Skip to main content

Easy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

Written by novagiant on . Posted in Wellness.

July is National Ice Cream month, so here is an easy way to make your own ice cream treat at home. No churning needed for this delicious 3 ingredient recipe.

2 cups heavy cream
1 – 14oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tablespoon Clearly Organic Vanilla

Add sweetened condensed milk and vanilla to a large bowl and stir to combine. Pour the heavy cream into a separate mixing bowl or standing mixer. Using a hand mixer or standing mixer whip cream until it holds stiff peaks, about 3-4 minutes. Adding one scoop at a time gently fold whipped cream into the sweetened condensed milk mixture. It will look lumpy at first but as all the cream is folded in it will become smooth. Don’t over stir or stir vigorously it may cause the cream to deflate. Using a spatula transfer the cream base into a freezer safe container. Smooth the top and cover. Freeze for at least 6 hours.

Cooking With Fresh Herbs

Written by novagiant on . Posted in Wellness.

Just a pinch of vibrant fresh herbs can add unique flavor and color to any recipe. Many chefs consider herbs the secret to transforming a normal dish into an extraordinary meal.

The challenge many everyday cooks run into is knowing how to appropriately use herbs. It’s also worth noting that if a recipe calls for dried herbs one can easily choose to add fresh herbs if desired. Dried herbs are more potent and concentrated than fresh, so you will use less. When transitioning to fresh you’ll likely use three times as much. Therefore, if a recipe calls for 1 teaspoon dried oregano you would need 1 tablespoon fresh, since there are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon. Here are some tips on how to pair and incorporate herbs into your kitchen.

BASIL – a natural partner to tomatoes, peas and zucchini; great in pesto, pastas and sauces
THYME – eggs, potatoes, poultry and squash
FLAT LEAF & ITALIAN PARSLEY – potato and egg salad, tabouli
ROSEMARY – fish, lamb, chicken, roasted potatoes, soup and stews
DILL – carrots, potato and egg salad, cottage cheese, fish, green beans
MINT – fruit salad, tabouli, tea and water
CILANTRO – chicken, salsa, tomatoes, most Mexican and Caribbean cooking
CHIVES – potato and egg salads, dips and tomatoes

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Written by novagiant on . Posted in Wellness.

 

4 ounces Clearly Organic Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl stir all ingredients together until evenly distributed. Grease a small oven safe baking dish with Clearly Organic pan spray. Transfer mixture to the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and edges begin to brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Serve with Clearly Organic Corn Chips, celery and carrot sticks.

Eat More Vegetables

Written by novagiant on . Posted in Wellness.

The world of nutrition and fitness has multiple different approaches and opinions, but one thing everyone can agree on is vegetables are a vital part of living well. Veggies can improve your health if you incorporate them into your meal plan on a daily bases. However, that is part of the challenge. Many people find vegetables hard to cook and lacking in flavor. So when you hear that you need to eat vegetables everyday and we need to add more of these super foods to our diet we start to dread what that might involve.

Here are a few easy ways to eat more veggies.

  1. Try a new vegetable based recipe. Scan the web for appealing photos of vegetables, and test out a new way to prepare a veggie you enjoy.
  2. Add extra vegetables to an existing recipe. It’s easy to add extra veggies to a soup or hot dish. Also try adding vegetables to a non traditional recipe like homemade meatballs or meatloaf. You can add minced carrots, cauliflower or broccoli to these recipes.
  3. Try a veggie smoothie. You know you need more greens but the thought of eating another salad is nauseating? Try a spinach, frozen berries and almond milk smoothie.
  4. Make a veggie bag. The prep work for vegetables is usually what keeps people from eating them. If you can set aside one day to wash, chop and prep your veggies you’re far more likely to get your needed 5 plus veggies servings each day.

Lemon Muffins

Written by novagiant on . Posted in Wellness.

If you love lemon this recipe is for you! These delightful citrus treats are refreshing and delicious. They go great paired with vanilla yogurt and seasonal fruit.

2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
1/2 cup Clearly Organic Sugar
1/4 cup Clearly Organic Sesame Seeds, toasted (optional)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 lemons, zested and juiced
1 1/4 cup Clearly Organic Almond Milk
1/2 cup Clearly Organic Coconut Oil, melted
1 large egg
1 teaspoon Clearly Organic Vanilla

For the lemon glaze:
1/2 cup whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup Clearly Organic Powdered Sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
Extra zest for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners or grease with Clearly Organic cooking spray. Whisk flour, sugar, sesame seeds, baking powder, salt and lemon zest from 3 lemons together in a mixing bowl. In a separate small bowl whisk milk, oil, egg and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the dry and stir to combine. Pour batter into muffin cups and bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

While muffins are baking prepare glaze. Whisk together softened cream cheese, lemon juice and powdered sugar until smooth. When the muffins come out of the oven poke several holes in each muffin with the toothpick. Then drizzle glaze over the top and let cool for ten minutes. Garnish with lemon zest or a small lemon wedge if desired.

Activate Vitamin D

Written by novagiant on . Posted in Wellness.

Now that the weather is getting warmer and the sun is shining longer it’s time to allow our bodies more time outdoors to activate vitamin D. This fat soluble vitamin helps calcium, magnesium and phosphate absorb in our intestinal tract. The unique aspect of vitamin D is that it can be ingested from foods that we eat or it can be synthesized from sun exposure. About 10 minutes outside is all it takes to naturally activate vitamin D.

Foods containing vitamin D include fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna. Most vitamin D containing foods in the US are fortified like dairy products, soy milk and some cereals. While we can achieve our vitamin D needs from dietary intake it’s also nice to allow the sun its chance to brighten our mood, boost our immune system and allow vitamin D time to activate. Take advantage of your spring and summer months with more time outdoors.

Dealing With Food Allergies And Intolerances

Written by novagiant on . Posted in Wellness.

Dealing With Food Allergies And Intolerances

 

When someone is diagnosed with a food allergy or intolerance it’s common to receive a list of foods and products that they should avoid or eliminate from their daily meal plan. While it’s very important to steer clear of foods that cause your body discomfort and illness, it’s also helpful to focus on all the foods you can still enjoy. The list of foods people can continue to enjoy is always much longer than the list of foods you should eliminate.

It’s important to open up your possibilities and take away the negativity and limitations that food allergies and intolerances can often bring. Food allergies often make people more dependent on natural ingredients, fruits, vegetables and organic products. By looking at the positive side of any lifestyle change we can all benefit from embracing new stages in our lifelong journey for health and wellbeing.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding

Written by novagiant on . Posted in Wellness.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread Pudding

10 slices cinnamon raisin bread

4 large Clearly Organic Eggs

2 cup Clearly Organic Whole Milk

1/4 cup Clearly Organic Sugar

1/4 cup Clearly Organic Honey

1 teaspoon Clearly Organic Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Clearly Organic Vanilla

1/2 cup raisins

Greek Yogurt Sauce

1/4 cup cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1/2 teaspoon Clearly Organic Vanilla

3 Tablespoons Clearly Organic Powdered Sugar

 

Coat an 8×8 inch baking dish with Clearly Organic cooking spray. Rehydrate 1/2 cup raisins in warm water, let sit while you prepare bread and egg mixture. In a large bowl whisk together eggs and milk. Then add sugar, honey, cinnamon and vanilla. Cut bread into 1 inch pieces then add bread to greased 8×8 baking dish. Pour egg mixture over the top and gently toss to distribute mix. Let mixture stand for 15 minutes to soak in, stirring occasionally. While mixture soaks preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drain raisins of excess water and sprinkle over the top of the mixture. Bake for 40 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Serve warm with Greek yogurt sauce.

For the Greek yogurt sauce: Add all ingredients to a small blender or food processor. Purée until smooth and creamy. Add sauce to the top of warm bread pudding.

Nothing warms you up like homemade soup

Written by novagiant on . Posted in Wellness.

…When you come home from a long day of work or play during this season, nothing quite hits the spot like a bowl of HOT soup. The warmth, the smells, the taste – they all combine for a wonderful dinner. I tried my hand at soup making when the temperature outside was a frigid 9 degrees. Full disclosure – this was my first time ever making homemade soup. But the critics (my family) agreed – tasty!

So give my Turkey Sausage Bean Soup recipe below a try. Also, I’d love to hear your homemade soup recipes. Email them to bestchoice@awginc.com.

Turkey Sausage Bean Soup

Ingredients:
1 tbsp Best Choice Olive Oil

3 pre-cooked Turkey Sausage Links

1/2 Raw Onion

1 – 15oz. can of Clearly Organic Great Northern Beans

1 tbsp Clearly Organic Italian Seasoning

1/2 tbsp.Turle Red Pepper

3 cups Best Choice Chicken Stock

1/2 cup of Coleslaw/Broccoli Mix

1 tbsp Best Choice Heavy Whipping Cream

Directions:
Over medium heat, add olive oil, turkey sausage links and onion to large pot. Cook until sausage and onions are slightly browned for about 5 minutes.

Stir in red pepper, Italian seasoning and beans (don’t drain). Add chicken broth, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for around 10-15 minutes.

Stir in heavy whipping cream. Once cream is mixed in, add coleslaw/broccoli mix and cook for about 5 more minutes. Salt & pepper to taste.

Serve in bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top (optional).

Warm up!

Tips For Healthy Meal Planning

Written by novagiant on . Posted in Wellness.

5 Tips For Healthy Meal Planning During The Holidays

  1. Stock your pantry. Having your go-to items already at home makes meal planning one step easier. Beans for chili, noodles for chicken noodle soup, rice for casseroles and whole grain crackers for dips are great stock up items for the busy holiday season.
  2. Prep challenging recipes in advance. If a meal calls for lots of chopped ingredients, consider cleaning and chopping ingredients the night before. Vegetables in particular can take a lot of time to skin and chop, so it’s great if you can tackle time consuming steps a day early.
  3. Have healthy snacks ready to go. You’re much more likely to eat veggies and fruit as a snack if it’s prepped and ready to eat. We often grab high carbohydrate (and high calorie) snacks because they are convenient when we’re starving. If fresh vegetables and fruit are made just as easy to consume then chances are we’ll make the right choice.
  4. Dust off your slow cooker. One dish hearty meals that can fed multiple people are easily made in your slow cooker.
  5. Make breakfast the night before. If you despise mornings then make them easier by prepping breakfast the night before. Overnight oats with chia seeds, an egg bake and muffins can all be made the night before so you can sleep a bit longer.