This and That

I thought I would write a quick post about some quick recipes I have been using lately that are working great for our family! It is really important to me to make sure my family and are I eating healthy, I love to use whole foods and natural ingredients but sometimes it can be hard and a little expensive.


Here are a few random things that work great:

Smoothies!










This is a great way to help your family get lots of nutrition without the fuss! I love fruit and will eat just about anything, Chad does as well but won't take the time to cut it up or get it out of the fridge. :-) James is just down right picky! But he LOVES smoothies. He calls them icecream...whatever works! I try to make each of us a smoothie everyday, this way I am guaranteed no matter what else happens that day, everyone has had a huge helping of fruit. You can also put spinach in for some green and they will never know! Try putting in wheat germ or flax seed as well, great fiber!

My quick and easy recipe:

1 cup of frozen mixed berries

half of a banana

1/4 cup of fat free light vanilla yogurt

splash of orange juice

(any other fresh fruit I might have laying around can be thrown in too!)

Blend it all together in your blender!


Trail Mix









I don't know about you but some days just get busy and we need a quick healthy snack on the go. I personally love chocolate but know I have to eat it in moderation! Trail Mix is a great snack, packed with protein, antioxidants and little chocolate! You can add lots of different things and make it your own!

1 can of unsalted peanuts

1 can of unsalted or lightly salted cashews

1 cup of almonds

1 cup of craisans

1 cup of M&M's or cup of Chocolate Chips, or both! Whatever you prefer

I also love to add more dried fruit, sometimes it just depends on whats on sale!

Pour all ingredients in large freezer bag and shake it up. I will go ahead and put some of my trail mix in little snack sized zip lock bags so it is ready to go!


One more thing...this time of year is a great time for soup and soup is a cheap and easy way to feed your family while remaining healthy.

There are tons of soup recipes and you can find them everywhere! This is one of my favorites.



Nana's Vegetable Soup







1 lb. ground beef ( I like to use Morningstar Farms Veggie Crumbles instead of red meat)

1 med. onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

1 can kitchen sliced green beans

1 can whole kernel corn

3 potatoes, diced

1 large can tomatoes, (I squish with my hands)

1 med. can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano

1 or 2 bouillon cubes

salt and pepper to taste

Brown ground beef or veggie crumbles and add onion and stir until onions are translucent, add tomatoes and possibly a little water if you think you need it. Add bouillon cubes. Add carrots and cook for about 10 minutes, then add other vegetables, salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables are very tender, probably 30 to 45 minutes. This is great in the crock pot all day as well.



Hope these are some fresh ideas!