Fun, Food & the Pendulum

If you read my posts regularly, you know that much of the time my family gets homemade meals - not fancy, over the top stuff - simple, balanced, healthy, and often even yummy.

But sometimes? Sometimes toddlers are needy. And sometimes jobs are demanding. And sometimes the last thing you can fathom at the end of the day is even spending 15 minutes cooking. And sometimes this starts to look like the new normal.

And you know what? I'm okay with it. I'll take it.

When time in the evening feels extra short, I will take chips & salsa for dinner. Or hummus & crackers. Or - wait for it - a frozen family entree.

Do you know what I did while that Stauffer's Mac'n'Cheese cooked for 18 minutes in the microwave? I sat on the floor with my beautiful daughter (2 years & 8 months old) and worked on her princess puzzle. It was pure bliss.

As was the Mac'n'Cheese. Judge away, judgers.

By the way - she's getting really good at the puzzle. (Not this one, but you get the idea. Clearly, she's a genius.)

I'll tell you what allows me to still sleep at night. Aside from the aforementioned mommy&me bliss.

• Fresh or frozen veggie before or with the meal.
• Fruit or low-fat yogurt for dessert.
• It's still better than fast food ... right? ;P

So, 3 out of 5 nights this week, I went the above route.
Wednesday I made fish, green beans & sweet potato oven fries. It took all of 15-20 active minutes, but there was enough leg clinging to make it feel double that. (There was also sincere lip-smacking from the Tot, so there's that.)
Tonight we went to a family Christmas reception with my husband's company. Kiddo was pretty impressed with the huge tree's "light dance" to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra medley. She ate next to nothing due to over excitement. When we got home, we all snuggled in front of our very own, regular size tree - plus, grahamy grams & hot chocolate (milk for kiddo&hubben; apparently I'm the only one with sense!) ... and don't forget the lite rock station's Christmas songs! Again, bliss.


Trust me. I know all about the easy homemade meals I can make. Again, see some of my previous posts. They're just not working for me right now. I know I'll get back to them. I also know ... that I'll then proceed to go overboard. I'll start making more elaborate meals that take too long away the Munchkin. Then one day, I'll go - "this is silly! I want to spend more time with my family!" Then I'll go stock my freezer with Stauffer's Family Entrees. (This will probably coincide with a sale on them for $3.99. And the inner conflict between - "that's so cheap!" and "why is that so cheap?" -- well, that's a whole other post.)

Or maybe one day, the pendulum will stop swinging. And I'll just stay balanced perfectly at that sweet spot between healthy & home-cooked v. uncomplicated & FAST. Maybe this will be that time.

After all, a pendulum has to come to rest eventually, right? Simple physics.

Catching up on Cooking

So. Forays into politics, spirituality & philosophy aside, I actually have still been cooking for my family all summer. Much of it healthy, fun, & easy - or some combination thereof.

For example, lunch yesterday. Have you seen those Flat-Out breads? If not, go look. They are such a great starter for easy meals - any time of day. My store keeps them with the pitas, by the hummus. They look like this:



I had a bunch of various leftovers in the fridge - BBQ chicken, black beans, grilled corn. I had some cheese. (Side bar: I thought I had shredded cheese, but only had a block -- did you know that's what your grater is for? I'd almost forgotten.) I threw it all on a flat, tossed it under the broiler, and voila!

Oh, but what's that on top? Just a little something I threw together. (I've also been overstocking produce this summer.) 

Avocado, mango, cilantro, S&P. Done. Yum.

Munchkin mostly ate the bread, but I loved the whole thing.

Later we did this.

Not a bad day.

We used the wraps for today's lunch too. Sliced chicken, Swiss cheese - broiler again. Done. Mustard for me. Green beans for both of us. Easy Peasy. Yum again.

We also baked banana muffins, splashed in rain puddles & had a long philosophical bedtime discussion regarding Cars. But those are topics for another day.

The Quick & The Read - Recipe Schmecipe

I love to cook. I love to cook healthy for myself & my family.

I don't always have as much time as I'd like. (Okay, yes, I might have more if I interwebbed less, but whatevs.) There are plenty of great shortcuts that allow you to put a (semi-)homemade meal on the table & still have time to do fun stuff like this:

... and still get through the shower before bedtime!

Two recent success stories for us:

1. Spinach Tortellini with Peas & Pesto - That's right. Prepared tortelli (in this case, spinach pasta with ricotta filling), frozen peas, prepared pesto. We had it with Caesar salads, by which I mean - romaine lettuce from a bag + lite Caesar vinaigrette & Parmesan shavings. Munchkin's new thing is "more salad?" --- Enough to melt a dietitian mama's heart.
2. Beef Stir-fry - I chopped an onion, sauteed it in a bit of olive oil for a few minutes, then added lean "stew meat" (the stuff pre-cut for you) and cooked till it was mostly done. Then I added a bag of pre-chopped stri-fry veggies. I poured over all that a "sauce" I'd made while the onion cooked (approx: 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 big squeezes honey), but you could certainly use a marinade or salad dressing. I served it over 90 second Uncle Ben's whole grain medley. This I actually took a second to photograph: 

No one said it was a good photograph.

Another thing about my cooking? I tend to take recipes as suggestions or inspirations, rather than strict instructions. If I don't have this, that or the other, I improvise. Here are 2 recipes I recently took great liberties with, either by choice or necessity.

1. Roasted Butternut Squash over Farro by the Vintage Mixer - I saw the picture on Pinterest and thought it looked delicious. I read the title, decided I'd toss in some spinach & my own spice ideas. I further decided to use barley, because I had some & because I wanted to try ...
2. Slow-cooker Barley Risotto by Dietitian on a Mission - In this case, I started cooking and realized I didn't have a number of things I thought I did. I knew I didn't have a shallot and used a third of so of an onion. I thought I had far more chicken stock than I really did --- I used extra water with plenty of salt. 

I smashed them together & it turned out GREAT! My hubben liked the whole thing. The Munchkin actually said yummy over some spinach & squash before deciding all she wanted in the world was "rice." I did sneak a few chickpeas in her little face too.

Take home messages:

1. There are healthy short-cuts out there. Keep looking till you find ones that work for you. Then take variations on them to avoid "taste fatigue."
2. Don't be afraid to experiment. What's the worst that will happen? No one will like it? You & they will either suck it up & eat it. Or you'll make PBJs or have chips'n'salsa or somesuch.
3. Eating at least moderately well doesn't have to cost a fortune or exhaust you. It only requires a little thought on the front-end.
• I made the following analogy to a patient today: I have a basket of clean laundry waiting to be put away. If I took the 15 minutes one evening to just do it, it would save me the 5 minutes every morning looking for socks (by which I meant underwear).
• That basket is still waiting ....

Fun Fall Food, part 2 - Crock-pot Comforts

Crock-pot.

Enough said?

Let me elaborate: if you don't have one, get one.

I actually love crock-pot meals year-round. A few minutes prep time + a little forward thinking = all day cooking tastes. That's season-less good math! This Summer we all talked about ways to get a home-cooked meal on the table without heating up the whole kitchen. Well, the crock-pot is a great way to do that. But, Fall & Winter are when crock-pots really heat up. It seems most of the recipes just seem right with rosy cheeks!

Sunday, I took about the first 15 minutes of nap time to prep this little beauty:

I poured in 2 cups of chicken broth, then drizzled in 2 tablespoons molasses, a few turns fresh-cracked pepper, a shake of Kosher, a pinch each of fennel seeds & caraway seeds. Whisk away! Then I chopped a head of plain old cabbage into roughly 6 wedges, then half a medium white onion & a small Gala apple. I tossed all those into the crock-pot as I chopped. Finally, I topped all the veggie goodness with a nice lean pork roast. More S&P on top of that, a few more seeds, and just for the heck of it - I studded it with whole cloves. Apparently, it was use-little-used-spice-day at my house.

After that, I sat outside & read my fat, nerdy book till the Munchkin woke up. Then, off we all went to the pumpkin patch!

              

When we got back, we found this goodness:

I served it with bakery rye bread:

Cabbage is not yet a hit with the Munchkin. It is a bit strong, not to mention the other flavors. (She got green beans for her veggie - Old Faithful!) My husband & I really enjoyed the meal Sunday, as well as leftovers tonight. We didn't actually eat the apples, but they added nice flavor. The cabbage was mouth melty. The whole thing took on a bit of a licorice flavor from the fennel too (& maybe the molasses?). Anyway, it seemed classic but also creative.

So, Florida doesn't seem quite like Fall yet, but I think I'm ready for my kitchen to be! Enjoy! -- Angie

Ingredients

2 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons molasses

Pinch each - Fennel seeds & Caraway seeds

1 head green cabbage

1/2 medium white onion

1 small tart apple

2-3 pound lean pork roast

6-10 whole Cloves

Salt & Pepper to taste

Method

Into a large crock-pot:

Whisk together broth, molasses, seeds, S&P.

Chop & add cabbage, onion, apple.

Place pork roast atop veggies; S&P to taste, stud with Cloves.

Set crock-pot to high for 3 hours.

Fun Fall Food, Colorful Chicken Chili

1st off - Yes, I love alliteration. 
I also love numbers. For example, my husband & I selected 06/07/08 as our wedding day --- time: 5 o'clock! However, I resisted pre-determining how many parts there will be to this series, as I did for Simple Summer Suppers. I imagine it will be somewhere around 10, but I don't need pressure - nor do I want limitations!


2nd - Expect more chili in this series. Lots. more. chili.
I love chili. My husband & I have been together for just under 5 years, but earlier this year we celebrated our 5th annual "Super Bowl of Chili" - which has evolved into a cook-off. Occasionally, I have abstained from competition & just provided appetizers. This past Super Bowl, though, {gulp} I entered & didn't win. So ... with football season upon us, it's time to start recipe development!

Voilà - my first chili of the season. Colorful Chicken Chili - Why colorful? Isn't chicken chili supposed to be white? I mentioned to the Hubben that I wanted to make chicken chili for my first of the season, then listed off white ingredients I needed. He said: "it's kind of creepy when it's all white." It's like the world is my oyster now. Chicken chili can be anything I want it to be! 

Ingredients:

• 2 leftover Caesar chicken breasts, thinly sliced & chopped
• 1 can light red kidney beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 green pepper
• 2 small yellow onions
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• pinch cayenne
• pinch cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder

Method:

• Add olive oil to a pot, heated over medium high
• Add chopped onion & pepper; saute a few minutes
• Sprinkle with flour; continue to stir a few minutes
• Add the chicken broth in approximately 1/2 cup intervals, stirring in between to incorporate flour mixture completely
• Add the seasonings, chicken & beans
• Simmer for a long as you like!

I made this Sunday. We ate it for the first time tonight. Munchkin loved it! Though not nearly as much as she loved the corn muffins I served with it - just a Jiffy box, with some leftover corn on the cob chopped in.
We have plenty left over for tomorrow or the next day. I imagine it will be even better the 2nd time - why? Because that's the fabulous thing about chili - it is the ultimate make-ahead meal & just gets better with time. Oh, and PS - whatever the ingredients, bean & pepper colors, seasonings, or accoutrements - I like my chili with a little shredded cheese (or a lot)!

Here's to a fun fall full of food, football & friends! :)

Simple Summer Suppers, Part 10 of 10 (Make-ahead Meatless Magic for a Monster Monday: Menu as Movie)

Teaser:

Here's why I love cooking dinner in advance: because when you have a tough day, dinner is waiting for you. Stick with me, kids -- more revolutionary insights await you!

Set-up:

Today was a tough day. As I have yet to develop cloning technology, I am still finding it difficult to be in two places at once in the mornings. Various & sundry other factors need not be mentioned here, but let it be known that in the middle of it, I remembered we had a late meeting with our financial planner.

Yikes! Enough to send you to the drive-thru, right?

Wrong.

Not when you took advantage of a nap-time Saturday to make ahead a delicious & wholesome meal. One that didn't even require reheating!

As with so many of my posts, this is more concept than recipe, and another "go-to" at that.

The Concept: 

Grain, veggies, nuts, beans, feta

Tonight's Star:

Barley

(Confession: I'd never cooked with barley before & only eaten it in beef barley soup. Spoiler: delicious! The hubben prefers to my usual - bulgar wheat & my back-up - quinoa.)

Today's below-the-title stars

Green onion

Zucchini

Supporting cast (who do not get pics during the opening credits)

Baby spinach (right out of the bag)

Black olives (small can of sliced, drained)

Chick peas (1 can, drained & rinsed)

Reduced-fat Feta cheese, crumbled (1 small container)

1/2 cup walnuts (broken up a bit & toasted lightly)

1/4 lite Caesar dressing (Publix brand)

The plot:

Follow directions to cook the barley. (1 dry cup makes 3 cooked.)

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts.

Add the spinach while barley still hot, so that it wilts slightly.

Add everything else.

Top with the dressing.

Stir it all together.

Store in trusty Gladware. 

The review:

So far, we're going on 2 nights. 2 meals so far, and I'd say we have another 2 easily. Drawback: not a great meal for a toddler. The chewy deliciousness of the barley was a hit with the adults but no easy task for one just getting her molars! (Luckily, there was still leftover pesto pasta for her!)

The morals:

We will certainly incorporate barley in future recipes. Although the cook time is a bit long on the front-end, it's simple & doesn't require your undivided attention.  I love to offer a variety of foods to the family, so adding new items to the repertoire is always exciting.

Take advantage of little breaks when you can. It just might spare you a headache or a tummy ache later in the week! (Or very early in the week.)

Simple Summer Suppers, part 9 of 10 (1 for 2, 2 for 1)

When I made dinner Sunday, I had two notions in mind.

1. "Cook once; eat twice." - I think that's a Rachael Ray-ism. I hope she doesn't have a copyright.
2. Use one prep technique and cook meats each family member would eat. - I love fish; my husband does not.

It didn't quite work out that way. But let me explain.

Sunday night, I did a repeat of the salmon I'd made for my munchkin & me while the Hubben was out of town. Since he despises cooked salmon, I did the same prep on chicken cutlets. My plot was to feed one to the Hubben and use the leftovers in a pesto pasta'n'veggie combo later in the week.

2 problems:

1. The chicken was overcooked.
2. The chicken was overly lemony.

So lessons learned:

1. Chicken cutlets cook more quickly than 1/2 lb of salmon fillet.
2. Chicken cutlets can't stand up to much lemon.

That brings us to tonight.

2 more lessons:

1. No summer supper is simple when you've decided to foster two kittens, and your toddler wants to chase them, play in the food, play in their litter box -- unless of course, she's going for the old stand-by of playing in the dogs' bowls.
2. Chopping veggies and boiling pasta is still cooking!

Nonetheless, it wasn't a bad turnout. 

The method:

1. Cook ~1/2 pound of whole wheat penne.
2. Meanwhile, quarter & dice 2 small zucchini.
3. Micro-steam the zucchini with a little S&P + garlic powder.
4. Drain the pasta.
5. Toss the pasta & zucchini + a ~1/2 cup or so of frozen peas/carrots + ~1/4 prepared pesto.

A little higher on the pasta & lighter on the pesto than I'd intended, and the veggies were a little more al dente than I'd have liked. On the plus side, plenty of leftovers for lunches the rest of the week. 

One downside to a one-pot-dish: it didn't allow me to feed the munchkin her veggies first, and yes -- she did pick all the penne out, took maybe a few peas but mostly left me with a pile of carrots & zucchini.

Simple Summer Suppers, Part 8 of 10 (a few of OUR favorite things)

If my entire Blogspot/Twitter existence has not proven it, tonight's menu does: healthy cooking does not have to be complicated, time-consuming, or overly pricey.

The menu:

• Broiled lemon-pepper shrimp - from frozen, with light spray olive oil & lemon-pepper seasoning (5 minutes or so, 2nd rack down)
• Potato & peas with onion - light spray of olive oil, S&P - leftovers steamed yesterday in microwave & reheated in micro tonight.
• Zucchini - chopped in my go-to half moons & steamed in the micro with a little olive oil spray, a little pepper, a little dill (and NO, I did not forget to say salt. I didn't use any, and it was fine. Great even.)
• Arugula & mango - that's it. That's the whole salad. This was a treat for me. I did not share with the baby or the husband.

Ridiculously, almost embarrassingly easy. And this is how happy it made the munchkin.

Tonight's meal was also a triumph for another of my food philosophies: try, try again. Maybe your kid won't like steamed broccoli but will like it roasted, or mixed into pasta. In my case, offering the veggies first has down wonders.

Some time ago, I tried mango, one of my very favorite foods on earth, and very likely in the universe. Daphne was no fan. I admit, I was  miffed - sort of like, "Fine. You don't like it. I'm not going to waste it on you!" Tonight, while I was chopping one up for my "salad," I went about my usual business of chewing every last morsel off the pit. THAT got her attention. I let her try some. She made delighted little noises and wanted more & more. Much as I hated to share, I was delighted!

Shrimp has been a much easier sell. She always enjoyed it, but the last couple times, she has gone totally bonkers for it. Tonight, she was having a fit when she saw them ready to go under the broiler. [Sidebar: toddlers do not know what "raw" means. Maybe she'll love sushi like mommy & daddy!] When they came out of the oven piping hot, fit anew. Then she proceeded to eat them, faster than I could blow on them & cut them in two. I began to fear that she wouldn't save me or her daddy any! I started cutting them into smaller pieces just to slow her down. Finally, after about a dozen, she told me "all done!" Phew! I got a few! Hey, if you're going to have a fit and eat your weight in something, why not broiled shrimp?!?!

*Confession: I could not find my camera at dinner time. The pic is actually from the weekend when she was licking peanut butter off apple slices. She seriously was at least this happy with the shrimp.

Simple Summer Suppers, part 7 of 10 (Brinner)

Breakfast, it's what's for dinner.

Last week, our air conditioner stopped working. This house is less than a year old, so thank all that is good - it was something small (a cap, I think the repairman said). Also, thank all that is good - the repairman came the very next day, so we had less than 24 hrs of oven living. Still, when I got home that night, it was HOT. Not a night for slaving over a hot stove, as they say.

Lucky for me, my plan that night was waffles, anyway! I seriously love breakfast foods, but never have time to make something through the week. Also, I am TERRIBLE at flipping pancakes. So ... we bought a waffle iron. Last week was its inaugural flight. It was even better than I'd dreamed. You don't even have to wash it. I mean you should, but you don't have to. What's it's made of? I have no idea, but nothing sticks to it. Amazing.

I did Aunt Jemima Whole Wheat waffles. Just follow the directions. I didn't quite do that myself - seriously, wait for the steaming to stop, or your waffles will be limp. If you are impatient or, for any other reason, take the waffles out too soon - you can always toss them in the toaster for a bit.

I topped our waffles with PB & banana. The munchkin LOVED it. She had a mask and gloves of peanut butter. It was beautiful.

I served the waffles with soy-sage. I've done these in the microwave before & remember liking them. This time the texture was off. So I'm not sure what was going on.

Next time, I will monitor the steam situation, perhaps give a variety of fruits, and definitely look at turkey sausage or bacon!

Simple Summer Suppers, part 6 of 10 (Mommy & Me)

My husband is away for a few days for work. What do I do? Go get mommy/daughter mani/pedi's? Watch a princess movie marathon? Nah! I buy salmon. I giant hunk of salmon. 

The hubben loves sushi but hates cooked fish. He will tolerate tilapia but never with a smile. He once grilled salmon for me next to his chicken and complained about how the grill smelled.

Well, sorry, sweetie - after this meal, there will be more salmon in our house.

Disclaimer: I cooked this right after we got home from grocery shopping. And, of course, this was the first time ever that my little one became a true bearcat at the store, garnering stares of both sympathy & irritation. Once home, she became very lovey, insistently so. I made some minor adjustments to the menu to account for the fact that I was holding 27 lbs of squirmy love for most of the preparations.

So we get home & I throw everything inside as quickly as possible. Daphne puts up with this from her carseat perch, I think, for its novelty. I lock the door (because she can now open it), set the oven to preheat to 400F, set the alarm (because I'm paranoid), and set to work unpacking. Delightfully, the little one entertains herself for a good 15 minutes. As I find the various ingredients for tonight's meal, I set them aside. Once I have all the perishables stowed, I quickly slice one small yellow onion into half moons & spread them on a piece of foil. Then my luck runs out, and I have to start balancing a baby while prepping. Somehow, I managed to halve 1/3 a container of grape tomatoes (and even washed them first!). I put those on top the onions, then the salmon. Then salt & peppered the salmon, then topped off with some lemons. Wrapped the packet & set it in a shallow baking pan. Into the oven for about 25 minutes. 

Out came this!

Here's me tooting my own horn: it was fish-tastic! The lemon flavor came from the top, onion from the bottom, so each bite was a fabulous combo. I really love salmon, but sometimes the fattiness is a bit overwhelming. The acid of the lemon & tomatoes + the slight sweetness of the onion cut right through that (with a little help from tonight's cheap chardonnay).

While the fish was still in the oven, I chunked up a couple zucchini & tore into a 90-second pack of Uncle Ben's brown rice. I sprinkled the zucc with lemon pepper & a spray of olive oil Pam - micro for 3 minutes; then the rice went in.

And parents: yes, my daughter ate this. I like to give her her veggies first, so she eats them before she knows about the glorious starch. At first she wasn't too sure about the fish, but I did a bit of low-key coaxing/playing, resulting in her eating a good 2 ounces of salmon!

A couple of times while cooking this meal, I wondered if I'd lost my mind. It was just her & me. Why bother? Why not just "phone it in" & do PBJ's? She'll never remember this! Perhaps not. But I think she will grow up with the idea that meal times are special & that she is special. That being said, I think they're'll be very little cooking tomorrow!

Oh, and bonus - here's my lunch for Monday!

Make-ahead Mondays (Simple Summer Suppers, Part 5 of 10)

I've been hearing "too hot to cook" with fair frequency the past few weeks.

I've seen lots of great solutions: 

• Entirely cold-prep items, like entree salads
• Minimal cooking, such as just grilling or pan-grilling the protein and serving cold sides
• My personal favorite solutions have involved my grill-pan and my microwave.

Last Monday I hit on a novel (to me) solution, which I got to repeat tonight. I am lucky to have my parents watch my 16 month old daughter twice a week. Last week & this week, they've been at our house on Monday. As luck would have it, I was able to get off work early both days. My parents were able to stay while I did the motherload of prep work for the week's meals.

There it is, folks, a big chunk of what we'll be eating all week. (And LOTS of whole milk for the munchkin. And, yes, that is a Yuengling Light up there ... right next to the leftover Chrystal Light margarita mix ... behind the Boto Box Chardonnay. Okay, okay - and that's Hersey's Dark Syrup behind the milk!)

Tonight's steps:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Marinate 2 bone-in pork chops in Newman's Own Lite Lime Salad Dressing.
3. Chop 3 small zucchinis, 4 small yellow squash, 1 red pepper, 1 sweet onion.
4. Toss those veggies in a large metal bowl with EVOO, S&P; spread on two foil-lined cookie sheets.
5. Snap ends off a bunch asparagus; toss in saved bowl; line up next to other veggies (don't mix in).
6. Stick both sheets in oven; remove asparagus to a plate after 15-20 minutes & cover with foil; leave other veggies in 15-20 minutes longer.
7. Meanwhile - whip up a half-batch of the magic BBQ sauce (see "Nothing to Brag About" - May 16th)
8. Pour over 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a small, shallow pan. Cover with foil.

The menus:

• Monday - grilled pork chops, roasted asparagus, whole wheat couscous with cilantro (leftovers)
• Tuesday - BBQ baked chicken breasts, roasted veggies, microwave-steamed corn on the cob
• Wednesday - Chicken sausage with sweet Italian peppers on whole wheat buns; leftover roasted veggies.
• Thursday & Friday - TBD - there's some tilapia and shrimp in the freezer, some frozen stuffed peppers, a frozen pasta dish. There's pasta & sauce in the pantry. There's salad galore in the crisper.

Can you tell I like to stock up, in addition to making ahead?

Room for improvement --- what would be even cooler, is if I didn't have to even turn the oven on the rest of the week. Maybe I'll make that the goal for next week. Not only would it keep my kitchen cooler, but it would be good for the planet!

Monday late afternoons don't work for you? Can you  find a make-ahead moment (or 2)?

Fiesta Friday

For some reason, I am quite taken with the name "Fiesta Friday." My Fridays at work are far from a siesta, so by the end of the day, I am ready for a fiesta indeed.

This week I got it in my head early and plotted my personal par-tay. It all started with the new Crystal Light mixers - margaritas, in this case - obviously.

Mom & Dad (Oma & Poppa) watched the munchkin today, so they stuck around to sample the goodness (aka chips & dips). (Munchkin got wheat pitas.) My dippers were Newman's Own Mild, store-bought guac, and a little of my own home-spun action ... black bean dip!

Easy, yummy & pretty --

1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded & diced
1 mango, peeled & diced
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 basket cherry tomatoes, halved
2 TBSP Newman's Own Lite Lime Vinaigrette
** I combined all last night.
** Tonight I snipped in some cilantro & served with the chips & drinks.

Footnote: don't let Oma mix the drinks - HELLO! We had to dilute those puppies. The puppy, by the way, was hiding under the table thanks to a thunderstorm. Here he is on a sunnier day.

Simple Summer Suppers, Part 3 of 10 (Is this even cooking?)

First off, I've set an timeline for this series. One weekly through the end of August. If I don't make it, hey - it'll feel like Summer here in Florida till at least October!

Tonight's menu was so simple I'm not sure I can even call it cooking. But you know what? It was delicious, and it was ~90% fresh ingredients. Gotta love that!

• Caesar chicken
• Last night, I took 2 chicken breasts and put them in Glad-ware, then covered them in Publix Lite Caesar dressing.
• When I got home (much later than usual) tonight, I pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees.
• I tossed the chicken breasts into a shallow baking pan, popped them in the oven for about 25 minutes.
• The hubben raved: "I love this lemon glaze you put on the chicken." Maybe I wouldn't have told, but I planned to post about it anyway!

• Sweet corn & orange pepper
• I had 2 left over ears of corn that we'd grilled Sunday night. I sliced the corn off the cobs.
• I  had 1/3 an orange pepper leftover from grilled veggie combo on Sunday night. I'd already diced this up.
• I combined these in a Glad-ware and microwaved for ~3 minutes.
• Yes, I said MICROWAVED, and I didn't use any butter or salt or ANYTHING!

• Mom's "Ratatouille"
• Of course, the simplest cooking is the cooking someone else  does.
• Yesterday, my mom sent home a yummy dish she makes in the summers. It's close enough to ratatouille, so I'll call it that.
• She chops up mostly eggplant, some bell peppers, some onions, some tomatoes. She tops it all with mozzarella & parmesan, and she bakes it. I don't know the temp or time. Sorry!
• All I had to do was microwave it tonight!

The little one sat & played happily while mommy "cooked" and did some dishes. Then she refused to eat anything but the chicken. Oh, and about 6 strawberries! :)

Simple Summer Supper, part 2 of ? (I love a rainy night.)

I had big grillin' plans for the night. All day as I worked, at the back of my mind, recipes and combos tumbled about. The plan was to keep it simple, so I could serve a mostly home-cooked AND relax after work. Indeed, something that I could prepare while consuming Yuengling Light + salt&pepper cashews.



My final decision was chicken breast for my hubben and dad, salmon for my munchkin, my mom & me -- all with my magic BBQ sauce. I was so excited to try the magic with salmon!

Then I stepped outside - downpour. That's just one downside of working inside! Very easy to lose track of the outside world. An upside of a long commute, though? Plenty of time to reformulate!

Rotisserie (mojo) chicken from the deli! ... + the magic, of course.

I "cooked" simple sides:

• Half moons of zucchini steamed in the micro with lemon/pepper and garlic powder.
• Three Bean Salad (a take on http://www.busyworkingmama.com/2011/06/my-favorite-three-bean-salad-recipe.html)

Oh, and of course - there was the omnipresent summer dessert - seedless watermelon. Which naturally necessitated a baby bath. After which, the munchkin treated us to some naked bluegrass dancing.

I got it all! Awesome family time AND a dinner that made feel good inside!

Simple Summer Suppers, part 1 of ?

I am finding total joy in my "discovery" that a home-cooked meal doesn't have to be complicated. It is even possible with a very loving toddler clinging to your leg. Or even one-armed, if said toddler insists on being held. Although this is true year-round, it just seems to have clicked for me this summer. Anyway, I love saying "simple summer supper."

1. I've already confessed to a fluid definition of home-cooked. I say if part or most of it is homemade, you win!
2. Vegetables actually taste really good with very little fuss! (Especially when you buy them already chopped up!)
3. Fresh fruit as dessert.

Here are a couple of my favorites from the last couple weeks.

Spinach Tortellini with Zucchini, Peas & Pesto

• Store-bought fresh pasta.
• Store-bought jar of pesto. (I know, but I just planted my basil.)
• I did chop the zucchini myself. The peas were frozen.
• Microwave the veggies while the pasta boil.
• Then toss everything together.

• It is as green as it is good!
• Sidebar: I thought $4 was steep for the teeny bag of tortellini, but it plumps way up & the veggies stretch it out. It made 5 meals - dinner for 3 the first night, then lunch for the munchkin the next day, and lunch for me the day after.

Mustard Roasted Cauliflower

• I served this side tonight with a frozen pasta bag. Still easy night, but the side made it special. It definitely outshone the Macaroni Grill - like the sun v. a lightbulb!
• Preheat oven to 425 F
• Open bagged cauliflower & dump on cookie sheet (covered in foil in this house) 
• Cut extra large pieces so they are all fairly uniform
• Drizzle with EVOO, top with fresh ground pepper & kosher salt, one time over with ground mustard
• Pop in the oven roughly 40 minutes
• I swear somehow this turned into tender, delicious, buttery insanity. I could have eaten dog biscuits for my main dish.

(Disclaimer, this picture was available on Food Network. The recipe was my own creation though. I need to learn about food photography.)

Watermelon

I am currently obsessed with this as a dessert. My daughter loves it and also has a great time squishing it in her hands. Thus, I usually reserve it for a bath night treat.

I'd also like to try watermelon gazpacho and/or a watermelon mohito. Any recipes? Please share!

Not-quite-homecookin'

Recently, I did a post about using prepared meals and their place in a busy family's healthy diet.
Naturally, this prompted a guilt-trip that I wasn't doing enough cooking. I've since been trying to plan easily-cooked meals.

Some staples of this meal prep style:

• Pre-cut, steam-in-the-bag fresh veggies
•  I usually take these out of the bag, so that I can season them.
• These generally have fairly long fridge lives, but if you need even longer, there are plenty of freezer versions.

• Speaking of seasoning, I've come to rely heavily on pre-mixed seasonings, bottled salad dressings, etc
• I used to insist on mixing my own spices, marinades, dressings.
• Now I use lemon-pepper mix almost daily! I'm a big fan also of light salad dressings (Ken's and Newman's Own) - I use these for marinades and pasta toppings as well as for salads.

• And speaking of salads, how about bagged salad?
• I love it; I love it, and also I love it. 
• They make some fancy everything included varieties if you're not even feeling like topping your own greens. 

• What about meat? 
• Lean cuts of steak grill up easily inside or out, same for pork chops. 
• Fish can bake or broil in minutes. Add a little Parm and bread crumbs and top with cooking spray - wa-la! 
• Dirty secret: I don't watch sodium much, so I use things like turkey kielbasa and prepped pork tenderloins.

Really the biggest lesson is that home-cooked meals don't have to be complicated, as long as you keep a loose definition of "home-cooked." Sure it might not tickle your Gourmet bone, but there's a unique creativity to making yummy meals in minutes.


Oh, and by the way, I stand by my occasional use of frozen meals. They just haven't been on sale lately!

Pantry Potpourri

I go to the grocery store every week. EVERY week. Except this week. We were out of town.

Honestly, I was a little excited. My husband often looks in our pantry (and freezer) & can't comprehend why I went to store at all. My response, "You'll see. One of these days .... blah blah blah." Finally, that day was here!

A well stocked pantry is essential for those days/weeks when you can't get to the store for fresh/new ingredients. Well-stocked will mean different things for different people. Obviously, it will depend on the type of foods you like to cook. Oh, and mine includes items in the freezer and some long-lasting fridge items.

My short list: 

• Canned & dry beans
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Pasta, nearly always whole wheat
• Some other grain, such as bulgar or quinoa
• Baby carrots
• Chicken broth or stock
• Minced garlic
• Dried Breadcrumbs, seasoned
• Frozen meat (esp chicken & fish)
• Canned tuna
• Variety of nuts
• Prepared vinaigrettes
• Parmesan cheese
• Large variety of herbs & spices, including mixes

If that doesn't look like ingredients you'd use, ditch it! I googled "well-stocked pantry" and got over a half million results. Peruse!

I also googled "recipes based on what i have in my kitchen" and got 7.55 million results. My favorite is http://allrecipes.com/. Personally, I like to let me creativity do the work here, but I'm not always inspired and maybe you aren't either. There's help out there. Take it!

When I got home tonight, my parents were watching the kiddo & were able to stay while I actually cooked a meal from scratch ... albeit with less-than-the-freshest ingredients! Mom diced an onion while I snuggled with the little one. I tossed the onion in a pot with some olive oil & cracked pepper. Then I chopped baby carrots & added those, then a few teaspoons of minced garlic. Once tender, I added a few cups of chicken broth. I mused in front of the spice cabinet & added a few (maybe a teaspoon curry, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp ginger). I dug a nearly empty bag of lentils out from the back of the pantry & dumped them all in (after sorting for debris!). I thawed a few chicken breast tenders in the microwave & continued to cook, shredded them up and tossed it in. I simmered all this for about a half an hour, till most of the liquid had cooked off. On the side, I made whole wheat couscous, perhaps the world's easiest side dish.

It was really quite tasty. Nothing like cooking an onion to make your kitchen smell homey. Disclaimer: couscous + toddler = mess. :)

Convenience foods have a place

Not everyone has time to cook from scratch every night. Newsflash, right? The key is what you do instead. Certainly, it's important to find ways to have fresh foods more often than not. (See my numerous blogs about fish recipes. I think there will be another tomorrow!) However, when things get really crazy, it's nice to have an arsenal of go-to convenience foods.

What you must do is read the labels. Food labels can be confusing; make sure you know what the serving size is & how many are in the package before going any further. I look first at the calories. For me, finding low to moderate fat is the next priority. I also try to find meals that include vegetables, or I pair the meal with a packaged salad or an easy veggie (frozen or precut for example!). If you spend a little time in the grocery store when you have the time, it can save you on a rough night. You can very easily find convenience items in the grocery store that are head & shoulders about fast food!

I'll admit: sometimes bath-night counts as really crazy! Tonight, I had a more generally accepted "really crazy night." My husband & I have been visiting his parents all weekend. We actually did much better than usual with our eating while there. Still, I did not want to drive-thru for dinner. I did want to give my baby a bath & get her to bed on time. It's a 5 hour drive, and we got home about 2 hours before her bedtime, so that was a bit of a challenge.

Here's a dirty little secret. I typically have a few Stauffer meals in the freezer. I wait till they go on sale & stock up. They cook in around 25 minutes in the microwave. I'm especially fond of the stuffed peppers. While they're in there, you can do other things. In this case, I pseudo-unpacked, in between keeping Daphne out of the dog bowl. I also "baked" French rolls, also stocked in my freezer! All said & done, my meal was under 500 calories & quite filling. A good bit better than a burger & fries!

My clean baby was in bed on time too. :)

Short cuts - small-stuff-style

Here are a few more tips I've picked up from all that obsessive watching of Food Network over the years. (If HGTV is as good a teacher, I'll be building that backyard oasis all by myself in no time!)

1. When going to someone's home for any kind of get-together, don't arrive empty handed.
2. When a menu works, repeat repeat repeat! (Just not for the same guests!)
3. If a shortcut won't impact the final product, TAKE IT!

In practice today -- 

Barry & Daphne & I are joining a friend & her parallel family (hubby + 13 mo old daughter) at a beach house in Melbourne (FL, not AUS) tomorrow. I asked to bring food for 1 meal + some extras. For my meal, I'm doing my ribs, corn & arugula salad menu (see "Nothing to Brag about"). I also decided to bring a couple easy muffin mixes and fruit for a breakfast, as well as a big lovely salad for lunch one day.

NOW - here's the recipe for that salad with some small-stuff-style short cuts:

Quinoa, black bean & chicken salad

3 cups cooked quinoa - 1 cup dry prepared according to bag directions*

1 can (14 oz) unseasoned black beans, drained & rinsed

8-10 oz cooked chicken breast, shredded

1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1 avocado, chopped*

1 green pepper, seeded & diced

1 bunch green onions, whites & light green chopped

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped*

1/2 cup Newman's Own Light Lime dressing

Cook the quinoa per package directions; meanwhile, prep your veggies and keep tossing them into your mixing bowl. Once the quinoa is finished, add it to the veggies, pour the dressing over, gently mix (so that you don't crush the avocado.)

Short cuts, tips & notes

Quinoa - First off - for those who don't know - quinoa is a whole grain, use it anywhere you would rice - it's easier and tastier than brown rice! Second, do rinse it! The directions tell you that saponins remain after processing, thet are a soap & leave a bitter taste. As I was rinsing, I noticed it actually foaming. So, yes - rinse it.

Avocado - if you don't know the easy route for chopping an avocado, here it is -- cut around the perimeter, twist. Fancy folk & pro chefs can whack the pit and pull it out with their knife. I usually just use a spoon to scoop it out. Today, I confess, I had to halve my larger half to get it out. Then you basically just make a checkerboard pattern with your knife (cutting all the way to the skin), then turn out. Little avocado cubes pop right into your salad! The skin is nice and thick/rough, so you won't hurt yourself as you hold it & cut it!

Cilantro - Not everyone likes it. These people are nuts, but they're out there, and I guess we have to respect them. I have a tendency to put in too much. Thus, I made a decision to leave it out & allow everyone to garnish as desired.

Other short cuts --- I went with grape tomatoes & green onions because there was less chopping that way. The canned beans are obvious short cut and one I'm super comfortable with. I'm less proud of my chicken short cut. I used Tysons All Natural Chicken Breast Tenders. Even though, they're breast meat and say all natural, there's just something funky about "tenders". BUT, I was able to cook them in the microwave & a few minutes later just shred them with my fingers. I figure by the time they've soaked with everything else over the next 24+ hours, they'll be no less delicious than if I'd started with a live bird. Ah, and the Newman! May he rest in peace. I simply cannot justify making my own vinaigrette when his is so delicious - and anyway, all profits go to charity. :)