Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

How to Make Nutritious Stir-Fry QUICKLY!

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Stir-Fried Veggies are one of our favorite ways to eat veggies! Here’s how you can make a nutritious stir-fry quickly!

We’ve been eating a lot of stir-fried veggies lately! It’s been a great way to up our veggie intake as stir-frying them gives them such an incredible flavor!

Not that it’s terribly difficult or time consuming, but cutting up veggies for a meal does take more time than simply opening a bag of frozen veggies or grabbing mixed greens out of the fridge. So here’s what I’ve tried to do if I have a few spare mintues (read: if the babies are in their high chairs eating breakfast, safe from running in two different directions, and therefore safe from climbing precariously on the furniture while my back is turned)…

How to Make Nutrious Stir-Fry Quickly

The advice is a no-brainer really. Simply spend a few minutes – when you can find a few minutes – washing and cutting a bunch of veggies for stir-fry. Mix them all in a large ziplock bag and pull them out to cook at meal time!

Recently, I spent about 15 minutes washing and cutting sweet peppers, onions, broccoli, asparagus, and carrots. We then had a 2-gallon bag of prepped veggies in the fridge! So for the next few days, we have delicious stir-fry meals or stir-fried veggie side dishes with our meals!

Here are three ways we like to eat stir-fried veggies:

1. As a delicious side dish to go with whatever meat we are eating.

2. Stirred into cooked spaghetti noodles like this. Sometimes we add cooked meat, sometimes we don’t.

3. Stirred into Stick-of-Butter-Rice. Again, sometimes we add cooked meat and sometimes we don’t.

The Easiest and Most Flavorful Way to Stir-Fry Veggies

How to Make Nutritious Stir-Fry QUICKLY!
 
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Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 2-4 cups fresh or frozen veggies of your choice (broccoli, carrots, peas, peppers, corn, zucchini, squash, etc.)
  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil, coconut oil, or palm shortening
  • 1 clove minced fresh garlic or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Soy sauce (to taste)
  • Sea salt (to taste)
Instructions
  1. In a skillet, toss vegetables, garlic and olive oil together - cooking on medium heat until veggies are tender.
  2. Add soy sauce, stirring until the veggies are barely coated.
  3. Add sea salt (and more soy sauce) if desired.

 

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How We Get Our 5-Year Old to Eat Fruits and Vegetables

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Ah yes. We’ve got a 5-year old in the house again. Slowly but surely, we’re adding more fruits and vegetables into his diet. Interestingly enough, his teenage brothers who were raised in this house from the beginning have become more of a struggle than the little one. I don’t want to talk about it.

It won’t be long now before our Bonus Boy will officially be a Coppinger and I can show you pictures! But for now, just imagine lots of cuteness behind some gorgeous brown eyes and a giggle that turns all of us into mush.

When he first moved in with us, I knew he loved hot dogs, and that was all I knew. Man (or boy) can not live on hot dogs alone, so we began doing some trial and error to see what he might like.

First fruit success: Applesauce Pouches

Where were these gems when my other boys were little?

Yes, they are more expensive than canned applesauce or homemade. Yes, I still make homemade applesauce when I have the chance. But seeing as life has taken a major turn toward the more busy side of things (we have an infant boy living with us now too!), splurging on Applesauce Pouches has been very much worth it! Bonus Boy loves them, the teenagers love them (so there), and as an added delight, they can be eaten without making a mess.

We get them from Aldi, Walmart, or Amazon; and when they’re on sale, I grab varieties that have veggies added too.

Second fruit and veggie success: “Milkshakes”

Everyone knows that Smoothies filled with fruits and greens are a great way to easily get kids to eat (or drink) nourishment. Indeed.

However, if we said, “Would you like a Smoothie??” our Bonus Boy turned up his nose. Inspired, I said, “How about a Milkshake?” Aha! He thought that sounded delicious.

Call it whatever works – we now make “Milkshakes” all the time. Bonus Boy makes them with me, and we’re not even hiding the fact that they are filled with goodness. HE PUTS THE FRESH SPINACH INTO THE BLENDER HIMSELF. Then he adds the strawberries and frozen banana chunks. I pour in milk and a little maple syrup. He pushes the button on the Blendtec.

Then he guzzles down two full cups with a lid and a straw. Milkshakes for the win. Smoothies though? He doesn’t like them. ;)

Third veggie success: Cheesy Taco (aka Green Salad with Shredded Cheese)

I don’t even remember how this came about. I think I had made Taco Salad for the rest of us that day and decided to see if he’d eat any or all of it. I knew he loved tacos, so I told him this was “sort of like a taco.” I tore mixed greens into his special bowl, tossed in plenty of cheese (his favorite food of all time), and stirred in homemade French Dressing (ketchup for the win). He ate it all with a spoon and asked for more.

None of my other little guys ever ate salad at this age, and here this kid is eating his and asking for seconds and thirds. Sweet!

Fourth veggie success: Orange French Fries

Our whole family has learned that Sweet Potato Fries are the best way to eat sweet potatoes. Bonus Boy discovered without any argument that Orange French Fries are pretty tasty dipped in ketchup! Nice!

Fifth veggie success: Yet to come

None of us likes everything, and we can’t expect little kids to love all the green food we know is good for us. Green beans are a no-go for Bonus Boy. Peas, not so much. Carrots, neither raw nor cooked nor when one is pretending to be a bunny. Broccoli “trees” are only fun to talk about, but are not fun for eating. So we’ll stick to what is working, and we’ll try new veggies as the months go by.

Fruit is mostly a winner

Not all fruit, but he does like clementines, apples, kiwi, bananas, frozen blueberries, and a few others – especially if the big boys are sitting at the table eating them too.

It’s important to remember that adding fruits and veggies to a kid’s diet is a process. I remember liking more and more as I got older; I bet you do too.

If your child struggles with eating many fruits or vegetables, don’t fret or give up. Keep experimenting to see what works. Find a new way to cut or serve it. Call it a milkshake instead of a smoothie. Enjoy the ride and know that any fruit or veggie nourishment is better than none at all. You’ll get there!

What are your kids’ favorite ways to eat fruits and vegetables?

 

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How to Easily Steam or Roast Vegetables

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Every time I say something like, “Simply prep some veggies to go with your meal and you’re good to go!” I get email requests saying, “Yes, but how exactly do you prep your veggies?” So here I am, finally giving a little more instruction on how to easily steam or roast vegetables. How silly that it’s taken me ten years to write this post.

We’ll start with steaming then move on to roasting. And hang with me until we get to the bottom of this post so you can grab our pretty new Veggie Preparation Guide!

How to Easily Steam Vegetables

Confession: I used to go to a little more trouble when steaming vegetables, putting one of these great stainless steel steamers in the bottom of my pan before adding my veggies. But just like everything I do in my kitchen these days, I’ve pared down the work (and the dirty dishes created as a result of the work) to make food prep as simple as possible.

Now what do I do when steaming vegetables? I dump in the veggies, I add a shot of water, I add some fat (butter or bacon grease), and I cook them for a few minutes until they are tender. It truly is that easy!

How to steam veggies:

Place vegetables in a pot with about 1/2 inch of water. Cover and heat on high until the water begins to boil. Reduce heat and cook vegetables according to this approximate time chart or until veggies are tender:
Peas: 3 minutes
Broccoli Florets, Cauliflower Florets, Green Beans: 5-7 minutes
Chopped Carrots, Potatoes, Turnips, Squash: 8-20 minutes
This info will be included in our handy printable below, so you’ll always have easy access!

How to Easily Roast Vegetables

Cut vegetables so they are uniform in size. Toss with a mixture of refined coconut oil, sea salt, and pepper and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Roast veggies in a 425 degree oven according to this approximate time chart or until veggies are tender:

Beets, Potatoes, Carrots: 30-45 minutes (depending on how small or large you cut them)
Butternut Squash, Acorn Squash: 20-60 minutes (depending on how small or large you cut them)
Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels Sprouts: 15-25 minutes
Asparagus, Green Beans: 10-20 minutes
Onions: 30-45 minutes (depending on your crispiness preference!)
This info will be included in our handy printable below, so you’ll always have easy access!

Download a FREE Printable Veggie Prep Guide!

How about an easy-to-reference guide to print and post in your kitchen? As you prepare your veggies every day, give it a quick glance to be reminded of cooking times for each veggie!

(See what I did there? A little passive-aggressive “prepare your veggies every day” to give you a hint that it’s important to prepare and eat veggies every day.) ;)

Don’t forget Raw and Stir Fried Veggies!

It’s the easiest thing in the world to throw out a container of mixed greens for salads each night. Or open a container of baby carrots, grab out some snap peas – raw veggies are your friend because of their nutritional content and ease for serving!

And stir-frying veggies adds fabulous flavor. Read my favorite way to stir-fry here. We make this often, with and without the noodles.

Go get your free Veggie Prep Printable!

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The Easiest (and Fastest) Way to Cook Spaghetti Squash

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I just learned to cook spaghetti squash in ten tiny minutes, from start to finish. Unbelievable!

Is it just me, or is it incredibly fun that God created a squash that once cooked, shreds out like noodles? He did all the work. We simply have to cook it. (There is a deep spiritual parallel here we should adopt and live by: God does God’s work. We simply get to be His glorious tools to be a part of His work as we listen and obey Him. I love this.)

So God’s spaghetti squash. It’s always been easy to prepare in the oven, but I just learned how to make it in my Instant Pot. It cooks at high pressure for 5 minutes and just like that, the spaghetti squash is ready to shred and eat!

First, use a sharp knife to cut the spaghetti squash into four rings like this:

Use a spoon to dig out the seeds.

Place the spaghetti squash rings onto the metal trivet inside your Instant Pot. Put 1 cup of water under the trivet.

Put the lid on the Instant Pot and seal. Set it to manual, for 5 minutes at hi pressure.

The cooking process will be barely over this 5 minutes because the Instant Pot won’t come to full pressure or need to release. So in just these few minutes, the squash is cooked and ready!

Use a fork to pull the squash apart into “noodles.”

So delicious as-is!

Or, my personal favorite: we mix leftover spaghetti sauce with leftover Alfredo Sauce and pour it over the spaghetti squash. What a nourishing meal!!

Warning: Spaghetti Squash doesn’t taste like regular pasta. I consider spaghetti squash to be a pasta replacement, but only as a vehicle to hold my sauce. I LOVE spaghetti squash covered in sauce, and in fact, I love it more than wheat pasta. But it doesn’t taste the same. It tastes like a mild vegetable covered with delicious sauce. Bring it on!

The Easiest (and Fastest) Way to Cook Spaghetti Squash

The Easiest (and Fastest) Way to Cook Spaghetti Squash
 
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Author:
Serves: 3-6
Ingredients
  • 1 Spaghetti Squash
  • 1 cup water
Instructions
  1. Slice the squash into four rings.
  2. Remove the seeds with a metal spoon and discard.
  3. Pour one cup water into the Instant Pot.
  4. Place the prepared squash rings onto the metal trivet in the Instant Pot.
  5. Place the lid on and seal.
  6. Cook for 5 minutes at high pressure.
  7. Remove the cooked squash and pull the insides away from the rind with a fork.
  8. Serve as is or smothered in sauce.

Don’t have an Instant Pot? Here’s what I think about mine. (Spoiler alert: I love it.)

How to Cook Spaghetti Squash in the Oven

  1. Slice the squash into four rings.
  2. Remove the seeds with a metal spoon and discard.
  3. Place the prepared squash rings into a 9×13 inch baking dish.
  4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-45 minutes.
  5. Remove the cooked squash and pull the insides away from the rind with a fork.
  6. Serve as is or smothered in sauce.

Are you a spaghetti squash fan?

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The Easiest Way to Make Fruit Leather

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Ever wondered the easiest way to make Fruit Leather? Or did you even know that making Fruit Leather is actually ridiculously easy?!

fruit leather66

Indeed, Fruit Leather is one of the easiest snacks you can make. Many recipes call for added sugar, but in our experience, none is necessary!

Also, making Fruit Leather at home costs only pennies. And it is a great way to use up fruit that is almost ready for the compost pile! Store-bought fruit leather is super convenient, so I definitely take advantage of this option from time to time and buy them for ease when we’re on the road for ball games. But if I can make it at home instead, I do.

Tips for Making Fruit Leather

  • The easiest way to make fruit leather is to spread leftover applesauce on your pan and dehydrate per the instructions below.
  • Peaches, nectarines, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and watermelon are also great choices for Homemade Fruit Leather.
  • I avoid pineapple for fruit leather as it tends to be too stringy.
  • We’ve found that bananas by themselves don’t make a great fruit leather. But blending pureed bananas with other pureed fruit is a winner!
  • Speaking of mixing fruit together, we like mixing a variety of fruit to make more exciting fruit leather options.
  • Use a high power blender to turn your fruit into a super smooth and spreadable puree. Otherwise you might end up with chunky fruit leather. :)

fruit leather55

The Easiest Way to Make Fruit Leather

We’ve got more detailed info below. But here are the basic instructions so you can see how simple this is!

  1. Puree fruit.
  2. Spread mixture onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet.
  3. Bake for 4-10 hours at 170 degrees.

fruit leather11fruit leather22fruit leather33fruit leather44

The Easiest Way to Make Fruit Leather

The Easiest Way to Make Fruit Leather
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • Approximately 1 cup fruit
Instructions
  1. In a high power blender, puree fruit until smooth.
  2. Spread pureed fruit onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, making sure the fruit is no more than ⅛ inch thick.
  3. Dehydrate in a 170 oven for 4-10 hours or until the entire sheet is no longer wet.
  4. (Mine tends to dehydrate from the outside in. Once the middle is dry, the fruit leather is done!

The Easiest Way to Make 100 Fruit Leather

Have you ever tried to make fruit leather? What are your favorite flavors and fruit combinations?

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Simple Snack Recipe: Creamy Italian Veggie Dip

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Creamy Italian Veggie Dip includes just three simple ingredients, not including the veggies. :)

veggie dip11

If you’re hoping to push the veggies, either for yourself or for your family, I think great dips are the way to go. Do not fear the dip! Unless they are full of ingredients like MSG or High Fructose Corn Syrup that hurt your insides. Otherwise, enjoy dipping your veggies in something fun and flavorful.

veggie dip22

I don’t know about you but I eat three times the carrots and cucumbers when I’m dipping them in hummus or some sort of creamy dip.

Once on the way home from a basketball game with my family I was ravenous. We got out the hummus and carrots to munch on as we drove home. I ate a half pound of petite baby carrots before we made it out of the city. I ate so many carrots my jaw got sore from all the crunching.

Veggie dip makes life better. It just does.

This Creamy Italian Veggie Dip is our newest addition to our veggie dip options in our fridge. I love how easy it is to stir a batch of this dip together. Long live veggie dip!

Creamy Italian Veggie Dip

Simple Snack Recipe: Creamy Italian Veggie Dip
 
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Author:
Serves: 2 cups
Ingredients
  • 1 cup mayonnaise (I prefer Hain Safflower Mayo)
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 3 Tablespoons dry Italian Dressing Mix (we have a simple homemade recipe for this right here at Heavenly Homemakers!)
Instructions
  1. Mix the three ingredients together.
  2. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.
  3. Serve with your favorite raw veggies.

Find our recipe for Italian Dressing Mix here.

Creamy Italian Veggie Dip

Looking for more Simple Snack Recipes?

We’re sharing new recipes all month! So far here’s what we’ve come up with:

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For the Moms of Kids Who Don’t Like Veggies

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Here’s what you need to know about my family:

Just because I promote the veggies, encourage the veggies, and always provide the veggies doesn’t mean my kids always love or want to eat the veggies.

Fruits and Veggies On the Go 2

Can you relate?

It drives me a little bit crazy until I remember that when I was a kid about the only veggie I ate was canned green beans. I finally learned to like iceburg lettuce when I was in college. Somehow I survived until I learned to love many different kinds of veggies. I want better for my kids, and thankfully, they are getting way more veggies than I ever did, even if it isn’t always what I would consider “enough.”

Veggies for veggie scramble

Some tips I’ve learned through 19 years of trying to get enough veggies into my kids:

1. Provide them for every meal.

They can’t learn to eat them and love them if you don’t buy them and serve them.

2. Offer a variety.

I don’t love every single veggie in the world, so why would I expect my kids to? Not all of my boys like the same veggies, but they all like some. I try to serve more than one at each meal. That means that sometimes they’ll get more than one if they like everything I serve. But even if they don’t, they can at least choose the ones they like.

3. Sneak the spinach into (almost) everything.

You can’t even taste it. Check out this list of foods I tear spinach into while cooking.

4. Be a good example.

If the parents are whining about the veggies, so will the kids. Again, you don’t have to like them all, but you can be a great example to your kids when you take a nice portion of those you do love. I encourage you to try new ones every once in a while too. Our palates really do change through the years!

5. Relax.

I know we all want what’s best for our kids, so it can feel pretty awful if our kids hate vegetables and only want to eat gold fish crackers. Keep trying. Don’t nag. Don’t force. My kids have gone from eating very few veggies to loving many as they’ve gotten older.

By the way, after we had been on the road for so many days during our Christmas trip, ALL of my kids were begging for veggies and were even asking if we had spinach for salads when we got home. Their bodies have learned to crave the good stuff. Hallelujah!

Calling in for back up

I think our nourishment comes best from food. But supplements can help make sure we’re all getting what we need each day since most certainly, our diets are going to have gaps.

Our family was recently sent Juice Plus+ Orchard and Garden Blend Chewables for our kids to try. From their website:

Juice Plus+ is whole food based nutrition, including juice powder concentrates from 30 different fruits, vegetables and grains. Juice Plus+ helps bridge the gap between what you should eat and what you do eat every day. Not a multivitamin, medicine, treatment or cure for any disease, Juice Plus+ is made from quality ingredients carefully monitored from farm to capsule to provide natural nutrients your body needs to be at its best.

juice-plus

I personally found that the chewables are too sweet for me (it doesn’t take much!). I’m glad they are not sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, and wish they weren’t sweetened at all. But, just like I don’t mind my kids dipping veggies in ranch dressing as a way to get the veggies down, I have to land on the fact that even though these have added sweetener, at least it’s getting the nutrients in. My kids really like the taste and don’t mind at all helping themselves get some extra nutrients in the form of a gummy! (Also, Juice Plus+ offers capsules in addition to their gummies – no sugar!)

If you are concerned that your kids aren’t getting enough nutrients from veggies and fruits, Juice Plus+ is a great option to consider. In fact, it’s not just for kids! Adults are also often short on getting enough veggies. Juice Plus+ has capsules for the grown ups, for the kids, for everyone who wants to get more necessary nutrients from fruits and veggies.

Want to try some for free?

Jennifer, a Juice Plus+ representative working with me here, is offering to give one of you a month’s supply of Juice Plus+ Kid Chewables. Warning: If your kids are like mine, they’ll need to be held back from eating the entire package at once. My kids thought it was cool I had gotten them some “healthy fruit snacks.” That’s how good these taste to them! I had to holler in, “Hey, whoa! One per day, guys!”

Juice Plus+ is definitely worth checking into as an option for supplemental nourishment for your family. Check out Jennifer’s Juice Plus+ site here. Enter to win the giveaway for a 2-month supply of chewables below! I’ll draw a random winner on Monday, January 9.
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The Simple Way to Make Veggies Actually Taste Good

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Some of us don’t need to be convinced that veggies actually taste good. We already know. We love and crave many delicious veggies and can’t figure out what’s wrong with all the people who turn up their noses at green, orange, and red food that grows out of the ground.

Fruits and Veggies On the Go 2

For many of us, liking vegetables has come with age as our tastes change. It also helps when we actually try a new vegetable every once in a while. (I’m talking to all of you who say, “I don’t like that” before you’ve even actually tried it. You know who you are.)

Even with changing taste buds and willingness to try new veggies once in a while, I don’t know one person who likes every single vegetable on the planet. I love many different kinds, but I still really struggle with artichokes and beets. You?

But here’s what I’ve found to make a big difference in the world of vegetables. It’s the trick that can make a person turn around and actually like a vegetable he or she may not have liked before. It’s this:

Add a delicious, healthy fat to your veggie.

Not only does fat add flavor to the veggie and bring out its natural goodness, it adds necessary nutrients to fuel our bodies for energy and to feed our brains. I find it to be so very lovely when my brain actually works. You?

My favorite ways to add fat to veggies to create amazing flavor:

1. Butter

When I steam peas, broccoli, or carrots, I love to stir in some butter and sea salt. Oh my happy, happy veggies.

tuna_casserole

2. Bacon Grease

You guys. Cook your bacon, eat your bacon, then keep the grease it created and put it in a jar in your fridge. Stir a couple teaspoons into your steamed green beans along with some sea salt and see if your family doesn’t go back for seconds. Get over thinking that “bacon grease will give you a heart attack.” It’s good, natural fat. Don’t want a heart attack? Stop eating cookies and drinking pop. Love ya.

green-beans

3. Stir Fry them in Olive Oil

Last week we had a few college students over for a meal. I stir fried yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, and broccoli to go with our Hawaiian Chicken and Rice. Upon cleaning her plate, one of the college girls stood up and said, “I’m getting more veggies. Those were really good. Hmm. I’ve never said that before.”

It made my day and it proves my point. Add good fat to the veggies. Enjoy them with non-processed sea salt (full of needed minerals).

stir_fry

And what about raw veggies?

Well, eat them plain if you enjoy them that way. But if dipping them in something delicious helps you get them down, go for it with healthy dips like Homemade Ranch Dip or this Easy Veggie Dip.

Easy Veggie Dip 1

Tell me how you cook your veggies! What are your favorite fats to add? Have you found that healthy fats make veggies taste awesome?

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Be on the look-out! Our Simple Meals program is about to launch and you’re going to love it! In the meantime, here are our latest new Simple Recipes that go with the Simple Veggies talked about above:

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Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing Ideas

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I’m at church camp this week, loving life, swatting bugs, and trying to stay hydrated. While I’m gone, you can enjoy a re-posting of some of our most popular time-saving, money-saving, healthier eating mix recipes…

Originally posted March, 2009

Lookie what’s growing in my garden! Those cute little lettuce leaves will soon be cute big lettuce leaves. I can’t wait! I’ll be needing my homemade salad dressing before we know it.

lettuceingardenmay09sm.JPG

I don’t actually have an exciting salad recipe for you. I’m not terribly creative like that. My salad recipes almost always look something like:

  1. Wash and tear up a bunch of lettuce or spinach and put it in a bowl.
  2. Add whatever other raw veggies you have.
  3. If you’re feeling especially crazy, throw in some dried cranberries or raisins.
  4. If you want your salad to be your main dish, add some chicken, cheese and hard boiled egg.
  5. Grab a fork.

Homemade Salad Dressing Ideas

This is why I’m so excited about the above carnivals. However, I do have a fun idea for a salad dressing that I discovered one day when I was dinking around in the kitchen. Are you ready? It’s a novel idea.

Orange juice.  The juice from an orange. Fresh squeezed orange juicy goodness.

It’s refreshingly simple. And yummy. And it contains no high fructose corn syrup or MSG.

spinachsaladsm.JPG

Now that I’ve shared that enlightening salad tid-bit, I’m very excited to share another healthy homemade salad dressing idea!

Rhonda sent me a wonderful Ranch Dressing Mix recipe!! I used to use Simply Organic brand because I trust it more than other brands. But now, thanks to Rhonda, I can make a super healthy (and much, much less expensive) Ranch Dressing any time I need to!

Ranch Dressing MixYum

3.0 from 2 reviews
Healthy Homemade Salad Dressing Ideas
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • 5 Tablespoons dried minced onions
  • 7 teaspoon parsley flakes
  • 4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
  1. Mix together and store in an air tight container.
  2. For dressing: Mix 2 Tablespoons dry mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk or sour cream.
  3. For dip: Mix 2 Tablespoons dry mix with 2 cups sour cream or kreme fresh.
  4. Mix up a few hours before serving, so the flavors all blend nicely.

I use Hain Safflower mayo and Homemade Buttermilk.

Ranch Dressing and Dip Mix
The jar on the right is the mix, which costs pennies compared to a packaged mix! The jar on the left is the ranch dressing all made up and ready to go on our salad.

ranchdressin2sm.JPG
You HAVE to try this dressing! It tastes so…so real. And fresh. And pure. It’s delicious, simple and healthy! Obviously, you eat it on lettuce and other veggies – so that gives you wonderful, healthy…healthiness. (And of course, great servings of more fruits and veggies!)

Rhonda even suggested using this ranch dressing mix in my Ranch Potato Wedges recipe. It works GREAT!

I shall never buy another ranch dressing packet again. Rhonda – you rock!

And try squeezing an orange onto your salad sometime! See what you think! (Ever tried it before?) 

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I Add Spinach to Salsa Chicken (and Nobody Cares)

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I’ve talked in the past about how I add fresh spinach to several different foods for added nourishment. Read more details about this here, but below is a list of foods I’ve added spinach to successfully:

Most recently, I tore up a bunch of spinach leaves and added them to our Salsa Chicken for our Build a Burrito Bar. Here’s the thing about adding spinach to Salsa Chicken: No one can even tell.

spinach in salsa chicken

I mean, I tear and I tear and I tear. (I make it sound like it’s hard work. Tearing spinach is a two-second job, and mostly I just tear spinach leaves in half by the handful.) I probably put four ounces of fresh spinach into a big pot of Salsa Chicken. (Four ounces of spinach is a lot of spinach.)

Then I let the spinach cook in with the meat and salsa before I shredded it all together. The spinach adds nourishment, but doesn’t change the flavor or even the look of the chicken. I think the spinach just looks like part of the salsa once it’s all cooked down. See how pretty?

spinach in chicken2

I really don’t try to hide nutritious ingredients in my recipes, but neither do I always announce what all I’ve put into the food while I cooked it. I’ve done this “add spinach to Salsa Chicken” twice now, and when it was all said and done – my kids are none the wiser. To them, it just looks like I’ve made Salsa Chicken. Therefore, they proceeded to put more fresh spinach on their burrito as they build it. Nutrients on top of nutrients. How great is this?

As an aside, I’ve taken to snacking on fresh spinach while I’m cooking with it. It barely tastes like anything and it’s refreshing. Plus if I’m super hungry while I’m cooking it helps me feel like I can wait until meal time to eat with the family.

Do you ever add spinach to recipes? What have you found success with in adding spinach?

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