A "Healthier" Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

My family and I have been on a whole foods journey this year in an attempt to cut out processed food and just be healthier in general. We buy local meat and eggs, drink milk and use butter from a local dairy, and buy other things organic as much as possible. We are not perfect at it by any means and we do allow ourselves to eat "bad" things in moderation from time to time. For the most part I cook from scratch using whole foods and healthy ingredients 5 or 6 nights a week and we typically eat leftovers on one night and maybe grab something quick once a week. I drink my lunch every day which consists of various green smoothies made with kale or spinach.. I LOVE my green smoothies! My husband bought me a Vitamix for Christmas and I use it every single day! Best...Gift...Ever! I also use it to make our own nut butters, soups, and we've even made ice cream in it. School lunches are a work in progress and I plan to blog more about that later. Another thing I've changed is my morning coffee. I love my Bailey's Hazelnut creamer but, like many other things, it is just filled with junk and a bunch of stuff I can't pronounce. I have recently started making my own coffee creamer using just a few simple organic ingredients. I admit it's not exactly the same but I'm liking it more and more each time I use it :) All of this to say that sometimes you just need a sweet treat and that's ok. Instead of reaching for store bought snack foods which are packed with all kinds of unpronounceable ingredients, preservatives and loaded with sugar I like to keep ingredients on hand to make my own goodies. At least this way I know exactly what I'm eating and I can control what goes in it. I try to stay away from white sugar and bleached flour. I feel a little less guilty this way! This is one of my go-to recipes when my sweet tooth strikes :) I modified it to remove white flour and sugar. They are a hit with the whole family!

Whole-Wheat Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour (I use white whole wheat b/c it has a milder taste)

1 cup organic rolled oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

3/4 cup organic raw cane sugar

1/4 cup organic sweet cream butter

1 tsp organic vanilla extract

1 large egg (I buy pastured eggs from a local farm)

1/3 cup chocolate chips (or raisins if you prefer a healthier option) These are also great as a plain oatmeal cookie!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and gently whisk together. In a separate large bowl cream together sugar and butter until well blended (3-5 min). Add vanilla and egg; beat well. Add flour mixture and stir until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls onto a nonstick cookie sheet about 2" apart. Bake at 350 for 11 min or until golden brown. Best served warm with a cold glass of milk :)

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

What's for Dinner: Citrus Herb Chicken, Sweet Potato Fries and Kale & Broccoli Quinoa

Just wanted to share another great quinoa recipe with you as well as some of our staple seasoning recipes we use often. It's all delicious! (found here)

Kale & Broccoli Quinoa

1/2 cup dry quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken stock (for cooking quinoa)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4-1/2 cup yellow onion chopped
2 cloves garlic, grated into pan
1/3 cup chicken stock
1 medium or large head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 bunch kale, leaves removed from stems, and broken into bite size pieces
salt and pepper to taste
parmesan cheese, for garnish
lemon juice, if desired

Cook the quinoa in a medium pot to package directions, until tender and liquid is absorbed. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the chopped onion. Cook for a couple minutes until translucent (don't let burn), and add the garlic grating it straight into the pan. Stir for a minute, not allowing to burn, and add in the broth. Rinse off the broccoli and kale and add them both to the pan with onions, garlic and broth. Reduce heat slightly and cover. Let cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the broccoli is tender and kale has shrunk. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add quinoa and veggie mix to a serving bowl and mix together. Garnish with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

We make roasted chicken and homemade sweet potato fries often in our house. These are the seasonings I make in advance and keep on hand.  Drizzle chicken or sweet potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with respective seasonings. Bake at 450 degrees. (23-25min chicken breast) (18-22min thin cut sweet potato fries) Sprinkle a little paprika on sweet potatoes in addition to the house seasoning.

Citrus Herb Seasoning (great on chicken or fish)

 

3/4 cup coarse salt
2 tablespoons lemon zest
4 teaspoons dried rosemary
3 teaspoons dried thyme
3 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

 

Mix all together and store in airtight container.

House Seasoning (for sweet potato fries)

1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder

Mix all together and store in airtight container.

ENJOY!!

What's for Dinner: Cheesy Quinoa Vegetable Bites

These quinoa bites were a HUGE hit with the whole family! The kids begged me to make these again while they were eating them and I am more than happy to oblige to their request. This recipe is super easy to make and a healthy vegetarian option (not vegan as it does have cheese and egg). They would also be a great healthy finger food for a party. The kids loved that they could pick these up with their fingers to eat them. Great kid appeal!! And the hubby approved too!

Cheesy Quinoa Vegetable Bites

2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup shredded carrot
1/2-1 cup chopped spinach
2 green onion stalks chopped
 2-3 garlic cloves diced
1-2 tbsp cilantro chopped
2 large eggs
2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup cheddar

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and spoon into greased muffin tins about 1/2-2/3 full. Bake at 350 for 20 min. Yum!! You can dip these into a sauce of your choosing if you prefer (maybe a homemade marinara or ranch). We served with a simple side of roasted parmesan broccoli. (drizzle broccoli with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chopped garlic. Bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes and then add some grated Parmesan before serving. (I often heat an extra minute to melt it a bit)

Sorry for the instagram pic but the kids were ready to eat, the hubby was working 5 hours late and I didn't have time for regular photos. I love Instagram...total time saver ;)

What's for Dinner: Mahi Mahi with Corn & Cucumber Slaw

I've been doing a lot of experimenting in the kitchen this year in an effort to branch out with my cooking and try new things. I am crafty with many things but culinary art is not one of my talents. Since we are trying to eat healthier, eat local foods, and cut out processed "foods" as much as possible I have been cooking from scratch almost nightly, about 6 days a week. It has been a fun learning experience so far! Tonight's dinner was exceptionally yummy so I figured I'd share the recipe I found via pinterest. The original recipe is found here. Earthfare had a great deal on wild-caught Mahi Mahi this week so we picked up a couple pounds. We actually don't eat a lot of fish simply b/c I'm not a huge fish person...but like I said, I am branching out. Remember the portobello mushroom revelation from my Valentines Day dinner? Well, same thing happened tonight. I normally don't really like fish but this was delicious!! Super easy too! I guess the saying is true...Mahi Mahi, the fish so nice they named it twice!!

 Pan Cooked Mahi Mahi with Corn & Cucumber Salsa

• 1 inch thick Mahi filets (skin on)
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chile powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon butter

 Combine spices and rub onto both sides of your Mahi Mahi (including skin side). Add butter to a cast iron grill pan on med to med-hi heat. Once butter melts and sizzles add your Mahi filets skin side down. Cook both sides about 4-5 min each until meat is flaky. The skin pulled away from the fish once mine was cooked through.

Corn & Cucumber Slaw

• 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (or thawed from frozen)
• 1 cup cucumbers, peeled and small diced
• 1/4 cup red bell pepper, small diced
• 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon cilantro, minced
• 1 tablespoon jalapeno, minced
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1 teaspoon cold pressed olive oil

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and allow to sit for 20 minutes so flavors can mingle and get to know each other :) Spoon slaw onto cooked Mahi and admire the prettiness! Then enjoy!!

And in case you want to make the roasted asparagus...

Roasted Asparagus

Line asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper. Bake at 425 for 20-22 min until they start to brown. If you have really thick asparagus you may need to blanch them prior to roasting so that they will cook entirely. Roasted asparagus is a staple in our home and is absolutely delicious!!

Chicken Spaghetti- a casserole

Need something new for dinner? Try this creamy and delicious Chicken Spaghetti! I made this yummy and easy dish for dinner last night and it was a huge hit with the kids and the DH! I loved it too! What's great, is that unlike a lot of meals, it's just as good when reheated for lunch the next day...assuming there is any leftover! Wanna make it? Go here and Pioneer Woman will guide you step by step with photos! You can't go wrong with this one...unless of course you're on the Atkins diet! In that case....run....run far far away and don't look back!

Snow Cream Recipe

There's nothing better than making your own snow cream after a fresh snowfall! You will need:

8-10 cups packed snow (fresh & clean of course)
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp vanilla
bowl
spoon


Measure out your snow. Mix sugar, milk, and vanilla together in a separate bowl.


Pour sugar mixture into snow and stir with spoon.


Continue blending until your snow cream reaches the consistency of homemade icecream.


Spoon into serving dish.


Enjoy!!