Month: January 2015

Peppermint Almond Milk Hot Chocolate

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It’s snowing out and the first thing the kids want is always hot chocolate!  Actually, me too.  It’s just so warm and soothing on a cold snowy day.  I love this hot chocolate because it’s not totally indulgent, but it’s so good. I am not eating sugar right now, but I allowed myself this teaspoon of maple syrup, which of course is sugar! It’s snowing, what can I do?  I make it with regular milk for the kids and almond milk for me.  I do not make mine very sweet, so adjust the maple syrup as you need to.  This is one serving, so it’s really easy to make a cup for yourself or adjust for more servings.

Ingredients

1 tsp real maple syrup

2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder

2 tbsp water

1 cup almond milk (or milk of your choice)

dash of peppermint extract

In a small saucepan, add the water, maple syrup and cocoa powder and bring to a boil and mix together to make a chocolate sauce.  Add the milk and heat to desired temperature, add the dash of peppermint extract.  You can also make in the microwave in a glass mug, add the water, maple syrup and cocoa powder and heat for 30 seconds.  Stir in the milk and heat.  Add the peppermint extract.  Add crushed candy candy cane bits and marshmallows if you desire! Enjoy!

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Chicken Vegetable Soup

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This weekend was bitterly cold, and I didn’t feel bad at all about staying inside and doing some “chopping therapy” as I like to call it.  The house feels so warm, the kids are playing (kind of), the sun is shining bright through the windows and football is on…this is what January is all about to me.  The first week in January is stressful because we are all getting back to “normal” after the holidays and I feel pressured to make some kind of New Years resolution or list of goals for the year, but honestly I am just not much for New Years resolutions. I make resolutions throughout the year…many times…and break them…many times and sometimes I keep them and make goals and I keep them and I accomplish things.  I just like to do these things as they come up in life and as I am inspired, not just at the start of a new year.  But I do usually get back to eating healthy after holiday indulgence and start training for something (sometimes reluctently)…usually a half marathon. I need this discipline in life to live a healthy lifestyle and stay accountable.

So this weekend, I took some time to go to Central Market.  I got some root vegetables and a fresh roaster chicken and used it to feed us the entire weekend.  I cooked the chicken on Saturday and we ate that for dinner.  I made chicken stock that night and used it and the leftover chicken to make this chicken vegetable soup the next day. I used the rest of the leftover chicken to make curry chicken salad for lunches.  I LOVE going through this process and using the whole chicken for several meals.  I do this a couple of times a month, especially in the winter.   And this soup is the perfect soup for chopping winter root vegetables and taking your time in the kitchen. Let the “chopping therapy” commence!

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Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

3 carrots, chopped

1 turnip, chopped

1 parsnip, chopped

olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

4-6 cups of chicken stock

3-4 cups of cooked chicken, chopped in bite sized pieces

1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes

1 cup frozen peas

1 cup of fresh or frozen green beans, chopped in 1 in. pieces

salt and peper

dash of red pepper flakes

In a dutch oven, sauté the onions, carrots and celery for a few minutes.  Add the turnip and parsnip and cumin, salt and pepper and sauté until tender.  Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, more salt and pepper and a dash of red pepper flakes and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the peas and green beans and simmer until tender.  Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy!!

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