Snacks for Preschool

The Sunbean's preschool has a great snack schedule.  Each child is responsible for a whole week's worth of snacks, a few times per year.  It is so easy to assemble a week's worth of snacks, and gives the kids some good variety.  One of the kiddos has an allergy to all tree nuts and peanuts {are peanuts tree nuts?  thankfully, I'm quite oblivious to the world of food allergies}, so the snacks obviously need to be nut-free.

This week is snack week, so here's what I found on Pinterest came up with.

Monday:  sandwiches on a stick

verdict:  the sunbean loved helping, and the teachers raved at pick-up

Tuesday:  apple cars and apple mini-muffins

verdict: the sunbean tested them last night, and she thought the cars were awesome

i tested the muffins, and they were seriously good.

Wednesday:  yogurt-dipped strawberries and wonton fruit cups

verdict:  my yogurt-dipped strawberries certainly don't look pretty, but luckily they are for the 3-year-old crowd.  i used vanilla greek yogurt, and they taste kinda chalky.

i haven't made the wonton fruit cups yet, but i did spent 20+ minutes looking for wonton wrappers at Kroger.  they're in the organic section.

Thursday:  animal crackers and juice boxes for the field trip to the zoo

I'm a Green Machine

I fully realize I'm about 2 years late to this party, but I've recently become obsessed with green smoothies.  As in spinach smoothies.  They are seriously the best way to start my day.  They are filling, hydrating, and easy...perfect for the busy mornings.

St. Patty's Day Breakfast

I've googled around and tweaked a bit, and here's my current favorite recipe:

1-2 cups of fresh baby spinach (I usually just cram as much in there as possible)
1 cup frozen tropical fruit (I found mine at Target...pineapple, strawberry, and mango blend)
1/2 cup orange juice (I actually use Trader Joe's Orange-Peach-Mango)
1 large dollop of greek yogurt
1 banana

Then just toss it all in the blender.  It takes some time, and you'll probably have to 're-adjust' things so the blender will get the frozen fruit and the spinach.

Don't be scared....these taste like some sort of tropical drink.  Enjoy!

Homemade Granola Bars

 

I saw a recipe for homemade granola bars on {duh} Pinterest, and gave them a whirl on Sunday.  Sidebar:  luuuuuuurrrrrrrrve 9:00 church.  I get so much accomplished on Sundays, what with the husband home to tend the children, and all.

Anyway.  This recipe is fantastic.  I followed it exactly, and we all ate them right up.  The Sunbean is a dairy-lover, and prefers fruit, veggies, and dairy above all else.  That's fine, but I always get excited when she likes something that's healthy, filling, and non-dairy.

Next time, I'm going to experiment with a different amount of honey/sugar/butter, and use raisins.  We can't get enough raisins around here.

These certainly aren't the next superfood, but they aren't processed, either.  A step in the right direction.

Homebucks

It should come as no surprise to you that I've completely trained my 3-year-old to love Starbucks.  It is our easiest bribery tool, and also works well for rewards.  And snacks.  And lunch.

The Sunbean at a tea party at Starbucks on her 3rd birthday.

Sometimes, she gets a hankering for Starbucks when it just isn't possible to go, like when our fun money is spent for the week or on a Sunday.  So MacGyver and I play a little game called 'Homebucks'.  We make a 'brown milk' and eat a treat.

This last Sunday, it was me who needed the Homebucks.  I really wanted one of those giant oatmeal cookies from Starbucks.  A little Pinterest-addiction later, and I found this recipe.  Oh man, it was a dead ringer for Starbucks.  I even made them giant-size.  I used the berry medley from Trader Joe's, instead of the raisin/cranberry mix the recipe calls for.

They were so tasty.  I'm only a tiny bit embarrassed to tell you that between MacGyver and I, we ate the entire batch on Sunday night.  Calories don't count on Sundays.

Yummy in My Tummy

The past few weeks have been nothing short of ridiculously crazy, so I made it my mission to actually prepare some meals this week.  For some reason, meal prep is so overwhelming for me.  So I have a new system.  I'm going to alternate nights:  one night make something that takes effort, one night make something super simple.  Hopefully we find ourselves eating something besides pasta on a regular basis.

This week, though, I made a few recipes that I thought were ultra-tasty.  MacGyver snarfed them up, too, but he's not a great gauge of food....he'll eat absolutely anything.

On Monday, we had Panera, because we bought a sofa and a new mattress.  Expensive busy awesome day.  There's just no time to prepare meals when one is busy flopping down on couches and mattresses.  Also, the Sunbean now asks every day if we can go mattresses shopping.  She enjoyed the jumping part.

On Tuesday, we had Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps.  Good gracious, these were delicious.  And easy, really.  The pan-cooking part was a tad messy, and they didn't stay rolled, but they still tasted good.

Wednesday was my off-day.  Pasta and sauce.  Done.

Then yesterday, we had pork tenderloin and Roasted Smashed Potatoes.  Another win-win-winner.  The potatoes were simply fantastic, and easy.  They did take quite awhile, and set off the smoke alarm at least 3 times.  But well worth it.  As for the pork tenderloin, I did something I rarely do, and that's create a recipe.  I googled around and couldn't find what I was looking for, so I just went with it.  And no one got food poisoning, so I'll call that a win.

Here's what I did.  First, I trimmed off the fat from the tenderloin.  Then I sprinkled both sides with pepper, garlic salt, and a load of cinnamon.  In an oven-safe pan, I heated some oil (EVOO) and a generous amount of honey on medium heat.  Then I browned both sides of the pork for 5 minutes each.  I stuck the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes at 400 degrees, and she was done.  I put the pork on a plate, and then put the pan back on the stovetop.  I added a little water to the sludge in the pan, and simmered that for a few minutes.  I then sliced the pork (holy amazing....the expensive organic stuff is soooooo worth it), and dumped the stuff in the pan over top.

Not to toot my own recipe-creating horn, but that was some tasty pork.  So if you're in the cooking mood this weekend, try one of these.  We weren't disappointed.

Tonight is another off-duty night, so we're having pizza and milkshakes with friends.  Best recipe yet.

Homemade Pizza Rolls

And by 'homemade', I mean with the can of pizza dough.

I saw these on Pinterest {you're doing Pinterest, right?}, and thought they'd be a crowd pleaser.

I was right.

I followed the recipe exactly, minus the pepperoni.  Next time I'll add more seasoning and some chopped tomatoes.

Pretty delicious for a meal that takes just a few minutes to throw together.

Whole-Grain Goodness

A few years ago, we switched to eating all whole-grains.  You know, like whole-wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, and brown rice.

My only beef was the texture of brown rice.  I like it in restaurants, but I was having a hard time with it at home.  Following the directions on the bag wasn't cutting it.

I found this method, and it's a winner.  It seems a little silly, but it totally works.  We're enjoying soft and fluffy rice again!

My Gift to You

I'm blogging from the couch, because I can't move.  I've just stuffed myself full of Rachael Ray's Pasta e Fagioli.

I first heard of this recipe from my friend's blog.  Check it out.  She's crafty.

I listened as all of our mutual friends raved about it, but was pretty skeptical.  We're not big soup eaters over here.  I don't mind soup, but MacGyver is not a fan.  He would let me serve plain, stale toast for dinner, but draws the line at soup.

I finally decided to give it a shot, and I'm seriously so happy.  MacGyver hasn't tried it yet, but I'm certain he'll at least choke it down.  It's fantastic.

I was a little concerned because I didn't have many of the herbs, but the flavor was awesome, and it is super filling.

Here's the recipe, and here's what I did:

• I used ground beef instead of sausage, because it's what I had in the freezer.
• I just added pressed garlic with the beef instead of roasting it.
• I used cabbage instead of fennel, because I had some in the fridge.
• I used 1 quart of vegetable stock, and then added a little water.  I have no idea how much.
• I used two fresh bay leaves, but nothing else.
• I used 2 cans of Great Northern Beans, because, again, it's what I had.
• I topped it with a ridiculous amount of fresh Parmesan.

Do yourself a favor and make this.  I'm not kidding.

Homemade Snicker Bars

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave me to me...a totally easy and free advent calendar, the best Christmas movie ever made, quick gift card cozies, our Christmas tree, a sweet Christmas memory, the story behind the shoes, Mary's Lullaby, and homemade Snicker bars.

I spent all of last week in the kitchen, working my tail off to make 20 bags full of homemade treats.  Phew!  Glad that's over.  The homemade Snicker bars were pretty fantastic and ridiculously easy, so here you go:

1  pkg. chocolate chips
 2 tbsp. vegetable shortening
 1 (14 oz.) pkg. caramels
 5 tbsp. butter
 2 tbsp. water
 1 c. coarsely chopped peanuts

Melt over hot (not boiling) water,  chocolate
chips and shortening. Stir until chocolate melts
and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat. Pour one-half of
melted chocolate into an 8 inch square foil-lined pan;
spread evenly. Refrigerate until firm (about 15 minutes).

Return remaining chocolate mixture to low heat. Combine over
boiling water, caramels, butter and water. Stir until
caramels melt and mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts until well
blended. Pour into the chocolate-lined pan. Spread evenly.
Refrigerate until tacky (about 15 minutes).

Top with remaining melted chocolate, spread evenly to cover
caramel filling. Return to refrigerator and chill until firm
(at least 1 hour). Cut into the desired size pieces and
return to refrigerator until ready to serve. Makes about 2
1/2 dozen candies.

FYI:  This only makes 2.5 dozen if you cut them into too-small pieces.  I got just under 2 dozen.  I also doubled the chocolate.

Make These Tonight

We loved these twice-baked potatoes, modified from good ol' Betty.

These were the main course, though that might not fly at your house.  I seriously hit the jackpot with MacGyver...he doesn't really care what we eat.  I'm spoiled.

Anyway, they're simple:

1. Wash and bake potatoes.  I'm of the opinion that it is totally necessary to always buy organic taters.  They aren't a ton more expensive, and potatoes have more pesticide retention than most other veggies.  FYI.

2. Cut baked potatoes in half and scoop out the insides, leaving a tiny layer inside.

3. Mix potatoes and some plain yogurt (I used my KitchenAid).  I used just over a cup of yogurt for 5 large potatoes.  Again, I think full-fat, organic yogurt is best.  The fat in yogurt is the good kind, so eat up!

4. Stir in steamed broccoli.

5. 'Stuff' the potato skins, top with cheese, and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Delish!

Booyah!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/business/05monsanto.html?_r=3&partner=rss&emc=rss

Perhaps we should just use seeds the way they come naturally, no?

It's Soup!

That's what my dad always said when he made dinner....it's soup!  Anyone else grow up with hillbilly lingo like this?

Anyway, if you're a regular reader of this blog (and the old one), you know that we've undergone a massive transformation in the food department.  I get tons of questions about our food choices, so I've decided to do a series of posts about it.  Here's a basic time line to give you an idea of how this revolution came about.  I'll be doing detailed posts about different topics over the next month or so.

1. I watch Food, Inc and start to research the topics in the documentary.
2. We make the choice to eat only grass-fed and locally-processed meats.
3. I sign up for an organic CSA (a programs that allows you to buy a share of a farm and get fresh produce for 20 weeks in the growing season).
4. I continue my research and decide to 'experiment' with vegetarianism.
5. I like it.  I decide to cut meat out of my diet, but not all animal products (i.e.:  I still drink milk and eat cheese and eggs, etc).
6. I learn about the dangers of soy, and strictly limit the soy I consume, and, especially, the soy the Sunbean consumes.  Soy is really bad for females, particularly young ones.
7. I learn about corn and start limiting processed corn products, which, by the way, is everything.
8. I continue to learn more and more about the nutritional needs of my family...

So that's how it happened.  Step-by-step, and I'm sure we're not done yet.  I plan to write a more detailed post about lots of things, including:

• Meat Production
• Grass-Fed vs. Corn-Fed Cows
• Vegetarianism
• Soy
• Corn
• Organic on a Budget
• Keeping Non-Vegetarian Husbands Happy
• How (and Where) to Start

If you've known me for a long time, you know I grew up a card-carrying member of the 4-H.  I'm a farm girl at heart, and I know lots and lots of 'big business' farmers.  I know some of them read this, and I'd just like to say that these are the choices that are right for our family.  These are the choices that I think are right for the health of our country.  I have the utmost respect for your profession, I just think it has taken some dangerous turns in the past 20 years.

Stay tuned for some food-ish posts!

I am, of course, no expert.  I'm not a nutritionist, or a dietitian, or a doctor.  I can't recommend what your family does or doesn't do, but I can tell you what keeps us happy and healthy.