Clean Eating Thursdays- Cilantro Lime Rice (Cafe Rio Rice)

This rice is all over blog world. It is a favorite among all my friends now. And my sister just requested the recipe...so I decided, why not. It is recipe for the Clean Eating Thursday fans and my Countdown to Mexico fans... I use the term "fan" loosely. This rice is sticky, savory, and the lime juice gives it a twist of ...something wonderful!!!! I make mine is my rice cooker and it works great. I add the cilantro half way through the cook time so it doesn't over-wilt. You will never make Uncle Ben's again. (No offense Uncle Ben)Café Rio Lime Cilantro Rice

Source: The Girl Who Ate Everything

(Double this for large crowd)

Throw the following ingredients into your shopping cart

2 Tb. Butter

pepper to taste

1 ¼ rice

juice and zest 1 large or 2 small limes

2 ¼ cups chicken broth

2 Tb. chopped cilantro

¾ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. cumin

Put your apron on and ...

In a skillet melt butter with rice, add liquid, and other ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Like I said above, I use my rice cooker. Mine requires a little more liquid. Also, add the cilantro towards the end.

Clean Eating Thursday on a Friday...Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Holy Moly!! Talk about miracle cookies! These cookies have no flour in them, yet set up just dandy...if that isn't a miracle I don't know what is!! If you like the flavor and texture of Almond Butter...these will wow the socks off of you! By the way...LOVE almond butter. Its ingredients are the following: almonds. You don't get more natural than that! Almond butter is a little expensive. By far, the most affordable (and delicious) I have found is at Costco. You get twice as much for the same price as Walmart. Made according to the recipe (with the sucanat) each cookie has only 110 calories, 1 gram of fiber, 2 grams of protein, 10 grams carbs, 8 grams fat...NOT TOO terrible. If I am gestational diabetic again...these bad boys are going to be just the thing the doc. ordered!

Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Source: Clean Eating Magazine

Put the following ingredients in your cart...

1 cup unsalted almond butter, well stirred

3/4 cup Sucanat (this is a natural sweetener...hard to find...and when you do...expensive...I use sugar...the white, refined stuff that is bad for us.)

1 large egg

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. sea salt (or reg. salt...but not as "clean")

3 oz. dark chocolate (70% cocoa or greater) broken into small bits

Put your apron on and get bakin'..

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together in mixer adding chocolate last. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheets lined with silpat or parchment paper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack. Cookies are VERY crumbly.

Clean Eating Thursdays- Chicken Barley Stew

My husband and I both served missions for our church (we are Mormon) in Romania. Romanians have a diet rich in bread and fats. Very low in sweets. In fact, their desserts were a joke. But, man, they had some good soup called borsi (pronounced borsh). Imagine a nice broth based soup with sour cream stirred in so it has a light, creamy and tangy flavor. This stew took us back to that concrete jungle that was Romania. Mmmm delish! This recipe was given to me by my sister. It was so good and different. And...enjoy it guilt free!

Chicken Barley Stew
Source: Valerie Stanton from Clean Eating

Put the following ingredients into your cart...

32oz low fat, low sodium chicken broth
1Tbsp garlic, minced
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 Tbsp thyme
1/2 Tbsp basil
1/2 Tbsp cilantro
1/4 Tbsp dill
2 bay leaves
1/2 Tbsp black pepper
12 oz chicken breast, uncooked
1/2 cup barley 1 can black eyed peas (as you can see in the photo, I used kidney beans)
1 med onion, cubed
20 oz potatoes, peeled an cubed
10 oz carrots, peeled and cut
8 tbsp sour cream

Put your apron on and...

Fill slow cooker with broth, 8 0z water, garlic, herbs and pepper. Add chicken, peas, and barley, then layer onion, potatoes, carrots, over top. Liquid should just cover veggies. Do not stir. Allow to simmer at least 4 to 6 hours. Remove bay leaves and stir before serving. Spoon 1 cup into each bowl and top with 1 tbsp sour cream.

Clean Eating Thursday #5- Healthy Maple Almond Granola

As stated in previous posts, we here have a breakfast obsession. I am always trying out new recipes and ideas to spice up breakfast. My gal pals are always teasing me saying my kids smell like syrup when I drop them off in the morning. Boxed cereal...you are NOT welcome here!!

I love plain yogurt for breakfast. I have been sprinkling it with flaxseed, nuts, berries and agave nectar. YUM!! Well...this granola is AMAZING with yogurt. I found it in my The Happy Baker Cookbook. (Which by the way...I LOVE! The happy baker, Erin, is a crack up and her food photography is my favorite I have seen.) This granola is clean and healthy (except for the maple syrup (which you could substitute honey for if you are trying to eat 100% "clean"))

My kids were eating this dry by the handful. It is sweet and cinnamon-y and crunchy. I will be adding this to our breakfast staples.

Healthy Maple-Almond Granola
Source: The Happy Baker

Put the following ingredients into your cart...
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
2 Tab. honey
1 Tab. vegetable oil
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
2 cups quick oats
1 cup slivered or whole almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup dark/bittersweet chocolate chips
Put your apron on and...

1. Preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Spray with Pam your 9 X 13.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine syrup, honey, oil, cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Stir in the rest of your ingredients except the chocolate chips.

3. Bake for 35-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Granola will crisp when cool. When completely cool, add chocolate chips. (I added dried cranberries. Raisins would be good too. Any dry fruit)
Store in an airtight container.

Clean Eating Thursday #4 - Veggie Packed Sloppy Joes

(Picture by Wylie Tidwell Photography)

My baby's first birthday was Tuesday. He was sick with an earache and couldn't have cared less. However, I figured I better make a big deal out of it for the big brothers and so that in the future Luke doesn't complain. I have a little sister (child #5 for my parents) who sometimes is bitter about the lack of pictures documenting her childhood in general. This little party had him in tears most of the meal. But he did enjoy his cake, or shall I say monster cupcakes. I will share them with you soon. I loved how simple they were. Anyways, I made this meal that night. Super good. I simplified the recipe like I often do with Clean Eating. But, we loved the results. I varied so much from the original recipe, I am calling this one an original! For instance, the original recipe called for bison, I used ground turkey. The original recipe had you making their marinara sauce, I used canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and some spices. I will never make Manwich again...this seemed so much healthier and guilt-free...and NATURAL.

Veggie-Packed Sloppy Joes

Loosely adapted from Clean Eating Magazine

Put in your shopping cart the following ingredients...

1 tsp. olive oil

1 1b. ground turkey breast (recipe called for ground bison, really you could use ground beef also)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced

2 tsp. chile powder

3/4 tsp. mustard powder

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 sweet red bell pepper

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 small eggplant (about 3/4 lb.) diced

2 carrots shredded

1 can diced tomatoes with juice (I used organic)

1/2 small can tomato paste

salt and pepper to taste

1 tab. honey or agave nectar

whole grain buns...I used the new thin, low calorie kind

Put your apron on and ...

Brown meat in skillet with olive oil. Add onion and garlic when meat is about half done. Add chile, mustard, and cayenne. (Mine was a little spicier than my boys like...next time I will be dialing down these spices...how do your kids like it? If they are bland eaters, try 1 tsp. chile powder, the mustard and called for, and leave out the cayenne.) Set meat mixture aside.

Saute bell pepper, eggplant, zucchini, and carrots about 5 minutes. Add meat mixture, tomatoes, and paste, and heat thoroughly. Test to make sure veggies are nice and soft. Add salt and pepper and honey to taste. Serve on toasted buns with forks. These put the sloppy in sloppy joes!

Cleaning Eating Thursday (on a Friday) #3 -Lentil Tacos

Better late than never is my motto! Time was not in my favor last night and I figured...why not have Clean Eating Friday this week?! This full-time mom/preschool teacher/daycare provider/taxi/maid/Bakery Box owner/ has been BUSY! But...good news today. The maids came! For any readers out there who are gasping right now (I am a little frugal) I got the maid service for free as part payment for my services for the wedding I did. Best thing EVER. My toilet paper was folded, my couches vacuumed, microwave cleaned...sigh...I better enjoy it for the one day it will last. I know what I want for my birthday/anniversary/Valentine's Day for now on!

Well, this meal will give you time for extra cleaning. I invented it. It was delicious, healthy, inexpensive, versatile, and lasted three nights and a lunch. The first night, I served the tacos pictured below, the second night I served the lentils over rice, and the third night I made a soup from it...throwing in whatever I had in my fridge. They were good all three ways.

I cannot technically claim this recipe to be "clean eating" due to the taco seasoning and the corn tortillas. HOWEVER...close enough...and here goes...

Lentil Tacos
Idea inspired by: my dear friend Julie Fletcher

Put in your shopping cart the following ingredients:

Taco seasoning
1bag brownish/green lentils

1 can black beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can corn

for garnish: black olives, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, chives, etc.

Put your apron on and ...

Cook 2 cups lentils according to package directions with about two to four tablespoons taco seasoning according to taste. Move to a large skillet (this makes a ton) and add canned corn, black beans, and tomatoes til warm. Serve in warmed corn tortillas and garnish however you like em. You won't miss the meat...my husband the carnivore loved all three versions of these lentils!

Clean Eating Thursday #1- Super-fast Thai Chili

Clean Eating. Have you heard the phrase? It is really popular right now. There is a magazine, a show, cook books, etc. Basically it is eating naturally, no processed food, no white sugar (GASP), butter not margarine, no canned cream of mushroom soup casseroles, etc. ALL natural foods. This concept may seem like the polar opposite of The Bakery Box. But, everything in moderation, right? And although I LOVE to bake, I do try hard to be healthy. And I do try hard to practice self-control. Yesterday, I made toffee, sugar cookies, and two kinds of cupcakes. I only ate 1 cupcake (today I ate 5 though so I guess that counters yesterday...crap...) Anyways, yes, we should try to eat healthy meals if we want to snack like pigs, carb-adicts, glutens. So, I propose to start one meal at a time. Every Wednesday night I will make something from Clean Eating and post about it on Thursday night. I have been getting the magazine now for a year and have loved every single recipe I have made (ugh...except for the desserts) So, last night we had thai chili. It had wheat bulgur in it and sweet potatoes. Sound strange? It was pretty delish and my boys ate it. THAT is something. And my hubby Paul gave it the "make again" rating. So, here's to your health. Make it (Seriously a 30 minute meal!!! ) and THEN eat a cupcake! :)

Super Fast Thai Chili
Source: Clean Eating Magazine January 2011

Put in your shopping cart
1 1/2 tsp. red curry paste---see note below
1 tsp. ground cumin
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth----see note below
1/2 cup uncooked wheat bulgur
1/2 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed (2 cups)
1 large green pepper (2 cups)
3 cups cooked kidney beans, drained (probably about 2 cans)
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 cups jarred or boxed tomato puree
2 scallions
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Put on your apron and:

1. In a 4 quart pot, add curry paste, cumin and a bit of broth. Mash mixture and stir until paste is no longer in lumps. Add remaining broth, bulgur, potato, and bell pepper. Set over high heat and bring mixture to a boil. Cover tightly, reduce heat to med. low and cook for 10 minutes.

2. Add beans, coconut milk, and tomato puree to pot and stir. Cook, uncovered, for 7 min, until bulgur is tender and chili is thick. Garnish with scallions and black pepper.

Notes on this recipe:
I changed a few things that maybe you might want to try. My Walmart didn't have red curry paste. I just used about 1 1/2 tsp. curry powder. Also, I didn't want to spend the money on vegetable broth, so I used chicken bouillon and beef bouillon at home...a mixture of both. ( Are you shaking your head right now thinking, "Ghetto, much? " ... I know...I know...) Also I added a big can of tomatoes to the chili...I think this is a good addition. We also topped ours with green onions instead of scallions (Sigh...once again ghetto) And we couldn't forget the fattening shredded cheddar cheese. Even with these changes, or maybe because of them, this chili was so good and really a different combination of flavors!