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: Simply Cucumber and Tomato Salad

During August's Eat Local challenge, I'm sharing my favorite simply delicious recipes made from local foods.

Cucumbers and tomatoes are in abundance in my garden; seriously, I could have a road-side stand.

Or we could just eat our weight in cucumbers and tomatoes, which sort of goes along with our challenge, so that's what we're doing.

Here's our favorite way to eat the two together.



Ingredients:
Two cucumbers
As many tomatoes as you'd like
3 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1.5 Tablespoon of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar or juice of half of a lemon
Sea salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix well.
Gobble immediately.

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: 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. 

Living Healthfully: Kale Chips

The smallest member of our family decided way back when he was just a small babe that if anything green was spread out on the table in front of him, it had better be a crayon or playdough -- because, surely, no solid, green foods would slip past his lips if he had anything to do with it.

Over the past two years that he's been dinning with us at the table, I've strategized a million ways to get green into his daily diet; my only plans that have worked include blending spinach into the macaroni and cheese sauce.

So when John made kale chips in our dehydrator in a few weeks ago, we were pleasantly surprised to find we needed to devise a war strategy to sneak a few Kale Chips out of his hands for the rest of us to enjoy.

A recipe like that deserves something like a praise chorus, but I'm settling for just giving it space here on the blog instead. 

I hope this one is as magical for you as it has been for us.

John's Newly Famous Raw Garlic Kale Chips

Ingredients:

- One head of kale {I love the curly kale!}

- 1/4 cup of sprouted* sunflower seeds {We use Kaia Sprouted Sunflower seeds with garlic and onion}

- 1 medium lemon, juiced plus the zest from the peel

- 1/2 teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt

- 2 cloves of garlic

- 1/2 cup of water

Directions:

1. Wash and spin dry kale in salad spinner or dry with towel

2. Cut the kale leaves off of the middle stem and then cut them into 1/2 inch chunks or strips

3. Place all ingredients EXCEPT for the kale into a blender until the mixture is smooth

4. Place dry kale into a large mixing bowl and pour the mixture over top of the kale, using your hands to thoroughly coat the kale with the mixture. 

5. Place coated kale on dehydrator trays and spread it out over the trays to ensure even drying

6. Dehydrate at 110 degrees F for about six hours. Turn the trays and continue to dehydrate until the leaves become crunchy. {I prefer mine to still be slightly soft instead of totally crunchy.}

7. Pry the chips from your children's hands so you can get at least one bite before they totally disappear. 

Don't have a dehydrator? Bake the chips in the oven at 375 for about 15 minutes or until edges are crispy. Watch the chips closely while they bake! If you use the oven, the chips are no longer considered raw, by the way. 

* All grains, nuts, beans and seeds should be soaked before cooking and eating because soaking removes toxic substances like that are enzyme inhibitors, making for easier digestion where more nutrients are able to be drawn into the body. 

Living Healthfully: Best Chicken Soup Ever

At first I wasn't sure whether or not to be highly offended or highly flattered when John heartily took a heaping bite of the chicken soup I'd slaved over {read: chopped veggies for} all day {read: the time it took me to chop the veggies} and exclaimed that it was surely the best soup I'd ever made.

I mean, I'm not some fabulous chef or anything close, but I've made some pretty darn good soups; they are kind of my thing.

After assuring me that most of my soups have been good and that all of his past compliments hadn't been pity remarks {kidding!}, he added that this one was exceptionally good.

So because it's super healthy{I mean, like, whoa healthy}, exceptionally tasty and it's pretty painless to make, here's the play by play on how to create my {creatively titled} Best Chicken Soup Ever in your own kitchen.

Ingredients:
One small whole chicken
Four stalks of celery
One pound bag of carrots
One bunch of parsley
One bunch of cilantro
One sweet onion
One bunch of leeks
Olive Oil
Five cloves of garlic
Sea Salt
Pepper
One cup of frozen Kale or about 5 large fresh leaves chopped well
Dried Italian Seasoning blend
One Lime
One bag of baked Blue Corn Tortilla Chips* {optional}

Directions:

Place entire chicken {remove organ pack if it's included first!} in a crock pot with enough time to cook for about 6-8 hours. Add 6-8 cups of water {basically you only want the top of the chicken to be above water} and drizzle olive oil atop of the chicken. Turn the heat on high.

While the crock pot is warming and the chicken is beginning to cook and make a simple broth in the pot, get busy chopping carrots, celery, parsley, leeks and onion. Crush the garlic. Add all ingredients to the crock pot after you're finished chopping and allow them to simmer on high with the chicken. Also add a generous sprinkle of the dried Italian Seasoning blend now.

About an hour and half before serving your soup, begin breaking pulling the chicken meat off the bones. After removing much of the meat, take the carcass {leave the leg bones in the crock pot to simmer}and place it in a big stock pot. Cover the carcass with water and simmer the carcass in the stock pot with the lid on. You'll want to cover the carcass with about an inch or so of water.

Next, chop the cilantro and add most of it along with the kale to the crockpot. Toss the rest of the cilantro into the stock pot. If you have another clove of garlic, add it to the stock pot, too. Let the carcass simmer for about an hour but check to make sure the carcass is still covered with water in the pot during the simmering period. Add more water if needed.

After an hour, pour the stockpot contents into the crock pot using a strainer to strain the bones and meat.

Then pick out the meat from the stock pot and add it to your soup.

Add sea salt and pepper before serving and serve with a side of fresh lime and blue corn tortilla chips.

{*If you are following the Body Ecology Diet like I am, this meal adheres to the guidelines for first and second phases minus the tortilla chips. Don't eat the tortilla chips alongside a protein or starchy veggies!}

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.

November Simple Swap: The Skinny on Fats and Body Fat

**This month's winner is Stephanie!** We all want to live healthier, more intentional lives, but sometimes it seems overwhelming and daunting to take even small steps toward our ideals because there are so many steps before us.


Simple Swap was born out of a desire and passion to encourage other women on journeys toward living healthier, more inspired, intentional lifestyles through implementing one simple swap per month. 


Each swap will:
1. Take 30 minutes or less to accomplish
2. Be inexpensive to implement or boast overall, long-haul {health} savings 
3. Focus on improving health/eco-friendliness, being good stewards of our resources and/or fostering a creative and intentional life.

Some weeks, all three will be accomplished in 30 minutes or less!

The beautiful and creative Robin from Diet Coke on the Rocks will make the Simple Swap first each month so as to show ease and perhaps sometimes another way to implement a Simple Swap. Check out Robin's November Simple Swap for more ideas!

*****

Be it fat in food or fat on our bodies, we often feel like we must flee from fat as fast as our legs can carry us.

But what if by eating fat we could actually reduce our body fat and maintain a healthy composition while improving our health?

Largely, we've been conditioned and educated to view fat as the enemy, particularly when it's nestled inside our food or beneath our skin.

And while I agree wholeheartedly that we must be vigilant about maintaining a healthy amount of body fat, I think we've been sorely miseducated on how to go about doing so.

In the past, if a label held promises of being low fat, I assumed naively so, that it was healthier than the other options that contained the full amount of fat. I'm pretty sure I thought that all fat was bad and was probably the culprit for making me fat.

In reality, that's no more true than any other outrageous generalization.

Eating the right fat can actually help our bodies shed unwanted fat cells.

Instead of slicing fats from our diet we should be consciously working on making healthy fats part of our meals. But how do we know the difference between the two?

Trans fats {hydrogenated oils or partially hydrogenated} = never! 

Saturated fats {coconut oil and animal products like cheese, yogurt, butter) = diligent moderation 

Mono and poly unsaturated fats {nuts, fish, avocado and olive oil; I don't recommend using any other oils} = healthy servings a few times per day

{Read more about dissecting fats at the Mayo Clinic}

Aside from helping promote healthy Body Mass Index levels and weight loss, the consumption of good fats like those found in avocado, olive oil, fish and coconut oil also aid in health by decreasing inflammation {like allergies, arthritis, heart disease} in the body while helping maintain insulin levels, regulate blood sugar and decrease the risk of coronary heart disease.

The list goes on and on, but I think you get the point I'm trying to make:

Switching out our unhealthy fats to healthier ones promote wellness, weight loss and prevent disease {and preserves the money you'd use caring for such disease}.

Here are a few ways you can Simple Swap the unhealthy fats for healthier ones:

Mango Chicken Chili

* Replace a few red-meat centered meals every week with a fish or bean entrees like black-bean tacos, mango chicken chili or hummus veggie wraps.

*Use ground turkey for burgers or spaghetti instead of ground beef. 

* Use hummus or avocado on sandwiches instead of using cheese 

* Replace butter with coconut oil in all baking recipes like muffins, cakes, slow-cooker baked apple pie oatmeal, pizza crust, bread, flat bread and toast

Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal

Briefly, I want to land on the last point: Coconut oil is our all-purpose fat of choice because not only because it tastes good but also because actually has been shown to improve immune system function.

We use it in all of the aforementioned baked goods and recipes and we've found it actually enhances the flakiness of pizza crust, the fluffiness of muffins and the consistency of the oatmeal and because coconut oil is one of the only oils that can withstand such high temperatures without losing its antiodidants.

Carrot Cupcakes with Coconut Oil

I was skeptical at first because I didn't really want all of my recipes to have a hint of coconut, but to my surprise nothing has had that coco-nutty flavor. And for someone who just cannot stomach dairy, coconut oil is a recipe saver!

With Thanksgiving and Christmas quickly approaching, I would love if you would share a recipe you've Simply Swapped out the unhealthy fats for the healthier ones using coconut oil.





Of course, you can swap out any unhealthy fat for a healthier one and share your findings to be eligible to win a really wonderful addition to your kitchen.

As an incentive to make the Simple Swap, I asked my absolute favorite coconut oil maker, Nutiva, to sponsor November's Simple Swap and giveaway one jar of high-quality, super healthy and really yummy coconut oil. 

And Nutiva happily obliged!



So let's do this! Let's make this holiday season {and our bodies} much healthier by Simple Swapping out the unhealthy fats for healthier ones.

{No purchase necessary. Giveaway is open to all U.S. residents who are 18 years and older. The winner will be selected randomly Dec. 1, 2011 from the link up pool.Nutiva is only providing the giveaway item; I have not been compensated in any way or gifted with any product to talk about Nutiva}


This post is linked with The Green Resource at A Delightful Home, Sorta Crunchy, The Greenbacks Gal and Live Renewed.

Living Healthfully: Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal

With the days becoming shorter, nights chillier, I find it hard to pull myself from the warm, flannel sheets of our cushy bed.

 Especially when I wake up to two cute little boys in my bed, I'd like to linger in the warmth, in between two small bodies of heat, enjoying the early-morning smiles brought about by rest and a new day, but little tummies growl and want food before too many minutes pass.

On these chilly-air mornings, in the newness of autumn and the heart of harvest, I love waking up to Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal smells wafting up the staircase from the slow cooker. And I love that we can all roll out of bed, slip into wool socks and sweatshirts and head down to enjoy a warm breakfast without cooking; it makes getting out of bed so much more inviting.

With its easy preparation, in-season ingredients {we picked our apples at All Seasons Orchard}, flavorful taste and high nutrition, I bet Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal will become a favorite around your house, too.

    Baked Apple Pie Oatmeal

* 4-5 small apples, peeled and chopped into bite sizes {Galas are perfect, but any crisp, sweet apple will work}
* 1 and 1/4 cups of whole-rolled oats or steel-cut oats {half of both is FABULOUS!}
* 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
* 1.5 Tablespoons of coconut oil or butter
* 2 Tablespoons of Almond Meal {optional}
* 2 Tablespoons of Ground Flax Seed
* 1.75 Cups of original Almond Milk or regular cow milk {we prefer raw!}
* 1.75 Cups of water, Sprinkle of sea salt
* Generous sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice

Be sure to grease the inside of the slower cooker and then simply toss everything into the pot, letting it simmer overnight {about six hours} on low.

Note: Depending on the heat levels of your slow cooker, you may need to play with this recipe and adjust the liquid ingredients accordingly because if it cooks at a higher heat on low than mine, you may need more liquid. 

In the morning, after the oatmeal is dished into separate bowls, you may want to add honey or brown sugar on the top for added sweetness. The boys and I, however, think it's plenty sweet without adding a drop because of the sweetness of the apples. {If you want, you can add one tablespoon of honey to the pot, though.}

We do play with garnishes, though; G likes his with raisins, and I like mine topped with a few almonds and some extra cinnamon.

Also to love, even E., my picky eater,devours this breakfast, shoveling it into his mouth with both a spoon and his free hand.

 It's that good.

If you try it, let me know what you think!

Happy Autumn!

{My recipe was originally inspired by one at The Yummy Life.}

This post is also linked with The Green Resource at A Delightful Home. 

Share the Love: Lawry's Summer Cooking Project

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! CONGRATULATIONS TO LENAE!
Let me tell you -- I didn't know the meaning of delicious until I nearly drowned myself a few weeks ago in a fabulous {and healthy} bowl of watermelon gazpacho infused with peppers, cucumbers and topped with sweet, seasoned shrimp and ripened avocados.

While I'm no stranger to experimenting in the kitchen, I never would have thought those ingredients would combine so well, creating such a cool, flavorful feast. But that's the fun thing about cooking with a group of friends -- ideas grow and flourish and make something seemingly everyday -- like watermelon in the summer -- to something extraordinary like watermelon gazpacho.

Along with Melissa, Michelle and Vanessa, I was commissioned by The Motherhood and the folks at Lawry's Seasonings to execute a Summer Cooking Project.



Our group's challenge included creating a three-course unique, delicious meal themed around Vacation Food while using Lawry's Seasonings in each dish.

My mind first went to all of the fresh produce and ingredients available locally -- grilling corn, marinating steaks and picking ripe tomatoes from the vine to create a classic Midwestern vacation meal. Our group instead decided to cruise on over to the Mediterenean coast for inspiration while using our Lawry's seasonings: the classic seasoning salt, the balsamic marinade and the seasoning salt marinade.

While we were preparing to make our unique foodfare with flares of flavor from our favorite Mediterranean destinations, I discovered that our local produce -- including tomatoes, watermelon, peppers, onions and cucumbers -- actually are similar to that of which is grown in the Mediterranean region.

So though our watermelon and veggies were grown locally here in the country nestled just outside of suburbia, our watermelon gazpacho and shrimp sprinkled with Lawry's Seasoning Salt blew my taste buds all the way from present day in suburbia back to time spent near the mediterrenean coast.

Our final menu nicely incorporated locally grown produce with tastes of the Mediterrenean:

* Tomato and Mozzarella Salad dressed with Lawry’s Balsamic Marinade {prepared separately by Cherise and Paula}

* Watermelon Gazpacho Topped with Avocado and Sweet Jumbo Shrimp Seasoned with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt

* Lawry's Balsamic Marinated Chicken Kebabs with Peach Chutney and Grilled Pineapple

Tomato and Mozzarella Salad dressed with Lawry's Balsamic Marinade



Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 7-8 minutes

Number of servings: 3-6 adults

Ingredients:

6 Basil Leaves
One Fresh Mozzarella Ball
About 25 Cherry Tomatoes
Pasta Noodles
Small Red Onion
Lawry’s Original Balsamic Herb

Directions:

1. Cook pasta noodles and let cool (or rinse with cold water to cool off if you are in a hurry.)
2. Chop basil leaves, red onion and mozzarella.
3. Toss everything together and stir in about 1/2 cup of Lawry’s Balsamic Herb

Watermelon Gazpacho Topped with Avocado and Sweet Jump Shrimp Seasons with Lawry's Seasoned Salt:



{adapted from an Eating Well recipe}

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Number of servings: 8

Ingredients

1 Medium Seedless or Seeded Watermelon, Finely Diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely diced
1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
2 avocados, coarsely chopped
3/4 pound of large shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 TBSPS of Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
Salt and Pepper to your Taste
Instructions



1. Mix watermelon, cucumber, bell pepper, white wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and olive oil in a large bowl.
2. Measure 3 cups of the mixture into a blender or food processor and puree. Transfer to another large bowl. Puree another 3 cups and add to the bowl.
3. Taste the soup and salt as desired.
4. Top with the remaining diced mixture and the avocado.
5. Season the shrimp with Lawry’s Seasoned Salt.
6. Thread onto skewers. Cook on direct heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.
7. Remove the shrimp from the skewers and arrange them prettily around the soup.
8.Serve chilled.

Lawry's Balsamic Marinated Chicken Kebabs with Peach Chutney and Grilled Pineapple


Ingredients

3 Chicken Breasts, Cut into 2 inch cubes
1 cup of Lawry’s Balsamic Marinade
1 Pineapple, peeled and cored, and cut into 2 inch cubes
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Number of servings: 6

Instructions

1. Wash and cut the chicken into 2 inch cubes, removing most fast and the tenderloins.
2. Place chicken in a bowl and cover with the marinade overnight.
3.Preheat your grill with one direct heat zone and one cooler indirect heat zone.
4. Soak bamboo skewers in water for an hour.
5. Peel, core, and cut the pineapple into 2 inch cubes.
6. Thread the chicken onto skewers.
7. On separate skewers, to maintain even cooking, thread the pineapple. Mixed fruit and meat skewers may look prettier but they don’t cook as evenly or safely.
8. Cook the chicken first on indirect heat, 5-6 minutes on each side.
9. Cook the pineapple second, also on indirect heat, 2 minutes max on each side to have it caramelize but not burn.
10. Serve immediately, or place in the fridge to serve cold.
{The peach chutney is intended to be a dipping sauce served on the side.}

Vanessa's Peach Chutney:

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Number of servings: 4

Ingredients

2 fresh Peaches, peeled and diced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 lemon, juiced and zested
1 TBSP of white wine vinegar
2 TBSPs of brown sugar
1 TBSP of balsamic
1 TSP of olive oil
Instructions

1. Chop the peaches, shallots, and onion.
2. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the shallots and onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the peaches, lemon juice and zest, sugar, and vinegars. Stir well. Lower heat to medium low and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the chutney has come together and is a little brown.
4. Will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days after preparation.

Alas, as the summer wanes and the days slowly morph into fall, I know we won't be heading out on any more exotic vacations, but we'll definitely be creating this Mediterrenean-inspired cuisine one last time -- a bit of vacation in our own backyard from foods grown near our backyard and infused with tastes that will take us back to our travels.

Want one last summer vacation hurrah without leaving your home?
Our friends at Lawry's offered to send one of my friends here a package of all the seasonings we used in our recipe:

*Balsamic Marinade
*Lawry's Classic Seasoning Salt
*Seasoning Salt Marinade.

Simply leave a comment, if you'd like to be entered into the drawing {tell me where you'd LOVE to vacation simply because of the food maybe?}.

EXTENDED: I'll randomly pick a winner Friday, August 19. Happy cooking!

I was commissioned by The Motherhood and Lawry's Seasonings to participate in this Summer Cooking Project. Lawry's gifted our group members with the aforementioned box of seasonings and paid for our ingredients. I was compensated to participate in the challenge and write about my experience.

Living Healthfully: Mango Chicken Chili

I'm no chef extraordinaire.

But I've had to embrace the role of family culinarian simply because I am the resident nutritionist -- i.e. No, you may not eat donut holes for every meal followed by a glass of root beer.

Because I do care passionately about the bodies we've been given, I'm deeply interested in the food we consume; so I've inadvertently grown passionate about meal-planning and meal-making.

We've been progressively moving toward healthier eating since I became pregnant 4.5 years ago.

And then my father passed away unexpectedly last April.

His death fueled an even larger fire in my kitchen and in my heart to ensure my husband, boys and I were nourishing our bodies with whole foods and solid nutrition; essentially I've been focused on creating a healthy eating plan as moderate in-part insurance policy for health so that our bodies will be in their best physical conditions.

Admittedly, though, it's hard to be a full-time cook when you're also a full-time mom, wife, laundress, house keeper, chauffeur and well, person, who also has interests beyond the four walls of her kitchen.

Because we have so much on our plates, the meals served on our literal ones not only have to be healthy and palatable, but they must be easy, too.

Nothing is easier than a slow-cooker meal, so more and more I've been turning to the tried-and-true meals that allow me to simply toss the ingredients in the pot and walk away until dinner time strikes on the clock or is signaled by loud grumblings from my boys.

Because I rely heavily on my crock pot, and I'm not some great chef, I rarely write about recipes.

But when The Motherhood and Hunts asked me to share my favorite tomato-based recipe and speak about the benefits of incorporating tomatoes to our diets, I felt strongly called to participate; the more I thought about it, the more I realized other moms were probably in the same boat, looking for easy, healthy, really tasty recipes to add to the meal rotation.

Enter the Mango Chicken Chili recipe I stumbled across in Kiwi magazine a few weeks ago. After incorporating a few adaptations to the original recipe, it's been deemed a huge success in our home.



And this meal is packed with nutrition. Aside from the lean protein of chicken and black beans, the antioxidants of the garlic and spices, and the nutrient-dense sweet potatoes, the tomatoes alone are worthy of my health-conscious praises:

Tomatoes ...
*are a superfood!
*are good for your heart and have been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
*are low in calories, but rich in nutrients like potassium and fiber
*contain the POWERFUL antioxidant, lycopene.
*listed in the 2010 USDA Dietary Guidelines as a choice vegetable to help Americans meet dietary standards.

Anyway, I hope this easy, healthy recipe is well loved in your home, too.

Mango Chicken Chili
Chicken {boneless, about 1.5 pounds -- we used organic thigh meat}
1 can of Hunts diced tomatoes
1 jar of mango salsa
1.5 teaspoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
1 teaspoon of brown sugar {optional for cutting acidity}
2 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 can of black beans
shredded organic mild cheddar cheese

1. Coat the bottom of the slow cooker with half the jar of salsa.

2. Place the chicken atop and then cover the meat with the rest of the salsa and the diced tomatoes

3. Add the cumin, chili powder, sugar and crushed garlic; stir well.

4. Peal and dice the sweet potatoes into one-inch cubes, and add them to the pot, covering them in the tomatoes.

5. Cook on high until chicken is done and easily able to be shredded with two forks {about four hours}.

6. Add the black beans about an hour before you plan to serve giving them just enough time to cook but not long enough to become mushy.

7. Top with a sprinkling of shredded cheese.

This recipe is lovingly dedicated in my memory of my father who passed away almost a year ago to this day and who would have gobbled up every bite of this tasty chili.It's also dedicated to my boys, who I hope will make good food decisions and treat their bodies well.

So, does your family need to find ways to incorporate more nutritious super foods? And to whom would you dedicate a heart-healthy recipe that incorporates a superfood like tomatoes?

Full disclosure: I was asked by The Motherhood and Hunts to share a tomato-based recipe highlighting the health benefits of tomatoes. I obliged because I feel strongly about helping other families understand the benefits of nutrition as well as sharing easy, healthy recipes that even a non-chef like me can successfully create. Though I am receiving a stipend for this sponsored post, rest assured that my thoughts and opinion always, always remain my own.

Sweet Tooth Friday: Peanut Butter Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies

Clearly, I am not a born baker.

Like, admittedly, I didn't realize there was a difference between baking flour and regular old whole-wheat flour.

{I can hear you cake-baking goddesses chuckling at my naivety.}

But 3-year-old G. thinks he was born to bake {and eat} treats whenever anyone has a birthday.

And this weekend features not one but two birthdays with both Grandma Puppy and Buba celebrating another year.

So today, like often happens, I was roped into the complex task that is creating a sweet treat with the least amount of sugar possible and most amount of whole-food ingredients.

Enter the no-bake cookie.

I can do no-bake, probably, anything.

That's like, I dunno, cutting up fruit and calling it dessert.

So G. and I successfully made an entire batch of Peanut Butter Cocoa Oatmeal Cookies, and, of course, made some alterations to the original recipe.

And let me warn you, these things are like crack.

So they are easy, made from whole foods and highly addictive -- maybe I shouldn't be posting this recipe, but here goes nothing:



3.5 Cups of Whole Oat Oatmeal
1/2 Cup of Sugar
1 Cup of Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup of Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup of Cocoa
1/2 Cup of Almond Milk
1 Cup of natural, no-sugar added Peanut Butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
a dab of salt

1. Have helper put all of the dry ingredients into measuring cups so each can be easily added to the pan.



2. Melt the butter and then add milk, followed by cocoa, salt, sugar and cinnamon in a large saucepan. {Note that adding the butter and milk first makes it easier to mix in other dry ingredients. As G. pointed out, the butter will look like a boat sailing around in the milk.}



3. Bring it to a boil for about a minute, while stirring so that all ingredients are mixed well and nothing burns.

4. Add the peanut butter, vanilla and oats into the cocoa mixture, coating the oats thoroughly.

5. While still warm, scoop about a tablespoon of the mixture out and form each into a cookie atop a wax-paper-coated cookie sheet.

6. Let the cookies cool, set in the fridge for about 45 minutes.

A few things to keep in mind while taking on this baking task:

1. I'm not kidding about the crack-like addiction level of this cookie. So share immediately with many, many others or store under lock and key.

2. Realize that if your toddler wakes up during this {no-bake} baking extravaganza and you go upstairs to fetch him without putting the lids on ingredients, you most likely will come back downstairs to find the preschooler using oats and cocoa as rocks and dirt in his dumptruck play scene.



3. These cookies will be a birthday sensation, which wouldn't be a problem if number one weren't an issue.