Fri. Sept 28th

Spicy Peanut Satay Veggie Blast with Avocado for Lunch!

Daily Tidbit:  It seems I never stop reading about how wonderful Green Tea is for overall health, so I'm trying to incorporate it into my day by substituting it for my 2nd cup of coffee.  Tons of research indicates it can help fight cancer and heart disease, but there are also claims that it can help with weight loss, tooth decay, skin, and even depression and Alzheimer's & Parkinson's; check it out:

www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/11-benefits-of-green-tea-that-you-didnt-know-about.html 

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Frosted Shredded Mini-Wheats with Walnuts

Breakfast: Frosted Shredded Mini-Wheats & Walnuts
1 cup Frosted Shredded Mini-Wheats
1 cup Fat Free Milk
2 tbsp Plain chopped Walnuts
5 oz OJ
Regular Coffee, black 

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Spicy Peanut Satay Veggie Blast

Spicy Peanut Satay Veggie Blast with Avocado

Spicy Peanut Satay Veggie Blast with Avocado (side view)

Lunch: Spicy Peanut Satay Veggie Blast
Tons of Vegetables: Zucchini, Carrots, Baby Corn, Red Peppers, Broccoli, Peas, Mushrooms, Water Chestnuts and Onions, sauteed in Canola Oil and served in a Spicy Peanut Satay sauce (recipe below)
1/2 Avocado sliced on top
Water
Plain Green Tea, hot

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Hummus with Veggies

Snack: 1/2 cup Hummus with Cucumber slices & Cherry Tomatoes (recipe below)
Water 
 

 

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Snack: 2 cups Plain Popcorn (popped in brown paper bag in microwave for 3 minutes)

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Mushroom & Onion Pizza

Dinner: Pizza Night!  Mushroom & Onion Pizza
4 slices of Mushroom Onion Pizza (yes, half the pizza!)
Red Wine


Tonight we used White Flour store bought dough.  We sometimes choose to do this, but in this case the store was out of Whole Wheat pizza dough, so we had no other option.  We used our regular No-Salt Added Marinara (Trader Joe's has a delicious jarred option), and Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese, along with the sauteed Mushrooms & White Onions.

I definitely ate too much tonight, I had a real stomach ache later and was really regretting that last slice!  It would have been better to just save it for lunch tomorrow. But it was so good I just kept eating and eating....hopefully I remember this next time!

 

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Pick Your Own Apples assortment!

Dessert:  1 Local Gala Apple, Water

 

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RECIPES:

Spicy Peanut Satay Veggie Blast Recipe:

While heating up some Canola Oil in a pan, finely dice 1/2 medium sized Zucchini and then add to pan to cook.  Once Zucchini has started to brown add a bag of frozen mixed Vegetables to the pan and cover (today I used Trader Joe’s mix called the “Hodge Podge”, which I love because it has 8 veggies in it and is so colorful:  orange carrots, yellow baby corn, red peppers, green broccoli and peas, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and onions.)  Let everything heat up a few minutes and then remove cover to reduce any extra liquid.  

 

Meanwhile in microwave safe bowl make the Spicy Peanut Satay Sauce:

Add 2-3 tbsp of Creamy Peanut Butter to a bowl along with 1-2 tsp Apple Juice and microwave for 30 seconds and then whisk together.  Add Red Pepper Flake to add the spicy flavor, as per your taste (a little goes a long way!) and 2-3 tbsp of Low Sodium Soy Sauce.  I love this sauce because it is rich, creamy, delicious and adds extra Protein and good fats to the meal and takes less than a minute to make!  (It was inspired by Rachael's Ray recipe here: www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chicken-satay-recipe/index.html)

Once all extra liquid is evaporated from Veggies, add Black Beans (reduced sodium canned, rinsed/ drained) and Satay Sauce, stir everything together and serve.

 

 

 

Hummus Recipe:

 

Into food processor put:

 

1 can of Chick Peas (drained/ rinsed)

1 small clove of Garlic

Juice from 1 Lemon

2-3 shakes of Cumin

2-3 shakes of Salt

2 tbsp Tahini

 

While processing the above stream in 2 tbsp EVOO.  If you need more liquid or would like to make a more creamy texture, simply add cold water, 1 tbsp at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.

 

I altered some ingredient portions this time for my kids (they say it is too 'spicy' when I use a lot of Garlic and less Lemon juice).  They loved it this time. 

Side note:  This is a great dish to  have the kids help you with.  They can rinse the beans, squeeze the lemon wedges and pour the ingredients into the food processor.  And once everything is in they can push the buttons; this is a real thrill for a 4 or 2 year old, believe me!  I keep reading that kids are more apt to try new foods if they are involved with the preparation, and right now they love to 'help', so I try to involve them whenever possible.

 

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