Category: Recipes

Check out all my recipes.

Recipes, Uncategorized

Dairy Free “Nacho Cheese” Kale Chips

whatsupwingo
wooden tray with a letter board stating oh kale yes a dish towel with a wooden bowl that is filled with kale chips

Oh Kale Yes!

I can feel fall just around the corner. Football has started and I have you covered with the perfect crunchy snack. It just so happens to be super tasty and is packed full of nutrients. These dairy free “Nacho Cheese” kale chips are a must-try. I love that you get the same cheesy goodness without adding dairy. These can be stored in a zip lock bag for a few days, that is if they make it that long :).

Oh Kale How I Love you

Let us start off by talking about why you need to make these dairy free “Nacho Cheese” kale chips. Kale is an inexpensive and sturdy green that contains an abundance of vitamins and minerals. It is a member of the Cruciferous family, think broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower. Kale is loaded with vitamin K which plays a vital role in our blood clotting. In addition to vitamin k, it also has vitamin c, beta carotene, b vitamins, minerals, and is loaded with antioxidants.

Antioxidants are known to reduce oxidative stress and lower our incidence of disease and cancer. Kale has many properties that make it a cancer-fighting food. Cruciferous vegetables contain a substance called Sulforaphane. This is what gives cabbage, and broccoli their sulfur-like smell. We all know what it’s like to come into a room where broccoli has been cooked. These compounds may stink by that is what makes them such powerful foods.

Dairy free “Nacho Cheese” Kale Chips

Alright, enough about why you should be eating Kale lets get into the recipe. I recommend using fresh Kale as this makes the chips less bitter. The number one key to getting super-crispy kale is to make sure it is bone dry before applying the seasonings and cooking in the oven. Otherwise, feel free to add more or less of any ingredient and if you prefer you can just use oil, salt and pepper.

It’s still hot out here so if you haven’t already be sure to check out my post on building the perfect smoothie.

Hand holding blender full of frozen mango, banana, spinach, berries, avocado, and almond milk.

Diary free “Nacho Cheese” Kale Chips

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch of Kale preferably organic
  • 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
  • 5 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoons of black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
  • 1/2 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder

If you are looking for more information about feeding your toddler check out my blog post here. I include a link to these adorable pouches that are definitely a must for toddlers’ smoothies.

Pink kids divided plate filled with cubed cheese, ham, and grapes

Directions:

Start by preheating your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You want your oven set to a super low setting as this will allow the kale to crisp up without burning. Take your Kale and remove the large stem and break the kale into smaller more bite size pieces.

After doing this you want to wash your kale thoroughly and spin to dry. I wash my kale three times and spin three times to ensure that it is cleaned well and extra dry. After doing this I lay my kale out on a cutting board in single layers on paper towels. I gently press the kale to remove the remaining water and let it sit with the paper towels on it for about 5 minutes or so while I measure out my spices.

Once my ingredients are all measured out I place my dried kale in a big bowl. I add the oil to the bowl and massage the oil into the kale with my hands. Taking special care to make sure every leaf is coated evenly.

After the leaves are evenly coated I add in my seasonings. As I mentioned, in order to make these chips cheesy without dairy I use a seasoning called nutritional yeast. You can find this at most grocery stores in the health food section but I ordered mine online and got it for much cheaper. Here is the product I used here. Remember you can always leave this out if you desire but it will not have the same cheesy flavor.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PJ3IPMI/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00PJ3IPMI&linkCode=as2&tag=whatsupwingo-20&linkId=b3d6c18167b08f107646b94bc2cb11ab

After adding the seasoning I massage the leaves again making sure each leaf is coated evenly. After doing this I place the leaves on a parchment-lined cookie sheet making sure they are in a single layer. You may need to use multiple cookie sheets in order to have room for all your kale. You are going to cook the Kale in 10 minute increments for 30 to 40 minutes or until your kale is crunchy but not burned.

Whats up Wingo

We made some gluten free playdough this week and it was a big hit. I highly suggest this recipe from Rebecca of Strength and Sunshine for those who are needing to keep a gluten free home. Because we all know playdough gets EVERYWHERE.

a small kids table with a children's hand holding green play dough

I hope to get some fall decorations out this weekend and get my oils transferred over into my new awesome shelf, I can’t wait to show you all the finished product. Please stay tuned because I have some awesome things coming up in the blog. Here is a little sneak peak a fall fashion post, some awesome recipes, and my eating philosophy. Be sure to subscribe to my blog so you won’t miss out on any of the fun! What are y’all up to this weekend? Leave a comment on your plans below.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a commission if you complete a purchase after following the link . Thank you for your support!

wooden bowl with cool and refreshing tzatziki sauce
Recipes

The Very Best Tzatziki Sauce

whatsupwingo

So unfortunately our oven broke and the recipe for foodie Friday will have to wait. In the meantime I am bringing you an older recipe but definitely one of my favorites the very best Tzatziki. I hope you all enjoy!

I know I’m not the only one who loves gyros.  That greasy yummy meat, on fluffy pita, with feta, and of course that glorious sauce!   YUM! Tzatziki is a game changer.  It is cool and refreshing and even if you think you won’t or don’t like it trust me you will!!

Since I have been gluten free, that delicious sauce has been missing from my life. So I have been on the quest to make my own perfect tzatziki sauce. I have created the best recipe out there.  AND…..I am about to give it to YOU!

Before I get into the recipe let me tell you why you need to make this sauce. The best part about my tzatziki is you’re getting rid of those nasty oils (soybean) found in traditional salad dressings and replacing with good fat, like olive oil.  You are upping your protein intake which helps you feel fuller longer, and you’re adding in good bacteria with the yogurt to help feed your good gut bugs.  PLUS on top of it all this recipe is super easy.

Most other tzatziki recipes you find require salting, draining and lots of time preparing the cucumbers. NOBODY has time for that.  My recipe is super simple, requires very few ingredients and you just dump and stir!  You are going to find that this will soon be your go to sauce for dipping, dunking, spreading, and for just about anything! 

Prep and total time spent: 5 minutes or less

Recipe Serves: 10 (if you are anything like my family you will want to make a double batch)

Serving Size: 2 Tbs

Ingredients:

1 cup full fat Greek Gods Traditional plain yogurt

¼ English cucumber or approximately ½ cup chopped

1/4th tsp distilled white vinegar

½ tsp kosher salt

1 tsp dried dill weed

½ tsp garlic powder

1 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

  1. Chop English cucumber and set aside. (We like big chunks, but you can chop, or mince as you desire)
  2. In a bowl combine yogurt, vinegar, salt, dill, garlic powder, and extra virgin olive oil.
  3. Add cucumber to yogurt mixture and stir.
  4. Refrigerate until ready to serve..

This recipe can be made ahead for more flavor, or used immediately if you are in a rush. I have tried several Greek yogurts but have found full fat Greek Gods traditional to be the very best for this recipe.

Slather it on a burger to make it Greek style, try it on Steak or use as a dip for vegetables you could even just eat it with a spoon.

This is what is cooking at the Wingo house.  Tell me what you all think, and what’s up with you?

Approximate Nutritional facts:

Per serving

Calories: 40.8

Total fat: 3.5 gm

Carbohydrates: 1.7 gm

Sodium: 71.1 mg

Protein: 0.9 gm

Sugar: 1.6 gm

Fiber: 0 gm

Recipes, Uncategorized

Vietnamese Inspired Vermicelli

whatsupwingo
white bowl filled with shredded carrots, sliced cumber, sliced onion, rice noodles, shrimp and sauce in stainless steel saucer.

Vietnamese Inspired Vermicelli

Happy Friday! On this Friday I am bringing you a super simple Vietnamese Inspired Vermicelli dish. This dish full of flavor and is a great take on the traditional Vermicelli that you find at a Vietnamese restaurant.

Ingredients for the Vietnamese inspired Vermicelli

For the Sauce:

combine the above ingredients use as a dressing for the salad.

For the bowl:

  • shredded carrots
  • cooked protein we used shrimp and pork
  • sliced cucumbers
  • organic green leaf lettuce
  • sliced red onion
  • cooked vermicelli rice noodles
  • cilantro and green onion for garnish

After the noodles are cooked place them on a bed of lettuce, add your vegetables,  protein and top with sauce.

This is a prefect recipe for using up extra protein and vegetables.  It is very versatile and  you can add or take away as needed.  I hope this recipe inspires you to venture out and try new types of cuisine.

 

Wooden cutting board with vermicelli noodles, lettuce, red onion sliced, sliced cucumber, limes, and red boat fish sauce.

Check out my previous post on the best instant pot vegetable soup.

Wooden tray on a table with a white and gray checked dish towel. A salt and pepper shaker and a bowl of vegetable soup.

Whats up Wingo

What are you all up to this weekend? We plan to have a relaxing weekend and I hope to get caught up on some housework. Let me know what y’all have planned. Next week I plan to finish up my last part of the breastfeeding series so keep watch for that. Have a wonderful weekend!

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a commission if you complete a purchase after following the link . Thank you for your support!

Recipes, Uncategorized

The Very Best Instant Pot Vegetable Soup

whatsupwingo
Wooden tray on a table with a white and gray checked dish towel. A salt and pepper shaker and a bowl of vegetable soup.

Instant Pot Vegetable Soup

So I don’t know about y’all but its been hot over here. I am so over summer and more than ready for my favorite time of the year, FALL. The food, the weather, leaves, decorations, ALL THINGS PUMPKIN!!! Don’t get me started, I might not stop!!!! Since fall can’t come fast enough, I figured I would bring a little bit of it to me. On today’s Foodie Friday I will be featuring my Instant Pot vegetable soup.

If you haven’t used an instant pot before you’re totally missing out!!! Its essentially a pressure cooker but the one I have has seven different cooking modes. It functions as a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice/porridge maker, steamer, sauté/browning, yogurt maker and warmer. This is the perfect kitchen gadget for those looking to minimize! You can do so much with this thing and it has come way down in price. My favorite website Amazon puts it on sale frequently and with the holidays coming up this is the perfect gift! Here is the link if you are interested in purchasing it. Now lets get into this recipe.

Memories

As a kid I remember loving my Grandmother’s vegetable soup. It was warm, comforting and definitely one of my favorite meals at their home. As an adult, healthy and easy are two of my favorite words when it comes to a recipe. This recipe is so versatile that you can add any vegetables you may have on hand frozen or fresh, it is the very best way to use up some veggies before they go bad. Now lets get onto this recipe.

Instant Pot Vegetable Soup

I want to first clarify that if you do not have an Instant Pot you can most certainly still make this recipe. All you need is a pot and a stove top to cook it on. Remember you can leave out anything or add in anything, this soup is very forgiving and I honestly make it different every time just due to what I have available in my kitchen.

Here is what you will need for serving 4 to 6:

  • Ground beef 1 pound, grass fed if you can, if your beef is really lean add in some coconut oil or fat of choice.
  • 1 small white onion diced
  • 2 minced garlic cloves
  • 1 cups sliced carrot you can even use frozen.
  • 1 bunch of kale chopped
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes with the juice organic if you are able
  • 2 small zucchini diced
  • 2 small peeled and chopped potatoes
  • 2 tbsp Italian seasoning, 1 -2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
  • A splash of red wine vinegar to taste
  • 1 small head of chopped cauliflower
  • 32 ounces of bone broth.  I like beef broth but all we had was chicken.
  • Parmesan and parsley as a garnish

Start by turning your instant pot on to saute. Add ground beef and oil if using. Cook for around 5 minutes add onion and garlic. Saute until translucent and ground beef is cooked through.

Once your meat, onions and garlic are cooked through, add in all of the other ingredients except Parmesan and parsley stir and close the lid. Select the manual setting and set it to high pressure for 5 minutes.

Let the soup depressurize naturally or if you open before, be careful to place a towel over the release valve to avoid soup splatter.

Garnish with Parmesan and additional salt or pepper if needed and ENJOY!

Check out my previous post for the best 10 minute dinner here.

White bowl filled with chicken cheese salad and dressing

Whats up Wingo

We don’t have much planned for the weekend and I’m pretty happy about that. Sometimes its nice to have a relaxing weekend to recharge. Next week I will be bringing you another part to my breastfeeding series. As always I will have another awesome recipe for you on Friday. Have a great weekend everybody. Let me know what you all have planned and if you try this recipe!

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a small commission if you complete a purchase after following the link . Thank you for your support!

Recipes, Uncategorized

Strawberry Spinach Salad

whatsupwingo
white bowl filled with green spinach, cooked chicken, strawberries, red onion, pecans, and goat cheese

Strawberry Spinach Salad: Foodie Friday

TGIF y’all! Boy has it been a long week, I am ready for the weekend. This Friday I bring you a super simple salad that is definitely one of my favorites. The sweet and savory combo hits the spot and you can have this meal ready to go in no time at all. Just what I like on a Friday night.

Strawberry Spinach Salad: What you will Need

This recipe calls for very minimal ingredients and you can add or subtract as you fancy.

  • Spinach ( Organic Baby is my preference)
  • Strawberries (Organic as usual especially berries)  If you don’t care for strawberries you can try blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or a combo of all the above.  You can also sub for apples, pears, or peaches.  If you are in a big pinch add in dried fruit of your choice
  • Pecans you could also sub almonds, or walnuts.  if you have a nut allergy sunflower seeds work wonderfully
  • red onion
  • cooked chicken breast.  You can also sub in a rotisserie chicken for quick prep
  • goat cheese
  • Add olive oil and vinegar vinaigrette.  You can also sub in balsamic, poppy seed dressing, or homemade.

Strawberry Spinach Salad: Directions

  1. Start by breaking up your spinach into smaller pieces if you desire.  This is not necessary but we prefer our leaves more bite sized.
  2. Wash and slice your berries use as few or little as your desire
  3. Dice about a fourth to one half of red onion
  4. Add in your cooked chicken I use around a pound for four servings
  5. Add in around four ounces or a cup of pecans
  6. Add in four ounces of goat cheese
  7. Combine all of these ingredients
  8. Add dressing of your choice.

Strawberry Spinach Salad: Dressing Options

Below are a few of my favorite go to premixed dressings that can be found at most local grocery stores or on amazon. I like that they do not contain high fructose corn syrup, are made with olive oil, and have very little ingredients. You absolutely can mix a dressing with one part vinegar to two or three parts oil and add in spices of your liking.

https://amzn.to/2YQvY4k
https://amzn.to/2GXatbK

It is World breastfeeding week and in honor of that I would love for you to check out my previous blog post on breastfeeding here.

Newborn baby in white sheet with pink bow in hair

Whats up Wingo:

This past weekend I was able to get the master closet organized and am super pleased. During all of that organization I found and purchased this mirrored jewelry organizer. It was just delivered from amazon and I can’t wait to get it put in the master closet. If you missed my previous post this week about vitamin d and how important it is click the link here. I also posted a picture of our sloppy Joe sweet potato to Instagram it was a big hit! Make sure you are also following me on Instagram for more frequent postings. What have you all been up to this week? Let me know what recipes you all would like to see in the future. Happy Eating!

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a commission if you complete a purchase after following the link. Thank you for your support.

Recipes, Uncategorized

The Best Gluten Free Salmon Cakes

whatsupwingo
White plate salmon cakes and remolaude dipping sauce

The Best Gluten Free Salmon Cakes: for Foodie Friday

I hope everyone has had a good week and is looking forward to the weekend. Today I have a recipe for you that features the best gluten free salmon cakes. Growing up my mom frequently made salmon cakes and they were always a big hit. I didn’t realize just how simple and healthy those lovely golden brown patties could be. Now that I am gluten free I find these as a super easy go to meal when I need to get a little more fatty fish into my families diet. Stay tuned for the recipe, but first I’m going to tell you a little bit about why you need to make these cakes.

The Best Gluten Free Salmon Cakes: High in Omega 3s

Salmon is considered a fatty fish and it is high in Omega 3s. As I have mentioned in a previous post Omega 3s are essential to our diet. Essential fatty acids are those that can not be made within the body but instead are obtained through our diet. Eating fatty fish a few times a week is a great way to ensure that you are getting adequate levels of omega 3s. The only problem with this is cooking fish the same old way can get super boring. In comes the Salmon Cake to the recipe rut rescue.

The Best Gluten Free Salmon Cakes: Family Friendly Recipe

This recipe is not only healthy and easy but is family friendly. It can be difficult to get kids to eat fish at times especially fish with a stronger flavor like Salmon. This recipe is definitely kid friendly and once you add my Remolaude sauce it will be a big hit.

The Best Gluten Free Salmon Cakes: Ingredients

cutting board with sliced lemon garlic and red onion

For this recipe you will need the following:

For the cakes: Serves four to six

  • four 6 oz cans salmon skinless boneless. Wild caught is the best
  • 1/2 cup red onion diced
  • 1 egg
  • salt pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • a splash of lemon juice
  • 1/2 c almond flour
  • 1 tbsp parsley dried
  • 1 tbsp old bay seasoning or seafood seasoning of choice
  • 1/3 cup gluten free panko bread crumbs plus more for dredging
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil for frying the cakes

Remolaude Sauce ingredients: You may want to double your recipe its just that good

  • 2 cloves garlic finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons red onion finely diced
  • 1 tbsp relish I used dill
  • dash hot sauce. I prefer franks
  • 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • dash of pepper and old bay seasoning

The Best Gluten Free Salmon Cakes: Directions

Remolaude Sauce:

This sauce can be made ahead and actually tastes better if done so. However if you are in a hurry it is still delicious if made right before serving.

Finely dice 2 cloves garlic and two tablespoons onion place in a medium bowl. Add relish, mayo, Dijon mustard, dash of hot sauce, half of lemon that is juiced, and spices. Stir all to combine.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

bowl of remolaude sauce on counter top

Directions for the Cakes:

Start by draining your salmon place into a medium to large bowl. To the bowl add one egg, 1/2 cup diced red onion, splash of lemon juice, spices, and salt and pepper to taste.

Next add in 1/2 cup of almond flour and 1/3 cup gluten free panko bread crumbs. Combine the ingredients and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. After refrigeration If you find your mixture to be do dry add an extra egg or if to moist add addition bread crumbs. Use your hands to form into patties however large or small you prefer.

Fill the bottom of a plate with some additional bread crumbs and dredge your patties in the bread crumbs and press to coat flip and press on additional side.

To Fry:

Put two tablespoons of coconut oil in a frying pan and heat to medium high heat. If you do not like the taste of coconut use refined coconut oil instead of unrefined. You can also use a different oil of choice.

Once your oil is warm add your patties in a single layer pan fry until golden brown. Flip and fry on additional side.

Once cooked through and golden brown place on paper towel lined plate to absorb extra grease.

Serve along side coleslaw or sweet potato fries and enjoy!

Check out my other recipes for more salmon inspiration.

Foodie Friday: Cobb Salad With a Twist

Whats Up Wingo

I hope you all had a great week and enjoy your weekend. We plan to do some swimming this weekend and I hope to get my closet organized. We recently bought a Eufy which is a robotic vacum cleaner for the upstairs Ill place a link below if you are interested.

https://amzn.to/2ywAPN4

As you can see I am feeling the need to purge and clean. Coming up next on the blog I have a few posts planned. One is all about vitamin d and my breastfeeding series is still in the works. Hope you all have a great weekend let me know in the comments how you plan to spend it.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a commission if you complete a purchase after following the link. Thank you for your support.

Recipes

Ten Minute Dinner

whatsupwingo
White bowl filled with chicken cheese salad and dressing

Ten Minute Dinner For Foodie Friday

Today for Foodie Friday I am bringing you a super simple meal. Sometimes you need to get dinner on the table in ten minutes or less. This is typically when we reach for take out or fast food. This can be expensive and can unravel all your good intentions of having a healthy wholesome meal on the dinner table. If you are wanting a ten minute dinner that is still healthy and doesn’t break the bank, I have got you covered.

Ten Minute Dinner: Utilize Convenience foods.

Although you can prepare this meal in a super fast fashion, you can make it even faster if you utilize some prepackaged ingredients they include.

Rotisserie chicken or precooked chicken breast Costco has a great option

Hard boiled eggs private selection brand from Kroger is great

Bagged lettuce choose organic whenever possible. You can also use spinach or spring mix

Chopped onions I choose red.

shredded cheese I choose organic whenever possible

Bacon bits choose the option with the fewest ingredients

sunflower seeds stick with options cooked in their own oil and not soybean or corn if possible

Ranch dressing choose an option with canola oil over soybean if available.

If you utilize these resources all you have to do is combine, add some dressing and dinner is complete. It is easy as that. Don’t let your busy night keep you from getting a delicious meal on the table in record time. Dinner doesn’t always have to be difficult or fancy. The most important part is taking the time to sit around the table and share a meal.

Be sure to check out my previous salad post here

While bowl with shredded carrots lettuce olives, sour cream and salsa

Whats Up With You

I hope you all have a great weekend. Let me know what you are cooking up this weekend.

Recipes

All About Smoothies

whatsupwingo
Hand holding blender full of frozen mango, banana, spinach, berries, avocado, and almond milk.

All About Smoothies: For Foodie Friday

Happy Foodie Friday! As I type this Amelia and I just got back from the Zoo with my good friend and her boys. I just checked the temperature and it is 102 degree heat index. The pool is calling my name and I just can’t be bothered to cook. Therefore, I am posting all about smoothies. Included in this post are some of my favorite Smoothie combinations. I also include things you can add to boost the nutrition of your smoothies. I hope you enjoy, and stay cool out there!

All About Smoothies: How I think About Building My Smoothie.

When building my smoothie the first step I think about is if its a meal or a snack. If I want a quick snack i don’t worry as much about the ingredients. When a smoothie is my meal I include some good fats and protein for blood sugar stabilization, this will help you feel fuller for longer. The different categories of my smoothie include fruit and or vegetables, greens, fats, protein, and extras. I will go into more detail in the information below.

All About Smoothies: Organic or Conventional Produce

When purchasing produce for a smoothie I try and stick with organic whenever possible. This is especially important when buying fruits with thin skin, or skins that you eat like berries, stone fruits, and greens. However, I am less worried about bananas, watermelon, oranges and things that I peel.

All About Smoothies: Making them Sweet without Sugar

I like to add a frozen banana to my smoothie as it makes it a lot sweeter and gives it a smooth texture. I keep a zip lock bag in my freezer and whenever I have a banana that is getting too ripe I unwrap it and throw it in there. Then I have a steady supply of bananas for banana bread or my smoothie. Bananas are great frozen and they even break off effortlessly into chunks to make it easier on your blender.

I also find oranges and the juice from them to be fairly sweet. Their sweetness is a great addition to your smoothie. You can add a little pineapple juice for a more tropical sweetness. I have been known to throw in a little Stevia from time to time if needed. This can be especially true when I have a smoothie that is heavy on greens.

All About Smoothies: Why I Add Fat

Many of us are afraid of fat. When you add a good source of fat to your smoothie it not only helps with the texture and creaminess but your fullness factor as well. Your smoothie will stick with you longer and it can be helpful in balancing out the high carbohydrate load. My favorite fat choices include avocado, coconut oil, and coconut milk.

All About Smoothies: Protein Options

In addition to fats, if you are wanting your smoothie to be more filling adding a protein source can be very helpful. Some of my favorites are grass fed Stevia sweetened or unsweetened protein, Hemp protein with Stevia, collagen peptides and amino acid supplements. I also like to add in nut butters like peanut, almond, cashew, and sun butter. Greek and regular yogurt are another great addition, grass feed, organic and full fat are my favorites.

Here are a few of the protein powders I prefer.

https://amzn.to/2SrOL4r
https://amzn.to/2YikES4

All About Smoothies: Adding Greens

I add greens to almost every smoothie I make. If you are looking for a more mild flavor stick with spinach. I also love to use kale, and the super green mixtures. I always choose organic and it doesn’t matter if they are frozen or fresh.

blender filled with spinach and avacado

All About Smoothies: Tips and Tricks

If you have fresh fruit or greens that are about to spoil freeze them and put them in your smoothies. For Berries or other fruits lay them on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. Once your fruit is frozen add them to a bag so this way they won’t stick together.

If you have a favorite recipe go ahead and portion out your ingredients. By placing them into smaller bags you are setting yourself up for success. That way on a busy day you can put it into the blender add your liquid and your done!

Always add the liquid to the bottom part of the blender. As a result your blender will blend effortlessly for a smooth consistency.

If you have left over smoothie put it in ice cube trays and once they are frozen add instead of ice to additional smoothies in the future.

If you cut up a avocado and don’t use it all freeze it. Place slices or chunks on parchment paper and once frozen throw it into a smoothie.

If your smoothie is to thick to drink pour it in a bowl add some coconut and chia seeds and eat it with a spoon!

Smoothies are a great way to add in additional ingredients or what I like to call extras. I add many of the following:

coconut oil

fiber through chia seeds

probiotic powders

Spirulina

turmeric

Ginger

and any other super food you want to boost up the nutritional value.

Don’t be afraid of veggies. For instance you can easily add carrot, greens and even cauliflower to your smoothie without even knowing it. If you are concerned about blood sugar please don’t be afraid to experiment with these non starchy options.

Check out this previous post

If you are looking for more information about feeding your toddler check out my blog post here. I include a link to these adorable pouches that are definitely a must for toddlers’ smoothies.

smoothie pouch with pig on front for toddler.
Pink kids divided plate filled with cubed cheese, ham, and grapes

Now on to the Recipes!

Tropical Smoothie

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup Greek whole milk yogurt

add organic frozen tropical mix (pineapple, mango)

Add 1/2 frozen banana

handful of spinach

1 small grated carrot

1 tbsp coconut oil

Blend and enjoy

Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

1/2 cup milk of choice

1 scoop chocolate Tara’s whey protein powder or protein powder of your choice.

1 banana

1 tablespoon peanut butter or nut butter of your choice.

1 handful of spinach

Blend and enjoy

Very Berry Smoothie

1/2 cup milk of choice

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

mixed organic berries

handful of spinach

1 avocado

1/2 frozen banana

1 scoop of vital proteins collagen peptides.

Blend and enjoy

Almond milk, avacado, blender with smoothie on top of a cutting board

Whats up with You?

I hope you all have a great weekend and please let me know if you try and like these smoothies! Above all have fun with it.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a commission if you complete a purchase after following the link

Recipes

BBQ Ranch Pork Chop Salad with Brussels Sprouts & Kale

whatsupwingo
Crunchy bbq ranch salad with pork

Foodie Friday: Recipe Adapted from the Real Food RDs.

Happy Foodie Friday! Today I am doing things a little different and featuring a recipe developed by the Real food Dietitians Jess and Stacie. I love the ladies behind this site! As a fellow RD it is so nice to see individuals that have similar thoughts on food and nutrition. As stated on their website they have gluten free and allergen friendly meals. BBQ Ranch Pork Chop Salad with Brussels Sprouts & Kale is the recipe I will be making today on this Foodie Friday.

BBQ Ranch Pork Chop Salad with Brussels Sprouts & Kale

Today I am taking a recipe from the Real food Dietitians website and putting a little different spin on it. Their recipe features a crunchy and super delicious salad made with green kale, and Brussels sprouts for extra nutrition and super crunchiness. If you are a fan of the combination of BBQ and Ranch you have got to make this recipe. The Brussels sprouts are shredded and are extremely mild in this dish. Before heading on over to their site for the directions I am going to walk you through the ingredients, substitutions, and changes I made.

Equipment Needed

For this recipe a really useful tool is a food processor with a shredded attachment and the regular blade also. This will definitely save you some time on cutting and chopping. I used the shredder for the Brussels sprouts and carrots. I used the regular blade for the red onion. I used a whisk for combining the BBQ sauce and ranch and a large bowl for combining the salad. I used a skillet to pan fry the pork chops.

Substitutions and Adaptations

For this recipe I did not have any golden raisins on hand so I didn’t include them in the recipe. I also used a different brand of BBQ sauce and Ranch. However Tesseme’s is a fabulous brand and you should definitely give their sauces and dressings a shot.

Ingredients Needed

Pork chop with kale salad with shredded carrots

You will need :

shredded carrots

shredded Brussels sprouts

red onion

Green Kale

toasted slivered almonds

Ranch and BBQ of choice.

Bacon or bacon bits

I added some cooked pork chops to add a little extra protein.

Check out the full recipe here

If you are looking for more Salad inspiration check out my previous Foodie Friday

crisp romaine lettuce in a bowl with a fork topped with seasoned ground beef, carrots, olives, topped with sour cream and salsa

Please go check out my fellow RD’s and their website. They have TONS of amazing recipes on their website that you don’t want to miss.

What I feed my Toddler

I often get asked questions about what I feed my toddler as a Registered Dietitian. I wrote a previous post about it here

Pink kids divided plate filled with cubed cheese, ham, and grapes

Whats up With You?

I hope you all have had a great week and have a fabulous weekend! Let’s keep the conversation going and let me know what’s up with you?

Lifestyle, Recipes

What I Feed My Toddler

whatsupwingo
Pink kids divided plate filled with cubed cheese, ham, and grapes

What I Feed My Toddler for Foodie Friday

Today I wanted to do something a little bit different for Foodie Friday. I am going to walk you through what I feed my toddler. As many of you already know I am a Registered Dietitian. I get questions quite often about what exactly I feed my daughter. These are my opinions and may or may not be what is best for your family. I hope I can provide some help to new moms who are looking for ideas on what to feed their toddler.

First Foods

When Amelia was six months old we introduced solids. Our first food was avocado. We chose this due to the fact that it was soft and not sweet. Ill let you take a look at the pictures below to see if you think she liked it or not.

  • baby sitting in highchair smiling with wooden bowl
  • Child sitting in high chair with wooden bowl trying her first food

As you can tell she was not a fan of avocado and still isn’t to this day. We stuck with a rule of one new food per three days. This was in order to determine if any allergies or intolerance may have occurred. This is such an important step when introducing foods. It can take a few days before you notice any changes in diapers, skin, etc. I kept a log so that I knew which foods we tried and the days in which we tried them. Needless to say she wasn’t too happy for a few days with just plain avocado. We decided to add in banana and mix it with the avocado and she loved it! Every few days we would add in a new food and continued with the old.

Food Textures

There are many different ways to start solids with little ones. This can include purees, baby led weaning or a little bit of both. Amelia did not do well with chunky textures at first. Gagging is unfortunately a normal part of learning to eat. It helps babies learn to move food back up to be further manipulated into more manageable pieces to swallow. We stuck with mostly smooth consistencies because along with the gagging she also vomited several times (TMI I know). I don’t know about you all but I HATE getting sick. Above all I wanted her to have association with food.

As she progressed and learned more about gumming her foods we attempted a thicker chunkier texture. If this lead to her getting sick we would not make a big deal about it and would try again later. As she reached around nine months she really wanted to hold onto her food. We introduced teething crackers which helped her learn how to chew and swallow even further. Amelia could feel them better in her mouth and learned what was too big of a bite. We continued with purees and slowly but surely went from puree to finger foods. By the end of her first year she could eat pretty much anything even without teeth!

To Make or Not to Make

It can be a tough decision when deciding exactly how to approach feeding your toddler. We made 99% of our baby food. It is cheaper, we had control of the ingredients, and we wanted to feed her what we ate. For example if were having Mexican sweet potatoes we would puree her up some sweet potatoes, and avocado. If chicken and broccoli are for dinner, broccoli puree it was.

I did some batch cooking for her to make it even easier. I would purchase the organic vegetables that were on sale. Bulk cook them and freeze them for later. I cooked grass fed ground beef added a little bit of broth and pureed that and froze it. This is a great way to make sure your little one is getting adequate iron. As we added in more food groups I made sure to provide more variety for optimal nutrients.

Spices, Garlic, and Fats Oh My

I was careful to be sure to include good fats like coconut oil and olive oil in my cooking. When she was still getting puree foods I mixed coconut oil in with her foods. She would sometimes take it straight off the spoon! Fat is excellent for brain development and I wanted to be sure she was getting enough of it. Currently we continue with healthy fats in addition to herbs, garlic, onions, spicy stuff and she typically gobbles it up.

Picky Eaters

We have been very careful to try and feed Amelia exactly as we eat. For this reason I believe we are blessed with a pretty good eater. There are times when some items are a little too spicy, tough, to chew etc. However for the most part she eats what we do.

I believe kids are picky in part because we allow them to be. Kids watch us and anticipate how to react even as young babies. If a parent doesn’t like a particular food and they make that known their children pick up on it. Now, I’m not saying you or your kid has to like broccoli. However I think its important to let our children decide for themselves if they like it or not. A prime example is grape tomatoes and black olives which I don’t care for. I am proud to say those are two of my kiddos favorite foods. I put my own bias aside and this has allowed her to develop her own opinion.

Clean your Plate

This is a controversial topic but I am going to give my opinion. A large reason why many people today have a problem with being overweight is due to being forced to clean our plates. Yes it is not good to waste but unless you are planning to donate your food it isn’t going to end up on the plate of those less fortunate anyway.

In my house we put an amount that we think Amelia will eat on her tray. She eats what she eats and we save the rest for later. It is as simple as that. In order to tell if your kiddo is full or not look to see if they are getting distracted. They tend to turn away and loose interest when they are done. As she has gotten older she will say “up”, or sometimes the food gets thrown on the ground. The biggest thing is to learn and pay attention to their cues.

I believe we are born with the innate ability to control what our body needs. If we are mindful we eat when we are hungry and stop when we are is full. Obviously you don’t want your kiddo going several meals without eating. If your child has skipped several meals, and you are worried please contact your pediatrician.

Links to some of the food items we used.

We bought a baby blender but found we didn’t like it as much as our regular blender. I know this is rather pricey but let me tell you its worth it! We have a Blendtec and I would repurchase again and again. If you are not looking to spend this much I have heard great things about the Ninja blender too.

https://amzn.to/32cjWVC
https://amzn.to/328xYb3

Once we blended the food we would place in these silicone one ounce molds and freeze.

https://amzn.to/2LApzY1

I purchased these reusable pouches which I still use today. We use them for smoothies and apple sauce. I also purchased these silicone toppers. I find they are more gentle on your little ones mouth and keep the food from getting everywhere.

https://amzn.to/2XLGgGl
https://amzn.to/2LClySM






We used this brand baby food if we needed to purchase in a pinch. I always choose organic and tried to stick with glass, and bpa free. Earth’s Best and Happy baby both make some great pouches and even Aldi has some good options.

https://amzn.to/2XN4G2e

https://amzn.to/2Xs6MW0
https://amzn.to/2LEYHpE

https://amzn.to/2LEmsyk

These Creamies are awesome and they are full of really clean ingredients. They are also diary free for those babies who might not be able to tolerate diary.

These are my favorite teething “cookies” they are very clean and have very little sugar. They have a few different flavors and we like them all. I love that they are organic also.

https://amzn.to/2Xs0mWU

Amelia loves freeze dried fruit. It can be hard to find organic but when you do its an awesome snack.

https://amzn.to/2L3tQDK

https://amzn.to/30g9zyg





Here is a link to the divided plate pictured above

https://amzn.to/2Jhr2AJ

Food is For Fun

Remember the saying that before one food is just for fun. I tried to remind myself this on days where she didn’t eat as much. Remember to keep trying as tastes change, try and cook the item in different ways. I continue to offer the items that my daughter doesn’t like without force. One day I hope she will try it and decide she likes it. Take comfort in knowing that food is just for fun until one. Since you are breastfeeding or formula feeding for the first year its ok if a large amount is not consumed. Take this time to really experience flavors, textures and have fun with it!

If you have left over burgers from your fourth festivities and are looking for a delicious sauce try my tzatziki recipe. Add a little feta cheese and red onion and you have yourself a Greek burger.

Wooden bowl with metal spoon cucumber dip inside

Whats up with you

I hope you all have had a great fourth. Let’s keep the conversation going. Let me know what you feed your little ones.

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualify purchases. Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a commission if you complete a purchase after following the link .