Because it’s November, pumpkin should be consumed regularly. Pumpkin is an amazing vegetable with several benefits. Here are 10 benefits of eating pumpkin.
Author Archive | Ami
Creamy Cauliflower Soup
I love to trick my family by adding healthy things to their food. I add beans to their brownies, avocado to their frosting and now cauliflower to their cheese soup. I gave them the soup, listened to them “ooh” and “aah” and never said a word about what was in it. Mwa ha ha! I love the small victories.
Start by steaming the cauliflower. I got this lovely steaming basket at Ikea years ago. It’s one of my favorite kitchen tools because it fits in any pan and is dishwasher safe.
While the cauliflower steams, cook the onion and garlic in the butter and avocado oil. Do this right in your soup pot. Add the salt, pepper, almond milk and chicken broth and heat this all together.
Add the steamed cauliflower and puree with an immersion blender. I love my immersion blender for the same reason I love my veggie steamer. It’s extremely versatile and dishwasher safe.
Add the cheese and continue to cook the soup until the cheese melts.
Top each serving with green onion, turkey bacon and more cheese.
10 Weight Loss Myths Most People Believe
When it comes to health/weight-loss, there are numerous myths society has taught us over the years. Today I’m going to help debunk 10 of these myths.
No-Bean Chili
I don’t like beans. It’s not the taste or the texture; it’s the after effect. The night I eat beans, I’m groaning on the couch, my stomach churning. The problem is, I love chili. I love it on chips, I love it on fries, and I love it in a bowl with avocado and sour cream. But every no-bean chili I’ve tried is usually just glorified Sloppy Joe meat. So I decided we needed to come up with a healthy no-bean chili that still has that great chunky chili texture. Here is what we came up with.
Start by cooking the meat and onion, just as you do in every chili.
The great texture comes from a bunch of vegetables. Add a chopped carrot, red, green and yellow peppers and a can of diced tomatoes.
Then add the great flavor with your seasonings. Stir in your seasonings and flavored liquids and let this simmer in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours.
Eat this in a bowl with your favorite toppings or spoon it over hot dogs, sweet potato fries or veggie chips. Better yet, freeze half and reheat it to use in a fun, new way.
Healthy Snack List for Kids
The second my kids walk in the door from school, grocery shopping, playing or even going out to get the mail, they want a snack. To make our lives easier, we made a list of “approved” snacks and put it on the fridge. Here is our list of 30 healthy snacks for kids.
Countdown to Thanksgiving Thankful Tree
Sadly, it seems like Thanksgiving is getting outshined by early Christmas celebrations and food. And while I fully support both Christmas shopping and food, I want my kids to know why we celebrate Thanksgiving. Every year we put up a “Thankful” tree. Beginning November 1, each of the kids has to write one thing they’re […]
Fall Decoration: Candy Corn Pots
Let’s face it, candy corn is disgusting. But, it’s still fun because it’s full of fall colors. Here’s a healthy way you can have candy corn in your home without having to eat through the pain.
Chicken Avocado Lettuce Wraps
My son has activities on Monday and Wednesday nights. We have to make dinner in advance so we can eat right when we get home. This leaves us with three options: crock pot, salad or sandwiches. This can get old, so we’re always looking for something to mix it up. These chicken avocado lettuce wraps are fabulous because we can make them in advance and they’re super yummy. Plus there’s usually enough to have leftovers the next day for lunch. As a busy mom, those are always my favorite kind of meals.
Start by cooking some chicken breasts. I always poach them because it’s a fast way to cook chicken. You can also use store-bought pre-cooked chicken. Then work some magic. Put the cooked chicken in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
Turn it on and… VOILA! Yep. That just happened. Since I learned this trick, I never used two forks to shred chicken.
Then add the avocados, lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper and mix again.
I like to serve this in a lettuce leaf. I generally use green leaf lettuce, but romaine or even iceberg would work fine. If you really don’t like lettuce wraps, serve it in a whole wheat tortilla. I personally love the crunch the lettuce gives.
13 Healthy Halloween Treats to take to a Party
While I love Halloween, I don’t love sugar crash my kids get after every Halloween party. I’ve decided this year, I’m going to do my part to eliminate that. Here are 13 healthy snacks to take to a Halloween party that still have a festive twist.
Clean Maple Pumpkin Cheesecake
It’s Fall!! The air is crisp, the leaves are red, the occasional sweater makes an appearance and the best part of the season shows its lovely orange face: PUMPKIN! I firmly believe pumpkin should be a part of everything I eat whenever possible from October 1 to December 31. It just feels right. Basically, this is me:
The problem is, a lot of those delicious, gooey pumpkin desserts are chock full of refined sugars, processed flours and hydrogenated oils. Because I am not willing to give up my pumpkin desserts, I needed to come up with a healthy pumpkin pie. And not just a normal pie, but a CHEESECAKE! Now listen. Eating healthy doesn’t mean eating “healthy” treats every day. And to me, it doesn’t mean depriving myself of treats for the rest of my life, because that sounds like the worst life possible. What it does mean is eating healthier treats in moderation. We have dessert every Sunday night. We had this last Sunday and the whole family gave it two thumbs up, including my son with sensory eating issues. That’s always a huge win in our household.
I started with this coconut cookie pie crust by Plated with Style. I’ve made this crust for several pies and love it. Why reinvent the wheel, right? I left the crust raw and baked the filling and crust together with great results. I used a regular pie dish and greased it with coconut oil, which I highly recommend.
This cheesecake easily comes together in a stand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, use hand beaters.
I’ve heard of several clean-eating cheesecakes that require soaking cashews and then blending them…. I just stick with cream cheese for this. The sweetness comes from maple syrup, vanilla and fall spices like cinnamon.
The batter will be very thick, so don’t worry it’s wrong if it’s not really pour-able.
The pie bakes for 30-35 minutes. The middle should be a bit jiggly, but not sloshy. I’m not ashamed to say, I teared up a bit pulling this out of the oven because it smelled SOOOO good. It’s like a perfect package of fall.
Once it reaches this state, let it cool before refrigerating at least four hours. I made this on a Saturday night for a Sunday dinner and left it in the fridge overnight.
You can eat this plain or top it with whipped coconut cream. Happy pumpkin season!!!