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From Liz:

Last week, I spent seven magical days at Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico.  Just an hour’s drive from San Diego and a world away from my hectic, on-the-go life as a mom, I took advantage of all the amazing activities spa had to offer.  My days were filled with a wide variety of classes – yoga, body bar, dance, strength training, hiking, and even sculpting (I actually sculpted a head out of clay).  I also indulged in a few spa treatments and savored delicious meals featuring just-picked organic produce grown right at the Ranch.

One of the highlights of the trip was the two cooking classes I took at La Cucina Que Canta, Rancho La Puerta’s culinary center. The first was taught by dietitian pal, Carolyn O’Neil, my companion on the trip, and the second by La Cucina’s resident teaching chef, Ana Lorena Najar.  Anna’s recipes reflected her style of modern Mexican cuisine using locally-grown, seasonal and organic ingredients.  I prepared Arrozo a la Mexicana – brown rice with carrots, corn, onion and other ingredients picked from the garden — and watched as guests prepared Sopa de Tortilla, Shrimp a la Diabla and Ricotta Cheese Cake.

Carolyn O'Neil (center) and Chef Anna Lorena Najar (right)

Of all the recipes I tried at La Cucina, the one that jumped out as the most family friendly was the Ricotta Cheesecake with Seasonal Fruit.  It actually reminded me of our Mini Mango Cheesecake recipe.  If you try the cheesecake, let me know what you think of it!

Cheesecake with Seasonal Fruit

Makes 12 Servings

Crust:

• 3 cups corn or wheat flakes cereal
• 1/4 cup agave or maple syrup

Cheesecake:

• 3 large egg whites
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups cottage cheese*
• 8 ounces cream cheese*
• 1/2 cup sour cream*
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 orange
• 3/4 cup agave or maple syrup, divided
• 2 cups ripe seasonal fruit, diced
• Lavender blooms (optional)

*I think you could easily switch to lowfat and reduced fat cottage cheese, sour cream, and cream cheese.

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. In a food processor, combine the corn flakes and agave or maple syrup. Pulse until coarsely ground. Firmly press the crust into the bottom of an oiled 9-inch springform pan or a cake pan with a removable bottom.
3. Cut a piece of parchment paper to line the sides of the pan, and fit the paper snugly around the edge. Brush the paper lightly with oil (this helps release the cheesecake from the pan).
4. In a food processor or blender, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla, zest, and ½ cup agave or maple syrup. Process until completely smooth. Pour the cheese mix over the crust.
5. Bake 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on a rack for 30 minutes, then release the cheesecake and remove the paper. Chill, uncovered, until completely firm.

To serve: Set the cake on a serving plate and top with the fruit. Drizzle the remaining 1/3 agave or maple syrup over the fruit and decorate with lavender flowers or other edible flowers.

For more recipes from the Ranch, be sure to check out Cooking with the Seasons at Rancho La Puerta: Recipes from the World-Famous Spa, written by spa founder, Deborah Szekely.

If you look at the back of a Graham cracker box, chances are you’ll see their tried-and-true recipe for pie crust. It’s made with five tablespoons of butter – that’s over half a stick — and it tastes pretty darn good. But all that butter bothered Jennifer S., a mom of two from Greensburg, PA which is why she sent it to us for a Recipe Rescue.

“When I was younger, without kids, I didn’t think as much about what I put on the table.  Now, as a mom, I want to make sure every little bite counts especially because I have two picky eaters at home.  A child’s number one job in life is to grow and develop. You need to give them good nutrition to grow in a healthy manner,” Jennifer told us. 

Ah, picky eaters. We hear it all the time.  So when we sat down to “rescue” Jennifer’s pie crust, we too wanted to make every bite count.  As overachievers we also decided to create a super healthy strawberry filling for Jennifer’s new pie crust so she could treat her family to a complete (and nutritious) dessert.

For the crust, we cut the butter from five tablespoons down to just one, added one egg white (the yolk made the crust too dense and gummy so we stuck with the white only), one tablespoon of sugar versus the original four, and two tablespoons of ground flaxseed for a boost of heart-healthy omega-3 fat. 

Double Strawberry Smoothie Pie

Makes 8 Servings

Pie Crust:

• 1 ¼ cups Graham Cracker crumbs (or enough crushed Graham crackers to equal 1 ¼ cups)
• 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon canola oil

Pie Filling:

• 1 ½ cups frozen strawberries, thawed
• 1 cup cranberry strawberry juice, divided
• 2 envelopes unflavored gelatine
• 3/4 cup strawberry lowfat yogurt
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, stir together the Graham cracker crumbs, flaxseed, sugar, egg white, butter, and canola oil until well combined.
2. Using the back of a large spoon, press the crumb mixture firmly on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes. Cool before filling.
3. Meanwhile, in a blender, blend together the strawberries and ½ cup of the juice until smooth. Pour into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally to break up any frothy bubbles
4. Place the remaining ½ cup juice in a large bowl. Sprinkle the gelatine over the juice and let stand 1 minute. Add the hot juice mixture and stir or gently whisk until the gelatine completely dissolves, about 5 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and sugar
5. Pour the mixture into the pie plate. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. Serve with whipped cream as desired.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 180 calories, 6g fat (1.5g saturated, 0.5g omega-3), 130mg sodium, 28g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 4g protein, 20% vitamin C

Jennifer, her family (minus 7-year old Max … but we’ll get to that in a minute), and the friends she invited for dinner the night she tried our Recipe Rescue all gave the pie two thumbs up.  “It didn’t taste like the one on the box because the ingredients changed.  It was actually better. It had a nice flavor and texture and it wasn’t greasy like it can sometimes be given all the butter,” said Jennifer. 

Five-year old Ainsley said, “Oh my gosh, this is amazing mom,” while husband Chris asked for seconds.  As for Max … “He took a tiny mouthful but I’m not sure a single molecule passed his lips,” said Jennifer.  Given that it takes a lot of perseverance to get Max to try new foods, The Meal Makeover Moms promise not to take it personally.

All in all, our Double Strawberry Smoothie Pie was a smashing success.  “It was an amazing pie and will become a dessert staple around here,” promised Jennifer.

For years now, we’ve been giving your favorite recipes a healthy makeover.  In this week’s Cooking with the Moms podcast, we share our best-kept secrets for rescuing recipes – everything from replacing the saturated fat from butter and shortening with healthier oils like canola and increasing the fiber and nutrients by using whole wheat flour, oats, and ground flax seed in our baked goods.  If you think healthy means bland and boring, you’ll love our tips and tricks for making your tried-and-true recipes fast, flavorful and more nutritious than ever.

The two recipes we rescue in this show are Cheesy Spinach Bites — a healthier version of spinach balls — and Double Strawberry Smoothie Pie, with a better-for-you Graham cracker crust.

For nearly ten years now, Janice’s daughters have joined a few special neighborhood friends the week before Christmas for a fun-filled morning decorating gingerbread houses. Whoever hosts this annual event gets to mix up gobs of frosting, assemble the houses and prepare the work surface. The girls then spend a couple of hours sipping hot cocoa and attaching a rainbow of colorful candies to their houses as well as the “grounds.” After all, without walkways, snowmen and trees the houses wouldn’t be complete! Must-have confections for the rowdy candy crew: gum drops, nonpareils, Necco wafers, licorice, and candy canes of various sizes.

Courtney, Merri, Leah and Carolyn

Since there are always three sets of sisters working on three sets of houses, each girl gets two sides to decorate. After a decade of practice, the houses can get pretty elaborate, and there’s always a bit of competition to see who can create the most unique and whimsical look which may explain why Leah’s godmother Merri, added cool palm trees! This year’s gathering also included three wonderfully rambunctious boys from the neighborhood who added a whole new level of fun and frenzy to the event.

Liam, Brendan, and Ryan

And speaking of boys, though decorating gingerbread houses was never a tradition for Liz or her two sons, she recently decided to keep up with the Joneses — or shall we say, the Bissexes — and bought each of her boys a gingerbread house as a Hanukkah gift! Simon and Josh ate more candy than they stuck to their houses, and the mess was so bad it took Liz an hour to clean it up (notice how the oh-so-experienced Janice placed a tablecloth below her girls’ houses), but it was well worth the effort. Decorating gingerbread houses turned out to be a lot of laughs and a great hands-on activity for the boys — and wow, aren’t those houses beautiful? Next year, Liz will be ready with a plastic tablecloth … and the vacuum.

Simon and Josh

It’s that time of year again when cookie jars overflow with holiday goodies and family and friends get together to swap their favorite cookies.  Whether you’re attending a cookie swap or not, we hope you’ll tune into this week’s Cooking with the Moms Cookie Swap podcast as we dish about our best-ever holiday treats.

First up in the show is a recipe makeover for Ginger Drizzle Cookies.  We received the original recipe from Jenni K., a mom of three boys from New Castle, Ohio.  Jennie asked us to cook up a healthier alternative to the shortening-based frosting in her recipe which we did by creating a simple sugar glaze.  While we were at it, we also used canola oil instead of butter and tossed in some whole wheat flour and ground flaxseed for extra nutrition.

Our second recipe on Cooking with the Moms features Peppermint Meringue Snowballs.  They’re delicious and easy to make and are perfect for people with celiac disease who follow a gluten free diet.

Feel free to share your favorite holiday cookie recipes right here on our blog or tell us about your cookie swap adventures this season.  And by all means, if you have a super-rich recipe that needs a makeover send it along.

On today’s Cooking with the Moms radio podcast, we hit the holiday party scene with recipes for Sugar & Spice Pecans and Mini Mango Cheesecakes.

Mini Mango Cheesecakes

The great thing about these easy recipes is that they taste great and they’re not dripping in sugar, saturated fat and calories.  In other words, your friends and family can feel good about eating them.  To make the spiced pecans, we use less sugar than most spiced nut recipes — but they’re still sweet enough for our taste — and there is less bad fat in our yummy mango cheesecakes thanks to the 1/3-less-fat cream cheese and light sour cream.  We hope you’ll tune in, and by all means, if you get a chance to try the recipes, let us know what you think of them.

Sugar & Spice Pecans

By Liz: 

As some of you may know, we tend to raise an eyebrow (or two) when we see ingredients like partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, artifi cial flavor, and artificial colors — Red 40, Blue 1, Yellow 6 – on food product labels.  Those ingredients are often the norm in cake and frosting mixes, which busy moms and dads (and yes, even The Meal Makeover Moms) rely on from time to time.  Now, to the rescue, is a new line of oh-so-tasty all-natural cake and frosting mixes from a company called Naturally Nora. 

When Nora herself called me two weeks ago and sent along some samples, I donned my apron and got cooking.  With two party invitations and a promise to bring dessert, I first tried Nora’s Cookie Cookie Yellow Cake Mix with Bits of Chocolate Cookie and the Cheerful Chocolate frosting.  For party-number two, I baked Alot’a Dots Yellow Cake Mix with Bits of Color and the Alot’a Dots frosting.  The response from over a dozen kid taste testers a alot’a adults was overwhelmingly positive.  Not a crumb was left.  If you get a chance to try one of Nora’s mixes or any other all-natural products, let us know what you think it them.

Janice’s 16-year old daughter, Carolyn, recently spent a week at a camp in Ferry Beach, Maine. When Janice, Don and Leah went to pick her up, they all got to enjoy one of Carolyn’s favorite treats from the camp store, a “Teeny Tiny” ice cream cone. Talk about a great way to exercise portion control! In an age of super-sized portions (even so-called “kiddie cones” are now gigantic) the Bissex family appreciated the bite-sized serving.

If your kids are screaming for ice cream, be sure to listen to our Cooking with the Moms podcast from August 6th. The theme is Frozen Treats, and during the show, we share three homemade popsicle recipes and a Super Sundae with Strawberries.  Try our sundae recipe and let us know what you think!

Super Sundae with Strawberries
Makes 1 Serving

One small scoop lowfat vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream (about 1/3 cup)
Two strawberries, thinly sliced
Drizzle chocolate syrup
Drizzle caramel syrup
2 teaspoon toasted chopped walnuts or pecans
Small dollop light whipped cream

Spoon the ice cream into a bowl or parfait glass. Place the strawberries around the ice cream, drizzle with the chocolate syrup and caramel syrup, and sprinkle with the nuts. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream.

Nutrition Information per Serving: 140 calories, 6g fat (2g saturated), 45mg sodium, 19g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 3g protein, 35% vitamin C, 8% calcium

“Cousin Andrea,” perhaps one of our biggest fans out there, was the first “live” guest on Cooking with the Moms this week (www.MealMakeoverMoms.com). Ever since our weekly radio podcast launched back in May, 12-year old Andrea (Liz’s niece) has been a devoted listener. In fact, every Wednesday when we post a new show to iTunes and our website, Andrea rushes home from school (or camp), runs straight to her computer, and listens to the show.

This summer, Andrea spent two weeks at Camp Medolark (www.Medolark.com) near Camden, Maine. On her way back to Connecticut, she stopped by the Moms’ “studio” and sat in on our Frozen Treats show. You’ll love hearing her talk about her adventures at camp (she got to take cooking classes!) and her thoughts on our Trio of Pops.

We hope you’ll listen in each week just like Andrea does! In the meantime, here’s a recipe for Watermelon Pomegranate Pops to whet your appetite for our August 6th podcast

Watermelon Pomegranate Pops
Makes 4 Servings

1 1/2 cups cubed seedless watermelon
1/2 cup Pomegranate blueberry juice

Combine the watermelon and juice in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into four 3-ounce popsicle molds and freeze until firm, about 3 hours. To remove the pops from the molds, run under warm water to loosen. If you don’t have popsicle molds, divide t he liquid between four paper cups. Cover each cup with foil, insert one craft stick through the center of each foil, and freeze.

* We like Minute Made Enhanced Pomegranate Blueberry Juice

Nutrition Information per Serving: 30 calories, 0g fat (0g saturated), 0mg sodium, 9g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, 0g protein, 15% vitamin C