Healthy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes?? Yep!

The healthiness of a dish is determined by the ingredients you choose to use!

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

5-6 medium red potatoes - skins on and sliced thin
1/4 Smart Balance butter
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups skim milk
1/4 black pepper
1/2 cup green onion
2 cups Veggie Shreds Cheddar - we LUV veggie shreds, soy based cheese!

Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Add in milk all at once. Stir constantly until slightly thickened. Add cheese and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted. Pour 1/2 the cheese sauce in the bottom of a shallow casserole dish, layer sliced potatoes and onions, pour on the rest of the sauce. Bake at 350 degrees until potatoes are tender. 45 min-1 hour.

All Natural, Low Sodium Chili

This was one of the best freezer meals! It takes "chili is better the next day" to a new level! Chili is better after 3 weeks!

Chili
1 pd. ground turkey
1 pd. %96 lean, all natural ground beef
3 cups of beans
1 28oz can low sodium tomatoes
15 oz can low sodium tomato sauce
4 cups of organic beef or vegetable broth
1 cup diced peppers
1 diced onion
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
chili powder, celery seed, cumin, oregano, paprika, cayenne, black pepper, coriander to taste

Brown meat with onions and garlic in a large pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 45 minutes. Let cool and place in freezer bags. This will make 2 freezer meals for 4 people. To serve just thaw and heat.

Homemade Whole Wheat Rolls
3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup organic cane sugar
1/4 canola oil
1 TBSP yeast
1/2 very warm water
1/2 very warm milk
1 egg white

Mix 2 cups of flour, the sugar, oil, and yeast in a medium bowl. Add warm water, milk, and egg white. Beat with a mixer on low. Add the rest of the flour, mix until it's easier to handle. Put on your bonnet. Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. Add flour as needed if it becomes sticky, up to another 1/2 cup. Return to the bowl. Coat slightly with canola oil and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise to double it's size. Spray a muffin pan with canola spray. Punch down the dough and form 1 inch balls. Place 3 balls per muffin cup. Cover again with plastic wrap and let rise again to double their size. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes
Enjoy!!!!

Dark Choclate Clusters

I'm waiting for the dry beans to finish cooking. That's why I have time to list some new recipes. :) I am determined to conquer the dry bean! No salt added beans are $2 a can and up! I can get a 2 pd. bag of dry bean for $1.29. Anyways, my daughter has a huge sweet tooth. Not just for any sweets but for chocolate. I must admit, I can sympathize! My goal was to come up the healthiest chocolate treat I could.

Dark Chocolate Clusters

2 bars of all natural dark chocolate. This was not as easy to find as I'd hoped. I finally found it at Giant Eagle in the baking isle. Each bar costs about $2.50! I know! It's worth it thought!
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped almonds - raw, not salted
1/2 dried golden raisins - or other dried fruit like cherries
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 flax seed

Melt the chocolate in the microwave on medium. When melted smooth add the rest of the ingredients. Mix until everything is nice and coated. The chocolate should JUST coat the dry ingredients. You can add more nuts, fruit, or grains if it's to runny. Drop by small spoonfuls on to a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and refrigerate. After they have set up, I just throw them into a ziplock bag. They make nice little treats in lunch boxes. See, who says you can't make healthy sweet tooth choices!

Continued...meals for the freezer

Like chili, that is better the next day, most meals are more flavorful if it is made ahead so that the ingredients can mingle together. So far, we haven't had any mishaps with dinner from the freezer. It's working really well actually. So well that I wish I would have started it along time ago! It's nice to know that we don't have to worry about dinner for the next 3 weeks. With dinner taken care of, on Sundays, I just have to make up things for breakfast and lunch for the week. That is taking alittle longer then expected :( Probably because I'm dragging my feet around the kitchen! I'm really tired after work, school, studying, and grocery shopping! The ease for the rest of the week makes it worth it though. I'll post more dinners eventually but today I want to add some of the breakfasts that have gone over very well.

Crispy French Toast with Blueberry Syrup
8 egg whites
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 Tbsp cinnamon - Cinnamon is on the "Healthiest Spices in the World" list :)
Zest of 1 orange
1 cup wheat germ
1/2 ground flax seed
1/2 oats
10 slices of an all natural, whole wheat bread

Whisk together the first 5 ingredients. In another bowl, mix the wheat germ, flax, and oats. Prepare a griddle with cooking spray (all natural canola or safflower) and heat to 300. Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture then into the wheat mixture, coating both sides. Cook until golden brown on both sides.

Blueberry Syrup

Heat over low - medium heat
1 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Heat until the berries begin to burst and the syrup takes on the blueberry color. The combo of blueberries and the zest from the orange in the french toast are super yummy together! All those whole grains, lean proteins from the egg whites and skim milk, and benefits of cinnamon, what a great way to start the day!

Pumpkin Pancakes with yeast - no sodium

1 1/2 cups skim milk
2 TBSP organic cane sugar
1 TBSP yeast
1 cup pure pumpkin
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
(Or 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice)
1 egg white
1/4 canola oil
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed

In a large bowl, mix WARM milk, sugar, and yeast. When the yeast begins to react (it gets foamy), add the rest of the ingredients and beat on low with a mixer. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. Prepare a griddle with cooking spray and heat to 300. Give the batter a quick stir and drop by 1/4 cup fulls of batter onto the griddle and cook until golden brown. Yummy! Makes about a dozen pancakes.

Between the french toast and the pancakes, we"ll have deliciously warm, homemade, super nutritious breakfast to get us going in the morning. At least for this week :)