Cucumber Salad!

I used to always LOVE cucumber salads, so when a friend of mine posted a recipe for it, I decided to make it healthy and enjoy it. I was really pleased-I loved it and my daughter liked it. My hubby hates cucumbers which is fine, more for me!

2 Tbsp. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (the recipe called for regular vinegar but this is what I had and it tasted great)
2 Tbsp. Grapeseed Vegenaise (instead of mayo or sour cream)
Sea Salt
Ground Pepper
Oregano (fresh from the csa)-I used this instead of dill since I didn't have any fresh dill
Dried Lemon Peel (fresh from the csa)

2 cucumbers sliced very thinly
1-2 red onions sliced thinly (I don't enjoy raw onions but I like the flavor they bring)

Whisk or shake together the sauce, add the veggies and refrigerate overnight! I enjoyed this for my lunch today, with a handful of raw nuts! Next time, I might add some green beans to it also!

Popsicles

Okay, Summer is in full swing and I don't want my daughter (s) or her friends (my daycare kids) to miss out on having a cold popsicle outside with the pool or sprinkler. However, I also don't want to buy her the store bought sugar bars that they call "fruit flavored popsicles". If you look in the find print, many even say, DOES NOT CONTAIN FRUIT JUICE. Anyway, I bought a popsicle mold for $2 (walmart, target both has them) and I have been making my own. Let me tell you, my 3 year old will do anything for one (eat all her lunch, go right down for a nap, clean up her toys, etc.). You can really make them any way you want, just don't add any extra sugar. Here's our favorite (it's basically a smoothie)!

1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1/4 cup frozen raspberries
1 scoop Mila Chia Seed (thickens and provides all the benefits of chia)
Water (you could do a non-sugary oj maybe too)

Blend until smooth and fill the popsicle tray!

Other variations we've tried:

*Peaches, Strawberries, Bananas
*Chocolate, Banana, Strawberry (using chocolate protein powder and chia)
*Frozen Lemonade (watch sugar content)
*Orange

Stay cool and enjoy! If your child doesn't get enough protein, you could also sneak a scoop of protein powder into yours to fill them up a bit more!

Coco-Chia Cookies (Raw)

These are a quick, easy treat that satisfies the sweets/chocolate craving! My daughter kept begging me for more "Cookie dough" from the fridge!

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup raw, organic honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup Mila chia seeds
3/4 cup raw, unsweetened coconut flakes (you can find these at either Whole Foods or Valley Natural Foods)
1 Tbsp. Raw, Organic cocoa powder

Mix oil, honey, and vanilla in a food processor/blender/hand mixer until creamy. Add dry ingredients until a thick paste forms. Roll into little balls and place on parchment paper in fridge for 1 hour (or in freezer because my hubby and daughter could not be patient that long)! Enjoy!

PS-you might want to make a double batch right away because they won't last long!

Weekly Meal Plan 7/18-7/24

We have another busy week this week, with activities on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evening so I did some crock pot meals this week!

Monday:
Lunch-Frozen Kashi Mushroom Trio Pizza (I added a few pieces of chicken, diced tomatoes, fresh basil, and a tiny bit of raw cheese)
Dinner-Crock Pot BBQ Chicken (Frozen chicken and Organicville BBQ sauce in the crock pot), steamed broccoli and carrots

Tuesday:
Lunch-Omelets
Dinner-Taco salads w/fresh csa avacado, lettuce, and tomatoes

Wednesday:
Lunch-Grilled Chicken Sausages, Steamed Veggies, Roasted Root Veggies
Dinner-Roasted Whole Chicken, Summer Side Salad

Thursday:
Lunch-Leftover taco salads
Dinner-Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce with ground turkey and brown rice spinach pasta
*Make Chicken Stock

Friday:
Lunch-Chicken Vegetable Soup
Dinner-Dinner Out with Family

Saturday:
Lunch-Fresh salad with fresh csa veggies and olive oil/balsamic vinagrette dressingDinner-Eggplant Lasagna (use leftover spaghetti meat sauce)

Sunday:
Lunch-Out after church
Dinner-Grilled Chicken Breasts w/ Sweet Potato Fries and grilled zucchini

Weekly Menu 7/10/2011

Here's the weekly menu for this week! My 3 year-old helped me plan it so it's full of her favorites (and some repeats because of that)! I do daycare in my home and this week I have kids for lunch on Wed.-Fri. so I try to make healthy, kid friendly meals those days!

Sunday:
Lunch-Picnic at the beach (brown rice pasta salad full of veggies)
Dinner-Roasted Whole Chicken, Roasted Chickpeas, Steamed Green Beans

Monday:
Lunch-Scrambled Eggs, Raw sliced veggies
Dinner-Brown Rice Pasta with chicken, veggies, and tomato sauce
*Made Chicken Stock for Wednesdays soup

Tuesday:
Lunch-Chicken Nuggets, Steamed broccoli and carrots
Dinner-Taco Soup (by request of a special 3 year old)

Wednesday:
Lunch-Grilled Chicken Sausages, Sliced Cucumbers and Carrots, Roasted Chickpeas
Dinner-Chicken Wild Rice Soup (also by request)

Thursday:
Lunch-leftover Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Dinner-Chicken Asparagus Marsala

Friday:
Lunch-Grilled Chicken (basted with a bit of organic, high fructose corn syrup free bbq sauce), green beans
*Homemade popsicles for dessert if they eat all their food (frozen strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries and a bit of water blended and frozen into popsicle molds)
Dinner-Leftover Taco Soup and/or Chicken Wild Rice Soup (soup seems crazy in the Summer but like I said, my daughter loves it and requested it-if kids help choose things they are very likely to eat them)

Saturday (Dr. Lance's Bday-vacation day for sure):
Lunch-Leftovers or lunch out
Dinner-Out


Snacks
Energy Bars

Menu for the week

This is late, but I have been meaning to post some menu plans. Here was my plan for this week (can you tell I love Mexican dishes):

Monday:
Lunch-out with family
Dinner-Grilled Turkey Burgers, Asparagus, Mushrooms, Kale Chips

Tuesday:
Lunch-leftovers
Dinner-Taco Soup

Wednesday:
Lunch-Grilled Chicken Sausage with green beans and rice
Dinner-Salsa Black Bean Chicken Soup

Thursday:
Lunch-Un-Coleslaw Salad
Dinner-Enchiladas (using the leftover soup from Wednesday night as the filling and topped with raw, sharp cheddar cheese)

Friday:
Lunch-Pancakes, scrambled eggs, and fruit
Dinner-Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce with Spinach Brown Rice Pasta (this will provide 1-2 leftover meals for the whole family as well so I will likely freeze half the sauce for next time)

Saturday:
Lunch-Leftovers/Out to lunch
Dinner-Roasted Whole Chicken with steamed veggies (brocolli, carrots, green beans, etc.), roasted chickpeas

Sunday-
Lunch-Leftover Taco Soup
Dinner-???
meal plan day/shopping day

*I do the majority of my shopping on Sundays, but I tend to still have to drop by the store at least once or twice more throughout the week to get something I forgot or something that sounds yummy or is on sale!

*For us, breakfast is either oatmeal (spiced up with chia seeds, blueberries, and cinnamon), Smoothies (any type), or Omelets (spinach, mushroom, tomato is our fave).

* We also love sweets, so we buy super dark chocolate (70% or higher cocao content) and eat that for a sweet treat (my hubby loves it dipped in fresh ground almond butter)!

Healthy Holiday Meal Idea

Many of you may think that you cannot enjoy a holiday without junk food. Of course, we enjoy treats too but after a weekend of junk at the lake we made a healthy 4th of July meal at home-yum!
Dinner:
Grilled Turkey Burgers (bunless and full of seasonings prior to grilling)
Grilled Mushrooms and Asparagus
Kale Chips (Roast Kale coated in coconut oil and lots of sea salt)

Dessert:
Gluten-Sugar Free Brownies with Coconut Milk Ice Cream and strawberries and Blueberries