Thursday, April 30, 2015

Copy-Cat Outshine Mango Frozen Fruit Bars or Full-O-Fruit Pops

These mango pops are SO yummy! 
You will love me this summer after you make these.

Copy-Cat Outshine Recipe.
In a health food store we often frequent, my daughter and I saw a box of frozen Mango Full-O-Fruit Pops. They were a bit pricey, but...

We bought them, we ate them, we loved them.

I then duplicated them!

This is the recipe I created and they taste just like the ones we bought. I can't find the brand in stores anymore, so I'm glad I can make them at home. Outshine brand is the closest thing I've found in the market now.


I originally used fresh mango to make these but Costco usually carries frozen mango chunks, and using the frozen mango saves time, is less messy and makes putting these popsicles together even easier. My kids beg me to make these and yours will too (Heck, I beg me to make these). Yeah, I just typed 'heck'. Wow.

Do not leave out the fresh lemon juice, it's the key to a balanced flavor.


Taste the mango mixture and adjust the tartness and sweetness to taste. Remember that frozen treats need to be sweeter than room temperature treats.

You can easily make these sugar free by using a combination of erythritol, xylitol, and a very few drops of stevia glycerite. I have not worked out the proportions yet. Using this blend of sugar-free sweeteners gives a more realistic effect.

I also added some extra nutritious ingredients to make these healthier, but all you taste is the yummy mango.





Mango Full-O-Fruit Pops Recipe:

Makes 12.

10.50 ounces  Filtered water
10 ounces  organic mango puree
4 ounces  (1/2 c.) organic evaporated cane juice (Costco carries)
2 to 2.80 ounces  (about 1 large lemon) organic fresh lemon juice
1 t.  Guar gum (a natural healthy fiber thickener)
1/4 t.  Xanthan gum (a natural healthy fiber thickener)
1 Pinch  Sea salt or BioSalt
1/8 t.  Tumeric powder (natural coloring high in anti-oxidants)
1 T.  Udo's Oil (balanced nutritional oil), optional
1 t.  Cal/Mag powder (calcium & magnesium powder), optional


Method:

In a high-powered blender, puree the mango with the water and lemon juice.
Add everything else, with the gums added last, and blend well.
Pour mixture into 12 large popsicle holders and freeze until solid.


Notes: 

The gums mix in better if you first pre-blend them with the other dry powder ingredients.

You may substitute Lakanto's golden zero-cal sweetener (erythritol based sweetener) for the sugar.





Enjoy!

Leila.

My Other Favorite 2-Minute Egg Sandwich

This is a great hot sandwich and it's easy to make. 

2-Minute Egg Sandwich

We had this for dinner tonight because I worked past dinner time and I hadn't planned ahead. I actually crave this tasty sandwich, which is weird because I'm generally not a sandwich person.

Choose a good, on the sweet side B-B-Q sauce, because it makes the sandwich. My husband first made this egg sandwich for me when we were dating... and I fell in love - and the sandwich wasn't bad either!


As a teenager, my husband was an assistant breakfast cook in a ski resort restaurant, called Purgatory. He also learned how to make a mean sunny-side-up egg (I'll post his method later). I asked him if it got hot in that Purgatory kitchen (yup). I'm thinking it was hot in that kitchen because HE was in it!

Anyway, try this sandwich - it's yummy.

You can omit the dairy if desired, and of course, you can choose a gluten-free option.


Egg Sandwich Recipe:

Serves: One

1 extra-large egg
1 T. purified water or organic whole milk, optional
1 scallion, minced
1/2 c. chopped vegetable mix of choice, fresh or frozen
1/2 t. dried onion flakes
1/8 t. garlic seasoning of choice
1/8 t. fresh ground black pepper
BioSalt or sea salt, to taste
Cheese for topping
Sandwich bun of choice (gluten-free if preferred)
Mayonnaise
B-B-Q sauce of choice
Garnishes like sliced tomato, sliced avocado, spinach...


Method:

Oil the bottom of a 2-cup baking dish about the circumference of your sandwich bun.
Crack the egg into the dish, and add the water or milk and whisk to blend.
Add scallion and chopped vegetables, to taste.
Season with dried onion flakes, garlic seasoning, and pepper.
Microwave on high for 90 seconds.
Salt the top of the egg to taste, then top with cheese and microwave on high 30 seconds to melt.
Prepare your sandwich bun with mayonnaise and a generous portion of B-B-Q sauce.
Place egg pattie onto bun and top with garnishes of choice.
Eat hot.


Note: Normandy vegetable blend is good when you want fast vegetables. We will also use an oriental vegetable blend. We chop it up uncooked and stir into the egg. I do prefer using fresh chopped vegetables however (like broccoli, cauliflower, onion, carrot...)


Photos of the process:

Prep the vegetables.
Chopped frozen Oriental vegetable blend.
Mix the vegies into the egg.
Season the egg and prepare the bun.
The uncooked egg mixture is ready to microwave..
The egg mixture has been microwaved for 90 seconds, making an egg pattie.
Topping the egg with Provolone cheese.
Microwave 30 seconds to melt the cheese
The cheese-topped egg pattie is ready to transfer to the bun.
Now top with desired garnishes.






EAT.


Enjoy,

Leila.


P.S.   Speaking of my cute husband, he bought me these gorgeous flowers this week. I thought I'd share them with you :)





Thanks sweetie!


Author, Leila.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Super Easy Potatoes, Eggs & Ham Skillet Meal (Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free options)


Perfect for a Sunday afternoon, when you want to serve something delicious and filling to your family, without wearing yourself out in the kitchen. 

Super Easy Potatoes, Eggs & Ham Skillet Meal

Today was one of those Sundays... I felt like I needed a nap almost all day. I like making Sunday a day of rest. Our lives are so hectic, it's nice to reserve at least one day a week where you can connect with people you love, get some relaxing in, and even have some alone (NAP) time.

Wrapped burrito-style.
This yummy skillet meal makes a mean breakfast burrito for on-the-go, or just eat it as-is on one of those plate thingies, you know, those things you use to hold food, like when you sit at a table, together, as a family?

I quickly made this meal today and figured out a new great way to steam and soften the tortillas. Microwaving tortillas makes them tough and they dry out quickly, and I do not recommend it. Using tortillas strait out of the package, cold, is yucky too in my opinion - Plus they crack and break spilling the filling all over the place. FOOD FIGHT!

Not.

I used a couple of left over Perfect Baked Potatoes (recipe on blog) for this quick to prepare meal.

It is easy to make this a gluten-free or dairy-free meal by how you select your ingredients.


Potatoes, Eggs & Ham Breakfast Skillet Recipe:

Serves 6 generously

1 T. deodorized coconut oil
1 T. organic butter
2 cold leftover baked potatoes, cubed
1/2 large red onion, diced
2 c. ham, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 large free range eggs
1/4 c. organic milk or purified water
20 grinds fresh black pepper
1/8 t. garlic powder
2 c. shredded cheese blend of choice, optional
1/4 t. smokey paprika, optional
1/2 t. BioSalt or sea salt, to taste
2 scallions, minced
1 tomato,diced
1/4 t. onion salt
Large flour tortillas, steamed, optional (for making breakfast or brunch burritos)
Sour cream, optional (We love to use our Favorite Reduced Fat Sour Cream Blend)
Salsa, optional


Method:

Melt the coconut oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add cubed potato and saute 1 minute.

Add the onion and saute 1 minute.

Add the ham and saute a few minutes, until starting to brown.

Whisk the eggs with 1/4 c. milk or water and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a separate skillet with a lid, place a small metal cooling rack inside. Fill skillet with about 1/2-inch of water. Place the skillet with lid on, over medium heat and let the water start to steam.

Add the red bell pepper to the ham mixture and saute until everything is starting to brown nicely.

Place the desired number of flour tortillas onto the metal rack above the simmering water. Place lid on and steam tortillas a couple minutes, until warm and soft. Remove from heat and keep lid on.

Push the ham mixture to one side of the skillet and pour the egg mixture into the empty side.

Scramble the eggs until just barely cooked through (you can add a dab of butter if desired).

Mix the eggs into the ham mixture. Season with salt and mix. Top with cheese and let it melt.

Sprinkle with smoked paprika if desired. Top with tomatoes and scallions. Sprinkle with onion salt.

Serve hot along with sour cream and salsa as garnishes.

Make into fabulous breakfast or brunch burritos using the steamed flour tortillas.



Photos of the process:

Prep your ingredients.

Add potatoes to the melting coconut oil and butter.

Add the onions and saute.

Add the ham and saute.

whisk egg mixture.

Brown the mixture.

Prepare a pan for steaming the tortillas.

Place tortillas onto rack over steaming water.

Steam as many tortillas as needed.

Place lid over tortillas to steam gently.

The skillet mixture is sizzling and browned.

Push ham mixture aside and pour egg mixture into the pan,

You can now add additional butter to the eggs. 

Gently scramble the eggs.

Mix the just cooked through eggs into the ham mixture.

The skillet is ready for toppings.

The tortillas are steamed and flexible.

Top with shredded cheese blend.

Let the cheese melt.

Season with salt and stir the cheese in a little.

Top with fresh tomatoes.

Top with scallions.

Sprinkle with onion salt and smoked paprika to taste.

The skillet meal is ready to eat!

Laying out the goods onto a soft warm tortilla.

Fold 1.

Fold 2.

Fold 3.

E-A-T


ENJOY,

Leila.