Mexican Breakfast Burritos

For our Meatless Monday meal tonight, we had mexican breakfast burritos from Jersey Girl Cooks. These were so great! Very easy, quick, and so tasty! A definite keeper! Kevin and I both really liked them. Carson was about to go to bed, so he didn't get to try any. I totally forgot to take a picture in my haste to eat quickly and then put Carson to bed. Jersey Girl Cooks has a picture if you really want to see what they turn out looking like, though. I added a few things - some diced red bell pepper, some sliced avocado, and a little guacamole. Soooo yummy!!

Mexican Breakfast Burritos

1 TBS olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 jalapeno, cored and minced (I just used half a can of the mild diced green chiles)
1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (I used about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup salsa (I used almost 1/2 cup)
1 cup egg beaters (or 4 eggs)
1/2 cup shredded low fat Mexican blend cheese (I only used about 1/4 cup)
2 whole wheat tortillas (8 inch)
light sour cream and salsa for serving (and avocado and guacamole)

In a large non stick frying pan, heat oil to medium heat. Add onions and jalapenos (and bell pepper). Cook for about 5 minutes or until onions turn golden. Add beans and salsa and heat until warm. Add egg beaters and cook until firm while stirring occasionally. Top with cheese and put lid on pan until cheese is melted. Heat tortillas in microwave for 10 to 15 seconds or until warm. Add egg mixture and roll up, making sure to tuck sides in. Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Chicken with Smashed Broc-o-tatoes & Gouda Gravy

Tonight I tried out a recipe from my Rachael Ray Yum-O cookbook for chicken with smashed broc-o-tatoes and gouda gravy. I had some broccoli and some gouda cheese to use up, so this sounded perfect. It was so good! Kevin and I both really liked it. Carson ate some, but he's not a fan of mashed potatoes. I had to disguise some with yogurt to get him to eat a good amount of the potatoes. I love Rachael Ray's smashed potato concoctions - always lots of veggies in the potatoes, which to me is so very good! I made a half-recipe for the chicken and a whole recipe for the potatoes so that I have some for lunches this week. This is definitely a keeper, although the gouda gravy isn't entirely necessary, so I'll probably skip that next time.


No-Thyme Quick Chicken with Smashed Broc-o-tatoes and Gouda Gravy

4 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
4 6-oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme (I used dried)
2 Tablespoons EVOO
1 head of broccoli, trimmed and cut into florets
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock (I used homemade/canned)
1 1/2 cups milk or half-and-half (I used 1/2%)
1 1/2 cups shredded gouda cheese (I used smoked gouda)

Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, salt the water, reduce heat a bit, and cook until tender, about 12 minutes. Heads up: about half-way through, you will add the broccoli, so be sure the pot is large enough.

Season the chicken with thyme, salt, and pepper. Heat the EVOO in a skillet and cook the chicken for about 6 minutes on each side.

Add the broccoli to the potatoes and cook for about 6 minutes.

Heat the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour into the melted butter and cook for 1 minute. Then whisk in the stock and 1-cup of the milk. Thick for 2-3 minutes, season the sauce with salt and pepper, then stir in cheese for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Drain the broccoli and potatoes and return to the hot pot to dry out a bit. Mash the broccoli and potatoes together, using the remaining milk to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4

Meal Plans & Goals Progress

Its hard to believe we're already looking at the last week of February. I'm not entirely complaining, though - I'm ready for spring and summer!! :) Although today is a pretty nice day, so we'll probably take Carson out to play in the snow this afternoon at some point.

I have a feeling its going to be a long week this week. I have a full five-day work-week filled with lots of meetings and deadlines and a day-trip to Windsor, Ontario for a symposium. Kevin's week sounds like it'll be a busy one, too, with a few late nights. Though I really hope they don't run as late as some did last week. Thursday was the worst - he didn't get home till midnight. Worked till 11pm. So anyway, I'm sure meals will get switched around this week, too, but here's what I'm thinking right now...

Sunday ~ chicken with gouda gravy and smashed brocco-tatoes
Meatless Monday ~ mexican breakfast burritos
Tuesday ~ tilapia with roasted corn, roasted asparagus
Wednesday ~ chili in the crockpot
Thursday ~ probably another really late night for Kevin, so probably just leftover chili
Friday ~ if I get home in time (going to Windsor all day for work and its possible I may not get to pick Carson up till 6pm - but I'm hoping we end earlier than planned) honey balsamic lamb chops (never had them a couple weeks ago) with roasted asparagus, otherwise, probably just lobster ravioli with roasted asparagus
Saturday ~ maybe something with salmon if it looks good at the store, otherwise maybe a pork roast... or maybe going out to eat with Ben and Kati depending on how things turn out this week.

As far as exercising this week, I'm planning to do a cardio video this afternoon/evening at some point. I'm hoping to be able to get some good walks in this week. Possibly a pilates workout after Carson goes to bed one evening, but more than likely I probably won't have the time for another video workout till next weekend. This past week I did fairly well. No cardio on Friday like I'd hoped, but I did get one walk in on Wednesday and two walks in on Thursday - even with the super cold blowing wind. :)

Fast, Creamy Chicken Stew with Parsleyed Dumplings

For dinner last night, we had a fast, creamy chicken stew with parsleyed dumplings. I got the recipe from my New Whole Grains Cookbook. I had planned to do this on Friday, but we ended up going out to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings for Kevin's birthday on Friday night instead, so I made it last night. This was so easy and GOOD! I loved it! Kevin loved the stew part, but wasn't crazy about the dumplings. He'd never had any soups with dumplings before, and decided he doesn't like them. I thought they were awesome! Definitely something I'll make again - just probably with less or no dumplings for Kevin. The EVOO, onion, carrot, stock, spices, flour, egg, and yogurt were organic.

Fast Creamy Chicken Stew with Parsleyed Dumplings

For the soup:
3 teaspoons EVOO
1/2 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried marjarom
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup frozen peas or edamame
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

For the dumplings:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup minced fresh parsley (I just used dried)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
6 Tablespoons yogurt or buttermilk, plus more if needed

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat 2 teaspoons of the oil and saute the onion, celery, and carrot over medium heat until softened. Scrape them to the side and add the chicken. Sear the chicken chunks, undisturbed, over medium-high heat for a minute, then stir. When the chicken is browned all over, add the stock, thyme, marjoram, and cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer until desired thickness. Add the peas, salt, and pepper. Keep simmering over low heat.

For the dumplings, mix all ingredients and quickly mix. It should be a soft dough, not a stiff dough. Add more yogurt if stiff. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoons full into the simmering stew. Turn the heat up to medium-high, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes. Uncover, cut one of the dumplings in half. If it is still doughy, replace the cover and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until done.

Serve immediately.

Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

I also made up a batch of homemade whole wheat soft pretzels today. I found the recipe on Heavenly Homemakers quite a while ago and have had this recipe printed in my files ever since to try them out. My SIL Mary made them at the beginning of the month and they turned out really well, so I figured it was about time I try them out. I figured they'd be a great snack or part of a meal for Carson - not to mention Kevin and I, too. They are sooooo good!! Carson and I shared one right out of the oven - we both loved it! You can view the Heavenly Homemakers blog for picture-by-picture steps of everything. I simplified by using my KitchenAid mixer to mix and knead the dough - what a time saver that is! I made a full batch and got 18 pretzels out of it. I've kept a few out to eat fresh and have frozen the bulk of them for later. These are pretty much entirely organic, too. Everything but the yeast and salt are organic.

Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels

1 cup very warm water
2 Tablespoons yeast
2 teaspoons honey
2 1/2 cups milk
1 stick butter
1/2 cup honey
4 teaspoons salt
8 cups whole wheat flour
butter
salt

In a large bowl, mix water, yeast and 2 teaspoons honey. Stir this together and kind of mush the yeast around. Let this sit for a few minutes while you do the next step.

Melt a stick of butter in a large saucepan. Add 1/2 cup honey, salt and milk. Heat this to 120 degrees.

Pour milk mixture into yeast mixture and stir. Stir in 8 cups of flour, 2 cups at a time (add more if you need it). (This is when the KitchenAid comes in handy b/c that is a lot of flour!)

Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes. Plop it into a bowl, cover it and let it rise for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Pull it out of the bowl and knead it a few times to get the air out. Pull a ball of dough, about the size of your fist off and get ready to make your very first pretzel! Roll it into a long snake. Then make a loop with the ends overlapping. Then twist the ends again. Then pick up the ends and pull them down to the bottom. Then it should look like a pretzel. And if it doesn’t, just undo it and try again. After you shape each pretzel, put them on a cookie sheet about an inch apart. Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Melt a stick of butter in a saucepan. Right when you take the pretzels out of the oven, slather them with butter (I just used butter spray). Lay it on thick. Don’t hold back. Then sprinkle salt over them.

Whole Grain Waffles

For lunch today, I made up a batch of whole grain waffle mix and then made some spelt buttermilk waffles. These recipes come from my Whole Grains for Busy People cookbook. Its the same concept as the whole grain pancakes I made a few weeks ago - make up a large batch of the waffle mix to keep in the fridge, then you're ready to mix up a batch of waffles when you want them. These were so very good! All three of us really enjoyed them. They have a little crunch from the cornmeal (I used a larger grind) and sweetness from the honey. So good! I made a double batch of the waffles and froze some. I ended up with 12 waffles total and I froze 8 of them. They will be nice to have on hand to just pop in the toaster for a quick breakfast. The flour, cornmeal, cinnamon, egg, milk, and honey are organic.

Whole Grain Waffle Mix

3 cups spelt flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional (I added it)

Combine all ingredients in a large Ziploc bag. Shake gently to combine. Label and date the bag. Refrigerate for up to 3 months. Shake gently to aerate the bag before each use.

Spelt Buttermilk Waffles

1 large egg
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
3 Tablespoons safflower or canola oil (I used canola)
2 Tablespoons honey
1 cup Whole Grain Waffle Mix
1/4 cup sunflower seeds, 2 Tablespoons minced crystallized ginger, or 3 Tablespoons dried currants, all optional (I didn't add any of these)
butter or oil, for greasing the waffle iron
maple syrup, fruit preserves, or honey for serving

Lightly beat the eggs. Blend in the buttermilk, oil, and honey. Stir in the waffle mix and any additional ingredients. Do not over-mix.

Heat the waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. Spray with butter or oil to prevent sticking. Add enough batter to cover the lower grid by half to two-thirds. Bake until crisp, about 4-5 minutes.

Three-Cheese Broccolini Turnovers

For our Meatless Monday dinner last night, I tried out a Rachael Ray recipe for Three-Cheese Broccolini Turnovers. I had saved the recipe a while back after seeing it in the weekly meal planner widget in my sidebar. These were so good! Kevin and I both loved them. Carson had already eaten, so he only tried a bite of the filling, but really seemed to like them, too. They weren't too difficult to make - although I've decided I really don't like working with phyllo dough, it frustrates me. We had these with some romaine salads. I made a half-recipe of the filling and still ended up with six decently-sized turnovers. I was good after having one, Kevin ate three. And we have two left for lunches this week.

Three-Cheese Broccolini Turnovers

2 bunches Broccolini, finely chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 large onion, finely chopped (I omitted this)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 large egg
Salt and pepper
1/2 pound unsalted mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes (I just used the shredded stuff)
16 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
1 cup store-bought marinara sauce, warmed (I used some of my home-canned seasoned tomato sauce)

Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the Broccolini and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water; set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. (I skipped the onion step) Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Stir in the ricotta, parmesan, egg, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in the Broccolini and mozzarella.

Lay 1 phyllo sheet on a work surface and brush with olive oil. Repeat with 3 more sheets. Halve the phyllo stack lengthwise. Spoon 3/4 cup Broccolini mixture onto 1 stack, near a short end. Fold the right corner diagonally over the filling to make a triangle; continue folding diagonally until you reach the other end. Place the turnover on the baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Repeat with the remaining phyllo and filling to make 8 turnovers.

Bake the turnovers until golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with the marinara sauce.

Crockpot Corn Risotto

Last night I made some corn risotto from A Year of Crockpotting. I didn't really make it to have with our dinner, more for Kevin's lunches this week since he loved the sweet pea risotto I made a few weeks ago. We did taste it with our dinners last night, though. It was really good. Kevin likes it more than I do, but he likes creamed corn and it does kind of have a creamed corn flavor... with a little spice from the cayenne. Its not something I'd make often, like the sweet pea risotto would be, but its something to keep on file still, I think.

Crockpot Corn Risotto

1 1/4 cup arborio rice
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 tsp onion flakes
4 chopped cloves of garlic
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
package of frozen corn (16 oz)
1 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on taste

to add later:
1/4 cup heavy cream (I used fat free half and half)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

I used my 4 quart crockpot - this really was the perfect size.

Put the tablespoon of olive oil into the bottom of the crockpot, and swirl the rice and the onion flakes in it.

Chop the garlic and add, along with the salt and cayenne pepper. Add the frozen corn and the broth. Stir well. Drop in a pat of butter.

Cover and cook on high for about 2 hours, checking every 45 minutes or so. This is done when the liquid has absorbed and the rice is tender.

Unplug, and add the cream and parmesan cheese. Cover for 5 minutes, or until cheese melts completely.

Serve.

Spinach-Artichoke Dip

I tried out a new recipe from AllRecipes for Florentine Artichoke Dip for Carson's party. I normally use the recipe posted on Olive Garden's website, but figured I'd try a new one this time. I'm glad I did, because I like this one way better! Yum! It was good! Very simple, too.

Florentine Artichoke Dip

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach - thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used Miracle Whip Light)
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (I used 1/3 less fat neuchatel)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I used 1/3 less fat)
(I also added about 1/4 cup shredded 2% mozzarella to the top)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 7x11 inch baking dish. (I just used a pie plate)

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese and mayonnaise until smooth. Mix in the artichoke hearts, spinach and Parmesan cheese. Season with garlic and lemon juice. Spread evenly into the prepared baking dish.

Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, and let the dish bake uncovered for 5 more minutes, or until the surface is lightly browned. (Mine took longer to brown, probably like 10 minutes)

Meal Plans & Goals Progress

The birthday party was a success. I think Carson had a lot of fun, even if a little overwhelmed at times. It was great to see everyone, but I always wish I'd had more time to visit with everyone. Next time I'm hiring a party service. :) I'm glad the party is over and that things went relatively smoothly. Now, we're on to a new week. I'm hoping to do some extras this week, being that I'm off on Monday for the President's Day holiday and then again on Friday for my flex day. I'd like to try making some whole wheat pretzels. I think Carson will enjoy them as snacks and I'd like to make up a huge batch to freeze. I might also do up some whole wheat waffles - a large batch to freeze. But we'll see how the days go - relaxing and just playing with Carson sound just too good right now. :)

Sunday ~ baked pork chops (didn't do them last week), roasted veggies, romaine salad
Meatless Monday ~ broccolini turnovers, crockpot corn risotto (didn't do it last week), romaine salad
Tuesday ~ leftovers from Saturday
Wednesday ~ marinated chicken breasts, baked potatoes, romaine salad
Thursday ~ whole grain pancakes with blueberry syrup
Friday ~ chicken and dumplings soup
Saturday ~ we'll be celebrating Kevin's mom's birthday by having dinner at P.F. Chang's in East Lansing

In terms of my progress towards my getting healthy/exercise goal. I didn't do too well last week. I did get in quite a few walks - one on Monday, three on Tuesday, two on Wednesday; but I didn't do any pilates or cardio. Just too busy in the evenings with getting random things done before the party. This week I'll do better. I'm planning to do a cardio workout today - I think I'll try my new workout video - Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred. And I'm planning to do pilates tomorrow while I'm off. Hopefully I'll get some walks in on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Although, Tuesday is doubtful since I'll be at a meeting at the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce. Wednesday will be very busy, but hopefully I can squeeze at least one walk in. And Thursday I'm hoping for two walks. Then hopefully another cardio on Friday.

As far as my pop-drinking... I have not had any pop in the evening all week. Well, with the exception of yesterday during the birthday party. And I did not have a morning pop three days of the week. Still haven't cut back on my afternoon pop, though. Its a good start for the first week, though. I'm going to try cutting out the morning pops all week this week.

I'm planning a major stock-up shopping trip to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market on Tuesday afternoon on my way back from Detroit. I need to go through my pantry to see what we could use in the next month or so.

Homemade French Salad Dressing

I tried out another recipe from RecipeZaar for french salad dressing yesterday, too. This stuff was awesome! Everyone loved it and many asked for the recipe. This will be a definite staple for our refrigerator from now on, which I'm very excited about... one more thing to make from scratch and cut out HFCS and other junk (assuming you don't use normal ketchup)! I'll have to work on trying to make it a little healthier (cutting back on some oil, maybe?), though. French salad dressing is Kevin's favorite, so he is quite happy about this. Now if I could only find a recipe that tastes just like Hidden Valley Ranch... I'd be set with my favorite. I like other salad dressings, though, too, so that's ok.

Homemade French Salad Dressing

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (I used canola)
1 cup ketchup
1/2-3/4 cup sugar (I used 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup minced yellow onion
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2-1 teaspoon garlic salt, or to taste or use 1-2 teaspoons fresh minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon white salt (I used 2 teaspoons minced garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt)
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, optional or to taste
2-3 tablespoons mayonnaise, optional, add in only for a creamy-style French dressing (I did not add this)

In a large food processor blend all ingredients together until smooth (starting with 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt and 1/2 cup sugar and add in more to taste after mixing.

Do not attempt to make this in a small 4-cup blender or you will have the dressing all over your counter!

Mix in the mayonnaise (if using) for a creamy-style French dressing.

Place in the fridge for a couple of hours before serving.

Homemade Italian Salad Dressing

I decided to make up some homemade salad dressings for Carson's birthday party. The first was Italian. I found the recipe on RecipeZaar I'm not really a fan of italian salad dressing, but from the taste I had, it tasted like the store-bought stuff does. And the few people that had it on their salads at the party said it was good. I have quite a bit leftover (I tripled the recipe), so I'll probably use it to marinate some chicken breasts this week or next.

Italian Salad Dressing

3/4 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon grated parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients in a bottle. Shake to blend. Makes about 1 cup.

Call me crazy...

But I ordered more vegetable seeds... yeah, I know, I'm a little out of control here. I am just super excited to have a huge garden this year and have come up with some more veggies I really want to grow. I figure, what's a few more?? :) Here's what I've ordered now... this order came from Johnny's Seeds.

Brussels Sprouts - Oliver
Okra - Cajun Delight
Pac Choi - Mei Qing Choi
Parsnips - Javelin
Summer Squash - Magda... its a middle-eastern variety that sounds and looks yummy
Winter Squash - a smaller size Butternut squash that is supposed to produce way more fruits than did the variety I grew last year
Yukina Savoy - its a green, similar to spinach, but its supposed to be even better tasting (no bitterness)


You'll notice there are some duplicates from what I've already ordered. I had to order more parsnips since the variety I'd chosen before are out-of-stock. So if I didn't order more, I wouldn't have parsnips this year... that there would be a travesty! I ordered another variety of okra so that I could see the difference between the two varieties. I love okra, so I know we'll be able to use it up - plus I'm sure I'll have some extra seeds to share if anyone (Mary?) wanted to try a plant or two. And I decided to try out the smaller sized butternut squash to see if it really will yield more than my plants did last year. Plus, butternut squash stores so well, if I store it properly it should last till next February/early-March.

So yes, more veggies, more work for me, but also more benefit to our little family of three. Not to mention, I'm actually hoping for bumper crops of many things so that I can donate them to the less-fortunate and maybe trade with friends/family for different varieties to try some new ones.

Spanakopita

Last night I made some spanakopita - or greek spinach pie. I love this stuff! Kevin and Carson both really liked it, too, although Kevin wasn't too enthusiastic about it when I told him what we were having. He's had spanakopita in restaurants before and hasn't cared too much for it. I've ordered it many times in restaurants and have had my boss, Connie's, homemade spanakopita - which is the recipe I based mine on last night. Connie didn't really give me a recipe, more of a method. You can pretty much alter the quanitities of the ingredients to your liking - some people like more spinach and some people like more cheese. I love them both. You can also use fresh or frozen spinach. I used fresh since that's what I had.


Spanakopita

1 roll phyllo dough, thawed
spinach, fresh or frozen, drained of all excess water (I used about 3 large bags of fresh spinach, steamed down and drained)
feta cheese
ricotta cheese (about equal parts of both feta and ricotta - with a little more feta than ricotta)
sauteed diced onion
dill
oregano
garlic powder
salt
pepper
1 stick butter, melted

Begin by mixing together the spinach, cheese, onion, and spices in a bowl. Use however much of the spices that you like - be sure you taste the mixture. Let sit for at least 15 minutes to get the flavors incorporated.

Then begin brushing each piece of phyllo dough with melted butter. After brushing each piece, place it in a casserole or pie dish. You won't be able to just place the phylly centered in the dish, you have to stagger it on every layer, leaving enough hanging off the edge to use to wrap up the spinach filling and cover completely on top.

Once you have your phyllo all buttered and stagger-layered, pour the spinach mixture into the dough. Wrap up the edges of the overhanging phyllo over top of the spinach mixture, covering completely. Brush the top with butter.

Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

Spinach-Mushroom Lasagna

Last night, I tried a recipe that I found on RecipeZaar for Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna. This was soooo good! All three of us really liked it. Carson just LOVED it - he wouldn't stop eating! It takes some prep work, but it was totally worth it. And the directions seem really long, but its really very simple if you're used to making lasagnas. I've never made a lasagna with just the white bechamel sauce - I usually use tomato sauce, but have done some lasagnas using both sauces. I ended up making a full pan - which I'm glad I did now! I froze some for some quick dinners/lunches in the future, plus have dinner for another night the week, a lunch for Kevin, and have dinners for Carson for the rest of the week. I used organic pasta, mushrooms, onion, garlic, broth, milk.

I'll update with a picture later in the week.

Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna

7 tablespoons butter, divided
16 ounces sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped green onion (I just used 1 yellow onion to substitute for the green onion and shallot)
1/4 cup minced shallot
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed,squeezed dry (I used fresh steamed spinach)
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 lasagna noodles
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup flour
1 1/4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 cup heavy cream (I just used 2% milk)
1/3 cup dry white vermouth (I just added more broth)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 lb jarlsberg cheese or provolone cheese or havarti cheese, shredded (I used provolone)
1/4 lb smoked gouda cheese, shredded
1/4 cup half-and-half (I just used 2% milk)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions; drain, rinse immediately with cold water and then drain again; toss with 1 Tbsp olive oil and set aside.

Melt 2 tablespoon butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat; add the mushrooms and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium and add the green onions, shallots, and garlic, and sauté for 3 minutes.

Add the drained, chopped spinach, white pepper, and salt, stir well and sauté for an additional 5 minutes.

Transfer the mushroom/spinach mixture to a bowl and set aside (do not rinse out this pan - we're going to use it again in the upcoming steps).

Over medium heat melt the remaining butter in the previously-used saucepan; add the flour and cook, stirring constantly to keep it from browning.

Gradually add the chicken or vegetable broth, cream, and vermouth; cook, stirring occasionally, until smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes.

As soon as sauce begins to boil, remove it from the heat and season with thyme and basil.

Combine the shredded cheeses together until well mixed.

Butter, oil, or lightly spray the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Pour the half-and-half into the bottom of the baking pan.

Lay 4 cooked noodles in a single layer in the pan.

Layer with 1/3 each of the mushroom/spinach mixture and shredded cheeses, then coat with 1/3 of the sauce.

Repeat the process twice, ending with the sauce.

Sprinkle with grated Parmesan (if using).

Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350F for 20 minutes, then remove foil and bake 20 minutes longer.

Remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Meal Plans & Goals Progress

I've got a busy week ahead here. My little baby boy will be turning ONE on Friday! I can't even believe it. I think I might cry. Literally. We're having his birthday party on Saturday with family and close friends, so lots of preparations this week for the party. I made the lasagnas a few weeks back, so I'll just have to thaw them on Friday to bake on Saturday. I'll be able to prep the spinach-artichoke dip ahead of time, and the salad, too. So it'll just be a lot of baking - the dip, the lasagnas, and the garlic bread - on Saturday. I think I'll really be loving my double oven with all the baking! :) I had wanted to do homemade ice cream for the party, but I think I'm going to just have to break down and buy some. I think its just too much with everything else going on. Oh well.

Last week, Meijer had organic mushrooms on sale again, so I stocked up. I'll be doing another batch of canned sliced 'shrooms this afternoon. And I'll be using some in a spinach and mushroom lasagna today, too. I don't necessarily fancy having lasagna twice in one week, but I've been wanting to try this recipe for awhile now and figured I'd better do it now with all these fresh mushrooms on hand.

Sunday ~ spinach and mushroom lasagna, salad
Meatless Monday ~ spanakopita, greek salad
Tuesday ~ leftover lasagna and/or spanakopita
Wednesday ~ chicken tortilla soup from the freezer, homemade artisan bread leftovers again
Thursday ~ honey balsamic lamb chops, roasted potatoes and veggies pizza at my parents' house
Friday ~ baked all-natural pork chops, crockpot corn risotto, salad leftover pizza for Kevin, veggie "fried" rice for Sara
Saturday ~ Carson's Birthday Party! Spinach-artichoke dip, potato chips and french onion dip, meat lasagna, veggie lasagna, salad, garlic bread/sticks, cake, ice cream.

So last week, I began working on my getting healthy/exercising goal. I was able to fit in one Pilates and one Tae-Bo video workout during the week. And I managed to get a 15-minute walk in on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I'm going to hope for the same this week. I also am trying to cut back on the amount of pop that I drink. Sara Ross and I figured out that if I were to cut out pop entirely - and replace it with water - that I could potentially lose 50-60 pounds in one year... without changing anything else. That is just insane! I know that pop is my biggest downfall and its going to be tough to cut it out, but I'm working on it. I'm not buying pop to keep at home anymore - except for the special occasions (Carson's birthday) and every once in a while. And I'm working on cutting out the pop I normally have in the morning (kind of like my coffee). Then I'm just left with my big fountain Coke during the day. I'll slowly cut back on that, too. But I think that one will be the hardest for me to drop. So we'll see how it goes this week.

Julie's Soup a.k.a. Pasta e Fagioli Soup

On Friday, I made a soup recipe from my SIL, Julie. It is a very good soup. Its very thick, and is kind of a cross between a soup, a chili, and a goulash. Its very similar to a Pasta e Fagioli soup, but I just have it labeled Julie's Soup in my recipe book. Its very easy to throw together - especially in the crockpot! I used organic onion, carrot, celery, garlic, kidney beans, great northern beans, pasta. I made some baguettes with my Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day dough. The bread does just intensify its flavor after a few days - soooo good! Definitely will be a regular thing from now on.



Julie's Soup

1 pound ground beef (I used lamb)
1 cup onion, diced
1 cup carrot, sliced
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 15-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, with liquid
1 15-ounce can great northern beans, with liquid
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 12-ounce can V8 juice
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 pound pasta (I used ditalini)

Brown the ground beef, drain off fat. Add all raw vegetables, saute 10 minutes. Add everything else, except pasta. Simmer at least 15 minutes.

Boil pasta. Add last, or spoon soup over noodles.

(I just browned the meat and dumped everything into my crockpot. Adding the pasta just before serving.)

Sweet Pea Risotto Gratin

When I saw this recipe for sweet pea risotto gratin posted in Rachael Ray's weekly menu planner (in my sidebar), I knew I had to make it. I didn't really expect it to be this week, but with the lack of substantial leftovers on Monday, I had the perfect opportunity to make it last night. I've been wanting to make some risotto for awhile now and this one was perfect because I had all of the ingredients in my pantry or freezer. I picked up some organic arborio rice in the bulk bins at Whole Foods Market a couple of months ago and it has just been sitting in my pantry ever since. Arborio rice isn't a whole grain, but its still a type of grain that I've never tried. So I was anxious to see how this would taste. It was AWESOME! Kevin and I both really loved it. Another keeper! I expected some complaints from Kevin, having had two meatless meals in a row, but he only had good things to say about this meal. Score! I only made half a recipe, as the original is for 4-6 servings, but Kevin was wishing I'd have made the whole recipe. This dish did take a little more active time that I usually like on a weeknight, but it was still a quick meal - about a half-hour. Just requires a lot of stirring, so you can't go far from the stovetop. The peas, chicken broth, butter, onion, and rice were organic.


Sweet Pea Risotto Gratin

One 10-ounce package frozen baby peas, thawed
6 cups chicken broth
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 pound arborio rice (this equals about 2 1/2 cups)
1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

Puree half of the peas in a food processor and set aside with the whole peas.

In a saucepan, heat the chicken broth and keep warm. Grease a 2-quart casserole and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the rice and stir well to coat the grains with butter. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth to the rice, lower the heat slightly and stir until the broth is absorbed. Continue adding broth in 1/2 cup increments, letting the rice absorb the liquid (about 3 minutes) after each addition, and stirring almost constantly, until the rice is cooked, 20 to 25 minutes. The finished rice will be creamy but still firm to the bite.

A few minutes before the risotto is done, stir in the pureed and whole peas. Turn on the broiler.

Remove the cooked rice from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 3/4 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Season with salt and pepper. Stir the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese and the bread crumbs together. Transfer the risotto to the prepared casserole dish and top with the bread crumb mixture. Place the dish under the broiler about 6 inches from the heat source and broil for about 2 minutes, or until the top is golden. Serve immediately.

Baked Potato Soup

Last night I tried out another Rachael Ray recipe for baked potato soup. YUM! This was really good! Kevin and I both really liked it a lot. I was expecting Kevin to have some reservations about it since it was pureed, but he really liked it. This is a definite keeper. Very easy, very quick, very tasty! It tasted just like a loaded baked potato. I've made several different potato soups in the past, but I really think this is probably one of the best ones... not to mention its definitely the most healthy potato soup recipe I've made. This is a really filling soup, too. I was so stuffed after finishing my bowl. Kevin ate a huge bowl, plus a little more, so we don't have much leftover at all. So I'll be making something different tonight now... meal plans are updated below... I ended up choosing another meatless meal.

We had this with some of my artisan bread. Which, by the way, was SO INCREDIBLY GOOD! We'll see how it goes, but I really think that my Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook will end up being my best investment yet! I can't wait to try out some other recipes! I'm going to make some baguettes on Friday to go with our soup and I'm going to try some sandwich bread probably on Sunday.


Baked Potato Soup

2 large baking potatoes—peeled, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
3 cups milk (I used organic 1%)
Salt and pepper
1/2 head cauliflower, cored and chopped
1 bunch scallions, white and green portions thinly sliced separately (I only used 3 scallions)
4 slices bacon (I left this out - not only was this our meatless meal, but I don't like bacon... Kevin probably would have enjoyed it though)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used 2% cheese and I didn't use nearly this much)
1/4 cup sour cream (I used light and I didn't use nearly this much... just a small dollup on each bowl)

In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, 2 cups milk and 1 teaspoon salt. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium-low, add the cauliflower and scallion whites, cover and simmer until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup milk, then puree the soup. Season with salt and pepper.

Microwave the bacon at high power until crisp, 3 to 4 minutes; crumble. Divide the soup among 4 bowls and top with the shredded cheese, sour cream, crumbled bacon and scallion greens.

Artisan Bread

As I mentioned in my post below, I recently bought the cookbook Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day after reading lots of raves and reviews about it. The idea is quite intriguing. You mix up a big batch of dough that will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You just pull off portions of the dough to make your bread whenever you want it. It sounds too easy, doesn't it?

So last night, I made up my first batch of artisan bread dough. I just did the basic dough, I believe its called Boule or something like that, as that is what the authors recommend starting out with. I've decided I probably shouldn't post the actual recipe for the dough since I haven't found a place yet that has posted them - so I don't want to be the first and end up getting myself in trouble or something. But I'll explain the methods. The dough was so easy to whip up. Basically some warm water, yeast, salt, and flour. No proofing of the yeast. Mix it till its just mixed through. No kneading is necessary. Then you let it rise for a couple of hours, then throw the dough in the refrigerator. You can make your first loaf right then and there, but the authors recommend using chilled dough for your first try, so that is what I did.

This morning, I got up and tore off a piece of dough. You are supposed to put it on a pizza peel then slide it onto a baking stone when you put it in the oven, but I just used a baking sheet since I've never had a pizza peel and I no longer having my baking stone (was tired of moving with it, it was so heavy and I rarely used it, so I threw it out before we moved into our house). I sprinkled a little cornmeal on my baking sheet, quickly shaped the dough, and plopped it onto the sheet to let it rise for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, I was getting ready for work. After rising 40 minutes, into the oven it went to bake for 30 minutes with a pan of water for steam to help give the bread that nice, crispy artisan crust.

The bread is now sitting at home, cooling. The authors recommend letting it cool completely before slicing into the bread. So tonight we'll taste it - I can't wait. The house smelled so good this morning. I just love the smell of fresh-baked bread! And this was so easy, that I can see myself making bread in the mornings before work quite often now - one more way to avoid lots of HFCS and processed junk in store bought bread... and its way quicker than using my bread machine (which I'll still use, for sure, but it'll be great to be able to do all different kinds of breads now!).

Meal Plans

Posting a little early since we're going to be pretty busy tomorrow.

Lots of prep. work going on this week for the big birthday bash for Carson in two weeks. We still have some doors to paint in our hallway and some trim work to do around the door to the garage, as well as a few other small projects - so hopefully we can make some progress on those. But if we don't, its not the end of the world. I'm planning to get most of the deep cleaning done this week, so we'll just have some touch-up cleaning to do next week. So I'm planning relatively easy meals this week. A couple of new recipes still, though.

Sunday ~ we'll be eating a late lunch/early dinner at my Aunt Sharon's for my cousin Charlie's birthday; we'll have misc. leftovers if we're hungry during the Superbowl; I'll be prepping the dough for my homemade artisan bread
Meatless Monday ~ baked potato soup, homemade artisan bread
Tuesday ~ grilled ham and cheese sandwiches on leftover artisan bread, leftover soup sweet pea risotto... couldn't resist it when I saw it posted in the RR menu planner...especially when I already have all the ingredients!
Wednesday ~ possibly chicken cheese-steak wraps, romaine salad, possibly homemade french fries if I'm ambitious... or maybe pancakes since they're so quick and easy... just depends on what time I get home from work and picking up Carson organic tri-color farfalle with homemade (frozen) pesto, roasted cauliflower
Thursday ~ baked BBQ chicken, roasted veggies
Friday ~ Julie's soup in the crockpot, homemade artisan bread
Saturday ~ going to GR for a Calvin basketball game and dinner at Mary's for Bruce's birthday, I believe we're having a taco/nacho bar... and I'm bringing the fruit salad I made at Christmas

I recently purchased Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day after seeing so many raves and reviews about it. It really does sound intriguing - and sooooo easy! This week I'll be giving it a try for the first time, so we'll see how it goes.

I'm also getting to work on my exercise goal finally. Last week I decided it was time to get going on that, or else I never will. I set a few goals for myself to get me started. My goal will be to drop 2 pant sizes by Sara's wedding on May 9th. More than 2 sizes would be welcomed, but I figure I should start with something more attainable so I don't give up. To start out with, I'll just be trying to get a few workouts a week in - I will do a 20-minute Winsor Pilates DVD workout at least once (hopefully twice) a week and I will do a Tae-Bo video workout once a week. I will also take at least one 10-minute walk every other day at work. If I can do two walks a day, or walk every day, that will be great, but it will all depend on my work/meeting schedule since every day is different. This week, I highly doubt I'll be able to get any walks in on Wednesday or Thursday, but we'll see how it goes. I'll do this routine for a few weeks, then will gradually try to fit in a little more. I just don't want to try to do too much at once when I'm so limited on my time at home as it is - I know I'll just end up frustrated and give up on it. Its going to be a major challenge for me to fit in regular workouts when I really only have about 2 1/2 hours a day to do them... and that time is already filled with making dinner, playtime with Carson, bathtime for Carson, putting Carson to bed, preparing food for Carson and his diaper bag for the next day, misc. chores like laundry or some cleaning project, and wind-down time just before we go to bed (which is usually between 9:00-9:30pm - yes, I know that is early, but we get up for the day at 4:00am and are up with Carson at least once, oftentimes twice, during the night).

Whole Grain Pancakes

Tonight we had whole grain pancakes for dinner with my home-canned blueberry syrup. YUM! They were soooo good! I think this will be our staple pancake recipe from now on. I found the recipe in my Whole Grains for Busy People cookbook. Very simple, very fast to throw together, and very good tasting! The trifecta! :) The mix makes up enough for 3 batches of pancakes, so the next time we make them, it'll be an even quicker meal, too. These pancakes have a touch of sweetness, a little texture/crunch from the oats, and are more filling than normal pancakes due to the whole grains. All three of us really loved them and we're all looking forward to having them again sometime soon. The flour, oats, egg, milk, butter, and vanilla were all organic.

I'll update with a picture later on.

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt

In a large zipper bag, combine the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda. and salt. Seal the bag and shake gently until thoroughly mixed. Label and date the bag.

Refrigerate for up to 3 months. Shake gently to aerate the mix before each use.

Other ideas: Use spelt flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour. (I do plan to try this out sometime, too)

Makes 3 3/4 cups, enough for 3 batches of pancakes


Wheat and Oat Pancakes

1 large egg
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk, plus more if needed (I used powdered buttermilk mixed with milk)
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups Whole Grain Pancake Mix

Optional additions:
1/2 cup dried currants or blueberries
1/3 cup shelled, unsalted sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Grated zest of 1 lemon or orange
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

If you plan to keep the pancakes warm so that you can serve them all at once, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the egg. Blend in the buttermilk, butter, and vanilla.

Fold in the pancake mix and any option ingredients just until the flour is absorbed. Avoid overmixing.

Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium heat. Lightly coat the surface with oil or cooking spray. When a drop of water thrown onto the griddle sizzles, it is ready. Pour 1/8 cup batter per pancake, allowing space for batter to spread.

When the pancakes are dry around the edges and the bottoms are nicely browned, 2-3 minutes, flip them. Cook until browned on the second side, 1-2 minutes. Lower the heat if the pancakes are browning too quickly, leaving the center uncooked.

Serve each batch as soon as its done, or place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and place in the warm oven.

Southwestern Chicken Pileups

Tonight I made southwestern chicken pileups from my Biggest Loser Cookbook. Over the past three years or so that I've had this cookbook, I've made quite a few recipes and they've all either been excellent or very good - definitely recommend the cookbook to everyone! Anyway, back to dinner. This was the first time I'd made these. They were basically mexican pizzas. So good! Kevin and I both loved them. Carson ate some plain chicken and other random things - I didn't think this was the greatest meal for him to try to eat. They're messy, but I think its fun to eat messy food every once in a while. These are very filling, too. The recipe says one of these is a serving - well its a big serving! Half of one would have been perfect - I ate 3/4 of it and was absolutely stuffed and couldn't eat the 4th piece. I should have stopped at the half-way point. Next time I'll know. The beans, onions, pita were organic - the rest conventional.

I'll update later on with a picture.

Southwestern Chicken Pileups
Makes 1 serving

1 teaspoon salt-free Mexican or Southwest seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of visible fat (I just used some of the grilled tenderloins I prepped ahead on Sunday)
1 whole wheat pita
2 Tablespoons hummus, preferably red-pepper flavor (I just used regular hummus that is made fresh daily from one of my fav. middle eastern restaurants)
2 Tablespoons no salt added canned black beans, drained and rinsed
Several red onion strips (I used yellow onion)
Several red bell pepper strips (I didn't have any)
2 Tablespoons chopped tomato (I just used some salsa)
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (didn't have any)
2 Tablespoons finely shredded Cabot 75% Light Cheddar Cheese (I've looked for this so many times and can never find it - I just used 2% Cheddar Cheese)
4 teaspoons guacamole or fat free sour cream

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Preheat a grill pan to high heat.

Sprinkle the seasoning and garlic powder over the chicken. Place on the grill pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Grill for 3-5 minutes per side, or until no longer pink and the juices run clear. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. Chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place a pita on the grill. Cook for 1-2 minutes per side, or until lightly toasted. (I didn't do this, it crisped up nicely even skipping this.) Place the pita on a nonstick baking sheet. Spread with hummus. Top evenly in layers with the beans, chicken, onion, pepper, tomato, cilantro, and cheese.

Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving plate. Slice into 4 wedges. Top each wedge with guacamole or sour cream, if desired.

Baked Falafel

Last night we tried out an Ellie Krieger recipe for baked falafel. I don't know if I did something wrong, or what, but we didn't really care for them much. I'm not even going to post the recipe, but if you're interested you can use the link. I read through the reviews on FoodNetwork and some people were having problems with them being too dry - ours were the opposite. They were falling apart, they were so moist. Maybe I mis-measured (or mis-eyeballed) something, who knows. The flavor of the falafel was pretty good, though. The tahini was another story. I'm going to have to do some research into tahini sauces because this was totally not what I'm used to (and love). I added garlic since the tahini sauces I love all taste like garlic, but that didn't even help it. It was quite gross. Kevin and I both thought so. We ate the falafel on romaine salads with ranch dressing instead. That was actually ok tasting.

I think I'm going to give up on Ellie Krieger. I've tried lots of her recipes in the past (pre-recipe blog) and we haven't liked very many of them. I love, love, love middle eastern foods, so I was quite disappointed with this recipe. I'm hoping I can find some other middle eastern recipes to try out though. My favorite is chicken shawarma. I've seen a couple recipes for it, but neither of them seemed quite right. I'd also love to find a recipe for shish tawook. And some other things, too. So hopefully we'll see some more middle eastern recipes here in the future.

UPDATE: I think I may have found the solution to my tahini sauce disaster... greek yogurt! I figured it had to be yogurt or sour cream or something like that.

Chicken with Spinach Pesto

Last night, we tried out a Giada DeLaurentiis recipe for Chicken with Spinach and Pine Nut Pesto. I've had it on my list of recipes to try forever and can't believe it took me so long to make. It is such an easy recipe. It comes together so fast and it'd be a great work-night meal. I absolutely loved it! I've never had spinach pesto, and I really liked it. Kevin didn't care for the pesto at all. We ended up just having some whole wheat angel hair pasta with it, so Kevin ate his chicken and pasta plain, while I had pesto on both my chicken and my pasta. So yummy! I had plenty leftover to freeze in cubes, too. So it'll be an even quicker work-night meal in the future. The spinach, garlic, and pasta were the only organic ingredients.


Grilled Chicken with Spinach and Pine Nut Pesto

2 boneless chicken breasts (I used tenderloins and grilled up a ton of them to have for this meal, plus two others during the week)
2 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (I don't think I used this much)
(I also added two small cloves of garlic)

Heat a grill pan on medium high heat. Lightly oil the grill pan. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

Combine the spinach, pine nuts, lemon juice, and lemon peel in a processor. Lightly pulse. With the machine running, gradually add 1/3 cup of the oil, blending until the mixture is creamy. Add salt and pulse. Put half of the pesto into ice cube trays and store in the freezer for future use.

Transfer the rest of the spinach mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the Parmesan. Season the pesto with salt and pepper, to taste.

Spread the pesto over each piece of chicken and serve.

Meal Plans

Already time to plan the menu for the week already? It feels like I just did this yesterday - this last week just flew on by. Its been a really busy week at work, so that always makes the weeks fly by. Anyway, on with the meal plans...

So, we didn't have breakfast for dinner last week, but I think we will this week. I'm hoping to have that be a regular thing, too. Maybe once every two weeks or something. I figure having breakfast for dinner on a regular basis is another good way to save some money. Plus, Carson is able to eat most breakfast items that I'd make.

I don't think we'll have any new veggies this week, just still trying to get into the habit of working more of them into our diet. I did taste a few brussels sprouts last night at Mary's and Justin's house - they were really good! I think I'll have to work them into some of our meals soon. We'll continue to have side salads with several dinners again this week. I'll be working in some whole grains again this week, too - no new ones though.

We will be traveling (through food) quite a bit this week - to the Middle East, to the Southwest, and to Spain. I'm excited to see how the dishes turn out!

Sunday ~ chicken with spinach pesto, romaine salad, baked potatoes, peas and carrots
Meatless Monday ~ baked falafel salads/sandwiches (never made them a couple weeks ago), roasted veggies
Tuesday ~ southwestern chicken pileups, romaine salad
Wednesday ~ quinoa paella with chicken and chorizo, romaine salad - we had leftovers with salad instead
Thursday ~ leftovers
Friday ~ whole grain pancakes with blueberry syrup dinner at my parents' house
Saturday ~ TBD depending on what our plans end up looking like, but possibly a baked ham, baked potatoes, green beans quinoa paella with chicken and chorizo

Strawberry Pretzel Delight

We're taking a trip out to Grand Rapids tomorrow afternoon to visit Kevin's grandparents, then we'll head over to my SIL/BIL's house for dinner and playtime with the little ones. So tonight, I made up a jello salad/dessert dish to take to Mary's and Justin's tomorrow. This is a recipe that my cousin Becky N. makes quite often. Its so good! This was the first time I've made it, so I hope it tastes as good as Becky's always does tomorrow! I used organic whole grain spelt pretzels and organic cream cheese. The rest of the ingredients are conventional - who would have thought it'd be so hard to find organic frozen strawberries, whipped cream, and strawberry gelatin?? I looked in three different stores (2 of which were health food stores) and never came across any of them.


Strawberry Pretzel Delight

CRUST:
2 cups crushed pretzels (not only were they organic whole grain spelt, but they had no salt on them either)
3 Tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup melted butter (I used about 3 Tablespoons and few squirts of butter spray)

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:
8 ounces cream cheese (I used the neuchatel 1/3 less fat cheese)
small container cool whip (I used fat free)
1 cup sugar

GELATIN LAYER:
6 ounces strawberry gelatin (I used sugar free)
2 cups boiling water
2 10-ounce containers frozen strawberries

Mix crust ingredients. Press into a 9x13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool completely.

Beat together the ingredients for the cream cheese layer. Spread over cooled pretzel crust.

Dissolve gelatin into boiling water. Add strawberries. Let stand for 10 minutes. Then pour over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate overnight.

Top with cool whip and chopped nuts if desired. (I left this layer off)

Panko Crusted Pork Chops & Scalloped Broccoli and Corn

I came across this meal on Taste and Tell and thought it sounded like a good one to try. According to the original post, the pork chop recipe is from the October 2008 Cooking Light and the scalloped broccoli and corn is from Allrecipes. This was a very easy meal to throw together. It takes a little planning, with the veggies having to bake for an hour, but that's no big deal. It tasted awesome, too. Both the pork chops and the scalloped broccoli and corn. Definitely a keeper! We got our first taste of the all-natural pork that one of my best bud's (Sara R.) brother raised. Very tasty! And its a great feeling to know we're not eating all the hormones and who knows what else in conventional pork.

I'll update later on with a picture.

Panko-Crusted Pork Chops with Creamy Herb Dressing

Makes 2 servings

PORK
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
1 large egg white
1/3 cup panko
2 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
1 teaspoon canola oil
cooking spray

DRESSING
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

To prepare pork, preheat oven to 450°.

Combine first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish. Combine soy sauce and egg white in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Place panko in a shallow dish.

Dredge pork in flour mixture; dip in egg mixture. Dredge in panko. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan; cook 1 minute on each side. Place pork on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 6 minutes or until done.

To prepare dressing, combine onions and the remaining ingredients. Serve dressing with pork.


Scalloped Corn and Broccoli

Makes about 4 servings

1 (15 ounce) can creamed corn
2 eggs, beaten
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
5 ounces frozen chopped broccoli

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Mix together the corn, eggs, sugar, flour and salt. Add the cheese and broccoli, mix well and pour into a 2 quart casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour.

Southwestern Quinoa Stew

I've had a total change of meal plans this week. We ended up having a lot of leftovers to use up, so we ate those on Tuesday. Then last night we ate baked chicken and potatoes at my parents' house. Tonight I tried another new meatless recipe that I came across in one of my new cookbooks - Whole Grains for Busy People: Fast, Flavor-Packed Meals and More for Everyone - for a southwestern quinoa stew. It was pretty good. Kevin liked it, which kind of surprised me, honestly, but that's a good thing! I found myself wishing it had more veggies, so next time I'd add more veggies. I'd also tone down the spice a bit - my mouth was burning a little by the time I finished my bowl. It had a really good flavor, though. It was the first time either one of us had tried quinoa. We both liked it alright, so I'll be trying out more recipes with this whole grain in the future. The quinoa, black beans, corn, chicken broth, shallot, garlic, and winter squash were all organic.

Southwestern Quinoa Stew with Squash, Black Beans, and Corn

1 Tablespoon olive oil (I just used a little spray)
2 teaspoons minced dried onion (I used a fresh shallot)
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic (I used fresh garlic)
1 quart low-sodium chicken or veggie stock
1 cup quinoa (don't forget to rinse it)
1 teaspoon chipotle in adobo, mashed or chopped
1 package (10 ounces) frozen winter squash
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn (I added a whole bag b/c we like corn)
1/3 cup diced fire-roasted red bell pepper (I left this out)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I left this out)
salt

In a heavy 3-quart Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion, oregano, and garlic, and cook for 10 seconds.

Add the broth and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the quinoa and boil uncovered over medium-high heat for 10 minutes.

Stir in chipotle in adobo, and add the block of squash. Turn the heat to high, cover, and continue cooking until you can break up the squash and stir it into the stew, 3-4 minutes.

Stir in the beans. Reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking until there is no solid white dot of starch at the center of the quinoa, 1-3 minutes longer. Stir in the corn, roasted red pepper, cilantro, and salt to taste. Cook uncovered, just until the corn is defrosted, another minute or so.

Ladle into soup bowls.

Serves 4-6

The Rural Agenda

I've been browsing President Obama's agendas for the last week or two and wanted to point out his Rural Agenda in particular. I am quite excited about many of his agendas, but I thought this one would be appropriate to post about here, since it will affect our food supply. I was quite impressed with this, as I'd been reading various sources over the last six months or so that have led me to believe he was pretty lukewarm on issues such as these. I think this should bring much hope and excitement to rural communities, which always get overlooked due to the focus on the inner-cities, even though they face many of the same problems that the inner-cities do. Of course, it is partially our responsibility to help President Obama accomplish these initiatives - if we believe in them at least. Most of these will require some action by Congress. It is always important for us, as American citizens, to contact our Congressional delegation on the issues we feel are important (whether in support or not). It is our right to have our voices heard - contacting your Congressional delegation is one very important way of being heard. I encourage anyone reading this, that feels these issues are important, to contact your Congresspeople expressing your views and requesting their support (or not) on these initiatives. And if you are one that sits back and does nothing, just waiting for things to happen, and then find yourself unhappy with the results... then I hope you don't sit around and complain about this or that... because you had your chance to help make a difference, you just have chosen not to.

I've just copied and pasted the agenda below.

PRESIDENT OBAMA'S RURAL AGENDA:

Rural communities face numerous challenges but also economic opportunities unlike anything we have witnessed in modern history. President Obama and Vice President Biden believe that together we can ensure a bright future for rural America. They will help family famers and rural small businesses find profitability in the marketplace and success in the global economy.

Ensure Economic Opportunity for Family Farmers

~ Strong Safety Net for Family Farmers: Fight for farm programs that provide family farmers with stability and predictability. Implement a $250,000 payment limitation so we help family farmers -- not large corporate agribusiness. Close the loopholes that allow mega farms to get around payment limits.

~ Prevent Anticompetitive Behavior Against Family Farms: Pass a packer ban. When meatpackers own livestock they can manipulate prices and discriminate against independent farmers. Strengthen anti-monopoly laws and strengthen producer protections to ensure independent farmers have fair access to markets, control over their production decisions, and transparency in prices.

~ Regulate CAFOs: Strictly regulate pollution from large factory livestock farms, with fines for those that violate tough standards. Support meaningful local control.

~ Establish Country of Origin Labeling: Implement Country of Origin Labeling so that American producers can distinguish their products from imported ones.

~ Encourage Organic and Local Agriculture: Help organic farmers afford to certify their crops and reform crop insurance to not penalize organic farmers. Promote regional food systems.

~ Encourage Young People to Become Farmers: Establish a new program to identify and train the next generation of farmers. Provide tax incentives to make it easier for new farmers to afford their first farm.

~ Partner with Landowners to Conserve Private Lands: Increase incentives for farmers and private landowners to conduct sustainable agriculture and protect wetlands, grasslands, and forests.

Support Rural Economic Development

~ Support Small Business Development: Provide capital for farmers to create value-added enterprises, like cooperative marketing initiatives and farmer-owned processing plants. Establish a small business and micro-enterprise initiative for rural America.

~ Connect Rural America: Modernize an FCC program that supports rural phone service so that it promotes affordable broadband coverage across rural America as well.

~ Promote Leadership in Renewable Energy: Ensure that our rural areas continue their leadership in the renewable fuels movement.

Improve Rural Quality Of Life

~ Combat Methamphetamine: Continue the fight to rid our communities of meth and offer support to help addicts heal.

~ Improve Healthcare: Work to ensure a more equitable Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement structure that often gives rural healthcare providers less money for the very same procedure performed in urban areas. Attract providers to rural America by creating a loan forgiveness program for doctors and nurses who work in underserved rural areas. Promote health information technologies like telemedicine.

~ Improve Rural Education: Provide incentives for talented individuals to enter the teaching profession, including increased pay for teachers who work in rural areas. Create a Rural Revitalization Program to attract young people to rural America and retain them. Increase research and educational funding for Land Grant colleges.

~ Upgrade Rural Infrastructure: Invest in the core infrastructure -- roads, bridges, locks, dams, water systems and essential air service -- that rural communities need.

Artichoke Pie

Last night we had artichoke pie from Greek Food and Beyond by Peter Minakis for our Meatless Monday meal. I thought it was very good! Kevin thought it was just good. I added my leftover roasted veggies (organic carrots, leeks, onions, garlic, and parsnips; and conventional bell pepper and zucchini) from making the veggie lasagna on Sunday and Kevin isn't a fan of roasted parsnips. He thinks they're too sweet, while I think they're becoming one of my favorite veggies. He thought the bites without the parsnips were pretty good, but the bites with the parsnips were gross. He said he'd also have preferred some mozzarella cheese on top instead of all gruyere. This makes a lot. I cut the recipe in half, but still ended up having to use my 8x10 pan.

Artichoke Pie
(Ταβερνίσια αγκιναρόπιτα της Τήνου)

a buttered 13X9X2" bakiing dish
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large onions, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 large loaf of rustic bread, crust removed & cut into thick slices
2 tsp. of fresh thyme
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
approx. dozen artichoke hearts, cut into bite-sized pieces, poached if fresh (I used the canned ones)
1 1/2 grated Graviera cheese (Gruyere is fine)
3 cups of Bechamel Sauce (or 1/2 of Peter's recipe - see below)
thyme sprigs for garnish

Melt the olive oil in a large skillet and add your onions and garlic and saute over medium-low heat for about 20-30 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add your fresh thyme and season with salt and pepper. Allow to cool and set aside.

Pre-heat your oven to 400F. Now make your Bechamel sauce as per my instructions with the 1 cup of grated Graviera and set aside and keep warm.

Spoon some Bechamel Sauce on the bottom of the baking dish and lay your first layer of bread slices. Now spoon half of your sauteed onions over the bread, followed by half the artichoke pieces, some Bechamel sauce and some grated cheese. Repeat with the remaining ingredients in the same order.

Bake until tender and the top is golden-brown, about 30-40 minutes. Allow to cool slightly, slice into portioned squares and serve.

Bechamel Sauce

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
5 cups of warm milk, no lighter than 2%
4 eggs
3/4 cup of Kefalotiri or Romano cheese (I used parmesan b/c that's what I had)
salt to taste
pinch of grated nutmeg

Put the butter in a pot to melt. Add the flour, stirring quickly with a wooden spoon to prevent lumps from forming. Stir & cook the flour/butter mixture to a golden color.

Pour in the milk while stirring and then and salt to taste, stirring the mixture constantly. When it thickens, turn off the heat and add your cheese and slowly pour in your eggs, continue stirring.

Add your nutmeg and stir.

Roasted Garlic Balsamic Vinaigrette and Spelt Pasta

I whipped up a batch of homemade salad dressing for the first time this afternoon. One of my best buds Jaime posted the recipe on her blog last week. She found it in Self magazine. It sounded delish and in my attempts at making more of our food from scratch and buying less processed foods, I decided to give it a try. (I'll also be giving the second recipe in her post a try, so look for that in the weeks to come.) I roasted the garlic while I was roasting my veggies for my veggie lasagna for Carson's birthday party. Then once the garlic had cooled awhile, I threw everything into the food processor and voila! Homemade salad dressing! I stuck it in the refrigerator for a bit until dinnertime when I could try it out on my salad of organic baby greens/carrots/cucumber/feta and conventional bell pepper. It was fabulous! A warning, though, you don't need a lot of it, as it's pretty strong. I put a little too much on my salad and had a slightly burning nose by the end of dinner. :) The bites with just a touch of dressing on it were great, though. Definitely a keeper and something I'll make on a regular basis! I used some organic balsamic vinegar that I picked up at Better Health, and organic garlic and honey.

Roasted Garlic–Balsamic Vinaigrette
From the November 2008 Issue of Self
Makes 1/2 cup

1/2 head garlic
1/2 teaspoon honey mustard
1/2 teaspoon honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 400°. Slice 1 inch off top of garlic, exposing cloves; wrap in foil and roast until soft and fragrant, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool slightly. Squeeze cloves into a mini-chopper or food processor. Add remaining ingredients and 2 tbsp warm water; blend until smooth. Refrigerate up to 7 days.

The skinny: 43 calories per tbsp, 3.4 g fat (0.5 g saturated), 3.2 g carbs, 0.1 g fiber, 0.2 g protein

Spelt Pasta

I picked up some organic VitaSpelt whole grain spelt penne at Better Health last week. I've never tried spelt pasta, but had heard that it is good. So I decided to give it a try to further my attempt at working more whole grains into our diet by having it with some of my homemade meat sauce. And even better, VitaSpelt pasta is made right in Okemos, so its a local food, too! This was a very good pasta. We didn't really notice a different taste or texture or anything. It held up well during the cooking process, too. Definitely an easy way to work in more whole grains.