You know how sometimes you want something to crunch – just a handful of something  (and a handful of walnuts doesn’t quite do the trick)? It somehow seems that when you blend a few things, it’s all of a sudden a touch better! A person can use anything and sometimes the ingredients are not quite as healthy as others, and we don’t even (nor need to) regret it.  I put together this healthy snack mix recently from things I found in my cupboard. At least it’s better than marshmallows or M&Ms (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Don’t measure. Just put in a handful. Okay! If not measuring gives you hives, my best guess is to use 1/2 cup of each, give or take. 🙂 Here are the ingredients I used, but you might take on the challenge and toss in some things from your own cupboard! Happy healthy snacking!

Scavenger Hunt Snack Mix

Pecans

Pepitas (a type of pumpkin seed), roasted and salted.  You could use either a pumpkin seed or pepita, I suppose, but the pepita will blend in a little more easily. I bought mine at the grocery store in the aisle with all different types of nuts and dried fruit. I had them in the cupboard because I bought them for my dog who was having intestinal issues, and pumpkin can sometimes help with that. He loves pumpkin. I thought they would be interchangeable with pumpkin seeds, but he didn’t care for these.

Dried Cranberries

Dried Figs, chopped into bite-sized bits

Banana Chips

Dried Ginger Chunks, chopped into bite-sized bits   I bought a bag at Costco. It’s sugared, and do you know what? That doesn’t take away its zing. But I read somewhere that ginger is an ingredient that helps clear your arteries. I don’t know whether that’s true or not. But I testify that if you chop these up and throw them in a snack mix, it tames them down a bit.

Chocolate Chips

I made an attempt to marry sweet with sassy in one word: swassy! Whether I accomplished it remains to be determined, but these sandwiches benefit from a touch of hot and sweet and it’s a great combination if I do say so, myself! I am not including specific amounts here because that’s not the way I cook, and I think this won’t be too challenging. It’s a sandwich, after all. Enjoy!

Cut King’s Hawaiian rolls horizontally and lay the tops aside.

Put the bottoms in an 8 x 11.5 cake pan.

Spread with thin smear of horseradish sauce, then fig spread on top of that.

Top with cut slices of white cheese and sliced roast beef.

Drizzle a little pineapple juice on top of beef.

Now put on the tops of the rolls and brush with melted butter, then sprinkle lightly with poppy seeds.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 until the cheese melts.

The first time I heard the words taco and fish in the same phrase, I thought to myself, Further proof they’ve brainwashed the kids. No, that wasn’t what I really thought, but the phrase fish taco was about as unappealing as it could get. However, I wasn’t about to knock things out of hand, so I thought I’d try to make one. I used fish sticks because a recipe I glanced at said I could. Mayonnaise was involved and maybe lettuce. I’ve blocked it from my memory. They were edible, but not great.

A couple of years later I was out at a fish restaurant in California and one of the people I was with ordered one. And do you know what? It looked really good – full of crunchy veggies and other good things. Fast forward, I stepped off the ledge and ordered a fish taco at Red Lobster. Delicious! I decided the key was seasoning with some heat and something crunchy. I next ordered one at, I believe it was in Revolution Hall in Rosedale Mall, and the result was meh. But why let one fishy fish taco stop you? I was on a roll!

The ones at Humpy’s in Anchorage and Ray’s Waterfront in Seward were both good in their own ways. While I couldn’t replicate them, I at least had some ideas. My ingredients are not fancy, but who needs fancy when you have something already in the refrigerator? Here it is!

Connie’s Not Fancy Fish Tacos

• 1 8-inch flour tortilla*
• 3 baked fish sticks
• 2 tsps. Herdez mild guacamole salsa
• 1 Tbsp. salsa
• scant 1/4 c. cheddar, cojack, or similar cheese
• scant 1/4 c. prepared coleslaw (I use Miracle Whip)

Assemble the fish sticks, guac salsa, salsa, cheese, and coleslaw on a tortilla.

*I prefer smaller tortillas. If you use smaller ones, adjust ingredients accordingly.

*Consider everything “to taste” and increase or decrease amounts depending on your preferences

I hope you enjoy them!

Images: gregor-moser-QGIJUqnEpCY-unsplash.jpg; pexels-leonardo-luz-17118095.jpg; Connie Pease 

When the leaves change and the temperature dips, we’re ready for kitchen comforts. As November arrives, we’re on the threshold of Christmas sweets and treats, but here’s an idea from my kids’ preschool. I bought their little recipe book way back when I was still stepping on Legos and Barbie shoes in the middle of the night. It is a small collection of healthy snacks they served there – twenty sheets of paper unglamorously stapled together at the upper left corner. The recipe I share today is a riff off of one of those well-loved snacks. I often add my own twist to recipes I love. It seemed to me the extras only serve to make it more fun. We eat it as cereal, mostly, but it can be sprinkled on ice cream or yogurt or even made into bars.

                    Homemade Granola

3 cups rolled oats                      1/2 – 1 cup sesame seeds

3 cups rolled wheat                   1/2 – 1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup wheat germ                   1/2 – 1 cup unsweetened coconut

1/2 teaspoon salt                       1/4 – 1 cup bran

1/2 – 1 cup walnuts, pecans, or your choice

 

Mix well and add: 3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup honey

2 teaspoons vanilla

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 – 40 minutes, stirring once.

After baking, add dried cranberries or raisins.

Store in refrigerator.

For Bars: 3 c. granola, 2/3 c. peanut butter, 1/3 c. honey. Press into pan and store in refrigerator.

Enjoy!      Enjoy!      Enjoy!      Enjoy!      Enjoy!      Enjoy!      Enjoy!

You haven’t been exhausted lately, have you? There’s nothing about a year of “I can’t believe this” added to “what now?” on top of “I didn’t think it could get any worse” that saps the energy right out of you, is there? Me too. Not that me too, just the run-of-the-mill me too. Last week I decided to resurrect something I used when I was birthin’ babies. It’s from a book my own mother gave me and though I, of course, (being a normal daughter who knew more than her mother) favored more current information, I depended on a recipe from the book called TIgers’ Milk. For those of you who are bothered by the placement of the apostrophe, I can’t help you. That’s how it’s written. The writer apparently believed more than one person would read her book. Add it to your 2021 list of disgust and disbelief, if you like. At any rate, if you drink this on a regular basis, it might give you renewed energy, even if it doesn’t make you a tiger mom. Mind you, I’m not making promises. I’m simply sharing an idea.

Tigers’ Milk

Beat together: 1-2 c. skim milk

1/2 c. powdered skim milk

1-4 heaping Tbsp brewers’ yeast

1-3 tsp blackstrap molasses

Add to the remainder of a quart of milk (which is 2 c.)

You will have a quart total.

Now sit down – no, don’t stand at the sink – sit down and enjoy it if you can. (Depending on how much Brewer’s Yeast you use, it could have a bit of a kick.) Don’t turn on the mainstream media anything. Ask the Good Lord above what He has for you to do today. Ready? You’ve got this! Go get ’em, Tiger!

Tigers’ milk recipe in Let’s Have Healthy Children by Adelle Davis, Harcourt, Brace and Co.: New York, 1951; Tiger mom is a phrase coined by Yale Law School professor Amy Chua in Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, 2011; image: pexels-ryutaro-tsukata-6249388.jpg

It’s that time of year: the weather is changeable from rain to sleet to snow, we gather with family and friends, and . . . yes, we come down with a cold. A man I knew years ago told me that he drank spiced tea every day and it kept him healthy through the winter. Every time he’d sense a little something coming on, he’d increase his tea intake and, to his way of thinking, it kept the germs at bay. Whether or not that’s the case, there’s nothing like a delightful cup of tea to start your morning, perk up your afternoon, or end your evening on just the right note.

We love this tea at our house. I make it every winter. I’ve even been known to make it for Christmas gifts.

Cheers!

Spiced Tea

Combine:

• 2 c. Tang
• 1/2 c. instant tea
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 packet lemonade mix
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

For a cup of tea, put 2-3 heaping teaspoons in a cup (more for a mug or to taste) and pour hot water over it. Garnish with orange or lemon slice.

Images: Pexels.com

There’s a lady on T.V. who cooks some really great-looking recipes. She subscribes to the 80/20 theory of eating 80% healthful and giving yourself 20% treats (read unhealthy, but usually sweet, sometimes salty, and among the things that Bob Harper wouldn’t approve of). She’s an inspiration. I should do more than nod my head in agreement.

In the spirit of good eating and healthy recipes, here’s something I threw together that actually tasted pretty good. Caveat: Unless I’m following a recipe, I don’t measure when I cook. In the recipe below, I am giving you a calculated guess on the measurements since – altogether now – I don’t measure when I cook. Therefore, make it work by adding or subtracting as you desire.

Spinach and ‘Shrooms

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 1/4 c. mushrooms, chopped
• 1 handful of cherry tomatoes, halved

Sautee in skillet on medium/medium high heat for around 5 min.

Add 5 oz. fresh baby spinach and cover (glass lid preferable). Steam at same temperature for a couple of minutes until spinach wilts. It won’t take long.

Sprinkle with feta cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

80/20 reference: Southern Fried Fitness http://robynshea.com/

There’s nothing quite like fresh. Vegetables from a summer garden are a wonderful way to love healthy eating. I’m not even a fair gardener, but my dad, who was running a farm by the time he was 17, is always successful. It’s great when someone’s success makes up for your lack of it.

My daughter and I tried a new recipe a few weeks ago and ate nearly the entire thing in one sitting. Please don’t tell her I said that. I will not, NOT, I repeat, own the entire bean affair. Ah, well. The nice thing about eating vegetables is that there’s no guilt. I tweaked the recipe a little, to tame it. The squash and walnuts cool down an otherwise spicy dish. However, if you like hot, hot, hot, have at it and add more heat-inducing seasonings like pepper or ginger.

1. Heat skillet. Snap ends from 1 lb. green beans and add to hot skillet along with 1/4 c. water. Cover and cook 3-4 min. Uncover, and cook until water is evaporated.

2. Add: 1 Tbsp olive oil and 2 Tbsp minced garlic. Stir for 1-2 min. until garlic is lightly browned.

3. Combine and Add: 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp. sugar, 1/4-1/2 tsp. hot pepper flakes. Bring to boil and cook while stirring for 2-3 min and sauce coats beans.

4. Transfer to serving dish.

5. Add: 1 yellow squash, peeled and cut into 1 in. chunks and 1 or 2 handfuls of chopped walnuts.

Serves 8 – 10 unless you eat it all at one sitting, in which case please confess here. I’d rather not be the only one.