recipes (8)

Mexican Breakfast of champions!

 

When we run businesses, raise families, target deadlines and aspire to achieve big goals, our bodies often become unwilling victims of our minds' pursuits.  Let's face it, so many of us as women entrepreneurs are blazing trails in our professional lives, but overweight and undernourished in our bodies. It can be difficult to find time to cook food instead of grabbing fast food; to research nutrient-dense ingredients instead of going with what we know; to turn our commitments for more exercise into our daily reality. It is tough, but we are compromising quality of life for quick-fixes, and that is neither physically nor emotionally sustainable.

So, what's a busy woman entrepreneur on the rise to do?

For starters, she can quell her sweet tooth with healthier options, and use that as a segue into healthier habits. Satisfying your sweet tooth without eating unhealthy food is absolutely possible with a bit of creativity when it comes to spending time in the kitchen. If you are an avid cinnamon lover and you want to create a delicious, healthy dessert, there are plenty of options available that are simple and scrumptious. Use the following recipe to capitalize on one particular benefit of Cinnamon--the taste!


Apple Oatmeal

Enjoy cinnamon and apples? Creating your own apple oatmeal can be done for a healthy and satisfying meal. Cut and shred 2 apples, ridding the core. Heat a saucepan and add 1 cup of steel-cut oats, stirring until toasted, which will be approximately 2 minutes. Add water and the apples you have shredded, allowing the mixture to come to a boil. Once the oatmeal has boiled, allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir the mixture frequently as it simmers.

Cut two additional apples and stir them into the oat mixture after it has simmered for about 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of salt for added flavor. Stir the mixture together and allow it to simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. Once the oatmeal is thick, hot and mixed together after 15 to 20 minutes you can then serve the result in 4 separate servings. For added flavor, top the oatmeal with 3/4 teaspoon of brown sugar and a couple of tablespoons of flavored yogurt of your choice.

Granola With Cinnamon

When you are craving a delicious granola that includes a spicy cinnamon taste, try make your own from scratch. For this granola recipe you will need:

6 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup raw, unsalted pepitas
6 tablespoons of canola oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and line a roasting pan with parchment paper. Mix walnuts, almonds, pepitas and oats in a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla, salt, honey, cinnamon, oil and maple syrup in a separate bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour the liquid mixture over the oats and nuts you have prepared and toss. Spread the mixture over the lined pan.

Bake the mixture for approximately 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until browned and lightly golden on top. Stir the mixture each 15 minutes to evenly cook the granola throughout while giving each part of the granola a brown and golden appearance. Allow the mixture to cool completely before serving.

You can serve your freshly-prepared homemade granola in a bowl along with cold milk, topped with your favorite fruit or even in a custom yogurt parfait.

Getting creative in the kitchen doesn't have to take away from the time you spend nurturing your business. Plus, it's a great way to embrace work-life harmony by testing your creative (culinary) boundaries and ramping up on your health! Introduce delicious foods with cinnamon without worrying about processed foods and excessive sugar that can cause health problems. Being smart and making the most out of your dessert recipes will allow you to enjoy delicious foods without sacrificing your health.
 
Akilah Richards is a Certified Family Life Educator who believes in the power of informed decisions, both in the kitchen and in the conference room, and encourages people to educate themselves on the taste benefit of Cinnamon, and other life-affirming foods, as part of a commitment to holistic health and wellness. Companies like Prograde Nutrition may prove to be helpful resources in affirming that commitment.  
 

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15525557@N07/3350671698/

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Got Your Thanksgiving Recipes?

Remember those mouth-watering recipes for turkey with all the trimmings, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, and mince pie?Are you ready for the holidays? Click here to download my Black Holiday Gifts Guide now. We have all the traditional African American cookbooks you need to recreate those wonderful meals for your family and loved ones. Plus recipes for an African Christmas.The Guide also contains lots of activities for children, parents and families. I have free online games for children, crafts and more.Click here for more great recipes.Happy holidays!
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Too Excited!

I was just talking with my Mom, she called to see if I was stressing out about this coming weekends' event. (our cooking demo with Real Men Cook) and I told her calmly that I wasn't and really you would think I should be with all that's been going on.In order for me to be able to serve people samples I would need to prepare all the ingredients ahead of time in a commercial kitchen, which I no access to. My husband may have to travel to California for his boss this week so he will miss our event. ( still up in the air on that) The kids and I will have to cram in my Mother's small car and drive to Plano which is 30 to 45 min away @ 6 AM on Sat. Our demo should only last for 30 min so we should be good on that. So for some reason I'm not stressed @ all! I gave it to GOD and I'm letting him work it out! So why stress, right? Wish us luck, this is just another amazing opportunity that may lead to another bigger opportunity.
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Raising Chefs' now has a Facebook Fan Page and we want you to become our fans. Please help us spread the word about all the wonderful work we've done so far and future endeavors.We are so excited about all the amazing opportunities that have come our way. Become a fan and follow are continuous progress on this wonderful journey GOD has in store for us.Thank you so much for all your support thus far and we hope that you will keep us in your prayers as we take this amazing ride together! Many blessings to each and everyone of you!
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The Recipe Writer's Handbook

If you have lived for a while on this earth you will notice that there is very little new under the sun, with the exception of perhaps technology, which we're not talking about here. There are creative and interesting ways to use sugar, chocolate, spices and herbs in baking. There are fascinating ways to decorate cakes, cookies and all things sweet and edible. If you are a seasoned cook/baker you probably already know about this little jewel of a book, but if you are not this may be something you will want to look into. Originally written in 1997 by Barbara Gibbs Ostmann and Jane L.Baker The Recipe Writer's Handbook is something all bakers should have on their cookbook shelf. Why? Because one day you will be (perhaps not a "baby-boomer") but a generation "X" boomer or generation "Y" boomer and you will be passing on knowledge to the next generation of bakers. This sort of information is helpful.This little book is designed to teach you to "think" your way through a recipe to make important decisions and trouble shoot problems concerning format, syntax, spelling, cooking terminology etc." Those who attended at professional culinary art program probably already know this, but trust and believe if you live long enough it will escape your memory.You may not think you will, but one day you may want to put all your recipes to pen or in today's case "Word," and publish all those dynamic dishes that have made you famous or not so...famous. Publishers are always looking for ways to take a bigger piece of your pie, so this book can assist you in structuring your recipes in such a manner that publishers will think you had help...well you did it just didn't cost you an arm and a leg.The more you know, the more you can deliver and you won't have to rely on the publisher finding culinary writers to "clean up" your recipes.I have the old copy (original 1997) and plan of purchase the revised and expanded copy soon. The chapters in my copy are well written and the information is invaluable. Here's a hint of what's in the book (1997 version).Chapter 1 The Philosophy of Recipe WritingChapter 2 Recipe Writing StyleChapter 3 The Style SheetChapter 4 Recipe TestingChapter 5 Cooking TerminologyChapter 6 Preferred Spelling of Commonly Used Food WordsChapter 7 Generic Terms for Brand Names and TrademarksChapter 8 MetricsChapter 9 Nutrition Analysis of RecipesChapter 10 Copyright, Plagiarism and the Ethics of Recipe Writing and more (15 Chapters in all).The new revised book is on Amazon for under $10 (used) and I have emailed the authors to see if they might be revising it again (it's 2009). As I mention before if this is old news, no sweat, but for those baby bakers out there, just another resource for your baking arsenal.
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Hello Ladies! I've been in the kitchen lately trying to get ready to retest some of my recipes for my cookbook coming out soon and wanted to share a little quick recipe I came up with last Saturday. This particular recipe will not be in my up and coming cookbook "Raising Chefs", it was a "just because I was hungry" recipe that I came up with and wanted to share with this community. Let me know if you try it and what you're honest opinions are. I also will start posting recipes that will be in the book in the weeks to come as I retest them and get them ready to be photographer and I need some quality feedback from the BBWO Community. So if you would be so kind and help me out in this matter it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much in advance!!!Texas Style Macaroni Pasta n/a Balsamic Red SauceINGREDIENTS1 cup texas style macaroni or your favorite pasta1 8 oz. can tomato sauce2 tbsp butter2 large garlic cloves minced1/4 cup chopped green peppers1 tsp italian seasoning1 tsp parsley flakes1 tbsp dried onions1/4 cup balsamic vinegar1 tbsp olive oilfresh mozzarella cubedsalt & pepper to tasteDIRECTIONSCut mozzarella cheese into small cubes and place in fridge to chill. In a saucepan bring 4 cups of water to a boil adding a pinch or two of salt to season the pasta. Pour in the Texas Style Macaroni or your favorite pasta and cook until al dente (approx. 7-10 minutes) or until as soft as you like your pasta to be. (Make sure before you drain the pasta you reserve at lease a few tablespoons of the pasta water for your sauce.)Next, in a different saucepan on med-high heat add butter and sauté the garlic, green peppers for 4 minutes or until soft but not mushy. Bring the heat down to med-low heat and add in your seasonings, tomato sauce and simmer for another 3 minutes. Now add in your balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and the paste water you reserved earlier, stir well and salt/pepper to your taste. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes. Toss in the pasta and coat very well with this beautiful bright balsamic red sauce full of unbelievable flavor.In a serving bowl place a few mozzarella cubes in the bottom of the bowl, then spoon in some of the pasta layering cheese and pasta. Once you've reach your desired proportion toss the pasta and cheese together and the hot pasta will start to melt the chilled mozzarella to its ooo-wee-goo-wee goodness!Serves 2Peace, Love, and Sweet Treats!!!Latrice FowlerAuthorRaising Chefs...not just good cooks!www.raisingchefs.com
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