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Posts Tagged ‘healthy recipes’

Apple Season! Make Your Own Apple Sauce

Tuesday, October 9th, 2012

This is the great time of year to enjoy apples!

Making your own apple sauce is really easy and it’s a great thing to make with
your kids! They can wash the apples, peel the apples and if they are comfortable with a knife then they can help you chop up the apples too! We sometimes like to have apple sauce as a treat after dinner and sometimes we just love having it as a little snack :) We prefer to make our apple sauce without sugar, we just choose a naturally sweet and juicy variety of apple like red or golden delicious!

All you need:

  • 1 pound of apples
  • 5 -6 tablespoons of water
  • cinnamon (to taste – we like to use a lot of cinnamon!)

Wash the apples. Peel them, remove the core and then slice into small chunks. Place your apples into a saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and sprinkle in your cinnamon. Simmer the apples until soft. Be sure to stir often to prevent burning!!! We learned that the hard way :) Once they are nice and soft you can serve the apple sauce warm or cold!

Happy Healthy Eating

Kia

Kia Robertson is a mom and the creator of the Today I Ate A Rainbow kit; a tool that helps parents establish healthy habits by setting the goal of eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Kia is passionate about creating tools that help parents raise healthy kids!

 

Fun Pumpkin Raisin Party Cupcakes

Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012

By Wendy

With Halloween only a month away and you’re trying to come up with fun party snack recipes the kids will enjoy but are also healthy. Instead of giving the kids a sugary snack, try raisins. They’re just as sweet as any other sugary treat, but they’re 100 times healthier with loads of antioxidants, potassium, fiber and tartaric acid that keep your digestive system happy. Eating ¼ cup raisins equals a single fruit serving.  With vitamin C and a ton of other vitamins, you’ll want to enjoy these all through the year.

Pumpkin Raisin Party Cupcakes- cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pumpkin… all the spices used in these Pumpkin Raisin Party Cupcakes make me think of autumn!

 

What You Need:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup canola oil

4 eggs

1 can (15-ounces) pumpkin

1-1/4 cups Sun-Maid Natural Raisins

Decorating sprinkles

What to Do:

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line 18 muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.
Combine all ingredients except raisins in a large bowl.
Beat on medium speed until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in raisins. Spoon batter into muffin cups.
Bake25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely. Spread frosting on cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles.

Frosting: Beat until smooth 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/3 cup softened butter, 3 ounces softened cream cheese, 2 to 3 teaspoons milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Add orange food coloring, if desired.

Shortcut recipe: Add 1-1/4 cups Sun-Maid Natural Raisins to a spice cake mix. Bake as package directs. Frost cupcakes with prepared vanilla frosting adding orange food coloring, if desired.

Makes 18 cupcakes.

 

For more raisin recipes like this, go to Sun-Maid Recipes. Sun-Maid has tons of recipes using raisins that you and the family can enjoy throughout the year.

How do you enjoy your raisins?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.

How to Make Watermelon Sorbet

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

By Wendy

It’s always great to have some frozen treats in the fridge, especially when it contains my favorite fruit, the watermelon. Watermelons are delicious and contain lots of vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin B6, all helping you to keep your body healthy. If you’re looking for a frosty and fruity dessert, try this watermelon sorbet recipe. This refreshing sorbet is great for dessert or just to enjoy as a snack. It’s also a healthier option to ice cream. Here’s how to make it:

 

What you need:

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup water

6 cups watermelon chunks, (4-pound watermelon), seeded

2 tablespoons lime juice

 

What to do:

Combine sugar and water in a saucepan.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. This should take about 45 minutes.

Cover mixture and refrigerate until chilled. This should take around 1 hour.

Place watermelon and lime juice in a food processor and process until smooth.

Set a sieve over a large bowl and press the puree through to remove all the tiny seeds.

Whisk in the sugar syrup.

Pour the watermelon mixture into a shallow metal pan and freeze until ice crystals form around the edges, which should take about 30 minutes.

Stir the ice crystals into the center of the pan and return to the freezer. Repeat every 20 minutes until all the liquid is frozen.

Put mixture into a container and place in the freezer for 1- 1½ hours to harden.

 

How else do you like to enjoy your watermelon?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.

 

Baking Your Own Bread

Thursday, August 2nd, 2012

By Wendy

I love bread. And baking bread is probably one of those things that everyone should learn. It’s one of the simplest foods you can eat but it really can go with every meal. And it holds tons of those essential nutrients to keep you full and energized for the entire day. Usually we pack sandwiches for lunch, which means going through at least one store bought loaf of bread a week. Instead of buying bread this week, we decided to bake it. You’ll be eliminating all those unknown ingredients that come with commercial food production but also more environmentally friendly.

 

What you need:

3 cups warm tap water, about 110 degrees Fahrenheit
2 envelopes (0.25 ounces) of active dry yeast
1/3 cup honey

5 cups all purpose flour

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon salt
3 ½ cups whole wheat flour

2 tablespoons butter, melted

What to do:

In a large bowl, mix warm water, yeast, and 1/3 cup honey. Add 5 cups all purpose flour, and stir to combine. Let it set for 30 minutes, or until big and bubbly.

Combine 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1/3 cup honey, and salt. Stir in 2 cups whole wheat flour.

Flour a flat surface and knead with whole wheat flour until it’s not too sticky – just pulling away from the counter, but still sticky to touch. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour.

Place in a greased bowl, turning once to coat the surface of the dough.

Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled.

Punch down, and divide into 3 loaves. Place in greased loaf pans, and allow to rise until dough has topped the pans by one inch.

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 to 30 minutes.

Lightly brush the tops of loaves with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine when done to prevent crust from getting hard.

 

With your freshly baked bread, you can make toast, sandwiches, or even enjoy with soup. Here are some healthy soup recipes the whole family will enjoy.

Roasted Carrot Soup- this soup is good for you and fun for the kids to decorate and create their own designs.

Simple Tortellini Soup- healthy and easy to make, this simple tortellini soup is all about comfort and warming the soul.

Have you ever tried making your own bread?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.

Easy Granola Bars to Make with the Kids

Monday, June 18th, 2012

By Wendy

We are always looking for healthy and delicious snacks to give our family. So why not make these yummy granola bars. They’re not only good for you but also easy to make and pack as snacks wherever you go. And it takes minutes to prepare! What you need:

Dry Ingredients:

1 2/3 cups of rolled oats

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 cups of dried fruits and nuts

1/3 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

Wet Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

6 tablespoons melted butter

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place all the dry ingredients to a large bowl and mix them together.

In a separate microwave safe bowl, combine the wet ingredients and microwave for about 20 to 30 seconds.

Pour wet ingredients into the large bowl of dry ingredients and mix until the wet ingredients are distributed all through the dry ingredients.

Put the mixture into a shallow, lightly greased pan. Spread and flatten it out in the pan and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.

Take out from the oven and let it cool. Cut into approximately 16 bars. Wrap granola bars separately for easy grab and go treat!

What is your favorite granola bar recipe to make with the kids?

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Wendy Yu is a digital marketing professional living in New York City. When she’s not using the power of social media to share ideas on how to be more environmentally friendly, she is exploring the city, trying local foods, and learning more about how she can reduce her carbon footprint.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Green Halloween® or our partners.