We're back!

Hello blog world and Crazy Cool in the Kitchen fans.  Don't worry you are not hallucinating, it really is an updated blog from us!  I know it's been a long time since we have had a new post or recipe for you to try out, but we are trying to change that.  It's been a crazy rollercoaster of emotions for the two of us the past 6-8 months, from fun trips to working long hours, to family deaths and opening a restaurant, we have been more scattered brained than normal.

Now, we are ready to get back to writing and creating some new recipes for you to try out in your house.  Since we are close to Cinco de Mayo (that's the 5th of May for anyone that isn't fluent in Spanish) I thought I would bring back the wonderfully delicious and easy tostada recipe!  Hope you all enjoy!

 

First things first is to preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray the flour or corn tortillas with olive oil and place on a sheet tray.  Bake for 4 minutes on each side.  Now when they are done set them aside for tostada assembly. 

Now you need to cook and brown your ground beef.  Cook on medium high heat for about 6-8 minutes.

While the beef is cooking, open up and drain the beans.  The beans are my way of making my money go a little farther and also adding fiber into my families diet.

Wash the beans, nobody likes dirty beans!

After the ground beef is cooked, add the beans, taco seasoning, and some water and mix.  Heat on medium heat until beans are hot and sauce starts to thicken. 

Now that the meat mixture is ready add it to the tops of the toasted tortillas and add cheese.  From here you can pop the tray back in the oven if you want to melt the cheese otherwise just add cheese and start adding toppings that you desire.  The cheese usually melts anyways with the meat being so hot from the pan.

And now the fun part.  Add the topping that you like and desire. 

 

Sometimes I go with what is in my fridge and top my tostada with the standard lettuce, salsa, and Greek yogurt.

Other times I just want to spice things up and have more of a fiesta.  These times I add lettuce, salsa, Greek yogurt, diced tomatoes, sliced avocados and jalapeños.  

It's your tostada, you do what makes your belly happy!  

 

Have a happy week!

Tostadas

Serves 8

 

8 8-inch flour tortillas

1 lb. ground beef or turkey, cooked

1 15-oz. can pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp. taco seasoning

1 Tbsp. water

1 ½ c. Shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese

Additional Toppings if desired:

Cut romaine lettuce

Diced tomatoes

Salsa

Greek yogurt

Avocado slices

Jalapeno Peppers

Black Olives

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Spray the tortillas with olive oil, place on a sheet tray and bake 4 minutes on each side.  Set aside for assembly.  In a medium skillet over medium high heat add the ground beef or turkey and cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes.  Add in the beans, taco seasoning and water and cook until meat and beans are coated and sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.

For assembly take the tortilla shell, top with bean mixture, shredded cheese and top your tostada with any other toppings that you desire.  Serve immediately.

 

-Cool

 

Lactose Intolerance and Scoring Big in the Dairy Aisle

Being Lactose-Intolerant and Scoring Big in the Dairy Aisle

Originally published for the Midwest Dairy Blog:  Dairy Makes Sense on February 2nd, 2016 https://www.midwestdairy.com/being-lactose-intolerant-and-scoring-big-in-the-dairy-aisle/

Now that the holidays are over, February, my favorite month, is just around the corner. My customers are excited for 2 things:  The Big Game and Valentine’s Day. As a Registered Dietitian, I am excited for February because it is Lactose Intolerance Awareness Month.  All of these February themes mesh perfectly together because many of my customers suffer from lactose intolerance and feel they will suffer enjoying the food at football viewing parties or special Valentine’s Day dinners. When heading to the Dairy Aisle to prepare for these special events, there are many low-lactose foods available to make all food taste good and tummies feel good. Here are my tips for tackling the Dairy Aisle:

1. Cheese, Please! Cheese is delicious on everything and luckily, there are a variety of cheeses with a low-lactose level, especially aged cheese. When a cheese is aged, the lactose diminishes. I encourage you to choose high flavor cheese because individuals will tend to use less of it, but still get the flavor and oooey gooey goodness in a recipe. My favorite choices are Sharp Cheddar, Monterey Jack and Asiago. My favorite game day appetizer is a whole-grain pizza crust, topped with tomato sauce, fresh vegetables, Asiago cheese and fresh basil.
2. Delicious Dips – Who doesn’t love dips?  Unfortunately, sour cream is one of those higher lactose foods. An easy substitution is mixing equal parts low-fat ricotta cheese and plain Greek Yogurt as your dip base. Ricotta is lower in lactose because during processing, the whey is separated from the curd and with it goes most of the lactose. Greek yogurt is more easily tolerated because of the live and active cultures and lower lactose content.
3. Sweet Indulgence – A party or special dinner would not be complete without ending it with something sweet.  Did you know there are creamy and delicious lactose-free ice cream varieties?  I recommend topping it with your favorite fresh or frozen fruit and sliced almonds or drizzling with warm peanut butter and toasted coconut.

If you have lactose intolerance, never be intimidated by the Dairy Aisle. There are many friendly foods that fit in with your health needs and the special and fun events in your life.

~Crazy 

Flips, Food and Friendsgiving

It has been a long tradition of Cool to have Friendsgiving each year, so she is way ahead of the trendiness that has became this newly celebrated holiday.  People are celebrating this holiday everywhere and I absolutely love the idea! 

We started our day off with Friendsgiving Cocktail Club and the vintage Brandy Flip. It was delicious and tasted a lot like eggnog (or at least that is what eggnog always tastes like in my house...I'm thinking my Dad always spiked it...hmmm). 

Cool also catered to the healthy ones of the bunch (I guess that was me) and had delicious fresh veggies and hummus. She even had radishes for me!  My favorite part of holiday meals is the fresh veggie tray. I know, you're rolling your eyes because the dietitian would say that, but it's true! The reason why is because I am not a huge fan of the traditional warm vegetable dishes that are part of the meal  (aka corn casserole) and it is a great way to get a little health on this gluttonous day. 

After a plethora of veggies, I dug in! A beautiful salad with citrus fruit, almonds and onions, mashed potatoes, turkey, cheese curds...and a delicious mimosa with peach sparkling wine. The perfect Friendsgiving meal. 

Not that we had enough food or anything but I don't think we had enough dessert options. Donut bread pudding, jello with fruit, Apple and peanut butter pie. I confess right now, I had a piece of each. I also did feel the "I need to unbutton my pants to breathe." So, off for a walk I went...

I spotted this beautiful rose blooming magnificently on November 15th in IOWA!  After my walk, I joined back in the fun of converstion and drawing with Cool's kiddos. 

Friendsgiving is such a fun holiday to be with our special tribe, we are not related by blood but we are pretty close to the true meaning of family. 

Happy Thanksgiving to each of you and your tribe! Eat your veggies and wear elastic pants. 

~Crazy

Cha Cha Chili Please!

It was so cold last week and now that daylight savings time has started, I am already ready for bed at 7 pm. Let the hibernation begin! Cold weather always inspires me to make chili and so thankfully I had some leftovers after a busy Sunday to indulge in. Now anyone who knows me knows I do not like beans in my chili. When I was younger, my mom would purée beans and sneak them in. Now that I am an adult, I do the same thing because they are so very healthy for you. I guess it's the texture but when they are puréed, they only add thickness and nutrients. 

I start out with ground mild Italian turkey sausage and over medium heat, cook until almost done with the meat being slightly pink. 

I then add in carrots, onions and celery. (Yes I cheated with short cuts from Hy-Vee, so easy!) I finish cooking the sausage and slightly softening the veggies. 

Usually this is about and additional 5-7 minutes.

 I then add in 2 cups of diced red bell pepper and continuing cooking for 5 minutes. 

Next up is one can of tomato paste and one can of no salt added diced tomatoes. 

Once that is blended and simmering, in goes my flavoring. 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of chili powder. I sometimes like mine a little spicier and will add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. 

Stir under blended, add 1/2 cup of water, pop a lid on and simmer on low for about 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. 

In the last 30 minutes, add 1 cup of puréed beans. I used canned cannellini beans or white beans with no added sodium. The beans will help thicken the chili too. And there you have it! It was a delicious dinner tonight. 

~Crazy

A Different Halloween Delight

During the fall, everyone tends to go off the deep end when it comes to pumpkin. Pumpkin flavored lattes, cookies, bread and even protein bars. I am "in-likes" with pumpkin, let me share with you why.  My first ever pumpkin cooking experience was for Thanksgiving in 2000. My family hosted Thanksgiving each year and each year we had the same desserts, pumpkin and apple pie. I decided that year to make a delicious homemade pumpkin cheesecake. It was full of calories and yumminess. Unfortunately, not many of my family members agreed because it wasn't traditional. Only 2 people tried my cheesecake that I spent almost 4 hours making. This is why I am not "in-love" with pumpkin. This week, Cool and I had our monthly recipe "Throwdown" with a Halloween theme and pumpkin was the first thing that came to mind, so I thought I would give it another whirl. This time around without slaving 4 hours and also increasing the health of it.

Start off with an 8 oz container of 1/3 less fat cream cheese and blend with 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. You can use a stand or hand mixer for this recipe.

Blend until creamy and add 1 cup of canned pumpkin, mix well.

I got a hold of this awesome natural Pumpkin Spice extract from McCormick and added in 1/2 tablespoon. If you have the dried spice, I recommend adding in 1 tablespoon. Mix well.

To add body to the dip as well as nutrients as protein, I added in 1 small container of plain fat-free Siggi's Yogurt. You can also use a fat-free plain Greek Yogurt.

For the final addition, add in 1/2 of a container of light whipped topping. This will add a little more creaminess to the dip and cheesecake texture.

Choose fun things to dip. I really thought the Scooby-Doo! cracker sticks were awesome because they are shaped like bones (I had quite a few people as me if they were dog treats, hilarious). Sliced apples, banana ghosts (banana chunks with raisins for eyes) and pretzels were my other dippers.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Dip

Yield: 10 to 12 servings

Ingredients

• 1 (8oz) pkg light cream cheese
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
• ½ Tbsp pumpkin pie spice extract or 1 Tbsp of pumpkin pie spice
• ½  (4 oz) tub light whipped topping
• 1 (5 oz) container of plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

1. With a handheld mixer and large bowl, beat the cream cheese with the powdered sugar until smooth.
2. Mix in the pumpkin puree and pie spice.
3. Beat in the whip topping and yogurt until mixed thoroughly and the beaters leave ripples in the dip.
4. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice.
5. Serve with apples, pretzels, vanilla wafers or your favorite dippers.

Recipe adapted from: http://www.ohsweetbasil.com/pumpkin-cheesecake-dip-recipe.html

~Crazy

An Apple a Day Keeps the Athlete at Play

When I was younger, we had a great family tradition of making a trip to an apple orchard, picking apples and drinking delicious apple cider and cherry drink after the hard work was done.  Nothing tasted better than freshly picked apples from the orchard. As I got older and moved away from home, I always had a craving for apples in the fall.  No really!  I did and still do. There is something about this time of year and my craving for this sweet and healthy snack. I also find that I have a craving for apples after any type of physical activity, especially after a run.  I think I may be on to something…..

Now that the kids are back in school, after school activities and sports are in full swing and very time consuming. You may also be like me and exercise a lot more once cooler temperatures fill the air.  As a dietitian working in a retail environment, I get many questions revolving around what foods are the best fit to fuel after school/work activities and workouts. When I think about all the options out there for snacks, I think about my own experiences and really feel apples might be one of the most perfect snacks for all ages. 

Here are my “Top 5” reasons apples should be on the top of the food list of any athlete:

1. Apples are an excellent source of fiber. The average medium apple has 5 grams of fiber that aids in the health of your heart. With your heart being your most important muscle, fiber is the key to keeping it healthy. 

2. Apples contain pectin, a fiber that absorbs water to make you feel full faster, and binds with cholesterol and sweep it out of the body. Pectin is also a prebiotic and provides food for the friendly bacteria in our gut to increase our immune systems. During sports and exercise, our immune system can become compromised, this is a natural way to increase your ability to fight off illness. 

3. Apples contain quercetin, a phytochemical that promotes health in many ways.  It may improve cardiovascular health and reduce cancer risks. It has anti-inflammatory properties and can also boost your immune function.  Quercetin has strong antioxidant activity that fights the free radicals in our bodies that come from environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, and herbicides.  These factors wreak havoc on our healthy cells.  But one exciting property that quercetin may provide our bodies is increased endurance. By consuming apples, not only are you getting proper calories or fuel for physical activity, but quercetin may also increase your endurance during a practice, game, gym workout or walk.

4. Apples are one of the leading food sources of boron. Boron is a building block to building muscles and maintaining strong bones that we can only get through food. Boron increases the ability of our body to absorb magnesium and calcium, to maintain bone health and prevent injuries from physical activity. 

5. Studies have shown that individuals who consume an apple a day, tend to consume around 200 less calories a day. For those individuals trying to maintain a healthy weight, this could result in close to a 20 pound weight loss over the course of a year. Just by eating 1 apple a day.

Now how does the saying go?  “An apple a day, will keep the athlete at play!” 

~Crazy

Don't Be Too Busy for Breakfast

School has been in session for about a week. I know we all have the best intentions as the school year starts to have healthy breakfast and lunch every day for the kiddos. But after the first week, things head south in the health department, because life is just busy. Keep the school year consistent by making a healthy breakfast part of it (for parents and kids).  Breakfast is truly the most important meal to eat.   Studies show kids who eat breakfast are more likely to:

 

§  Have higher test scores in school

§  Concentrate better with problem-solving skills used in reading, writing and math

§  Have healthier body weights 

§  Have lower blood cholesterol levels

 

Follow the 3R’s to help your kids make healthy breakfast choices.

Rev Up Metabolism

Breakfast simply means to “break-the-fast”.  Your body tends to burn fewer calories as you sleep.  Burn more calories and jump-start your metabolism by eating breakfast.

 

Reach For Protein and Fiber

Smart breakfast choices should include two or three foods groups.  Include protein and fiber in your breakfast to keep you feeling full longer and less likely to overeat calories later in the day.  

 

Good protein breakfast choices:  peanut butter or almond butter, walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, eggs, hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, low-fat yogurt, low-fat milk including chocolate or strawberry milk, drinkable yogurt, lean ham and sliced deli meat.

 

Good fiber breakfast choices: choose a whole grain cereal with at least three to five  grams of fiber, Fiber One chewy granola bar, South Beach granola bar, Kashi bars, whole grain bread or English muffins, Western bagel, banana, orange, apple, strawberries.

 

Ready-To-Go In One Minute

Don’t have enough time in the morning to eat breakfast?  Here are ten quick grab-and-go breakfast ideas that take less than one minute to prepare. 

 

• Fiber One chewy bar, drinkable yogurt. 
• Wrap string cheese with slice of DiLusso deli ham; wrap buttered whole grain bread around meat and cheese, 100% grape juice.

• Clif Kid twisted fruit rope, yogurt.
• Spread peanut butter on toasted whole grain waffles or Hint of Salt Triscuits, chocolate milk.
• Hard-boiled egg, tomato juice or spicy V8 juice
• Mini bagel with Laughing Cow cheese, orange.
• Cinnamon oatmeal with a handful of Sun Maid raisins, single-serve milk chug.
• Breakfast-in-a-bag: whole almonds, golden Sun Maid Raisins, Kashi Heart to Heart cereal, and chocolate Chex.  Mix and pre-portion ahead of time in snack-size bags.  
• Breakfast parfait: layer strawberry yogurt, grape nuts and sliced banana, or stir 2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter into vanilla yogurt, top with crushed graham crackers.

• Breakfast taco:  ¼ cup Hy-Vee 2% milk. Shredded Cheddar cheese on a Hy-Vee flour tortilla. Microwave 30 seconds; roll while warm.   Add salsa, if desired.  4 ounces of 100% juice.

 

Bottom line: Don't skip the healthiest part of the day! 

~Crazy