Tag: yummy

Memorial Day Treat

Happy Memorial Day to all! We did a short road trip (and by short I mean it’s supposed to be relatively short but with two toddlers and a 7-month-old it was very long and miserable being in the car that long) to Pennsylvania for Memorial Day weekend. But we kicked off the weekend at home, Friday, and I made a beautiful, yummy treat for the kids.

It has been SUPER hot here the last few days so it felt like the perfect time to bust out my popsicle molds and make some low-sugar, refreshing, healthy, yummy ice pops for the kids (ok…for me and the hubs, too! 😉 ). I really love making these because the kids think they are pulling one over on us by getting their way with an ice pop and I think I’m pulling one over on them by feeding them basically a frozen healthy smoothie 🙂

There are SO many ways you can make ice pops. Some people just pour juice into the molds but for me, that is far too much sugar. If you’ve been reading my blogs, you all know by now that we have been trying to reduce our sugar intake and that even one glass of juice will put your kids over their daily recommended sugar allowance (according to the WHO). So, instead of using juice, I use fresh fruit, a little bit of water, and my special ingredient–creme fraiche! SO EASY. And beautiful. And hits the spot on a 90 degree day!

Here’s my recipe and some photos to go along with it…

The first batch I made was orange/strawberry. Obviously, wash the strawberries and cut off the green tops. Then I quartered mine. I like to have chunks–albeit, small chunks–of fruit in the finished popsicle. Peel and separate your orange in slices. I recommend peeling all the membranes off the individual orange slices so you don’t have to “chew” your popsicle when it comes out. 😉 Below you’ll see my ingredients ready to go into the blender.

If you’ve been reading my blogs you’ll also know that I don’t measure but I eyeball things. So…this is how much fruit I thought I needed for about 10 ounces of liquid. I added probably about 2 tablespoons of creme fraiche and then a little water (maybe 2 ounces? You can play with it–you won’t do it wrong and you will have lots of fruit flavor unless you put waaaaay too much water in!).

After blending, this is what I had…and I poured it into the popsicle molds 🙂

I actually left mine in the freezer overnight because the kids didn’t know about them (I made them thursday and we ate them Friday) but these should freeze in a couple of hours or so.  My second batch was strawberry/blueberry/banana. The first photo is the orange/strawberry and the second photo is the strawberry/blueberry/banana.

I cannot even tell you how much of a hit both of these were. Especially the second batch–my kids LOVE bananas. You can use any type of fruit that you think will go great with the creme fraiche. Another way to do it is to use plain yogurt instead of the creme fraiche–don’t use yogurt with added sugar, though!!!! Be creative…my next batch will be peaches and cream 😉 Whatever you choose, enjoy! And a massive thank you to all the service men and women out there who have dedicated and given their lives for our freedoms ❤

Something yummy for your tummy.

I’m going to start off with a neat little recipe I threw together the other day. Lately I’ve been on this kick…less sugar, less meat, and more super foods. Ok, truth be told, I tried to cut sugar out cold turkey on the same day I went meatless and my insides didn’t like me very much >:0

So, now the goal is a little more reasonable: less sugar, less meat, more super foods (it’s like a mantra, right?). Do you know what your daily recommended sugar intake is as an adult? I bet you don’t 😉 If you are female, it’s 25 grams (6 teaspoons). If you are male, it’s 37.5 grams (9 teaspoons). It’s trickier for kids. Preschoolers get 4 teaspoons if their caloric intake is 1,200 to 1,400 and if their intake is 1,600, then their limit is 3 teaspoons. Pre-teens and teens have an allowance of 5-8 teaspoons assuming they consume between 1,800-2,00 calories a day. Whew!

That is a lot of info…but I digress. Because this is not a post about sugar. It is a post about my yummy recipe 🙂 So here is my warm parsnip salad for you to enjoy. Parsnips are one of my favorite root vegetables. Highly overlooked in my humble opinion. The super food here is the broccoli sprouts. More to come on those…And stay tuned for a post that delves into the white powdery stuff.

My apologies, for I am one of those folks who doesn’t measure things when I’m “winging it” with recipes!

IMG_3930Warm parsnip salad

Parsnips

Fresh Ginger Root
Broccoli Sprouts
Fresh Mozerella Cheese
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 325. Peel your parsnips and cut them into chunks. Peel and slice your fresh ginger. Drizzle a tablespoon or so (depending on how many parsnips you have) into a 9×13 baking dish. Add parsnips and ginger. Sprinkle with pepper. Toss to coat with the oil. Cover with foil and bake approx 40 minutes (or until tender).

While they are baking, get your sprouts out and wash them. Chop your fresh mozerella into bite-size pieces. Here is how I make my dressing: in a shot glass (yes, you heard me), I fill it about 1/3 full of olive oil and then I add my balsamic to taste. Some days I want a little more of the sweet, tangy stuff and other days I’m in more of a subtle mood.

When the parsnips come out, let them cool but only slightly. The idea is to add your sprouts and cheese while the parsnips are still warm so the cheese gets a little softer (but not melted!) and the dressing warms up when you drizzle it on top. I also added more fresh pepper on top.

Viola! Simple. Easy. Healthy. Low in sugar. And your tummy will be full 🙂 See you next time.