Mexican Rice & Bean Wrap

Lacey, here!

Wraps are an easy way to incorporate all those veggies & beans in a quick & tasty way. Here's a recent one that we've made and love!

Ingredients:
1 cup rice (and appropriate water/veggie broth according to package directions)
1 can kidney beans or black beans
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Dash of cayenne red pepper
Fresh chopped cilantro
Lettuce
Diced tomato
Salsa
Whole Wheat tortillas

Directions:
1. Cook rice according to package directions.
2. Add your beans and stir in seasonings (chili powder, cumin, cayenne red pepper). Let it sit on low heat for a couple minutes to allow the beans to warm.
3. Warm your tortillas in the microwave for 10 seconds.
4. Place rice & bean mixture into a tortilla and add all of your toppings...fresh cilantro, lettuce, diced tomato, salsa, etc)

Keep It Simple

Lacey, here!

The easiest way to eat healthy is to keep dinners simple. Tonight's meal was made in 10 minutes:

Green beans, onions, red pepper cooked for 7 minutes on medium-high heat topped with garlic, oregano, and fresh parsley.

A garden fresh salad with raw red pepper, olives, carrots and a side of a Claussen pickle (seriously, the only pickles you should buy. They're refrigerated at the store, not on the shelves).

Salad topped with some Peach White Balsamic Vinegar. I normally HATE vinegar on my salad, but this stuff was incredible.

Enjoy your weekend!!

Breakfast for Dinner

Hey, SH here with breakfast for dinner! After a super long day at work, sometimes I just don't have it in me to cook a huge dinner. My alternative option is usually just to order food ~ a New Yorker favorite. Except that ordering food is expensive and you don't have control over how it is cooked.

One of my favorite solutions is breakfast for dinner. Breakfast foods are my favorite, and they are easy to cook. Throw in a few eggs and you have a decent meal. May not be the healthiest. meal. ever. ... but it beats ordering food or grabbing fast food. Gotta have some balance here.

My favorite: Egg In A Hat!

I just popped by the Incredible Egg website and found some egg facts to further convince you that breakfast for dinner is the way to go:

1. The amount of cholesterol in a single large egg has decreased by 14 percent according to the new United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) nutrition data*. Consuming an egg a day fits easily within dietary guidance, which recommends limiting cholesterol consumption to 300 mg per day.

2. Eggs now contain 41 IU of vitamin D, which is an increase of 64 percent from 2002. Eggs are one of the few foods that are a naturally good source of vitamin D, meaning that one egg provides at least 10 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA). Vitamin D plays an important role in calcium absorption, helping to form and maintain strong bones.

3. The amount of protein in one large egg — 6 grams of protein or 12 percent of the Recommended Daily Value — remains the same, and the protein in eggs is one of the highest quality proteins found in any food. Eggs are all-natural, and one egg has lots of vitamins and minerals all for 70 calories. The nutrients in eggs can play a role in weight management, muscle strength, healthy pregnancy, brain function, eye health and more. At less than 15 cents apiece, eggs are an affordable and delicious breakfast option.

Now for my favorite egg recipe - this comes from my Grandmother (MamMam) who cooked this for me all the time! She passed it on to my mom and now it's a favorite of mine to cook. I have the happiest memories of MamMam and loved spending time with her cooking.

Recipe: MamMam's Egg In A Hat

1. Butter up bread of your choice - on both sides

2. Use a cup to cut out a circle in the middle of the bread - this extra piece will be your toast

Perfect toast circle :)

3. Get the bread and your toast pieces warmed up, then drop an egg in the middle of your bread hat
4. Cook egg on both sides (I like to keep my eggs runny to have stuff to dip in!) ~ Don't forget to rotate your circle toast

This meal makes for a happy New Yorker :)

Egg In A Hat

Do you crave breakfast for dinner after a long day like me? Or do you hate breakfast? What is your fav type of food to eat after a long day? Did you realize that eggs can add in that extra daily protein you have been missing? Do you have a favorite recipe from your Grandparents that just screams comfort food and happiness to you? Check in with us on Facebook and let us know what you think :)

[all photos my own - SH]

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Vegetable Stir Fry

This is something I just tried the other night. With loads of veggies in the refrigerator, this is a great way to get tons of veggies in one sitting. While I'm not a fan of asparagus, this is how I sneak it into a meal. Be careful not to overcook your veggies. Get them hot, but stop cooking while they're still crunchy to keep most of the nutrients.  Feel free to add veggies for variety!


Ingredients:
Stir Fry:
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
2 cups Sugar Snap Peas
1 cup Broccoli
1/3 cup Crushes cashews
2 chopped carrots
1 tablespoon shredded ginger/ground ginger
2 handfuls green beans
5 stalks asparagus, chopped into 1 inch sections
2 shallots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt & pepper to taste
Sauce:
1 cup vegetable broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Organic 100% whole grain flour*

(Prepare long grain brown rice, however much needed, to serve stir fry on top)

Keep stirring!

Sunfood raw cashews!

Directions
1.  Put olive oil into a wok. Turn stove to high.
2. Put all stir fry ingredients (excluding sauce) into wok. Cook for 5 minutes on high, constantly stirring (hence stir fry).
3. In a separate bowl, mix together vegetable broth, soy sauce, and flour*. Pour in wok.
4. Continue cooking until vegetables are hot, but crunchy, and sauce covers everything.
5. Serve on top of cooked long grain brown rice. Top with soy sauce to taste.

*If you're being very particular about flour, you can exclude this, but just know the sauce will not be as thick.  I would also use 1/2 cup of vegetable broth instead.  We almost NEVER use flour (we don't even keep bread in our house), so this is a rarity, which is why I didn't mind using it for this recipe since it's such a small amount.  We also used some tofu in this recipe because we had it left in the refrigerator.

The finished product!

D's Starving Surfer Taco Stew Recipe

Taco stew just sounds delicious. So the fact that it's easy to make and it's healthy (gluten free, dairy free, can be made meat free) gives you no excuse not to try this recipe! As fall approaches, I am beyond excited (for D) to start cooking more soups and stews! Last year I discovered the amazingness that is homemade soup and I refuse to go back to canned soups. Making stew recipes at home will add major nutritional value and cut back on sodium; it's also a great way get your daily veggie servings. My saving time game plan for the winter -- make mass leftovers for lunches!

D's STARVING SURFER TACO STEW

Ingredients:
1lb beef or turkey (optional - leave out meat to make vegetarian)
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can kidney beans (try to use organic and/or low sodium)
1 chopped (medium) onion
1 pack of taco seasoning
1 bag corn chips
 

D's Starving Surfer Taco Stew

Directions:
[We made turkey taco stew]
1. Cook the turkey in a pot until brown
2. Then add the can of kidney beans (we used dark red kidney beans), 1 can whole kernel corn, 1 can of diced tomatoes and the chopped up onion into the pot of turkey
3. Stir, then cover and simmer the mix until it boils
4. Once it gets to a boil, mix in the taco seasoning
5. Cover the mixture and let it simmer for 40 - 50 minutes, stirring occasionally
6. Let it set for 10 -15 minutes
7. Crumble in corn chips - to each individual bowl (added chips to the whole mix will make the chips get soggy)

Crumble the corn chips into each individual serving

Perfect for your starving surfer

D's Taco Stew mixed with corn chips

*Pack up the leftovers for tomorrow's lunch (bring the corn chips in a separate bag)
*This reheats perfectly

> Also - TOMORROW IS YOUR LAST DAY to set your end of year goals and enter our Sunfood Giveaway! So like our Facebook page and Sunfood's Facebook page and then leave us your goals in a comment on the giveaway post and you are golden.

Cheers to healthy, hearty, creamy fall foods!

- Stephanie