Lunchtime has become my new favorite meal since being on a restricted diet. After being married 7 years to the ultimate sandwich maker, I have taken notes and am now quite proud of my samich making skills. I will simply say-never underestimate the the power of a good ol' "samich" (as my Dad calls it).
What is so special about a good 'ol samich you may ask? Well- there are a few very key factors:
- Good bread (I love the rye bread from our local Jewish Deli, the four bread sampler from our local bakery and the parbaked from Trader Joe's)
- Good greens (I especially like arugula or mixed herb greens)
- Good mustard (I love sweet and spicy- Trader Joe's makes a yummy one)
- Fresh produce such as ripe tomatoes and avocado
- Your favorite lunchmeat (I like Columbus Rotisserie Style Chicken Breast Deli Meat or fresh turkey lunchmeat)
Depending on the bread, I like to lightly toast it (My Grandma was famous for this). Side your samich (okay...I promise I won't type it again) with some baby carrots and yummy chips for an added crunch factor and I swear you'll start favoring lunch, too!
Just tried two new Trader Joe's products and I am hooked! The Herb & Spices Popcorn is divine. It totally satisfies the white cheddar popcorn craving as it tastes like there is cheese in it but I have checked seven (literally 7) times and it is dairy free!
The other new fab snack is the Multigrain Pita Bite Crackers. They are great solo, but top with a little olive tapenade or Trader Joe's ready made lentils and jarred bruschetta mixed together....what's up!!
As if living in California and making my own granola (There's a Hidden Tree Hugger in All of Us ) was not stereotypical enough , I have succumbed to the hippie powers that be and jumped onto the hemp bandwagon. Haven't you heard? Seeds are the new nuts. With 9 g protein, 500 mg of omega 3, 11 g fiber, and 19 essential amino acids (okay I'll stop there), I figured it was worth a shot (now there's an idea....). I bought an organic vanilla flavored hemp protein powder and tried it in a smoothie this morning for breakfast. As a sidebar, I love smoothies because you can go wild and put just about anything healthy in it and the sweetness of the fruits mask the flavor of whatever else you throw in there. I've "hidden" kale, spinach, my left shoe... and it's my little secret. It is a great way to get some greens into your finicky kid/husband. This a.m. I concocted the following:
Ingredients:
Half a bag of Frozen Very Cherry blend of berries from Trader Joes
Trader's Organic Hemp Protein Powder (vanilla)- 4 tablespoons
6 fresh strawberries
1/2-3/4 cup frozen wild blueberries
1 banana
Organic Vanilla Rice Milk (only because I was out of coconut milk which I love in smoothies- but it turned out good)
Blend all together adding more rice or coconut milk or fruit to desired consistency and finish with a cute straw!
Here are a couple of other favorite fruit combos:
mango and banana (especially when made with coconut milk)
strawberry, banana and orange juice
Channel your inner chemist and let me know your favorite smoothie combinations by leaving a comment below!
If you have a finicky preschooler (sort of redundant, eh?) I think you may feel like the Mega Millions jackpot winner once you've discovered toast stamps (okay maybe that is a bit over the top but seriously dinnertime can be such Groundhogs Day the movie type experience)! My finicky four year old eats meat and she eats bread but for some bizarre reason not together (aka a hamburger). Yesterday, I had the idea to use a toast stamp on the bread to make the burger more enticing .... And it worked !
We have two stamps- a Bonjour with the Eiffel Tower and a bunny, but I am considering ordering a couple more from Amazon- maybe this adorable Tic Tac Toe one http://www.amazon.com/Tic-Tac-Toast-Bread-Stamper/dp/B0017QONZE ! I also had to include one of her devouring her burger.
I am seriously going to have to stop buying Trader Joe's Cookie Butter. Ever since I first tried it, I have been dying to experiment with it. A new favorite snack of my four year old is dipping apple slices into cookie butter (it is really good and you feel a little less mom guilt since they are also eating fruit :).
Today, I was craving something sweet and made
Cookie Butter Almost S'more
Ingredients:
Cookie Butter (does contain wheat and soy)
Graham crackers
Non-dairy chocolate chips (I love the Enjoy Life brand, which are dairy, nut and soy free)
Directions:
Spread the cookie butter on a graham cracker. Top with Enjoy Life mini chips. It was great cold, but also super yummy zapped in the microwave.
I'd bet some marshmallow or banana on top would be yummy, too!
This cake is a family recipe from the late Helen Davis, which was recently made for my birthday by Carolyn McFadden and was a deliciously refreshing and dairy free delight!
Ingredients:
Cake
1 lemon cake mix (make sure dairy free- can definitely find the at a Whole Foods or other natural market)
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 water
Glaze
The zest of 2 lemons
2/3 cup of lemon juice
3 cups powdered sugar
Directions:
Mix all cake ingredients in a bowl and pour into a 9x13 Pyrex pan sprayed with Butter flavor Pam. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. While cake is baking mix glaze ingredients together. After cake comes out of the oven poke holes in top of cake with a fork and pour glaze mixture all over cake.
This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart's Carrot Cupcake recipe so it is non-dairy (including the cream cheese like frosting):
- INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 3/4 cup Crisco Butter Baking Stick (non-dairy)
- 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons plain Sour Supreme (non-dairy cour cream)
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups grated carrots (from about 4 medium carrots)
- 1/2 cup applesauce
For The Frosting:
- 8 ounces Trader Joe's " This is not a tub of cream cheese" (non-Dairy)cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/4 cup Crisco Butter Baking stick (non-dairy)
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg; set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, egg, yogurt, and vanilla, and applesauce. Stir in carrots. Gradually add dry ingredients to butter mixture mixing until well combined. Divide among muffin tin. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Remove from pan to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting. To frost: Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, and confectioners' sugar until smooth; beat in vanilla and orange zest.
