Share the Love: Honey Balsamic Harvest Steak Salad {$50 Whole Foods Giveaway}

One of my joys in life is creating meals that my family and our friends delight in when they eat it.

But it doesn't come easy in this house ... at least with the kids it doesn't.

I don't know about your kids, but mine consider things like macaroni and cheese {which has its place in life} the king of all feasts.

And sometimes -- like when I made super delicious apple-cider braised purple cabbage and apple-chicken sausage for dinner -- I hear their protest cries. Loudly.

We parents have a lot going against us when the rest of the free world seems to taut chocolate cookies as the touchdown of all snacks and schools serve low-fat but high-sugar chocolate milk with snacks and lunches.

Now I'm not anti-treat or anti-mac and cheese or anti-chocolate milk, but, darn it, those things sure give vegetables a run for their money when it comes to choosing.

This is why I so appreciate the initiatives made by the Whole Kids Foundation, a nonprofit committed to improving childhood nutrition by increasing the availability and consumption of fruits and vegetables, both at schools and at home.

The foundation just kicked off its annual fundraiser to support school salad bar and garden grant programs and nutrition education classes for teachers, and in doing so, Whole Foods Deerfield has asked me to help spread the word about the importance of including a hearty heaping of veggies into our families' diets by creating a salad recipe the whole family will enjoy.

Well. Twist my arm.

So John and I set out to make a salad that our whole family, a friend and a friend's whole family would enjoy -- which translates to one baby, four kids and five adults, three of which are gluten-free and one who is dairy-free.

We decided to make two main dishes: a Honey Balsamic Harvest Steak Salad and Mini Tomato Salads {aimed at appealing to the minis}.

Honey Balsamic Harvest Steak Salad Recipe:
{fed five adults and four kids with leftovers}

Steak Marinade:
-Your choice of steak -- we used 1.2 pounds of flank steak
- 6 T of gluten-free soy sauce
- 2 T brown sugar
- 1/2 t dry mustard
- 1/2 t of ginger
- 1/2 t of onion powder

Let steak marinate over night.

Salad Ingredients:
- 1 Green Pepper
- 1 Avocado
- your favorite harvest tomatoes
- 1 pound of cremini mushrooms
- a heaping handful of pecans
- a container of sheep's milk {or cow's milk} feta
- two heads of romaine lettuce {you'll likely use 1.5}

Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 1/8 of honey

Stir ingredients to blend well.

Grill the steak. While the steak is grilling, sauté mushrooms in butter or coconut oil and add a tablespoon of balsamic to the pan. Chop all of the veggies. Toss veggies, mushrooms, steak, lettuce and dressing together. Top with pecans and feta.

Mini Tomato Salads Recipe 

Ingredients
- about 25 cherry tomatoes
- one to two balls of fresh mozzarella
- handful of basil leaves
- toothpicks

Slice cherry tomatoes in half. Slice mozzarella into bit sizes. Place tomato, basil leaf and mozzarella chunk on each toothpick. Serve with balsamic vinegar and olive oil blend.

Here's how it panned out: 

-The adults raved about both salads.

-Three kiddos gave the Honey Balsamic Harvest Steak Salad a thumbs up. My oldest said, "Well, I'm shocked. This is actually good." {Thanks, kid.}

-One kiddo thought the Mini Tomato Salad was awesome, but they all tried it. Quote: "Wow. I really like those."

So want to make your own salad creation or recreate one of these salads? Whole Foods Market Deerfield is giving away a $50 gift certificate for Whole Foods Market!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway Disclosure: Whole Foods Market Deerfield provided me with a $50 gift card to make these salad creations. 

Living Healthfully: {Creative} Soul Food

Two weekends ago we hosted our second Creative Soul event focused on nourishing the mind, body and spirit.

Along with Toni from Food (Just Sayin'), I undertook the challenge of not just feeding but nourishing our guests with food not just cold-weather comfort food but also soul food.

Photo courtesy of Alita Maini.

As Toni and I spoke about preparing a menu for a large group of people, we had a few requirements:

the meal had to be heathy, moderately seasonal and absolutely delicious.

You might imagine that's no small task; but it was made possible by our gracious sponsor Whole Foods Market Deerfield, who provided ingredients for our meal!

So what does one make in the dead of January that fits all of the requirements of healthy, moderately seasonal and absolutely delicious? Glad you asked!

Photo courtesy of Alita Maini.

Our Creative Soul Menu:

• Coffee from Julie’s Coffee and Fruited Water
• White Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls topped with Flax & Poppyseed from Alley Side Bakery
• Roasted Red Pepper Hummus with Organic Vegetables
• Chicken Curry Winter Stew over Organic Golden Rose Brown Rice
• Mango Pudding topped with Organic Strawberry Sauce &  Tajin

Photo courtesy of Alita Maini.

We focused the bulk of our seasonal requirement on the main dish -- the winter stew --  by using local raised chicken and winter root vegetables.

The sweet potatoes and the turnips were absolutely perfect additions to the stew, making it hearty, filling and colorful!

And I learned from Toni that turnips actually taste a lot like regular old white potatoes while obviously giving different nutrients to the stew! Nice!





And, boy, was it a hit with our guests returning for seconds! Here's the Chicken Curry Winter Stew, which we served over whole grain brown rice, in all of its delicious glory.

Photo courtesy of Alita Maini.

Want to make it? Get the recipe at Food (Just Sayin')!

For a nutritious and tasty side dish, Toni and I used my trusty Vitamix to whip up a batch of roasted red pepper hummus and served it with a delectable array of veggies.

I love hummus for a few specific reasons: it's made with a generous portion of the heart-healthy fat, extra virgin olive oil, it's bursting with fresh flavors like garlic and red pepper and it's an simply extravagant tasting dish that almost always proves to be a crowd pleaser!

Photo courtesy of Alita Maini.

One important step I shared in making hummus was the importance of soaking beans in water for 4-8 hours and taking care to rinse them well before blending them into hummus.

Like with grains and nuts, soaking legumes is a way to mitigate the phytic acid, an anti nutrient that binds to minerals. Soaking maximizes nutrient density, which greatly aids in digestion!
Learn more about the importance of soaking grains, nuts and legumes at The Nourished Kitchen.


And then be sure to give the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus recipe a whirl; Toni shared it with us here!

Photo courtesy of Alita Maini.

After our morning spent cooking, I sunk into the cozy couch satisfied. We knew by the second helpings, the conversation and the energy in the room that our meal didn't just nourish the bodies in the room but also the souls with our {Creative} soul food.

Undercover Recipes: Gluten and Dairy Free Sugar Cookies

This is our second holiday season spent respecting dairy and gluten dietary restrictions, and we've just now created a sugar cookie that stands up to ones comprised of butter and wheat flour.

I personally wasn't up for the task no matter how deprived I felt of cookies last holiday season (I'm not a baker; I burn toast often and with astonishing consistency), but my computer-genuis-by-day, chef-extraordinare-by-night husband, John, took it on with gusto and vigor.

And that's way better anyway because truth be told he's way pickier about desserts than the rest of the family who simply expects it to be, well, edible, and he will make and remake until perfected nearly every.single.time. {It's about that time that I have to say with bullhorn force to myself: back away from the cookies!}

Anyway, enjoy and indulge a bit on this astonishingly chewy and delectable sugar cookie.

And good heavens -- please remember that it's a *sugar* cookie, which means that while it's free of wheat and dairy it is certainly not free of calories in the form of pure sugar! PSA over.

Ingredients:
1 cup of room temperature coconut oil
3/4 whole sugar
3/4 brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups of brown rice flour
3/4 cup of arrowroot powder
1.5 teaspoons of xanthan gum* (or 1.5 teaspoons of potato starch)
1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 teaspoons of hot water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Sundrop chocolate candies optional -- not dairy free!
{You could also replace the arrowroot and xanthan gum with 1/4 cup of Bob's Red Mill All-Purpose Baking Flour and add an extra egg as a recipe variation.}

Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees.
Cream together coconut oil and sugars until smooth.
Beat in the eggs one at a time along with the vanilla extract.
In a separate dish, dissolve the baking soda into the hot water; add it to the existing creamed mixture along with the salt.
In a separate bowl, mix the brown rice flour, arrowroot powder and xanthan gum {or Bob's Red Mill flour} gently with a fork; add the flour mixture to the creamed batter.
Using a spoon, place small balls of dough {about a teaspoon full} on a greased cookie sheet leaving about two inches between each cookie.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, keeping a close eye on the cookies. Leave them in closer to 12 minutes if you like crunchier cookies.
After baking, remove cookies from the baking sheet, allowing them to cool atop of wax paper or a cookie rack.
Decorate or scarf after cooling -- your choice.

*One of my awesome readers asked me what I mean by real food ingredients, and she challenged me to look deeper into xanthan gum, which is a thickener made from fermenting bacteria. I'm not totally sure how much I like it after doing more digging, so I've included recipe variations! Always a challenge this baking and healthy living stuff!

Living Healthfully: Undercover Candy Bars

Especially during summer -- when it seems like we attend parties or festivities multiple times each week -- I'm always on the hunt for quick and easy treats that are not loaded with sugar, preservatives, dyes and other things that go bump in the night and appear in my nightmares.

A friend shared this recipe with me and promised these peanut buttery bars would taste like a candy bar's long lost sister but without all the added gunk. 

I've heard that before, and my husband is notorious for all but dragging out the family tree records to prove, indeed, that the "cupcakes" I made were not even closely enough related to even have cupcake in the name; we settled the argument by calling them cuppins {cupcake muffins that were not good enough to make the blog recipe roll}. 

But this recipe? It's good. {I haven't tasted it yet since I'm still taking baby steps with sugar, but the boys have devoured these bars!}

It's so good, in fact, my hubby even calls them candy-like bars. {See? The word candy is in the name, so they are thisclose to being in the candy bar family.}

Undercover Candy Bars with Vanilla Mango No Cream Ice Cream

Ingredients: 

2 cups of peanut butter {we sometimes use The Peanut Butter Company’s White Chocolate Wonderful}

1 cup of honey

2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of Maca root powder 

3 cups of rolled oats

Directions:

Microwave or melt on the stovetop the honey and peanut butter.

Mix in the cocoa powder and Maca root powder.

Stir in the rolled oats and mix really well.

Place in a 9 by 13 inch pan and refrigerate to set. 

Enjoy!

Living Healthfully: Blueberry Vanilla No-Milk Shake

During the summer months especially, I crave sweet, creamy, thick, frozen treats.

In years past, when I wasn't as conscious about health and sugar intake and was still consuming dairy, I'd normally satisfy the craving with a Starbucks frappacino or, on special occasion, a Culvers milkshake {I cringe at this now as I remember the shock I'd voiced when I was first diagnosed with gut flora imbalance last year. Back then I asked how such an imbalance could be. Now I ask how such an imbalance could NOT be!}.

So, anyway, though no one could pay me to drink either of those treats now, I still do daydream about healthy shakes, especially on hot days.

After making no-dairy ice cream for the kids this week, I decided to get brave in the kitchen and attempt to recreate a healthy sweet, creamy, thick frozen drink -- without sugar and without dairy.

A challenge, yes, but not impossible with the help of the sweet herb Stevia, a little good bacteria and some high quality ground vanilla beans.

The first try was a dud. Oy was it bad.

The second? So good.


The third? Awesome!


My treat-snob husband who groans at the thought of subbing probiotic milk for real make says this drink tastes more like a custard shake than a milkshake, but he agreed it was good tasting with amazing consistency. I've included alternate ingredients for those who can handle more sweetness. 



Ingredients:
Probiotic Milk:
1/2 Cup of Filtered Water
10-12 Drops of Stevia*
1.5 Tablespoons of Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Powder or ground vanilla beans
1 Tablespoon of lecithin granules 
1 teaspoon of Maca Root Powder
1 Tablespoon of probiotic powder {like Acidophilus; we use Primadophilus Kids}

1/3 heaping cup blueberries {if you have no sugar sensitivity,  use 3/4 cup of blueberries}
1/2 large avocado
1/3 cup of frozen spinach
1 cup of whole-cube ice



Directions:
First, make the probiotic milk by blending all ingredients expect for the probiotic powder for 30-45 seconds at 10 in a Vitamix or Blendtec or blender of choice.

Add the probiotic powder and blend on low for about 10 seconds.

Add the blueberries, avocado and frozen spinach to the blender and blend on high for about 45-60 seconds, The mixture should turn creamy and thick like a shake. You may need to add additional water to help smooth it out, so have about 1/2 cup on hand while blending.

*John advises those who are not/have not been on a sugar-restrictive diet to add one tablespoon of agave syrup or coconut sugar and omit the Stevia for a truer shake taste.



Lastly, enjoy!

Hey, while we're talking about REAL food that's real good and real good for you, maybe whip up your shake and then head over to the Real Food Summit and enjoy this tasty treat while feasting on some food for thought regarding health, eating real food and preventing/reversing disease. Specifically, I recommend the Joel Salatin talk -- SO GOOD!

Thanks to Neilsen-Massey Vanillas for sending me a bottle of sugar-free and alcohol-free Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder to help me get creative with new recipes while still adhering to my gut-restoring diet! No other compensation was received for a shout-out in this post. 

Living Healthfully: Quick, Easy and Healthy Summer Treats

We follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to what goes into our –the kids’ especially– mouths.

Eighty percent of what we (knowingly) feed the boys doesn’t come from boxes or packages; rather, their meals and snacks are filled with whole foods from the garden, the farm and the produce shelves at the store and farmers’ markets. We won’t talk about the other 20 percent that makes me shudder in horror while we’re enjoying family outings and festivities.

During the summer, though, the 80/20 rule could easily be buried under the mounds of sand we seem to track everywhere because there are simply too many festivities featuring tables covered with sugar-laden goodies and highly processed foods. We’re lucky to ... {finish reading}

Mango Banana non-dairy Ice Cream and Undercover Candy Bars

{Pop on over to CBS Local to gather five simple, quick and healthy recipes perfect for summer and festivities!}

Living Healthfully: Undercover Cookies

Tomorrow we're celebrating Bigger Picture Blogs SECOND birthday by engaging in two things we do best -- creativity and community.

But what's a party without goodies?

In celebration of our big day tomorrow, we thought it necessary to share our favorite uniquely flavored birthday treats as well as a little peak at the Creative Inspiration packages graciously given by Compendium Inc. Live Inspired for two members of our community who link up a special Bigger Picture Moment* here at the party tomorrow.

A delicious gift for a writer, isn't it?

Speaking of delicious, I'm sharing the recipe for my healthy Undercover {Breakfast} Cookies. We call them cookies, but, says hubby, they don't live up to their name if you're expecting crunch. This cookie is softer, like oatmeal, but holds up well after setting in the fridge.

And, of course, it's sweetened with Stevia, so those of us with inner body ecologies who need to steer clear of sugar can still enjoy a treat. Though my youngest picky eater, who indulges in fruit-sugar all the live-long day, loves these cookies and prefers them to even brownies.

Undercover {Breakfast} Cookies

Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups of water
1 cup of quinoa flakes
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon of maca root powder {optional}
1 tablespoon of ground flax seed
1/4 cup of dried unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
15 drops of liquid stevia
1/2 cup of dried unsweetened cranberries {optional because of the sugar content}


Directions:
Combine quinoa flakes, cinnamon, spice, maca root and ground flax in a bowl and mix together. 


In a pan atop of medium flames, boil water; add the dry mix, stirring continually until the mixture thickens (about 90 seconds). 


Add coconut oil, Stevia and coconut flakes. Stir well. Add cranberries. Mix well. 
Scoop large balls into a glass container, dividing the thick mixture evenly. Refrigerate until thoroughly cooled and well-formed. 


Link up YOUR favorite treat recipe -- old or new -- with This Heavenly Life today to help us celebrate!

*If you didn't sign up to be part of a Creative Duo and receive a prompt, no worries. You can still participate! We're creating to our second birthday musical mix, and the random card prompt is "For Me This is Heaven" by Jimmy Eat World. 

Indulgences: White Chocolate Peanut Butter Puppy Chow

Having gone dairy and gluten-free this fall, I started searching for recipes I could make and share at Christmas parties and holiday celebrations as well as, you know, eat with out doubling over in pain the next day.

But there are two rules of the kitchen by which I abide when making wheat-gluten and dairy-free treats:

First, it can't taste like a cop-out version of something like it; it must stand its own ground in taste and flavor.

And, second, it cannot contain a bunch of unpronounceable ingredients.

This White Chocolate Peanut Butter Puppy Chow -- both dairy and wheat-gluten free -- exceeds rule number one and pretty much meets rule number two with the exception of the slight amount of preservative in the Chex cereal. {I'm currently on the hunt for a Chex-like cereal that doesn't have anything gunky in it. Suggestion welcome!}

While it's not {I repeat, not} the healthiest recipe I've ever shared, it might be one of the most addictive; so you have been warned.

At any rate, it's a nice indulgence once or twice per year when you want to whip up something sweet and crunchy for a celebration.

White Chocolate Puppy Chow

Ingredients:

*1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
* 1/2 Cup of Peanut Butter Company White Chocolate Wonderful
* 1 Cup of creamy Peanut Butter
* 4 Bricks of {dairy-free!} Baker's Chocolate
* 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
* 8 Cups of crispy rice cereal like Chex
* 1/2 Cup of Powdered Sugar

Instructions:

A top of a low flame in a steel pan, slowly {sllloooooowly -- don't want it to burn!} melt the coconut oil. {We like both Nutiva and Spectrum, but having been using Spectrum more often because it's easily found on the baking aisle shelves of our local Super Target. Score!}

Next, add the baker's chocolate {dairy-free, of course, and also found on the shelves of the baking aisle at Super Target!}, slowly melting it while mixing it with the coconut oil.

After the chocolate and coconut oil are mixed thoroughly, add both peanut butter mixtures {One more huge score for Super Target, as the White Chocolate Wonderful is found there as well!} and stir like crazy, allowing it to slowly melt atop the low flame while blending with the chocolate and coconut oil.

After the mixture is thoroughly mixed, add the teaspoon of vanilla.

Turn off the flame, and begin mixing in the cereal one cup at a time, coating the cereal evenly with the wonderfully gooey mixture.

After the cereal is thoroughly coated, add the powdered sugar to a paper bag and then dump the cereal into the bag.

Fold the bag and make a tight seal before shaking to coat the cereal with powered sugar.

Let the puppy chow cool and enjoy.

Living Healthfully: Eating a Gluten-and-Dairy-Free Diet

I feel like a new person on the inside.

About a month ago, I severed my love affair with dairy, suspecting that it was adding to some GI issues I first started experiencing this summer after somehow contracting a parasite. (Don't ask; I don't honestly know how I got it, but I've been reassured that most of us live with many little buggers without really knowing it. My little buggers, well, they have been evicted.)

So anyway, out went the dairy and entered in its place almond milk, coconut and olive oils and some crazy, stretchy tapioca cheese-like substance that I'm not crazy about but like well enough when I want to make pizza. {Oh, pizza, why do you have to be so good and so evil?!}

While going dairy-free helped quite a bit, I still was experiencing GI issues, so a few weeks ago, at the suspicion of perhaps having developed a leaky gut during all the GI issues, I went to the next food culprit : gluten.

For my body, it was a pretty quick read: gluten is not my friend. Almost two weeks into my gluten and dairy free diet, I feel normal again. No more bloated, irritated GI tract and away with crabby wife and mommy as well.

Honestly, I feel so much better that I'm inclined to not even want to reintroduce dairy after the allotted time of gut healing has passed. Because who wants to go back to gross after feeling so good?

Been mulling a diet change of going cold turkey {mmm, you can still eat turkey!} with gluten and dairy?

Here are a few things that helped me through the first week:

* Find a friend or two who is willing to walk you through the emotional, chemical and physical changes that occur in your body and in your pantry. The support is key in knowing you can do this!

* Take a trip to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods Market and ask a crew member to brief you on dairy and gluten free options. Most staff members I've come across, especially at Whole Foods Market, have gone above and beyond to help guide me.

* Or browse Amazon for really wonderful gluten-free and dairy free foods like: Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal, apple pie Lara Bars, Bob's Red Mill gluten-free Oats, quinoa and a few other Bob's Red Mill staples that will provide whole grains in your diet without reeking havvoc on the gut.

* Find your happy place with fresh, whole foods like chicken, fish, fruits and veggies. This one is important. Whole, real foods are always better than anything processed, in my opinion!

We often snack on apples and cashews, enjoy slow-cooker chicken with Italian seasoning alongside green beans tossed with almonds and dried berries and sweet potatoes mashed with coconut oil for dinner; we feast on baked apple pie oatmeal for breakfast.

* Take a peak at some of the great foodie blogs for gluten and dairy free eating:

The Gluten-Free GoddessGluten-Free Girl and the Chef {must exchange dairy for almond milk, soy milk or rice milk}

* Find good substitutes for dairy. My favorites so far:

-almond milk in place of dairy milk {goat milk is great for the kids}
-hummus in place of cheese
-coconut oil in place of butter {you will never believe how good it is until you try it. Just do it!}
-olive oil in place of non-stick butters
-Daiya Tapioca is a good cheese-esque replacement for pizza
- coconut or almond milk ice cream in place of regular dairy ice cream

*If it's a packaged food, always double check for gluten by calling and asking if gluten is in the ingredients. Anything with wheat, bran, semolina, bulgar, spelt, tabbouli, orzo, couscous, farina, kamut and barley contains gluten. Defatted wheat germ also contains gluten, for any Standard Process supplement users.

As always, I'm happy to help, too. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

{I was not compensated or asked to talk about any of the products I mentioned. I just like them a lot!}