Summer Turkey Berry Salad

We have been having salad for dinner every night to avoid using the oven.  It is so easy and so filling!

I really liked this combo and it was so colorful.  One of the kids even suggested I take a photo because it was so pretty:)

Turkey Burgers:

{Keep in mind; these are Banmanland proportions}

2 pounds ground turkey

3/4 cup feta cheese

1/2 cup pesto

{sometimes I don't have pesto.  These taste great with Mexican flavours as well; cumin, chili powder, garlic, onion...}

Smoosh it all together, make patties, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cook on medium high in a pan.

{I know, I said I wasn't using the oven/stove but this part can be done in the morning before it gets hot!!  Keep the burgers in the fridge.}

Salad:

{This is flexible.  You can make this salad 1000 different ways!}

lettuce {anything but iceburg}

avacado

red pepper

carrots

tomatoes

strawberries

raspberries

blueberries

sunflower seeds{or almonds or pecans or walnuts}

green onions

Maximized Parmesan Chicken Fingers

This was dinner.

I love chicken fingers and so do the kids.

Tonight we made "healthy chicken fingers".

They were delicious!

Best part is, this recipe fits in to the Maximized Living Advanced Plan.

Here's my step by step instructions...

 I used 1 cup of coconut flour and 1 1/2 cups grated raw Parmesan cheese.  I added some garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.  I stirred these ingredients together and spread them on a plate.

Eliminating flour and bread crumbs from the "breading" makes this a very healthy option:)

I dipped each piece of chicken in egg and then covered them with the parmesan "breading" mixture.

(for my 4 chicken breasts I used 3 eggs.  I beat them with a tablespoon of water.)

Dipped and ready to fry!

I used about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin first cold pressed olive oil.

(I know it sounds picky or snobby to be this precise about the olive oil but I promise, these things make a difference...you must read the book...it will transform the way you think about food.)

At first I had my heat at Medium high.  Everything started off looking fantastic...

But they got a little too browned for my liking on the outside.

So I turned the heat to medium and I was much happier with the results.

 So tasty!

I had leftover "breading" so I sliced up some zucchini.

There they are naked.

Here they are all dunked in egg and covered in parm cheese!

I threw them in the pan when the chicken was done.

These were a big hit with the kids.

Mike was stoked when he came home to this meal.  He added some hot sauce and went to town.

Mikayla went to Mike's Maximized Living Makeover last weekend and came home transformed.  She is determined to cut sugar (sugar meaning everything white: flour, startch, etc) out of her diet and eat food that is good for her body.  With daughter #1 on board, I am excited to up the anti in the quality of food that we eat around here.  It's more fun to try new things when the rest of the family appreciates the outcome and the effort it takes!

If you want to know more about what we believe and practice in regards to health, you can find lots of information on Maximized Living's site...or come in to Mike's office!

When I get inspired, I will post more food preparation fun...I like to do it as long as the kids are all busy and not "underfoot"!

Banmanland Recipes: Caesar Salad

I have been *trying* to do salad as the main course at least 2 nights a week.

Little confession:  I am personally not much of a fan of eating anything green...

or leafy...

or in the vegetable family...

This presents a problem on more than one level.

A. My body needs these foods

B. My husband promotes health for a living and stands 100% behind what he promotes and a big part of health is eating the right foods and all of these items fall into the "right foods" category

C. I have 5, soon to be 6 children that I want to teach to have better habits than I have!

So for myself and my little family, I like to make salad for dinner FUN!

Here is one of our go-to Salads.

The key to salad at my house is to offer all the ingredients separately with a disclaimer that they all must be eaten by each member of the family.

Not sure why but my kids are happy to eat almost anything one at a time but they are not into eating it if it's all mixed up.  I don't understand it but I have learned to embrace it:)

Mmmm, green is good!

Separated salad contents...

(I do not put the food on the plates, they pile it on in whatever order they prefer)

 ...works for Caiters!

This is Mikayla's plate.  As they grow they begin to realize it tastes better when it's all mixed up.

Banmanland Caesar Salad

Romain Lettuce
Turkey Bacon (cooked and chopped)
Chicken (cooked and chopped)
Parmesan Cheese (grated)
Home Made Croutons (chop up some bread, throw olive oil, garlic powder, salt & onion powder on them and broil till they are browned)
Sunflower Seeds

Caesar Dressing (from the Body By God cookbook):
1/4c red wine vinegar
1 TB honey
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 TB olive oil
1 TB lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2-1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt (optional, we like creamy caesar dressing but it tastes great without this)

 YUM YUM!

Uh oh, just noticed the only thing he didn't eat in this photo is the lettuce!  Rest assured, he won't be leaving the table till that's all gobbled up:)

Other favourites at our house:

- Chef's Salad
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Taco Salad

Do you have a fantastic salad?  I want to hear about it!!

Granola Crunchers

Maddie and I made granola today. It really is so good and super easy to make. I had a few people ask for the recipe so I thought I'd just post it here! I am not much of a "measurer" (yes I made that word up) so please keep in mind this is more of a guide to follow and you can modify it as you like it!

Banman's Granola


2 cups rolled oats (NOT quick oats-yucky!)


1/4 cup oat bran


1/4 cup wheat germ (these two can be substituted with each other but you need something fine to help hold it together)



2 Tbsp brown sugar (I use demorera )


1/4 tsp salt (I use sea salt)


1 cup "extras" **see below


1/4 cup maple syrup (I use blackstrap molases for the iron but I also often do half blackstrap, half honey...and I have used agave nectar too...that's a good one.)

3 Tbsp oil (I use olive oil OR coconut oil. others are NOT an option!!)

1 Tbsp water

Throw it all in a big bowl and stir it up (that's Maddie's job!) Once it is all combined, put it on a baking sheet (I use a pampered Chef bar pan lined with parchment paper...parchment paper is AWESOME, makes clean up a breeze. I fold the paper up and reuse it too as we make granola once a week.) When you pour the mixture onto the pan, use your (washed) hands to smoosh it together and spread it out evenly in the pan.

Bake for 30 minutes at 275. Let it cool in the pan completely before you put it in an airtight container.

**Extras**



we make two kinds of granola at our house cause some of us (eh hem, not naming any names) don't like nuts...

Apple Cinnamon Granola extras:
(combine these items to equal 1 cup)

-crunchy dried apples cut into bits (Lakeview Market has good crunchy ones)
-krispy cereal (like rice krispy treats..Sav-on has it in the bulk)

-Cinnamon

-coconut (I use half small and half large pieces. Again, Sav-on has the big flakes)

-flax seeds



Good Stuff Granola extras:

(combine these items to equal 1 cup)



-raw almonds

-raw pumpkin seeds

-raw sunflower seeds

-coconut flakes

-flax seeds

-raisins

-dried cranberries (the cranberries and raisins should be added in the last 10 minutes of cooking time.)