Blue Lemon in Utah
June 22, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
My husband and I are huge “foodies” and we love to try new resturants as a family. When our friends decided to open up their own resturant a few minutes away we were estatic! Blue Lemon is our new favorite spot to go out to eat as a family and on date nights.
Other than the owners being our friends, there are many many reasons why we love it…
Healthy—My girls have special dietary needs and Blue Lemon satisfies those. They believe in healthy, clean food and serve many vegan and vegetarian options. Serving healthy dishes does NOT take away from the flavor and delish taste of their food!
Eco-Friendly—Caring for the environment is something Blue Lemon prides itself in, all of their packaging and food selections are eco-friendly. Their paper goods are made from corn and they promote healthy living.
Family Friendly—The dining room is very spacious and the seating is perfectly spaced and designed to accommodate all different ages in your family. Their children’s menu is superb; they put a great deal of thought into all of their children’s food items.
Affordable—Blue Lemon is a very high end looking restaurant; they bus the tables and bring the food to you. However, their menu prices are extremely affordable.
Fresh—Blue Lemon PRIDES themselves on serving fresh produce, seafood; everything is clean, fresh but with a fun twist!
Unique—It is a fun place to come to because it is outside the norm, it is unique! I have been many many times and every time we go it feels like a fun new experience!
Modern—The restaurant has a very modern but warm feel. From the music playing in the background to the décor everything is put together with class.
Quick Snacks
June 5, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
I had a mother email me a question about snack time ideas on the run. Here are our favorites for those long car drives, full days running errands or when you just don’t have to time prepare something better!
Robert’s American Gourmet Veggie Booty
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Kashi’s TLC Chewy Granola Bars
- Blend of seven whole grains and sesame with whole, roasted nuts, succulent, sun-dried fruit and a touch of wildflower honey.
- No partially hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, or artificial anything and minimally processed.
Kashi’s Blackberry Graham
These are oh so yummy!
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Organic banana chips
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Any dried fruit and nuts
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And something new I was introduced to this last week:
Dried edamame, which is a great source of protein along with many other things. You can buy these at Costco.
Baby Food
May 29, 2009 by admin · 19 Comments
I thought I would share how you can save some money and make your own baby food at home. It really doesn’t take much time at all. A good afternoon or morning and you will have enough done for a good five or six months. You most likely already have all the tools it takes to make baby food in your own home!
With my first daughter I decided to do it to save some money. Now with my second I am doing it for the same reason but also so I can start feeding her organic fruits and vegetables from the beginning to promote healthy eating. Plus I really wanted to control the quality of the food my baby was eating.
I don’t want to give to much information so I will supply you with the two resources I use.
Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron
I am now using Super Baby Food for recipes for my two year old. They have ideas for parties, recipes for homemade bubble/playdough and crafts. I use this book all the time! It was a really good investment and will be a great resource for years to come.
I thought I would also include some photographs of my baby food-making day to inspire you to try it!
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Little Cupcakes
May 18, 2009 by admin · 2 Comments
This is my daughter’s favorite food in the entire world. I have even heard her whining “little cupcakes” in her sleep!
She helped me make these this morning and here’s the recipe:
- 1 1/2 cups shredded/grated carrots
- 1/2 cup ground nuts
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup flax seed
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine above ingredients and mix well. Fill each mini cupcake in the tin to the top. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Top with icing.
For the icing I make a cream cheese/maple syrup flavored icing to go on top. I have an all-natural, no-sugar recipe for frosting and I can pass it along to you if you would like. BUT when the actual cupcake is full of such wonderfully healthy things, I don’t mind at all they have sugar frosting on the top!
Bread & Butter
May 15, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
Yes, bread and butter can be an art form. Cooking is the biggest art form in our home!
I bought this beautiful cookbook called The River Cottage Family Cookbook and it has quickly become my favorite. The pictures are beautiful, the recipes are written with love and it explains perfectly why you should do things certain ways.
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I have NEVER, not EVER made a good loaf of bread until following their directions and recipe. The recipe? No way! You’ll have to buy the book! The girls loved helping me with this cooking task.
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But even more they loved helping me make homemade butter and felt the need to “test lick” throughout the process. To learn how to make your own butter, click here. Get ready for some shaking!
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Mmmm…homemade bread, homemade butter, homemade peach jam from Grandma and delicious honey!
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What could be better, I ask?
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Spaghetti Squash
May 11, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
Want to trick your whole family into eating a huge plate of vegetables for dinner? I do it every week and my family cannot get enough of my spaghetti squash recipe. I feel wonderful serving it to them because it’s about as healthy as it can get and they have fun eating it because it looks just like pasta!
Ingredients:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 whole spaghetti squash
- 3 fresh tomatoes
- 2 vegetables of your choice
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds and season with olive oil, salt and pepper on all sides. Place the squash flesh side down on cooking tray with foil covering all of the exposed skin. Roast for 45 minutes tp 1 hour or until tender.
- Meanwhile, saute two of your favorite chopped vegetables with oil, salt and pepper. I like to use zucchini and yellow squash but you can use whatever you have on hand!
- When the spaghetti squash is done simply pull your fork through the flesh and it will come out like spaghetti noodles!
- Combine the “noodles” and sauteed vegetables and serve with chopped fresh tomatoes. Sprinkles with fresh Parmesan cheese.
Hope your family enjoys this healthy recipe too!
Fish & Garbanzo Bean Burgers
May 8, 2009 by admin · 7 Comments
These burgers are the best meal I’ve made for my family in weeks! This is a good thing since we’ve been getting sick of the same old fish recipes.
The above picture is of the fish burger I made. I found the recipe in a parenting magazine and boy, was it killer! I used tilapia and it turned out fantastically!
Fish & Garbanzo Bean Burgers
Cooking spray
1 lb fillet of cod, sea bass, or any firm white fish
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1 cup canned white beans
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
Mini–whole-wheat buns or rolls
Romaine lettuce
Tomato slices
Tartar sauce
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Spritz baking pan with cooking spray and add fish. Season with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Bake until flaky, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove fish from oven; leave oven on.
2. In a food processor, puree white beans, parsley, 1/4 tsp salt and bread crumbs. Process for 1 minute. (If you don’t have a processor, use a potato masher instead.) Place bean mixture into a large bowl with the egg; crumble in fish. Gently mix with your hands until it’s incorporated, then form into 8 small patties.
3. Coat an ovenproof skillet with cooking spray and put over medium heat. Add burgers. Cook until brown on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip cakes carefully and place in oven for 5 minutes.
4. Serve on mini-buns with lettuce, tomatoes and tartar sauce.
Vegetarian Meal—Bean Patties
May 1, 2009 by admin · 7 Comments
I get so excited when one of my vegetarian meals turns out well. I am still learning to cook that way and many times my vegetarian meals DO NOT TURN OUT!
A serving (1/3 cup of cooked beans) contains around 80 calories, no cholesterol, lots of complex carbohydrates and little fat. Additonally, beans are a good source of B vitamins, potassium and fiber, which promotes digestive health, relieves constipation and may even help prevent colon cancer and reduce blood cholesterol (a leading cause of heart disease). My favorite part? Beans are cheap!
Note: I use dried beans whenever possible. It really does make a HUGE difference in how fresh things taste. To learn how to prep the dried beans in the slow cooker to use for this recipe, click here.
Bean Patties
1/2 lb black beans
1/2 lb lentils (you can substitute refried beans)
1/2 cup salsa
1/3 to 1/2 cup of flour (as much as you need to bind everything together but not make it too dry)
2 tsp cumin
Salt and pepper
Mix well and form into patties; pat flour around the outside of the patty.
Heat sunflower or corn or safflower oil over the heat to crisp up the patties.
Serve on a toasted bun with a flavored mayo. You can add some Franks Hot Sauce to give it a kick or roast up some green onions to blend in the mayo. But since the patties have a mild flavor (yes even with the salsa!) you need a bit of a kick!
Image via worldimages.com
Bonnie Plants
April 29, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
As a family we are always looking for ways to cut down on our grocery bills. We like to cook with fresh herbs as often as possible, which can start to add up when you purchase them from the produce aisle at your local market. To cut down on the cost we grow our own herbs on our windowsill for at least half of the year.
When you grow your own produce food tastes fresher and it helps minimize pesticide exposure. Plus you don’t have to worry about recalls on tainted produce and you can have fun doing it as a family! But sometimes I have bad luck growing certain herbs from seedlings, and that’s why we are huge fans of Bonnie Plants.
I love using Bonnie Plants because the biodegradable peat pots prevent transplant shock by allowing the roots to remain intact from container to soil. Bonnie’s exclusive peat pots have already prevented more than 100 million pounds of plastic from ending up in landfills. They’ve also dramatically reduced energy and petroleum required in the manufacture of plastic pots. Those are some great reasons to check out Bonnie Plants when you start to plan your garden!
First Post
February 10, 2009 by admin · 1 Comment
This is a Simple Practice Page…trying out posts, pictures, categories and theme functions. This is a Simple Practice Page…trying out posts, pictures, categories and theme functions. This is a Simple Practice Page…trying out posts, pictures, categories and theme functions. This is a Simple Practice Page…trying out posts, pictures, categories and theme functions.
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