Primal Bread Substitutes

Bread.  In the past I've been known to eat it as part of a sandwich, dip it in soup, smother it with butters, jams, anything!  I have been a lover of bread.  But, honestly, I haven't thought about it much now that I'm primal.  It must be true that once I broke that addiction to carbs and gluten, I no longer had cravings for them.  Cool, huh?

However, I'm the only one in the family who doesn't eat bread anymore.  Tyler has "toast jelly" every morning.  Gracie is working on getting on the primal wagon, but still eats toast probably three times a week.  Jace is doing really well, in part because he loves primal cereal with almond milk, and only has toast once or twice a month.  Scott doesn't eat bread during the week, unless he goes to Subway.  He's not committed enough to order a salad there.  When he goes to the galley for lunch, though, he forgoes the hamburger bun and has just the meat and cheese.  And, of course, everyone loves pizza!

So, as a mother/wife who's not willing to deal with the aftermath of simply not buying anymore bread I've turned to sprouted loaves of bread from the store and trying to find homemade substitutes that the kids, at least, will enjoy.  Here's what I've got so far:

Pizza
I've tried two different crusts.  Here are links to them: almond flour crust and cauliflower crust.  And I just came across a third variation that I haven't tried yet, but I will.  I'll share it here so you can take a stab at it if you'd like.  If you do, let me know how it goes! 

Dessert/Snack Breads
Bananas always seem to get gobbled up until there are one or two left.  I've always been certain that it's because everyone loves banana bread!  So now, instead of pulling out my flour, oatmeal, and whatever else went in the old recipe, I open the cupboard and grab my almond meal.  Here are my two favorite recipes:  Carrot Banana Muffins,  Moist Banana Bread

Soup and Sandwiches
I just made some really tasty ham bone soup with sweet potatoes, summer squash, carrots and mushrooms this weekend.  Scott doesn't like warm liquids and has made this very clear on several occasions.  However, I do.  Mom used to make left over soup and it is one of my favorite food memories from childhood.  I love kitchen sink soups, you know...where you through in whatever's left over from the week and let it all cook together and maybe, if you're good, you can drink it out of a mug instead of having to use a spoon.  You know that one, right?  Well, if you don't you should get acquainted.  It'll warm you inside and out, and I love it.  So, every so often I make it and Scott gets a little broth and a lot of whatever else is in it.  In the past I've always tried to have a hearty sandwich (who doesn't love dipping) and maybe a salad to round it out.  Now that we're not eating bread I had to find something to replace the sandwich.  I made two somethings to try out.

Spinach Bread

This recipe is directly from Mark Sisson's Primal Blueprint Cookbook. 

What you need:
3-4 eggs, whisked (for a firmer version, add a few more eggs)
16 ounces of frozen spinach, thawed
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 cloves crushed garlic
small bunch of basil (about 15 leaves)
1/4 tsp salt (optional)

What you do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Squeeze as much moisture from the spinach as possible, set aside.  Melt butter over low heat and add pine nuts and garlic, toasting until golden brown.  Pine nuts burn easily, so watch closely.  When browned, put into a food processor with basil and pulse a few times until the nuts are broken up but not completely smooth.  Add spinach and salt and pulse for ten seconds.  Stir in the eggs.  Scrape into a buttered pie pan or a 7"x11" baking dish.  Bake 20-30 minutes until set.  Let cool, then cut and enjoy. 

Mark notes that this can be used to make sandwiches is you need something for that purpose.  We tend to just roll our meat, cheese, and veggies up and call it a day.  But this could work too!

Spinach Bread, ready to go in the oven

Onion Crisps

This recipe is from my new cookbook, Grain-Free Gourmet: Delicious Recipes For Healthy Living, by Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass.

What you need:

3 cups almond flour

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped parsley

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 eggs

1 cup plain yogurt

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 small onion, finely diced

What you do:

Heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Combine the almond flour, cheese, parsley, oregano, thyme, basil, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.  In a second bowl, combine everything else.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well. 



Onion Crisps, ready to go into the oven the first time!



Pour the batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper and bake for 40-50 minutes.  Cool the loaf completely and refrigerate to make slicing easier. 

Once cool, heat oven to 170 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cut the loaf in half length-wise and slice each half into 1/4 inch thick pieces.  Place on a cookie sheet and bake for two hours, or until they are very hard.  Turn off the heat and let the crackers cool in the oven.  Store in an air tight container to maintain crispness. 

Onion Crisps, ready for their second baking

So, what did we think?  Jace loved the spinach bread.  Scott and I thought it was OK.  If I'm yearning for a sandwich I think I'd make it to use for that purpose, but it didn't dunk well.  And, surprisingly, it tasted like spinach! 

The onion crisps smelled incredible when they were baking and tasted pretty good, too, I thought.  None of the kids liked them, though.  They dissolved in the soup, so weren't so great for that, but tasted good just to eat along side it.  I didn't bake mine long enough at some point, though.  I think I should have left them in their longer the first time, at least.  They were pretty soft going into the second baking.  Even after more than two hours in the oven with the second baking, they never got crisp.  I'm still eating them, though...yum!





salad, spinach bread, and onion crisps

What do you do when you want bread?  Just dig in or look for something a little different?  If you're looking for something new...try these recipes and see how your family likes them.

Provolone Taco Shells

Tacos...something everyone in my family actually likes, at least on some level!  We used to turn to this easy meal relatively frequently.  However, since becoming primal and not eating taco shells (hard or soft) we don't eat tacos in any version very often now.  I still like a good taco salad and Scott doesn't seem to mind, but the kids have not embraced salads as meals yet.  They eat salad as a side dish, but not the main event.

Anyway, I came across this idea in a new cookbook I bought recently for provolone taco shells.  It sounded like something that could be a bit of a compromise between flour tortillas and salads.

The cookbook is called Grain-Free Gourmet: Delicious Recipes for Healthy Living by Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass.  It's not only grain-free, but refined sugar-free and low-lactose.  Sounds kinds primal to me...what do you think?

So, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay pieces of provolone cheese on it, leaving some space.  Let them bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges are crispy and the rest is lightly browned.  Then take the shells and form them over a broom handle lined with paper towels (or something like that) so they can harden and look like hard taco shells.

I didn't let mine bake long enough.  You can see that they're not browned and crisp on the edges.  Therefore, they didn't hold their shape.  They were pretty darn tasty though!



So, next time you're looking for a more primal taco or even just something new and different...have fun with these cheese taco shells!

Primal Successes

A few months back I was watching some silly news/comedy show that Scott put on and found myself interested in a story about a guy who was playing all over New York City. I tip-toed my way over to Mark Sisson's site and have been making changes ever since.

I started with the way I was eating and I also began playing with my kids more. (Right now I'm neglecting them and the dishes for the sake of this post...but they don't seem to mind. There's a lot of giggling going on in the other room! From the kids, not the dishes...they're just waiting patiently for attention.) It's been about eight months now and we're still working on things.

I'm chalking up "working on things" as a success in primal living. Why? Because I haven't given up. I've thought about it, but not because it's not working...I'm definitely healthier, feel better, have more energy, am more active...things are going well, in my opinion.

Now, in the opinion of my family members...well, then you might find some different answers. With all the changes that we've gone through in the last several months, changing their diets (pretty drastically) hasn't always gone over well. But I've realized recently that even as a family we're having success in living primally.

Right now we're in the midst of a 30-Day Challenge that Mark is running. There's a contest every day and one of the recent ones is to take a picture of your groceries. Here's ours for the week...


Don't you love my totally cute posers? Well, I do, and shopping with them has helped me realize that a lot really has changed with my quest to make our family primal, and in turn, healthier and happier. Jace reads the ingredient list before picking up anything off the shelf. They get excited by fruits and vegetables. They still don't always eat them once their home...but good things come to those who wait, right?

We also walk more and play more. They're not as hungry as quickly. They don't know this, however, and it's pretty funny! If they can see a clock then they're hungry at all our old regular eating times. If they don't know what time it is they'll play and be happy for at least an hour longer than our old normal! They usually notice that it's past lunch time by then and are suddenly ravenous-in their heads!

As a family, we aren't eating 100% primal, which is fine. Mark suggests eating at least 80% and I'd say we're pretty close to that. We're doing well with the non-food primal rules too...getting our rest, moving slowly and frequently, lifting things, sprinting sometimes. So, I'd say things aer going pretty well on the primal front. Wouldn't you?

(And, just in case you were wondering what's in our groceries picture, here's the meal plan for the week:

Breakfast/Lunch (interchangeable) - primal cereal with almond milk, 100% juice for the kids, water for me, Tyler and Gracie still like toast with (100% fruit) jelly -OR- eggs (scrambled with cheese for the kids, sunny side up for me with spinach), bacon, avocado, fruit

Snacks - fruit, kefir smoothies

Dinner -
Tuesday - Parmesan and garlic crusted cod, carrots, and broccoli
Wednesday -primal pancakes and sausage with fruit
Thursday - tacos (kids will have flour tortillas Scott and I will have salads, but we're trying something new...provolone crisp shells)
Friday - Scott and I are going out (if he doesn't have to work) TBA
Saturday - ham bone soup with spinach bread and onion crisps (both are primal even though neither sounds like it!)
Sunday - chicken, salad, acorn squash
Monday - leftovers or if there aren't any, freezer schtuff

And now you know!)

Primal(ish) Pizza

Earlier I mentioned that we were going to have primal pizza for dinner tonight. I thought maybe you'd all like to try your own...

There are several recipes out there for primal crusts (ones that don't include white or wheat flour). I've tried Oopsie pizza and liked it, but it wasn't well-received by others in the family. I may try it again, though. I was pretty early in my primal days then and now I'm feeling more confident with ingredients I didn't use often in my pre-primal days.

Other than that, though, there's cauliflower crust and almond flour crust, which is what I'm currently making. The kids like it so I'm running with it! The recipe I use is from Comfy Belly.

(Here are some other versions that I have yet to try...low carber forum Son of Grok)


We've eaten pizza once a week for the past few weeks! Either Jace or Gracie has chosen primal pizza for their meal to make. Like I said, I'm running with it!

This week, Jace changed it up a bit, though. He wanted to try to copy something he saw on TV...a cheese stuffed crust that was so awesome it needed to be cut with a chainsaw!

We didn't get out the chain saw, but we did stuff the crust. I used string cheese and cut it length-wise into four strips and rolled it in. Well, Jace rolled it in. He did a good job, too...only a little leaked out.

If I do it again, and if Jace has his way we will, I'll try half a cheese stick instead of a quarter. But that's personal preference.

So is this primal? I'd say it's primalish. Many primal eaters don't eat cheese and this is certainly heavy on the cheese. Of course our pizza had pepperoni, which likely isn't found in many primal fridges. But, listen...I'm picking my battles and pepperoni and cheese aren't anywhere near the battlefield these days!

For our sauce we use tomato paste and water to desired consistency. I've seen others use slices of tomato. I wonder how a white sauce (butter and garlic) would be? If you try, let me know...I'll do the same!

And, normally, we make individual pizzas, but I thought it might be easier to stuff the crust of a full sized one. When we individualize them, Scott and I have more veggies (onion, mushroom, broccoli) and regular meats (chicken, bacon).

The Recovery

So, if you didn't read my post from Monday...that's OK. It wasn't very upbeat! In fact, I was doing a lot of whining and groaning. I'm leaving my claw marks on the walls as I dig my way out of the gloom I fell into then...upwards and onwards always feels better. I like being a positive person. So, let's be positive...

I've been walking at least once a day. Often the kids walk with me. I was thinking ahead and over the last month managed to purchase waterproof footwear and jackets for all of us. That way we have no excuses when the rain Washington is known for starts falling. Today I wanted to get out and take a good walk, but it was drizzling. I was tempted to tuck my tail between my legs, as I was quite annoyed with my beautiful children, and watch a good movie. But we didn't. We got on our jackets and boots and went to town, literally. We parked at the mall and walked around Silverdale. We found where Jace's new karate classes are going to be (they're moving buildings this month) and chatted with the owner for a few minutes. We had a great and refreshing walk. Then we had Kataluma chai for snack. Almost nothing makes me smile more than that!

After all that I was feeling less annoyed, more relaxed, and ready to enjoy "playing choo choo," as Tyler says. So, we headed to Barnes and Noble. This is one of my favorite hangouts with the kids. We were there for over an hour. Jace read most of the time. Gracie looked through books, played with the trains, and looked at the toys. Tyler played choo choo with me, Gracie, other children who stopped in. He even took a break to read a few books. It was a great afternoon!

What else am I feeling good about today? We're almost done with our space/sky unit...that means another unit review will be in your future! That's always exciting to me.

Some more joy:

• primal pizza for dinner
• heading to the beach tomorrow with our homeschool group
• Survivor starts tomorrow
• the check book balanced last night
• I made some phone calls today that I've been putting off...no one likes being put on hold! Check those off the to do list!
• we're going to do the Puyallup this weekend (the Western Washington State Fair)

So, what's not to be happy about? Like anyone, I go through down days, but I always bounce back. I really do like being a positive person.

Blackberry-Balsamic Meatloaf

Who doesn't love meatloaf? The food, that is, not the music guy. Everyone I know does. Well, except my kids. But they're hit or miss on everything, so I don't count them.

When I was planning meals according to conventional wisdom I replaced bread crumbs in my meatloaf recipe with oatmeal. Now that I'm learning about the ill effects of grains on my body I've decided to greatly limit them in our lives. That means meatloaf without breadcrumbs or oatmeal. With trying to eat healthier, no sugars, etc, that also means no BBQ sauce or ketchup. So, here's what I came up with. Sorry...I didn't take pictures.

Glaze:
1 Tbsp bacon grease
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp blackberry jam (pure, no added sugars)
2 tsp baby bam*

Meatloaf:
1 1/2 pounds ground meat
chopped red pepper, carrots, onions, whatever other veggies...

Directions:
1. Cook garlic and onion in bacon grease until tender. Add balsamic vinegar and simmer to reduce. Add Worcestershire sauce and blackberry jam to thicken. Stir in baby bam seasoning.

2. Preheat over to 350 degrees.

3. Mix ground meat and veggies together until completely combined. Smush into an 8 inch square pan (I'm sure a 9 inch would work too, or you could increase the amount of meat and make two loaves) and cover with blackberry-balsamic glaze.

4. Make for about 30 minutes, or until desired doneness.

MMMMMMMM

*Baby bam is a seasoning that I saw Emeril Lagasse use at one point. It's not as spicy as some other mixes I've tried and my kids enjoy it. Use it on veggies, meats, and in sauces...enjoy!

Baby Bam Seasoning Mix:
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Mix together and store in airtight container for up to 3 months.

So, go ahead and whip up some old favorites in new and healthier ways! It's worth it!

Dressing Up Those Greens

I first mentioned going Primal in my post about my new trainer. By the way, she's still getting my heart rate up there! Have you started a new workout routine yet?

Anyway, the whole movement intrigues me! If you're not sure what it is...basically it's eating and exercising in the same fashion as our early ancestors, cavemen types. Ever since hearing about it a few weeks ago I've been reading a ton online about it and have incorporated some of the ideas into my life. I play more...which is great and the kids love it. Although it is hard to stay hidden in hide-n-seek when Tyler is standing on your back. But we're laughing a lot and I think I'm more fun than I was a few weeks ago. I'm also working out in primal ways, running around outside, sprinting on occasion, lifting heavy things. I haven't embraced going barefoot yet, but give me time...

As far as the diet goes, it's similar to other low carb diets, but I find it easier to wrap my brain around and it's actually very similar to how I was eating when I was looking so fine a few years ago, between Jace and Gracie. I've needed to find a way to get there again...I like this avenue and have high hopes for my health. Already I'm back to eating my eggs in the morning. It's amazing how much longer I feel satisfied than when I have a bowl of cereal! I've stopped having a pop tart for snack and enjoy an apple or nuts. I'm not missing my carbs. I have more energy and don't feel exhausted at the end of the day. I've even stopped wanting something sweet after dinner. I hadn't even noticed that until yesterday when I was putting dishes away and noticed the little bowl of chocolates up in the cupboard, set aside for after dinner, untouched for several days. So, even though the numbers on the scale haven't gone down yet, they're not going up anymore. That's a good start.

And I tell you all this to say that I'm also eating more salads, which I'd fallen away from. I used to love a great salad for lunch. And I do again. Eating primal means none of the dressings off the store shelves, not even the ones that are lower fat or whatever they're called. I've always thought that it should be possible to eat healthy without buying a bunch of cool packaging and low fat everything. Living primal claims to do just that. So, if I'm not going to eat Catalina or Ranch on my salad, I'm left with oil based ones, which I don't know a lot about. So, I found this list of 10 homemade dressings and I thought I'd share them with you all.

1. Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
1 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

Method:
Pour vinegar in a mason jar or other container with a tight lid. Add honey and chopped mint, cover with lid and shake. If still too bitter, add in a bit more honey or Splenda to even out the flavor.

2. Citrus Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
6 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
2 tbsp grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Again, in a large mason jar or container with a tight lid, combine the vinegar, orange juice, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and lemon juice. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking vigorously. Once mixed, add the walnuts and cheese and stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste

3. Dill Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp honey (or 1 packet of Splenda)
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
In a blender, combine the oil, vinegar, sugar, dill weed, onion powder, garlic powder, dry mustard. Blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

4. Balsamic Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
In a mason jar or other container with a tight lid, combine all the ingredients. Shake until all ingredients are combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

5. Basil Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil (it’s very important here to use fresh – it’s not nearly as good with dried leaves!)
2 cloves garlic, minced

Method:
In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, basil, and garlic. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

6. Parsley Dressing

Ingredients:
3 tsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp chopped parsley

Method:
In a bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice and onion powder. Once combined, add in the chopped parsley, mix thoroughly with a whisk and serve.


7. Lemon Caesar Dressing

Ingredients:
1 tsp lemon peel (finely grated)
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp anchovy paste
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
In a bowl, whisk all ingredients except oil and sour cream. Once combined, slowly add oil, whisking constantly until smooth (if you stop, the dressing could break). Once combined, whisk in sour cream until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

8. Asian Dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice (about 2 large oranges)
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp Asian mustard (should be easily found in the ethnic food aisle of your local grocery store)1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp sesame oil

Method:
In a bowl, whisk together orange juice, vinegar, sesame seeds, mustard, sugar, salt, and garlic. Once combined, slowly whisk in sesame oil.

9. Ginger-Asian Dressing

Ingredients:
1 carrot, fresh, small, peeled and shredded
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp hot mustard
1 tbsp fresh ginger root, grated

Method:
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

10. French Style Dressing

Ingredients:
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp white pepper, ground
1 tsp unsalted tomato paste
7 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup red or white wine vinegar
2 tsp water
1/2 tsp fresh chopped onion

Method:
In a large mason jar or other container with a tight lid, combine all ingredients, shake it up and serve.

All of these recipes are from Mark's Daily Apple which is by Mark Sisson. If you're interested in finding out more about living Primal, his blog is a good place to start. My favorite thing about it is that in the upper right hand corner you can search for something, anything that you want to know more about, and you'll be met with with a bunch of different posts that might answer your questions in several clear and helpful ways! Give it a look...

And try some of these dressings! I know I'm going to. We had the balsamic last night. Mmmm....

What I Learned On My Day Off

Oh! Wait a minute...I don't get a day off. Well, either way, I learned a few things today. Cool, huh?

1. Venison is quite tasty in many ways. Until recently my favorite was in some sort of Italian dish, spaghetti or lasagna. Tonight, however, I found a new fave. Marinate it in Italian dressing and baked it. Then wrap it in bacon and finish in the oven until the bacon is cooked. Talk about flavor...oh, so good.

2. "Don't jump on the furniture" is not specific enough. I should have also stated not to attempt jumping over the furniture, not to jump off the furniture and not to jump over your sister onto the furniture.

3. The last few chapters of a really great book are hard to put down, even if there are children crying all around you.

4. Laundry doesn't fold itself.

5. America's Funniest Home Videos can calm even the wildest of beasts. Well, at first, then it gets them riled up, laughing uncontrollably and LOUDLY at teenage boys doing inherently stupid things.

6. It's nice to have a few extra hours with the children. I'd like to hypothesize, though, that it will also be nice when they go back to school tomorrow.

Stuffed French Toast

I feel like I need to lighten things up a little. I don't know about you but all this chit chat about faith, selling houses, moving, life...it weighs me down after a while. That's what I tell myself when I get on the scale, at least. In leiu of a salad we had stuffed french toast for dinner tonight.







I'm not sure that counts as "light" but it did have bananas. That's something, right? And our protein came from nuts instead of red meat...I know, I'm grasping for straws.

Here's the real deal:

Tonight was Gracie's night to cook. She's an ambitious and excited little chef-to-be, but she is only 4 1/2 years old. Her skills are limited. Plus, she's not all that interested in attempting recipes that are too far from her faves...pizza, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, breakfast foods.

That's why this seemed like a good new thing to try. At least once a week we have either french toast or pancakes for dinner. Sometimes there are apples and oatmeal in the pancakes. Other times they're shaped like Mickey himself. But we haven't done all that much that's exciting with french toast...until now.





We first saw someone make these on Food Network. The woman (Terryl Garve) has her own restaurant and Bobby Flay thinks that her stuffed french toast is the best breakfast food he's ever eaten. Seemed like something we had to try.

Gracie and I decided on a simple egg mixture of eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla to mix our peanut butter and banana sandwiches into. Ms. Garves added orange juice and rum to hers. Sounds delish doesn't it?










Even without the extra sass of OJ and liquor, I do think ours looked pretty tasty. Don't you?

Gracie did.

Tyler did.

Jace did too.

Even I thought this was a winner of a recipe. Simple enough for a 4 1/2 year old to play a mojor part in creating. Decently well balanced with no green in sight. And yummy to boot!

Sadly, though, with everything it had going for it...I couldn't clean my plate. Whew!

Homemade

With the new year upon us we're all looking for ways to tighten our belts and purse strings. Even if you're like me and don't make official resolutions just because the year changes, you're probably still aware of all the talk about saving money, exercise, and eating right that is out there right now. These are three things I'm constantly trying to learn more about. Really I'm hoping that one of these times Scott brings home a lottery ticket it'll be a big winner and I can hire a personal trainer to guide me through workouts in my personal gym and a financial planner to make decisions that'll have us set for life and maybe I'll even take some cooking classes. In the meantime, though, I stumble through budgeting, saving, and the rest of it on my own.

With that in mind, I have two tips that have and do work regarding grocery shopping and saving money. When it was just Scott and I, and when Jace was little, I used to shop every 8 or 9 days rather than once a week. I found that once the kids were older I needed a more strict schedule, but I liked stretching the budget past a week. When I went back to once a week shopping I came upon another idea that I still use. I only plan 4 meals a week, at most.

I do plan meals, which I know not everyone does, but otherwise we might not eat! In planning meals I have a grocery list started (which we all know is essential to saving money at the grocery store, right?) and the other 3 days of the week we have leftovers or eat out of the freezer and cupboards. We don't get take out as one of the unplanned meal days. That counts as a planned day. Now, my job is made even easier by the fact that Jace and Gracie make a meal a week, so really I only have to figure out what we're eating twice a week! Cool beans, huh?

Now that I've imparted my wisdom upon you, let me tell you a little story about eating out of the cupboards. I like to leave you with a smile. I'll start at the end.

Last night Scott and I cuddled in bed, without injuring or annoying anyone (check here if you're thinking "huh?") and he said, "I hope this comes out right...I saw you put onions and garlic in a pan on the stove before I went outside. Then I came in for dinner and you put this slop in front of me that looked disgusting and I couldn't even see the onions and garlic that smelled so good before. But then it tasted so good. You're a good cook...somehow."

I was giggling the whole time he talked because I knew exactly what he was saying and he was right on. See, here's what happened. I've made spaghetti sauce before using canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Well, I didn't have any tomato paste, but thought it would probably still work, I'd just need something else to thicken it with. So I started with the onions and garlic, added a couple strips of pepper and a can of diced tomatoes. While I was looking around for something to add for thickness I came upon frozen spinach and thought to myself, "If I puree this and add it in no one will know how healthy this sauce is and it'll be thicker." You might see the flaw in my thinking, but I didn't yet.

I thawed and cooked the spinach, pureed it and added it in, quickly taking the 'spaghetti sauce' from red to a really gross brown green shade of yuck!

I panicked! I quickly put everything in the blender and blended, hoping the chunks of tomato would somehow overcome the intensity of the spinach. No such luck. I opened the other two cans of tomatoes that I had and pureed one and added the other whole. A little better, but still pretty gross looking. A quick search for anything red lead me to sloppy joe seasoning and carrots. I know, carrots aren't red, but they also aren't brown or green. I steamed and pureed the carrots. Yes, my blender got quite the work out! I added them and the sloppy joe mix. Brighter...still not red, but brighter and passable. Maybe just in my mind...but passable.

And it tasted good, so if I could get the kids past the color, well, we might be onto something new.

When it came time for dinner I decided that I wanted garlic bread, but I didn't have any rolls of any kind. We had a few pieces of bread left, but Scott needed them for his lunch today. So I mixed up a batch of drop biscuits, filled them with cheese. I served my spaghetti sauce over the traditional spaghetti noodles and sprinkled it all with shredded cheese, further disguising it!

And it worked. Everyone ate up and enjoyed! Whew!

Scott did admit further confusion brought on my addition of the biscuits. "I saw biscuits and thought biscuits and gravy, but couldn't figure out why there was spaghetti."

"The biscuits weren't biscuits they were garlic bread."

"I didn't taste garlic."

"That's because I forget about that when I decided to stuff them with cheese."

And that's the excitement of a non-planned meal at the Gebel house. Healthy and fun...it's like a game trying to figure out what the meal is! Go on, give it a try!

Sandwiches

"Sandwiches are beautiful.
Sandwiches are fine.
I like sandwiches.
I eat them all the time.

I eat them for my supper,
and I eat them for me lunch.
If I had a hundred sandwiches
I'd eat them all at once."

This is a little song I remember hearing when I was younger. I can't recall where I heard it, but I know it well enough that it still pops in my head every time I think about sandwiches. It's a fun little tune...maybe I'll sing it for you sometime!

Anyway, I do like sandwiches. I had one yesterday (chicken salad on a croissant) that was good but not worth what I paid! Why are some restaurants so expensive? My sandwich came with "seasonal fruit" or chips. I asked what the fruit was and she said peaches. I chose the fruit and was excited for a nice, juicy, fresh peach. What I got was a little bowl of canned peaches. Seriously? Needless to say, we won't be eating at that cute little place again. The decor was nice but I'm still not willing to pay almost $9 for that lunch, even though it did include a can of sprite.

Tomorrow I'm having a sandwich for lunch too. Scott and I will be on the road, traveling to our friend April's wedding. We're trying to make good time, eat healthy, and be frugal so we're taking snacks, drinks, breakfast and lunch with us. So we're going to have turkey sandwiches. I'm very excited...more for the wedding, time alone with my husband, and road trip in general than the sandwich...but the sandwich is exciting too!

I could go on about sandwiches, and maybe another day I will, but I want to work on writing shorter blogs. I've had some pretty lengthy ones lately. So, I'm going to go now and in a short time I'll be making grilled cheese sandwiches for Tyler and I for lunch today!

Getting the Monkeys to Eat More Than Bananas

Our kids used to be very easy eaters. They weren't picky, loved all the food groups, and were willing to try new things. Over the last year or so I've been struggling more and more with them. Almost every dinner is a tug of war. And we have very simple rules: Just try it. If you don't like it, don't eat it. If you're still hungry after dinner and there is no more of what you do like (even if there is) you may have an apple, banana, carrots...something healthy. See? Nothing complicated.
Still, things they used to like they don't anymore. Things they liked last week they don't this week. Things they didn't eat the first time they will when rewarmed. I don't get it! They even spit out pizza the other night!

I know! It's amazing I haven't lost my mind!

I've tried to get them more involved in the cooking process to get them more interested in the eating process. It's not working so well...they love to cook, but that is not related to whether or not they'll eat the food! Anyway, tonight Gracie chose one of my favorites, tuna melts. The recipe was out of Paula Deen's children's cook book.

I've always made tuna melts by slapping tuna on one half of a roll or a piece of bread, a slice of cheese on the opposing side of the soon-to-be sandwich and broiling it. This occasionally leads to picking the cheese off the sandwich, but what's a mom to do? Paula Deen, in her culinary brilliance and motherly wisdom, mixes shredded cheese into the tuna mixture and then tops the sandwich with potato chips before baking it!

I know! So smart!

My only suggestion would be to leave the chips off until after the baking (wrap sandwiches in tin foil and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes). I was looking forward to the crunch that it didn't have. Gracie pointed out that was because the chips were touching the tuna and got wet from it.

I know! She's smart too!

The other meal idea I have is something I threw together last night. I must have been channeling mom, who can never repeat a recipe because the original is just a mish-mosh of things from cans and bottles and containers. It's almost always good though, as was my dish last night.

I was online chatting with Mary and mentioned that I had some meatballs in the fridge and wanted some ideas for what to do with them, excluding spaghetti and subs. She suggested stroganoff. I found a recipe that called for cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, and wine. What I had was cream of celery soup, beef bullion cubes, and sparkling apple cider. Let me tell you...mmmmm.

If you'd like to try to recreate this original (I think) creation, I simply dissolved the bullion cube in one cup of boiling water, mixed it with the soup and about two cups of sparkling cider. I let it cook on low in a large saute pan with the meatballs. Just before my egg noodles were ready, I mixed some corn starch and cold water together, stirred it into the faux stroganoff, brought it to a boil, then let it simmer for a few minutes to thicken.

I know! I'm pretty clever myself!

It all comes back to food...

I enjoy eating. I like trying new things, especially if someone else prepares it for me! I also like re-trying things I didn't used to like. For example, I recently discovered that now, after being pregnant three times, I really like pickles! And, of course, I like old favorites and finding new ways to change up the old from time to time.

A few years ago I discovered grilling. My parents didn't use the grill often, so I knew it only as a way to cook the occasional hamburg or hot dog. I still haven't completely broken through the wall into grilling entire meals, but I do include veggies as part of a burger. I also make kebobs, fish, chicken, and steak on our grill...from time to time.

I think I'm ready to combine my enjoyment of eating and the discovery of grilling in ways that are even more exciting, maybe even with a little BAM! That's right, Emeril has a grilling cookbook out! I like to play with recipes some, but after I've tried the original once or twice...and Emeril's food is so tasty!

So, there's a site (Foodie Giveaway) that's giving away a copy of Emeril at the Grill, A Cookbook for All Seasons. So head over to enter for your chance! http://foodiegiveaway.blogspot.com/ Entries are being taken through May 27th!

Cash to Trash

I wonder how much money I throw in the garbage after dinner each night. Scott and I try to eat balanced and healthy meals. The kids, on the other hand, move their food around their plates and leave me feeling frustrated. I don't believe in forcing them to eat...just makes for a long drawn out fight and encourages unhealthy habits. They do like some things, but nothing (and I mean nothing) is ever a guarantee.

One day macaroni and cheese is golden and then the next day, "I don't really like the way it tastes." They'll gobble up salad and leave me amazed, but the next time I serve it their plates will return to the kitchen with the salad barely touched. It drives me nuts!

But the thing that really frustrates me is the money going in the garbage. Last night Gracie didn't eat her green beans and Tyler passed on the carrots. Tonight I was the only one to eat the pork loin. (Scott wasn't home...he would have cleaned his plate! I made this exact recipe a week and a half ago and and all three kids chowed down with oohs and aahs.) I only give one serving between the three kids, but that's still a whole serving in the trash.

I've been tempted to put empty plates in front of them and just through my money directly into the trash can. It seems like less work. Unfortunately, I don't think it would make all that much of an impact. Do you?

Casserole Updated

You may have heard that the definition of casserole is "all the things your children like in one dish and won't eat." I don't know who said that, but it's brilliant. I wish it weren't so true, though, since casseroles are easy to make, to bake, and to freeze. They're everything busy mom's look for in a meal. I've got good news, though. I've stumbled on three other options that my kids will actually eat: the soup, the salad, and the quesadilla.

My mom used to make leftover soup, and to this day it's one of my favorite comfort foods. I made it one night with little hope that the kids would eat it. They've become quite picky in their food choices. I was looking forward to this childhood favorite though. And, lo and behold, they enjoyed their soup and asked for more! After that I discovered they'll eat things that they normally like even after I put them in broth. Occasionally I puree a little something to add extra umph, like sweet potatoes or butternut squash, and as long as they never see it, they don't notice.

When we were first married, Scott had a mental block to meat on salad. To him salad was a side dish and even if there was an entire chicken breast on the salad he scoured the cupboards after dinner for something to fill him up. He's now logged enough hours at the table to realize he's really not hungry after a meal of Chicken Cesear Salad. Our kids have the opposite problem. If I put steak next to the salad they taste it, make yucky faces, and spit it out. If I chunk up that same meat and put it on top of the lettuce with sugar snap peas, carrots and dressing they gobble it up. Gracie enjoys a little cucumber on hers from time to time as well.

Lastly, the quesadilla has become a dumping ground for meats and veggies of all sorts. We've tried pepperoni, chicken, sausage, ham, turkey, broccoli, corn, mushrooms, and spinach. Don't overfill them...if the insides fall out and the kids can tell they're eating something green you might be done for. Also, I suggest adding cheese (it helps hold everything in, and it's yummy) and having the appropriate dipping sauce. My children enjoy ranch, blue cheese, spaghetti or pizza sauce, and guacamole.

Hopefully you too can find comfort in leftover soup or some other throw-it-all-in meal if your kids are like mine and can't even be bribed to eat a casserole.