Stealth Veggies

I have a love/hate relationship with stealth vegetables. You know the kind, where you're having a delicious meal and then the cook casually mentions that she put 13 heads of lettuce in the main dish and you had no idea.

On one had, I love it. Eating more vegetables is a good thing! And getting picky eaters (children or husbands!) to eat them can sometimes be difficult. And I would love to feel like I was getting something good for me when I eat a whole pan of brownies by myself (not that I have ever done that...).

But on the other hand, do you really need to trick people into eating something good for them? There are tons of studies out there showing that people tend to like the food they are exposed to. So, if we give kids/husbands broccoli, the first second or third time they might only have a bite or two, but the fourth, fifth, or 100th time they will dig right in (this of course is not true for every food. I grew up hating hot corn meal cereal, no matter how many times my mom made it!). And wouldn't it be better to teach someone to like a real veggie then to trick them into thinking that brownies are good for them? What happens when you are not there to stuff a vegetable into everything?

I am (obviously) conflicted about this, so while I make up my mind, try out this recipe for stuffed meatloaf. Tons of good for you spinach, but you can totally see it, so it's only semi stealth! Also, a great way to use up spinach that's a little too wilty to put in a salad but still good enough to eat.

Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatloaf

1 pound ground turkey
2 egg whites (or one whole egg)
1/2 cup oatmeal (you can also use bread crumbs)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 oz shredded mozzarella
2 cups fresh spinach

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the turkey, egg whites, oatmeal, onion, 1/3 cup of BBQ sauce, and spices in a large bowl. Spread half of the turkey mixture in a bread pan. Layer cheese and spinach on top (trust me, put the spinach on after the cheese, it's much easier to spread the rest of the meat on!). Layer the remaining meat on top of the cheese and spinach. Cover with remaining BBQ sauce. Bake for 1 hour. Cut into 6 slices, and enjoy!

Nutrition: Calories: 262, Fat: 12g, Total Carbohydrates: 10g, Fiber: 1g, Protein: 28g

I Tried It Tuesday- Whole Wheat Brownies

I thought take a bite before taking the picture would make it look more artistic and delicious. 

I was wrong, it just looks chomped on and kinda gross. Sorry!

The Cub Scout value for the month of May is Health and Fitness, so last week we talked about the food pyramid and what foods were good to eat. They pyramid has totally changed since I was in school, and one thing they push now is 'making half of your grains whole'. Ever since I took a nutrition class in college, I have tried to incorporate as many whole grains as possible into my diet, so I love the idea of cooking with whole wheat flour, it is SO much healthier, but sometimes the results can be dry and mealy. So when I saw a Whole Grain Baking cookbook at the library, I checked it out! I might have to buy this cookbook, it has so many great ideas!! And all the recipes have been tested several times, so you know they are good ones!

I tried the brownie recipe first:

1 cup unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
3/4 cup cocoa
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan on low heat. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Heat the mixture briefly until it's hot and starting to bubble. Heating this mixture a second time will dissolve more of the sugar, which will yield a shiny top crust on your brownies.

Stir in the cocoa, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Cool the mixture until you can text it with your finger, it should feel like comfortably hot bath water. Whisk in the eggs, stirring until smooth, then add the flour and chips, again stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake the brownies until a cake tester or sharp knife poked into the center reveals wet crumbs but not raw batter (about 30 minutes). The brownies should feel set on the edges and in the center.

Let sit overnight before serving; this gives the bran a chance to soften, giving the brownies a more pleasing texture.

Nutrition information: (if you cut it into 24 pieces) 252 cal, 13g fat, 3g protein, 8g complex carbohydrates, 25g sugar, 2g fiber, 125mg sodium, 216g potassium, 76RE vitamin A, 2mg iron, 46mg calcium, 100mg phosphorus, 15mg caffeine

For lower fat brownies: substitute 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce for 1/2 cup of butter. Add applesauce after the vanilla.

My review: These brownies are REALLY good, but they have no instant gratification! Smelling the brownies cooking, and then having to wait until the next day to eat them was not my idea of fun. I tried one the night I made them, and they were good, but they were better the next day, like the recipe said. I also didn't read the recipe all that well, and I really should have halved it! That's A LOT of brownies for two people!

While I wouldn't call them a health food, if you are looking for a slightly healthier brownie, this would be a good bet!