the family that grows together, eats together

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Love, your fruit & veggies :)

PS- please, please, PLEASE excuse my nasty floors, fridge, and unfinished projects in the background. Instead, feast your eyes on this year's costumes ;)  And don't you fret, I'll be back tomorrow with this week's meal plan.  But for now, this chiquita is off to slumberland!  *B

fanciful rustic Halloween feast

Do you have a traditional Halloween dinner?  Meal in a pumpkin?  I've never had it, but I'd probably like it.  My husband, however, would rather die...  So, I've been trying to come up with something special to serve on All Hallow's Eve. Imagine, a dinner party.  Outside.  Haunting!  And luckily for us Arizonans, we won't freeze to death.  Instead, we get to pretend that the infinitesimal hint of a chill means it's getting cold soon.  Which makes us feel like it might be Fall after all ;)

Now for the food.  Brace yourselves!  Braised beef short ribs.  Butternut squash ravioli in a browned butter sage sauce.  Spinach salad with a warm bacon dressing.  And dark, pumpernickel bread to soak up all the goodness with.  Pair it with a spiced apple cider, and then tell me you're not feeling the twitchings of bewitchings!

Your turn!  What has your taste buds spooked?  *B

rethinking my costume

I probably should have been a bee this Halloween...  Because this month has flown by, I've been so busy!  And this week is no exception.  I haven't made a single meal from this week's plan, and I haven't posted a single recipe listed in said plan.  Sorry to disappoint :( But hopefully things will calm down(?).  Ha!  That's snort worthy.  Maybe I should be a pig instead...  I do like to eat.  *B

Super Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

I might be biased, but these are amazing!  What can I say, I like my cooking ;)  But, I will have you know that my husband will eat three before I notice and yell at him.  And my coworkers will hoard them, and fight over the last one.  And my husband's coworkers will beg him to share, and make him promise to bring more.  So, I think it's safe to say that these are indeed pretty tasty... and very aromatic!

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 c. pumpkin puree
• 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. agave nectar
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1/3 c. unbleached white flour
• 1/3 c. wheat flour
• 1/3 c. wheat germ
• 1/2 cup oats (thrown in a blender until fine)
• 1/2 T. gluten
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 t. ground cloves
• 1/4 t. allspice
• 1/4 t. ginger
• 2 dashes of nutmeg
• 1 dash of black pepper
• 1/2 c. walnuts (thrown in a blender until fine)
• 1/3 - 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Directions:

1. In one bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.  Add chocolate chips (and nuts) and toss.  Set aside.
2. In another bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.  Fold the dry into the wet, being careful not to over-mix.
3. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin.  Bake at 350 for 22 minutes.

These smell sooooo good.  They smell great before you even start baking them!  And it only gets better in your mouth.  Seriously, the spicy aromas coat your mouth and nose with Autumnal goodness.  Like I said, amazing.  And what's even more amazing is that these are healthy!  They easily have twice the amount of fiber of your normal pumpkin muffin.  They have 1/3 less sugar, too.  And they're made without any oil, shortening or butter.  Moist, fragrant, and deceptively delicious.  Like I said, amazing.*B

Black Bean Salsa

I seriously can't believe I am just now posting this.  Super shame on me, because this stuff is yumtastic!  Definitely my favorite go-to-dip.  It's different from your normal salsa in that it's nice and chunky, and it isn't spicy.  At all.  It's just fresh and fabulous, and full of pretty colors!  Truly a plethora of nutrients for your palate to enjoy ;)

Ingredients:

• 3 roma tomatoes, chopped
• 2 avocados, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black olives, drained and sliced/chopped
• 1 can's worth of frozen corn
• handful of cilantro, finely chopped
• 1-3 t. minced garlic
• olive oil, 3 times around the bowl
• balsamic vinegar, 2 times around the bowl
• salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients into a bowl.  Keep cool until ready to serve.

We usually make up a HUGE bowl, and more often than not it's gone within a day.  You can serve it as a dip with chips, a topping for salad/chicken, or a filling for burritos/quesadillas/tacos, etc.  Believe it or not, it even tastes better the next day!  But ours never makes it that long...  *B

this week's plan: 10/25 - 10/31

I can NOT believe this is the last week in October!  I'm experiencing a strange mixture of emotions: sad, relieved and excited.  What's that all about?  This month has definitely been a busy one, and this week is bound to be busier.  I'm exhausted just thinking about it.  But, at least I have some yummy sustenance planned!

Mexican Monday: Indian Fry Bread with the works

Oriental Tuesday: tofu & veggie stir fry, with brown rice

Twisted Wednesday: french toast and scrambled eggs

Authentic Thursday: pizza stoup OR homemade veggie pizza

TGIFriday: veggie burgers with tater tots and banana-strawberry smoothies

Super Saturday: Halloween Party

Special Sunday: HALLOWEEN!!!  Plans in the works... will get back to you ;)

Upcoming recipes (maybe): Indian Fry Bread, French toast, banana-strawberry smoothie, and a continuation of the "how to cook/like tofu" series.  It is a pretty dang full week, though.  So forgive me if this week's recipes are MIA.  But, I will have some blog appropriate costumes to show you!  For those of you who already know, shhh.  *B

so gross

While walking with my son to school today, I saw a preteen girl with a sucker.  In her mouth.  On her way to be educated.  In the AM!  Seriously?!  Candy for breakfast???  Ok, I admit that on rare occasions I have  had leftover cookies, pie, or even cake for breakfast.  On a better day, a bite of chocolate with a handful of almonds... And while any of my choices are certainly on the less than healthy side, they at least have some bit of nutrition to them.  Even if that nutrient is fat ;)  But straight sugar?  For breakfast!  Insane.

Want to know what else is gross?  This is:

That being said, I love their fries.  *B

this week's plan: 10/18 - 10/24

I think I may have fallen off the bandwagon of less meat.  Not like I've gone crazy with meat, but I've been lazy and complacent.  And, to tell you the truth, half the time meat sounds good to me.  So I eat it.  I don't know if it's the change in seasons, but I am craving meat more than usual.  Regardless the reasoning, my stomach et. al has not been too pleased with me.  So I'm going to try and cut back this week and refocus on more veggie friendly meals.  Who's with me?!

[crickets chirping]

Anybody???

Well then fine.  Be that way.  But here's my plan for this week anyway:

Mexican Monday: Southwest Salad with rockin' corn muffins nacho salad

Oriental Tuesday: veggie spring rolls with sweet & spicy peanut dipping sauce

Twisted Wednesday: garden veggie quiche with pumpkin spice muffins and a side of fresh fruit

Authentic Thursday: tortilla crusted Tilapia, sourdough french bread with herbed brie, and a green salad

TGIFriday: father-son campout

Super Saturday: Halloween party potluck

Special Sunday: Chicken Crock Pie with poppers

Upcoming recipes: Southwest Salad, sweet & spicy dipping sauce, and pumpkin spice muffins.  Oh, and a kick-butt sweet potato casserole.  Maybe.  And the  infamous black bean salsa.  Possibly.  *B

ETA, Oct. 24th:  Okay, so I lied.  I did not post a single recipe this past week.  But I did make some super awesYUM pumpkin muffins ;)  Will definitely try to share those this week.  For sure.  Hopefully...

Lemon Poppers

Now, these might sound similar to your grandma's German pancakes, puffin cake, popovers or puffy oven pancake.  And it kinda is ;)  But this version, like the custom crepes, are dairy free.  And they're made in a muffin tin.  And I can guarantee that our topping of choice will knock your socks off!

Ingredients:

• 2 T. butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 c. rice milk
• 1/4 t. salt
• fresh lemons
• powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.  Divide butter equally into muffin tin and melt butter in the oven.
2. Beat eggs in a bowl.  Then beat in flour, rice milk and salt.  Be careful not to overbeat.
3. Pour batter evenly into muffin tin.  Bake for 12 minutes, or until puffy and golden.
4. Serve warm.  Squeeze lemon juice generously, and sprinkle with copious amounts of powdered sugar.

Boy howdy, are these things tasty!  Maybe not the best thing for you, but eaten every once in a while turns it into a real treat.  Especially with the lemon-sugar combo.  Reminds me of lemon bars!  I'm sure these would be great with jam, or syrup, but why bother ;)  In all honesty though, these would be pretty good served savory, too.  Try them with the Chicken Crock Pie recipe.  Mmmm.  Or, you can just stick to the sugared lemon topping.  I wouldn't blame you either way!  *B

Ravioli Bisque

There's this DARLING tea house close to where I live.  Ooh, I love a good cuppa...  Can't wait until it gets cooler here!  Then it's tea (and soup) time, my favorite.  Anyone interested in a tea party?  Anyway, one day I went with my mom to this lovely tea house and was spoiled with tea, fresh fruit, tea sandwiches, scones, lemon curd, and pastries.  And soup.  They served this tomato bisque that was so lip-smackingly delicious that it was borderline rude.  Here we are, trying to be civilized and fancy-ish, and we're licking our bowls clean!  As you can imagine, the soup bewitched me and I vowed then and there to make something similar.  And I believe I have :)

Ingredients:

• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 can mushroom soup
• 1 can diced/crushed tomatoes
• 1.5 can of water
• 1 t. beef bouillon
• 2 T. brown sugar
• basil and garlic seasoning, to taste (about 1/2 t. each, if you must know)
• 2 handfuls of frozen raviolis (spinach & mushroom) -or- dried mini raviolis

Directions:

1. Combine soups, tomatoes and water in soup pot.  Bring to a boil.
2. Add bouillon, sugar and seasoning.  Reduce to simmer.
3. Add raviolis and cook until tender.  Remove and chop raviolis; return to soup and stir.
4. Serve with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

I'm sure the the tea house bisque was more refined.  And perhaps more complicated...  But, this soup is quick and easy.  And my entire family loves it.  Definitely a win-win in my book!  *B

how to cook tofu, part I

I made tofu this week.  It was ok.  I've never been a huge fan of the stuff, but I'm determined to find a way to make it more palatable!  My husband thinks it's a waste of time, but I love a good food challenge... so I'm going to document my tofu experiments in hopes of enlightening myself, and any others who might feel similarly ;)

This week I decided to just pan fry it.  First, I drained and rinsed an extra firm block of tofu.  Then I got my cookie sheets, paper towels and canned food.  And then I pressed those puppies good!  Next, I cut them up into little cubes and tossed them into a hot skillet with a little butter... I figured they could use a little fat.  And nothing makes food brown beautifully like butter!  I may be a nutritionist, but I know when to admit the benefits of butter.

So, the tofu browned up nicely.  And the texture wasn't too bad.  Flavor was ok, but that's probably because we drowned it in peanut butter and soy sauce!  So my next tofu adventure will include freezing and boiling.  And thus concludes the first of our tofu series.  *B

Custom Crepes

These babies are beyond versatile!  They can be sweet or savory; it just depends on what you fill them with.  And they freeze beautifully.  This is your basic crepe recipe, with just a little tinkering... I haven't tried making whole-wheat crepes, and I don't think I ever will!  That's what pancakes/tortillas are for ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 T. unrefined sugar (but not coarse)
• 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 c. rice milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 t. vanilla (omit for savory crepes)
• butter or non-stick spray

Directions:

1. Measure flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into bowl.  Stir in remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.
2. Heat non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Melt butter, or spray pan, and pour just enough batter to cover bottom of pan.  When bubbles start to form and the edges start to curl, carefully flip the crepe and cook for another minute or so.  Both sides should be golden.
3. Fill crepe with fillings of choice.  Roll up and enjoy!

Tip:  If you plan on freezing your crepes, simply place a sheet of wax paper between each crepe.  Put crepes in ziploc bag once cool and place on flat surface in the freezer.  They also freeze great when filled...  and you can't help but feel fancy when eating them.  You can make them as healthy or unhealthy as you want.  It all comes down to how you fill 'em.  Right now I'm dreaming of a pumpkin pie filling and topping it with some fresh whipped cream and chopped pecans.  Mmm.  *B

and the winner is

...[drum rolls ensue]...

TARA!!!  You, my dearest Texan, are one lucky lady.  I know my beloved plate will be equally loved by you :)

After all was said and done, I had over 40 entries!  Thanks to random.org for making my job easier ;)  You gals sure know how to make a girl feel good about herself!  Thank you.  And many thanks to everyone who commented, tweeted, face-booked, blog posted, etc.  And thank you for following my blog!  Seriously.  I hope you find this site a fun and helpful pit-stop amongst the world wide web...

Now, enjoy the rest of the month!  It's the best month of the year, after all.  So, who's ready for some yummy pumpkin recipes?!  *B

sometimes sweet

Sometimes, when I'm feeling naughty/indulgent (which is more often than not), I add chocolate to my baking.  What, like you haven't noticed???  Yes, it's true.  Most of my healthy muffins have little bits of antioxidant goodness in them in the form of chocolate chips... I don't make many cookies, or sweets in general.  But, I do have a huge bag of chocolate chips in my fridge.  And when I say huge, I mean Costco HUGE ;)

Sometimes, we need to treat ourselves.  Reward ourselves for making good choices.  It's called positive reinforcement.  Perhaps you've heard of it?  I'd hate to go through all the trouble of making a nutritious muffin, or granola bar, and then have it sit uneaten.  By throwing some chocolate in there, I've turned something that is good for you into something that also tastes good.  If you're a super-duper health nut and you've banned sugar from your life and have no need for chocolate like us lesser mortals, then feel free to leave them out!  However, I like to leave mine in, in an effort to sneak the good stuff into the good mouths of my family and friends.

Sometimes, when I make my granola rounds, I'll put a few of those chocolate chips on top.  When I pull them out of the oven, I spread the now melted chips around and voila! a chocolate "covered" granola bar.  I don't know about you, but pulling teeth would be easier than getting my kid to eat his home-packed lunch at school every day.  He's much too busy talking/playing to be bothered with some healthy snack his mom made.  But when he sees that chocolate "covered" granola bar, he's compelled to devour it!  And he's left feeling special, while his tummy feels full.

Sometimes, this nutrition nazi of a mom needs to feel special, too.  And so she'll break up a normal granola bar and throw in a few chocolate chips and voila! chocolate cranberry granola for breakfast.  Yes, it's true.  Chocolate does indeed have antioxidants in it :) And sometimes, being healthy means treating yourself to something sweet.  *B

this week's plan: 10/11 - 10/17

Maybe I'm the only one who benefits from these weekly meal plans... But in case you're in need of some ideas, I will continue to plan and post!  Hope it helps jump-start your own creativity :)

Mexican Monday: Southwest Chicken crepes (ETA: not recommended together, but they're both good on their own... maybe if I came up with a polenta type crepe)

Oriental Tuesday: tofu with spicy peanut sauce, veggies and noodles

Twisted Wednesday: lemon poppers and scrambled eggs

Authentic Thursday: ravioli bisque

TGIFriday: hotdogs, carrot sticks and applesauce potato salad, and strawberry smoothies

Super Saturday: date night

Special Sunday: veggie lasagna, toasted sourdough French bread with herbed brie, and green salad

Upcoming recipes: custom crepes, how to cook/like tofu, lemon poppers, ravioli bisque, potato salad, and strawberry smoothies.  Wow, that's a lot of recipes!  I want to start reviewing cookbooks, and nutrition books, as well as certain cooking products (like MSG-free bouillon).  So, we'll see if I can sneak a few in this week, too ;)

Also, if anyone has a favorite meal that may be a little (or a lot) on the unhealthy side, and you'd like me to tweak it, let me know!  I love getting helpful feedback, and I thought you might, too.  Or maybe I'm crazy, and people think I'm crazy for wanting to healthify something like potato salad... But, I really do enjoy the challenge!  That's why I'm here, my friends :) And FYI, healthify is now an official word.  *B

Peanut Butter Syrup

Look, a picture!  Sometimes I amaze even myself ;) Seriously though, photo or no photo, this stuff is pretty gosh darn amazing. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. maple syrup (the real deal)
• 1/4 c. natural peanut butter
• 1/4 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 c. honey
• 1/2 t. salt
• cinnamon to taste (opt)

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium-low, until salt is dissolved and syrup begins to boil.  Remove from heat, stir well and serve warm.

Goes great with pancakes (duh), or waffles (duh again), but I'm positive it would be totally awesome over some vanilla ice cream.  *B

Blueberry Smoothies

This sweet drink is FULL of antioxidants and potassium.  So good, and so good for you!  Just the way I like 'em ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. grape juice
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 frozen banana
• 4 handfuls frozen blueberries
• 1 handful of spinach (opt)

Directions:

1. Combine grape juice and water in a blender.  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend.

Tip: if you're a part-time lover and a full-time friend of fresh spinach, you can extend its shelf life by freezing it raw!  I like to buy a bunch or two of spinach, trim off the stems and give them a good rinse.  I end up rinsing them three times to get all the sand and grit off of them...  You can buy fresh, prepped spinach in a bag, too.  Then just stick as much as you can into a large ziplock bag and pop those green beauties in the freezer.  Break off handfuls when you need them (great for smoothies or soup).  So, go green and freeze those leaves!  *B

sloppy joe-schmoe variations

Of the less meaty kind!  Oh, these still have plenty of meat...  Just less of it. You can make these like you would combo tacos.  Just omit the taco seasoning.  Or, you can make them with 1 part ground beef, 1 part ground turkey, and 1 part cooked wild rice (brown rice would be fine, too).  Cook the rice in beef broth for extra flavor.  I made the rice variation just last night, and there were no complaints from the man-fan(s) o' meat.  You might want to make them less sweet, too.  Just tinker with the brown sugar until it suits your taste buds.  And you can always sneak more veggies in ;)  You can dice up some zucchini, or mushrooms, and cook them right alongside the red bell pepper.  You can even try reducing the tomato sauce by half, and substituting the rest with some sweet potato puree.  The possibilities are endless!  Be creative and have fun.  Because being healthy is just that.  *B

original recipe here

beadboard giveaway

If you've ever visited my home blog, you would know how CRAZY in love I am with beadboard!  I plan on using it in just about every room in my tiny townhouse...  And beadboard in the kitchen is like frosting on the cake.  Please tell me I'm not the only one who wants a kitchen like this:

Yeah, I didn't think so ;)  All that glorious beadboard!  Pardon me while I wipe the drool off my face.  Anyway, I just stumbled across a super fun food blog called Envy My Cooking.  Awesome site.  And right now they have an awesome giveaway!  So get your tootsies over there and enter.  I promise, I won't be too jealous if you win.  Ok, I might be just a tad bit envious.  Good thing green looks good on me!  *B

wishin' for a dish

Just FYI, I will pick and post the winner of the spooky platter on Monday!  I hope to ship it out the same day, so that the lucky lady can display it before Halloween is over.  That'll be a happy day for whoever she might be, but sad for me... it's pretty cute and comfy at this girl's haunted house ;)  

Remember to let me know if/when you follow, tweet, post, etc. so your entries won't get missed.  Thanks much, good luck, and happy haunting!  *B

Panang Perfection

WARNING: this is not a low-fat meal.  But, it is super tasty!  It's also gluten free, dairy free, and it can also be vegan.  Oh, and it's fast and easy.  This is our absolute favorite Thai dish.  If you're calorie counting, you may not want to eat this every week...  Certainly not every day!  But do eat it every once in a while when you want to give your meal plan a quick, rich/exotic boost ;)

Ingredients:

• 1 T. coconut oil
• 1/4 c. carrots, diced in strips
• 1/4 c. zucchini, diced in strips
• 1/4 c. onion, sliced thin
• 1/4 c. red bell pepper, sliced thin
• 1/4 c. mushrooms, sliced
• 2 handfuls of chicken, cooked and shredded -or- 1 can chicken, drained (opt)
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 3 T. Thai red curry paste
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1/2 t. chicken bouillon
• cayenne, to taste (opt)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat.  Add veggies and cook.
2. Add salt, pepper, curry paste and stir.  Cook for one minute.  Add shredded chicken and mix well.
3. Add coconut milk and bouillon, stir.  Bring to boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes or until sauce thickens.  Add cayenne for some extra heat.
4. Serve over prepared rice (Jasmine is best).

I will have you know that not only did us grown-ups slick it up, but so did the man-child -- veggies and all, sans complaint.  He may have licked his lips, once or twice, too.  The grown man might have licked his plate... *B

PS- As much as I love this with fresh veggies, this can be successfully made with a bag of frozen stir fry veggies (rehydrated in chicken broth) and a can of drained mushrooms.  Enjoy!

meatless "meatballs" update

I've tried my hand at these twice now, and they still need a bit more tweaking.  I'm getting close... but not close enough to share anything!  At least they've been palatable in the past, but they can stand to be better.  And so I continue to hone my meatless cooking abilities.  We all know real meatballs are good!  But where's the challenge in that?  I'll keep you posted.  *B

eat, drink, and be scary!

I interrupt this health-filled blog to post about something equally as important as nutrition:  Halloween!!!  Normal, candy-less, posts will resume in the next day or two...

In case you haven't guessed, I am OBSESSED with all things black & orange!  Shoot, I start planning next year's costumes the day after they're worn.  And this year, to help me with my infatuation, Lolly Jane has hooked me up (a few times) with some sahweet vinyl!  Let me just say, I'm brand-spankin'-new to the vinyl craze.  I mean, I've heard of it.  In fact, I used to design for Writing on the Wall, and you could find my boards in places like Poppy's and Orange Patch.  Anywhoo, I've never owned any.  Basically, I'm a vinyl virgin ;)  Lucky for me, the hotties behind Lolly Jane have kindly taken me by the hand and introduced me into this exciting new world.  My eyes have been opened.  Oh, the endless possibilities!  Be still my heart.

And so, without further ado, may I proudly introduce you to the love-child of my current crushes.  This here plate.  An orange plate.  A "scary" orange plate!  And because I am a proponent of eating and drinking (water!) and therefore highly recommend the use of plates (but not this one), I would like to give this tricked out dish to one of you.  So that you too may lovingly display your devotion to food, vinyl, and Halloween.

If you so choose, here's how to enter (one entry each):

1. Be a taste-tester - follow the blogsy and {B}messy!
2. Don't be a stranger - leave a comment, send an email, come and knock on my door...
3. Spread the word - tweet, blog, facebook, etc.
4. Share the love - Link up your fave Halloween tricks or treats.  Let's see those fab recipes/decorations!

Maybe, just maybe, no one will want this saucy saucer.  And then, I can keep it!  At very least, I'll give it to Kristi/Kelli.  You know, to say thanks.  And then, I'll let them twinners fight over it... *B

this week's plan: 10/4 - 10/10

Hello my few and faithful taste-testers!  It's October!?!  I was just getting used to August being over... Wait a second.  It's Monday???  Well then, let's just pretend it's still Sunday ;)

Mexican Monday: build-your-own quesadillas

Oriental Tuesday: Panang Perfection with tofu chicken, veggies and brown jasmine rice

Twisted Wednesday: baked potatoes and chili pancakes

Authentic Thursday: spaghetti and "meat" balls

TGIFriday: sloppy joe-schmoes, spiced sweet-potato fries, and blueberry smoothies

Super Saturday: date night at Chipotle (yay for gift cards!)

Special Sunday: to be determined

Upcoming recipes: Panang Perfection, how to cook/like tofu, "meat" balls (since I didn't get to them last week), blueberry smoothies, and hopefully some pumpkin-spice muffins/cookies.  And of course, a smattering of suggestions ;) Also, stay tuned for a super fun and festive giveaway!  *B