Sugar Free Creme Brulee!
Who doesn’t love Creme Brulee? It’s an expensive, fancy dish that is usually only available at fancy restaurants, but if made properly, this is a very nutritious, low-carb and sugar free dessert! Read the rest of this entry »
Two Cookbooks I Wish I’d Written
I have great aspirations of someday compiling enough original thoughts to be published into book form. Perhaps I’ll call it “The Thrifty Oreganic: How to Live Cheaply While Eating Rich” or some such thing. Read the rest of this entry »
Holiday Junkfood Makeover: Sugar Free Peppermint Bark!
Update: For more nourishing holiday treats, visit The Nourishing Gourmet !
The holiday season is full of culinary temptations, for sure. I’ve been pretty good about avoiding the cookies, fudge, and candy canes, but there are some treats that I really do miss, such as peppermint bark. Fortunately, I came up with a very satisfying sugar free alternative packed with good calories! Read the rest of this entry »
Junkfood Makeovers: Smoothie Edition
Thus begins a new “column” that you’ll see from time to time: Junkfood Makovers.
Have you seen those “Danimals” or “Yoplait Endulge” or whatever they’re called drinks at the store? Ever been tempted to down one of these “healthy” drinks? Perhaps you have (even I used to) but then one look at the dreaded “Nutritional Info” and it’s clear that High Fructose Corn Syrup and “emulsifiers” and “red #4″ isn’t so healthy.
Here’s a delicious way to treat your kids to a quick, healthy breakfast using plenty of that homemade yogurt (see post below!):
Thienes Family Power Smoothie
Basic smoothie:
1 cup homemade yogurt (or kefir) OR coconut milk (for a vegan treat!)
1 Tbs coconut oil
1 banana
6 drops liquid stevia (or sweetener of choice)
1 cup of frozen fruit (berries, mangoes, pineapple, cranberries; whatever we’ve got!)
2-3 egg yolks (don’t freak out people! I use pastured egg yolks from a farmer I know!)
Bonus features: (add any of the following…for the brave and strong!)
+1 Tbs nutritional yeast (this is a strong flavor– best hidden with lots of raspberries)
+1 scoop of Rice Protein Powder (I don’t love this, but my husband does)
+1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
+1 tsp spirulina
+fresh or frozen spinach (I promise you won’t taste it!)
Whirl in blender. Serve to happy, hungry, family members with a handful of nuts or a piece of toast, and you have a complete breakfast! Toddlers especially enjoy eating this with a spoon in a bowl for “breakfast ice cream”. Shhhh! Don’t tell. Freeze leftovers for popsicles, or pour directly into your ice cream maker!
With Jamba and Booster Juice at about $4.50 a pop, this is a very thrifty way to make a delicious whole-food meal. And unlike other smoothies that are laden with sugar, this one being full of good fats with sustain your blood sugar throughout the morning.
