Month: August 2022

Articles/

Flax egg recipe – easy egg substitute in a pinch!

Brown Chicken Eggs

This is the best trick for when you’re in in baking mode, you have the perfect recipe, you’re pulling out ingredients and then you realize you don’t have any eggs and you desperately need an egg substitute! I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me, in fact, just last Saturday the kids woke up asking for pancakes. We were all pumped for them, when – no eggs! And then I realized, I tried a new muffin recipe recently that called for 2 eggs or 2 flax eggs (2T ground flax seed plus 4T warm water). So I tried it, and it worked really well as an egg substitute! Plus, as a mom and registered dietitian, I was thrilled to sneak a boost of nutrition in there!

So here’s how to make a flax egg.

What you need :

  • Ground flaxseed meal
  • Water

If you have traditional flax seed you’ll just need to grind it up in a coffee or spice grinder before using so the flax “egg” gels up properly. And if you’re not sure you want to buy a whole bag of flax meal because you’re not sure you’ll use it all…scroll to the bottom for more ideas on how to incorporate flax into your diet.

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Why flax meal and not whole flax seed?

There’s a big difference.

Flax seeds are teeny tiny seeds that have a very hard shell. In fact, they can’t be digested so they’ll go out the same way they went in, and you won’t get the nutrition benefits! Instead use a ground flax meal – it’s basically pulverized flax seed. And if want to ensure freshness, grind them yourself in a spice grinder or coffee grinder. I usually pick up ground flax seed from Trader Joe’s or Bob’s Red Mill and store the bag in the fridge so they don’t go rancid.

Whole flax seed
Whole Flax Seed
Flax seed meal as opposed to whole flax seed
Flax Seed Meal or Ground Flax

When to use a flax egg

Try using this as an egg substitute for recipes that use egg as a binding agent like:

  • pancakes
  • muffins
  • breads like zucchini or banana

When not to use a flax egg

You have to remember, this isn’t a real egg so this isn’t going to be an option for egg-based recipes like omelets, soufflés or meringues. Don’t use a flax egg when you need fluffy egg whites to create a light texture – this is not the solution for you.

How does it taste?

I personally think it gives batters a nutty flavor that I really like! But overall I don’t think the kids even notice it’s in there.

Nutrition benefits of flax seed

Flax seed is a nutrition powerhouse. It’s a good source of healthy fats, antioxidants and fiber. It has 70 calories per serving, 2g protein, 5g fat, 4g carbohydrate and 4g dietary fiber! Because of it’s nutrition profile it’s often incorporated as part of a healthy diet and can help prevent constipation. Just be sure to drink with enough fluids, because flax absorbs water to add bulk to stools.

  • Fats in flax seed are plant based omega 3’s which can help improve the ratio of omega 3:6’s!
  • They also deliver a combination of both soluble and insoluble fiber which helps with regularity and with improving cholesterol levels!
  • A 30g portion provides 7-30% of the recommended daily allowance for magnesium, phosphorus and calcium.

Traditional Medicine touts flaxseed as

  • Useful against asthma, bad cough and bronchitis
  • Helps with constipation
  • Used against stomach ulcer
  • Cures inflammation of intestine and abdomen
  • Improves memory
  • Protects skin from getting dry

Lignans, a plant compound found in plants – primarily flax and sesame – may help prevent cardiovascular disease.

One review concluded that flax seed may help reduce the risk of breast cancer after menopause.

Some people find relief from joint pain and stiffness with flax seed, according to the Arthritis Foundation.

Daily flax seed (13g) was observed to lower blood glucose and improve insulin sensitivity in one 2013 study.

Let me know if you try this flax egg recipe!

Flax seed meal needed for flax egg recipe

Easy Flax Egg

This is your gluten-free, diary-free, egg-free egg substitute. Perfect for baking, pancakes, muffins, and more!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 2 minutes
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp ground flax seed or flax seed meal
  • 2 tbsp warm water

Instructions
 

  • Combine flax meal and warm water in a small bowl. Give it a little mix and let it sit for 5 minutes until a gel-like liquid forms. Then add to your baked goods as needed!
Keyword egg free, egg substitute, plant forward, vegan, vegetarian
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

10 ways to use flax seed

  1. Add a teaspoon to yogurt
  2. Sprinkle over oatmeal
  3. Add to a smoothie
  4. Use as egg replacer
  5. Add to breading for chicken or fish
  6. Add to granola
  7. Add to soups like minestrone to make them thicker
  8. Sprinkle on top of your salad
  9. Add to homemade salad dressing
  10. Add it anytime you use peanut butter
Articles/

6 No Stress Tips to Raise Healthy Kids – the easy way!

Vegan lunch with Kids

Getting kids to eat well and form healthy habits – good habits – takes time. It takes lots of time, persistence and the knowledge to know it’s a long game. Nothing is going to happen overnight, trust me!

Positive, Healthful Habits: August Is Kids Eat Right Month™

The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans noted that some school-aged children are not eating enough of the recommended amounts of certain food groups. As a result, they may not be consuming the nutrients they need to support their growing bodies or engaging in the physical activity they need to stay healthy.

YOU! The parents and caregivers play a big role in children’s nutrition and health, teaching kids about healthful foods, being a good role model and making sure physical activity is incorporated into each day.

August, which is Kids Eat Right Month™, is a great time to reevaluate your family’s eating and physical activity habits and take steps to make positive, healthful changes.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is encouraging families to take the following steps:

  1. Shop Smart. First, encourage a healthful lifestyle. Get your children involved in selecting the food that will appear at the breakfast, lunch or dinner table.
  2. Cook Healthy. Secondly, involve your child in the preparation of meals with age-appropriate tasks. They will learn about food and may even be enticed to try new foods they helped prepare. Check out my Healthy Hot Dog recipe!
  3. Eat Right. Next, sit down together as a family to enjoy a wonderful meal. It’s also an opportunity to share the day’s experiences with one another. Family meals encourage healthful family relationships and good eating habits.
  4. Healthful Habits. You can help kids form great, healthful habits by setting a good example. With each meal, fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, choose lean protein foods, and make at least half the grains your family eats whole grains. For beverages, drink water or milk over drinks with added sugars, and opt for calcium-rich foods with meals and snacks.
  5. Get Moving. Aside from being a great way to spend time together, regular physical activity is vital to strengthen muscle and bones, promote a healthy body weight, develop social skills and build self-esteem. Encourage preschool children to be active throughout the day. Older children and adolescents need at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity daily, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (2nd ed.).
  6. Get Talking. Lastly, eating right can sometimes be a challenge for kids, particularly if they are picky eaters, but experts say that a conversation can help. Talk to your children about the foods they enjoy and introduce them to new foods from a variety of cultures to expand all of your horizons.

Raising healthy kids is totally possible. Just stay consistent and know it will sink in eventually. Good habits take time 🙂

Eliminate mealtime pressure by enjoying meals together with children – after all they learn by example! It’s is a powerful way to get them to try new flavors, textures, and get the nutrition benefits of healthful and tasty food!

Melanie Marcus, Registered Dietitian
Recipe/

The Vegan (Carrot) Hot Dog Your Kids Will Love!

Vegan Hot Dog

Does it feel like your kids are just eating hot dogs and chicken nuggets? This is my life right now! As a dietitian I know it’s totally normal for kids to get stuck in a rut with food, but as a dietitian mom, I cringe a little bit inside every time we feed our children hot dogs, even if we do switch it up with turkey dogs every now and then. But this is life. Kids like what they like, and it’s okay to include traditional “kid food” as part of the meal rotation because this is how they learn balance and moderation. Plus, they’re more likely to try new foods, when familiar foods that they like are on the plate. So is there a healthy hot dog out there? YES! Check out this carrot dog!!

Jump to Recipe

That said.  The all American favorite hotdog happens to be a source of saturated fats and sodium, which usually isn’t a problem for children- but having them on a more frequent basis doesn’t exactly lay the foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating.  This is why I was thrilled to develop this healthy hot dog recipe with Dole Food Company. Ingredients were provided for me, but all of the opinions are my own.

These Southwest Carrot Dogs, a healthy hot dog alternative, and a kid food favorite, are an ideal substitute for hot dogs!  Bonus – my children both approved!  You could even just make the marinated hotdogs without the side salad for an easy plant-forward vegan bbq option. 

It’s recommended that children, just like adults make half of their plate fruits and vegetable at mealtimes.  Orange and red vegetables should make the plate several times a week because in general they’re an excellent source of vitamin A.2 They support eye and skin health and help keep our immune system at peak performance.

Carrot Nutrition

One large carrot has about 48 calories, 1g protein, 10g carbohydrate and 3g fiber!4

They’re an excellent source of vitamin K and Fiber.

They’re a good source of vitamins B6, C and E, folate, niacin, potassium and manganese.

One 2011 study published in the Nutrition Journal found that carrot juice increased antioxidant levels in participants. Authors concluded it may offer protection to the cardiovascular system.3

Why Vitamin A is important: 

  • Like vitamins C and E it appears to scavenge free radicals, offering antioxidant protection.
  • Adequate levels of vitamin A are associated with a lower risk of cancer and heart disease1.
  • It’s essential to eyesight!  Vitamin A helps us to react to changes in brightness and it also helps us see different colors. 
  • On a cellular level, it helps cells become highly specialized – which is a really good thing. 

Vitamin C and potassium are often also found in red/orange fruits and vegetables.  Vitamin C supports healthy teeth and gums, helps with iron absorption and is important to be sure scrapes and cuts heal properly and quickly.  Potassium is a nutrient of concern for most people and helps counter the effects of sodium.  It also helps us maintain healthy blood pressure. 

Which are better?  Raw or cooked carrots?

Raw baby carrots are a go-to snack for me with hummus or other dip, but I remind myself that cooked carrots provide greater amounts of vitamin A because cooking them (as we do with this carrot dog) helps break down cell walls to make it more easily absorbed in the body! Pureeing, chopping into soups and carrot juice are particularly good options.

If carrots aren’t up your alley, other vitamin A-rich foods to try include: 

Jump to Recipe
  • Acorn squash
  • Butternut squash
  • Pumpkin
  • Red bell peppers
  • Sweet potato
  • Tomatoes

What did I learn from making this recipe? 

It’s super easy.  Marinade and grill.  That’s it. 

The only change I made with the carrot dog was to use Mrs. Dash No Salt Added Steak Seasoning.  Regular steak seasoning has a lot of salt.  This swap keeps the added salt to a minimum. 

You can totally make the marinade in advance to keep things easy the day of entertaining, but it’ll also work if you marinade that morning for an afternoon grill out. 

Keep these ingredients in your pantry to whip these vegan healthy hot dogs together anytime! 

  • Pineapple juice
  • Lower sodium soy sauce
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Avocado oil
  • No salt added steak seasoning
  • Liquid smoke

Liquid smoke wasn’t as difficult to find as I thought it would be. My local Food Lion grocery store had it right next to the BBQ sauce section.

Jump to Recipe

Do I need the liquid smoke to make the carrot dog marinade?

I say yes. You’re going for a hot dog flavor then this is going to deliver it. It’s a unique product that I don’t use frequently in my cooking, but I would use it again. It’s not too overpowering and does create a HUGE impact with flavor!

Are the healthy hot dogs Vegan or Gluten Free (GF)?

This carrot dog (aka healthy hotdog) is vegan. Marinade ingredients are all naturally vegan, but read labels when purchasing products to confirm.

This vegan bbq superstar could also easily be made gluten free, you would just need to use a GF soy sauce like tamari instead. There are also GF brands of liquid smoke – like Stubbs, so be sure to read labels if this is a new ingredient for you! And of course, use a GF bun.

Note the Dole Salad kit does not state on package that it is gluten free or vegan.

Vegan Hot Dog

Southwest Carrot Dog

Dole Food Company
This plant forward option for the classic hotdog from Dole Food Company can't be beat!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Course Main Course
Servings 8 people
Calories 279 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 8 large DOLE®Carrots peeled, ends trimmed to length of hot dog buns
  • 1/2 cup DOLE®Pineapple Juice
  • 1/2 cup less-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/4 plus 3T cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp steak seasoning I like Mrs. Dash no salt added
  • 3/4 tsp liquid smoke
  • 8 each 100% whole wheat hot dog buns
  • 1 bag DOLE®Southwest Salad Kit
  • 1/4 cup reduced sodium black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup frozen corn thawed
  • 1 each DOLE®Avocado peeled,pitted and chopped

Instructions
 

  • Heat carrots and enough water to cover by 2 inches to a boil in a medium saucepot over high heat; boil 8 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork. Drain and rinse carrots under cold running water until cool; pat dry and place in a large zip-top plastic bag.
  • Whisk juice, soy sauce, vinegar, oil, seasoning and liquid smoke in a medium bowl; pour over carrots. Seal bag, pressing out excess air; massage carrots in bag to coat and refrigerate at least 4 or up to 24 hours.
  • Prepare outdoor grill for direct grilling over medium heat. Remove carrots from marinade; reserve ¼ cup marinade. Spray carrots with cooking spray and place on hot grill rack; cover and cook 10 minutes or until heated through and grill marks appear, brushing with reserved marinade and turning ¼ turn every 2½ minutes. During last minute of cooking, place buns, cut side down, on hot grill rack; cover and cook 1 minute or until lightly toasted.
  • Prepare Salad Kit as package directs in a large bowl; stir in beans and corn. Makes about 4 cups.
  • Serve carrots in buns topped with salad mixture and avocado.

Nutrition

Calories: 279kcal
Keyword kid friendly, plant forward, vegetarian
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Let me know if you try this recipe. I bet it’ll make your family take a second look to realize their eating a carrot dog and not a hot dog!!

Kid approved carrot dog!!

Did your kids like carrots?

They’re great tasting on their own but can be combined with other flavors well too! Try adding them to a vegetable stir fry, another kid food favorite, for additional nutrients. If you try this healthy hot dog please let me know!

  1.  Janice Thompson and Melinda Manore, Nutrition An Applied Approach.  (New York: Pearson Education Inc, 2009). 
  2. https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/kids
  3. Tonia Reinhard, Super Foods. (Firefly Books, 2014).
  4. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/2258586/nutrients