Rice Treats!

Fruity Rice Pudding
Feel free to mix up the dried fruit in this recipe. You can also add more!

¾ c uncooked rice
2c milk
1 1/2c water
¼ white sugar
2T brown sugar
1 egg
2T butter
1t vanilla extract
2/3c dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, apples…)
Dash of salt

Boil water and add rice. Cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 20min.
Combine rice, 1 1/2c milk, sugar, and salt in a pan. Cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 min until mixture starts to thicken. Make sure it does not burn.
Stir in remaining milk, beaten egg and dried fruit. Cook for a few more min, stirring constantly, until everything is warmed through.
Remove from heat
Serve or pop into 350 degree oven for a few min until the top gets crunch

For a tropical twist use dried papaya, mango, coconut flakes, or other dried tropical fruit. Don’t use banana chips though. They are too crunchy for this dish.

For a chocolate treat add in some chocolate chips instead of fruit after cooking. You can also add in 2T of cocoa powder.

For a maple treat replace sugar with 1/4c of maple syrup and use dried apples.

For a citrus pudding add in 2T or orange zest, and replace ½ c water with ½ c of citrus juice.


Brown rice crispy treats!

These are better for you than the traditional rice crispy treat. Although still a treat, it is a yummy snack for kids. This recipe is based on one by Alton Brown

6 c of puffed brown rice. You can find this in the organic section of your grocery store or at a Whole Foods type store
3T flax seed oil
4 c mini marshmallows
3/4c unsalted sunflower seeds (optional) in the Alton brown recipe he uses slivered almonds. The children I watch though they were too big and brought too much of a “health flavor” to this treat. The sunflower seeds blend in better and have less taste.
1/2c dried berries (cranberries, cherries, blueberries)

Heat oven to 425 F
Coat large glass baking dish with oil (when I used flax seed oil as in the Alton Brown recipe it added a lot of flavor that the children I watch do not enjoy).
Toast rice cereal in oven for 4min, make sure it does not burn
Heat oil, honey and marshmallows in microwave, 30sec at a time on medium heat. Stir after each 30sec interval and continue to cook until marshmallows are melted.
Mix mixture into rice, seeds and fruit.
Spread mixture in pan and cool.

Super Easy Rice Casseroles!

Rice Casseroles!

These dishes are SUPER quick! One dish required for baking (you may need a few things to prep, like a cutting board or a bowl for tossing ingredients). Make sure you spray your dish with EVOO for easy clean up. For all of these recipes use brown rice (organic!) if you can. Stay away from “perfumed” rice such as basmati and jasmine. In these dishes the delicate flavors will be lost.

Spicy Rice and Chicken Casserole

Notes: If you are a vegetarian feel free to leave out the chicken. If you don’t like super spicy food cut down on the chilies or leave them out entirely.

Ingredients:
4 whole chicken breasts (boneless and skinless)
16oz canned and diced tomatoes
1c uncooked white rice
1 green pepper, diced
1 or 2 jalapenos or other spicy pepper, minced (see notes below)
½ pack of your favorite taco seasoning
1T butter
3T all purpose flour
3/4c low sodium chicken broth
½ c milk (low fat or fat free)
Salt and pepper to taste

In large oven safe rectangle casserole dish lay out cleaned chicken breasts (see notes below on cleaning chicken breasts)
In a separate bowl beat butter, flour, broth, taco seasoning, and milk
Add in tomatoes, peppers and rice
Add salt and pepper
Pour mixture over chicken
Cook in a 350 degree oven, covered, for 45min or until rice is tender.

Sausage Casserole
This is an updated version of sausage casserole that my mother used to serve to us when we were children. My mother’s version was a cream of mushroom soup, veggies, sausage and rice. This one is a little different and healthier.

Ingredients
1lb sausage (I prefer a mild Italian turkey or chicken sausage in this but feel free to use any savory sausage including a bratwurst or your favorite sausage in or out of casing. Make sure your sausage is cooked and the fat is drained.
1 chopped medium onion
3 stalks celery, chopped
2c broccoli florets chopped
½ c mushrooms, diced (optional)
1/2c uncooked rice
2c chicken or beef stock, low sodium
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions
Dump it all in a casserole dish, mix and cook (covered) at 350 for 90min.

Vegetarian Rice Casserole
Feel free to change around which veggies you use but keep the same total amount of veggies in the dish.

Ingredients
1c rice (uncooked)
1 ¼ cup finely chopped vegetables (choose any! mushrooms, peas, greenbeans, broccoli, carrots, bell pepper, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes)
1/4c chopped onion
2 1/2c veggie stock (low sodium)
1/4t of each dried thyme, rosemary, dill, and paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix in a 9/13 baking dish, cover, bake for 30 min or until rice is cooked through



Cleaning chicken breasts: No matter what brand of chicken breast you buy it will probably have fat, tendons, or even bones attached to it. When cleaning a chicken breast lay out on your favorite RAW MEAT cutting board (should be a separate cutting board from the cooked/veggie board). Pull up the fat, tendons, bone piece with your fingers and slice away as close as you can with a sharp knife. Make sure you cut away from yourself. Throw fat in trash (do not put down the disposal). After cutting off as much junk as you can wash the breast and pat dry with a paper towel. Make sure you wash everything, including your hands, thoroughly.
Hot pepper tips: The only way you are going to know what your heat level is on peppers is to try some. The link below is a good started guide though. When preparing hot peppers cut the top entirely off. Cut the pepper down the middle and remove all of the seeds and white part with a sharp, small, knife. Throw those parts away. Make sure you wash your hands before touching your eyes, nose, uh….other body parts or children!

Pepper hotness link! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scoville_scale

Cold Rice Salads!

Cold Rice Dishes

Perfect for lunches, side dishes, or pot luck dishes cold rice salads can rock! Use leftover rice or cook your rice the night before. Make sure you use a long grain rice and don’t use too much water! Feel free to use wild rice or brown rice! Rice cooked in chicken or vegetable stock will add a lot of flavor but make sure you use low sodium and add salt to taste later.

These can be made a day or two ahead of time. Just add dressing right before serving.

Cold Rice Salad W/lots of Veggies!

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups cooked rice
1c Broccoli
½ c Peas (fresh or frozen)
1/2c Corn (fresh or frozen)
1c raw tomatoes, seeded and cut into bite sized pieces
1c pea pods or snow peas
2T EVOO
1T of your favorite vinegar (apple cider or balsamic work really well in this)
Dash of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper (to taste)
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Blanch peas, corn, pea pods, and broccoli (Boil water, dump veggies in until they start to just get soft, no more than a min or two, strain and stick in an ice bath)
Combine everything in a big bowl, toss and season to taste!

Citrus and Fruit Rice Salad
Ingredients
2 ½ c Wild rice (cooked)
½ c red seedless grapes chopped into fourths
½ c apples chopped very fine

Dressing Ingredients:
2T fresh lemon juice
3T fresh orange juice
2T EVOO
2t honey (optional, if you don’t use this add a little orange juice for sweetness)
½ t of both lemon and orange zest (the outside of the peel chopped very fine, don’t use the white part!)
1/4t died or fresh tarragon
Salt to taste

Dressing:
Combine juices in a blender and turn on high
Drizzle in EVOO and honey
Slow down blender and add zest, tarragon, and salt to taste
Add Dressing to rest of ingredients!

Rice and Beans- the cold way!

Don’t give up on this one yet, it is great on summer nights or as a side that you can make a few days ahead of time for taco night!

Ingredients
3c Cooked rice
16oz Black beans (from a can or pre-cooked)
1c (1 medium) bell pepper (your choice of colors) chopped
1/4c finely chopped raw onions OR 1/2c sautéed onions (for a more mild flavor)

Dressing Ingredients
2T Canola oil
1 LARGE clove of garlic minced
Juice of 1 large or 2 small limes
1/2t lime zest
1T Cumin
2T cilantro (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste


Combine juice, zest, garlic and spices in blender
Drizzle in oil
Add dressing to rest of ingredients
Top with grilled chicken breast, sour cream, or eat as a side dish!

Rice!

Rice!

This week I am going to explore rice!

Baby: One of a child’s first foods is rice. This comes through the form of “rice cereal” that is usually placed in a bottle or fed with a spoon around 6 months old (some earlier, some later).
When picking your baby’s first cereal make sure you go with organic. You should also look for BROWN rice (see more below) and make sure it is iron enriched! Rice cereal should be made to package directions, but can also be made into other foods (like Ty’s favorite pancakes, which he is eating right now!).
Rice cereal should be fed rice cereal until around 18 months old to make sure they are getting enough iron.

Toddler: Rice is perfect for toddlers because you don’t need to cut it up or do anything special for them to eat it! Just make sure it is cool enough to feed them and be ready for a mess if you let them feed themselves!

Organics!?!?!?!?

Just a side note on the organics before I start…I know that there are many studies being done on the possible benefits of eating organic products. Many people believe that organic foods do not offer any nutritional difference and that the chemicals in the foods do not hurt you when they are eaten.
Even if the end product that you eat may not be “healthier,” and time will tell on this one, many of the chemicals used to kill pests and weeds have been proven to be very toxic to humans, groundwater systems, and wildlife! So even if you are not eating the chemicals they are leaching into the ground water system and you are consuming them as a byproduct.


Organic vs. Non-Organic rice
Recent studies including one done by PANNA (Pesticide Action Network North America) found that there are over forty pesticides used in growing rice many of these (around 15) have been found to negatively effect humans and water systems.
Rice is cheap. Seriously, cheap. The best part is, there is little difference between the price of organic and non organic rice. (I recently found rice for .88 for a pound of white rice and 1.14 for a one pound bag of white rice)

Brown vs. White rice
To make brown rice the rice is run through a husker to remove the outer tough husks that protect the rice on the plant. White rice is made by removing the rice bran (inner husk) by polishing by using glucose or talc.
White rice was eaten in Asia for many reasons. Brown rice spoils quicker, you have to chew brown rice a little more, and white/polished rice was seen as a food eaten by those who were better off because of the extra processing.
Nutrition wise brown rice has more fiber, vitamin E, potassium and well, just about everything else that is good for you. It also has more flavor and is fine to use in most foods!
Although I like brown rice just fine, there are some foods I prefer white rice with (including most Chinese food!). This week I hope to provide everyone with recipes that use brown rice in creative and delicious ways!

For more on rice nutrition: http://web.tri-isys.com/greenhearts/orgbrown.htm


Coming up this week!
Cold rice dishes
Rice casseroles
Rice deserts
Gourmet rice dishes (without the work!)

Work Food update

Work food:
As you all know, I bring Tyler to work. Although I was out of work recovering from my surgery I recently went back. I try to bring most of Ty’s food and supplement only a little with their food (usually a few crackers, some left over fruit, or milk). Here is what I usually pack for Tyler each day.

Breakfast: granola balls, pancake, toast, sandwich, fruit, cereal…the usual stuff. When I get to work Ty immediately is put in his little travel chair (don’t worry, I got a new one Jen!) and I give him food while I set up his little cage and start my work. He usually eats some and then gets out of his chair and eats a little more throughout the morning.

Shopping or organizing: Smoothie prepared the night before.

Lunch: Usual stuff with some crackers, fruit, or vegetables if we have been shopping. If Tyler sees me putting them away he ALWAYS asks for some (and he now says “please” which sounds like “peas”)

Nap: If we stay all day, which we usually do not, Ty has a smoothie for his nap.

Snack: Is usually whatever I have left over

Packing food tips:
Don’t pack anything that goes bad quickly, that way it can be reused the next day.
Don’t use anything that gets soggy over night. I always pack the night before because I have to leave the house before 6:30.
Drinks, drinks, drinks! Bring them all with you and bring extras.
Use an insulated reusable lunch bag.
Use containers instead of bags for less waste.
Use fruit that can be re-used. Bananas stay good if kept in peels and you can serve half at a time. Oranges stay good for days even when segmented. When cutting up apples/pears cut in half. Save the uneaten half in the peel and cut away browned parts the next day.

Juice and Jello

Juice!

Tyler was “prescribed” juice by his doctor on a few occasions. When he was little it was for constipation and a SMALL amount of apple juice or stewed prune juice (made by me, see recipe below) was used.

Now that Ty is older he NEVER gets normal juice. Your typical juice from a bottle is nothing more than sugar water. Even if you are getting “100% fruit juice” it is still the sugars and flavoring cooked out of the fruit with very little of the good stuff left over.

We do however give Tyler “juice” which is a fruit puree watered down to 1/3 strength. This is made by taking soft fruit (melon, berries, whatever we have laying around) and blending the entire fruit (peel and all, unless it is an un-eatable rind) with water. Tomatoes also work well in this kind of juice. This is then strained, frozen and watered down when he needs a little treat.

We used juice a lot when I had my surgery and Ty was grumpy. We also use it when he is teething, has intestinal problems, and when we just want to spoil him a little. By serving “juice” in this way we keep the fiber, vitamins, and “good” stuff in the juice but take out the fake and processed crap.

Jello!

Tyler recently had his first experience with “Jello.” Now I will be honest, this was pretty much junk food. I realize that I could have made it healthier, and I plan to next time, but this was kind of a spur of the moment idea on my part.

I did not use regular Jello when I made Ty’s gelatin treat. I did not want the fake flavor, chemicals and tons of sugar/fake sugar in the Jello so I bought WHITE grape juice, boiled it and followed the directions on a pack of PLAIN gelatin. I made a denser Jello and cooled it in an ice cube tray. I then cut the chunks into smaller pieces and let Ty play with it.

Plain gelatin comes from cows unless you get a Kosher gelatin, in which case it comes from fish. I have yet to find a “good” vegetarian Jello (I used to be a vegetarian and tried a few types) because they all seemed too soft or had an odd flavor.

Next time I will use Ty’s fruit puree and water to make the Jello. I will also probably put in a few berries or chunks to make it a little more fun!

Picture from: http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PFWRSQPAL._AA280_.jpg

Seriously, I am back!

The blog is back for real this time! After a request from my cousin and a friend I am starting it back up. It was down while I was recovering from my surgery, but since I am feeling much better I am going to start it back up again. So this week is pretty much going to be a catch up week and then I will resume normal entries (themed).

The Tyler Food Update:

Tyler is still eating many of the same foods as he had been before. Below is a typical day for Ty. Much of this information is what I gave my family as a guideline during my recent surgery.

Pre-Breakfast

½ a sippy cup of milk when he wakes up.

Tyler does not really have a "comfort" object (like a blanket or a binkie). Instead he likes to have a sippy cup around for whenever he wants a drink. We provide him with milk or water throughout the entire day.

Breakfast

Ty eats a bread, protein, fruit (1 handful or ½ a banana, no more), sometimes dairy, and sometimes vegetable. He always gets water along with his milk with breakfast.

Favorite breakfast foods:

• Tyler’s French toast (bread soaked in egg and cinnamon cooked in a little EVOO)
• Ty’s pancake (baby cereal, important up to 18 months, egg, and cinnamon)
• Cereal: Toddler cereal, iron enriched and organic, served dry
• Granola balls (cream cheese with baby safe homemade granola around it)
• Toast (whole wheat (ww) or sprouted grain (sg) and organic) with sunflower butter or cream cheese and cinnamon
• Egg, hardboiled and cut up or scrambled
• Egg with cheese and vegetables

Typical meals

· ½ pancake or French toast, handful of fruit, cream cheese pieces

· Handful of cereal, ½ banana, cheese cubes (1/2 a cheese stick), handful of frozen peas

· Hardboiled egg, thawed carrots (carrots cooked and then frozen), cream cheese, handful of cut fruit.

Lunch

Please give Ty a bread, protein, vegetable, fruit, and if he seems really hungry dairy

Typical Foods

· ½ tortilla (ww or sg and organic) or 1 piece of bread with melted cheese, tofu, and tomato

· ½ tortilla or 1 piece of bread with sunflower butter

· Leftover breakfast

· Steamed peas, broccoli, carrots, other veggie with a little salt and pepper or some cheese

· Tofu cubes with tofu seasoning (cinnamon, stevia, ginger)

· ½ an organic cheese stick in cubes

· Granola balls

· Frozen peas (still frozen), he loves this when he is teething

· ½ Serving (or more) of a casserole from the freezer warmed up to just above room temp

· ½ banana

· ½ small apple cut into pea sized chunks

· handful of strawberries cut up into small pieces or other berries

· small serving of plain yogurt (with smashed fruit) or cottage cheese

· pasta with parmesan cheese and EVOO

· Cut up chicken with BBQ spice

· Crackers (broken up into small pieces)

Dinner

For dinner we serve Ty similar to what he eats for lunch or he eats what we are eating. Ty usually does not eat a lot of food for dinner, reserving his larger meals for earlier in the day.

Snacks (2 per day)

· Smoothie (berries, bananas, tofu, spinach, broccoli…..)

· Cheese, crackers, fruit

· Fruit, cheese, vegetables

· Leftovers from meals

Foods we are not yet serving Tyler

Peanut butter, nut pieces, popcorn, hot dogs, processed meats

Juice-See more information on juice in the next blog

Non organic and non whole milk.

We try to give Ty only organic dairy products.

We also try to stick to organic bread and WHOLE wheat or grain products or sprouted grain. It is important to read labels when picking out bread products.

Eggplant for babies and Ratatouille

Eggplant for babies

Ty LOVED and still loves eggplant from an early age. For baby food I would not cut and salt the eggplant, instead I would jut slice it and steam it. After cool I would puree it and wahlah! Babyfood! For first finger food stage I would cut it into little cubes and steam it. Although it would turn a pretty nasty color, and really have no taste, Ty would scarf down the soft little cubes in no time flat.

Garden Vegetable and Turkey Ratatouille

This is not really Ratatouille (a vegetable stew), well the top is, but come on, what kid does not eating it after watching one of the best animated films ever made? This is great food for toddlers and adults! Feel free to change up the vegetables to your favorites as well as the meat choice (or you can leave the meat out vegetarians).

• 1 medium summer squash
• 1 large zucchini
• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 large onion
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1lg green/red/yellow pepper, sliced
• (All the above should be sliced into very thin rounds)
• 1lb cooked ground turkey
• 2c cooked brown rice (you can use brown rice pasta if you would like or any of your other favorite rice/pasta) cooked in your favorite sodium free broth
• handful of fresh or dried herbs (think Italian herbs, rosemary, basil, oregano)
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 jar of your favorite tomato based pasta sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• EVOO

1. Put a thin layer of pasta sauce on bottom of large glass oven safe pan and top with rice
2. Top with turkey, salted and peppered, mix garlic in to turkey first
3. Top turkey with more pasta sauce
4. Take all your vegetables and put them in a large bowl.
5. Salt, pepper, and toss vegetables with a little EVOO and mix in herbs
6. Place vegetables on top of meat in an even layer
7. Bake at 350 until vegetables are soft!

I am back- The wonderful world of EGGPLANT

I know, I know, I have not been posting. But I am back and ready to pick up the normal pace.

This week is going to focus on the delicious eggplant (make sure you check back for dishes that use eggplant). Yep, you read that right, delicious EGGPLANT. Ok, so eggplant is not that delicious and pretty much tastes like what ever you cook it with, but if you have been afraid of eggplant in the past (mostly because everyone says “yuck”) or if you have had some bad eggplant dish that turned you off, it is time to give it another try. Trust me, eggplant can rock if you cook it right.

Eggplant nutrition
Eggplant is a low calorie food that is great source of fiber. It is also a great source of vitamins K and B6 as well as Thiamin, Folate, Potassium and Manganese.
You can fatten up your eggplant in a hurry with many traditional fried recipes or those full of cheese so this week I will try to show you how to make those recipes still delicious but also healthier for you!

Picking out an eggplant at the grocery
Look for eggplants that are size appropriate (for their kind, like a mini eggplant should be small). Don’t buy the huge ones because they will be tough and have lots of seeds. Make sure it is firm and still has a little bit of stem on it (leaves are good too).

Eggplant prep
Wash outside of eggplant well (you are eating the skin here so try to buy organic if you can)
Cut off the stem, top of eggplant, and bottom (just to make it flat) and then slice the plant in slices 1/2 to 1 inch rounds. You can also go with long slices, but make sure they are still 1/2 to 1 inch thick.
Sprinkle the eggplant with kosher salt and leave in a strainer for at least 20min to draw out the moisture. Eggplant will turn brown if not salted, and still may turn brown, don't worry about it!
Blot eggplant with a paper towel (or better yet a clean lint free towel) and remove any excess salt.
Cook!

Growing an eggplant
We grew them this year because I got some plants for free. We only got one eggplant per plant (probably because of where I placed them) but they were great! It takes about 75 days for an eggplant to mature and bear fruit. You want to pick them when they are firm and not at all spongy (poke it with your finger, you should not leave an imprint and if it does the skin should bounce back right away). The skin should be taunt and not turning brown (if it is brown, you need to pick it ASAP). Don’t wait for your eggplant to get huge or you are going to end up with some crunchy seeds in your food. When you pick your eggplant use garden shears and leave a little stem on it. They will keep in the fridge for a week or so.

I'm Back!

I am a little behind because I am still catching up at work from vacation (as well as around the house). Here are some thoughts on feeding Ty on the road and our trip.

We took a 2 hour plane flight to Boston (from Ohio) to start our journey. Before we left I gave Ty a big breakfast/snack/smoothie to keep him full for the car ride to the airport (about an hour) and in the airport until we could get through security. After getting through security I bought Ty some milk at Starbucks. Now I know though that you can bring more than three ounces of milk through security without a problem, so next time we will bring our own organic milk.

The best thing I brought for the trip (which Ty consumed on the plane and throughout the car rides, etc.) was baby trail mix. This was a combination of organic Teddy Puffs, organic banana toddler cereal, organic raisins, and organic cheerios. I also brought along two different kinds of Mum Mum crackers (rice husk dissolving crackers). Ty ate these on the plane and was pretty well satisfied.

I also packed Ty a few meals of peas (he likes them raw and cold), steamed carrots, cucumber, banana, pear, Ty’s French toast, sunflower butter sandwich and cheese. He ate this at the airport in Boston, on the plane, and at the beginning of the car ride.

After landing in Boston we drove a few hours to Concord, NH. Thank goodness Ty slept most of the time. Once arriving in Concord and meeting SJ’s parents we ate at Panera. Ty shared my pepper sandwich and enjoyed pickles, onions, bread, and part of his lunch.

On the road to Beecher Falls, VT (which took at least 400 hours), Ty mostly ate his trail mix, although I am sure most of it ended up on the floor.

At SJ’s parent’s house Ty ate mostly bread (as a cheese sandwich, French toast, with tofu and cheese, or plain), fruit (a few cups everyday because his grandma likes to spoil him), tomatoes, raw green beans (he wont eat them cooked!), cinnamon tofu, and parts of what ever we were eating. I tried not to push new foods on him because he was already acting a little unsure of where he was.

We did manage to find (after going for a drive and going to a few stores) organic tofu, milk, cream cheese (not organic though) and smoothie making materials. Along with the organic baby oatmeal cereal that I brought along Ty had enough smoothies and food to last him the first week of the trip.

After another 600 hour drive to Lake Shore Farm Inn (check it out! Link below) Ty actually ate the food they served there. My guess is because it has a very high sodium content. Ty enjoyed everything from eggs to a giant slice of watermelon to a concoction of cream of celery soup, beef, vegetables and rice. Ty also tried a number of desserts, his first time, other than is birthday, of having sweets. With the smoothies I had brought from Vermont (and stored in leftover water bottles) Ty ate well!

The trip home was easy. We brought our own milk, Ty ate some muffin and bagel that was purchased at the airport and plenty of trail mix.
Once home Ty had a little rebellion, probably because he had much less grandma time, and would only eat frozen peas and smoothies for 3 days. But now things are back to normal and I am about to go poach him an egg for breakfast!

http://lakeshorefarm.com/

See you in 2 weeks!

I am off to Vermont and New Hampshire :)

Growing Our Food

Past:

Growing up we had a vegetable garden. When my parents moved into their current house they inherited a garden from the previous owners. Although I have little memory of this vegetable garden I know it had asparagus for a year, some very low producing grapes, and some other vegetables that they planted. They also had an entire hedge of raspberries!

This garden was pushed aside for a few tomato plants when their deck was built, and gardening was pushed to the side. The berries still existed but the gardening time was replaced by raising kids and other duties of running a family and household.

When I was in my early teen years I asked my parents if I could dig up a patch of the lawn and plant some vegetables. They funded everything! I dug up an “L” shaped plot and planted a few veggies with the help of my brother. I have no idea what we planted but I remember the joy of having my family eat the produce I had grown.

Present:

My father is now OBSESSED with his vegetable garden. I find myself on the phone with him frequently talking about pests, disease, and the newest techniques. As a family we talk about preserving, drying, and recipes when ever we are together.

I have my own vegetable garden. With the help of my husband we put in a raised box garden the first summer we lived in our house. We buried a few posts, used some wood, and created a box that contains a pretty large amount of food (see pics below).

Steve carried over a ton of soil to the back yard and I have spent countless hours researching what to grow, when to plant it, and how to make it as organic as possible. In this garden we place our herbs, because it is close to our patio, for easy access, along with tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, and a number of other items.

This year we created another garden, which will be expanded a bit next spring, along the back of our patio. I have found that this garden is great for squash of all kinds and lettuce/spinach in the spring. I do have a “dead zone” in this garden where the dogs run through. I also have planted cabbage in this garden recently to grow in the fall and will be putting in my second crop of lettuce/spinach soon!

Click pics to see larger versions!

This is our main box garden. This is from earlier in the year when we had lettuce growing
Cabbage (ok cauliflower) patch baby
Jackson eating tomatoes, he picks them himself

This is our new garden this year and Cameron

Future?:

I love my vegetable gardens but have recently come to the realization that gardening is one of the biggest things that brings joy to my life. To grow and provide my family with healthy, organic, and someday cost effective food (there is so cost in building a garden) that gives me pride unlike I have known before.

My husband and I have talked about buying some land in the past but recently with friends buying a small farm and enjoying the taste of absolutely fresh produce that we know is organically grown, we have started talking seriously about this.

I would love to have a garden like the one you see below. A completely boxed “lasagna” garden (more on this to come, but google it if you want to know now!). This kind of gardening has few weeds, upkeep, and pests. I would love to have a small orchard, berry bushes, strawberry patch, a few chickens (layers and fryers), possibly some meat rabbits (for sale), and a steer.

I know those of you who have known me in the past will find some of those ideas to be odd, after all I was a vegetarian for over 15 years, but this would allow our family to pretty much stop eating overly processed, chemical/antibiotic, food which has been shipped thousands of miles.

The truth is, we will always buy some food: flour, sugar, bananas, citrus, and other staples. I would love to bake all our bread, make our pasta, and make most of our food, I realize that it is not realistic to be making everything

!

Obviously this homestead is in a different part of the country but the way it is laid out is wonderful!

Pic from http://susty.com/path-to-freedom-dot-com-urban-homestead-farm-internet/

Tyler's Menu Update

Because I stopped posting every little thing that Ty eats I thought I would update you on his typical day. Again Ty has water available to him all day (unless the dog has eaten all his cups…again). Tyler is now 13 months old!

Tyler’s Breakfast
These are Ty's foods that he usually eats. For breakfast I serve a combo of a few of these

• Whole grain tortilla with sunflower butter
• Ty’s French toast (egg and cinnamon with whole grain bread)
• One egg (scrambled, boiled, poached, sunny side up cooked in water)
• Baby oatmeal pancake with rolled oats
• Omelet (cheese and veggies)
• Whole grain tortilla with cream cheese and fruit
• Blueberries
• Watermelon
• Raisins
• Bananas
• Tomatoes
• Other fresh fruit
• Peas
• Green beans
• Broccoli
• Cucumber
• Other veggies
• Edemame
• Milk
• Cheddar cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Cream Cheese
• Bread (whole grain)
• Tortilla (wg)
• Whole oat “cheerios”

Morning Snack
Usually leftovers from breakfast and some fruit and/or cheese

Lunch
I serve him some combo of these

• Barley casserole
• Pasta with veggies and tomato sauce
• Tofu
• Stir fry (really poached)
• Edamame
• Peas
• Broccoli
• Spinach
  
• Beef/broccoli or spinach/cream cheese on wg (whole grain) bread/tortilla
• Tofu, tomato, cheddar on wg bread/tortilla

Afternoon snack
Vegetable, dairy, fruit, protein

Dinner
We are still trying to get the whole family dinner together but usually Ty eats what we are having (protein, vegetable, starch) with some dairy or fruit. Sometimes he has something similar to what he would be having for lunch. If Tyler is cranky that night and not wanting to eat (usually because of teething) Tyler also has a fruit/tofu/veggie smoothie after dinner.

Turkey Bacon Bean Dip, wrap up

And now for something totally different!

Turkey Bacon Bean Dip

Eat this with some chips, on a tortilla, on vegetable sticks, or on a taco!

• 1 can of refried black beans (use organic, no fat added, lard free)
• ½ can of black beans
• 1 pack of taco spice (reduced sodium)
• 6 strips of turkey bacon
• 1 jalapeno (minced small) use less if needed
• 1/3 c red onion, diced very small
• 1/3c green pepper, diced very small
• 1/2c fat free sour cream
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Handful of cheddar cheese

1. Heat pan non stick pan to medium
2. Cut up turkey bacon into small squares
3. Cook turkey bacon until crispy, this should only take a few min.
4. Cool turkey bacon on a paper towel
5. Mix up beans, spice, pepper, onion, jalapeno, salt and sour cream
6. Fold in turkey bacon
7. Top with cheese, enjoy!

Turkey Bacon

Turkey bacon would be good if they did not call it bacon. I have yet to find a turkey bacon that has the texture and crispness of pork bacon. The reason: Turkey bacon does not have all that yummy fat. It is a little tougher than normal bacon and has a slight flavor of turkey jerky.

When buying turkey bacon make sure you look for the usual: organic/free range/no antibiotics, and nitrate/nitrite free!

Wrap up

Sick of beef, want something new, go turkey! Cook turkey breast cutlets like you would chicken. Replace ground beef with turkey. Just substitute turkey in for your regular meats. Super lean and full of vitamins (and cheap!) turkey is a great choice for changing things up in the kitchen.

My Weight Loss:

Down again this week! I lost the exact amount of weight that I wanted to!

I will be out of town for the next two weeks starting on Thursday. I am not sure how many posts I will have next week but I will be back!

Turkey Sausage Meatballs and another turkey tip!

Turkey Sausage Meatballs

Add this to your favorite pasta and tomato sauce, serve as an appetizer, or form into patties for breakfast! I would use dried herbs in this, or cut down the amounts if you use fresh.

Ingredients

• 1lb ground turkey
• 1t each of sage, fennel seed, thyme, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt
• 1 egg
• 1c of bread crumbs
• 1/3c Parmesan cheese

1. Heat oven to 350
2. Heat a non stick skillet to medium high with 1T EVOO into pan
3. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and form into 1in balls
4. Cook in pan a few at a time until brown on the outside
5. Place in glass cook pan (one layer) and bake until cooked through
6. Enjoy!

Turkey Tip
You can use turkey in place of pretty much any ground meat there is only one kicker: it is dry as heck! So when using ground turkey make sure you are using it you add some sort of sauce or extra fat (turkey is very lean, so sometimes adding fat helps).

• When making turkey meatloaf add some bbq sauce and a few slices of bacon on top
• Turkey is excellent in chili because of the sauce
• Turkey is great with pasta sauce. Cook it up in a pan and add your favorite jar sauce
• Turkey sausage from the store is good because it has fairly fatty turkey meat in it and the juices are kept in the casing. If you can find "free" or uncased turkey sausage it tastes great in lasagna. You can also remove the turkey from the casing before cooking!
• Turkey is great in shepherds pie! Put it on the bottom of the pot so the juices from the vegetables coat it
• Make sure you season turkey well or it turns out very bland!
  

Zesty Turkey

Zesty Turkey (with mushrooms, optional)

• 1 ½ lbs turkey breast, chunked
• 1/4c chicken broth (see notes on broth below)
• 1 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1/3c apple cider vinegar (I would actually use this type of vinegar in this recipe)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, cut into thin strips
• Dash of red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper
• 1 lg pack of white button mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1. Heat up a non stick skillet on medium-high heat
2. Cook turkey in broth until cooked through
3. Add mushrooms, pepper, vinegar, onion, garlic, salt, pepper until peppers reach your preferred softness
4. Serve!

Mushroom Preparation

I know that you are just supposed to lightly brush the dirt/poop off the top of the mushrooms before you cook them but I have issues eating poop. Instead I very quickly wash them off just before I chop and cook them. Because they are not sitting around in water or sitting wet they don’t have a lot of time to soak up all the extra water.

I also don’t really like the woody stems of mushrooms. It is your choice when cooking with mushrooms if you want to use them or not.

Don’t like mushrooms? Give them another try! Cook them long and slow to get rid of the raw mushroom texture (something else I don’t like!).

Apple cider vinegar

Don’t buy into the old folk tales of this “cure all.” Apple cider vinegar is probably just another food. Although some studies have show that acv can actually lower glucose levels, control hunger, and decrease some cancer risks, other medicines and products work better in every case. Acv in large doses has actually been shown to increase certain cancers (as does everything, so don’t knock it out of your diet yet). The truth with this product (as of now), is that it is a food. Use in moderation to add flavor and a zesty kick to salads or recipes.

Broth

I am so sick of hearing professional chefs on tv telling me to make my own broth because it freezes and does not take that long. The truth is, it takes all day, requires many ingredients, and honestly can be replicated with a high quality broth or bouillon.

I suggest using organic when ever possible and either freezing or using the rest of it within a week. Many stores, such as Trader Joe’s, now offer a more condensed form of stock in order to save on bulky packaging.

My absolute favorite broth is Better Than Bouillon. It is condensed, comes in a recyclable jar, and tastes great!

http://www.mothernature.com/shop/detail.cfm/sku/37552

Turkey, Dijon Turkey, and some bonus recipies!

The wonderful world of Turkey

This week I want to explore the wonderful world of Turkey. It’s not just for Thanksgiving anymore! Turkey is an inexpensive way to get your protein and B vitamins without eating a lot of fat.

Turkey Parts and what they are good for!

The whole enchilada: I really only like whole turkey once or twice a year at the holidays. I find preparing and cooking a whole turkey to be time consuming, and unless your brother and husband deep fry it, dry and tasteless (except with gravy).

Breast: At the grocery you will probably find turkey breast or turkey breast cutlets without a problem. These are white meat, so healthier, and easy to manage and cook with if they are cut to a reasonable size.

Drumsticks: Giant and hard to find, just pass

Ground Turkey: A wonderful and healthy alternative to ground beef and many times cheaper than ground chicken

Deli Turkey: Unless you are buying actual sliced breast, with no preservatives, nitrates, nitrites, antibiotics, ect. stay away from deli meat. It is surprisingly high in sodium and fat and can be highly processed. That said, I love real sliced turkey breast and so does Ty. He eats if for lunch by itself or rolled around a little cream cheese and vegetables.

Sausage: Turkey sausage is almost always lower in fat then pork sausage and can be spiced just the same. It is great by itself or in pasta!

Just a note to my vegetarian reader :) I will be putting up at least one vegetarian recipe every week and there WILL be a vegetarian week coming up (as well as tofu!).

Dijon Turkey Breast

Easy and simple this is a great light recipe for any time of the year! Serve with a green veggie and your choice of healthy starch!

• 4 Turkey breast slices/cutlets (found in your meat case at the grocery)
• 4T of your favorite Dijon mustard (honey Dijon is great on this!)
• 2T fresh parsley (or dried)
• 2 cloves of garlic, mashed
• 1c bread crumbs (watch out for hydrogenated fat in these, making your own is easy too…see note below)
• Chicken broth
• Salt and pepper

1. Heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat
2. Dredge cutlets in mustard of parsley, mustard, garlic, salt, pepper
3. Coat in bread crumbs (use some chicken broth or more mustard to get them to stick)
4. Cook over medium heat until done, about 3 min per side

Bread crumbs

Because many store brand bread crumbs are not really bread crumbs and instead are very fine crap filled with hydrogenated oils, make your own!

Toast up your favorite ww bread, put it in a food processor and go to town. You can also put it in a plastic bag (ONCE COOL) and mash it up! Make sure you toast them low and slow!

Bonus Recipes!

I made my husband a welcome home meal. After much thought, and way too much produce being produced in our garden, I figured I should make something with zucchini, squash and tomatoes.

Vegetable Chicken Soup (leave out the chicken if you are a vegetarian!)

Ingredients (remember to use organic where you can!)

• 2 cans tomato sauce, no salt (or use your own!)
• 2 cans chicken broth, one salt, one without salt
• 1 can of kidney beans (use fresh soaked if you are cooking all day, I only used one can but you could easily put in 2 or 3)
• 4 large carrots (sliced)
• 1 large onion (diced)
• 2 medium sized zucchinis (Diced)
• 2 medium sized yellow squash (diced)
• 4 large tomatoes (diced)
• 1/2c barley (pearled)
• Handful of fresh basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary (chopped)
• 3c of fresh spinach
• 2 large chicken breasts (I would add more next time)

To cook (just like everything from last week)

1. Brown chicken in pot
2. Add sauce, broth, beans, carrots, onions
3. Cook for a long time, until chicken is cooked
4. Add everything else, cook until barley is cooked and soft (about 45min)
5. Add more water, spice, salt, pepper as needed

Tomato Tart (take out the bacon if you are a vegetarian)

• 2lbs tomatoes sliced and cored (meaning scoop out the seeds and take of the stem)
• handful of fresh basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme chopped
• 1T cornsctarch
• 1c flour
• 1c cornmeal
• 1 1/2t baking powder
• 1/4t baking soda
• 3T cold butter cut into small pieces
• 1 egg
• ½ c buttermilk, plus more for kneeding
• 6 slices bacon cooked and broken into pieces
• Handful of cheese (I did not use this but I should have!)
• 1 clove garlic mashed
• Salt and pepper

1. Prepare tomatoes, mix in all your herbs and garlic (reserve about 2T)
2. Toss in bowl with cornstarch, salt and pepper
3. In another bowl mix cornmeal, baking powder/soda
4. Place butter in bowl, and working quickly smash butter with fingers into flour. Do not heat up the butter too much. If you do place bowl back in fridge.
5. Mix in egg, buttermilk, cheese, rest of herbs and garlic, a little salt and pepper. Add more buttermilk if dough is not sticking together
6. Mix bacon into tomatoes
7. Place tomatoes into greased deep dish pie plate
8. Top with spoonful of biscuit dough (make sure there are air holes)
9. Cook at 375 until golden on top and bubbling on the bottom
10. Place on a cookie sheet if you want to avoid a mess in your oven!

Vegetable Soup and Wrap Up

Lauren’s Veggie Soup
This is a vegetable packed soup that freezes well. I use a giant pot and cook a ton, freeze half in pint containers and enjoy for months!

• 1small bag of carrots, peeled (optional) and sliced
• 1 bunch of celery, chunked
• 2 medium onions, chunked
• 1 small head of cabbage
• 1 15oz can of low sodium normal diced tomatoes
• 8c of vegetable stock
• 3/4c barley, 1c of lentils and/or egg noodles (whole wheat ones are yummy)
• Spices (throw in some dill, parsley, rosemary, oregano, thyme, whatever! A store brand "zesty" blend is also REALLY good in this)

1. Chop veggies (except cabbage)
2. Place everything but cabbage and barley/lentils/egg noodles in pot
3. Bring to a boil
4. Reduce to simmer, cover, cook all day
5. 1 hr before you want to eat cut cabbage into 1 in strips and add to soup
6. 30-45min before you want to eat add in barley and/or lentils
7. If you want noodles pre cook and add in before eating

Wrap up
This week has been about basics. Those homemade recipes that fill you up on a cool day or that you want when you are feeling ill. Although easy, the foods in the past week have layers of flavor and can be changed and added too easily.

When feeding any of these to a baby or toddler make sure to decrease the salt, cut up and/or puree the food, and let it cool down. I would skip the broth unless your child is a bit older.

Ty loves beef, but only if it is tender, has a lot of flavor, and cold. I usually cook a dish like the ones listed above, take out some beef and veggies an hour before, chop the bits really small and then cool it in the refrigerator. Although Ty has tried broth I never give it to him because of the mess :)

My Weight Loss
This week I lost more than my goal (which is 2lbs a week). Last week I lost, but not as much as I wanted to :( I think it was because we went out to dinner and ordered out (for our anniversary) and had a lot of yummy leftovers which lasted for a while. I am finding it easy to snack at this time of year because of all the fruit available. The farmers market, as well as larger grocery chains, have so much local fruit that tastes wonderful!

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Yet another prep in minutes cook for hours recipe. This is a basic in any household and a good dish for cold days or when you are feeling sick. It freezes well too! Add in cooked noodles, barley, matzo balls, or rice at the end if you want some starch! A from scratch chicken soup recipe will appear at a later date.

Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts, diced
• 3c diced carrot
• 2c diced celery
• 1 large diced onion
• 1T or more of: dill, parsley (I use a lot more), rosemary, thyme, bay leaf
  
• 2 cloves diced garlic
• EVOO
• 8c chicken broth (you may need less)
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Brown chicken breasts in EVOO in a large heavy bottomed pot
2. Add in veggies, onion, herbs, garlic, and pepper.
3. Sautee until fragrant
4. Cover everything with broth and then add about 1 inch more
5. Bring to boil
6. Cover, reduce to simmer, and cook for a loooooong time!

Beef Stew

Beef Stew

This recipe is easy peasy and freezes well. It is another takes minutes to prepare but cooks all day recipe.

You will need:

• 1lb (or more) of stew meat cut into 1cm cubes (or larger if you like)
  
• 1lb carrots peeled (optional) and sliced
• 1 bunch of celery sliced
• 1lg onion diced
• 2lg potatoes, peeled and diced (add more if you would like)
  
• 4c beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• Any desired spices (garlic, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, oregano, bay leaf)
• EVOO
• Cornstarch and water

Directions

1. Heat EVOO to medium high in a heavy bottomed pan
2. Add meat and brown evenly on both sides
3. Add veggies and spices
4. Add broth, bring to boil
5. Reduce to simmer, cover, and cook all day
6. Add more broth if it dry out add more broth
7. Once dinner time rolls around add mixture of cornstarch and water to thicken (take out the bay leaf!)
8. Serve with warm rolls, rice, noodles or barley!
   

Other tips:

You can also add 1/2 c of sour cream for a little fo- stroganoff flavor. Put on top of egg noodles for a little more!

Make sure you decrease the liquid if you are cooking in a slow cooker

Add more broth and barley for beef soup!

Product of the day:

The Ergo Baby Carrier

This product is why I can bring Ty to work with me. Since he was 9lbs I have strapped him in this to sleep, look over my shoulder while I work, and shop. Now at over 22lbs Ty is still easy to carry and I can do almost anything with him being held close to my back, side or front. The ergonomic design makes it easy to carry Ty even though I have lower back problems. This carrier is worth the extra cost and will not wear out quickly.

Pic from: http://www.ergobabycarrier.com/