Spinach and Shrimp Fettuccine -- Chef Noah

Noah is our child that still loves to cook.  In fact, he is going to make most of our meals this summer, and he has created his own Pinterest account and is collecting recipes to make for us.

Recently, he decided to find a recipe to use some ingredients we already had in the house and he found this recipe on Pinterest that sounded good to the whole family:  Spinach & Shrimp with Fettuccine noodles (click on the picture to expand).

We used more spinach than the recipe called for and we also used spinach fettuccine noodles.  As he is learning to make new meals, he tries to follow the recipe closely, but he already has a great natural ability for herb/spice selection & combination.

Noah made the entire meal himself, even mincing & grating the garlic.

Doesn't this make you hungry?  It tasted wonderful!

Easter snacks (ideas from Pinterest)

This Easter, Noah and I decided to make some fun snacks for our annual family gathering after church.

Note, these little guys were easy to make (just use your favorite deviled egg recipe and put the caps back on top, use capers or black olive slivers as eyes & carrot wedges for nose), but once made, they couldn't sit up on their own unless we put them back in the carton.

I thought that putting dip inside of hollowed out head of iceburg lettuce was a cute idea for a veggie tray.

Pico de gallo

For Spring Break this year, Jeff, Noah and I went with the Campbell family to Cancun.  I ate pico de gallo more than once every day, so when back home, I found myself craving it.

There are many different variations we make  but the base recipe is simple:

• Chopped tomatoes
• Chopped onions (green, white, red- any type of onions)
• Minced garlic
• Cilantro
• Lime or lemon juice
• salt to taste

For those of us that prefer it spicy, we add sweet and hot peppers, and a little cumin & chili powder.

The boys will often have a meal of vegan bean tostadas and dip them in pico with some sliced avocado.

And it gets really festive when

we use these cute plates Jeff got for me!  (they are plastic-- he got them at Sams and they are our favorites now because all of our ceramic dishes were chipping and these look great but don't chip).

Roasted Veggies

I was introduced to roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes from a friend (thanks Jerrilyn).  Before that, I had NO IDEA how much I like brussel sprouts!

I googled roasted vegetables and found a plethora of recipes, including all kinds of veggies.  After I made the first batch, roasted veggies have been a regular for dinner.

It is best to roast veggies that have longer cook times on the same sheet and to separate them from those that cook more quickly.  But often in a hurry, I just cut them all up and roast together.

I take left-overs to work the next day and mix them in my salad.

Veggies that take 40-45 min:

• carrots
• potatoes
• sweet potatoes
• large brussel sprouts
• onions
• butternut squash
• garlic cloves

Veggies that take around 20-30 min or less:

• small brussel sprouts
• tomatoes
• sweet peppers
• zucchini or yellow squash
• leeks
• brocolli & cauliflower
• mushrooms

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Cut up veggies into small pieces 
3. Keep the veggies with same cooking times together
4. Toss them with olive oil, melted butter or coconut butter
5. Add seasonings (our favorites are sea salt, pepper, thyme, garlic and fresh herbs like rosemary and basil)
6. Mix altogether
7. Spread on a baking sheet (use baking paper or non-stick spray)
8. Roast the veggies, uncovered for 30-45 min, stirring occasionally
9. Enjoy!!!

Zucchini Spaghetti-- Grain free, gluten free

Is there a way to enjoy spaghetti without the noodles?

YES!

This spiralizer can be purchased online for about $40 or less. It is quick and easy to make noodles with squash-- and the clean-up is a breeze.  I use zucchini to make noodles-- they are very mild and the consistency comes out like noodles.

I found these cute little individualized ceramic dishes at Walmart, and use them for me and Noah, because we like to use Organic Muir Glen spaghetti sauce.  Jeff and the boys like the Organic Bertolli sauce, so we make theirs in a large ceramic dish.

This meal takes about 10 - 15 minutes to prepare, then about 30-40 minutes to bake.

When zucchini noodles cook, they produce quite a bit of liquid.  We have addressed this 2 different ways.

1. Bake the noodles first, then pour off water before you add spaghetti sauce and cheese
2. Add zucchini noodles, cover with spaghetti sauce and grated cheese, bake, then pour the excess liquid off after the meal has baked.

Experiment and see what works best for you.  Add a small salad and you have a wonderful, satisfying, gluten-free meal.

Kale chips

Oh my goodness!

I have found my new favorite snack!  Home-made kale chips!!!

Noah and I stood over the baking sheet and devoured them in seconds.

All that is needed is kale, a drizzle of melted butter or olive oil and some salt.  Seriously!

Below is the recipe I use:

• Remove the leaves from the stems and tear into bite sized pieces
• Very very slightly drizzle with melted butter or olive oil
• Lay flat on a baking sheet-- try not to overlap
• Sprinkle with coursely ground sea salt
• Experiment with favorite herbs... garlic, cumin etc
• Bake in a pre-heated oven (350 degrees) for 10 - 15 min
• Enjoy!

Massage Kale salad

Anyone who knows me well (and for many that know me casually) know that I LOVE KALE!

I put it in many things I cook and in smoothies and juice and I've learned some new ways to eat it that are amazing!

One of these is a massaged kale salad.  If you google "massaged kale salad", you will see many recipes, some include mango and pumpkin seeds, some include avocado and craisins.  Whatever else  you include, the base is massaged kale.  My sis-in-law served it to us several years ago in California and we all loved it (thanks Rebecca).

I often just include one or two hard-boiled eggs and it is a very satisfying and filling meal.  I have served it to guests and brought it to an office potluck and there is never any left.

Below is my favorite way to make it:

• large bunch or two of kale (I've used every variety)
• cut the leaves off the spine (only use the leaves)
• drizzle with a bit of olive oil and salt
• massage until the kale gets soft
• combine and whisk together 1 or 2 juiced lemons, 1/4 cup olive oil, something to sweeten it (stevia, honey or agave)-- adjust the amounts for your own pallet
• drizzle dressing over softened kale
• salt & pepper to taste
• extras

Enjoy!

Noah suggested that we add capers, which turned out to be a great idea.  Experiment!

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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....

Home-made Granola

Home made granola is such a wonderful treat... great for snacks and lunch boxes...and it makes the house smell so good when it's cooking!  Matt uses it to top his Almond Breeze yogurt in his lunch container each day.

This is super easy to make and quite in-expensive.  There a lot of ways you can experiment to get just the right flavor combinations for your family.

 

 

Our favorite Recipe:

4 cups of Oats

1 cut sliced/chopped almonds

1/2 cup raw sun-flower seeds

1/2 shredded coconut

1/2 cup sweetener (apple juice, honey, agave, pure maple syrup)

1/2 cup - 1 cup dried fruit (raisins, cherries, cranberries etc)

1 TBL of olive oil (I usually just drizzle, IF I use it at all)

1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

sprinkle cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom to taste (opt)

 

Mix all ingredient except dried fruit and spread onto baking sheets (non-stick spray first).  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, turning the ingredients a few times.  Take out and add dried fruit and let cool.  Easy storage in mason jars in the fridge.  A little goes a long  way!  Yum!

Marinated Mushrooms

One of the most "meat-like" veggie substitutes is the portabella mushroom-- especially when using the right flavors!

I have learned some good tips on how to store and use portabella mushrooms.  After purchasing portabellas, don't wash them, but rather just brush off any dirt particles.  Scrape the gills (the black things shown below) off with a spoon.  They can be used immed in a dish to give it a dark, almost fishy flavor.  Usually, I discard them.  With this done, I store the mushrooms in an open container in my fridge and can be kept for wk or longer.  After about a week, they may start to dehydrate, but they are still good to use.  If they smell fishy or absorb moisture and get soggy, it's time to throw them out.

These mushroom are so versatile-- they can be marinated whole and eaten on a bun like a burger.  My favorite way to fix them is to chop them up, stem and all and marinate them.  They are fantastic in salads or stir fry this way.

But, if you want a really nice meat substitute, dehydrate them after marinating them... oh my!... it tastes similar to beef jerky!

There are so many marinade recipes you can try, but I'll list the ingredients for my favorite below... you can experiment with amounts to get it just the right flavor for your family.

Recipe:

• Several portabella mushrooms (de-gilled and chopped)
• Low Sodium Tamari
• Water
• Sometimes I'll throw in a little Braggs Liquid Aminos
• Garlic powder or granules
• and the secret ingredient... Thyme!!

The mushrooms absorb quickly, so they can be ready after marinating for 30 minutes.  I generally leave them longer and if I am dehydrating them, I might even marinate them overnight in the fridge.

Green Lemonade

The boys have been drinking this juice, or a variation, since they were 6 months old.  It is a powerhouse of nutrition!

We use either apples or pears for a base... the picture below includes pears, because we were given a lot of local, organic pears from my father-in-law.  The greens we use vary, but we always try to include light and dark greens. Some light greens could be cucumbers, celery, romaine.  For the dark greens, kale or spinach are good choices.  We have been juicing the entire lemon, without peeling it.  Experiment and see if that works for your taste buds.  If it's too bitter, peel most of the skin and that should reduce bitterness.

I absolutely love ginger, and so I juice that at the very end of the process, because most of the other members of our family don't like it.  I pour all their juice first, then juice ginger and mix it with what is left over for me.

You'll have to experiment with the amounts of fruit vs the greens to get the right blends that your family will drink happily.  Then you can work to add more greens to the mixture.

School Lunch Salads

We alternate between sandwiches & salads for school lunches. 

This day the boys had orzo salads.

• Orzo
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes
• Spinach
• Basil
• Cilantro
• Red Onions
• Sweet Red Pepper
• Sun-dried Olives
• Sea Salt
• Garlic powder
• Corn
• Sun-dried tomatoes

Maple Glazed Salmon

The recipe for this fantastic meal came from The Raw Food Detox Diet by Natalia Rose.  I made some variations, due to ingredient limitations and taste. So, I'll list the way we made it, because it was SO good! 

There was such a positive response from the boys, we've had it once or twice a month since.  The whole family likes it, even Jeff!

Recipe:

• 1 cup Tamari
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 4 to 6 fresh or frozen salmon fillets, well rinsed

Mix all ingredients but the salmon in a blender.  Use the mixture to marinate the salmon for 1 to 24 hours.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place salmon in a baking dish with marinating mixture and bake for about 18 minutes.

I made zucchini noodles with our spiralizer and stir fried them with some other veggies for a side dish.
We started the meal with a small salad.  Ta-da... restaurant style!!!

School Lunches 2012/2013 school year

We've made some additions to our school lunch menus this year.

I found these nifty containers for lunches (Bed, Bath & Beyond)... they work great for sandwhiches and snacks.

Cheese sandwiches have been added to our menu a time or two per week.  We use either sprouted grain buns or bread, raw goat cheese and organic condiments.

The smoked cheese is amazing!  It is my favorite, but the boys prefer the mild cheddar.

Final Harvest before the first frost

 

 

Sniff... it's a sad day.  The last harvest from the garden.  We are supposed to get a hard freeze this week.  The kale could last awhile, but the freeze will kill the rest.

 

Goodbye til next year!