Banana Pomegranate Shake

Banana Pomegranate Shake

Copyright 2006, GranolaChic, All Rights Reserved

1 medium to large pomegranate for each person you plan to serve or the Odwalla brand Pomegranate 100% juice 8oz per person

1 banana for each person you plan to serve

  

Wash the outside of the pomegranate and then cut into quarters. Fill a glass bowl with cool purified water and remove all of the seeds. Puree your seeds in a blender until absolutely smooth, there will be some seeds remaining as fine as raspberry seeds. Some may not mind the small seeds and others may find it distracting to eat and may find the seeds bothersome. Strain the seeds out and return the seed free juice to the blender and add your banana. Serve.

  

Fast Easy Version: Instead of using fresh pomegranates or if the grocer does not have deliciously bright, firm, and non bruised pomegranates Odwalla has pomegranate juice and it is very good. You may use their ready made juice as a delicious and healthy alternative to the fresh fruit if you need a time saver.

Green Eggs & Maple

Green Eggs & Maple

Copyright 2004, GranolaChic, All Rights Reserved

Organic Eggs 1-2 per person

Fleur De Sel or Celtic Sea Salt to taste

Green Powder like Perfect Food Super Green Formula or your favorite variety (one pinch to 2 Tablespoons depending on your palate)

Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup

 

 

This is a top request believe it or not and I have not had one child turn their nose up to my very fun green eggs. I created this on a whim wanting to have fun with green eggs and it went over great.

Take organic eggs and mix with a fork add a pinch of Fleur De Sel and anywhere from a pinch to two tablespoons of green powder to the eggs. Add Goat butter or oil in the sauté pan and scramble the eggs to your preferred doneness. Serve with warm maple syrup over the eggs.

Variation: Add maple syrup or Agave Nectar to the egg mixture before cooking the eggs, add Fleur Del Sel to taste (just a pinch), add greens, scramble the eggs and hit with maple syrup before serving.

For those that are all the way GranolaChic, add the greens after cooking the eggs and right before serving. Then drizzle with Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup. Children seem to really love it when the greens are cooked into the food and it takes getting used to if you choose to sprinkle it on top of your food. If you choose to sprinkle the greens on top of the eggs rather than mix the greens into the egg mixture, it does add additional nutrition because the greens are not cooked, the enzymes are not compromised, but it is for those that have acquired a taste for green foods.

 

 

 

 

Remember to try “A Little Green in Everything”.

 

Have a GranolaChic Day!!!!!

 

Banana & Pomegranate Popsicles

Banana & Pomegranate Popsicles

Copyright 2006, GranolaChic, All Rights Reserved

  

1 medium to large pomegranate for each person you plan to serve

1 banana for each person you plan to serve

Popsicle molds

 

Wash the outside of the pomegranate and then cut into quarters. Fill a glass bowl with cool purified water and remove all of the seeds. Puree your seeds in a blender until absolutely smooth, there will be some seeds remaining as fine as raspberry seeds. Some may not mind the small seeds and others may find it distracting to eat and may find the seeds bothersome. Strain the seeds out and return the seed free juice to the blender and add your banana. Pour into prepared molds. Freeze overnight. Serve to happy little smiling faces. If it feels too thick you may add a hint of goat milk or rice milk to lighten up the mix.

Variations:  FOR ADULTS ONLY  add a touch of coconut rum to your mix and then freeze.

Fast Easy Version: Instead of using fresh pomegranates or if the grocer does not have deliciously bright, firm, and non bruised pomegranates Odwalla has pomegranate juice and it is very good. You may use their ready made juice as a delicious and healthy alternative to the fresh and a little more time consuming fresh fruit.

Perfetto Fagiolini (perfect green beans)

Perfetto Fagiolini (perfect green beans)

Copyright 2006, GranolaChic, All Rights Reserved

Green beans (a generous handful for each person that will be served)

Fleur De Sel or Celtic Sea Salt

1/2 – 1 tsp Organic Onion Powder to taste

1/8- 1/4 tsp Organic Garlic Powder to taste

2 Tablespoons Organic Olive Oil or Organic Coconut Oil (for sauté pan)

2 Tablespoons Organic Olive Oil or Organic Coconut Oil (for finishing the dish)

Braggs Amino Acids (to taste)(if your diet will allow… soy restrictions need to check with your physician)

3-4 cloves Organic Garlic sliced

  

Gather the most fresh, bright green, Haricots verts, Fagiolini, green beans (whatever you choose to call them) and prepare to have your children begging for more. Children honestly fight for the last serving of these delicious beauties.

 If you do not have access to the fresh variety I have found that sometimes Sam’s has a frozen organic green bean that is delightful and very sweet. If you cannot locate these do not fret because any high grade organic frozen green bean will work just fine.  Add Olive oil to the sauté pan and then add your green beans. Add a pinch of garlic powder, a pinch of onion powder, and a pinch of Fleur De Sel and Sauté until the beans are al dente (means to the tooth) so not soggy, not soft, firm but not completely raw. Right before they are finished cooking add (to taste) the Braggs Amino Acids I use 2 Tablespoons. If the beans look like they need more oil add the additional olive oil and allow the oil to marry with the Braggs. Before serving sprinkle with the additional organic garlic powder, organic onion powder and serve. Offer Fleur De Sel at the table for personal salt preference.   

Variations: For those that cannot use Braggs use the same recipe just omit the Braggs completely. This makes a wonderful dish either way.

I also enjoy adding sliced garlic in this dish and if you choose to do this sauté the garlic in oil before adding the green beans. Continue with the recipe as above and enjoy. By using sliced garlic it is easy to pick out the pieces of garlic by allowing your guest to push them to the side of the plate if they do not want to eat the pieces. It makes it a friendlier dish rather than using minced garlic because it offers the wonderful flavor and aroma without forcing someone to eat the chunks of garlic.

Have a GranolaChic day and don’t forget to “ add a little green to everything”!!

     

Banana Coconut Popsicles

Banana Coconut Popsicles

Copyright 2006, GranolaChic, All Rights Reserved

 

1 Banana for each person you plan to serve. Ripe with some brown spots on the yellow flesh (not mushy, not bruised, just a few brown spots)

1 young coconut (with flesh and coconut water) or use R.W. Knudsen coconut nectar or similar coconut nectar in a 32 oz jar. Plan on using 8oz per person.

Agave Nectar to taste 1-2 Tablespoons or Maple Syrup 1-2 Tablespoons Don’t forget to taste before you pour, you may want to add more sweetener use your own palate to guide you.

 

Blend, pour into Popsicle molds, and freeze overnight. Serve.

 

If using fresh young coconut you will need to drain the coconut water out of the coconut and reserve the liquid. Scrape the meat from the coconut and puree until absolutely smooth before adding the other ingredients. If you do not puree until smooth you will have chunks of coconut which some may not mind but all of the children for which I have cooked have had a huge aversion to chunks of anything. Because I have had so much experience dealing with texture issues I have found perfect purees allow ingredients to go into recipes that otherwise would be refused. It develops the palate, offers additional nutrition, and has the added benefit of adding weight to some of my clients or little chefs that need all the help they can get to sneak additional calories into the diet. After you have a smooth puree add your coconut water and blend again, then add the bananas, last add your nectar or preferred sweetener.

 

 

Questions: Why will it add weight? Great question. Coconut is a healthy fat and it is so amazing for your health. The great side of this is that the children may want to eat 5 popsicles at a time and there is nothing bad in this popsicle. If they like the flavor and feel like they are getting a naughty treat they may feel it is a sinful delight but it is a healthy habit instead. One popsicle may not add too much weight but the way in which you will be requested to serve these may help with adding a little additional weight to those who need the help.

 

Variation ADULTS ONLY: For adults add coconut rum to the mix, pour, freeze, and serve. For a frozen beverage make the mix, pour into a container, freeze, spoon out like ice dessert or spoon into the blender again and give it a whirl. Pour into glasses and enjoy a frozen blended drink of Banana & Coconut Rum.

 

Kid Friendly

I have a heart for mothers and I have worked with many moms and I prefer the challenge of bringing fun foods into the family menu that kids LOVE!!! I have had so many moms tell me their kids hate broccoli or veggies and by the time they taste our yummies the kids honestly fight over who got MORE broccoli and want a second batch. I love cooking in the kitchen with my (little chefs or little clients) and I hope to encourage you to bond with your children in the kitchen too. Fast food is well….fast but not fun, not bonding, not creative, not exciting and it does not build fond life-long memories. While it takes more time to allow children to participate in meal preporation, it is much more messy with little hands in the pot, and its presentation may appear disheveled a bit……. just think of the brilliant masterpieces that will unfold and the bonding that will take place as you cook together. I will give you ideas, tips, and recipes.  Please give me time because I have far more recipes than I have time to write. Once you start cooking with your little chef please send me an email and share the fun stories. Remember, it will not be perfect, it does not have to be perfect, but the outcome will be brilliant. It will be brilliant because even if you have a burnt crooked crust all that your little chef will recall is that you indulged them with a portion of your time and they will feel it was the greatest dish ever made. Who knows, perhaps you will inspire a future chef….that is what my Italian grandmother did for me. Again, thank you for checking in, keep stopping by, send me an email with any questions you may have, and have a GranolaChic Day!!!!!!

The Granola Chic