Great Sale on Gymnastics Gear!

The Sprouts started gymnastics classes last month, which has led me to two realizations. First, I gymnastics is a bit hard to watch as a parent; there's just something about watching my kid flip head first into a foam pit that goes against this mother's nature. And second, gymnastics outfits are expensive!!!

Since Christmas shopping is on my mind, I was thrilled to see this great deal on gymnastics gear, offering a ton of leotards, shorts, t-shirts, yoga pants, gear bags and even jewelry for up to half off the regular prices.

Definitely check it out if you're shopping for a little gymnast this holiday season. Happy shopping!!!

Great deals on Asics shoes for kids!

With one regrettable exception, I've always worn ASICS for long-distance running. They're pricey but totally worth it! I've had the Sprouts running in ASICS quite a bit as well, but their kids' shoes are sometimes harder to find.

If you have a tiny runner or triathlete in your family, definitely check out this great deal that has ASICS for kids at up to 40% off! My favorite is the Adjustable GEL-1170 PS, since it's Velcro top closure makes it quick to get on in the transition area.

They also have a large selection of men's and women's activewear from ASICS, along with a smaller selection of ASICS shoes for adults.

The sale is only on for three days, so if you're in the market, buy now!

Easy Cashew Cheese

I've been promising to post my simplified cashew cheese recipe for months, and the reason I haven't done it sooner is completely lame - I can never get a nice picture of it! It never looks as impressive in a baking dish as it did as a log, and half the time, my family eats it before I can snap a shot.

So today I'm sharing the recipe anyway, complete with a terrible picture of what it looked like after the Sprouts devoured it for lunch yesterday!

This is still based on the Pepper-Crusted Cashew Cheese recipe from Vegetarian Times that I revamped into my own version a while ago to cut down the amount of oil used. More recently, I got tired of messing with cheesecloth and decided it didn't need to be that beautiful (or time-consuming) if it was going to disappear instantly anyway.

My new version is easy and quick - combine ingredients, blend and bake! You can still take the shortcut of simmering the cashews if you forget to soak them in advance.

Super Simple Cashew Cheese

Ingredients
1 cup raw cashews
6 tablespoons water

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation
 

1. Soak cashews for a few hours (or overnight) to soften them. If you forget, place cashews in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, and let sit for 10 minutes.
 

2. Drain the cashews, then put them in a food processor or blender with the remaining ingredients. Blend for 5 minutes or until smooth and creamy (a high-speed blender will do the job in less time, so you can stop as soon as it's looking super-creamy!)

3. Pour mixture into a small Pyrex baking dish, and bake at 200 degrees for an hour. 

 

4. Chill and serve. You can top it with some ground herb/spices if you like. We usually have it plain, but it's also nice with a little rosemary-garlic blend on top!

Sprout Ratings
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts

Earth Origins Outlet in Lake Mary

 

This one is for the local folks . . . earlier this week, I stumbled upon a new health food store in Lake Mary. Earth Origins Outlet, located at the corner of Lake Mary Boulevard and Longwood Lake Mary Road - is a mid-size market that carries organic produce, groceries and supplements. 

I'd never heard of this chain before, but the name was enough the tempt me inside where I found a really nice assortment of organic goods. The produce is all organic, and it's nice to have a place on this side of town that carries Daiya cheese, kombucha and other products I usually have to drive quite a distance to buy. They also have a very extensive bulk section, lots of staples and snacks and a nice selection of supplements. 

I found the prices to be - as with most stores - great on some things and high on others. I picked up organic plum tomatoes for $1.99/pound, Leapin' Lemurs cereal for $2.50 and a large bag of Lundberg brown rice for $2.50, along with "almond butter stock" (raw almond pieces) for $5.99/pound. On the flip side, the Almond Breeze, hemp seeds and Earth Balance were higher than other local places.

Some of the produce looked a little past its prime, but I'll definitely be back to see if that improves. The produce prices seemed quite good, and the selection was nice so hopefully once they have more traffic and turnover, the quality will get fresher. 

The store has been open for several weeks but will be celebrating its grand opening tomorrow. If you are in the Lake Mary area, it is definitely worth checking out!!!

Perfect Banana Milkshakes

My kids have been super-patient with my recent superfood binge. In the past few weeks, they've had raw kale, hemp, chia and other healthy fixings prepared just about every possible way. Not saying that they loved it all, but they have at least been open to trying everything.

So as a little "thank you" - and in celebration of finishing up a big school project today - I made a special treat of banana milkshakes. They thought it was a fabulous treat, and I love that it's still pretty healthy!

Perfect banana milkshakes

(serves 3 - my poor hubby walked in the door right as I finished making them!)

Ingredients:
2 cups almond milk
3 bananas
4 fresh dates (pitted)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups ice

Preparation:
Combine all ingredients in high-speed blender, and process until smooth. (Sometimes, I like to blend the milk and dates first and let it process for quite a while so all the tiny date bits get pureed without the ice heating up.)

No Sugar Banana Bread

I've been working on cutting out sugar this year, so my baking tools have been collecting dust. Until Friday, that is, when I saw some sad, over-ripe bananas sitting on the kitchen counter, asking to be made into banana bread. I'm not sure why they weren't asking to be frozen for smoothies, but they just weren't.

I'd been wanting to experiment a little with dates, so I figured that this was the perfect time. This recipe is adapted from the Post Punk Kitchen, and the whole family agreed that it turned out great!

No Sugar Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup Earth Balance
3 very ripe bananas (mashed)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix the vinegar into the almond milk, and set aside.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt.

4. Combine almond milk mixture and dates in a blender, and process until smooth.

5. Cream the Earth Balance until smooth, then add the milk/date mixture, bananas and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

6. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, and mix well.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

Chocolate Chia Pudding

It seems that chia may be my new obsession - and I only tried it for the first time today. Actually, it was the second time, but I'm choosing to forget my first chia experience because it was terrible. (In my opinion, there are certain places that chia doesn't belong - and kombucha is definitely one of them.)

Putting that experience behind me, I decided to give chia another try after reading about chia breakfast porridge on my friend Gretchen's blog. I winged it with my own porridge recipe (coming soon!) this morning  but will be trying hers tomorrow for the kids.

Tonight, I still couldn't get chia off my mind, and I kept thinking that it would make a pretty good pudding. Turns out that it does! Keep in mind that I haven't had any traditional type of pudding in years, so my "pretty good" is coming from a different point of view. If your kids are used to Jello pudding, this one probably won't cut it. Mine thought it was great though, and I love that they're eating something healthy and thinking it's dessert!

Chocolate Chia Pudding

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
4 fresh dates

Directions:
Mix together almond milk, chia seeds, vanilla extract and cocoa powder, and set aside to soak for at least 10 minutes (longer is fine). Pour chia mixture into a strong blender or food processor, add dates and process until very smooth. Served chilled.

Fabulous Juice Recipes at Join the Reboot

It's no secret that we love our fresh juice around here! And while I typically stick with a basic green juice, I've started getting a little more adventurous. Last week, following a field trip to the citrus farm, I made Green O.J. (oranges and kale) for the kids, along with a grapefruit / sweet potato / golden beet combo.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to find an entire section of juice recipes while exploring Join the Reboot recently. I made the Gazpacho Juice (really good!) yesterday and will be stocking up on ingredients for several others (including the Cinnamon Apple & Butternut Squash Juice) this week. Whether you're new to juicing or just looking for new recipes to try, there is definitely something (or probably a dozen "somethings") for everyone there.

What's for Dinner Wednesday - Chardonnay Fettuccine with Asparagus

Seems like it's been forever since we tried a new recipe. Our new meal plan - even though I haven't been sharing it as regularly as I'd hoped - keeps us cycling through a rotation of family favorites. But this recipe for Chardonnay Fettuccine with Asparagus from a recent Vegetarian Times looked too good not to sneak into the rotation.

Turns out that it didn't disappoint, producing a sauce that was pretty similar to my cashew cream sauce but with the addition of Chardonnay. Genius! I omitted a lot of the pepper (the Sprouts aren't big on spice - plus, I ran out) and added a bit more salt and nutritional yeast. The name is actually a bit misleading . . . there's actually plenty of spinach and red pepper packed in with the asparagus, so it didn't feel at all skimpy on the veggies.

To make it feed our family of four (the recipe serves two), I doubled the pasta and sauce and quadrupled the vegetables. It was a winner all around and will definitely be finding a regular home in our meal plan!

Meal Plan Monday - Week 3 of 13

Well, the first two weeks of my 13-week meal plan went so smoothly that I couldn't expect it to last forever. We had two main glitches this week:

1. My soup on Tuesday turned out - well, let's just say it wasn't anybody's favorite. It was my first time making it, and it sure sounded like a winner. But, sadly, it is not and I'll be replacing it in the next rotation.

2. Lentil loaf and the OMG Onion Rings from Appetite for Reduction are two family favorites and go great together as a meal. Unfortunately, they're also both a major ordeal to make and I've decided that for the sake of my sanity, they will no longer be made on the same night. It probably didn't help that they were on the menu on a day that started at 7AM and never stopped. Next time around, I'll be pairing the lentil loaf with broccoli and a simple salad and adding the onion rings to some type of veggie plate.

Other than that, we're still enjoying the benefits of the pre-planning! Here's what we ate for Week 3:

Monday	Breakfast	Yogurt parfait
	Lunch	Everyday chickpea & quinoa salad
	Snack	Trail mix
	Dinner	Veggie sandwiches; fruit
Tuesday	Breakfast	Toast with peanut butter & banana
	Lunch	Tofu salad on green salad
	Snack	Green smoothie
	Dinner	Arborio rice & white bean soup; salad
Wednesday	Breakfast	Cereal & fruit
	Lunch	Leftover soup & salad
	Snack	Raw veggies & dip
	Dinner	Lentil loaf, OMG onion rings, salad
Thursday	Breakfast	Yogurt parfait
	Lunch	PJ&B with raw veggies & fruit
	Snack	Green smoothie
	Dinner	Mediterranean salad
Friday	Breakfast	Apple with peanut butter
	Lunch	Chickpea salad over green salad
	Snack	Raw veggies & dip
	Dinner	Pasta with broccoli, tomatoes & walnuts
Saturday	Breakfast	Cereal & fruit
	Lunch	Veggie sandwich; trail mix
	Snack	Green smoothie
	Dinner	Out or Leftovers
Sunday	Breakfast	Green smoothie & fruit
	Lunch	Cashew cheese log with raw veggies & crackers
	Snack	Apple with peanut butter
	Dinner	Tofu scramble with spinach; potatoes

Meal Plan Monday - Week 2 of 13

So far, so good with the 13-week meal plan. We've still been happy with all our meals and have followed the plan with minimal variation. The only issue from this week is that my Publix no longer carries Garden of Eatin' taco shells (or any version that doesn't have junk in them) so we had to skip the tacos since I didn't have time to run to Whole Foods.

I should mention that we usually end up having lunch out about once a week, but I try to plan it on a day where our lunch ingredients will carry over to the following week. Also, I generally have juice for breakfast, so what's on my meal plan is what the kids eat (and they usually have a little juice, too).


Here it is . . . Week 2.

Monday	Breakfast	Yogurt parfait
	Lunch	Everyday chickpea & quinoa salad
	Snack	Trail mix
	Dinner	Santa Fe veggie wrap; fruit
Tuesday	Breakfast	Toast with pb & banana
	Lunch	Tofu salad on green salad
	Snack	Green smoothie
	Dinner	Carrot bisque; salad
Wednesday	Breakfast	Cereal & fruit
	Lunch	Leftover soup & salad
	Snack	Raw veggies & dip
	Dinner	Sweet & sour rice, veggies & Gardein
Thursday	Breakfast	Yogurt parfait
	Lunch	PJ&B with raw veggies & fruit
	Snack	Green smoothie
	Dinner	Roasted root veggies & kale salad
Friday	Breakfast	Apple with pb
	Lunch	Chickpea salad over green salad
	Snack	Raw veggies & dip
	Dinner	Pasta with sausage & peppers
Saturday	Breakfast	Cereal & fruit
	Lunch	Veggie sandwich; trail mix
	Snack	Green smoothie
	Dinner	Out or Leftovers
Sunday	Breakfast	Green smoothie & fruit
	Lunch	Cashew cheese log with veggies & crackers
	Snack	Apple with peanut butter
	Dinner	Tacos (rice, beans, veggies)

The Daily Dose - Day 6

The Daily Dose - Day 5

Meal Plan Monday - Week 1 of 13

Week 1 of my highly-experimental 13-week meal plan was a huge success. I'm finally feeling like I'm back in the groove of cooking and enjoying the routine of having healthy meals at home. It really helped to have everything printed out and on the fridge so I didn't have to waste time figuring out what to make. Jim and the Sprouts liked all the meals, so I won't be changing a thing!

For the first time, I'm giving each day a theme to see if that streamlines the cooking process. So far, my only thought is that pasta once a week is a lot for us, but I'm not making any changes yet.

Monday (quick & easy - it's T-ball night!)
Tuesday (soup & salad)
Wednesday (grain/bean dish or new recipe night)
Thursday (salad or veggie plate)
Friday (pasta)
Saturday (leftovers or dinner out)
Sunday (family favorites)

So here it is . . . Meal Plan - Week 1

Monday	Breakfast	Yogurt parfait with pecans, berries, coconut & granola
	Lunch	Everyday chickpea & quinoa salad
	Snack	Trail mix
	Dinner	Tofurkey sandwiches, raw veggies, fruit
Tuesday	Breakfast	Toast with peanut butter & banana
	Lunch	Tofu salad on green salad
	Snack	Green smoothie
	Dinner	Fennel & tomato soup; salad
Wednesday	Breakfast	Cereal & fruit
	Lunch	Leftover soup & salad
	Snack	Raw veggies & dip
	Dinner	Pistachio eggplant cutlets; salad
Thursday	Breakfast	Yogurt parfait with pecans, berries, coconut & granola
	Lunch	PJ&B with raw veggies & fruit
	Snack	Green smoothie
	Dinner	Salad with Gardein strips and agave mustard dressing
Friday	Breakfast	Apple with peanut butter
	Lunch	Chickpea salad over green salad
	Snack	Raw veggies & dip
	Dinner	Pasta primavera
Saturday	Breakfast	Cereal & fruit
	Lunch	Out
	Snack	Green smoothie
	Dinner	Veggie sandwich; trail mix
Sunday	Breakfast	Green smoothie & fruit
	Lunch	Cashew cheese log with raw veggies & crackers
	Snack	Apple with peanut butter
	Dinner	Grilled veggie paninis

The Daily Dose - Day 4

The Daily Dose - Day 3

The Daily Dose - Day 2

The Daily Dose - NEW FEATURE!

When my kids were very little, Jim and I really focused on teaching them why good health was important and how proper nutrition and lifestyle choices factor in. I have to admit, we'd gotten pretty lazy about it and had pretty much resorted to saying "Eat this. It's good for you."

The new year seems like a good time for change, so we're going back to the basics of teaching them why their food choices matter so much. We plan to watch more documentaries with them and do more health-related reading on a regular basis. But to start, I'd like to share one piece of information a day - and since it's information that will keep them healthy, I'm calling it The Daily Dose.

My goal is to get at least 100 tips done this year, and of course, I'm happy to share. They are designed to fit 4-up on a page (landscape) for anyone who wants to print them.

So here is Day 1 of The Daily Dose:

Meal Plan Monday - Week 1

Well, the holidays are finally over . . . time to get back into a regular routine which will include a big overhaul of our eating habits. It's amazing how quickly they can go downhill when things are busy.

To be honest, I've been burned out on cooking for quite some time - and burned out on meal planning as well. In fact, when it came time to plan meals each week, I couldn't think of anything to make!

This year, I'm trying something new . . . a 13-week meal plan that will repeat four times a year. For now, I'm keeping breakfasts and lunches the same each week and just rotating the dinners. At the end of each week, I plan to evaluate that week's meals, eliminate anything we didn't all love and replace it with something new for the next rotation. I'm hoping that by tweaking it as I go along, I'll end up with something that works long-term!

I'm also trying to "theme" my dinners as follows:

Monday (quick & easy - it's T-ball night!)
Tuesday (soup & salad)
Wednesday (grain/bean dish or new recipe night)
Thursday (salad or veggie plate)
Friday (pasta)
Saturday (leftovers or dinner out)
Sunday (family favorites)

I'll be sharing each week's plan after we eat it, so that I can include any notes along with it - so check back next week for Week 1