Healthy Must Try Treat....

No, this isn't a bowl of sauteed kale!

It's actually Kale Chips and they are so light and crispy...with a touch of saltiness. Such a simple recipe that I just couldn't resist trying. They even passed the Miss K test with flying colors! In case you didn't know, that is a HUGE endorsement. I do NOT expect this to make it past dinner. You know what? I'm excited about that! Have you checked out the nutritional benefits of this amazing leafy green??

To make life even simpler, I used the 10 oz bag of washed and trimmed Kale from Trader Joe's. (love that store) There were a few rib pieces to sort out, but mostly it was all good to go.

Want the "recipe"?

(you can hardly call it a recipe, it's so easy)

Click below for the details and put Kale on your shopping list!

Crispy Kale Chips

Officially Summer

I have a bowl that was given to me last year for my birthday. It's a regular bowl...not very big, not over the top pricey....BUT it makes me smile. It speaks to me. (whatever that really means!) So, maybe it doesn't say actual "words", yet somehow whenever it catches my eye I hear a little voice in my head whispering " Be Happy".

Do you know what makes my smile even brighter?? What makes me 187 times happier?

When I look in my bowl and see this......

Oh yeah, baby! Summer is officially here in my backyard!!

I can hardly wait until my bowl looks like this.

Knowing what you're eating....

We just had one of those yummy "can name all the ingredients" meal. I love serving those kind up for the family!

Tilapia was drizzled with olive oil and baked with lemon slices, salt and pepper. Peas were picked just minutes before and quickly sauteed and then I just added some garlic. Black bean salad with veggies and a lime dressing was made this morning. Coleslaw (cabbage, carrots and celery) made without mayo has dried cranberries and almonds added for flavor and added nutrition. Fresh fruit was just washed and served...no added sugars.

No gluten or dairy in sight. No mixes or overly processed stuff. No drab single colored meal.

Yes, it was my kind of meal!

So, what's on the menu at your house?

6 Recipes that SCREAM Summer to Me

I find that there is quite a difference in the types of recipes I use according to the seasons. I love to take advantage of fresh ingredients that are in season as they have a much better taste AND they are more affordable. Who really enjoys what they call "tomatoes" in the grocery store during the winter? Another thing that dictates the types of recipes I consider is the weather. Let's face it...cooking a soup that takes 4 hours isn't quite as appealing in the blistering heat of August as it is in the bone chilling frost of February.

Last night while we were eating dinner, I pulled out a notebook and started quizzing the family on recipes for the summer. What were they looking forward to eating? For some reason, I had a mental block going on and was feeling all kinds of stressed out just thinking about menu planning and grocery shopping this week. After dinner, K and I pulled out my big disorganized recipe binder and went through pages of favorites that had been stored (stuffed) between the cover. Now, I'm not so sure why I had the temporary lapse into freak-out mode, because there were some yummy recipes in there calling my name and waving the summer friendly flag.

Lucky you, I decided to share my top 6 'Can't Wait' to make again Summer friendly dishes!

6. Black Bean Salad with Lime Dressing: This one is so incredibly good. I like to make a big dish of it and then we pick on it for lunches and even snacks during the week.

5. Thai Turkey Lettuce Wraps: My whole family loves these so I have to triple if I even want a chance of having leftovers for lunch! I do actually serve this during other seasons, but they are great for a summer meal when it's so hot you don't want anything heavy. I usually make some rice and cut up some fresh fruit, like pineapple, to go along with the wraps. Oh, and if you have a Trader Joe's close by, look for their Thai Lime and Chili Cashews. They add some extra wow to this dish and I'll admit we don't stick to the amount called for in this recipe!

4. Quinoa Taco Salad: This recipe never fails me. I add the black beans, avocado and tomatoes. This is another one that I like to double and then use the leftovers for lunch. I think I could make this weekly and be happy about it!!

3. Hawaiian Burgers: Well, I don't have a link for this one, but the recipe is quick and easy so I'll share here.

Hawaiian Burgers
2 lbs. ground turkey
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 T low sodium Soy Sauce
2 cloves garlic minced

2 scallions chopped
1/2 c. hoison sauce
2 tsp. sesame oil.

Mix together and form patties. Grill. Also, slice fresh pineapple into rings (or you can use canned) and grill them. Add a grilled pineapple ring on top of each burger. Delish!!

2. Cilantro Lime Dressing: While this isn't a dish, it is a dressing worth making anytime! Because of this very recipe we intentionally bought extra cilantro plants for our herb garden this summer. My 12 year old pretty much inhales this stuff and any salad it's drizzled over. (and that's a good thing!) I've even drizzled it on my rice and veggies before.

And now for the number 1 recipe on my can't wait to make again and let the sun blaze down on me list....

1. Pineapple Black Bean Rice Salad: It's on the menu for next week and I can hardly wait. You can eat this as a side or main dish. Throw a couple of ears of corn on the grill or maybe grill a few skewers of shrimp and let the feasting begin.

So, what are some of YOUR favorite summertime recipes? I'm always looking for fresh ideas and maybe I'll even add it to my "a little more organized this yesterday" recipe binder!

Diving right in...

With the holiday season just behind me and a nasty bug visiting the house, I was feeling a tad overwhelmed. I get that way when my little "non-routine" routine gets thrown out of whack. So, I found myself looking for some order to help me feel "right" again and my kitchen seemed to be the center of disorder. There was an incredible desire to attack and conquer the clutter. Possibly this was because I was desperately trying to stay out of all germ infested rooms and my kitchen was the safest! (there was no way I had allowed any sick person to touch anything in my kitchen) OR...maybe it had to do with the fact that I was determined we were going to eat healthier this year. That determination had me going to several different grocery stores and buying all sorts of healthy ingredients to make all the recipes I had found. With the hustle of the season, all those ingredients had then been stuffed into cabinets. Honestly, I had no clue as to what I had purchased, what I still needed, what was overstocked or what was running low. It was time to tackle the hot mess and I did so the only way I knew how and that was by diving right in, of course!

First step was to pull all food items out of the cabinets. I discovered that I had pasta in the tall black cabinet and in the corner cabinet. I had baking ingredients in three cabinets. I told you...a HOT mess!

These containers were all holding little bits of stuff past it's prime. They will all be placed back into commission once they go through a little clean up time.

It was time to get some containers labeled clearly, especially ones that I want to stay gluten free.

Here are some of the goodies I purchased on my shopping spree. I have high hopes for the yumminess that will be cooked up with these ingredients. These are all now listed on my inventory sheet that will help me know if I have what I need next time I discover a recipe.

I had no clue that I was running dangerously low on one of my staple items.
That is something you do not want to find out just as you are making a quick dinner!

I also discovered I was way overstocked on sugar. Since one of our goals is to cut the sugar consumption way down, I won't be needing to buy this for a while. Maybe we can make some sugar scrubs for bath time.


Having everything pulled out at once, allowed me to group similar items together.



Also, you want to take the time to consolidate if you can. I found two opened bottles of rice vinegar and it worked to just dump one into the other. I use it often enough, that I don't have to worry about it going bad.


Now, it was time to start putting things back. This cabinet will look even sharper when I put those containers above to work in here. Right now, I'm just happy that I know what is in here and that the items are grouped together.



This was a big relief to get this cabinet stocked and to know that all pasta is together once again!



Putting this cabinet back together was probably the most satisfying. I was able to really make sense of what went into here. Also, by grouping things together I was able to eliminate the need for taking up space in yet another cabinet.

Best part....I still have some growing room.

That time spent in the kitchen really did help me gain a sense of control. I was able to make menu plans and grocery lists knowing exactly what I was doing. As we get rid of processed stuff in the kitchen, my goal is to replace it with more whole ingredients. I love knowing exactly what goes into the food we are eating. It's also easier to control my diet and keep unwanted gluten and casein out.

I plan to take a look at my kitchen again in the summer to see how far I've come in my quest to get rid of junk in our diet. I'll be sure to share here.

A little surprise....

The past few days we have had some good thunderstorms roll in during the nights. This was good, because it meant I didn't need to water my veggie garden. That saves me about 45 minutes. It also meant that I didn't have to go out in this horrible muggy heat and stand in the garden, so I chose to stay put right inside with the AC cranking and the fans blowing. That's what you need to do to survive around here during the "Muggies". OK...so really, that's what I NEED to do! Go ahead, call me a wimp. I don't care....much.

Anyway, it seems my fresh veggies were still stacking up on my counter. K would go outside and come in with a few(hundred) cucumbers and a ripe tomato every once in a while. Sometimes, Mike would go out, look around and walk back in and plop a handful of teeny grape tomatoes in my bowl. I would just look from my back window and see the plants still standing and that was good enough for me.

This morning I realized I had a whole tray full of big ripe tomatoes and I wasn't about to let those babies go bad. So, I gathered them and made the most delicious homemade spaghetti sauce. I even sent K out for some parsley, oregano and basil fresh off the plants. There is such an incredible feeling of satisfaction when cooking from your own garden. It also didn't hurt that around the dinner table the prevalent sound was "yummmm".

While the sauce was simmering, I decided to take a little inventory. I used up ALL my big tomatoes with the sauce. I have a little bowl of grape tomatoes to use, but I have some plans for those involving avocados and jalapenos. My jalapeno bowl is getting a little full, so I made plans to freeze them tomorrow. The cucumbers, WELL....I try not to think about the cucumbers. They are my "zucchini" this year. You know...the vegetable that just keeps coming and coming. Other than those pesky cucumbers, which I do love but can't manage to eat 6 a day, I was feeling a little on top of my game this evening. No veggie is going to rot on my watch!

When we came home from errands this evening I said to Mike, "Hey, meet me in the garden. We have a few minutes of light left and we should probably poke around. I hope we have some of those purple beans ready. I would like some for dinner tomorrow." hehehe...

There are purple beans out there, but it was too dark in the bean pole teepee that we made, so I'll get them tomorrow. Besides, I was too busy picking these veggies. Our peppers are finally turning red, which was exciting. Notice the cucumbers....sigh.....

However, this would be considered a nice harvest from our backyard garden, but NO....this was not all. In fact the picture below doesn't show it all. We had flashlights out there, but the mosquitoes chased us in the house before we could finish. The neighbors probably thought we were a tad loony if they were listening to us at all. "Squealing with delight" is the best way to describe the sounds heard from our garden this evening!

Guess, I need to get busy again.

Signed,
"No longer feeling on top of my game"

it has begun....

Earlier this season I had a battle with creatures of the winged variety. Yes, the early bird was getting up before me and checking out the garden. I have no problem sharing for the most part....but I must draw the line on some things. I have been waiting since last summer for a nice, sun-ripened, homegrown tomato. Our plants are so full and their poor branches are sagging from the weight of large GREEN tomatoes. We bought three plants that produce the smaller cherry tomato variety. One reason I made sure to plant the cherry tomatoes was to tide me over until the big boys ripened. I waited and waited and was beyond excited to see a hint of pink on a few of the little cherry ones. I knew the time was coming and I'd be able to just pop that baby right in my mouth and squeeze out the juicy yumminess. Imagine my shock to come out one morning and find what was to be my very first tomato of the 2010 season pecked to pieces!

Ugh!!

Well, I quickly told myself it was ok. I figured this was some sort of testing of character or perhaps there was a lesson on patience that I should be gleaning from this...and I certainly didn't want to fail any test or opportunity to grow. Plus...there was another tomato that was just about ready! It was so close that I was sure another 24 hours would do the trick. I could wait...

Next day...it, too was pecked to pieces. I officially (well, posted on Facebook..that's official, right?) declared war and got some wonderful advice from friends. I didn't have to do anything because it seemed like my little feathered friend had left town overnight. I thought maybe word got out that I was about to go ugly on him and he packed his little bags and hit the road. (I didn't hurt him...I promise!!) Well, apparently he just went to visit his cousin to let my jets cool....because he's now back and busy pecking tomatoes that are just about ready.

So...this weekend netting is going up.

Nobody messes with my tomatoes!!

Here's a bowl full of the ones the little birdie missed along with some fresh basil picked from our garden.

It went into a veggie dish for dinner that the family declared a winner!

Bounty

Yea, harvesting has begun!! We've been eating squash and cucumbers for a good week now.

The cukes are coming in like crazy. Tomorrow, I plan to try a freezer pickle recipe I found online. I wish I grew up on a farm and this kind of stuff didn't scare me....but it does!!

There are bushels of peppers ready to pick, so I'm hunting for pickled pepper ring recipes, too. Yet again, scaring myself silly. I figure I might as well jump right in and send myself right over the edge.

Oh, and to make it even more frightening, I'm venturing into gluten free baking. Oh, yes I am! This week I will be attempting chocolate zucchini muffins. Who knows, by the end of the summer I may no longer shake (and sweat!) when the mere thought of canning, preserving or gluten free baking enters my mind. It could happen!

You may notice there is a lot of green and yellow in the picture. One color is missing....RED! I have a pesky bird (or two or twenty) that is delighting in ripe tomatoes. MY ripe tomatoes!! The very ones that I have been watching and drooling over for weeks. I've gotten lots of good suggestions and I've declared war. I will win! My plan of making homemade spaghetti sauce and salsa hinges on my victory.

I can almost taste it...

VEGGIES....

I love when things just happen to fall together like they were planned. It just so happens that I have a couple of veggie posts that I planned to make over the next week AND today I came upon a wonderful veggie loving blog that is having a contest!! :) A contest? Where? What? Well, keep reading. Details are below.

First, I have two words...

ROASTED BROCCOLI....

or asparagus, or cauliflower, or tomatoes, or....

OK, maybe that was more then two words. I have to tell you though, you are seriously missing out if you don't roast some veggies and try them. What's that you say? You don't like broccoli....well, try it anyway. K doesn't care for broccoli, but she scarfs these little nuggets up like she's fighting for them. Of course, that could be because everyone is standing around the pan grabbing the best ones.

Here, let me show you what they look like fresh out of the oven....

Um...well, the pan WAS full and I HAD just pulled it out minutes before. Yes, they are that yummy and yes, I'm ashamed (proud) to admit the family did stand around the pan grabbing broccoli and popping them in their mouths. How barbaric!

I, personally, do not care for asparagus. However, roast those little spears and I'm there burning my fingers. Who can wait for a fork? Not I! I can't explain it, but roasting is the way to go. (it's also easy and we all know easy in cooking is a welcomed thing!)

Clean your raw veggies and prep them for cooking. Drizzle a little olive oil over them and add some salt and pepper. You can add a little fresh minced garlic, or garlic powder...a dash of red pepper flakes or any other seasoning that floats your boat. Usually, I stick to the basics. Spread them out on a pan and pop them in the oven. I generally roast my veggies between 350 and 400 degrees. Why the range? Well, I make it work with whatever else I am cooking. If there is nothing in the oven, I turn it to 400. Then roast them for 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of veggie and the temp of the oven. You want the veggies to get a little brown.

That's a good thing. I promise!!

Be prepared to always roast your veggies. My whole family gets disappointed now if I serve steamed veggies!

NOW, about that contest!!!!

Check out Leslie Loves Veggies. (just click on the name) She's having a giveaway for a cookbook called "You Won't Believe It's Gluten Free". Then take the time to look around over there. She has tons of reviews and several contests in the works. Good luck!

a little taste of my own medicine...

I love to cook and create yummy foods. It's fairly easy for me to combine a few recipe ideas, delete some ingredients, add a tad of this, and a pinch of that and wind up with a unique dish. Recipes are generally considered ideas in my book. Now, I do sometimes follow recipes if it is something I've never made before and always if it's something baking related. However, the rest is just fair game. Some meals have been wonderful and some have been "eh" at best. The thing that drives Mike crazy is that I often don't make the exact same thing twice. If he really loves something he wants to have it again. However, it might not come out the exact same way! I have gotten better and when I find a winner I do try to make note of what I did....you know, before I forget. (which some days can be frighteningly quick! Anyone else out there finding their memory getting shorter??)

Another problem is sharing recipes with friends. Some are much easier to share than others. However, it tends to be the "little bit of this, a little bit of that" recipes that get requested the most. UGH! It's frustrating on my part to want to share with them and having to exercise my brain as I figure out how to explain what I did. Of course, I never really considered the frustration on their part. That is until this......

The other day I was planning to make roasted potatoes as part of our dinner. I had been using a seasoning blend that K had put together from an Emeril cookbook that she borrowed from the library. The cookbook had been returned and I realized that I had never copied the recipe. Well, now the mix was gone and I was going to just have to wing it.

K said she would take care of it. Next thing I know spices are flying...and she is creating her very own "a little bit of this and a little bit of that" recipe. I know some of the stars in the mix were celery seed, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, thyme, dill weed, chili powder, Hungarian paprika, salt, and pepper.

The potatoes turned out "oh so delicious". However, I can't ask K for the recipe.

That frustrates me!

(and oddly pleases me at the same time)

Yes, my very own daughter is giving me a little taste of my own medicine.

Sharing my latest addiction with the world.....

Those that know me well or are connected to me on Facebook, probably already know that I fell in love with Thai Spring Rolls. Oh, yes I did! I fell head over heels in love....

I discovered them at a local restaurant over a year ago. They are refreshing and grease free because they are rolled in rice wrappers and served cold. The only thing cooked in them is the shrimp. They are served with peanut sauce for dipping. The best thing is when I discovered I can't have gluten or dairy, these things still made the cut!!

Well, they are $5 for two...so I don't get them as often as I want....esp. since someone else here likes them, so it always costs me $10 and then the other shorter someone says "Oh, I need the orange chicken because I don't like the rolls and you guys are going to eat in front of me and I just LOVE the orange chicken and I think I'll die without it and besides there is NOTHING at all here to eat...." <---she can say that in one breath!! Yea, good thing we only do this when the tallest someone is at work or I'd NEVER be able to afford them!!

About a month ago, I decided they are simple enough that I should just make them at home. Since I am eating gluten and dairy free, I've been craving these bad boys! So, we bought another round of them....um....for research purposes. Yep, they still looked as simple as they did the last time I got them. Off to the store, I went. I couldn't find the rice wrappers and our local oriental market shut down. However, son #2 works with the guys that make sushi at the seafood dept in Giant and they hooked me up. :)

I am in no way an expert on making these and still need to figure out exactly how to get them rolled a little tighter, but they do the job of holding my peanut sauce. Oh...and that brings me to another sticky point. I can't give you a recipe for a great peanut sauce, because I am still searching. I made one that inadvertently included wheat and gave me a roaring headache. Reminder...read ALL labels if you have a food intolerance. sigh.... I made another that was good...but not quite "it". I bought two different kinds...one was OK and the other was yucky(and I discovered ALSO had wheat). Why didn't I listen to my own reminder??? The past week I've made it twice and have been pleased with it. I can't tell you amounts, yet. I can tell you the ingredients, though. Oh...and I'm not being "stuck up" and not sharing the amounts with you until I get it "perfect!". Nope, I can't tell you the amounts because I have no clue. It's one of those "pour a little of this, sprinkle some of this, shake a little of that, and spoon a couple of these" deals. Sorry...

Some have asked me to share more on how to make these spring rolls....and I will do that. And I will tell you, this is just to be an "idea" kind of recipe. No need to follow exactly and it will be probably much better if you don't!

These are the rice noodles I picked up last time. You don't have to get these kind. Feel free to experiment, I know I will. They come dried and need to be soaked in some hot water. Then drain, rinse with cold water and I squeeze them dry. (not like a sponge...but just squeeze a bit of the water out or you'll have a big dripping mess)

Here are some cucumbers cut into little strips, some shrimp that I halved because they were kind of fat, the rice noodles and baby spinach. Usually I use Romaine leaves, but I was out and had a craving. I figure baby spinach is good for you and would fill in nicely. (it did!) You can also cut carrots into little matchsticks and use them. I have....but I was too hungry today. Some recipes call for adding some leaves of sweet basil, mint and cilantro.

I keep it simple.

Here is the rice paper I got.

The sheets are flexible, but still hold their shape until....

....you put them in warm water. You have to swish it around in the water and go by feel. You want to do one at a time and finish making your roll before you put another one in water. They soften up pretty quickly.

Lay your wrapper out and put some shrimp and cucumbers on it.

Add your greens and some rice noodles. (basically add whatever you are going to put in the roll)

Pull the wrapper (closest to the bottom of the picture) up and over the stuffing. Give it one roll and then tuck the ends in like when you make a burrito. Finish rolling and you should have something that looks like this...

Don't worry if you don't. I've eaten a few mistakes myself. Just plop them in a bowl and add some peanut sauce. It will be fine and no one has to know!!

The wrappers do break and get holes....they are thin skinned. Notice the little baby spinach stem that poked right through!


Here is the peanut sauce I just made. I poured it into my empty peanut butter jar for storing in the fridge. Pretty clever, huh?



As far as the sauce goes, I told you I would tell you what is in it. So, here you go....coconut milk, brown sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, hot pepper flakes, ginger and peanut butter. There are recipes that call for other ingredients...but that is where I get in trouble with the wheat. So, I'm sticking with ingredients that I know I can have.



So, while it is not an exact recipe or "how to" post, it does give you an idea of a yummy lunch to make. Don't be afraid to play around with it and come up with your own combinations. You don't like shrimp? Skip it! You love lime? Drizzle a little on your shrimp or veggies.



Have fun and eat up!

Baked Rice...

I love brown rice, but Mike was never really a fan. In my quest to eat healthier meals, I just made the brown rice and he suffered through it like a trooper. That is....he suffered until I discovered Baked Brown Rice. Now, he loves it as much as I do and truthfully, this really is the only way I want to cook the stuff now. It comes out so yummy!

This is the recipe I use. I keep it in my handy dandy recipe binder which stays right in my kitchen. To get your own copy click here.

I double the recipe and use a 9x13 pan. Of course, one of the downsides of making brown rice is that it takes an hour to cook. It just so happens that I have a tip for you.

Bake two 9x13 pans at once. Let them cool just a bit and measure the rice out in freezer bags. Pop them in the freezer laying flat, so they can stack. Then when you want brown rice, you just have to pull a bag out and heat the rice up. I add a little liquid and pop it in the microwave for a few minutes. However, you can heat it on the stovetop or even put it in the oven for a bit. We love it with roasted veggies and a bit of broth for flavor.

This recipe has never failed me and even picky K eats it!!

breakfast for the champions....

We have our own version of a champion breakfast around here. I've been trying to get some healthier foods in K's diet...(all of our diets)....for some time now. A few weeks ago, I hit the jackpot and found a combination that she enjoys. Actually, I enjoy it and "even Mikey likes it"!

One thing I know is that she likes yogurt. Up until a few weeks ago, she insisted that the only yogurt she really likes comes in little containers. We would buy them on sale, but what I really was hoping was that one day I could buy one of the big containers of vanilla and just go from there. Well, that day has come. Now, I feel like I can make something yummy and healthy AND still save a few pennies. Every little bit counts.

We start with a bowl of fresh fruit. Today's blend was strawberries, bananas and clementines. The strawberries were leftover from our little dessert experiment. I can hardly wait for summer fresh fruit!

Next, add some vanilla yogurt. We used Trader Joe's Whole Milk Organic Yogurt. Sometimes, we add a tablespoon of raspberry preserves to add some zip. Then I top it with ground flax seed (yippee, finally found a way to get that in our diets) and some chopped walnuts...for those that like nuts.

K doesn't....but we don't hold that against her!

creative yummies

If you ever wonder what to do on a snow day, I have an idea for you. Put your creative thinking cap on and come up with a dessert recipe as a family. In the afternoon, Mike cleaned off the car and we bundled up and hit the road. Fortunately, the grocery store is right down the road from our house. It was surprising to see as many cars in the parking lot as there were, but still the store seemed empty. After a few minutes of shopping, we were back on the road heading home.

We attempted a few things that did NOT work, but we won't dwell on those. We'll just try again another day. Instead, I will show you what did work!

Here's a bowl with mascarpone cheese, whipped cream, confectioner sugar, vanilla and orange zest. It was a rather yummy concoction.

K put sliced strawberries in individual dishes and Mike scooped the cream mixture on top.



We brushed phyllo dough layers with melted butter and I sprinkled cinnamon sugar on the top layer. These were baked for a few minutes until they turned crispy and browned.

Each dish got a crispy topper and a fresh scoop of fresh whipped cream (sweetened with a little confectioner sugar). Then topped with a strawberry slice.

Doesn't it look yummy?

Yes....it was!!

You know what I love?

I love the fact that after an extremely busy week and an extra busy day, after I sloppily threw together a last minute butterfly birthday cake.....K still loved and appreciated it. Even though she said, "Well, at least no one will think it's a real butterfly!" That's my girl, always looking for the bright side...or was she making fun of me?

Nothing went right with this cake and everything I did made it messier! Perhaps one shouldn't wait until the hour before a BIG family celebration dinner to start working on the cake. Ya think?

Ok...I'll show you the cake worthy of this blog. (this is so not one of my finer moments...makes me want to dig out the past cake pictures and show you all that I CAN make a mean cake....) However, I like the idea of keeping it real....knowing that everyone of you have sometime experienced a kitchen flop. (You have, haven't you? Don't tell me otherwise...)

A healthy recipe....

Like I said in my earlier post, I've eaten enough junk this summer to last me for quite some time. I usually do try to get good food in this family and we often have meatless meals, or fish, or whole grains and we always have some veggies....but looking at it from an overall nutrition standpoint for the entire week, I can see we still get too much sugar and fat and not enough fruit and veggies.

Since I control much of what comes in this house....and much of what goes in their bellies, I realized that I need to be the one to take the plunge and just stock up on the good stuff. The past few days have been going well and no one has revolted.....yet. Well...K is daydreaming of junk food a lot, but she probably did that before and just didn't tell me about it.

Having said all that, I did allow one ice cream purchase today for the whole family to share. Hey...I'm keeping it real. We are not going to go to the extreme here. Just overall healthier is the goal. :) I've been looking for recipes and have copied quite a few to try later. I did want to share a recipe for Easy Hummus. I found one online and tweaked it. A common ingredient in hummus is tahini and while I do have tahini in the pantry I don't really love tahini. K definitely doesn't care for it, so I made it without. It was good....really good!! Best part...K loved it.

Try it out for yourself.

1-15 ounce can of garbanzo beans, drained
(reserve liquid)
2 cloves of Garlic(or less if you don't like it real garlicy)
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine everything in a blender or food processor. Blend on low speed and slowly add liquid from beans, if needed, to reach desired consistency.

I used raw veggies and whole grain crackers as dippers.
A healthy recipe for a quick snack or appetizer.
Enjoy!!

Just a hint....

When you take this....

whip it together and add a few ingredients on top, you get this...

PLUS a whole lot of smiling people!!
It just doesn't get any easier than that.

yummy snack

I heard K rustling around in the kitchen the other night, but didn't really think much of it. I was reading blogs while I was waiting for The Biggest Loser to come on. Well, imagine my surprise when we all plopped down in front of the tv and K brought out a snack for everyone. It was an appropriate snack for the show, too! We ate half of them before I thought to have her take a picture.




We didn't have skewers so she used toothpicks...

lots and lots of toothpicks!

She can be such a creative child.

(sorry about the picture...blogger has been giving me fits the past few days regarding pictures. I've had to resort to using a different method...which gives me a gigantic photo or a small one. You can click on it to enlarge it...if you really want to see a larger version. Hopefully, I'll be back to normal here soon. A blog without pictures is.....boring.)

little bites of goodness

I love tomatoes...real tomatoes. The kind that you pluck off a tall green plant in your own backyard. They have a taste that is just incredible. When I try to eat what is in the grocery store...it just makes me a little sad. It seems illegal in most cases that they could be sold as tomatoes, because they sure don't taste like them.

However, I have found one thing that makes me smile during the off-season.

Slow roasted tomatoes.

Let me tell you...when you slow roast tomatoes you need to be prepared for your house to smell insanely delicious. I made this pan of tomatoes and invited my parents over for dinner. I had a couscous recipe that I was tweaking and I knew these would bring the taste up several notches. Silly me thought I would have some leftover to store in the fridge for another meal. The joke was on me. We devoured them all at one meal. Everyone just kept picking them off the pan and I had to start waving around a spatula to clear the kitchen to save some for the recipe. :) I can hardly wait to try this out with some real tomatoes. I might have to arm myself with something a little scarier than a spatula, though....

Slow Roasted Tomatoes cherry (or grape) tomatoes salt pepper fresh rosemary or thyme, optional cloves garlic, unpeeled and smashed, optional extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Cut the tomatoes in half and place them cut-side up on baking sheet. Sprinkle over the salt and pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. (just enough so that the tomato tops glisten) Slide the baking sheet into the oven and roast the tomatoes for about 3 hours. When they’re done, the tomatoes will be shriveled and a little dry looking, but press them gently and you’ll see that they still have some juice.

You can use them immediately in a dish or just pop them in your mouth! If you don’t need them now, take them(and the garlic and herbs) and cover them with olive oil. They will keep in the refrigerator for a week or so. However, we both know they won't last that long! They are that good. ENJOY!!