Split Pea (and vegetable) Soup with Ham.

We've had a shift in weather recently : The snow has melted and the wind has become extraordinary. Gusting through the trees, letting me know where all the weak spots are around my doors and windows, pushing my car back and forth while I try to stay in my lane.

Gavin and I ventured out in it a few days ago and he (almost) panicked because no matter how he turned his head the wind was attaching his face. I had to pick him up and carry him with his head buried in my chest. 

I kind of loved it. Not Gavin panicking, but feeling the cold wind blow all around. Hearing   it holler outside while I'm snug at my computer, knowing that there's a pot of soup simmering for dinner.

Ah soup. For me it is the ultimate comfort food. Warm, filling, delicious. Grab a bowl (or cup) and hunker down with a good book or movie and just let time pass around you while you snuggle in a little cocoon of peace. 

And of course it (can be) extremely healthy. 

Now split pea soup is already very healthy so how can we make it better? Sneaking in more veggies!

In this recipe I've used (yellow) summer squash, however feel free to substitue with whatever you'd like. Other great vegetables to sub in are: Green Beans, Spinach, Zucchini, Kale, Squash (acorn, butternut), Asparagus, Turnip, Bell Pepper. Keep in mind the flavors your adding - I would stick with 1 and a half cups of extra vegetable per half pound of split peas. That way you shouldn't overpower the star of the show. 

Also I have (extremely) picky eaters so I've blended the carrots, celery, and onion as well to keep their nutrition but hide their presence. Feel free to keep them whole.

Recipe:
1/2 lb Split Peas
6 cups Ham Stock
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 cup diced Onion
3/4 cup diced Carrots
1 1/2 cups sliced Yellow Summer Squash
1 cup diced Potatoes
1 1/2 cups Ham

1. Simmer the Split Peas, Ham Stock, Garlic, Onion, Carrots, and Summer Squash together for 2 hours or until peas are soft.

2. (Optional) Use a hand mixer and blend the vegetables until completely smooth.

3. Add in the Ham and Potatoes then continue to simmer for 20 min or until potatoes are cooked to your liking.

4. Enjoy!

Pro-tip: This is the perfect way to use leftover Ham. 

Ham (or Chicken, or Beef) Stock

The meal is over, you've carved the excess meat off the bone and packaged it away and now you're about to take the remains to the trash.

STOP!

You're holding a flavorful treasure in your hands. If you don't have time that night wrap the bones up for the next day. It takes a while to cook but there's practically zero prep time and it's very low maintenance. 

What am I talking about? Stock of course! Oh you don't think you'd ever use it? Do you make mashed potatoes? Rice? Casseroles? Soups? Sauces? Packaged seasoned noodles? If you answered "yes" to any of these then you WILL use your stock. 

If you didn't answer "yes" to any of them I guess you eat a lot of fried eggs and sandwiches. In which case it's time to branch out and try new things. 

The "recipe":

Bones

Water

1. Put the bones into a pot

2. Add water until the bones are barely covered

3. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat a simmer for 2 hours. 

4. Remove from heat, Remove bones. Let cool to room temperature and store until needed. 

Wasn't that hard? 

If you'd like to add salt, pepper, herbs, feel free to do so. Unless I have a specific meal in mind I like to keep my stock neutral so that it can work in any dish. 

Storing options: This can be frozen or put in the refrigerator. My method of storing is to put them in an ice cube tray- let it freeze- then package the cubes in a gallon size freezer bag.

My ice cube trays hold 1 ounce per cube so when adding to recipes it takes just a moment of math to drop the right amount of cubes in.

At first you might forget it's there, even I'm guilty of pouring in water instead of the stock, but soon it will be second nature.

You might think it a small saving when you could purchase a can for $0.50 cents, but this gives you complete control and you know exactly what is in your stock and how fresh it is. Plus it's literally as simple as boiling water. Try it out. I promise your everyday dishes will have a little something extra in flavor and you'll be more satisfied as a result.

(savory) Sausage Gravy Oatmeal

Let's just skip to the (money shot).

I love sausage gravy and biscuits. Who doesn't? However taking the time to make fresh, hot biscuits and a creamy pan sausage gravy does not fit into my everyday schedule (or calorie intake).

This oatmeal is a great quick choice for busy mornings and while not exactly the same still delivers the same flavors and mouth feel of a plate of the classic it's inspired from.

Behold the amazing (savory) Sausage Gravy Oatmeal: Delicious, Healthy, and (super) Easy.

Necessary items:
1/2 cup Oatmeal (I used Old Fashioned Rolled Oats)
1 cup Water
2 oz (cooked) Reduced Fat Sausage
1/4 t Onion Powder
1/4 t Garlic Powder
1/2 t Sage
Black Pepper + Salt

Optionals:
Crushed Red Pepper

1. Mix the Oatmeal and Water in a microwave safe bowl. Cook for 2 min.

2. Stir in the Reduced Fat Sausage. Cook for an additional 1-2 min (time will vary by microwave oven and your own preference).

3. Add in seasonings (Seasonings should ALWAYS be personalized- put in what you want and adjust them to your taste. Different brands will have different potency levels as will how old your spices are so keep that in mind).

4. Mix and enjoy!

*for a more creamy oatmeal add in a shot of milk (or cream). I am (very sadly) lactose intolerant and my recipes reflect that.

Nutritional information:

1 Serving

Calories: 290

Total Fat: 14g
(saturated): 4g
Cholesterol: 35mg
Sodium:350mg
Potassium:
Total Carbohydrate: 28g
(fiber): 4g
(sugar): 1g
Protein: 14g

MASHED (protein) POTATOES

Picky eaters are not ideal. It can be cute when they're babies and spit out the mashed spinach, but when they're toddlers refusing their plate its tiring and once they're over 10 and refuse to eat what's been prepared you feel the urge to smack them but settle for not letting them have dessert. When it's an adult (husband, wife, relative) that wrinkles their nose it's even worse. 

You should always offer new and healthy foods to your picky eaters but some studies have shown it takes more than 7 tries for your child to actually take a taste of the new food. It's frustrating when they won't eat but you've just got to breathe and try again next time. Eat the healthy food while they're watching and they're likely to try it sooner. 

I offer all sorts of foods to my little picky eater and he'll usually try it but very often it's not in his mouth for long. The biggest headache for me is that he isn't consistent: one night he'll eat his chicken, the next he'll eat his peas, the third night the only thing he wants for dinner is a banana. Most the time however he will eat mashed potatoes so today we're featuring a side dish, that I think most kids enjoy, with a little extra nutrition tucked in. 

This recipe does contain more calories than a boxed mashed potatoes but you're adding more than 3 grams of fiber, more than 4 grams of protein, losing more than 1 1/2 grams of fat as well as taking out more than 330 mg of sodium! I think the trade off is worth it. 

MASHED (protein) POTATOES

Serves: 6

Difficulty: Easy

Prep: overnight +10 min Cook: 15-20 min

1 cup white beans (canned, any variety)

1/2 cup barley (soaked overnight)

2 large potatoes

1 clove garlic

6 T sour cream

½ cup water

2 T salt-free seasoning blend (such as Italian, poultry, Mrs. Dash, ect.)

1.Soak the barley overnight in 1 cup of water.

2.In a small saucepan mix the barley and beans with 1 ½ cups of water. Bring to a boil then let simmer on a medium-low temperature for 15 min.

3.Cut the potatoes into half inch squares and place in a second saucepan, add the garlic, cover with water and bring to a boil. Keep potatoes at a medium boil for 15 to 20 min. The potatoes are ready when they can be poked with a fork. 

4.After 15 min remove your barley and beans from the heat and drain off all the liquid. To the beans and barley add the sour cream and water.  With an immersion blender (or food processor or stand blender) mix until creamy (2-3 minutes).

5.Drain the water from the potatoes and add to the bean and barley puree. With a fork or spoon smash the potatoes into the bean mixture. Add the seasoning mix and stir until completely combined.

Makes 6 half cup servings.

For the comparison recipe we’re going with packaged potatoes, the sort where you add milk and butter and water and whip it together.

This recipe:                                     Packaged Potatoes:

Serving size: ½ cup                         Serving size: ½ cup

Calories: 191                                  Calories: 119

Fat: 2.9 g                                         Fat: 4.4 g

Saturated Fat: 1.7 g                         Saturated Fat: 1.1 g

Cholesterol: 5.3 mg                        Cholesterol: 1 mg

Sodium: 19.9 mg                             Sodium: 350 mg

Carbs: 36.1 g                                   Carbs: 17.7 g

Fiber: 5.3 g                                      Fiber: 1.6 g

Sugar: 1.2 g                                      Sugar: 1.5 g

Protein: 6.5 g                                   Protein: 2.1 g

Potassium: 776.4 mg                        Potassium: 344.4 mg

(more than) CHICKEN NUGGETS

My son LOVES chicken nuggets. He's had them from all the major fast food chains and thinks they're all equally delicious. And I hate to admit it but I mostly agree with him: they are pretty good taste wise, but health wise I cringe and try to keep these outings to once or twice a month. He's a picky eater and because he eats these so well I wanted to incorporate them into our diet more often, but without all the fat and calories and maybe even with a little bit extra goodness snuck in. 

With this recipe you’re cutting out: 125 calories, 14 grams of fat, 301 mg of sodium, as well as adding fiber and a little more protein to your diet. Pair it with a salad or baked sweet potato fries and you have a meal that's as delicious as it is healthy. 

I'll admit: the texture is a little different and there's no breading, but I've yet to meet a child that cared about either. So when you have a little extra time this week try it out for yourself or on your little ones and let me know how it goes. 

(more than) CHICKEN NUGGETS

Difficulty: easy-medium

Serves: 6

Prep: 20-50 min, Cook: 20 min

½ c Quinoa (dried)

1 c Water

4 Egg whites

¼ c Black beans (cooked or from can)

¼ c Corn (fresh or from can)

4 Chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)

2 tsp Black pepper

2 tsp Onion powder

2 tsp Garlic powder

2 tsp Rosemary (dried)

2 tsp Mustard powder

1 pinch Salt

1    1.  Bring water to boil in a small saucepan. Once boiling stir in quinoa, lower temperature cover and let simmer for 15 min.

2   2. While the quinoa is simmering add the rest of the ingredients into your food processor and blend until the chicken resembles a paste.

3     3. Check the quinoa at 15 min, the water should be completely soaked up into the grain (like when you cook rice). Take out of the pan and let rest in a small mixing bowl for 5 min to cool down, add the chicken mixture and stir until combined.

You now have two options: continue on to step 4, or let the chicken and quinoa mixture set in the fridge for 30 min to firm up for easier shaping (if you make this ahead of time simply put it in the fridge until you’re ready to cook dinner). Letting the mixture cool down helps later when trying to shape your nuggets, if you don’t care that they aren’t the iconic nugget shape feel free to start cooking as soon as you’re done mixing.

       

      4.Heat a large non-stick fry pan on the stove with a small amount of oil. If your mix has been in the fridge dip your hands in cold water or flour and shape into walnut size balls, then flatten to ¼ of an inch thick and place in hot pan.

If your mix hasn’t set in the fridge take a generous spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) and place in hot frying pan, use the back of your spoon to pat the nugget into the general shape and so it’s ¼ of an inch thick.

       

      5. These nuggets need just 1-2 min per side. Once their browned flip them over to the second side when it’s nicely colored take them out and place on a paper towel. When cooking chicken always check to make sure that the product is being fully cooked.

You should get 30 chicken nuggets, 5 per serving.

So why should you go through this trouble? It all comes down to nutrition.

This recipe                                            National Brand (frozen)

5 pieces per serving                               5 pieces per serving

Calories: 145                                         Calories: 270

Total Fat: 3 g                                         Total Fat: 17 g

Saturated Fat: .5 g                                 Saturated Fat: 4 g

Cholesterol: 38 mg                                 Cholesterol: 40 mg

Sodium: 169 mg                                     Sodium: 470 mg

Potassium: 185 mg                                  Potassium: --

Carbs: 15 g                                            Carbs: 15 g

Fiber: 2.4 g                                             Fiber: --

Sugar: 1.5 g                                            Sugar: --

Protein: 15.4 g                                          Protein: 14 g


This recipe is also a good source* of niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin, b-6, and iron.


*has at least 10% of your daily nutritional value.