Easy Recipes

This guest post by my friend Melanie is about how to get started juicing. I thought this would be a juicy post for Tiny Oranges. Sorry, couldn’t help it.

I have wanted to get into juicing, but didn’t really know how to get started juicing, which is why I am excited to share her easy tips.

Juicing 101:

How to Get Started Juicing

After watching the documentary Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead this past Christmas, my husband and I decided that we would start juicing to kick-start a new health regime .

Our family maintains a fairly healthy lifestyle and diet but there is always room for improvement. Our idea for juicing was to incorporate more “micronutrients” (vitamins and minerals, as opposed to macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates, etc.)  into our diet.

We discovered that juicing is a fairly simple process and here is how you can get started…

Step 1- Do a little research

There are many websites that discuss the pros and cons of juicing, just do a web search on the word “juicing.” After researching, we decided that we would not juice to replace any meals, but just in addition to what we already eat for the health benefits.  We learned there is a lot of fiber and additional vitamins found in the pulp and skin of whole fruit and veggies.

Step 2- Buy your equipment

A trip to Target to buy a juicer and we were on our way. Any juicer will work, in my humble opinion. We happened to have a gift card from Target, so that’s where I went.  I bought a DASH juicer for $100 and it works well.  The Breville also gets great reviews. Or if you really want to invest you can try the Vitamix (at Costco), which actually pulverizes the whole fruit so the pulp and fiber are included.

Step 3- Find yummy recipes and juice!

This is the super fun and creative part. There are countless recipes online. We also asked a few friends for their favorite recipe and our juicer came with a few suggestions.

Next step was to stop off at a store to buy my ingredients.  I TRY to buy organic fruit but this is not always in the budget, so I just do my best.  I often buy apples and oranges in bulk, which is easier on the wallet.

Throw a bunch of fruit in the juicer and that’s all it takes.  You can be intentional about what type of fruits and veggies you choose and follow recipes or just use what you have left in your fridge; anything goes! 

Juicing is a great way to use up your produce that is about to go bad.  Each time, I try to throw some kind of green veggie in because of the amazing nutritional value in leafy greens.

My favorite juicing ingredients

Cucumber – love the fresh and clean taste, think SPA WATER

Ginger – MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE because it adds a little “spicy”

Pears – sweeten up any recipe

Leafy greens, spinach or Kale - excellent source of vitamins, and you hardly taste them if you mix with fruit (be sure to put your leafy greens or anything that is less “juicy” in first, then the juice of the other fruit will help push the green nutrients through)

Favorite juicing recipes

(Serve 2 adults with a little left over for the kids)

Morning Fuel  -

This is a yummy recipe that came with the juicer called
½ cucumber, 1-2 oranges, 2 apples, 1 tsp ginger, 1 kiwi

Mean Green -

From Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead. It takes a little while to get used to but very good for you!
1 cucumber, 4 celery stalks, 2 apples, 6-8 leaves kale, 1/2 lemon (peeling optional but I peel!), 1 tbsp ginger

Kitchen Sink - 

Any fruit and veggies we have in the house- 2-3 oranges, 2 apples, ginger, handful of kale or spinach, 1 pear, 2 carrots

Step 4- Enjoy!

Share with your kids!!  Have them create some recipes.  Let us know what you try! Does anyone else have any favorite juicing tips or recipes to share?

Last week Your Sus Chef Susanne whipped up the yummiest kid-friendly dinner recipe for chicken teriyaki lettuce cups that was featured on one of my favorite websites, red tricycle.

She had myself and my girls over for a weeknight dinner and even my picky six year old gobbled them up! Now that is what I call a successful kid-friendly dinner.

Now, admittedly, it is a low carb recipe, but it would be delightful with a side of jasmine rice or you can also sub and make soft tacos. YUM!

Click here  for the chicken teriyaki lettuce cups recipe on red tricycle.

Bon appétit!

This is a guest blog by local OC mom Melanie, who shares with us 8 nutrients to boost your family’s immune system along with easy mom-t0-mom tips on how to get these nutrients into our kiddos!

“By now we all know this cold and flu season has been a doozy. We also know how scary and inconvenient it is when you or your children get sick.  If you are like me you are always trying to find helpful and simple ways to keep your kids healthy.  Besides getting the flu shot and washing your hands, to avoid getting sick, there are a number of foods you can eat to boost your immune system.

Did you know you can increase the number of white blood cells by eating certain foods? Yep, natural immune boosters can be found in everyday foods we eat.

 8 Nutrients to Boost your Immune System

Vitamin C

Boosts infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies.  Can be found in guava, papaya, strawberries, kiwi, cantaloupe, orange & grapefruit

Kid-friendly Smoothie Recipe:  One handful of spinach or kale, 1 cup OJ (the OJ cancels out any of the leafy green taste), any frozen fruit your kids like – berries, papaya and guava are best for boosting immunity.  If you add Greek yogurt or protein powder this makes a great complete breakfast for everyone.

Vitamin E

Helps produce cells that kill germ cells and boosts immune cells that produce antibodies that destroy bacteria.  Found in seeds, vegetable oils and grains.

Carotenoids

Increases infection-fighting cells and is an antioxidant.  These foods are carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, collard greens, tomatoes (notice the theme of deep colorful foods)

Sweet potato fries are a yummy alternative to regular fries. Find them in the frozen section of Trader Joe’s or cut your own sweet potatoes and roast with olive oil and salt and pepper.  A great side dish to any meal!

Bioflavonoids

Protects the body against environmental pollutants.  Including berries, cherries, grapes, fruit skins, and true fruit juices, teas (not herbal), grains, celery, parsley, grapefruit, oranges, apple skin, onion, endive, radishes, tomatoes, leeks, broccoli and red wine

 Pink Lady Apples – my kids LOVE these sweet apples, great for lunches or snacks

“Dirty” Broccoli

(Recipe from The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger – one of my favorites!)

1 bunch broccoli

1 tbsp water

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs, preferably whole-wheat (store-bought or 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs made from whole-wheat bread processed into fine crumbs)

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Cut the broccoli into spears and put in a large microwave-safe bowl with water. Cover tightly ad micro-wave on high for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the cover, drain the broccoli well, and set aside (or you can lightly steam or blanch the broccoli if you don’t want to use microwave).

While broccoli is cooking, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Add the bread crumbs, oregano, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, cook until the crumbs are toasted and golden brown, about 2 minutes.  Add the broccoli, toss to coat with bread crumbs, and serve.

Zinc

Increases the number of infection fighting white blood cells.  Foods include oysters, crab, beef, turkey (dark meat) and beans.

Garlic

Another food that increases infection-fighting white cells.  Garlic is a food that is easily incorporated into daily recipes.

Selenium

Increases natural killer cells and mobilizes cancer-fighting cells.  Including tuna, red snapper, lobster, shrimp, whole grains, brown rice, egg yolks, cottage cheese, chicken (white meat), sunflower seeds, garlic, Brazil nuts and lamb chops

Omega-3 Fatty acids

Increase the activity of the cells that eat up bacteria and protects the body against damage from over-reactions to infection.  Found in flax oil or ground flax seed and fatty fish (salmon, tuna and mackerel)

In addition, our pediatrician recommends that the entire family take a Vitamin D supplement to combat the flu.  Although we get vitamin D in milk and from the sun, we don’t quite get enough of it to fight off the flu so a supplement is helpful.

My family has been juicing lately.  We got a juicer from Target for Christmas.  This is such an easy way to get extra vitamins and minerals into your diet.  The kids really enjoy picking their own fruits and veggies to create their own juice recipes.

Remember- if you have any health issues it is always important to consult with your doctor before making any major changes to your diet.

Stay healthy!”

Melanie Meixner is a certified Dr. Sears LEAN Coach.  She also teaches Health and Nutrition to Middle School students at Capo Beach Christian School.  She also has 2 fairly picky eaters at home who inspire her to learn about healthy eating habits. All nutritional facts in this article were found at www.drsearswellnessinstitute.org.

Photo credit: Wylio

This easy BBQ pulled pork crock pot recipe to put on hawaiian rolls with tangy coleslaw is a family-friendly weeknight dinner and would also make a great Superbowl party meal.

A friend gave me this recipe several years ago and I’ve since tweaked it a bit and passed it around to more friends. Double (or triple) it for your next party, always a crowd pleaser!

If you have leftovers, re-purpose the pulled pork for some southwest style tacos or grab a pizza crust at the store + your fave cheese for a bbq style pizza.  (When you pull it out of the oven, drizzle with a little of your favorite ranch and sprinkle with green onion + cilantro-yum!)  The opportunities are endless!

There’s a recipe for a delish/quick homemade BBQ sauce but if you’re in a hurry just grab a bottle of your favorite.

Oh, and another thing- this creamy slaw packs some tang…have some fun & try with a bag of broccoli slaw if you feel so inclined!?!

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For the Pork

1 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup worchestershire sauce

1/8 cup brown sugar

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/8 tsp dried crushed pepper

4lb pork butt (shoulder) roast (this can be separate smaller roasts)

Season the pork butt with a little salt and pepper.  Grab a large saute pan and brown the pork on all sides.

Put all ingredients in crock pot & mix.  Place pork in sauce.  Cover & turn on low for at least 8 hours.  Turn roast over halfway through.  When 8 hours is up, remove meat & let it cool.  Remove meat from bone & shred.

Discard most of the cooking liquid, adding a little back to the meat once it’s shredded.

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1/2 cup mayo

1 tbsp sour cream

1 tbsp grated onion

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp vinegar

1/2 tbsp dry mustard

1 tsp celery salt

1 bag cole slaw
Mix dressing & toss with cole slaw.

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Sandwich

1 package Hawaiian Sweet Dinner Rolls

I like to put the pulled pork on the roll, drizzle with a bit of warm BBQ sauce and top with the creamy cole slaw.  And now my mouth is watering…

(If serving for a party, let the guests assemble their own for an interactive, low maintenance main course, and that way the sandos won’t get soggy.)

Enjoy!

XO

Your Sus Chef

Fall is here (it seems to be cooling down ever so slightly?!) and so it’s time to bust out the slow cooking recipes! You know the ones where you walk in from your long day and your whole house smells amazing? Yup, this Slow Cooked Short Ribs and Celery Root Puree recipe is one of those.

Jen and I picked up these ingredients on our recent shopping trip to the new Whole Foods Market in Newport Beach.

This recipe calls for a dutch oven (a heavy cooking pot with a tight fitting lid) but you can easily switch to the crockpot and let it slow cook all day if you like (see my notes below).

This is an excellent make ahead recipe for entertaining, it’ll almost taste better the second day.

Note: Short ribs are a fattier meat so be prepared to remove as much fat as you can but embrace what you can’t because it’ll taste darn good.

The Celery Root Puree is the perfect creamy counterpart to this tomato and wine braised short rib and makes for an exciting substitute to a traditional mashed potato.

If entertaining be sure top with the gremolata to brighten the flavors and give the dish a pop of color.

For the Ribs:

2 1/2 lbs bone in beef short ribs

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried thyme

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

2 cups crushed tomatoes (I like San Marzanos)

1 cup chicken stock

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

1/3 cup vermouth

1/2 cup red wine

1 star anise (available at most Gourmet Markets, or you can omit, will still taste great!)

1 bay leaf

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ready, Set, Cook!

Sprinkle ribs with dried basil, dried thyme, S+P, massaging the herbs and spices onto the surface of the meat.  Heat up an oven-proof dutch oven (or heavy pan with a tight fitting lid) over medium heat and add in some olive oil, when the oil is hot, brown the short ribs on each side.

When ribs are browned, remove them from the pot and carefully remove all but 2 tablespoons of the remaining fat.  Then over medium low heat add the chopped celery, onion, and garlic, stirring often to sweat the veggies, careful not to burn.

Add the red wine, stirring and using a spoon to pull all of the good flavor off the bottom of your pot.  Reduce the wine a little bit and then add the crushed tomatoes, chicken broth and vermouth and stir.  Then add the star anise and bay leaf.

{If you want to use your slow cooker at this point put your ribs into the slow cooker and and pour the liquid from your dutch oven on top and put on low for 6-8 hours}

Next, place the ribs back into your dutch oven and cover with the lid and place the entire dutch oven (pot) into the oven at 340 degrees for 2.5-3 hours.

When you pull it out of the oven, carefully remove much of the excess fat with a spoon making sure not to remove the delicious sauce.

Celery Root Puree

3/4 lb celery root (celeriac), green parts removed, peel off the snarly outer parts and cute into 1 inch cubes

1 garlic clove

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter

Simmer celery root, garlic and salt in a saucepan, covered until celery root is very tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Let cool a bit and drain the celery root of the liquid (reserving the liquid just in case) and then puree with cream & butter in a food processor until smooth.  (If you need to thin a little puree in a bit of the reserved cooking liquid.)  Season to taste with a little salt if necessary.

Gremolata topping

1 bunch italian (flat leaf) parsley, cut green leafy parts off of stems & chop

1 lemon, zested & minced

1 garlic clove, minced

Stir together and sprinkle on top of your short ribs just before serving.

Enjoy!

XO
Your Sus Chef