Payday's Groceries.

As payday arrives, the fridge is empty.

The fruit has been long gone so my kids are happily snacking on carrots.

The rotten leftovers make me sad but the enthusiasm for the carrots definitely lighten the mood.

The morning of payday is spent meal planning and grocery list writing.

Can you tell little fingers grabbed the pen whilst shopping?

Post-grocery shopping is spent cleaning out the fridge and dumping out rotten leftovers.  

This week wasn't so bad on the leftover front but the chickens did enjoy the green and salmon cakes.

This is $140 worth of groceries spent at Wal-Mart (don't even get me started!) and Kroger.

The next 2 weeks are crazy so I only planned for 7 meals but I can always scrounge a meal if needed.

We will definitely run out of fruit but thank goodness for those 5 pound bags of organic carrots!  

Happy fridge!!!

The perfect lunch.

Just add a peanut butter and jelly to my avocado and 

pink orange, grapefruit, carrot, spinach, lemon and lime juice for a 

perfect lunch.

Coconut Black Beans and Rice My Way

This recipe is a variation on a basic baked beans and rice recipe in my favorite vegetarian cookbook. I continued to cook the coconut variation because these ingredients are some of my favorites but the final dish never tasted quite right.  Finally, I added more beans, a lot of garlic and stopped mashing half of the beans......and, voila, a dish that everyone in my family actually eats.  A very big deal around here. 

Coconut Black Beans and Rice

*adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian 

1.5 cup dried black beans, soaked or unsoaked

1.5 cups rice

(1) 16 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

garlic, minced

onion, chopped

coconut oil

salt and pepper

1. Saute garlic and onion in coconut oil in a heavy bottomed oven safe pan.

2. Add beans and enough water to just cover the beans.

3. Bring to a boil.  Cover.  Simmer until beans are soft but not completely cooked, adding water if needed - about 40 minutes using soaked beans and up to 1.5 hours using unsoaked beans.

4. Add rice and coconut milk.  Stir.

5. Bake, covered, on 350 until rice and beans are completely cooked, adding water if needed - about 45 minutes.

6. Salt and pepper to taste.  

Juicy Juicy Juicer!

For years I wanted a juicer but I didn't really think we would use it often enough to make up for space taken on the counter.  And, we all know I'm not a fan of cleaning up after myself and I was pretty sure a juicer was the most difficult thing to clean in the entire world.  But, after watching "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" on Netflix instant viewing, I knew we *needed* a juicer ASAP!  Good thing it was nearing Christmas and I have a sweet mother-in-law who loves buying exactly what we want.  

Thanks, Carla!  

We are seriously obsessed.  

Today was payday and I was at home with a pukey little toddler and a bored big toddler.

Normally, I jump to the grocery store on payday but it didn't happen until after Mr. Messy got home from work considering our sick situation.  So, when Henry said "let's juice!" during naptime, we juiced everything juiceable in the fridge.  And, no, I did not listen to Henry's suggestion of juicing the onion and garlic.  I peeled the kiwi and convinced Henry that even though he isn't a huge kiwi fan, it would make awesome juice.

Henry put the kiwi in the juicer.  

And, we watched as the kiwi were obliterated into smithereens for Henry's drinking pleasure.

Straws make life better.

Pureed kiwi also makes life better.  Since the fruit was peeled and entirely edible before running it through the juicer, the pulp is completely edible and yummy!  Usually the chickens get the pulp after juicing but I just added this bit of kiwi to my post-grocery store juice:  carrots, spinach, apples, oranges.

Juicing has reaffirmed several things in my life:

1.  We really like juice.   

2.  I am not picky.  At all.

3.  My kids are learning about real food every single day.

4.  Everything tastes better when it is made with love and a little extra time spent.

5.  My entire family has a sweet tooth and we like any juice that has a hint of sweet fruit.

*We have the Breville Compact model which is a massive steal at $100.  It is a serious machine and has great reviews online.  And, no, they are obviously not paying me to brag on their product.  

Do you juice?

Chili My Way

Plain jane, no-frills chili?

Yes, please.

Chili My Way

1 can tomato sauce

2 cups dried beans, rinsed*

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tbs paprika

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs powdered mustard

salt and pepper to taste

1.  Mix all ingredients and 2 can fulls of water in a crockpot.

2.  Simmer on high for 4-6 hours or low for 10-12 hours until beans are tender and flavors are melded.

* Soaking the beans will cut back on cooking time. 

* I usually use a mix of kidney beans and cranberry beans but any beans are fine.

Cilantro Dip My Way

Favorite dip recipe.  Ever.

I even call it my "famous" cilantro dip recipe.

It's that good.

It finally occurred to me to sub the block of cream cheese with an avocado and I have to say.....

I am way.too.excited.

Cilantro Dip My Way

1 large bunch of cilantro, stems included

1 avocado

8 oz sour cream*

0.5 cup green salsa

1 lime, juiced

cumin, to taste

1. Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until pureed.

2. Serve as a dip with chips or as a topping for Mexican themed dishes.

* I like Tofutti brand non-dairy sour cream.

Friends. Food. Fail.

     

 

These kids surely enjoyed my impromptu pasta salad dinner:

whole wheat rotini

package of pink salmon

shredded carrots

kalamata olives

red bell pepper

feta cheese

red onion

olive oil

red wine vinegar 

And, just for good measure.....

Liza literally has no idea where her bellybutton is.

She points to a different spot every time you ask her and last night, s

he fell over looking for her bellybutton between her legs.

Hopefully, I can get a better and non-blurry picture tomorrow because it's things like this that remind me these babies grow up too quickly.

Beet Pancakes My Way

If you are a OMML devotee, you know I really like my carbs.

In fact, I only half-jokingly refer to myself as a carbotarian.

So, it's no surprise I offer you yet another variation of the wonderful pancake.

And, I am hanging my head in shame for not taking a pretty picture of these bright pink pancakes......

Beet Pancakes My Way

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cups whole wheat flour

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cups beet puree*

1 3/4 cups almond milk 

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix dry ingredients.

2. Mix wet ingredients.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until combined.  Lumps are okay.

4. Ladle batter onto hot griddle and flip when bubbles appear around the edge.

5. Serve with local honey.

*How to puree beets:

Wash, peel and quarter beets.  Bake on 400 until fork tender.  Pulse in food processor until lumps are gone.

I pureed a large bunch of organic beets from my local grocery store and had enough puree for 3 batches of pancakes.  Leftover puree can be frozen for future use.

Power Cookies My Way

They might resemble a cow patty but they are:

yummy, nutritious, flexible, quick and easy,

 i.e., my favorite way to cook.

This is one of the recipes where I can't even pretend to know the measurement for each ingredient.  

 I just eyeball it and make sure there is enough honey to satisfy my sweet-toothed boy.

Power Cookies My Way

Natural peanut butter

Wheat germ

Ground flax seed

Rolled Oats

Honey

Coconut Manna

Cocoa

1. Mix ingredients together, using peanut butter as the base, until your cookies firm enough to shape and eat.

Potato Tortilla My Way

We eat this for supper once a week.  

Healthy, easy and cheap. 

 My food trinity.

Potato Tortilla My Way

*adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian 

3/4 cups of olive oil

6ish new potatoes, sliced

1 onion, sliced

6 eggs

salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 400.

2.  Heat olive oil over medium heat in a oven friendly skillet.  

3.  Cook potatoes and onions until tender, about 15 minutes.  Keep heat low enough so the onions cook but do not brown.

4.  Add plenty of salt and pepper as the potatoes and onions cook.

5.  Drain potatoes and onions, reserving oil for future use.  

6.  Beat eggs in a large bowl.  

7.  Stir in potatoes and onions.

8.  Add egg mixture back to the skillet and cook on the stove over medium heat for 8 minutes, or until the eggs are no longer jiggly on the bottom.

9.  Cook in the oven for 12 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

*I keep the drained olive oil in the fridge and use it in my homemade pizza crust.

Saucy Lentils My Way

This is my absolute favorite way to eat lentils.  And, even though you can easily substitute the stock for water, don't leave out the red wine!  

Braised Lentils My Way 

*adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian 

2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped,

2 carrots, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tblsp paprika

0.5 cup red wine 

2 cups vegetable stock or water (I usually use water and it's fine)

1 cup dried lentils, rinsed

salt and pepper

1. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pot.

2. When hot, cook onion and carrot until the onion is soft.

3. Add garlic and paprika and cook for another minute.

4. Add wine, stock/water and lentils.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a low simmer so the mixture still gently bubbles.

6. Cover and stir occasionally until the lentils are tender (30-45 minutes).

7. Serve over brown rice or mix with rice to use as a stuffing for bell peppers/zucchinis, etc.

zucchini pancakes

That first foot-long zucchini from our CSA bag was easy to put to use:  zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, grilled zucchini and lots of zucchini in the latest batch of vegetable curry.

The second foot-long zucchini has been sitting in the fridge for almost a week.

It was time to get creative......Liza had grated zucchini in her yogurt.  Henry turned his nose up at grated zucchini with cinnamon.  Yeah.  I know.  It really wasn't too creative.  But, I tried and that should count.

Tonight I completely deviated from my meal plan and fixed up a batch of zucchini pancakes.  After all, I always need a reason to eat honey for supper and the loaf of home-baked bread in my tummy needed some carbohydrate friends to keep it company.

It is the same recipe as my Everyday Pancake recipe with a few tweaks and, um, zucchini.

Zucchini Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs
1.5 cups almond milk
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup shredded zucchini

1. Heat griddle over medium low heat.
2. Mix dry ingredients.
3. Mix wet ingredients.

4. Gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Batter will be lumpy.
5. Ladle batter onto hot griddle.  Flip when bottom is browned and bubbles rise to the surface.

Have I oded my love to Mark Bittman and his How to Cook Everything Vegetarian Cookbook?  If not, that is sad sad sad.  It is my most cherished cookbook and my go-to for everything, um, vegetarian.  When the title says "everything"  it means everything.  From homemade tortillas to Thai peanut sauce to almond cake.   If it is meatless, Mark Bittman has the recipe and then 5 more variations for you to try out.  Love him.

In fact, Taylor read a quote from a "politician" the other day.  It went on about how we should tax processed foods and anything with high-fructose corn syrup and subsidize fresh and local fruits and vegetables.  I got so excited because I've said this for years and was pumped somebody was finally on my side.  

Have to admit it was a bit of a letdown to find out it was not a politician in the end.....it was Mark Bittman.  

Love him.

"PeaBu" Balls My Way.

Peanut Butter Balls My Way

1 part local honey

2 parts natural peanut butter

3 parts powdererd milk

1. Mix ingredients.

2. Shape into balls.

3. Refrigerate.

Have I mentioned Henry has completely outgrown his sensitivity to dairy?  

Woohoo!! 

 I am still preparing dairy free meals for dinner due to Liza's intolerance via my breastmilk but we are very thankful for this unexpected turn of events.

Hen's life is definitely a little bit better with the simple pleasure of dairy products. 

pre-dinner tradition

Liza is now big enough to join Henry in the 'eat raw veggies while Mama cooks supper' tradition.  Last night as I chopped fresh veggies to throw into a jar of yummy spaghetti sauce, Liza munched on white mushrooms and Henry ate more than half of a very orange and yellowish green bell pepper.

I am proud to announce this close interaction on the floor did not end with tears!  

A very big deal in this house...

Sesame Noodles My Way.

When I'm in need of a new tried-and-true recipe, I always hop over to The Pioneer Woman.

Because:

I love her and I wish I was her friend.

She is funny like Ellen.  Seriously.  Funny.

And last but not least, she cooks good food.

I already had all the needed ingredients for this quick little sauce in my cabinet and I love the endless possibilities of this dish, from a simple side dish to a veggie filled main dish.

Sesame Noodles My Way

12 ounces fluid noodles -- I used whole grain spaghetti.
¼ cups Braggs natural soy sauce 
2 tablespoons sugar
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons pure sesame oil

dash of cayenne pepper4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water
4 whole green onions, sliced thin

Veggies of your choice -- I used sauteed mushrooms and sugar snap peas.

1. Cook noodles.

2. Prepare veggies.

3. Whisk remaining ingredients.

4. Pour sauce over warm noodles and add veggies.

roasted chickpeas my way.

I am always in search of a healthy, cheap snack.

So yeah.  We love these.

Roasted Chickpeas My Way

Canned Chickpeas, rinsed and dried

Olive oil

Salt, pepper, any spices you want to use!

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Toss chickpeas in just enough olive oil to evenly coat the beans.

3. Season with your chosen spices.

4. Place chickpeas on a baking sheet and cook until super crunchy, 45 minutes or longer.

sauteed broccoli my way.

I actually cooked a well-rounded meal last night:

turkey meatloaf, Israeli couscous, and sauteed broccoli.

I quickly remembered why I've been slacking on the cooking lately:

it's time consuming and exhausting.

Liza on my back in the Ergo is easy enough but keeping Henry happy post-nap can be tough.

Thankfully, he was satisfied rinsing the broccoli in the sink for an inordinate amount of time 

and eating raw couscous by the handful.  

Even thought he wouldn't touch the final product, 

he was glad to munch on raw broccoli after I acted like it was off-limits.....

ah, the power of reverse physcology on a two-year-old.

Sauteed Broccoli My Way

broccoli, washed and destemmed

2 tbsp coconut oil

garlic, minced or chopped

(1) lemon, juiced

1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable stock

kosher salt

1. In a wok, heat coconut oil over medium heat.

2. Saute garlic until golden.

3. Add broccoli, lemon juice and chicken stock.  Stir and cover.

4. Cook until tender.

5. Salt to taste.

a power snack.

This boy

needed a

power snack

of

edamame

before his big game!

Coconut Curry My Way.

Coconut Curry My Way.


(1) can of unsweetened coconut milk
almond milk
onion, minced
garlic, chopped
whatever vegetables you want, chopped - I used carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and potato
spices - curry powder, turmeric, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper
olive oil


1. Heat olive oil in wok.
2. Saute spices, onion and garlic.
3. Add coconut milk and vegetables.
4. Add enough almond milk to cover vegetables.
5. Cook until vegetables are fork tender.


Serve over brown rice.

Black Bean Soup My Way.

I glanced at the recipe about 2 hours before I commenced cooking.

Figuring it was a standard soup recipe, I decided I could wing it.

I was right.  

Good thing, huh?

This is a super versatile recipe and a perfect use for any 

fresh, frozen or leftover veggies that need to be eaten.

Black Bean Soup My Way

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed.  Mash with a fork.

4 cups stock, broth or water- I used homemade chicken stock

6 carrots, chopped

6 new potatoes, chopped

3 ears of sheared corn

1 onion, chopped

garlic, minced

cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne powder, Braggs, salt and pepper

olive oil

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pan.

2. Saute onion, garlic, carrots and spices.

3. Add remaining remaining ingredients.

4. Bring to a boil.  Simmer until vegetables are tender.

5. Serve with cornbread.

*Once the vegetables were tender, I used my potato masher to mash up the chunks.  I liked how this made the soup much thicker and stew-like due to the 'mashed' potatoes.

*Last night was my first time making cornbread with almond milk.  The texture was definitely different and not light and fluffy like when I use whole milk.  But with this soup on top of a big slice, it was perfect!