Creamy Garlic & Herb Shrimp Linguine

Recipe By:  Tara Elias

220 g linguine, uncooked
2 cups frozen peas, defrosted
3 Tbsp. Italian Dressing
1 lb. (450 g) frozen uncooked deveined peeled large shrimp, thawed
1/2 cup (1/2 of 250-g tub) Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese Spread
2/3 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. Parmesan grated cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta in large saucepan as directed on package.

Meanwhile, heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add shrimp; cook 3 to 4 min. or until shrimp turn pink, stirring frequently. Transfer to bowl; cover to keep warm.

Add peas, cream cheese spread and broth to skillet; cook and stir on medium heat 4 min. or until cream cheese is melted and sauce is thickened. (Do not let sauce come to boil.)

Drain pasta mixture. Add to sauce with shrimp mixture; mix well. Top with Parmesan and parsley.

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Tastes great with white wine and a salad.

 
No-Bake Cherry Cheesecake Squares

Recipe By:  Tara Elias

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup granulated sugar – divided use
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (21-ounce) can cherry filling and topping
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Combine graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup of the sugar and melted butter in a mixing bowl; mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. Let crust chill while preparing the rest of the ingredients.

Put cream cheese, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, lemon peel and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into prepared crust.

Combine cherry filling and almond extract. Pour over cheese filling. Refrigerate, covered, ready to serve.

Makes 9 servings.

Carrot Soufflé

Recipe By: Marlissa Tutaj

Ingredients:
2 pounds baby carrots
1 quart of Trader Joe’s Free Range Chicken Broth, or Imagine Free Range Chicken Broth
3 omega 3 eggs
2 tablespoon minced onion
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tablespoon coconut flour
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

Process:
Cook carrots until soft in free range chicken broth.
Preheat oven to 350.
In large bowl, combine pureed carrots, onion, lemon juice, melted coconut oil, coconut flour, salt, cinnamon, pure maple syrup, and eggs.
Beat all ingredients until smooth.
Pour into a 2 quart souffle dish, lightly greased with coconut oil.
Bake uncovered for 45-60 minutes, center should be firm to the touch before eating.
Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired, and serve.
*Carrots may be cooked and pureed hours ahead adding lemon juice and covering tightly until ready to mix other ingredients. You also may bake the souffle, freeze it, and reheat it.

Alfredo Penne

Recipe By: Cecilia Charm

Cooked penne pastaAlfredo sauce, shredded cheddar cheese and marble cheese, frozen chicken breast. Mix all together. Put in the oven until the cheese has melted and the chicken breast has thawed.

Vegan Valentine’s Day recipe Tofu Piccata as the entree

Recipe By: Jen Newman Rutsky

1 block of extra-firm tofu, drained
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup chickpea flour
1 Tbsp. safflower oil
¼ cup dry Vegan white wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. capers, drained
2 Tbsp. Vegan buttery spread
6 or 7 Fresh lemon slices
Fresh parsley for garnish, chopped

Cut the tofu into 8 slices. I do this by cutting the block in half width-wise, then cutting each half-block into 4 thin rectangular slices.

Put the chickpea flour on a plate. Season it with salt and pepper. Coat both sides of the tofu slices with the flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté the tofu slices until they are browned and a bit crisp on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the tofu to a warm platter and set aside.

Add the wine to the pan (it is safer to take the pan off the heat when you do this) and then add the minced garlic. Cook until the garlic is slightly browned and the wine is mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Add the broth, lemon juice and the capers to the pan. Return the tofu to the pan and let them cook in the liquid for about a minute on each side. This will allow them to soak in the flavor of the liquid. Then transfer the tofu back to the warm platter.

Add the Vegan buttery spread and the lemon slices to the pan to complete the sauce.

When the spread melts, pour the sauce over the tofu. Garnish with the chopped fresh parsley and lemon slices.

Serve with any side dish you desire. I heated a pan with a mix of oil and Vegan butter spread. Then cooked some cut up fingerling potatoes with salt, pepper, and rosemary. I let them cook until they were brown and crispy on both sides. Decadent! Tofu Piccata and Fingerling Potatoes are a perfect duo!

Childhood obesity has become an epidemic in our country. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), it has more than tripled in the last 30 years. In 2008, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. And that is a BIG, BIG problem. Sadly, I’m guessing this doesn’t come as much of a shock to anyone reading this. The issue is that we know children are not getting the activity they need, yet we act surprised by the consequences.  It’s time for a solution and I have one.

First, let me tell you a bit about who I am and why empowering people  to grow and thrive is my driving passion. I’ve had the good fortune to study Dance Education at NYU and take my love of dance and acting to Los Angeles where, for 18 years, I enjoyed my time as a television and film actress  Eventually I realized I no longer wanted to be just a character in other people’s stories. I wanted to grow something –something that could make a big difference to future generations.

So, back to graduate school I went to study Developmental Education. I trained and started teaching yoga – and found that I was drawn to yoga and kids – it was a natural fit. While teaching and training the younger generations, it really hit me that kids needed a more exciting form of exercise than their teacher or caregivers were able to provide. But there wasn’t a lot of material or curriculum to support yogis and classroom teachers to guide and entice kids to get moving or embody self-care and regulation skills. So I did what all spirited entrepreneurs do – I created my own.

How do I provide teachers and parents with affordable, engaging and educational active play that develops children’s physical fitness as well as social and emotional self-care? How do I make it possible for all children to get the recommended 90-120 minutes of daily exercise – the lack of which is one of the roots of this obesity epidemic? I am already doing it in the classes I teach in –person.  How can I deliver these classes to everyone and inspire them the way my mom inspired me with all her totally fun creative dramatics, play, dance and sports when I was a kid.   All those expressive, embodied experiences had given me: a sense of self, confidence, health, fitness and an awareness of how to take care of my mind and body.  And now I wanted to pay it forward…

This is where Move with Me Action Adventures was born. I realized I could create and produce fun and stimulating videos that give parents and educators a way to introduce movement to children, making it a part of their daily routine.  In past generations, children were encouraged to play outside, even in inclement weather.  But life looks very different today. There are many single parent households as well as working mothers, which also means there are more children in daycare.  The educational standards have also increased, imposing more rigorous academic demands, even in preschool! There is less time for play and less time for movement.

Move with Me Action Adventures is on a mission to change all this. We are a company that produces yoga and brain gym based movement and mindfulness video classes and educational materials for kids.  The video classes involve kids in movement stories where they get to be and act out everything in the story – the lion, the storm, the rocket, the stars, etc.  This is way more fun than exercise and sustains kids’ focus, builds stamina, improves direction following, fitness, coordination and even teaches self-regulation.  We imbed “adventure skills” into the action so kids use simple, effective mind-body techniques with cool names such as Monkey Wisdom and Ocean Breath along with the characters in the stories to manage feelings and overcome obstacles.

I believe that the childhood obesity epidemic, as well as the rising rates of learning and behavioral issues, are symptoms of a lack of supervised, instructional and fun physical exercise. There are other factors as well, but coordination and a strong connection to the self are essential to a child’s optimal development.  Move with Me’s programs are a direct response to that need and a solution to the health crisis in America.

Please join me in the being and spreading this solution in the battle against childhood obesity!

Move with Me is one of ten semi-finalists in Partnership for a Healthier America’s End Childhood Obesity Innovation Challenge. The top three finalists are invited to present their ideas at the Health Summit in Washington, DC – chaired by Michelle Obama! In order to present my programs and passion with the nation, I need your votes to help me finish in the top three.

If you’re with me in this fight, I invite you to take 10 seconds to click the link below which will take you to PHA’s Facebook page for Move with Me.  Hit “VOTE” and then share or email to family and friends who will take 10 seconds to do the same for our children’s health.

https://www.urgentblue.org/facebook/pha-innovation-challenge/video/details/submission-for-2012-11-15-152740

Thank you for your support. Let’s beat childhood obesity before it beats our kids.

This is so delicious you will be steaming pears and parsnips to make an adult version of this puree. Hint – it makes a wonderful soup.

I am a big believer in tickling tiny taste buds on a regular basis; you have to keep those little taste buds on their toes and by exposing your baby to a variety of tastes now may spell success at avoiding the picky eating stage.

At nine months of age I challenge parents to add herbs and spices to their baby’s purees, it is such a wonderful way to tickle tiny taste buds and also provide an amazing amount of minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals – yes herbs and spices are full of nutrition.

Pear, Parsnip and Ginger Puree

9 to 12 months

2 medium parsnips, peeled and chopped

3 medium pears, peeled, cored and chopped

¼ tsp ginger

Steam parsnips for 15 to 20 minutes, add pears and steam another 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove from heat, let cool slightly then puree with hand blender or in blender.  Add ginger and mix well.

Nutritional Information

Parsnips are a good source of potassium, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, and manganese.  Pears provide a good source of vitamin C, fiber, vitamin A, niacin and potassium.  Ginger provides potassium, magnesium, copper, manganese and vitamin B6.

Hope your little ones enjoy it!

Thank you so much to Kim from Your Green Baby for sharing her amazing recipe!

Written by: Kevin (AKA the weaners’ daddy)

I am an urbanized farm boy. Coming from the Peace Country in Northern Alberta I never knew what ‘typical’ produce was supposed to look like… turns out it is uniform shape, uniform colour and blemish free – according to major grocery chains anyways. Not on the farm. (aside: did you know those mini carrot packages are actually made up of machined down giant carrots… or so says my pa). On the farm, garden vegetables have bumps, bruises, and come in all sizes. I once dug up a potato that looked like Ross Perot, big ears and all. To the point, sitting in the garden as a child I would routinely pull carrots, parsnips, turnips and pick cucumbers, beans, peas etc, etc with no intentions of ridding them of the majority of the earthen materials they are covered with prior to partaking in their savory unaltered goodness. This was not due to my inherent good intentions of healthy living. However, it turns out that I and most farm kids are on to something when it comes to how much dirt we grow up ingesting. As a matter of fact, it even has a scientific name – Geophagy (though the definition suggests some sort of compulsion, I in particular was more driven by laziness – not wanting to waste time returning to the house to ‘properly’ wash the produce prior to partaking of my bounty). Research suggests the clays in soil are particularly good at plant toxin removal. Minerals naturally found in soil are routinely taken as supplement pills (especially during pregnancy as the body’s demand increases). It is also said that soil, again referring back to the clay portion of the material, is capable of building up the immune system…. bodies of evidence even suggest that farm children (like me!) have fewer incidents of allergies and auto-immune diseases than our city dwelling brethren. With the discussions that have ensued, my wife’s ingrained pessimism has subsided and I now have free reign to have our two girls reduce our previously instilled cleanliness mantra…. at least when it comes to vegetables straight from Grandpa’s garden. Moral of the story… dirt is not to be as feared – Eat more dirt.