Category: Miscellaneous cooking tips

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

One of my friends inspired me to try my hand at a great, healthy ice cream.  My favorite ice cream when I was young was mint chocolate chip.  I would never consider ordering anything else.  However, since sugar doesn’t work for me anymore- mint chocolate chip ice cream is just not an option anymore- or is it.

A couple of years ago, I purchased an inexpensive 2-Quart ice cream maker.  I never really got brave enough to try making ice cream without the traditional sugar, milk, and cream until recently.  I mastered vanilla and chocolate using coconut milk, xylitol, stevia, vanilla, and cocoa powder.  I was pretty amazed that the coconut milk turned into a nice creamy ice cream.  The best part is that it is dairy free and sugar free!

Last night, I thought I would get a little more daring and attempt a mint chocolate chip ice cream.  The result was just what I needed to bring back those childhood memories of the ice cream shop.

Here’s the recipe:

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream- Sans Sugar and Dairy

4 cups full fat coconut milk

1 cup xylitol

1 teaspoon peppermint flavored liquid stevia

1 1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

2 handfuls cocoa nibs

Mix the first 4 ingredients with a hand mixer until xylitol is dissolved.  Add cocoa nibs and put into the ice cream maker (follow your machines instructions).  Mine took about 25 minutes and came out with a soft-serve type texture.  Transfer to a glass container, cover, and freeze for a firmer ice cream.

Kimberly Roberto1 Comment

Kale Chips- Unbelievably Yummy!

I’m not sure I would have ever believed that Kale chips would be a good replacement for potato chips but these things are awesome.  The trick is to use a dehydrator to get the crispy texture.  I made these as samples at our Total Food Makeover last Saturday and I had so many comments about how good they were.  Here you see my kids “massaging” the kale to get it prepared for the dehydrator.

Dehydrated Kale Chips

2-3 bunches of fresh kale (lacinato/tuscan or curly)

1/4-1/2 cup olive oil

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sea Salt to taste

Any other spices you would like:  garlic powder, chili powder, red pepper, etc.

#1 – Prepare the kale – I prefer to leave most of the stems in but if you are preparing for kids or skeptics, you may want to cut out the hard stems.  Chop into bite sized pieces and put in a big bowl.

#2 – Add the rest of the ingredients and here’s the trick:  massage the kale to incorporate all of the flavors and to soften the texture.  It should be about 1/2 the size of where you started.

#3 – Spread on the sheets of a dehydrator.  (I use an Excalibur that I bought refurbished for about $150- it has 9 dehydrating shelves).  Set dehydrator for 115 degrees – this keeps all of the enzymes in tact meaning it is still considered a raw food.  The dehydration process takes about 8 hours.  I usually put it in before bed and it is ready to go first thing in the morning.

ALTERNATE METHOD:  You can bake them in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes but you lose the raw status and they are definitely not as crispy.

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Saving unused produce

I get a lot of vegetables from my CSA and there are times when I just don’t use them in time.  Instead of letting them spoil, here is a quick and easy way to save them for future use.  Nothing is worse than having to throw away organic vegetables.  (See below for instructions on fruit) 

Although fresh and raw or lightly steamed is best, this technique will help with freezing.  Blanching vegetables only takes a few minutes in boiling water.  Blanching helps kill the bacteria and stops the enzymes that cause the food to go bad.  By cooking them quickly and immediately freezing them, most of the nutrients are preserved. 

Just prep the vegetables by cutting or trimming them.  You want everything in “ready to cook” mode.  The best thing to do is to blanch the item, then spread them out on a baking dish for freezing.  When frozen, you can transfer them to a parchment lined bag or other container (don’t put food right next to the plastic).  Freezing on a tray first prevents the entire contents from sticking together thus allowing you to take out only what you need when you are ready to reheat them. 

Most vegetables take 2-3 minutes of blanching time only.  It is a quick and easy way to preserve your fresh veggies for future use.  They are great when you have to pull together a quick meal. 

To reheat, simply sautee them or steam them for a few minutes. 

For fruits, there is no need to blanch first.  You can freeze any kind of berry and stone fruits like peaches and plumbs – just remove the pit and cut in fourths or sixths.  Frozen berries are great for smoothies later on.

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On the Menu Tonight

On the menu tonight:  Grass fed beef meatloaf:  2 lbs grass fed ground beef, 1/2 – 3/4 cup quinoa (in place of breadcrumbs), 2 cage free organic eggs, parsley, carmelized onions, salt, & pepper; smashed sweet potatoes (chunked and boiled) with shredded granny smith apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, coconut milk, and a tiny bit of stevia; fresh steamed broccoli with lemon juice & grated rind.  No recipe required- just adjust ingredients to your taste.

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Another week of Advanced Plan meals

We are over the halfway mark with our Lighten Up Weight Loss Challenge group.  I am LOVING hearing about all of the weight loss and how people are spending more and more time in their kitchen, experimenting with recipes, and realizing that healthy food can actually taste great!  After this post, I will be posting some recipes that accompany some of the meals.  So be on the lookout and give them a try.  Some of them have come from Lighten Up participants! 

  Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snack
Monday K- Greens Smoothie K- Salmon salad K- Cabbage sauteed with chopped turkey bacon , pickles and dijon mustard K- Chocolate Bark
  F- Mixed Berry Smoothie & Almond Power Bar F- Bison burger, asparagus, 1/2 avocado F- leftovers F- pistachios, coconut flakes
         
Tuesday K-Chocolate Blueberry Smoothie K- Maggiano’s salad with olive oil and vinegar K- Chicken Artichoke Crock Pot (see recipe!) K- almonds and walnuts
  F- same F- Maggianos roasted half chicken and green beans F- Rotisserie Chicken and broccoli F- celery with peanut butter
         
Wednesday K- scrambled eggs with fresh strawberries K- Bison burger, asparagus, avocado K- Leftover chicken artichoke dish K- Chocolate Cupcake (see recipe!)
  F- same F- same F – same F- same
         
Thursday K – smoothie with flax and greens powder K- Salad and minestrone soup (without pasta) K- spinach meatballs (see recipe) & broccoli/squash K- red peppers with guacamole
  F- scrambled eggs and fresh strawberries F – Spinach Salad & bowl of chicken soup F- same  
         
Friday K- Chocolate- Mint smoothie K- Stir fried veggies with salsa and guacamole K- Carribean Chicken and broccoli K- chocolate cupcake
  F- Spinach Omlette F- Mexican chicken salad F- same F- pistachios
At a wrestling tournament for 2 days straight- had to pack EVERYTHING!
Saturday K- berry smoothie K- Grilled chicken salad w/ avocado  K- veggie fajitas w/ guacamole K- nutty trail mix (see recipe!)
  F- same F- same F – Chicken salad and bowl of chicken soup F- same
         
Sunday K- chocolate cupcake & fresh raspberries K – trail mix & granny smith apple K- bison burger, asparagus, 1/2 avocado K- almond power bar
  F- same F- Same F- same F- almond power bar

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Another week of Advanced Plan Meals

Here are our meals for the week.  We have received a lot of feedback that they are very helpful for people new to the Maximized Living Advanced Nutrition Plan.  These are not just ideas…this is EXACTLY what we ate all week.  You should notice that the meals are easy to pull off- no exotic ingredients or difficult recipes.  Anyone can do this!

You will also notice that we were out of town on Thursday through Sunday of this week.  Many people think that this nutrition plan is not possible when travelling but you will see that it can be done.  I did whip up a couple of snack items to take with us but other than that, everything else was purchased at restaurants.   Alas, it can be done! 

Week ending 2/1/10      
         
  Breakfast Lunch Dinner Snack
Monday K- Ground Flax Seeds & Almonds w/ Cinnamon, Mint Flakes, & Stevia w/ Coconut Milk K- Hummus w/ Celery, turkey/cheese roll up, Kombucha K-Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Bibb lettuce, brococli K-Celery w/ almond butter, Chocolate Bark
  F- Spinach w/ Egg Whites F- Chicken & Broccoli F- same F- same
         
Tuesday K-Turkey bacon w/ Fried Egg K-Ted’s –  Bison burger, Asparagus, Side Salad K- Mixed Green Salad  
  F- same F- Ted’s Bison Burger, avocado, egg white, double asparagus  F- Leftover Taco Salad  
         
Wednesday K- Omlette Muffin – recipe to come, green tea K- Salad with hummus & roasted veggies K-Turkey/Cheese roll ups, iced tea K- Apple Flax Muffin (recipe in book)
  F- same F- Chicken w/ broccoli & asparagus F –   
         
We were out of town Thurs – Sunday        
Thursday K- 2 Omelette muffins, Flax seed muffin K- Roasted eggplant salad w/ grilled chicken K- Sea Bass w/ Mushrooms & Asparagus K- pumpkin seeds
  F- sane F – Bowl of soup & salad F – 8oz filet, asparagus, garden salad F – almond power bar, chocolate bark
         
Friday K- Veggie Omelette, tea K- Greek Salad w/ roasted eggplant, olives, roasted peppers, greens, oil/vinegar K- Bison Chili, Smoked Salmon stuffed avocado K- almond power bar, chocolate bark
  F- Spinach Omlette F- Salad & 2 small chicken breasts F- 6 oz filet, asparagus F- pistachios
         
Saturday K- egg whites w/ grilled squash/zucchini K- Grilled chicken salad w/ avocado  K- Greens w/ Roasted Vegetables , Roasted Cauliflower K- pistachios & pumpkin seeds
  F- Egg whites w/ grilled zucchini F- Greek salad F – Chicken salad, chicken wings (not breaded & fried) F – coconut flakes, pistachios
         
Sunday K- Mixed berry smoothie K- Chicken w/ lemon and oregano, steamed veggies, sm. Salad K- Mexican chicken soup, grilled veggies K- chocolate bark
  F- same F- Same F – Mexican grilled chicken salad – salad w/ avocado, black olives, cabbage, salsa F- raw cashews

Kimberly RobertoLeave a comment