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/

Beef with Adobo Peppers

Beef with Adobo Peppers-The easiest slow cooking recipe on the planet.

This recipe is great. If you can use a can-opener you can make this. It is delicious, SUPER FAST, and leftovers can be shredded and used in any Mexican themed dish. To cook faster keep meat at a low boil throughout the day adding more broth if needed.

Ingredients:

• Giant hunk of beef-use a shoulder roast or another roast beef. You can use cheap beef in this because it cooks for so long
• 1 can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (look in the international section at your grocery or in the Mexican section). Don't be afraid to use the whole can (small can). They smell very spicy (and can be) but mellow throughout the day.
  
• 4c beef broth
• EVOO
• Salt, pepper (any other spices you want to use, such as cumin)

Super easy cooking:

• Heat enough EVOO to cover a heavy bottomed large pot to medium high
• Brown beef
• Add in broth, peppers (chop peppers if you want), and spices
• Bring to boil
• Lower to simmer, cover, and cook forever (or until you test the meat for your desired temp)

Pic from: http://www.mexcart.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=1_26

Product of the day:
Aladdin Snack Holder- This handy snack holder has two compartments for easy snacking. For dry snacks only this container easily pops open and shut. It holds a decent amount too!
Pic from:http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9224756&sourceid=1500000000000003260370&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=9224756

Meals that take all day to cook, but only minutes to prepare!

All of the dinners I will be posting recipes for can be prepared in minutes, the catch is, they need to cook all day. Although you could speed up these dishes by cooking at a hotter temperature, letting them cook for hours will bring out the full range of flavors.

Tips for speeding up cooking:
Follow this order when you are prepping your food

Start with the meat!

• Start heating up your pan/pot and oil right away.
• Prep your meat (wash, dry, chop, whatever)
• Season meat
• Start cooking meat in a slightly smoking pot (to sear)

Veggies!

• Wash everything
• Peel everything that needs to be peeled
• Chop onions and garlic, most of the time these go in the pan/pot first
• Chop hard veggies (carrots, potatoes, celery), keep everything separate
• Chop soft veggies (tomatoes squash), keep everything separate
• Wash and chop all herbs right before putting them in the pot.

More tips for speeding up prep time!

• Carrots do not have to be peeled. If you let unpeeled carrots cook all day the skin becomes just as soft as the rest of the carrot and lends some texture to the dish.
• Only thick skinned (usually brown) potatoes need to be peeled. Even these can be left unpeeled if they are scrubbed very well and if they cook long enough.
• Get a sideways vegetable peeler. If you have one you know that these speed up peeling time.
• Get a GOOD knife and keep it sharp. We only own one good knife. It cost us around $50 at Bed Bath and Beyond. It does need to be sharpened every few times that we use it and it can not be put through the dishwasher or even left on the rack to dry.
• Use the right knife for the right job. Use a larger knife for chopping hard vegetables and meats. Use a smaller knife for trimming small amounts of fat or soft veggies. Chop your tomatoes with a tomato knife, or a steak knife. It cuts right through the skin and does not smoosh your food!

A few more tips!

• Fresh herbs are great if you grow them, but cost a lot in the store to buy. If you do end up buying them (or at the end of your growing season) wash them well, de-stem, and dry them, then freeze herbs in freezer bags in individual portions. This brings a fresh taste to your soups and stews.
• Have 2 cutting boards. One for meat, one for veggies.
• Have a bowl for scraps. An empty produce bag also works well.

Feeding babies and toddlers from a slow cooker

• Cool down all food
• cut into bite sized pieces, or puree for the little ones
• skip the broth!
• Don't over salt food when it is in the slow cooker. Instead flavor once it is on your plate
  

Stove vs. slow cooking

• If I am going to be in the house ALL day I use the stove. It is easy to regulate the temperature and easy to cook it faster or slower. But it is not safe to leave the stove on unattended.
• For slow cooking reduce the amount of liquid you use (check your owners manual) and make sure you bring it up to temp (especially if you prepare the night before and put it in the slow cooker in the morning) on high and then turn down to a lower setting.
• Every slow cooker is different. For the first use, at least, be around the house to see how high it cooks on each setting and how well the lid seals and keeps in liquid.
• If using a slow cooker you don’t have to brown the meat before cooking it, but the color and texture of the meat will be better if you do.

Check back frequently this week for delicious recipes!


Product of the day!
Sideways vegetable peeler!



Pic from: http://www.alwaysbrilliant.com/aa/aspx-products/1-7110/2-57490/SC-Froogle/kw-103281/bb/Ceramic-Potato-Peelers.htm

More posts coming!

You may have noticed a lack of posts this week. I am preparing a new format that will start next week. Each week with have a theme, next week’s will be “Meals that take all day to cook but only minutes to prepare!”. There will be 2 or 3 recipes on different days, one day of information, and on Fridays a wrap up of what Ty has been eating. Check back Sunday or Monday for the first blog entry in this format!

Shepherd's Pie, Rice pudding for breakfast, Teddy Puffs

Recipes

Spicing up Shepherd’s Pie

I love shepherd’s pie. This is a dish that might take a little time to make but can be made ahead, baked right before eating, and frozen.

A favorite of mine growing up, shepherd’s pie can actually be REALLY bad for you. Load up those potatoes with butter/cream/milk, only use corn, and use a high fat beef and you are talking an extremely starchy dinner full of fat. Here are some alternatives you can use.

Meat:

• Ground turkey-this can get dry so make sure you put it on the bottom
• Vegetable protein “beef” style- This stuff is great IN dishes (not really by itself). Try this with traditional shepherd’s pie spices or a little catsup mixed in.
• Ground chicken
• Very low fat beef
• Ground lamb- a little more expensive and a tad gamey lamb is lean and healthy

Corn:

• Using a small layer of corn is ok, but Shepherd’s pie does not really offer much in the way of vegetables
• Mix in celery
• Put in a layer of peas, green beans, roasted peppers, broccoli, or just about any other vegetable.
• Mix in spinach with what ever you put in for a little more green to your pie

Potatoes:

• Mashed potatoes with no butter and skim milk, add garlic for a little more flavor
• Brown rice
• Mashed cauliflower/potatoes (see previous blog for recipe)
• Sweet potatoes
• Thinner layer of traditional mashed potatoes

I am taking some liberties on what shep. Pie really is in this next section :)

Mixin’ it up, different spice and food combos:

• Asian: Ground chicken with a little stir fry sauce, green beans, bean sprouts, pea pods topped with thin rice noodles also with a little stir fry sauce
• Tex Mex: Throw a taco seasoning packet in with your choice of meat, roasted red peppers, corn, onions, black beans, top with potatoes
• Indian: Lamb with curry spices, apple, onion, string beans, summer squash, any other veggies that are mixed with a little curry, brown rice, top with a little chutney
• The vegetarian: Vegetable protein mixed with a little catsup, green beans, ketchup, peas, mashed cauliflower
• Italian: Mix up your meat with a little pasta sauce, summer squash, zucchini, brown rice, parmesan cheese.

Ty’s Breakfast Rice Pudding

This is what Ty had for breakfast this morning, it was pretty good.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/4 to 1/3c cooked brown rice (we had leftovers)
• dash of cinnamon
• Dash of sugar (ty’s did not have it)
• Diced fruit

1. Scramble egg with cinnamon (and sugar) and place into hot non stick pan
2. Let it cook for a few seconds and add in rice
3. Take off stove and add in favorite fruit
4. (Ty’s also had peas in it)
5. Cool and enjoy

This can also be made with quick oats. I have done this at work. Instead of scrambling the egg and then adding the oats, you do it all in the same bowl. You then cook it like a pancake!

Product of the day:

Healthy Times Teddy Puffs

http://www.healthytimes.com/htteddypuffs.htm

These are a totally whole grain (no wheat or soy) product. Although I would classify these as not super healthy, they are easier to grab and more fun than cheerios. All organic, iron enriched, and sugar is way down on the list of ingredients these are a fun and quick snack when you are on the go!

Picture from website above