Friday, May 24, 2013

Media Coverage!

 I emailed KSL channel 5 news-Utah, after seeing a commercial about weight loss stories and obesity rates in Utah, that they were covering.  I received a reply to my email and we were interviewed in our home.  Our story was shared on the 5 0'clock news on May 20th 2013.  Here is the link to our story. Copy and paste in new window to view. 
We are so excited for the opportunity to continue sharing and inspiring others!  =)
 
http://m.ksl.com/index/story/sid/25261579


Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Lasagna with Mex Appeal-Looneyspoons Cookbook

Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped green bell pepper (I used half of a green bell pepper and half of a red bell pepper.)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 can (28 ounces) no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup salsa
2 tsp ground cumin
1 can no-salt-added black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can no-salt-added kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 T fresh cilantro, minced (optional)
4, 7 inch, whole grain tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded light Monterey Jack cheese (I used about 2 cups of a reduced fat shredded Mexican blend)
garnish:
chopped tomatoes
chopped green onions
fat free sour cream
sliced avocado
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Add onions, peppers and garlic.  Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes, salsa and cumin.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.  Stir in black beans and kidney beans.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cilantro, if using.
Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray.  Spread 1/3 of the bean mixture over bottom.  Cover with two of the tortillas and half of the cheese.  Spoon another 1/3 bean mixture on top of cheese, followed by remaining tortillas, and last of the bean mixture.  Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.
Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.  Garnish with tomatoes, green onions, avocados and sour cream.  I served this with a side of kale, spinach and mushrooms.
Very good and easy to make!

These are the best tortillas!  I found them at Walmart on the bread isle.
   

  

Crockpot Pork and Veggies

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean, boneless pork pieces or you can buy lean porkchops and slice them into chunks.
1 cup of beef broth
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup honey
1 T sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 T cornstarch
2 T cooled sauce, taken from the crockpot, after being cooked
Fresh broccoli florets, as many as desired
Chopped mushrooms (I used a large box)
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 of a large onion, chopped
baby carrots, sliced lengthwise  
Hot cooked brown rice (I used red quinoa) 

Directions:
Brown pork in a large skillet that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.  After pork is browned, place in crockpot. Add chopped onion to crockpot as well.
In a large bowl, whisk together beef broth, soy sauce, honey, oil and garlic.  After sauce is well combined, pour over pork in crockpot.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
In a cup, stir cornstarch along with 2 T of cooled sauce from the crock pot.  Stir until smooth.  I added a small amount of cool water as well.  Add to crockpot and stir well to combine.  Add broccoli, mushrooms, peppers and carrots and stir well.  Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high.  Serve over hot rice or quinoa. I served this with a side of kale and spinach.



So easy and tasted great!  
    

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Fruit Wash

I saw this idea on the Dr. Oz show and gave it a try.  Mix three parts water to one part vinegar.  I used 3 cups of water and 1 cup of vinegar. Add this to a large bowl and then add the fresh fruit. Swish it around and clean it well.  This will kill any bacteria that results in moldy fruit.  Place fruit in a colander and rinse with cool water.  Place fruit on paper towels and blot dry, then place fruit in a container that has been lined with a paper towel, seal with airtight lid and refrigerate.  This should extend the life of your fruit.  I used this on strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, grapes and cherries.

Product Watch-Teff

I recently tried TEFF...so good as a breakfast cereal.  I found it at the health food store.  It has the consistancy of cream of wheat, with a nutty flavor.  Topped with berries and a little bit of coffee creamer.