Monday, March 17, 2014

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

We had a St. Patty's Day potluck at the office.  In researching what dish I was going to make (I took "Corn O'Brien- made without bacon), I saw many pictures of Shepherd's pie.

I have fond memories of eating Shepherd's pie when growing up.  So, I was determined to make it for my family... minus the beef.

I didn't realize all the different ways there are to make Shepherd's pie... the kind my Mom made included green beans, mashed potatoes and ground beef.  So, that is what I did too.

I used this Veggie ground pictured below for the "beef".  I used a little bbq sauce for flavor.  It really turned out well... the boys LOVED it!



The bottom was a layer of mashed potatoes (using Silk creamer, salt, garlic & partial skin-on red potatoes).  Next layer was green beans.  Third layer was our seasoned "meat".  The top was another layer of mashed potatoes.  Baked it in the oven, covered, on 350 until warm.  In the last few minutes I took off the lid to brown the top of the potatoes.  Delicious!

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Home-made Potato Chips

Some nights we have a big salad and home-made potato chips. We use sweet potatoes & white potatoes.  On this particular evening, Noah wanted to be the chef.

I had to help him slice the potatoes with the mandolin veggie slicer (pictured below leaning against the wall).


He sprayed the cooking trays with non-stick grapeseed oil spray, spread out the potatoes and sprinkled on the seasoning.

Below is everything we used to make these yummy home-made baked potato chips.

Recipe:
  • Sliced Potatoes
  • Non-stick spray
  • Braggs to spray on potatoes so the seasonings "stick"
  • Seasonings:  celtic sea salt, garlic, chili pepper











Monday, February 10, 2014

Stir-fry with Kale & Coconut oil (and magic ingredient)


I love Kale!  It ends up in everything I can put in it without facing mutiny from the boys.

Even they like it when it ends up in stir-fry!

Recipe:
  • Cook onion & garlic in coconut oil
  • Toss in sliced carrots, celery
  • Cook until slightly tender, then toss in chopped kale
  • Add what I call the magic ingredient... a few drops of toasted sesame oil
  • Season with a little celtic sea salt or Braggs
  • Serve with steamed brown rice, quinoa or millet

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Salad in a jar.... vacuum sealed to extend freshness

Sometimes we have time to get really organized for the week by preparing quick, go-to salads.  And sometimes, we even have time to make specialized salads for each family member, since we all have different favorites (Taylor enjoys using his label-maker).

All you need are some mason jars, a push-pin tack, some electrical tape and an inexpensive ziplock vacuum sealer and you can vacuum seal salads that easily last for a week in the fridge.

The first step is to make a hole in the lid of the mason jar.




Next, you lightly place the electrical tape over the hole, then screw the lid on the filled mason jar and pump the vacuum sealer until the air is removed and you've sealed the lid.  We always test it to make sure it has sealed.



The best way to fill the jars is with the hardest veggies on the bottom-- examples: carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery.

Next comes the softer veggies like sweet peppers, cucumbers, onions.

The greens will always go on top.

If we are going to eat the salads at home, we often put dressing in the bottom, followed by broccoli, cauliflower & carrots, which marinates them until it's time to eat.  Just shake the jar well to mix the dressing and you can eat your salad right out of the jar!

But, if using the salads to prepare lunch containers, we take dressing with us and add it later.


Sunday, January 12, 2014

2014 Juice plan

It's hard to get back into a habit!  But, I was determined that our family needed to add fresh juice back into our diet on a regular basis.

With our schedules, it is not realistic for us to juice DAILY.  So, we make large batches of juice on the weekend and freeze it.  Each morning, I thaw out an 8oz container for Jeff and the boys for their breakfast, and I take a 12-16 oz container with ginger in my juice to work each day.

Since there are 5 of us, we have to make at least 2 gallons + of juice each weekend to get us through the week.  One weekend we made almost 4 gallons and didn't juice again for 2 weeks!

It is definitely a "family affair"!  Every person in the family pitches in to help.  We have a huge, Gatorade drink cooler (note the irony) that has a spout to distribute into the individual plastic containers.

We soak the veggies first... it takes 2 sinks full.

















Our recipe is often the following:
  • 4 or 5 bags of apples
  • 3 or 4 heads of celery
  • 2 bunches of kale
  • 6 -8 cucumbers
  • half a bag of lemons
  • 5lb bag of carrots
  • 2 or 3 beets

Jeff found these plastic containers online.  The large bottles with the green lids designate "ginger" is in the juice... therefore, they are Mom's... because no one else likes my ginger juice!




Many people ask what type of juice I have and what they should buy.  We have had a variety of juicers.  The Champion is long lasting, but it is more expensive and has a narrow opening for the fruits/veggies.  We used it for years and loved it.  But, Jeff found this inexpensive juicer on sale for less than $50 and we really like it.  It has a large opening for fruits/veggies and is super easy cleanup.  Probably won't get the longevity of the Champion, but it was a third the price.

My advice is to find a juicer that has very easy cleanup... otherwise that becomes a barrier to using it.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Happy New Year 2014!

Happy New Year!

With the new year, we have spent some time trying to determine how best to "simplify" our schedules.

2 nights of the week, we only have 2 boys at home and 2 nights we have activities and need a quick meal opportunity.

So, we have standardized the "quick meal" nights and they will be the same thing each week, with little variety.  The boys are able to fix those meals and we will make "salad in a jar" at the beginning of each week, to accompany those meals (Salad in a jar is it's own entry to follow).

The other two nights have been divided between Taylor and Noah, and they "own" dinner for those nights.

This week Noah has chosen the following meal:
  • Black bean veggie burgers on whole wheat buns
  • home-made baked potato chips
  • salad
  • chocolate shake for dessert
Tayor has chosen a family favorite:
  • Home-made Pizza
  • salad
  • a surprise for dessert
Since we have another "snow day" tomorrow, Matt is going to make a dinner for us (he has decided to "play it by ear".

The next few blogs will cover each of these quick, easy and healthy meals that are so simple they can be made by the young ones in your family!

Stay tuned....