Sweet & Spinachy

All this week I have really struggled having any motivation at all.  Haven't brushed my teeth?  Not a problem.  Moldy ring in the toilet?  Who cares.  Dog needs a walk?  Not gonna happen.  This lack of energy seeps into my meals, too.  Err, lack thereof.  Such as, I had M&Ms for dinner last night.  But I'm trying to redeem my time a little today.  First step, eat something healthy.  So I gather some ingredients on my counter, shove it into the blender, and this little beauty is born.  Try it.  It might energize the rest of your week.

1 frozen banana

1 huge handful of spinach leaves

1 T raw honey

1/4 c. coconut water

1 cup cold almond milk

Currently Snacking On...

Not really a snack, but we can't get enough 'round here lately.  Even Vera asks for it.  I've always liked coconut water (see picture below taken in 2008 during our trip to Singapore), but just introduced it to my girls and they love it.  We don't give our kids juice here (The options are usually just milk and water.  I know, we're a family of hard knocks.), but occasionally I will buy something different to try.  There was a huge end cap full of Zico Coconut Water at the market I frequent and it was on sale, so I thought I'd try some.  I may be adding this as a weekly staple to the shopping list.

Currently Snacking On...

There's something about raw squash that has been hitting the spot lately.  I cut up a ton and have been munching on it all week.  Yesterday I made a batch of hummus and added some Greek yogurt, dill, parsley, salt, and pepper.  The perfect dip for a creamy, salty craving.  For a purchased brand, Sabra is easy to find and I like the classic hummus.

What We're Eating This Week

You'll see some repetition below.  It's a simple week.  I didn't have energy to create an ambitious menu, so we're using a lot of the same veggies throughout while varying the meals.

Sun

Camembert, Bacon, and Potato Tart

Mixed Greens, Strawberries, Almonds, Raspberry Vinaigrette

Mon

Potage au Pistou (French version of Italy's Minestrone)

Crusty Bread

Tues

Chicken Sausage with Green Chilis

Fresh Corn Sauté with Red Onion, Bell Peppers and Basil

Mixed Greens with Tomatoes and Vinaigrette

Wed

Spaghetti Squash, Onions, Bell Peppers, Zucchini, Tomatoes

Crusty Bread

Thurs

out with friends

Fri

leftovers

Cooking Goal in 2012

When I got married 6 1/2 years ago, I was given quite the collection of recipes from family and friends. I store them in a little box and rarely look through them.  But I want to change that!  So I figured I would challenge myself this year to cook through the whole box. Maybe I'll conquer my fear of casseroles through this experience.  Kidding.  I don't have a fear of casseroles, for Heaven's sake.  I'm an equal opportunity eater, folks.  You know me.

I digress.

I reserve the right to tweak the recipes though, such as making my own crust instead of buying pre made. I'm sure I will share with you some thoughts along the way.

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Do you have a similar collection of recipes? Do you use them or do they collect dust, like mine? I'm hoping to find some stellar dishes that I didn't know about.

Pantry Chocolate Cake Saves The Day

You know why they call it 'Pantry Cake', right?  Because most likely you have all the ingredients on hand, in your pantry already, which meant Hallelujah-Praise-the-Lord in my book.  You see, last week I got my second speeding ticket within 3 months.  The first one occurred as I was driving my screaming kids home after a morning of holding both of them on my lap as I gave blood.  Both arms were poked, of course, since my veins are hard to get into, so I'm driving home with both elbows wrapped and can't bend my arms and I'm trekking a little too fast (10 over, I think) on the interstate home.  Though you don't want to have mercy on this momma, Officer, guilty as charged. 

Second ticket happened last week and I thought for sure the reason I got pulled over was that our permanent plates are not on the van yet and maybe the paper one was expired.  I definitely wasn't speeding because the speed limit is 65mph.  Buuut, apparently I was going 9 over the speed limit which warranted him in writing me yet another golden ticket to ComedyDriving.com.  Awesome.  To make matters worse, he came up to my window and mumbled a bunch of words in a harsh tone.  Since I was clueless at that point why I was pulled over, I said, "Say that again?"  Okay, maybe I should have rephrased but that's what came out at the time.  He thought I was being smart and threatened some kind of additional charge of disrespect.  What the crap, man?  I'm driving an Odyssey and clearly have no malicious intention as I hold a naked plastic doll in my lap while "Praise Baby" Lullaby tunes play in the background.  He gives me a talkin-to, writes me my ticket, and walks away.  I try to gather myself but I am just pissed.  Tears spill and I hear Vera's little whisper from the back, "Momma crying."  Sweet girl...yeah mommas cry, too.  This second speeding ticket (costing $170 a pop) occurred the morning after I had a conversation with my husband about how I feel like I've been spending too much money the last couple of weeks.  He agrees, so this situation didn't help.  Gah.

Hence, Pantry Chocolate Cake.  Yes, sometimes I eat my feelings.

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Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Family Baking Book

Pantry Chocolate Cake

1/2 cup (1 1/2 ounces) Dutch-processed cocoa powder
3/4 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups (7 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 cup (7 ounces) sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso or instant coffee (optional)
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

1.  Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line an 8-inch square baking pan with a foil sling and grease the foil.  Whisk the cocoa and the boiling water together in a small bowl.  Let the mixture cool slightly.

2.  In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder (if using) together.  In a medium bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, egg, vanilla, and cooled cocoa mixture together.  Stir the oil mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.

3.  Give the batter a final stir with a rugger spatula to make sure it is completely mixed.  Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and gently tap the pan on the counter to settle the batter.

4.  Bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.  Let the cake cool completely in the pan, 1 to 2 hours.

Quick Chocolate Frosting

Makes enough to frost an 8-inch cake or an 8-inch pan of brownies

After the cake has cooled for about 1 hour, melt 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil together in the microwave, stirring often, 1 to 3 minutes.  Cool the mixture until barely warm, about 5 minutes, then spread evenly over the cake or brownies with a spatula.  Continue to let the cake cool until the topping is set, 1 to 2 hours. If your kitchen is too warm for the frosting to set (like mine was) then place cake in fridge for 10 to 20 minutes to set the frosting.

Menu Making

I wrote a post awhile ago about my process of menu planning.  I get started mid-week and hope it is complete by Friday evening since I shop on Saturdays.  It is a task that usually takes a couple of days, but I love to see the week's menus come to completion.  (Okay, maybe I get a little too excited about it.)

Now that you know my process, here's another 'What We're Eating This Week' for ya.  For the sake of freshness, you'll notice we eat our fish first (fish deliveries arrive Tuesdays and Saturdays where I shop), then our meat, and onto the rest of the meals.  Sunday doesn't count though.  I'm off on Sundays.  That bread will be baked the night before and the slow cooker will be doing the magic for the chowder.

Sun.

Cheesy Vegetable Chowder

No Knead Bread

Mon.

Trout with Almonds and Orange Zest

Porcini and Parsley Farro

Green Salad with Granny Smith Apples and Beets

Tues.

Turkey Burger with Spinach, Chevre, and Cranberry Sauce

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Lime Juice and Cilantro

Wed.

 Night out with Girlfriends--frozen pizza for hubs

Thurs.

Eggplant & Chickpea Stew 

Wheat Couscous

Wilted Garlicky Spinach

Fri.

out with hubs

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How do you plan your meals?  Any helpful tips?

Let's Wait a Month To Call These Gingerbread Cookies

While a culinary student, I remember learning some interesting marketing ploys in the food industry.  One in particular stands out in my memory.  How does it sound to order Patagonian Toothfish for dinner?  Sounds distasteful, doesn't it?  Then how about Chilean Seabass?  Much more appetizing-sounding, right?  However, the interesting thing is they are two names for the same fish.  Though not a bass, nor is it always caught in the waters surrounding Chile, it was named this because it was a more attractive name to consumers than Toothfish.  Things aren't always what they seem.

Likewise, this (really yummy) recipe I made today was called "Molasses Spice Cookies."  Sure, that's true and because of that name, more people will be drawn to make them any time throughout the year.  However, looking at the ingredient list, it's the same stuff that would make up a Gingerbread cookie.  But with the word Gingerbread comes the connotation of Christmas.  And Christmas only comes once a year.  My assumption then would be that to make this recipe more marketable in a year-round cookbook, they chose the name Spice Cookies instead.

Ah, that's just my two cents for the day regarding food business.  But I don't know anything.  (Except how to eat one too many!)

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Molasses Spice Cookies

(America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup for rolling
• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup molasses, light or dark

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In shallow baking dish or pie plate, place 1/2 cup sugar for rolling dough;set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt until thoroughly combined; set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter with brown and granulated sugars at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and add yolk and vanilla; increase speed to medium and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low and add molasses; beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to lowest setting; add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl down once.
5. Roll one heaping tablespoon of dough into a ball between your palms, roll the ball in the sugar, and then place it on the prepared baking sheet spacing the balls about 2 inches apart Repeat with remaining dough.
6. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned, still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, about 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not over bake.
7. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes then using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.

Yields: 22 cookies

This Is Not A Recipe Post

When it comes to breakfast (what they say is the most important meal of the day), I've never done a very good job.  For whatever reason, I'm not hungry when I wake up in the morning and it takes me a couple of hours for food to even sound good.  My typical morning routine is to down a tall glass of water with my vitamins, but on occasion I will make a bowl of oatmeal (with 1 T. raw honey and flax seeds).  But it takes effort for me to eat breakfast.

With both pregnancies, I tried to change that habit to give myself more energy and do the babies right.  Since upping my weekly long runs in training for this race, I have been getting into a routine and feeding myself this perfect post-run breakfast.  It is so satisfying that I crave it most days of the week now.

Scrambled eggs and raw tomatoes sprinkled with salt.  I spring for the organic at this point since they taste soo much better than the picked-when-green-hoping-they-are-red-upon-arrival ones.  This gives me the post-run protein that I need and is extremely quick to make.

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What's your favorite breakfast?

Save A Buck {Make Your Own Pumpkin Pie Spice}

Well, hi there, November.  I thought you'd never get here.  It's good to see you again and I hope you brought with you some cool weather to last us longer than a couple days.  This heat, geesh, is killin me.  Because I love you so, I decided to celebrate your arrival today with my first batch of pumpkin muffins of the season.  You're welcome.

In recipes when it calls for pumpkin pie spice, I reach for this line-up of spices in my pantry.  In recipes where it doesn't call for pumpkin pie spice, sometimes I still add it.  Like to milky iced coffee.  Or pancakes.  Or smoothies.  Or homemade doggy treats.

Pumpkin Pie Spice

makes about 2 tablespoons

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Blend all spices together.  Shazaam. It's that easy.

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If you were a spice, which one would you be?  I have a friend named Cori Anderson.  Her hubs calls her Coriander.  I think that's the sweetest thing ever.

What the Heck Are People Thinking?! {What Goes Through My Head When I Shop}

You've probably figured out by now that one of my soapboxes in life is in regards to food and making wise decisions in what I choose to put in my body.  I used to be self conscious about it because I wasn't raised with this acute awareness nor are many of my friends passionate about it.  I know at the end of the day it isn't a matter worthy of division in relationships, however the more I learn, I just can't shake my convictions about it.  I think it started in culinary school when we watched videos about the current food system in America, how food gets from farm to table, and how corporations have come in control over what is available in the aisles of our grocery stores.  It was such an eye-opening experience for me and since then, I have read a lot and watched more mind-infiltrating documentaries about what we eat.  It is not my goal to judge others on what they eat.  That is their prerogative and I can leave it be.  But when it comes to the diet of my family, I prefer to be as educated as I can be and make choices I believe in.  Call me crazy, but I'd rather be in control of our nutrition, not just trust production companies on what they do to create "food."  I'm not saying I am a health-nazi, because let's be honest, I majored in cream and butter and it's not like I've never enjoyed an Oreo (or gasp! fed my kid hot dogs and mac n cheese), but more times than not, I just want to eat real food.

Okay, now that we know that I love you and you love me despite all this, allow me to take you through some thought processes in my weird brain.

About a month ago I was checking out the jams.  Though this is my absolute favorite brand in the whole wide world and I swore my faithfulness to her years ago, every now and then I find my eye a-wandering and considering other brands to try.  What catches my eye but CALORIE FREE jars of jams and preservatives.  My first thought?  Holla!  Alas I can eat as much jam as I can hold and it not count against me in the love-handle department!  Tires screech.  Whoa, Nelly.  I know better.  Nothing that I want to eat is calorie-free.  That would make it a synthetic, laboratory-created product.  My second thought then was to check out the ingredient list.  Fake, fake, fake.  Of course, the marketing technique of bold and enlarged letters on the label will get some people's attention and might make a sale, but I'm not a believer.

 

With skepticism, I continue my shopping.  In the baking aisle, I come upon this fellow.  To some, a first impression might be:  Awesome!  All I have to do is add water, shake, and I've got muffins.  #winning  But really, friends?  Moreso, what appeals to me is real butter, granulated sugar cane, unbleached, un-enriched flour, eggs hatched from chickens that cluck, and blueberries that I myself can look over and wash before folding into my batter.  Add a little turbinado sugar on top before baking for that extra crunch of sweetness.  For me, there is satisfaction in knowing what is in the food that I put into my body.

Here's a napkin that made me scoff.  "Real Food.  Simply Delicious."  I know this is just me speaking, but I disagree with both statements here.

For example, from their website, here's the ingredient list for the pumpkin scone which is quite the rave these days:

unbleached, enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), icing (sugar, water, corn syrup, fructose, contains less than 2% of the following: gum arabic, agar, potassium sorbate [preservative], citric acid, natural flavor, mono- and diglycerides, locust bean gum, cinnamon), unsalted butter (cream [from milk]), pumpkin puree, sugar, whole eggs, honey, buttermilk (from milk), soybean oil, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, corn starch, monocalcium phosphate), soy lecithin, salt, invert syrup, vanilla extract, spices.

I don't know about you, but I don't have monocalcium phosphate or guar gum in my pantry.

All this to say, it's everywhere you look and not hard to find.  I have to give voice to the fact that I know it would be incredibly expensive to eat all natural, all organic, all the time.  We don't even do it in our household, but I can't help but wonder what kind of movement would occur in Washington if people would make healthier choices in the supermarkets.  Don't even get me started on kids that qualify for free school lunches that come with cash-galore to spend on candy, sodas, fried "chicken" sandwiches, gelatinous-cardboard pizza, and processed cheesy fries in the lunch rooms across America.

(Okay, I'm done.  Can we be friends again?)

Friday Night Special: Roasted Portobello Sammie

We sat down for dinner on Friday night and as Vera was eating through her sandwich, she said, "mmm, yogurt" to which I replied, "yeah, it does taste kind of like yogurt."  (She was tasting the soured/tartness of the goat cheese that is similar to the Greek yogurt that she eats on a daily basis.)

This sandwich sums up the way I like to eat.  No meat.  Hearty.  Substantial.  Healthy.  Delicious.  Here's the run-down:

Roasted Portabella (olive oil, salt, pepper), sliced

Arugula (or spinach would be great)

Soft Goat Cheese (let it come to room temp.)

Creamy Dijon

Whole Wheat Pita

And ohmygoodness, these fries are so yummy and made the perfect addition to our meal.

Weeknight Stuffed Pizza

9 times out of 10, I prep dinner during nap time.  I do whatever I can to maintain the freshness of the meal, but to only have a few steps left in finishing it off at dinnertime.  Last night we had this Stuffed Pizza.  This is another good 'clean-out' meal where you can use whatever you have on hand in your pantry/fridge.

I had a green bell pepper, cremini mushrooms, shallot, garlic, and mozzarella cheese.  And to be honest, I just cracked open a jar of marinara to use as the tomato sauce.  That made it extremely easy.  I simply sauteed the toppings in some olive oil, seasoned it with salt and pepper, and let it cool.  My dough had proofed in the refrigerator overnight, so it was ready to roll out and fill.  I rolled it into a long rectangle shape and placed the marinara and toppings down the middle, leaving about 3 inches on both sides.  To close, I folded in the ends the braided it close, though you could just fold it over and crimp the edges.  Then I wrapped it and placed it back in the fridge.  Come dinner time, I turned on the oven, brought it out to room temperature, then baked it until GBD (a very technical term I learned in culinary school meaning golden brown and delicious).

Then I called it a day and sipped some cider beer.  I love quick fixes to mealtime.

What We're Eating This Week

Monday
Oven Roasted Fryer Chicken
Sauteed Kale with Sweet Onion
Wheat Couscous with Roasted Butternut Squash, Cranberries, and Toasted Almonds

Tuesday
Mushroom Crepes with Poblano Chile Sauce
Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

Wednesday
Falafel with Tzatziki
Wheat Pitas, Tomatoes, Red Onion, Lettuce

Thursday
Beef Chili with Sour Cream Cheddar Biscuits

Friday
Out

And holy crap, one more week until we start Lydia on baby food!  I cannot believe she's almost 6 months old.  Kinda makes my heart sad that I won't be her sole provider for nourishment anymore, yet it will be fun to help her explore the world of food.  Tomorrow I will cook and freeze.  First two on the menu include Spinach & Yams and Bananas with Mango.

Applesauce Fail

I can't count how many times I've made applesauce in my life, especially since Vera started eating solid food.  I probably make it almost weekly.  I usually stick with Red or Yellow Delicious because they are cheap and "less gassy" for kids.  I cook them with a cinnamon stick or nutmeg, but no sugar.  After cooling, sometimes I mash them for a chunkier texture and other times I run it in the food processor to quickly puree.  I do that on days that I have it together.

But today was not one of those days.  In every way possible, I was ill-prepared for life to happen today.  Sad face.  Call it a case of the Mondays or waking up on the wrong side of the bed, who knows.  But I will conquer tomorrow!  Failed applesauce and all.

Dang Expensive, But So Worth It!

And as I turned the corner, my heart skipped a beat and I heard the angels in heaven singing "The Hallelujah Chorus."

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How are you welcoming Fall?

Currently Snacking On...

How I Got Pee On My Face {And Other Musings From My Week}

Lessons learned...

1) Always check to make sure the pee is no longer in the potty before chucking it under your arm to carry through the carpeted house to the car (for those times a toilet is not around, such as the park or long road trip).  

2) Driving around town all.day. with the emergency brake on is not in the best interest of your car.

3) Before leaving home, make sure child #2 is in the backseat, not just secured in her car seat...in the garage.

4) Tantrums in the middle of Target are not a big deal.  Tantrums in the middle of Target are not a big deal.  Tantrums in the middle of Target are not a big deal.

5) Homemade chai tea latte has the potential to fix just about anything.

Muffin Tin Smorgasbord

 (strawberries, brown rice, slow cooked black beans, applesauce, vegetable soup, shredded chicken)

I ran across this idea online and thought it would be perfect for a lunch time change-up for Vera.  She loves containers, compartments, and sorting things, so I knew this would be right up her alley.

On Mindless Eating

When running a half marathon last year, one of the most encouraging things about the race was all the people on the sidelines cheering me on along the way.  Sure, they didn't know my name and I didn't know them, but they were out there to support somebody and I soaked in their applause and cheers as if it were meant for me.  Some held signs on poster boards, encouraging the runners.  "You trained for this!"  "You got this, girl!"  "Make this race your bitch!" < - - Quite frankly my favorite one.  They gave me so much inspiration (and laughter) that it was easier to finish the race because they reminded me that I believed in myself, and yes, I could do it.

You shall have no other gods before me.  -Exodus 20:3

Recently I have admitted to myself that I have used food as an idol.  How does that play out in my life?  I am a mindless eater.  I don't do a very good job watching the amount that I eat or listening to my stomach to stop eating once it's satisfied.  I eat without much thought sometimes, probably a glazed look over my face, not even realizing what I'm doing.  Snacking here, snacking there.  It doesn't seem like it would add up to much, but at the end of the day, I feel sluggish and bloated.  I don't think that's how God intends for us to take care of ourselves.  After all, we are His temple.  I think He wants us to choose wholesome fuel so that we can be productive and efficient for His Kingdom.  Eating right and being physically active makes me not only feel good, but it makes a spiritual connection for me, too.  You see, I feel worshipful when I practice self control (one of the fruits of the Spirit).  Instead of indulging myself, I have been making a mental effort to choose Christ.  He alone satisfies.

I don't desire to be skinny.  I just want to take care of the hot body that God has already given me.

I refuse to eat all that low-fat crap.  It's fake anyway.  I choose real food; eating less and moving more.

(On a side note, I think God has given us wonderfully diverse food to enjoy and sustain us.  I just go a little far with the enjoyment part.)

I don't want food to be a god in my life.  Can you identify?  If you're in this race with me, here are some signs along the way to cheer us on.