Make Healthy Easy

Vegan Refried Beans

September 17, 2018 By Jenna Braddock Leave a Comment

One night, long ago, I had a hankering for refried beans at dinner. I often get these random food inspirations flying into my head during dinner prep.

These tacos would be even better if they had refried beans in them!

A thorough search through my pantry revealed there were no refried beans to be found. This is not surprising because I can’t remember the last time I actually bought them.

Still determined to have refried beans with my dinner, I set out to make my own. And why not make them vegan refried beans, so some MHE readers on the vegetarian side of life can have a go-to recipe they can love too!

Winner, winner! Chicken (well, no chicken here) dinner!…

Feed your family a fast, nutritious & delicious meal with this Quick Cuban Dinner. It's sure to please everyone and is a great choice for the young athletes in your home.

Vegetarian Cuban Dinner

Feed your family a fast, nutritious & delicious meal with this quick Vegetarian Cuban Dinner. It’s sure to please everyone and is a great choice for the young athletes in your home. This post is sponsored by Unilever as a part of the 2017 Agents of Change program. Dinnertime can be such a disaster without…

Back to School Lunch Ideas

Poof! That’s what I feel like has happened with the month of August. Poof! It’s gone. Here we are, the beginning of September, and so much has happened. (I’ll get to the Back to School Lunch Ideas in just a sec.) The boys have been in school for 3 whole weeks now. It already feels…

This easy, kid-friendly snack recipe simply requires 3 ingredients. It's perfect to cool off on a hot day.

Crunchy Frozen Yogurt Snack Bites

This post is sponsored by Unilever as part of their Agents of Change Program. I have to admit that snack time can get a little monotonous in our household. I typically use yogurt as our go-to afternoon snack because it’s easy, delicious and nutritious. However, I’ve been noticing that Team Braddock gets bored of a…

Sheet Pan Lemon Chicken AND Help with Healthy Meal Plans

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me about meal plans I would be rolling in the Benjamins, or rather, the Washingtons. Meal planning is something we ALL struggle with, myself included. It takes practice and the ability to tweak to the many changes that occur in a week’s time. However, I…

Boozy Blueberry Bacon Bites

Disclosure: This post was made in partnership with the US Highbush Blueberry Council. Football is coming. I can almost smell it. (If you really want to know, I’ll tell you how football smells.) It’s currently the end of July and for our family, it’s the calm before the storm. In just a week our life…

Blueberry Coconut Energy Balls

Snack time sometimes needs a remake in our house. We can get in such a rut and eventually, certain young members of Team Braddock revolt against the typically healthy options. To help with this, I created these Blueberry Coconut Energy Balls.

Father’s Day Ideas

Don’t settle for average food to celebrate the important dad in your life. Try these knock-your-socks off Father’s Day ideas for your celebratory spread. This TV segment was sponsored by ALDI. I really love making Coach an awesome meal that I know he will love, but many times I’m actually pretty self-conscious about the menu….

10 Survival Tips for Travel with Kids

I love to travel. My dad has always joked that I was born holding a suitcase and asking “where are we going?” When I became a parent, my love for traveling didn’t change, but my approach certainly did. From my experiences of flying and driving many times with my boys at all ages, here’s my…

How to not eat that brownie in the break room

This week at work a big box of brownie bites appeared in the break room. Our break room is usually pretty benign but every once in a while someone brings in something really delicious and tempting. If anything in the sweet department shows up, I’m checking it out, especially brownies. The first day they appeared…

Kitchen Conservation starts with small steps that do make a difference. Here are 7 ways to reduce waste today.

7 Ways to Easily Reduce Food Waste

Reducing food waste is a topic that is beginning to be more important to me. While on the surface it may not look like a direct connection to nutrition and health, I assure you it most certainly is. I have become more aware of the issue of food waste in the past couple of years…

ALDI Seafood – A Must try

This post is sponsored by long-time MHE friend ALDI. I am proud to share my opinion on their products in this post. Seafood. The final (healthy meal) frontier. (Please say that with your best, dramatic voice.) Honestly, serving seafood at home feels like a dangerous frontier to me sometimes. It can be intimidating, confusing to…

What is Kombucha & Should You be Drinking it?

With the rise in popularity of fermented foods, kombucha has come back on the scene in American culture. It is promoted to help with a whole list of health issues but the most popular is perhaps the probiotics it contains. A few weeks ago I had to take a course of antibiotics for a…

Easy Guacamole Recipe

What do I make nearly EVERY time we have people over? This easy guacamole recipe. It’s my go-to guacamole and after many, many parties, it’s been a hit with friends, 100% of the time.

Mango Beet Breakfast Smoothie

Start your day with this delicious and healthy mango beet breakfast smoothie. If you don’t think beets (like me) this smoothie just might change your mind. Lately, me and Coach have been focused on upping our fruit and veggie game. We are by no means on any kind of diet as we still eat “normal…

Whole Grain Strawberry Waffles with Strawberry Sauce

This whole grain strawberry waffle with strawberry sauce is everything you are looking for in a healthier waffle, and more! The simple strawberry sauce is a divine topping, allowing you to forgo syrup and not miss it. Are you a waffle or pancake person? I’ll be honest, I’m a pancake person. But, I recently conducted…

Green Tea Sports Drink

This is an all-natural, homemade sports drink that’s easy to whip up before a workout. Each ingredient plays an important role in fueling your fitness. This recipe post is sponsored by Lipton® as part of the Agents of Change program. I’ve had this idea for a long time that I wanted to create a homemade…

Holiday Gift Ideas

The holidays are here and so may be your anxiety about what to get the people in your life. (I’m there.) Have no fear, I’ve put together a list my favorite holiday gift ideas to help you! AND, I’m giving away some of the awesome gifts I talk about too, so make sure you scroll…

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

The holidays deserve a little something special, don’t you think? This Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie is something special and also corn syrup free. I am a believer in a really good dessert. Don’t waste your time on treats that really aren’t your favorite thing. Wait for the “good stuff”, whatever that is for you. Take…

Honey Mustard Brussel Sprouts

This flavorful Honey Mustard Brussel Sprouts recipe is an easy side dish that just may have you asking for more. Brussel sprouts: they’re not the most popular of vegetables. I mean, let’s just be honest. Brussel sprouts are the vegetables that make children cringe. Many, many adults turn their nose up at the thought of…

Healthy Fall Recipes

As the seasons change, so do my food cravings. I start to want warm flavors and winter produce instead of the bright, light flavors of summers. I want my drinks to be a little more “serious” in flavor as the weather cools off. Do you feel this way too? In my latest segment for First…