People need to bounce ideas off each other for dinner ideas to avoid ruts. SO here is the next week for my family. we are going to the farmers market and a local health food store for our shopping. SO I like to make a menu to know what i need to buy. Plus I no longer have the luxury of daily shopping now that I am a working mom again.
Monday- Pan seared fish (whatever is wild) with roasted potatoes that have thyme, lemon, and whole garlic cloves, and a salad( fresh greens, maybe some pea shoots, and what ever looks good at the farmers)
Tuesday- Chicken teriyaki with roasted cauliflower mash and roasted beet salad with apples, bacon, and smoked blue cheese
Wednesday- Asparagus, bacon and mushroom quiche with salad
Thursday-pot roast with carrots, turnips, onion, and celery maybe with some brown rice
Friday-Tacos, (from the leftover roast) with cabbage, onions and cheese and black beans
hope this helps with your menus =D
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
My go-to's....SPRING EDITION (part 1)
Every mom has her go-to recipes. Mine change for the seasons somewhat, but sometimes I just alter a recipe for whats in season. Like pasta or tacos, stuffed cabbage and soups/stews. Good basics that can be altered for what you have in season, and in your cupboard. Right now it is spring, and the best part of spring, (besides flowers, and sun) ASPARAGUS! So right now we are eating it about five times a week, because in about a month it is gone. (and with asparagus when it is out of season, not only does it not taste as good, it costs exponentially more) So consider a few options for spring... Quiche, and/or frittatas (very similar, but if you don't feel like making a crust, a frittata is a great alternative.) Asparagus, mushrooms, and some Swiss cheese (bacon wouldn't hurt) quiche...YUM! Wild mushrooms are also starting to come around so we are enjoying our roasted asparagus and wild mushroom salads. And how about our leafy greens. Its kale, chard, spinach time people!
Simple dressing (good for kale salad, or asparagus and wild mushroom salad, or anything...)
*Of course whenever roasting a veg I cover it with olive oil and salt and pepper.
Stolen Kale Salad
Asparagus and Mushroom Salad
SO this is only part one of an idunnohowmany part series. I will post my quiche recipe including my great grandmothers pie crust, but don't tell my dad....stay tuned!
Simple dressing (good for kale salad, or asparagus and wild mushroom salad, or anything...)
- juice of one lemon (two if not a juicy lemon or you really love lemon.... like me)
- 1/4c Bragg's Amino
- 1/2c olive oil
- 1/4t salt (to taste)
- 1/2t pepper
- splash of tarragon vinegar (optional)
- 4 smallish/medium beets peeled, cut into large bite size pieces and roasted* at 400 degrees for ~35-40 min until tender (serves two and a half-babies are a half in my book)
- 1 apple peeled, cored and cut into small bite size pieces
- 2-4 slices of good bacon cooked and chopped up
- a good amount of smoked blue cheese ( I say a good amount because if you really like blue then go for it, if you are only a moderate fan, then maybe a little less is better. ALWAYS TASTE YOUR FOOD!)
- drizzle of Olive oil
- drizzle of balsamic (we happen to have access to a balsamic truffle creme and holy cow it is great-nice work if you can get it)
*Of course whenever roasting a veg I cover it with olive oil and salt and pepper.
Stolen Kale Salad
- fresh kale ( you can gauge how much, because honestly I love this so much I eat a whole bunch of kale to myself) washed and dried
- handful of sunflower seeds (roasted)
- handful of pumpkin seeds (roasted)
- handful of sunflower sprouts
- red onion (I recommend pickling your onions for extra POP....that's a different post)
- small amount of feta crumbled (optional)
- simple dressing*
Asparagus and Mushroom Salad
- 1 bunch asparagus
- a variety local wild mushrooms- two big handfuls or one handful and a Portabello
- 3 small beets peeled and roasted
- simple dressing -to taste
SO this is only part one of an idunnohowmany part series. I will post my quiche recipe including my great grandmothers pie crust, but don't tell my dad....stay tuned!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Moving on up
LATKES!
Hey, so I know it has been a while, but here we go. This morning I made potato and zucchini latkes with coconut hot coco, oh and bacon! As you all know I really do advocate eating locally and seasonally. But.. you also know that I love zucchini. So though it is not in season (cause its not August) I couldn't help myself. Same with the potatoes. I am trying to upload some photos cause I hear that's what all the kids are doing these days.... I am technologically impaired so we shall see how this goes. Latkes are similar to the croquettes, but the veg is shredded and raw. So this recipe is definitely kid tested and hubby approved.
LATKES
- 1 large potato
- 2 zucchini
- 2 eggs
- 3 spring onions
- 1/4c cream
- 1c flour
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1tsp pepper
Coconut Coco
- one can coconut milk
- one can regular milk (or whatever you like) I used the can to measure
- 3T coco powder
- 1tsp cinnamon
- 1tsp vanilla extract
- 3T unrefined cane sugar (or whatever you like)
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
tricky tricky sneaky
My sister (in-law) is always happy when I tell her what I fed my nephew because she says she has a hard time getting him to eat veggies. (she also cant get my brother to eat veggies, but that's another story) So one of my secretes is to sneak them into what ever I can. I will go crazy and put shredded zucchini in just about everything. (see previous post about pancakes) So the other day I made them dinner and packed it full of veg! Shepards pie people, the forgotten casserole. Here's the deal, if you mix a bunch of veg into a delicious meaty, gravy-y mound of goodness then cover it with a mash of potato-y awesomeness, they will come. And eat, and ask for more! This a one of those meals that you can just run with. What is in your fridge? USE IT!
~SHEPERDS PIE~
-1lb of ground meat (ok, so you can use beef, turkey, buffalo, chicken, you can even combine a few of these. If the meat is very lean, add some olive oil to the pan before you add the meat.)
- ~1/2C flour (in essence you are making a rue with the meat drippings in the pan, so when you add the stock, you have gravy)
- 1-2C stock use whatever stock matches with your meat ie- ground chicken, chicken stock
-veggies (ya, vague, I know but here's where you get creative, use what you have, what you like, what is on-hand and/or cheap)
-potatoes
- ~2T butter
- ~1/2-3/4C milk, or cream, or half&half
- Salt & pepper to taste
So, here's how I roll. I brown the meat with maybe some onion, and mushrooms. when its cooked thru, I add the flour to start the rue. Make sure to cook it for a few min to cook out the flour taste. I see no reason why you could not use a GF flour for this. Now add the stock. A lil at a time til you achieve the amount of gravy and thickness desired. It should be soppy, but not runny. At this point you add the veggies. I almost always add peas and carrots, classic shepards pie. I also add broccoli, shredded zucchini of course. Whatever you add I recommend it be cut to be bite size for looks, and cooking time. Uniformity is best. I let this mixture cook for about 15-20 min to allow the flavors to meld, but the baking will do that too. For the mash on top, of course potatoes, but also cauliflower, parsnips, and turnips are all great additions. So boil the root veg, til soft, then add the milk or cream, the butter and S&P to taste. Just like making mash potatoes. Now put the mash ontop of the meat mixture and bake at 400degrees for approx. 20-25 min. I have been Known to even sprinkle with a small amount of cheese, then turn the oven to broil for a few til it's slightly golden on top. Let it rest for a few after you pull it out, and then dish it up! Ps toddlers Love this dish!
~SHEPERDS PIE~
-1lb of ground meat (ok, so you can use beef, turkey, buffalo, chicken, you can even combine a few of these. If the meat is very lean, add some olive oil to the pan before you add the meat.)
- ~1/2C flour (in essence you are making a rue with the meat drippings in the pan, so when you add the stock, you have gravy)
- 1-2C stock use whatever stock matches with your meat ie- ground chicken, chicken stock
-veggies (ya, vague, I know but here's where you get creative, use what you have, what you like, what is on-hand and/or cheap)
-potatoes
- ~2T butter
- ~1/2-3/4C milk, or cream, or half&half
- Salt & pepper to taste
So, here's how I roll. I brown the meat with maybe some onion, and mushrooms. when its cooked thru, I add the flour to start the rue. Make sure to cook it for a few min to cook out the flour taste. I see no reason why you could not use a GF flour for this. Now add the stock. A lil at a time til you achieve the amount of gravy and thickness desired. It should be soppy, but not runny. At this point you add the veggies. I almost always add peas and carrots, classic shepards pie. I also add broccoli, shredded zucchini of course. Whatever you add I recommend it be cut to be bite size for looks, and cooking time. Uniformity is best. I let this mixture cook for about 15-20 min to allow the flavors to meld, but the baking will do that too. For the mash on top, of course potatoes, but also cauliflower, parsnips, and turnips are all great additions. So boil the root veg, til soft, then add the milk or cream, the butter and S&P to taste. Just like making mash potatoes. Now put the mash ontop of the meat mixture and bake at 400degrees for approx. 20-25 min. I have been Known to even sprinkle with a small amount of cheese, then turn the oven to broil for a few til it's slightly golden on top. Let it rest for a few after you pull it out, and then dish it up! Ps toddlers Love this dish!
Friday, February 3, 2012
what is that?
Is it a rash? Is she teething? I don't really know... She has what appears to be a lil rash around her mouth, just a few red bumps, she IS teething, and drooling a lot... Oh well. So I am not sure if it is "normal'" but Kiele IS a picky eater who enjoys Asparagus, and Brussel Sprouts, but wont eat anything consistently. Oh well. And I am pretty sure if she wasn't still breast feeding, or taking a bath every night, she would be getting no liquids in her at all. She spits EVERYTHING out, and she has taught her cousin to do the same. Car rides are fun with them. They may be cracking each other up, but then they end up soaked, and Shivering in the grocery store. The last thing I need is one more reason for some pretentious, Trustafarian* to give me stink eye in Whole Foods. "she's not dieing, she's just dramatic!" ANywho.. went to the park today with both the babies (mine and my nephew whom I nanny for) and had a lovely conversation with a mom who apparently has been teaching her child "evacuation language" since birth. I have been having "personal responsibility" conversations with my daughter since birth, but I don't actually expect her to peepee in the potty by the time she is 18mo. Some parents are really either delusional, or have WAY too much time on there hands. I can say this with confidence because I am fairly certain I am the only one reading this. PROVE ME WRONG!
*Trustafarian-a young idealistic person who looks down on others for not being environmentally friendly or aware enough, whilst receiving a trust fund from their parents so they can afford to only buy organic, and support the whales, and wear bamboo and hemp clothes exclusively. Usually white with dreadlocks.
*Trustafarian-a young idealistic person who looks down on others for not being environmentally friendly or aware enough, whilst receiving a trust fund from their parents so they can afford to only buy organic, and support the whales, and wear bamboo and hemp clothes exclusively. Usually white with dreadlocks.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
wow you did that!
So who doesn't love their slow cooker? If you have kids, or if you are a human being in 2012 you need a slow cooker. Seriously it makes dinner possible some nights. Between it,and my bread maker with a delay start function, I can come home to dinner, instead of cooking for two hours at the end of a 11 hour day. SAVED! So ya we do Pot Roast, and Chili of course, but have you ever done short ribs? OMG! SOOOOOoooo good! Ike asked me to start them, and told me what he does, then... muhahahahahaha... I modified....His involve soy sauce, and Worcestershire, and onions, and they are super awesome, but mine... oh ya!
~Beef Short Ribs~
-short ribs ( I made 5 large ribs for three people and a baby-what she likes beef)
-3/4C soy sauce
-2T Worcestershire
-3-4T Orange juice or Pineapple juice (throw some of the fruit in to if ya feel like it-but only if it is the canned pineapple, fresh has Bromelain in it which is an enzyme that breaks down protein, not good in a MEAT dish.)
-1 1/2C Tea ( I used Oolong, Black would be good too, or maybe Jasmine...PLAY)
-1T black pepper
-1 1/2T ground ginger (if you use fresh, cool! but it will be MUCH spicier so if your into that then go for it, and it not, then cut it back to between 1-1/2T)
-1 large leek sliced
-1 LARGE onion sliced thin
alright so you know how this works, put it all in the slow cooker and turn it on. Now here's the deal, if you want it done in 4 -5 hours then set your cooker to high, and -just walk away- OR if you want to make it in the morning and come home 8hrs later to a meal, set it to low. I served it with brown rice, roasted turnips, and roasted acorn squash SUPER YUM! (btw for the acorn squash, I highly recommend a little olive oil, S&P and a bay leaf-then let it roast)
~Beef Short Ribs~
-short ribs ( I made 5 large ribs for three people and a baby-what she likes beef)
-3/4C soy sauce
-2T Worcestershire
-3-4T Orange juice or Pineapple juice (throw some of the fruit in to if ya feel like it-but only if it is the canned pineapple, fresh has Bromelain in it which is an enzyme that breaks down protein, not good in a MEAT dish.)
-1 1/2C Tea ( I used Oolong, Black would be good too, or maybe Jasmine...PLAY)
-1T black pepper
-1 1/2T ground ginger (if you use fresh, cool! but it will be MUCH spicier so if your into that then go for it, and it not, then cut it back to between 1-1/2T)
-1 large leek sliced
-1 LARGE onion sliced thin
alright so you know how this works, put it all in the slow cooker and turn it on. Now here's the deal, if you want it done in 4 -5 hours then set your cooker to high, and -just walk away- OR if you want to make it in the morning and come home 8hrs later to a meal, set it to low. I served it with brown rice, roasted turnips, and roasted acorn squash SUPER YUM! (btw for the acorn squash, I highly recommend a little olive oil, S&P and a bay leaf-then let it roast)
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