Orange Your Glad You Have Leftovers?

Guest Post by Erica of Nature Girl Wellness

 

Busy families need simple strategies to get healthy food onto their families plates quickly and easily. As a Health Coach, I love helping families find simple ways to prep and cook easy healthy food.

Cool weather fruits and vegetables are naturally filled with vitamins and minerals your body needs to help keep your immune system in top shape — vitamin C, beta-carotene, and other cold and flu-fighting anti-oxidants.

Here are three new ways to enjoy your orange goodness for some seasonal delicious fare. We’re talking about:

  • sweet potatoes, yams and
  • butternut squash.

 

 

1. Orange Smoothie
Serves 2-3 people
Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup organic coconut milk
  • 1 sweet potato or 1 cup squash, baked and peeled
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • 2 cups milk (cow, rice or almond)

Directions: Blend all of the above until smooth and enjoy!

 

Tip: Pack the smoothie for a healthy snack on-the-go (don’t forget the straw!).

 

 

2. Energy Muffins
Makes approximately 24 mini-muffins
Dry Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cups flour (Namaste brand Gluten-Free Perfect Flour Blend or white whole wheat flour)
  • 1 cup almond meal
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp garam masala (an Indian spice blend)
  • 2 tsp cinnamon powder

Wet Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sweet potato or squash, baked and peeled
  • 1 6-oz coconut yogurt, plain
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • Coconut oil, for greasing

Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients. Beat wet ingredients in a separate bowl until smooth. Add wet to dry ingredients. Grease a 24-count mini-muffin tin with coconut oil. Fill muffin tin with batter. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out dry. Serve warm with butter or jam.

 

Tip: Mini-muffins are the perfect size for lunchbox addition.

 

3. Mini Squash Cakes
Serves 3 people
Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sweet potato or squash, baked and peeled
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tbsp flour (gluten-free blend or white whole wheat)
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • Topping: 1/2 cup cereal, such as Nature’s Path Mesa Sunrise (or other unsweetened flake cereal), crushed

Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, except topping, and hand whip all ingredients until smooth. Divide mixture among 3 individual oven-safe casserole dishes. Top with crushed cereal evenly. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes and serve immediately. Make ahead tip: Casserole dishes can be refrigerated overnight without topping. Bring up to room temperature and add topping before baking.

 

Tip: These make a great breakfast treat!

 

 

If you try any of these recipes (and I hope you do!), please let me know how it goes. I love the feedback!

Erica is a Holistic Health Coach and Owner of Nature Girl Wellness, LLC. She is passionate about teaching parents to use real food, natural remedies and lifestyle techniques to improve their families’ health.

Using her professional knowledge and personal experience, Erica partners with her clients to share practical real-life wellness solutions. Conveniently, sessions are available by phone, Skype, in person individually or in small groups.

Following graduate school and over 10 years in Corporate Human Resources, Erica shifted careers to be able to spend time with her two young children. Erica is a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and co-leader of the Holistic Moms Network of Bergen County. She and her family live in Bergen County, NJ.

 

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2 Comments

  1. What yummy sounding recipes! That smoothie sounds de-lish!

    I would love to hear ideas from the author or other readers on how to bake and store squash( and other veggies that are similar) ahead of time. I thought freezing them after baking would mess with the temp, but Im not sure on that? How many days can you keep baked squash in the fridge?

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