**Whole Wheat Linguine With White Clam Sauce**

WOW, it has been quite awhile. I have figured out that I would rather post recipes that I have tried and love, then to describe every step of the cooking process. I find myself skipping over all the writing and getting right to the recipes of cooking blogs that I visit. I also look through comments and suggestions that others have posted and put together a better recipe. SO.... from now on I will be posting a picture of a recipe's results and my rendition of the recipe! To start out, I have chosen "Whole Wheat Linguine With White Clam Sauce"! I have been wanting to make this for some time so while my best friend was visiting I gave it a whirl! I am so glad I did because I can not stop thinking about how yummy it was! Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

(4 servings)

3 tablespoons butter (I use Organic Earth Balance)

3 Tbsp organic extra virgin olive oil 

1 Small diced onion 

4 cloves garlic, minced 

1 Tbsp lemon juice 

1 tsp oregano 

1 tsp basil 

1 Tbsp Old Bay Seasoning (don't omit this)

3 cans minced/chopped clams, including the juice 

1 tsp parsley

1 lb Organic Whole Wheat Linguine 

Parmesan Cheese (to garnish pasta)

 

 

Directions

1. In a 5 qt pot, heat water to a boil and cook pasta until al dente.
2. While the pasta is cooking, melt butter and olive oil in pan.
3. Saute onion and garlic, until onions are translucent (don't let your garlic burn).
4. Add lemon juice, oregano, basil, and Old Bay seasoning, stir for one minute.
5. Add clams and the juice.
6. Simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Drain pasta and place in the pan with the sauce.
8. Cover pasta with clam sauce, stir well and let the pasta soak up the sauce
9. Top with parsley and Parmesan cheese.
10.  Serve with warm crusty whole wheat/whole grain bread and chilled white wine.   

This meal takes about 25 minutes to create from start to finish!

****I strongly suggest using all organic products****

Adopted & Healthified from HERE

*Healthier Version* Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Toasted Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yummmmmm! I would do just about anything to be able to eat some healthy sweets.

When I decided to go with a healthy/eating lifestyle it kind of made me think twice about sweets. CAN "THEY" BE HEALTHY??? The answer is YES! 

Dark Chocolate/Peanut Butter Covered Bananas and Applesauce Brownies are some of my weekly go to desserts. These are great but I was in need of a good cookie! I did some research, tweaked a few things and BAM.... I now have my go to cookie! LOVE THEM! I have to warn you, it doesn't take much of a *sweet* taste to satisfy my palate anymore... so these cookies don't taste super sugary. Remember everything is healthier when eaten in proportion.

Did you know desserts spelled backwards is stressed??? Does that mean when we are stressed we eat desserts or when we eat desserts we become stressed??? Haha, maybe both!

Anyways, these cookies were "Eran taste tested and approved"

kinda... he says he can taste the applesauce in them....WRONG! 

If he can, he should work for Chef Ramsey because he has one amazing palate lol

  

STEP 2:

Sugar/Applesauce/Coconut Oil

STEP 3:

Add Egg & Vanilla Extract

 STEP 4:

Stir in Flour Mixture

STEP 5:

Stir in Toasted Coconut & Chocolate Chips

 Ready For Spooning (not that kind of spooning)! ;)

 STEP 6:

Spoon on to Cookie Sheet

 

 FINISHED PRODUCT

Ingredients: 

1 Cup Organic Whole Wheat Flour 

1/2 tsp Baking Powder 

1/4 tsp Baking Soda 

1/2 Cup Organic Brown Sugar (packed)

2 Tbsp Organic Unsweetened Applesauce

2 Tbsp Organic Coconut Oil (warm)

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1 Large Organic Egg
1/2 cup Toasted Organic Unsweetened Coconut

1/4 Cup Organic Dark Chocolate Chips 

Parchment Paper/Cookie Sheet

***Makes about 17 cookies at 98 calories a cookie***

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 350°

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk.

2. Place sugar, applesauce, and coconut oil into a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. 

3. Beat the egg and vanilla into the sugar mixture. 

4. Add flour mixture to the wet sugar mixture, stir until combined. 

5. Stir in toasted coconut and chocolate chips.

6. Place Tbsp size mounds of cookie dough 2 inches apart onto baking sheets covered in parchment paper or sprayed with cooking spray. 

7. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes

8. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire racks(if you're like me you'll taste test them hot)!

9. Enjoy!

IF YOU'RE TOASTING YOUR OWN COCONUT:

 1. Arrange coconut in a single layer on a small baking pan. 

2. Bake at 350° for 7 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring once half way through time. 

3. Set aside to cool.

Adopted & Healthified from HERE.

Perfect Rice Cooker, Brown Rice!

Brown Rice

I decided to put up some simple recipes to get everyone started! 

I truth is cooking "well" is NOT that difficult once you get going. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a home where most everything was freshly made! My parents grew vegetables, bought whole butchered animals (sheep, cow, pig) and even hunted wild game (deer, elk, antelope, bear, and turkey). I feel even more fortunate that my grandma and mother were great cooks and taught me what they knew. It is really about trial&error, and following recipes! If you can read and make mistakes then you can cook and learn to cook well (Unless you burn the place down, that might set you back a bit, haha). On to the point of this post....

Prep: Wash your rice....

Until I frequently ate with my Samoan brothers....
 I had NO idea how important it was to wash your rice. 

Steps #1&#2

Step #3

Finished Product:

LET'S EAT

Ingredients:

1 Cup Organic Short Grain Brown Rice 

(I buy my rice in the Whole Food's bulk section)

1 1/2 Cups Water

Garlic Powder to Taste

Cracked Black Pepper to Taste

Salt to Taste

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

You can add other seasonings as well

Put them in at the start of the cook.
This helps to infuse the yummy flavors into the rice.

For a Mexican flavor try adding spices like:
ground cumin and chili powder

***Makes about 3 Cups of Cooked Rice***

Directions:

PREP

Rinse it, rub it, and drain it, until the water starts to become clear. 

Giving your rice a good wash removes rice dust and helps with the texture after it's cooked!

1. Place the clean rice into the rice cooker.

2. Add olive oil and sprinkle your seasonings over the top of the rice.

3. Add the water.

4. Turn cooker on.

5. When the rice is finished cooking give it a stir.

6. Place finished rice onto your plate... ENJOY as a side dish to your meal.

Do you need more rice?

1 cup uncooked rice + 1.5 cups of water = about 3 cups cooked

2 cup uncooked rice + 3 cups of water = about 6 cups cooked

3 cups uncooked rice + 4.5 cups of water = about 9 cups cooked

Sauted Green Beans! So simple, so delic...

GREEN BEANS

I love my veggies!!! What I love even more are simple to cook, delicious ones!

This is a recipe that you can use to make a simple veggie side to go with any meal.

Don't be turned off by all the steps involved. This is really simple.....

Prep: 

Find beans that are equal in size. 

This helps with equal cooking!

Part One: 

Boil

Ice Water Bath: 

Stops the cooking process and helps hold the bright green color.

Part Two:

Season and Saute

Finished Product:

LET'S EAT

Ingredients:

3-5 Cups of Water

5-8 Cubes of Ice

16 Green Beans

2 tsp Olive Oil

1/4 tsp (*to taste) Cracked Black Pepper

1/4 tsp (to taste) Salt

1/4 tsp (to taste) Garlic Powder

*to taste = the amount that taste right to you. Start with a little and then add more if needed. 

Remember, every palate is different!

Directions: 

 

PREP

Rinse beans in cool water (to wash).

Remove the pokey ends from both sides.

Step ONE

1. Bring a large saucepan with 2-3 inches of water and a pinch of salt to a boil.

2. Add the green beans and cook for 3-4 minutes.

3. Drain the beans and then immediately place them into the ice bath.

(Ice Bath: 3 cups of cold water and 5-8 cubes of ice)

4. Let the beans sit in the ice water for about 2 minutes and then remove them and pat dry.

Step TWO

1. In a large skillet/saute pan heat olive oil over med-high heat.

2. Add the beans, pepper, salt, and garlic, cook for 3-4 minutes stirring occasionally.

3. Remove from heat and add to your plate!

*Adopted From Better Homes and Gardens

Kick Your Stomachache's Butt!

GINGER TEA

*Supports Digestion*

I have struggled with digestion issues for many years and have finally come to the point where I feel great. Many things have really helped, changing my eating lifestyle(it's not a diet), reducing bad stress, removal of my gallbladder (I would NOT recommend this haha), and adding digestion boosters like ginger tea.

ORGANIC YOGI GINGER

(From Trader Joe's)

Digestive Aid:

My doctor suggested I give ginger tea a chance to help with digestion. It also can help soothe stomachache, ease bloating, along with other countless things not pertaining to the digestive system. So what is the worst that could happen? In a VERY small amount of people it can actually do the opposite and cause stomachache. Hey, it's worth a shot!

LET'S DRINK.....TEA

Ingredients:

1 Organic Ginger Tea Bag

1 tsp. Organic Honey

8-10 oz Boiling Water

Directions:

1. Bring water to boil, pour into your mug of choice.

2. Place a tea bag into the mug and steep 2-5 mins

3. Remove tea bag and stir in honey

4. Enjoy

*To support digestion this can be enjoyed during or 15 minutes after a meal.

My favorite time is before bed (old lady swag)! :)

Healthier HOMEMADE Organic Chocolate Chip Coconut Granola Bars

Chocolate Chip Coconut Granola Bars

I searched for hours for a healthy version of a chocolate chip granola bar. I am what most would call a healthy eating nut case. I almost go extreme! Anyways, I usually buy my picky eating man "Cascadian Farm Organic" chocolate chip CHEWY granola bars... 

 

but here is where the EXTREME comes in.... I'm not a fan of PROCESSED foods/or anything that comes pre-made in a package. SO I set out to find the perfect recipe! After looking over many, I decided to go with my own rendition of Lauren's No-bake C.C. Granola Bar.

HOW IT'S DONE:

After making this one I decided to just wrap them all in plastic wrap... 

after all it is for my man and he could careless if they look cute! Haha 

P.S. He LOVED Them ****SUCCESS****

Ingredients

1/4 cup organic butter
1/4 cup organic honey
1/4 cup packed organic brown sugar
2 cups organic quick cooking oats

 1 cup organic crispy brown rice cereal

1/2 cup toasted organic unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons organic mini chocolate chips

*Use as many chocolate chips as you want. 

 Directions

1. In a large bowl, stir oats, crispy brown rice cereal, and toasted coconut together. Set aside.
2. In a small pot, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together over medium high heat until it comes to a bubble. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Pour in vanilla and stir.
4. Pour the gooey mess over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients.
5. Pour into parchment paper lined pan 12x8x1 (I used my baking sheet)
6. Press out to be about 3/4 inch in thickness. Pack the mixture tight so it will hold together!
7. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and press down lightly.
8. Cool in the fridge for two hours.
9. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and store at room temperature(I put mine back in the fridge).

If you are a calorie counter(I'm not): Cut into 9 bars: 254 cal, 12 bars: 190 cal, 14 bars: 95 cal....

Side Note: I also mixed some chocolate chips into the granola bars before packing them tight. 

****MAKE SURE YOU PACK THEM TIGHT THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT****