Looking for a couple of ways to get in some extra veggies?

Pineapple Sorbet: 

Chop one whole fresh pineapple (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Dmf7AHeajI), put in blender, add approx. ½ C coconut milk, and blend on high until very smooth.  Spoon into either individual cups or into a container and freeze. 

Power Smoothie: 

4 oz. of V8 juice,

½ C cilantro,

½ C Greek non-sweetened yogurt,

1 carrot,

½  avocado,  

pepper & chucky salsa to your taste.   

Blend in blender until smooth.  Serve with a stalk or two of celery.  Makes a great lunch.

Easy Roasted Beets

Easy Roasted Beets

4-5 Large beets

1 to 2 T Canola or Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.  Wash beets and peel if necessary (I never do).  Cut the stems off the beets, reserving the greens if you like.*  Chop into large chunks, about 1-2 inches square – the smaller the chunks, the quicker they’ll cook.  Place in a large bowl.  Mix in oil; salt and pepper to taste, stirring to coat. 

Dump onto a large cookie sheet, using a spatula to scrape any extra oil out of the bowl and onto the beets.  Arrange in a single layer on the sheet.  Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes, turning once they have begun to brown (be careful, it’s hard to see on the purple ones!).  Roast for another 20 minutes or more until tender, turning additional times as needed. 

Remove, cool a little, and enjoy right away.  This recipe is easily doubled for “planned-overs” that are great in a variety of dishes.  If you have other vegetables, chop into similar size chunks and add them as well.  Carrots, potatoes (sweet, yellow, red), parsnips are all great roasted – just be careful to keep them separate until the end, or the beets will stain them purple.

*While the beets are roasting, rinse and coarsely chop the greens.  Cook or sauté until tender.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Yum!

Moroccan Chicken Kebabs

Thank you to Julaine B. for this wonderful recipe and picture! Everyone enjoy!

Moroccan Chicken Kebabs

Perfect for a hot night this week!

Ingredients

1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast

¼ c white vinegar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 ½ tsp paprika

1 tsp cumin

Directions

Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes and place in a bowl.  Add the spices to the bowl and stir to make sure all pieces are covered. Pour vinegar on top and stir again.  Let marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. Place onto skewers and grill…if using bamboo skewers, don’t forget to soak them in water prior to adding the chicken cubes.

A fresh tomato and cucumber salad with some olive oil and sea salt is a great summer side dish to these kebabs.  Julaine says, “I just do to taste and to how many people I have.  If I’m feeling a little crazy I throw in some balsamic vinegar.”

Mediterranean Yogurt Dipping Sauce

1 cup fat free Greek yogurt

8 garlic cloves, minced

3 T lemon juice

1 t onion powder

4 T Olive Oil

Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together, let sit to combine.  Stir again right before serving.

Banana Bread!

Have some bananas that are past their prime?  Here is an example of why we deliberately over-purchase bananas in our house. 

Check out this delicious looking recipe from Ambitious Kitchen. 
http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2013/01/honey-whole-wheat-chocolate-chip-banana-bread/

If you already have a favorite banana bread recipe, improve it by substituting in whole wheat flour, adding a few nuts, chopped apples, or dried fruit.  If the recipe is too dry, add an equal part applesauce to the oil (preferably canola or olive oil) called for by the recipe.

Perfect for busy families who need breakfast on the go...
Enjoy!

Salad in a Jar - on the go solution

Have you tried a salad in a jar yet?  This is an excellent solution for on-the-go meals if you don't like soggy ingredients.  You can make a delicious salad with anything that you like, but here is a basic formula. 

Any layer is optional, depending on what you are looking for.  Just remember that protein, whole grains and veggies together will keep you going longer that leaving out any one of them!  The following makes a single-serve salad, and the stuff in parentheses are examples to get you started. J

Layer from the bottom up:

2 tbsp fat (nuts, seeds, dressing/oils – be careful not to add too much!)

+

1/2 cup protein (tempeh, beans, fish, chicken, shrimp)

+

1/2 cup grains (quinoa, millet, teff, whole grain rice, barley)

+

1 cup hard or firm veggies (broccoli, asparagus, peppers, cucumber, tomato, avocado) and fruits (apples, pears, raisins, craisins, oranges, grapes)

+

2 cups greens (like baby spinach, kale, mesclun mix, romaine

Check out these great tips and variations (there are lots more, these are just the first few I came across):

·       http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-pack-the-perfect-salad-in-a-jar-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-192174

·       http://dailyburn.com/life/recipes/mason-jar-salads-recipes-healthy-lunch-ideas/

·       http://www.yogajournal.com/article/food-diet/diy-lunch-salads-go/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=diy-lunch-salads-go

Sweet Potato Fries - if you haven't tried them, you should

Week 1 recipe:

Sweet Potato “Fries"

2 Large sweet potatoes

1 to 2 T Canola or Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 375F.  Wash and peel the sweet potatoes.  Cut the sweet potatoes into long chunks, like thick fries.  Place in a large bowl.  Mix in oil; salt and pepper to taste, stirring well to coat.  Dump onto a large cookie sheet, using a spatula to scrape any extra oil out of the bowl and onto the potatoes.  Arrange in a single layer on the sheet.  Place in the oven for 15 minutes, checking often to ensure they don’t burn.  Use a turner to flip the fries at least once, so they get brown on a couple of sides.  If you have a convection oven, use the convection cook setting as it will speed up the process and make them more “crispy.”

Remove, cool a little, and enjoy right away.  This recipe is easily doubled for “planned-overs” that are great chopped in a variety of dishes.

Parsley sprinkled on the top is optional. :)

Serves: 4-6

 

From the Stay Active Challenge e-mail, week 1. 

Live Life Well Comes to Facebook!

Hey everyone, big news!  Your State of Montana Wellness Programs, Live Life Well, are now on Facebook!  We are looking forward to getting to know all of you better, and having a fun, easy way to stay in touch about Wellness events, tips, resources, pictures, stories, and much, much more.  Like "Live Life Well" on Facebook today!
https://www.facebook.com/livelifewellMT?ref=hl