you will eat *Purees are more concentrated and nutrient dense *Can be made ahead to quickly sneak into food.

I have listed the puree recipes from the Sneaky Chef at the right of the blog. I will also place a list there for baby foods that can be used in place of purees.

I use the orange puree most often-it is especially easy to add to pre-made pasta sauce or chili. It is made with carrots and sweet potatoes. Simply boil until tender and then puree until smooth in food processor or blender with a little bit of water. I usually cook a large batch so that I have plenty of puree to freeze for later use. I store the purees in 1/4 cup portions in snack size storage bags. Some people freeze them in ice cube trays and then store in plastic freezer bags.

One of our favorite recipes is applesauce muffins. Seth eats these two at a time and asks for them for dinner. I think they are yummy, too! I usually make a double batch and freeze them. Then I am only 30 seconds in the microwave away from a delicious and healthy breakfast (or dinner).

SNEAKY CHEF on Today Show!

2009-04-17T06:29:00.002-05:00

The Sneaky Chef, Missy Chase-Lapine, will be on the Today Show during the 9 0'clock hour. If you miss this you can view it on either website: www.thesneakychef.com or http://today.msnbc.msn.com . She is going to be making two new recipes from her new cookbook. I will be on the road travelling to Georgia today to see my best friend and her new baby, so I will have to catch it on the web. Have a great weekend!

NEW LOOK!!!!

2009-04-14T15:37:00.002-05:00

My blog has a fancy new look thanks to my very talented Mommy & Me friend, Andrea Lander. If you love her work like I do, you can click on the link for "Daylie Designs" to see more examples of what she can do! You can still access all of the recipes and links that were here before, just click on the cute little picture at the side and then just click on the recipe name when the next page comes up.

For now, I am trying to decide which of my favorite recipes to share with you next . . .decisions, decisions!

Healthy and Tasty Pasta?

2009-04-10T13:31:00.002-05:00

Just click on the title of this blog to be linked to an article that lists four of the healthiest pastas that are being made now. What an easy way to sneak some whole grains and even omega-3s into your diet.

Long time, no blog!

2009-04-03T15:27:00.002-05:00

Time really does fly by. I can't believe that it has been over two weeks since I last posted on this blog. Life has just been a little crazy and I wanted to try some new recipes from the Sneaky Chef's new cookbook and post about them. I have looked at the cookbook and think there are some yummy recipes that I want to try, but alas I have not actually made any of them. So, I thought that I would post a recipe that is delicious and healthy but not in the least "sneaky."

I want to share this recipe that my Grandmother makes that is simple, tasty and healthy all rolled into one recipe. Passion pasta is a staple in my household so much so that the recipe is framed on my kitchen counter as a gift and inside joke from my Grandmother. It is even healthier if you use either whole wheat pasta, such as Hodgson Mill or fortified pasta, like Smart Taste from Ronzoni.

Oatmeal, yummy, oatmeal!

2009-03-19T15:53:00.003-05:00

I am not talking about the pre-packaged, pre-seasoned, just add water variety. While convenient, you may find that the main ingredient is high fructose corn syrup and other preservatives. I am recommending taking a few (maybe five at most) extra minutes and making REAL oatmeal. First, make sure you start with "old-fashioned" rolled oats, not the "quick-cooking" kind. They are nearly as fast and provide more fiber and longer-lasting energy.

I promise that it is fast and easy. You may have already purchased "old-fashioned" oats for another recipe so go ahead and give it a try for breakfast. You can also check out www.quakeroats.com for more suggestions on yummy additions to your oatmeal. The options are really endless.

Like with anything new, start slow. You may only try one sneaky ingredient or flavor at a time and then build up your courage and your kids'/husband's taste buds.

I would love to hear if you have favorite combinations for your oatmeal, too!

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins

2009-03-11T16:16:00.003-05:00

I modified this recipe right off of the container of old-fashioned oats to make it a little healthier without compromising the taste. Enjoy!

These freeze really well, too! I just thawed some for breakfast this morning!

Apple Crisp

2009-03-11T15:48:00.003-05:00

Yummy dessert with half the fat and sugar substituted with good fat and fiber, grains and walnuts!

The topping is good enough to save the leftovers for breakfast and top with yogurt.

You can also substitute 2 cups of frozen blueberries or mixed berries (no sugar or syrup added) for the apples.

Ice Cream for Breakfast? Oh, YES!!!

2009-03-04T08:19:00.005-06:00

Seth wakes up almost every morning and says "I have a popsicle mommy." As a responsible parent, I say "Yes." One of mommy's special popsicles made from yogurt, frozen fruit and a little confectioner's sugar. I also keep a little extra on hand as "ice cream" as well. It's easy, convenient and healthy. Plus, Seth can have as much or many of these little babies as he wants in the mornings and I know he is still getting a great start to the day!

I make the popsicles in small dixie cups with a popsicle stick. Just peel the cup away and you have got a healthy and fun snack.

More Recipes

2009-02-25T14:11:00.002-06:00

I have added a link at the side for "Friend's recipes." If you send me some of your sneaky and yummy recipes I will post them here to share with everyone. Thanks for sharing Lisa!

Glazed Walnuts Snack Mix

2009-02-25T07:00:00.003-06:00

This is a great snack! Especially before exercise or when you are on the run (which is everyday, right?).

Walnuts are low in saturated fat and high in both polyunsaturated and mono-unsaturated fat. They are an excellent source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, particularly when bought in their shells and eaten while fresh.
Walnuts are a good source of protein, vitamin B1, B6, folate andvitamin E. Green and unripe walnuts are rich in vitamin C. Research has found that eating regular amounts of walnuts or almonds reduces bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood.

****If you want this recipe just click on the title of this blog entry and it will take you to the recipe. Or, you can click on it at the side!

Pancakes and Granola Bars

2009-02-19T14:39:00.004-06:00

I have not added recipes that require purees yet, because I thought that it might be easier to get started with a few recipes that don't require them. Then, once you are hooked and ready to take the next step I will add some recipes that need purees in them.

Finding sneaky ingredients: Wheat germ, whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour can be found at Schnuck's and Elbert's. At Schnuck's it is usually all together with the whole wheat/grain and Bob's Red Mill products. I found crispy brown rice at Elbert's. Slivered almonds are usually in the baking section of the store with other nuts.

Pancakes: These are great made ahead of time and frozen. I usually freeze two small pancakes (made with 2 T scoop) in a snack bag and then freeze all the smaller bags together in a freezer bag. At breakfast time, Seth has a yummy, nutritious breakfast in about 30 seconds.

Granola Bars: These are soooo good that I don't make them as often because I could eat the entire batch at once. It took me a little while to get them to stick together, but even if they don't when you make them, use it as granola on yogurt or eat with a spoon!!!

Cake/Cupcakes: These are the yummiest, most moist cupcakes EVER! Yes, they are still cupcakes, but offer less empty calories with a boost of potassium and beta carotene from the pumpkin. The pumpkin puree is usually in the baking section. Make sure you don't buy pumpkin pie filling which has spices in it. You want plain pumpkin puree. You can freeze the remaining puree in labeled, freezer bags until you make your next batch of cupcakes.

I DID IT!

2009-02-17T22:11:00.003-06:00

I was able to create a website to put my recipes on and now you should be able to click on the recipe at the side and upload the recipe and print it out! What a feeling of accomplishment! Now I just have to find the time to add more recipes!!!!

More about Breakfast Cookies . . .

2009-02-17T14:19:00.003-06:00

If you make a double batch of cookies then you will use then entire 15 oz container of ricotta cheese. That way you don't use half the container and then have it left in your refrigerator and more yummy cookies to eat!!!!

Getting Sneaky in the Kitchen-Easier than it sounds!

2009-02-15T17:51:00.003-06:00

I started this blog because I am so passionate about making healthier choices for my family in the kitchen. I wanted to let people know that I am not a crazy, crunchy granola mommy/wife, but that we eat greasy, take-out pepperoni pizza and other fun things occasionally. I have been experimenting with "sneaky" recipes for almost a year and a half and still have lots to try and learn, but with practice I have gotten pretty good at incorporating healthy and sneaky ingredients in yummy food that we all enjoy. Not only are some of these recipes healthier than some of the convenience foods that we all love, but with some planning they can be easier and quicker to prepare. Happy cooking!

Breakfast Cookies

2009-02-14T22:00:00.009-06:00

Here we go! My first blog entry . . . I would like to experiment with the best way to post recipes and ideas, so if anyone has suggestions, please let me know. The first recipe that I want to share is my absolute FAVORITE! It is for breakfast cookies! Yes, I said cookies for breakfast. This recipe is taken directly from The Sneaky Chef cookbook by Missy Chase Lapine with a few comments and suggestions by yours truly.

You could bake and then freeze, but I prefer the crisp top that forms when you bake them freshly with the cinnamon sugar.

NUTRITION: Great source of whole grains, calcium, protein; Rich in vitamins B and E, iron, potassium, folic acid, calcium and fiber. I calculated one tablespoon sized cookie to have about 45 calories.

FLOUR BLEND: See side bar.

Ready to Eat!

Ready to Freeze!

About Me

2008-04-14T15:00:00.000-05:00

I am a stay-at-home mom with 2 1/2 year old son. My husband and I are both "picky" eaters and I was determined to raise a kid that was not as picky as we are. So far, so good. But, I also wanted to find ways to get some improved nutrition into the foods that we already eat. As someone who has struggled with my weight (and every fad diet that has come along) I wanted to make better decisions about what we were eating as a family. I have found some great resources and recipes that I wanted to be able to share more easily with friends and family. So here we go-hope it works!

Sneaky Tip of the Week

2008-04-14T14:48:00.005-05:00

August 3, 2009

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

April 20, 2009

Another link for the best 100 calorie snacks!

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/eat-this/15_Best_and_Worst_Snacks_100_Calories_or_Less/index.php?cm_mmc=ETNTNL-_-2009_04_16-_-HTML-_-00

April 13, 2009
Check out this link to Men's Health and find out what the WORST combo meals are at fast food restaraunts and then see what they suggest for healthier alternatives.

http://www.menshealth.com/eatthis/The_Worst_Fast_Food_Meals_in_America/Worst_KFC_Meal.php

Friends' Recipes

2008-04-14T14:46:00.013-05:00

Banana Bread
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin Spice Angel Food Cake
Sneaky Cornbread Muffins
Sneaky Lasagna

Sneaky Mommy Links

2008-04-14T14:46:00.012-05:00

Eat This, Not That!
The Sneaky Chef
Deceptively Delicious
Super Healthy Kids
Meal Makeover Moms
Food with Kid Appeal
Itty Bitty Bistro
Quaker Oats
Food Pyramid

Sneaky Chef Purees

2008-04-14T14:45:00.003-05:00

Flour Blend
Green Puree
Orange Puree
Purple Puree
White Bean Puree
White Puree
Instant Supermarket Purees

RECIPES

2008-04-14T14:28:00.043-05:00

Recipes - No Purees Needed

Apple Crisp
Apple Muffins
Apple Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Better Breading
Breakfast Cookies
Breakfast Ice Cream/Popsicles
Cheesy Animal Crackers
Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Chocolate Banana Waffles
Corn Chips
Double Strawberry Smoothie Pie
Easy Chicken-n-dumplings
Feel Good Fruit Topping
French Fries
Fruit Roll-ups
Glazed Walnut Snack Mix
Grab-n-Go Crispy Granola Bars
Granola Bars
Gummy Worms
Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins
Oatmeal Pancake Mix
Passion Pasta
Ranch Dip
Skillet Wagon Wheel Pasta
Sweet Potato French Fries
Quick Fixes for Oatmeal
Yellow Cake/Cupcakes
Waffles
Watermelon Popscicles
Whole Wheat Bread
Whole Wheat English Muffins
Whole Wheat Pita Pockets

Recipes - Yellow Squash Puree
"Buttered" Noodles

Recipes - Orange Puree
Applesauce Muffins
Bolognese Sauce
Cheese Dip
Marinara Sauce
Orange Pancakes
Peanut Butter and Banana Muffins
Peanut Butter Waffles
Sneaky Smores
Tasty Chicken Tenders

Recipes - White Bean Puree
Bacon, Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sticks
Egg/Tofu Salad
Now You're Talkin' Turkey Burgers

White Puree
Broccoli and Chicken Casserole
Fish Sticks
Marinara Sauce
Lasagna
Sneaky Sloppy Joes

Recipes - Green Puree
Bolognese Sauce
Guacamole
Meatloaf

Recipes - Purple Puree
Blueberry Oatmeal Bars
Chocolate Champion Cereal Cookies
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Panakes

Smoothies
Red Smoothie
Flu Fighter Smoothie
Ashley's Smoothie
Peach Passions Smoothie
Tropical Treat
Nectarine and Strawberry Smoothie

Strawberry Puree
Strawberry Oatmeal Cookies