The BEST dessert in the world!

Both my son and daughter have discovered a love of chocolate chip ice cream. I wanted to surprise them with an amazing dessert tonight (being a health nut, I usually give them dessert twice a week). They were both excited for dinner tonight because my husband was coming home early to grill! My son is terrific at shucking corn (but I have already told you that)! I am so proud of his corn accomplishment!

My husband grilled but I did the hard part and marinated the chicken breast cutlets for 1 hour with:
Quick and Healthy Ginger Lime Marinade:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3 tbsp lite soy sauce
2 limes- fresh squeezed
2 tbsp ginger- minced
1 clove garlic- minced
1 tbsp honey

I also received my Door to Door Organics box of fresh produce yesterday so I cooked up a batch of quinoa with fresh seasonal ingredients. My daughter gobbled this up!

Quinoa with Peach, Onion, and Spinach Recipe:
1 cup quinoa- cook according to package directions
cooking spray
1 big handful baby spinach
1 peach- chopped
1/2 sweet onion- chopped
1 tsp plus 1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1.) Cook quinoa and set aside.
2.) In a skillet on medium high heat, spray with cooking spray and add onion and peach for 5 minutes or until they caramelize around the edges.

3.) Add spinach and 1 tsp olive oil and saute for 2 minutes.
4.) Then add in cooked quinoa and drizzle on 1 tbsp olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Cook 4 minutes and stir occasionally.

I saved the best for last! After my son's first bite, he said this was the BEST dessert in the world! He was loving me even more than usual tonight after devouring this ice cream pie.

Easy Reduced Fat Ice Cream Chocolate Crust Pie Recipe: 
1 chocolate cookie pie crust- I bought it at Target (sorry, I did not have time to prepare the crust)
your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt flavor- I bought reduced fat chocolate chip cookie dough
rainbow sprinkles- optional
chocolate sauce- optional
raspberries- optional

1.) I brushed a beaten egg over the chocolate pie crust and baked it for 5 minutes according to the package directions to give it a crisper taste.

2.) Once the ice cream softened, I spread it into the baked pie crust.

3.) I added rainbow sprinkles (because they are my daughter's favorite) around the edge.
4.) I put the plastic top of the pie crust container on and put it in the freezer. This pie stays fresh for about 1 week in the freezer.
5.) Five minutes prior to serving, I took out the pie, drizzled on some chocolate sauce and scattered on some raspberries. IT WAS RIDICULOUSLY AMAZING! PLEASE TRY THIS AT HOME!!!! Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

Light Lemony Pasta with Shrimp

I am the healthy guest blogger for www.learntocookbadgergirl.com this Thursday! My daughter is the inspiration behind the recipe I decided on. While at the grocery store today, she brilliantly suggested we cook shrimp for dinner. Here is an easy and light pasta recipe for the whole family to enjoy cooking and eating. Both my children entertained themselves while squeezing the lemons! They said it was raining lemon juice!

 My children slurped their pasta down, and my husband was happy his dinner out canceled! Customize this dish according to your taste buds. Keep it vegetarian or add the shrimp for healthy and delicious protein. Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

Light Lemony Pasta Recipe:

14oz whole grain spaghetti- cook according to package directions

3 cups baby spinach

2 lemons- fresh squeezed

3 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup marinara sauce

1 tsp crushed red pepper or less if you do not like spicy foods

1/3 cup Parmesan cheese- freshly shredded

Lemon Shrimp Recipe:

1 lbs raw shrimp- peeled, deveined, and tails off

2 lemons- fresh squeezed

salt and pepper to taste

crushed red pepper flakes to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

1.) Cook pasta according to package direction, rinse with cool water once cooked, and set aside.

2.) While pasta is cooking, marinate shrimp in lemon juice, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper 10 or as long as 30 minutes.

3.) In a large pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil on medium high heat for 1 minute and add marinated shrimp.

4.) Cook 3 minutes on one side and then 2 minutes on the other side or until shrimp are opaque.

5.) Once shrimp are cooked, reduce heat to medium and transfer cooked noodles to the same pan as the shrimp.

6.) In the same large pan, pour in the marinara sauce, squeeze in the juice of 2 lemons, add spinach, 3 tbsp olive oil, Parmesan cheese, sprinkle crushed red pepper, and toss with tongs. ENJOY!

I sprinkled a little extra Parmesan cheese on top. Delicious!

Banana Nutella Bars

For our second Memorial Day BBQ, I was asked to bake! Hooray, not simply a fruit salad! I LOVE baking, especially with my son during my daughter’s naptime!

The baking request came from my friend who had a baby last week (Congratulations Emily and Angel!). I know she is trying to get back to her pre-baby self so I threw together a healthy yet decadent dessert! She keeps telling me about this new amazing brunch spot because it puts Nutella on the table with butter and jam. What can I bake with Nutella?!

As my son and I glanced around the kitchen (I always have rotten bananas), I knew exactly what our afternoon project entailed. While my son mashed three bananas, I softened the butter and laid out the ingredients.

Emily, I hope this dessert satisfies your sweet tooth and gets you back into your skinny jeans! Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

Banana Nutella Bars Recipe

3 ripe bananas- mashed

¾ cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup 0% Greek yogurt

¼ cup natural buttery spread or butter- softened to room temperature

1 pinch of salt

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp cinnamon

1 cup white flour

¾ cup whole wheat flour

2 eggs

½ cup Nutella- microwaved right in the Pyrex cup for 30 seconds

baking spray

9x9 baking pan

1.)          Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.)          Spray the baking pan and set aside.

3.)          In a mixing bowl, add bananas, sugar, vanilla, yogurt, butter, eggs, and salt.     

4.)          Add baking soda, cinnamon, and white and wheat flours.

5.)          Pour half of the batter into the pan, microwave Nutella directly in the glass Pyrex for 30 seconds and then pour half of the warmed Nutella over the batter in a zig zag. Use a knife to drag the Nutella and create a design.

Microwave Nutella in the glass measuring cup.

6.)          Pour remaining batter on top of Nutella design. Repeat zig zag with remaining Nutella for top.

        7.)      Bake 29-32 minutes.

This is what the batter looked like after I poured the Nutella on.

I zig zagged the Nutella with a knife in the opposite direction to make a design.

Science Project Fruit Salad

For Memorial Day, I was asked to bring fruit salad. That is certainly easy and healthy! Yesterday my son wanted to take a field trip to Whole Foods. He knows how to charm me!

Whole Foods had the most beautiful display of yellow peaches. Peaches are ideal for on the go snacks, grilling, and fruit salad! I also bought strawberries and mangos, which were on sale (next time, I would also buy blueberries for a pop of color and taste)!

While the peaches glowed a rosy orange, they were hard as a rock and required the work of my son, the fruit scientist. After we returned home, my son grabbed a brown paper bag, threw the peaches inside, and tightly folded over the top. The peaches should be juicy just in time (our hard peaches were ripe in 48 hours)! 

 If you get asked to bring fruit for a bbq this summer, have fun with it! The colors are so vivid and the flavors, like candy! Combine your favorites and add some fun like coconut flakes, a drizzle of honey, or dark chocolate on top (my family LOVES anything with chocolate). You won’t even miss the summer cakes, crumbles, and cobblers! Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

This is a delicious tasting super dark chocolate. The darker the chocolate, the healthier!

If you decide on drizzling chocolate over the fruit:

1.) Use a dark chocolate bar or 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.

2.) Prior to serving fruit, microwave chocolate in microwave about 2 minutes.

3.) Use a spoon to drizzle on chocolate.

BBQ Weather Is Here!

Today I had the pleasure of speaking at Google in Chicago. I whipped up delicious homemade frosting in three minutes and discussed how even busy Google employees can cook healthy homemade meals with my simple recipes. The Google audience had terrific requests for future blog posts! Thanks Google (and Kelly for all your hard work)!

For tonight's dinner, I planned to bake my lasagna, but the weather was perfect for barbecuing and my kids requested hamburgers and grilled corn! My son’s new favorite activity is removing the husks from the corn, which is great because that is my least favorite part about cooking fresh corn.

My son hard at work.

My husband has an easy healthy recipe to share about his delicious grilled corn. He puts NOTHING on it. 

Grilled Corn Recipe:

1.) Tightly wrap shucked corn in aluminum foil and place on grill. 

2.) Turn corn with tongs every 5 minutes for a total of 20 minutes. 

3.) When you unwrap the corn (carefully, the corn is hot and steamy), it is grilled to perfection. YUMMMMM.

Hot off the grill. The corn tastes sweet and buttery. 

My hamburgers require a tad more preparation but not much! My healthy twist was using ground chicken breast meat and whole wheat buns. Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

Chicken Burger Recipe:

1 ½ lbs ground chicken breast

¼ cup ketchup

1 small sweet yellow onion or ½ regular size onion- diced

hamburger or steak seasoning to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1.) In a mixing bowl, add ground meat, diced onion, and ketchup. Blend.

2.) Divide mixture into 4 patties.

3.) Season both sides of each patty with a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and hamburger seasoning.

4.) Grill for 6-7 minutes on each side or until burger is cooked through.

5.) Melt your favorite cheese on top if you prefer cheeseburgers.

Quinoa Fried Rice

This afternoon, my children wanted to tag along to the eye doctor with me. My daughter hopped in her pink push car and my son grabbed his bike helmet. We cruised into the office and the doctor managed to check my eyes with two kids bouncing around the room! My kids destroyed the beautiful display of eyeglasses (I am so sorry Red Eye)!

When we returned from our afternoon excursion, my daughter and son were ready to cook! I had nothing in the refrigerator so we drove to the local market. I grabbed what looked fresh and settled on Beef Fried Rice, except instead of rice, I substituted quinoa for a healthy twist. It turned out delish!

The great part of tonight’s meal was that my husband was home in time to help (thanks NATO for meeting in Chicago). Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

Quick & Delicious Beef Fried Quinoa Recipe (This recipe also tastes great vegetarian, with chicken, or with shrimp, and I thought I had bought a sweet yellow onion to add but somehow the onion disappeared.)

olive oil spray

1 lbs ground sirloin

1 tsp steak or hamburger seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup dry quinoa- cook according to package directions

1 cup broccoli- chopped

½ cup carrots- shredded or chopped

2 cups baby spinach

2 eggs

1 tsp honey

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 tbsp lite soy sauce plus 2 tsp lite soy sauce

hot sauce- optional

1.)  You will need two pans and one pot with a lid for the quinoa.

2.)  Cook quinoa first and set aside.

3.)  In one pan, spray olive oil spray on medium high heat and add beef. Season with salt and pepper to taste and hamburger seasoning. Also drizzle on 1 tbsp soy sauce. While the beef if cooking in the pan, chop it into tiny pieces with a hard spatula. Cook for about 8 minutes or until meat is cooked through.

My husband hard at work chopping.

4.)  In the other large pan, spray olive oil spray on medium high heat, add carrots, broccoli (and chopped onion if you have it). Pour on sesame oil. Add spinach. Sauté about 6 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

5.)  Once meat is cooked, add it to the large veggie pan. Also add the cooked quinoa to the large veggie pan. Drizzle on honey and 2 tsp soy sauce. Mix.

6.)  Create a small opening in the pan and crack two eggs and scramble.   Blend eggs with entire mixture for about 5 minutes or until eggs are cooked. Serve hot.

Arts & Crafts Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Last night I didn’t cook dinner or bake anything scrumptious. After baseball practice and playing in the park, we ate at the restaurant conveniently located next to our favorite bakery for cupcakes! After finishing our moist cupcakes with melt in your mouth vanilla butter cream frosting, my son asked me when we were baking cupcakes. Terrific! We will bake them tomorrow!

I had just the recipe in mind (and a bowl full of rotten bananas to put to use)! While the cupcakes were rising, we had fun drawing on the paper cupcake holders! We constructed a bear and a train!

My daughter could not wait for the cupcakes to cool and ate one immediately out of the oven. After her first bite she said, “Mmm, yummy in my tummy!” That was without the frosting (dual purpose- banana chocolate chip muffins)! Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin 

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes Recipe (healthy enough as muffins, delectable enough for cupcakes)

¼ cup olive oil

½ cup unsweetened applesauce

½ cup white sugar

1/3 cup 2% Greek Yogurt or lowfat sour cream

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup or 3 ripe bananas- mashed (the riper the banana, the sweeter)

1 ½ cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2.) In a mixing bowl, combine olive oil, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar.  Mix. 

3.) Add 2% Greek Yogurt, eggs, and mashed bananas. Mix. 

4.) Add flour and baking soda.  Mix. 

5.) Stir in chocolate chips by hand. 

6.) Pour batter into paper baking cups (produces around 12) and bake 30 minutes or until cooked through (I usually like to take a fork right in the middle and see if it comes out clean (ready) or gooey (still needs baking time)).

Decadent with the frosting!

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

2 cups powdered sugar

1 8oz 1/3 lite cream cheese (or regular cream cheese for a richer flavor)

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp low fat milk

1.) Combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. 

2.) Slather frosting on cupcakes once they have cooled.

Coconut Crusted Chicken, Corn & Avocado Salad, and Carrot Ginger Brown Rice

My son bounced into my room this morning at 6:30am with three important questions. "One, am I sharing at school today?" Yes. "Two, do I have Kung Fu today?" No. "And three, are the farmers coming today?" (Also known as Door to Door Organics) Yes!

Today my son was so excited for our produce box that he passed on a park play date! After he examined the contents of the box, he wanted to cook the corn and avocado for dinner (I had the perfect recipe). Then he asked me my most favorite question of the day. What are we cooking tonight?!

I hope you enjoy cooking tonight’s quick and amazingly delicious dinner (mom, dad, and kid approved) as much as we did. I apologize if you have the same mess we did- shucking left a disaster on the kitchen counter and floor! Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

Healthy, Easy Coconut Crusted Chicken:

olive oil spray

1 lbs chicken breast cutlets

1 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 egg- whisked (my daughter practiced her fine motor skills whisking away)

sea salt and pepper

YUM!

1.)  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.)  Take out three separate bowls. Fill one bowl with the egg, one for the breadcrumbs, and one for the shredded coconut.

3.)  Spray a baking dish with olive oil spray and set aside.

4.)  Salt and pepper both sides of each chicken breast.

5.)  Dip the seasoned chicken breast first in the egg, then the breadcrumbs, and lastly the coconut.

6.)  Place coated chicken breast side by side in the baking dish.

7.)  Bake chicken for 30-35 or until chicken is cooked through.

Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad:

3 ears corn- shucked (husks pulled off) and kernels sliced

1 tsp butter substitute or butter

1 tsp ginger- minced or shredded (you can find ginger in a jar at the grocery store)

½ cup cherry tomatoes- halved

1 avocado- peeled and diced

½ lime- 1 giant squeeze

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp pepper

1.)  Shuck corn and slice kernels. Enlist your kids to help! They will feel so proud of themselves!

2.)  In a large pan over medium-high heat, melt butter, add corn and sauté for 3 minutes. 

3.)  Pour ginger over corn and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until corn starts to turn golden brown on the edges. 

4.)  Remove corn from heat and transfer to a serving bowl with tomatoes, avocado, olive oil, lime juice, and finish off with salt and pepper. Toss.

5.)  Serve as a side salad or on top of fresh greens.

Carrot Ginger Brown Rice:

olive oil spray

1 cup dry instant brown rice- cook according to package directions

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup carrots- shredded

1 ½ tbsp minced ginger

2 tbsp lite soy sauce

1 ½ tbsp honey

salt and pepper to taste

1 heaping tbsp unsweetened coconut

1.) In a sauté pan on medium high heat, spray olive oil spray, add carrots and sprinkle on a little salt and pepper and sauté until carrots are tender, about 6 minutes.

2.) Drizzle on minced ginger and stir.

3.) Add cooked brown rice to the pan, pour on olive oil, soy sauce, and honey. Stir.

4.) Lastly, sprinkle unsweetened coconut and blend.

One last note, thank you to everyone who is following Healthfull Ever After and passing the word along! A winner has been selected and will be contacted by Door to Door Organics to receive a free box of organic produce delivered to your door!

Thanks to Door to Door Organics for getting my son excited about fruits and vegetables and for donating a delicious box!

Roasted Chickpeas

My daughter loves chickpeas. I carry them as a snack on the go for her but they are not exactly an easy grab and go snack. Since I love roasting everything, my son and I roasted chickpeas today!

My son enjoyed getting his hands slippery and dirty while tossing the chickpeas (this provided tons of entertainment), and my daughter asked to bring them as a snack on the way to the park. Healthy bonus- chickpeas are filled with fiber, protein, and iron. Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

Roasted Chickpeas Recipe

2 15oz cans of chickpeas- drained and rinsed

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

On the baking sheet.

1.)  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.)  On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, evenly spread out chickpeas.

3.)  Drizzle on olive oil and sprinkle on salt and pepper.

4.)  Toss beans right on the baking sheet. Let your child get his hands messy!

5.)  Bake for 50 minutes.

A healthy snack to take on the go!

Family Feast Menu

This past weekend, my family celebrated Grandparent's Day at my son's school, two birthdays, my daughter's birthday party (thank goodness because she finally ate her purple Dora cake and has stopped asking for it), and Mother's Day!

I did not bake this unhealthy cake, but it was fabulous!

On Friday, I walked through the door at 5:00pm and with the help of my mother, mother-in-law, son, daughter, and husband, we had dinner on the table for 9 within one hour! The BEST part- all of us were in the kitchen laughing, dancing, cooking, and baking and then eating it all up! Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

The Healthy, Easy, and Delicious Menu:
Adventure Salad (see older post for recipe)
Grilled Lemon Chicken- instead of rosemary (I could not find it anywhere!) I substituted oregano- it turned out so yummy! (see older post for recipe and try it with oregano)
Quinoa with shredded carrots, baby spinach, and 1 cup marinara sauce
Roasted Asparagus
Roasted Cauliflower
Banana Chocolate Chip Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe coming soon)
Mangos and Strawberries

Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cake

Happy Early Mother’s Day!

While my daughter napped this afternoon, my son and I baked my easy, delicious Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cake.

With Mother’s Day around the corner, this simple, scrumptious, and pretty cake is the perfect sweet touch for a Mother’s Day brunch, lunch, or dinner! Kid bonus- my son utilized his math skills while measuring the ingredients (he eats the chocolate chips and practices subtraction)! Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cake Recipe

baking spray

1 package yellow cake mix (I bought Pillsbury Classic Yellow)

1 3.4oz vanilla instant pudding

4 eggs

¾ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 cup 2% Greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

¾ cup chocolate chips

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.) Grease Bundt pan with baking spray.

3.) In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until smooth. My son had fun measuring, pouring, and stirring. 

4.) Pour batter into Bundt pan and bake for 36-42 minutes or until the fork test comes out clean.

So pretty and so yummy!

Cinco De Mayo Pre-Party

This Saturday is Cinco De Mayo which commemorates the victory of Mexico over the French. It is celebrated more in the U.S. then it is in Mexico (Americans love a reason to drink margaritas and eat Mexican food)!

Yesterday a wise woman advised me that my blog was doing more than providing healthy recipes but bringing families together. The benefits of a family cooking and eating together go beyond a healthy diet. Fun family time in the kitchen fosters a happy family environment, which is seen at work, at school, and in confidence.

Tonight after my son’s Kung Fu lesson he raced into the house practicing his moves on his sister. Their sparing gave me time to throw my precut squash into the oven. After working up an appetite, my children wanted to know what we were cooking for dinner! They seasoned and smashed the cooked squash while I caramelized onions. My son devoured his quesadilla with lots of cheese, my husband ate his quesadilla with guacamole and hot sauce, and my daughter ate the squash and bean filling. Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!

Butternut Squash Black Bean Quesadillas

2 tbsp olive oil

olive oil cooking spray

1 large butternut squash or I bought two 12oz precut Green Giant Butternut Squash bags

1 15oz can black beans- rinsed and drained

1 yellow onion- diced

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

sea salt and pepper to taste

4-6 tortillas

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2.) In a 9x13 dish, spread out butternut squash and drizzle on olive oil. Sprinkle on salt and pepper and toss with a spoon. Bake for 40-45 minutes. When squash is done roasting, set aside.

3.) In a sauté pan, on medium high heat, spray olive oil spray and add onion. Sauté until onion caramelizes, about 6 minutes. Then add black beans to onions for 1 and 1/2 minutes. Stir.

4.) Take black bean and onion mixture and transfer it to squash dish. Season with nutmeg, cumin, and cinnamon.

5.) With a fork, mash the butternut squash and beans together.

6.) In a separate pan, heat the tortillas for 30 seconds on each side and add squash mixture to one half of tortilla. Fold over the other half of the tortilla and heat until tortilla turns golden brown and crispy. Cut tortilla in half.

7.) Serve additions according to your family’s taste: guacamole, salsa verde, salsa, Mexican cheese, and hot sauce.

Pantry Essentials

Several of my loyal readers (I hope you are having fun cooking!) have asked me to list my pantry favorites. Great Question! Have fun shopping!

Pepper (with a grinder built in)

Sea Salt

Cinnamon

Cumin

Vanilla

Rosemary

Oregano

Garlic Powder

Nutmeg

Parsley

Basil

Honey

Sesame Oil

Unsweetened Applesauce

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Black Beans

Garbanzo Beans

Cannellini Beans

Whole Grain Noodles- lasagna, penne, angel hair, spaghetti, rigatoni

Quinoa

Instant Brown Rice

Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs

Diced Walnuts

Pistachio Nuts

German Mustard (aka Dijon Mustard)

Ketchup

Quick Oats

Old-Fashioned Oats

Wasabi Peas

Balsamic Vinegar

Chocolate Chips

Cocoa Powder

White Sugar

Light Brown Sugar

Darn Brown Sugar

Powdered Sugar

Whole Wheat Flour

Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

White Flour

Baking Powder

Baking Soda

Yellow Cake Mix

Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix

Marinara Sauce (I love Rao’s Homemade Sauce)

Nutella

Peanut Butter

Low Sodium Soy Sauce

Dried Cherries

Raisins

Olive Oil Cooking Spray

Baking Spray

Canola Oil

Canned Diced Tomatoes

Canned Pumpkin

Canned Artichoke Hearts

This should be a good start! You can find most of these pantry staples at Target (excellent selection and low prices). Get messy! Have fun! And eat healthy!