easy peas-y

Happy spring break to everyone! (Well at least to everyone that's still in high school!) Just a sidenote before I start that this will probably be my last post for a little over a week since Passover is coming up and I will mostly just be eating fruits, vegetables, eggs, and matzoh all week long. If I end up concocting any impressive Kosher for Passover recipes I'll be happy to share, but chances are I'll just stick to the basics for a bit.

Anyway, yesterday my parents and I had a delicious dinner, filled with vegetable after vegetable after vegetable. My mom made Panko-crusted Tilapia, and on the side we had mushroom and roasted pepper quinoa stuffed in acorn squash, peas, and salad. It was very delicious, and it makes for great leftovers for lunch!

Maybe it makes me sound a little crazy to show so much excitement for a dinner consisting of so many vegetables, tbut I really do like the taste of them, and I'm a big fan of foods that are easy to munch on. My mom knows that if she cuts up a pepper for dinner and the plate is in reaching distance of my seat at the table, the plate will be empty if we sit long enough.

That's why I like peas so much. They're a super easy vegetable to prepare and it's easy to munch on them until they're gone! Plus the taste isn't very overpowering, so it's easy to season peas up with any seasoning that you want! Last night, I made mustard and pepper-seasoned peas, which was a nice combination of spices and a good addition to the dinner table.

Peas are a good source of your starchy vegetables, fiber, and vitamins. What's also good to note is that with frozen vegetables and fruit, more nutrients may be present than in fresh fruit and vegetables. This is because they are frozen just hours after being picked, freezing in all the nutrients before they are lost in the process of getting to your plate. 

Do you see my acorn squash in the background?

Here's what you'll need:

1 box frozen peas

olive oil to drizzle

 mustard spice

ground peppercorn 

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Let the frozen peas defrost from a frozen clump on a pan.

2. Add olive oil and seasonings to the peas, and put in the oven for 20-30 minutes. 

3. Enjoy!!

cake it away

As such a lover of almost all food, I sometimes think the hardest thing is figuring the right portions. As hard as it is for me to portion my fruits (I just can't get enough of them), when I do indulge, portion is key. I am totally unopposed to eating sweets as long as they're in moderation (although sometimes my friends make fun of me because they don't believe that I eat any sugar). I especially think eating sweets on special occasions is completely understandable and - quite honestly - necessary.

So this post is just a reminder that even if you're trying to be healthy, there is no need to cut anything out completely! Small portions are totally fine! Here is a recipe for two cupcakes. That's right, just two! It's a super easy recipe (I found on Pinterest) that you can use for various occasions. Today I made these cupcakes for one of my friends whose birthday is tomorrow. I know in addition to her birthday cake and all other baked goods she receives, a whole batch of cupcakes is too much. So I thought baking two would be good enough. Doesn't everyone say quality over quantity anyway?

You can use this recipe though for a night that maybe you just want to indulge a little bit, but not be tempted by 23 other cupcakes surrounding you. Or you may want a nice dessert for a date night without having too many left overs (can I even say that "too much" exists when it comes to cupcakes?). No matter what, this easy recipe may come in handy, and I thought I would share it with you.

Here's what you need:
1 egg white
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup flour
1/4 heaping tsp baking powder
pinch salt
1 1/2 tbsp milk

1. Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl, whisk together egg white and sugar. Add in vanilla and butter and stir until mixed. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in milk.

2. Divide batter equally between 2 cupcake liners.

3. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cupcakes turn a bit brown and the cake is set.

I added sprinkles to mine because I wasn't going to put frosting on. 

4. Enjoy!

ice cream for more

I decided to hop on the banana ice cream bandwagon and try out the recipe that I see a lot of other healthy food blogs and gurus talk about. My aunt texted me a few weeks ago suggesting that I try making it, and I've been curious if it actually tastes like ice cream. So I gave it a try today.

For those of you who don't know, the concept of this is to put frozen banana in a food processor, and soon enough the consistency will closely resemble that of ice cream, and you quickly have a healthy alternative to everyone's favorite treat. 

Personally, I wasn't sure how much I'd like this; I love bananas and I love ice cream, but I wasn't so sure if the "ice cream" would taste too much like bananas and it wouldn't be sweet enough. But lo and behold, I can guarantee that this is a pretty cool snack and it really does taste like ice cream! If you don't believe me though (I understand it's hard to believe), try it yourself!

This recipe yields enough for 2 servings (one serving is basically one banana). It's great because this snack is filling and satisfying, delicious, and nutritious! What could be better?

Additional tidbit I want to add: I'm in a Food Science and Nutrition elective at school, and this week our project was to research 3 "kitchen mysteries" and present them to the class. One of mine was what is a brain freeze. So since we're on the topic of ice cream, I thought I would share with you that a brain freeze is the caused by the initial contact between the cold food and the roof of your mouth. Blood vessels in your palate tighten quickly, then dilate back to their normal state when you swallow the food. This causes your trigeminal nerve (bringing my brain parts from Psychology class into the mix) -which lies close to your palate- to interpret the constriction as pain. The location of the nerve makes it seem like the pain is coming from your head, like a headache.

The best way to get rid of brain freeze is to put your thumb or tongue on the roof of your mouth to warm the palate. The nerve clusters will then no longer be stimulated and will call off the warning of pain. To avoid brain freeze altogether though, eat frozen foods slowly!! 

                                  

I promise I finished my whole bowl!

Here's what you'll need:

2 bananas

1. Cut up 2 bananas and freeze overnight.

2. In a food processor, process bananas. Scrape the sides of the processor occasionally until the bananas resemble a smooth, ice-cream consistency.  

It's ok if the bananas look like this at first

3. Top with walnuts, chocolate chips, or melted peanut butter! Enjoy!

can't beet these afternoons

With half days and standardized testing this week, the homework load is pretty low. Which leaves me more time to spend in the kitchen (yay!!). It also leaves more time for boredom and eating for no reason for many people, which I understand. So instead of grabbing that bag of potato chips, try out these homemade beet chips! They're much more guilt-free, and they still taste good!

I will warn you that you should slice the beets very thin or else the chips will come out very chewy. Also, keep the chips in the oven as long as you can, until they are very crispy. They will have a taste of beets (who would have thought?), but overall they have a texture and overall "chip" concept to them.  The twist is though, that rather than those fatty and processed chips, beets contain vitamin A, which helps with eyesight and skin. Beets also contain potassium, vitamin C, and other healthy nutrients.

What better way to spend the day than reading and eating?

Here's what you'll need:
2 beets, washed
olive oil 

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Wash and cut 2 beets. Place the beets on tins and try to spread them out.  (Your hands will get a little red, but just wash them with warm water afterwards and you'll be fine.)

2. Keep the beets in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until they're crunchy.

3. Enjoy!

Resrouces: http://www.livestrong.com/article/512303-the-advantages-of-eating-beets/#ixzz2MQpXBHUr

it's an imPASTA!

Last weekend my mom went to Boston (where my sisters both go to college), so it was just my dad and me at home - which meant going out to Ruby Tuesday's, since no one else in my family really likes it there and I can basically find something to eat anywhere I go. I usually get the Veggie Trio and a soup (although once when I went out with my friends I got made fun of for getting the Veggie Trio and salad bar), but I decided to try something new. I got the Spaghetti Squash Marinara, which was described as "Red pepper marinara tossed with roasted spaghetti squash and tender zucchini". I've had spaghetti squash only once or twice before, and I'm always down to try new things on a menu, so I was excited to order this.

I ended up loving the dish, and as I was forking down the last bites, I thought of a clever pun to go along with the dish, basically forcing me to make my own spaghetti squash at home! The idea just fit so well into the pun, since spaghetti squash is a great substitute for pasta if you're looking for a lower carb alternative but the same idea for a meal. It really is an "impasta"!

Spaghetti squash is a low calorie, low carb substitution for actual spaghetti in your average pasta dish, and counts as a serving of vegetables! It's virtually fat-free and has a good amount of Vitamins C and B6, which are good for your immune system and breaking down and storing energy in your body.

Another plus about spaghetti squash is actually making it. Tonight for dinner my mom and I made our own spaghetti squash dish, and I learned how cool the squash actually is! I misjudged (unknowingly as a spaghetti squash newbie) how much squash we really needed, and turns out one average sized squash is a good amount for 2 fair-sized servings for a dinner dish. We made 2 squash instead, but I guess I'll just have to bring some for lunch tomorrow!

Here's what you'll need:
1 spaghetti squash
1/2 cup spaghetti sauce 
sauteed vegetables (we used bell peppers)
Parmasean cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds.

2. Place the squash halves upside-down on a tin and keep in the oven for 45 minutes.

3. Saute vegetables in olive oil.

4. Scoop out squash insides. (Watch in amazement as the squash becomes like spaghetti)

5. Add squash and sauce to sauteed vegetables. Mix together.

6. Sprinkle Parm cheese on top. Enjoy!! (I also added crushed red pepper.)

Resource: http://www.livestrong.com/article/280008-spaghetti-squash-calories-nutrients/

what did one pancake say to the other?

I made this for breakfast recently and never blogged it, so here is a nice twist on the average pancakes. Have you ever thought to dip apple slices in pancake batter?.. Me either. I found the idea (probably on Pintrest but I don't remember) last year, and then forgot about until recently. So the other day when I was in the mood to make myself pancakes, I used the recipe for my from-scratch single-serving pancakes, but I know not all of you will do that.. So really you could use any pancake batter with this and just use this concept however you like. It's a super easy and delicious breakfast, and I spread some homemade almond butter on top and I was set for the day!

This breakfast is perfect because it has a good variation of food groups necessary. The pancakes have carbohydrates, the apples as well, plus a serving of fruit along with its vitamins and essential nutrients. With the almond butter (or you could spread some peanut butter too), you get protein as well. Protein is a vital part of breakfast, and paired with complex carbohydrates (such as whole grain or that found in fruits - like apples), your body will be able to digest the breakfast gradually, keeping you energized and hunger-free until lunch.

Just a warning, if you follow the recipe I have for single-serving pancakes, along with the apples and almond butter I found that I couldn't eat all of the pancakes. My mom and I split the pancakes and were both full and energized until lunch.

Here's what you'll need:
1 apple
1/2 cup flour (I use about 1 tbsp whole wheat and the rest all-purpose)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup soy or almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl, then pour in vanilla and milk. Mix until combined.

2. Core and slice an apple into less than 1/4 inch thickness.

3. Dip Apple slices in batter, and place on a buttered or sprayed skillet. Flip when bubbles emerge on the sides.

Have you been wondering what the pancake said to the other pancake?.. He said, "See you on the flip side!!"

4. Enjoy!!

Resource: http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/benefits-lots-protein-morning-3574.html

my special-tea

Today I just want to put tea in the spotlight for a little bit. There's not much to preparing it, but the benefits of drinking tea are endless. Anyone can find a tea they'll like, since there are so many flavors out there to choose from and there's a lot of liberty to add flavors to change it up. Personally, I love tea and it's one of those comfort feelings to sip hot green tea at any time of the day. I don't do much to my tea to enhance it, but sometimes I'll add in honey or ginger. Either way, it's always my cup of tea! (See what I did there?)

Anyway, depending on what tea you choose to drink depends on what benefits it may have for your health, but no matter what tea is a positive addition to your everyday.

1. Tea hydrates. Remember how important water is to drink everyday? Well if you are still struggling to get in all that water, drinking a cup or two of tea can suffice. The main component of tea is water so it totally counts as far as that goes.
2. Tea can reduce risk of heart disease. Green tea especially can cut your risk of heart disease because of one of the antioxidants that works to reduce your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. This antioxidant also will help boost your HDL (good) cholesterol levels, as well as keep your arteries working well. 
3. Tea lowers the risk of cancer. Certain compounds called catechins work to stop damage caused by "free radicals", which may lead to some types of cancer. 
4. Tea's antioxidants kill bacteria. The antioxidants in teas help prevent the formation of plaque on your teeth and can help kill bacteria that causes food poisoning. (It's a good idea to drink tea after a meal!!)

So now that I hopefully have got you to think about adding a cup of tea to your day, I'll share with you some tips that I've heard as far as picking and making your tea goes.

1. To get the maximum benefits, choose either a green, black, or oolong tea rather than an herbal tea. The difference between these is that these "real" teas are steamed, rolled and dried, whereas chamomile teas are oxidized for a few hours before the process. 
2. Steep your tea for about 3 minutes, and then take the tea bag out of the mug. That way, enough of the compounds will be released, but not too much. Over-steeping your tea may actually irritate your digestive tract.
3. If you don't like hot tea, make yourself iced tea! The same benefits can come out of an iced tea, as long as it's real (not from a powder). 
4. If you don't like the flavor of teas, it's totally ok to add a little extra flavoring or sweetness to your cup. I'd suggest some lemon juice, honey, or ginger. These can also help in certain situations; honey in tea is good if your throat is bothering you, ginger is good for your digestive system if your stomach is bothering you.

Tea is just an overall good-feel good-health kind of thing, and I totally recommend drinking a cup a day. It's cleansing and makes me feel refreshed and there are also all those health benefits to it too! 

my green tea with ginger

Resources: http://www.eatingwell.com/healthy_cooking/quick_healthy_cooking/quick_sides_desserts_more/tea_time

http://www.livestrong.com/article/71063-the-health-benefits-teas/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/386031-what-are-the-benefits-of-drinking-green-tea/

http://www.livestrong.com/article/543062-benefits-of-eating-rice-drinking-tea/