Recipe Friday - Reboot Doubles

Today I have not one but two recipes to share for Recipe Friday. My cute husband is currently on Day 5 of the Standard Reboot Program. This program consists of 5 days of eating, blending and juicing only whole fruits and vegetables; followed by 5 days of just juicing; followed by 5 days of eating, blending, and juicing whole fruits and vegetables. We decided to try this program because I have heard so many great things about it and people are seeing great results - improved health and weight loss being just a few of the benefits but the ones that applied to Mark. We thought it would be the perfect plan to jump start his weight loss and help with motivation and energy to get back into working out. In the past 11 months, he has had a dislocated shoulder and 2 back-to-back shoulder surgeries all on the same shoulder. This was enough to put the exercise on the back burner for many months. So he is "rebooting" his health and fitness.

One thing we really like about this program is that it gives you all the recipes that you need for all 15 days. I made a very long shopping list and headed out last Sunday to buy all the fruits and veggies for the first 5 days. Wow - our fridge looked like a garden exploded. We love veggies in our house and you will always find them in our fridge but this looked like we were feeding an army of vegetarians! Each day we prep the things he needs for the following day. To be honest, some of the recipes didn't sound very appealing but we have been very pleasantly surprised at how good a lot of them really taste. We both agreed that we would add many of them into our recipe list for dinners. I am going to share 2 of our favorites with you all today. I have listed the recipes below but you can also find these and many more on the Reboot website.

Apple, Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes
We omitted the parsnips because we didn't have them on hand. Therefore our opinion of this recipe is based on cooking it without the parsnips. This was a really great dish! I would have never thought to pair apples with onion and garlic but it was a delicious blended flavor.

Vegetable Soup
This is a great hearty soup packed with vitamins and nutrients. It would be great to serve anytime but if you are ever feeling under the weather, a big bowl of this soup would be sure to perk you right up.

Cooking and making healthy life-style changes are all about taking chances sometimes. Take a chance and try that new fruit or vegetable. Never heard of leeks? - pick some up next time you are at the store and use them in a recipe. Don't let your mind and preconceived notions about food hinder you from making those needed health changes!

Apple, Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes

4 Parsnips, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
2 medium Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1 small Onion, sliced
2 Apples (try fuji or gala) cored and diced
2 cloves Garlic
Black Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Place sweet potatoes, parsnips and apples with garlic and onions in a covered baking
dish and spray with olive oil, add pepper to taste.
Roast for 40-50 minutes until tender.
Makes 4 servings
Per serving:
Calories: 219
Protein: 3.5 g
Fiber: 1.5 g

 

Vegetable Soup

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 large Onion, chopped
3 cloves Garlic, minced
3 medium Carrots, chopped
3 Celery Stalks, chopped
3 Tomatoes, chopped with juice reserved
1 medium Zucchini, cut into half moons
1 cup Green Beans, trimmed to 1 inch pieces
3-4 handfuls Kale or other leafy green such as Chard or Bok Choy, chopped into small
pieces
6 cups Water
3/4 Tbsp. fresh Thyme, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh Oregano, chopped (or 1/2 Tbsp. dried)
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground Black Pepper
In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion,
garlic, carrots and celery and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, zucchini, green
beans, water, salt, pepper, thyme and oregano; stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the
heat to a simmer and cook the soup for 10 minutes. Add the chopped kale or other
leafy greens and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season to taste with the salt and
pepper.
Makes 4 servings
Per serving:
Calories: 185
Protein: 4 g
Fiber: 5.5 g

Recipe Thursday - Greens with Carrots, Feta Cheese and Quinoa

After the success of my first kale recipe a couple of weeks ago, I felt confident to use the kale in another recipe that I had again found on the Whole Foods website last night. Much to my delight, the hubby liked it, had seconds, and didn't need to put additional hot sauce or garlic salt on it! (He puts hot sauce and garlic salt on everything!) Although she enjoyed the Kenyan kale recipe, my sweet daughter didn't enjoy this recipe as much but I think it had more to do with the quinoa than the kale. She is still getting used to eating quinoa. However, being the good eater that she has become, she still ate her three bites with only a little compliant. This was sufficient for me, as she had already eaten her turkey, roasted asparagus, and mixed greens/spinach salad. Yep my 10 year old loves her greens now!

I did make quite a few modifications to the recipe based on food preference, amount needed, and what I had on hand. I have listed the ingredients below as they are in the original recipe and then added comments regarding my modifications. If you are new to cooking, don't be afraid to change the recipe and make it your own. This was a great lesson that my husband really helped me understand. I still consider myself a "new cook" but I know the more I cook and experiment, the better I become. Remember it's not about perfection in the kitchen - its about enjoying the experience.

Ingredients

2 carrots, shredded (I used three carrots)
2 bunches dark leafy greens (kale, collard greens or Swiss chard), tough stems removed, leaves very thinly sliced (I used only 1 bunch of kale)
1/2 red onion, finely chopped (I used a yellow onion)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 pound feta cheese, crumbled (I didn't measure the amount of feta used but I definitely didn't use 1/4 lb)
1 (20-ounce) package 365 Everyday Value frozen Organic Whole Grain Brown Rice, prepared according to package directions (I used 6 oz of Quinoa instead of brown rice, cooked with organic chicken broth)

I also added 3 cloves of minced garlic and a little olive oil

See the full recipe on the Whole Foods website

Recipe Thursday - Kenyan Style Kale and Tomatoes

I still find it odd that I am posting a recipe using kale. A couple of years ago, this never would have happened. I thought Kale was just a decoration on your plate, something you set aside in order to eat your other "good" food. But my eyes have been opened and I am starting to embrace foods like kale for their wonderful health benefits. Kale is one of the most nutrient rich foods you can find and is an excellent source of  Manganese, Iron, Copper, Calcium, Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin B1, B2, and B6, and Vitamin E.

Accepting foods like kale - easy. Cooking them in a way that your family will eat - not always so easy. But in my weekly quest to try new recipes and add new foods to my family's diet, I found a recipe for kale on the Whole Foods website that I thought would appeal to everyone and tried it last night. I am happy to say that my first attempt at cooking kale was a success! My husband, our 10 year old daughter, and 2 friends that were last-minute dinner guests all gave it a thumbs-up for taste. The verdict on the look was another story! It is MUCH tastier than it looks so just give it a try.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
3 ripe but firm tomatoes, cored and chopped
2 bunches kale or collard greens (about 1 pound total), ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

See the full recipe on the Whole Foods website