Author: Busy Mom

I'm a busy mom of 2 adorable kids! I love cooking, Finding Nemo, and face painting.

Rice and Black Beans Recipe

Posted on by Busy Mom

Tonight we had a completely whole-foods, plant-based dinner. (Dessert is a whole other story). As for the dinner, it tasted great, was filling and easy enough to prepare.

I never get excited about buying corn. It’s one of those things I feel like I would never miss if it didn’t exist. But my kids, on the other hand, really go for that stuff.

They mostly just like peeling the husks off. 🙂

So they convinced me to buy some corn while we were at the produce market today. It actually turned out pretty good and went great with the main Rice and Black Beans Recipe. (click HERE for Corn-on-the-Cob-How-to).

Rice and Black Beans Recipe

Ingredients:

  • yellow onion, chopped or sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • about 1/2 C. parsley, chopped
  • 1 can low-sodium black beans (not drained)
  • about 1 C. cooked brown rice
  • salt, pepper, and a pinch of ground cumin

Instructions:

  1. Saute onions until translucent (you can do this without oil or butter! It does work! Just stir frequently so they don’t burn. Also, a lid helps so they cook more evenly).
  2. Add garlic and parsley. Mix and cook about 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add black beans, rice, salt, pepper, and cumin. Stir. Let simmer for about 4 minutes.

Serve with fresh Green Salsa (recipe HERE).

whole foods plant based

Forks over Knives

Posted on by Busy Mom

Several people had told me about the Forks over Knives video a while back, but it wasn’t until recently that my husband and I finally got around to watching it. Pretty much, it talks about how eating a whole-food, plant-based diet can prevent and even reverse many diseases and ailments that many of us dairy-meat-refined-sugar-and flour-eating people will most likely face at some point in the future.

Earlier this year I had some crazy abdominal pain and ended up going to the doctor to figure out if something was wrong. Checking my vitals, the doc said I had an unusually high heart rate. In fact, she checked it a couple times and had another doctor check it to reassure the rate. When she was talking about my ¨really high heart rate¨, I felt so strange. My heart rate and health had always been great during previous doctor visits.

At that moment I really wanted to do things over. I wished I hadn’t eaten that hamburger the night before. And ordering those french fries was totally over-doing it. And I should have been doing more aerobic exercises all this time! And how I wished I could go back in time and just live a healthier lifestyle to prevent this high heart rate (and whatever health problem I might have).

Turns out it was appendicitis and my body was working hard to fight it.

So anyway, in Forks over Knives, there are several examples of people who really did have cancer, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, and other health problems who were actually able to reverse/cure these health problems by switching to a whole-foods, plant-based diet (and I think some exercise helped too).

Isn’t that a hopeful thought?  They were in bad (sometimes critical) health conditions and maybe even believed the rest of their lives would be like that, or progressively get worse. But they actually feel and look and are so much healthier now.

Although I don’t feel up to going 100% on this lifestyle change right now, I will be trying out (and hopefully posting) more whole-food, plant-based recipes. Yay! We are going to use up the food we currently have while introducing more veggies, dairy substitutions, etc. and hopefully in a few months we’ll be ready to be a little more hard-core healthy.

Sack Lunch Ideas

Posted on by Busy Mom

When I was too young to go to school with my older brothers and sisters, I got my “school” fix in by packing myself a sack lunch some of the days.

Why is it more fun to eat lunch out of a brown paper bag or lunch box? I don’t know. But for me, it is. And I experimented with my kids yesterday, and they loved it too.

We were going to be at the park during lunch time, and normally I would just grab a few snacks and stuff them in my purse. When I do it this way, my kids usually eat a little bit and then show more interest in the playground.

But when I got three separate brown paper sacks out yesterday and carefully placed a sandwich, apple slices, cheese, and a granola bar in each bag, they were ecstatic! Oh, and don’t forget to put each person’s name on their own bag. That is a very important part. 🙂

My two-year-old carried her bag with her all around the playground, taking breaks here and there to eat. My three-year-old let me hold his bag for him, but was very aware of what was already eaten and what was still in his bag. Whether eating a sack lunch was a novel idea for them, gave them a sense of ownership, or for whatever other reason, my kids sure enjoyed it.

For those of you who stay home with children during the day, one way to add variety to lunch time is to pack the lunch in a bag or lunch box. Maybe sit somewhere different while eating. If you usually eat inside, try eating outside. Or make a living room fort and bring your packed lunch in there.

And please comment and let us know how it goes!

For more ideas on how to make family meal time more pleasant for little ones, visit HERE and HERE!

Zucchini Carrot Bread

Posted on by Busy Mom

It’s great having a go-to snack that is somewhat healthy and totally delicious. Zucchini Carrot Bread is one of our favorites!

zucchini carrot bread in the oven

Ingredients (makes 2 loaves):

  • 1 1/2 C. whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 1/4 C. sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 C. unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 C. coconut oil
  • 1/4 C. +2 Tbsp. plain greek yogurt
  • 1 C. grated zucchini
  • 1 C. grated carrot
  • 1 C. chopped walnuts or pecans

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly grease 2 bread pans.
  2. Stir together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar in a large mixing bowl.
  3. In a smaller bowl, mix melted coconut oil, eggs, applesauce, and yogurt. Add to flour mixture.
  4. Stir in zucchini, carrots, and nuts to the flour/egg mixture.
  5. Spread batter evenly into the 2 loaf pans and bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until center is done.

zucchini carrot bread loaf

 

zucchini carrot bread recipe

*Inspired by THIS recipe.

Canned Black Beans Recipe

Posted on by Busy Mom

This canned black beans recipe was so easy and so tasty! I’ve only cooked dry black beans once, and from the result, I prefer the canned black beans (I may need to experiment with other recipes).

Black beans add a rich (healthy-looking) color to any dish. They are also flavorful. You can make a quick meal out of them or add them to practically anything! It’s great having a few cans stored in the kitchen for that purpose. 🙂

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • about 1 tsp. minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
  • about 1/4 C. chopped parsley
  • meat from 1 chicken thigh, cooked (about 1/2-3/4 C. cubed chicken)
  • kosher salt and ground black pepper
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans with liquid
  • about 1 tsp. lemon juice

Instructions:

  1. Heat a small pan to medium heat. Add olive oil and carefully swirl around to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.
  2. Add garlic, parsley, cubed (pre-cooked) chicken, and salt and pepper. Cook for 1-3 minutes, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn.
  3. Stir in the can of black beans (no need to drain) and lemon juice. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes, or until you reach your desired consistency.

canned black beans recipe with chicken canned black beans recipe canned black beans recipe idea

We ate our black beans and chicken topped with a little cheddar cheese with corn chips on the side. Also served a green smoothie with this dish, you know, to get in some fruits and veggies. 🙂

Quinoa Salad Recipe

Posted on by Busy Mom

When I told my sister about how we’re trying out a more plant-based diet around here, she gave me a few recipe ideas to try. Quinoa salad was one of them, and I’m so glad she suggested it!

I found a recipe online that looked delicious, but knew that about half the ingredients were a no-go with my family. So I ended up making it with the ingredients my family would actually eat (and hopefully enjoy!). It ended up being very easy to make and it is just a simple, basic quinoa salad that turned out really good!

This is a great recipe to make during the Summer. You chill it in the refrigerator for about half an hour before serving. The salad is light, fresh and healthy.

quinoa recipes

 Quinoa Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 2 C. water
  • 1 C. uncooked quinoa (rinsed well) (this makes about 3 C. cooked. I only used about 2 C. cooked, but add more or less depending on your preference.)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
  • 2-3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 C. grape tomatoes (quartered or halved) HERE is an awesome technique to halve them!
  • 2 large-ish pickling cucumbers, peeled and chopped
  • about 1 C. parsley, finely chopped
  • about 1 1/2 C. frozen spinach
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  1. Cook quinoa according to its package instructions (bring the 2 C. of water to a boil, add the rinsed quinoa, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Fluff with a fork). Crumble the frozen spinach into and add the chopped parsley to the hot quinoa so they get somewhat cooked/softened.                          how to make quinoa salad                                                                        Let cool.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the minced garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. Let sit for about 20 minutes to let the flavors blend.                                                                                               quinoa salad dressing                                                                      This is going to be the quinoa salad dressing.
  3. Once the quinoa is about room-temperature, dump  into a mixing bowl/serving dish and add in the chopped tomatoes and cucumber. Drizzle on the garlic/lemon/olive oil dressing and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Toss together, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before serving (to chill and let the flavors blend).

quinoa salad recipesimple quinoa salad

*Inspired by Olivia and THIS recipe.

Cheesy French Bread

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I am a cheese lover. Not a fan of hard cheeses, and I really couldn’t tell you anything about them.

But regular sandwich/pizza/cracker topping cheeses is a whole other story. Mozarella, Cheddar, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, and I’ve even seen a Monterey Jill!

I kept seeing amazing pictures of Italian Stuffed Cheese Bread and really wanted to give it a try. But dinner time was approaching and I was intimidated by the criss cross slices, the kids were getting a bit clingy and we didn’t have any fresh herbs like parsley or chives. I just needed something a little simpler.

Here’s what we ended up making. I used only half the loaf of French Bread in case it turned out gross (I was a little hesitant to put mayonnaise on cheese bread). And my 3-year-old doesn’t like cheese, so I wanted to leave some bread that he would eat.

This Cheesy French Bread turned out so tasty! My husband and I loved the crispy crunchiness on the bottom of the bread. The inside was still soft. The cheesy topping had a great flavor. We loved it. Every cheesy, greasy bit. Hope you do too!

Cheesy French Bread

Ingredients (for 1/2 of a French bread loaf):

  • 1/2 of a loaf of French Bread, sliced in half lengthwise
  • 1/3 C. real mayonnaise (butter would make a yummy substitute– I might try it next time)
  • 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. Italian Seasonings
  • 1 C. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and set the french bread on a cookie sheet.
  2. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, olive oil, garlic powder, Italian Seasonings, and shredded cheese. Mix together. Spoon and spread onto the open faces of the french bread.
  3. Bake in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly/melted.

easy cheesy french bread

Serve warm!

*Inspired by THIS recipe.

Fast English Muffin Pizza

Posted on by Busy Mom

English muffin pizzas are so simple and fun to make. This is a great recipe to let your kids help with. As with all pizzas, you can mix it up with different sauces, cheeses and toppings.

In fact, last night I tried a slice of scrambled egg and bacon pizza and a slice of pesto sauce pizza with zucchini on top. They were both surprisingly delicious, although the pesto/zucchini kind was my favorite. So the point is, you can get creative if you want to.

English Muffin Pizza Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 4 English muffins, split
  • about 1/2 C. pizza/pasta sauce
  • about 1 1/2 C. mozzarella cheese (I used cheddar and still tasted great!)
  • pizza toppings like pepperoni, pineapple, mushrooms, green bell peppers (you don’t need tons, just a few to sprinkle on the pizzas)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Place English muffins cut-side-up on a cookie sheet. Spread some sauce on each one.
  3. Sprinkle with cheese and toppings. One technique that I learned while working at a little Pizzaria is to sprinkle a bit of cheese on top of the pepperoni/other toppings. It looks prettier and holds the toppings together better (I forgot to do it this time around, as you can see from the pictures).
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

fast English Muffin Pizza Recipe fast English Muffin pizzas

*Inspired by THIS recipe.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

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best chocolate chip cookie doughchocolate chip cookie recipebest chocolate chip cookies techniquechocolate chip cookiesbest chocolate chip cookies

Usually I try to healthify chocolate chip cookies because let’s face it, it’s hard to eat just one. Sometimes you have to eat 5—- and it’s nice to know they are somewhat healthy, right?

Well, this time we just decided to follow a plain unhealthy chocolate chip cookie recipe, and they turned out really yummy! I’ve been disciplining myself to only bake one batch each day so we don’t over do the sugar.

And so they last longer. 🙂

As with most chocolate chip cookies recipes I’ve made, it seems they always turn out the best if you take them out of the oven before they are completely cooked. Then just let them finish cooking on the pan (outside the oven) for a few minutes. Another great tip is to refrigerate the cookie dough before baking.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 C. granulated sugar
  • 1 C. brown sugar
  • 1 C. unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 Tbsp. vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • 3 C. all-purpose flour (spoon the flour into the measuring cup and then level off with the flat of a butter knife)
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 C. Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 3/4 C. chopped walnuts

Instructions:

  1. Cream together the sugars and butter.
  2. Add vanilla and eggs. Mix well.
  3. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking soda.
  4. Stir in flour mixture into the wet mixture little by little.
  5. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts.
  6. Cover with plastic wrap and stick the bowl in your refrigerator for as long as you can wait. Two hours will be helpful, but 24 will even be better.
  7. When you want to bake your cookies, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1 1/4 inch balls and line them on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
  8. Bake for 8-9 minutes in preheated oven. Remove from oven and let them finish cooking/cooling on the baking sheet for about 10 more minutes before eating.

For the first batch of these cookies, I did not refrigerate the dough at all and I baked them for 10 minutes. They turned out alright, but a little fluffy and dry. So I stuck the dough in the refrigerator and waited about 24 hours before making the second batch, which we cooked for 8 minutes. These cookies (the ones pictured above) were perfect. Chewy. Flavorful. Not dry. They really are the best chocolate chip cookies (as long as healthiness isn’t a factor). 🙂

*Inspired by THIS recipe.

Zucchini Boats with Quinoa

Posted on by Busy Mom

We made zucchini boats tonight and oh boy were they good! I was nervous they’d turn out soggy or burnt, but they were really just right. Firm, but tender and the stuffing was crispy and cheesy. So good!

We made 8 boats. My husband and I each ate 3 (with nothing else on the side). If you want to stretch the boats out a little more, you can serve something like chicken or sweet potatoes with them.

This recipe is healthy and fun to eat. And if you really want to have fun with it, grab a toothpick and poke it through a piece of paper to make a sail for each boat. Your kids might get excited if you label the sails with the names of each person at the table.

zucchini boat with sail

And if your husband happens to be into sailing like mine is, he’s sure to appreciate it. 🙂

Zucchini Boats with Quinoa

Ingredients (makes 8 zucchini boats):

  • 1 C. water (to boil the quinoa)
  • about 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 C. uncooked quinoa (we will be using only 2/3 C. cooked, so there will be a little left over)
  • 4 medium zucchinis, washed and dried
  • about 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic (about 1 or 1 1/2 tsp.), minced
  • about 1/3 C. Italian parsley, chopped
  • 1 tomato, diced small
  • 4 Ritz crackers, crushed and crumbled very small
  • black pepper to taste
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 C. grated Parmesan cheese, divided
  • 1/2 C. water (for pan)

Instructions:

  1. Bring the 1 cup of water and 1/8 tsp. salt to a boil. Add the quinoa, reduce heat to a simmer, cover with lid, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes (until water is absorbed). Remove from heat. Fluff with a fork. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. and lightly grease a 9×13 inch glass baking dish.
  3. Slice the zucchinis in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds/flesh, leaving the zucchini boats about 1/4 inch thick. Keep about 2/3 of the seeds/flesh and chop it up.
  4. Heat a small skillet to medium heat. Gently swirl the olive oil to coat bottom of pan. Add garlic, parsley, 2/3 C. of zucchini seeds/flesh, and diced tomato. Saute for a few minutes. Then add the crushed Ritz crackers and black pepper. Cook until there isn’t much liquid in the pan.
  5. Stir in 2/3 C. of cooked quinoa, the egg, and 1/4 C. of the Parmesan cheese.
  6. Fill the hollowed zucchini’s with the mixture and place in the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 C. of Parmesan cheese on the tops of the zucchini boats.
  7. Slowly pour in 1/2 C. of water to the bottom of the pan (careful not to pour on top of the zucchini boats).
  8. Bake the zucchini boats for 35 minutes (uncovered, on center rack) in the preheated oven.

zucchini boats with quinoa quinoa zucchini boats

*Inspired by THIS recipe.