Give Them Something Better

Author: Stephanie Howard

Amazing 2 Ingredient Fruit Ice Cream!
I have a recipe for the healthiest, creamiest most delicious ice cream ever created! Are you ready?

The main ingredient is frozen bananas but, it is best if you add in other frozen fruits like blueberries, strawberries, mango, etc. The key to the creamy texture is the banana but the other fruits add great flavor!

Fruit Ice Cream Recipe
- 4 bananas, peeled and frozen overnight (or about one per person)
- 1 cup frozen fruit of choice (blueberries, strawberries, mango, etc.)
1. Break bananas up into smaller pieces and place in food processor with other fruit.
2. Process until smooth and creamy. (the machine may bounce around some until the bananas start to break up so keep an eye on it. ) or use Champion Juicer
I understand that this recipe does not sound near as good as it really is! but you MUST try it! I have done this at cooking schools and even after I demonstrate in front of the class, people always ask. “So what is in this besides fruit?” The answer is “Nothing!”. A perfect gluten free, dairy free dessert everyone can appreciate!
May 31, 2011
Super Food French Fries
Super foods are great foods that have more disease-fighting nutrients than most other foods. Wouldn’t it be great if these supper foods were foods everybody liked to eat! Well, how do you and the kids feel about French fries?!
That is to say sweet potato French fries…Yum! Sweet potatoes are a member of the dark orange vegetable family, they are full of vitamin A . They are also loaded with vitamin C, calcium, and potassium. So when you indulge in French fries make them super fries!

Sweet Potato Fries
- 5 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ¼-inch sticks
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oil
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.

2. Toss sweet potatoes with oil in a large bowl to coat.

3. Add salt, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder; mix gently with your hands.

4. Spread sweet potatoes in a single layer on prepared baking sheets. (If they are too crowded, the fries won’t crisp up.)

5. Bake until fries are tender, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes.

6. Increase heat to 475°F; bake 5 to 8 minutes, until nicely browned.
May 24, 2011
Everything’s better with Cheeze!?
When I was young there was a commercial that said“Everything is better with cheese.” and I were sure they were right! However I have chosen not to eat regular dairy cheese for a lot of reasons… but that does not mean I can’t enjoy a good drizzile of cheese sauce on everything. So for those of you who have chosen a vegan lifestyle and those who are allergic to dairy this is for you. Melty cheeze made with nuts, I use it on potatoes, broccoli, add a little tomato and green chili for a great chip dip.

So once again, you can say “Everything is better with cheeze!”

Melty Cheeze
- 3 cups water, divided
- ½ cup roasted red pepper or pimento
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ½ cup raw cashews
- ½ tablespoon salt
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- ¼ cup quick-cooking oats
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
1.     Place 2 cups water and remaining ingredients in a blender; blend until very smooth. Pour into a medium saucepan.

2.     Add remaining 1 cup of water to blender; blend briefly to clean out.

3.     Pour into saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thick,stirring constantly.

TIP: If you want to make your sauce extra creamy add a boiled red potato to the blender.

You can watch a video of how to make the cheese here.
May 17, 2011
Marshmallows, Snacking and Menu Planning

Do you remember when kids didn’t snack and eat all day long? Back when I was a kid we always heard “Don’t eat that now, you’ll spoil your supper!” Now, I have noticed that kids eat all day every day! You can’t go anywhere without a snack. I was thinking of this and all the families I know that struggle getting their kids to eat at meal time and I remembered the Marshmallow Test.

It was a simple experiment by Stanford University where they gave 4 year old kids a marshmallow and told them that they could eat the Marshmallow now or wait 15 minutes and they would receive another marshmallow. So then they could have two…a simple test of delayed gratification. the funny thing is that 2 out of 3 of the kids ate the marshmallow right away! Only 1 out of 3 was able to wait…but the most interesting part of the experiment to me was the follow up when the kids were in college.

Those who ate the marshmallow right away tended to be moody, indecisive, envious and prone to jealousy while all those who waited scored 250 points higher on SAT tests, they were cooperative and good under pressure, and they were confident and self reliant.
I wonder what we do to our kids by letting them snack and eat whenever they want instead of having them wait for scheduled meal times? I wonder of eating meals would be less “challenging” if the kids came to the table hungry knowing that once they are down from the table they have no food again until breakfast? Maybe it is time for another kind of test?!

This week for Meal Planning Monday, will be having…
Potato Corn Chowder and Tofu Egg Salad
Chili Potatoes
Easy Bean Quesadillas
Spaghetti

Ending with a great leftover buffet!

May 16, 2011
Strawberry Shortcake for breakfast
We are having Strawberry Shortcake for breakfast! Yes, you heard me right. Now this is not your traditional angel food cake and cool whip kind of shortcake. It’s much better than all of that. We use a great whole grain biscuit, smothered in strawberries and then we pour on a little soy or almond milk…wow that is an amazing treat for breakfast or dessert.

This is the Biscuit recipe we use, it belonged to Ridzoman’s grandmother. I just added whole grains and took out a little fat to make a perfect healthy, yet fluffy biscuit.

Strawberry Shortcake Biscuits

Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 3 tablespoons cane juice crystals or sugar
- 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup nondairy milk
- 1/3 cup oil
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray or line with cupcake liners.
2. Mix dry ingredients together.
3. Mix wet ingredients together in a separate small bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; mix well.
5. If batter seems too thick, add more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until batter comes together. The batter should be thick, like brownie batter.
6. Fill prepared muffin tins with batter; bake 10 minutes, or until light brown around the edges.
Top with sliced strawberries, non-dairy milk and a drizzle of agave if you like.

Makes 12 biscuits.
May 10, 2011
How to Live Forever or at least to 100

Newsweek, US News and World Report and the National Geographic Magazines have all written articles about living a long life. Each of the articles was unique and interesting in their own right. But one thing each had in common…they all recommend living like a Seventh-day Adventist! What’s so special about how Seventh-day Adventists live you may ask? Being a Seventh-day Adventist myself I was a bit curious what the scientists thought myself.
I had my own ideas of the benefits, but I wanted to learn more about what the research said and what I learned was compelling! I wanted to share all that information with you along with some great family recipes! That is really why we wrote our book to tell everyone about the secrets of the Adventist lifestyle. So more people could enjoy healthier, happier lives!
So if you want to learn the secrets that keep Seventh-day Adventists on top of the list of long living people, get a copy of the book and give your family “Something Better”.

May 5, 2011