Healthy Snack: Mango Pomegranate Smoothie

November 24, 2015November 24, 2015 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

One of our absolute favorite snacks around here are smoothies. Smoothies for breakfast, a mid-morning snack, an after school snack—it doesn’t matter the time of day, we love our smoothies. We’ve been known to listen to the blender demo people at Costco, watching them blend entire carrots at a time. I’ve been swooning over high power blending technology for quite some time, so imagine the thrill it was to get a first hand demo of Panasonic’s MX-ZX1800 high power blender.

PanasonicMX-ZX1800

This blender has the capacity to chop, cream, blend, heat, grind, churn—pretty simplify things in the kitchen.

For our first foray with this amazing appliance, we gave a tried and true smoothie recipe a whirl with a bit of a seasonal twist. The mango pomegranate smoothie is a tart but sweet snack and makes a great complement for breakfast.

MangoPomegranateSmoothieIngredients

The citrus and Vitamin C provided by the mango and orange juice is ideal for prime cold and flu season. The pomegranate, which is in season, is such an excellent source of antioxidants, fiber and more Vitamin C. The seeds not only add a little color, but also a sweet juicy flavor. The kids love digging into this smoothie and crunching the seeds.

A few pointers for opening the pomegranate: slice one end, score the fruit from top to bottom 3-4 times around and then wiggle a knife on the end where it was sliced to pop open the fruit. Place the opened fruit in a bowl and scoop out seeds with a spoon.

Pomegranate

If I do say so, this tastes even better than my local smoothie shop! My favorite part of this recipe is the ease and minimal effort for such a creamy treat.

Ingredients:

1 cup plain non-fat yogurt
1 cup frozen mango cubes
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup of pomegranate seeds

Combine yogurt, mango and pomegranate seeds in blender. I like putting the mango at the bottom to ensure it gets chopped just so.

MangoPomegranateSmoothieYogurt

When opening the pomegranate, scoop out seeds above the blender so that juice can add to the mixture.

MangoPomegranateSmoothieMix

Add orange juice until it fills almost to the top of the fruit mixture. Blend using the smoothie function, adding more juice as necessary. Serve with a handful of pomegranate seeds and enjoy!

MangoPomegranateSmoothieNKT

Mango Pomegranate Smoothie

1 cup plain non-fat yogurt

1 cup frozen mango cubes

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup of pomegranate seeds

Combine yogurt, mango and pomegranate seeds in blender. When opening the pomegranate, scoop out seeds above the blender so that juice can add to the mixture. Add orange juice until it fills almost to the top of the fruit mixture. Blend using the smoothie function, adding more juice as necessary. Pour into glass and enjoy.

Brain food: Recipes and Coconut Oil for Kids

April 30, 2014 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Lately, coconut oil has been touted as quite the wonder food. Though it’s been around for a long time, it’s now making the rounds as a natural beauty aid, as well as a healthier option for cooking with oils. Beyond that, research on coconut oil has revealed that it works wonders for the brain, something that’s gotten my attention considering our ongoing trials and tribulations with pediatric epilepsy.

Brain full copy 2

According to Food for the Brain:

Virgin-pressed coconut oil contains medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) which convert directly into ketones. Recent evidence suggests ketones may lessen symptoms in those with Alzheimer’s, as well as children with epilepsy.

Ketones are also made directly from coconut oil (virgin-pressed is best to avoid any hydrogenated fats) which contains medium-chain triglycerides, or MCTs for short. These convert directly in ketones which the body can burn for energy rather than store as fat.

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The Wall Street Journal backs the positive effects of coconut oil: Early research on coconut oil and Alzheimer’s disease shows a possible protective effect on neurons. In a study published earlier this year in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Canadian researchers found mouse brain cells treated with coconut oil were somewhat protected from the toxic effects of amyloid proteins, which build up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

Coconut oil and Kids

With all the good news about coconut oil, how can you introduce it into the kids’ diets and routines in such a way that works for everyone. It’s pretty simple, actually. The easiest way to include coconut oil is to just add a teaspoon here and there to foods that you would eat with a spoon. I’ve been known to add coconut oil to meals and snacks such as:

oatmeal

cereal

yogurt

ice cream

I picked up a Costco-sized tub of Carrington Farms coconut oil and we’ve had fun experimenting with meals and other daily uses. Coincidentally, after I bought my own coconut oil, Carrington Farms contacted me to participate in their April campaign. As such, in addition to sharing how we use coconut oil, I thought I’d share some tried and true recipes that the kids love.

Kid-Friendly recipes

I especially love adding, or rather, substituting coconut oil in baking. Because it tolerates high temperatures, coconut oil is a great substitute for shortening, butter, margarine, or vegetable oil. Here’s a delicious waffle recipe where I’ve incorporated coconut oil instead of butter. These waffles are so crisp and delish, I’ll never go back to the boxed versions again.

Whole Wheat Waffles

Recipe source: 100 Days of Real Food

•2 large eggs

•1 ¾ cups milk

•¼ cup melted coconut oil

•1 tablespoon honey

•½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

•¼ teaspoon baking soda

•1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour

•2 teaspoons baking powder

•? teaspoon salt

800px Waffles with Strawberries

1.Preheat waffle iron.

2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil, honey, cinnamon and baking soda until combined.

3. Add in flour, baking powder and salt and whisk together until lumps disappear.

4. When waffle iron is hot, put butter or spray and ladle batter onto center of iron.

5. cook until golden and crisp.

6. Top with syrup and enjoy!

And finally, here’s one more delicious recipe that includes coconut oil:

Banana Bread and Chocolate Chip Muffins

Adapted from the banana bread recipe as seen in Feeding Your Baby Day by Day by Fiona Wilcock

Ingredients

1/4 cup of melted coconut oil

2 large bananas

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

handful of chocolate chips

1. Prehead the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare pan; I made mini muffins

2. Mash bananas until smooth and place in mixing bowl. Stir in oil, eggs, and vanilla.

3. Sift flours and baking powder, adding back any that stays in sifter.

4 Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and beat together until smooth. Pour or spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden.

5. Cool on wire rack and enjoy

Other uses for coconut oil

Aside from adding to food, coconut oil is an amazing natural moisturizer. We’ve used it for dry hands, burns, conditioner, diaper cream and one of my faves, as the oil in my DIY wipe solution.

Crockpot Cooking for the Costco Pork Recipe Challenge

October 10, 2011October 10, 2011 by Jen Rabulan-Bertram

Despite being MIA lately due to a variety of reasons, the kid and I have found ourselves in the kitchen more often than not. When we’re not enjoying the last few days of outdoor weather, I love that the kid is so adamant about being helpful in the kitchen. (Well, sometimes, anyway.) I really do feel that it creates an ongoing dialogue about not only how to cook and what we eat, but also, it keeps him engaged in food in general. Perhaps, one day, he’ll marry a lucky lady and he’ll be the cook of the house…

Nevertheless, our latest adventure in the kitchen involves one of my favorite stores–Costco–, delicious meat and creating recipes. In case you weren’t aware, October is National Pork Month, and of course, we’ll be cooking in honor of that. I’ll be taking part in the Costco Blogger Recipe Challenge this week. Aside from the shopping for the challenge, I’m having a fun time dreaming up recipes for this challenge.

My group was assigned the Pork Sirloin Tip as our cut, and Crockpot cooking as our method. I’ve never cooked with a pork sirloin tip, but I suspect it’ll be similar to a pork loin. (Here’s a helpful overview of types of cuts of meat.) As one of my mom’s frugal grocery shopping techniques, I’ve been known to buy the big pork loin when it goes on sale. I cut it and stash in the freezer, and it makes for delicious lean chops or easy roasts and more.