No Promises

I want to say that I am really going to make this blog work. I want to promise that as school starts and we get back on schedule I will regularly share fabulous recipes. But, the past proves that I would likely just be lying.

However, I do have good intentions, which my husband would readily remind me pave the road to you-know-where. But, intentions are the best I can do for now.

I have been thinking a lot about simplifying my life. About re-creating order and schedules and predictability. And, I have a plan.

So, for what it is worth, this is how I am going to try to approach meals over the next year.

Breakfasts:
We do not do cereal at our house, in an attempt to force the eating of more nutritious and less sugar-laden foods. Except on Sunday.

Borrowing from my mom, when Jeffrey was put in the bishopric and church moved to 9am, I gave in. Every Sunday morning I bribe my kids to put on their church clothes and submit to having a hair-do with the promise of a massive bowl of sugared cereal. Captain Crunch was the fare today. They get all they want this one day a week. And, it seems to work.

Otherwise, we have some simple staples for breakfast: scrambled eggs, whole wheat mini-bagels, soy sausage and bagel sandwiches, french toast with wheat bread and fruit, fruit smoothies and toast, yogurt and granola. That is pretty much it, just depends on how long we have and what mood I am in.

Lunches:
During the school year, I pack Mia a lunch most days (at least that is a goal), so I try to stay stocked up on stuff for sandwiches, all natural apple sauce or fruit leather, carrots, apples, or other fruits, crackers and cheese sticks, etc. For me and Maggie, we alternate with PB&J, quesadillas, and Mac and Cheese. Sometimes, I just have what she does, often I eat left-overs from dinner.

Dinners:
These are the meals that require some planning. Since almost every night of the week Jeffrey or I has a commitment, and since we are looking at adding in soccer and piano lessons in the afternoons this fall, I have been thinking about how to simplify dinner planning and prep. My strategy is two-fold:

1- Prepare as much food as possible in advance at lunch time. Then, wait to do the final dinner prep when Jeffrey is home to help with the kids. This allows me to give uninterrupted attention when Mia gets home or even go somewhere and still get dinner on the table. It also means that maybe I can avoid the witching hour when everyone in my house seems to be out of control. We will see how it actually works....

2- Use a schedule. This is what I came up with:
Sunday - Crockpot.
Anything that I can prep on Saturday, put on in advance, and then have less work to do after church will work. I love things that go with rice as I can put it in the rice cooker in advance as well. Super easy.

Monday - Pizza.
If I make dough every Monday afternoon, and chop any toppings, then this becomes a collaborative family-meal that the kids can look forward to and participate in in connection with Family Home Evening. We will try all types of pizza: BBQ chicken, goat cheese and peppers, mexican, I don't know. But, pizza every Monday sounds great to me. And, the kids will eat it. With whole wheat, homemade crust and lost of veggies, not a bad meal.

Tuesday - Soup.
I LOVE soups. But, just saying that every Tuesday I will make some soup simplifies things. Also, Jeffrey has meetings this night and this can be served and cleaned up really easily on my own.

Wednesday - Salad.
Some type of salad. Cobb, Taco, BBQ chicken, pasta, chicken, Asian, the possibilities are endless. Great thing is, I have to go out every Wednesday, but this can be ENTIRELY prepped in advance and the dressing just added at the end. Plus, it is good for you. If only I can convince my kids to eat the lettuce in addition to the toppings.

Thursday - Other.
This is the night to try something new or varied. It seems quite simple to come up with a new dish or favorite other one for just this one night. We will see what unfolds.

Friday - Eat out.
Every Friday Jeffrey is going to get off work early and the plan is to take the kids swimming, or on another outing, when Mia gets home from school. So, Friday night we take the kids out. It is a reward. Then, when they go to bed, we get take-out and watch the shows we have DVR'd during the week or a Netflix movie. Ahhhh. I love Fridays.

Saturday - Date Night.
At least, that is the hope. So long as something else doesn't come up. And, my kids can tell you what having a babysitter means. It's mac and cheese time at the Merchants.

That's it. Somehow, the structure makes it all seem more manageable. If, I am really successful, it will mean that I will have a variety of recipes to share at the end of each week. But, as I said, no promises.

Keep tuned for next week's ideas on shopping and food management.

Chicken and Rice Salad

This is on our meal plan for this week. It is easy, yummy, and filling. Plus I love these type of salad as the entire meal recipes for summer. Give it a try...

Chicken & Rice Salad

Mix Together:
2 T brown sugar
1 tsp salt
3 T vegetable oil
1 T apple cider vinegar

Pour Over:
4 c cooked rice
4 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 can crushed pineapple

Let sit several hours and add:
1 c celery
½ c red pepper
¼ c green pepper
1 can mandarin oranges
¾ c cashew halves
½ c light mayo

Mix and serve.

Red Lentil Soup

Okay, I know, I have done WAY too little to make this a useful recipe site.

But, I am going to try to do better. Beginning now.

My goal is to share one recipe that I have tried each week.

This is one I tried last summer, but I think it improved on my latest effort.

Lentils are fabulous. They are so healthy, a great source of protein and cook up really fast. So, try this out. Next week I plan to work on a recipe that I put together before for Greek lentil salad. So, we will see how that goes.

I served this soup with pita bread and strawberries for a well-rounded meal. Let me know how you enjoy it.

Saute in 1 tsp of olive oil:
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped

When the onion is soft, add:
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 c carrots, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Cook the above for a couple of minutes and then add:
1 pound red lentils
6 c water
2 cubes of chicken bullion (or for a vegetarian option you could substitute vegetable stock for a couple of cups of water)

Cook for about 20 minutes until the lentils and vegetable are soft.
You can serve as is, or if you want a creamier soup (that also hides the vegetables) pour it into the blender and puree the entire soup before serving, as I did.

Top with chopped, fresh spinach and dill-infused Greek yogurt. (I used about a tsp of fresh dill in about a cup of Greek yogurt -- you could also use traditional plain yogurt.)

Squash Soup

This was the improvised dinner at our house tonight and so easy and good. Just one recipe this time, but enjoy!

Saute in 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 tsp white cooking wine:
1 white onion, chopped
1 1/2 green apples, peeled and chopped

Add:
1 bag butternut squash (I bought this squash which is peeled and cubed at Costco today --which is what made the soup so very easy. It is probably the equivalent of 1-2 butternut squashes, peeled, seeded, and cubed.)

Cover with 8 cups of water and add 5 chicken bullion cubes.
Cook until everything is soft and tender.

Drain most of the water, leaving about 3/4 c liquid, and transfer to blender. Puree until smooth in batches.

Return to large pot and add 1 can evaporated milk, 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Heat through, stirring well, and serve.

Soups, Part One

I love soup, especially in autumn. I have many recipes to share, but I thought I would start with four that we have had at home over the past few weeks. One thing I love about soup, is that it is a great way to get my kids to eat lots of vegetables. The minestrone soup is a complete meal on its own. And, even Maggie my finicky eater, loved the cauliflower soup. With a little bread and a salad or cut up fruit (it is the time for apples and pears as well, you know) it is an easy and satisfying meal!

Minestrone Soup
Saute in 2 tsp olive oil:
2 cloves garlic
1 onion, diced
½ lb mild Italian sausage

Add:
½ head cauliflower, chopped
2 medium sized zucchinis, chopped
2-3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 c fresh or frozen green beans
2 small yellow squash, chopped
1/4 head of green cabbage, chopped (sometimes I add a cup of baby spinach leaves instead)

Add:
¼ c red cooking wine
3-4 c water and 3-4 cubes beef bullion
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can kidney beans

Bring to boil and reduce heat to robust simmer. Cook for 45 minutes, adding small shell pasta the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Carrot Soup
Saute in olive oil:
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 inch piece of ginger, minced

Add:
1 medium bag of baby carrots
water to cover carrots and 5-6 chicken bullion cubes

Bring water to boil, reduce to medium heat and cook until carrots are very soft
Pour into blender and purée
Return to pan and add 2 cans evaporated milk
Heat through and serve

Cauliflower Soup
2 heads cauliflower, chopped
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 c water and 6 chicken bullion cubes
Place all ingredients in large soup pan and bring to boil
Cook until cauliflower is very soft
Pour into blender and puree until smooth

Return to pan and add :
1 can evaporated milk
1/3 c grated parmesan cheese

Cook on medium for 5- 10 minutes and serve

French Onion Soup
Saute in 2 tsp olive oil:
4 c sweet onion, vertically sliced
4 c red onions, vertically sliced

Cook for 5 minutes, then add:
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp salt

Reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently

Add:
¼ c cooking wine
8 c beef broth (I use water and beef bullion cubes)
¼ tsp fresh chopped thyme

Cover and simmer 2 hours

Scoop into individual crocks and add to each crock:
1 – 1 inch slice of French bread
1 slice of Swiss or Jarlsburg cheese

Broil in oven 2 minutes, or until cheese is toasted.

Long Awaited Recipes

So, I thought when I set this page up I would regularly share recipes and meal ideas. However, then I got pregnant and sick and stopped cooking. Now that I am trying to prepare food for my family again, I have a back-log of promised recipes. I will not post everything at once -- I am not sure that would be very helpful. But, here are two hits at our house that you can try over the next week, and then I will try to share more.

Kindly posted for Jeffrey's co-workers, who he said may soon begin to believe I don't actually exist!

Spaghetti and Meatballs
This is Mia's favorite meal and what she requested for her birthday last year. I found this recipe on-line and have made only a few modifications. It is not too tough, and turns out really good.

Meatballs
1 lb extra-lean ground beef (I buy the least fat that I can find at the store)
2 slices of bread, broken into small pieces (I even use whole wheat which is what I always have on hand)
1/3 - 1/2 c plain bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (I use an Emeril blend that I found at the store)
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Mix all of the ingredients together, I usually just use my hand, and then form into small balls about 1-1 1/2 inch in diameter. Cook in 1-2 Tbsp olive oil that has been heated over medium heat rolling frequently until all browned. Add to sauce and reserve oil and drippings to cook garlic and onion for sauce.

Sauce
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes (I puree mine since Jeffrey will not eat anything with tomato chunks)
1 can (28 ounces) tomato sauce
3 ounces tomato paste
1 c water
1/2 Tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (I again use the Emeril blend)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp parsley
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped

Combine tomato products and water in large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add seasoning and cheese and stir. Add meatballs to sauce. Saute onion and garlic clove in left-over oil and drippings from cooking meatballs. Once cooked through, add 1/4 c water to pan, swish around and add all of the contents into the simmering sauce. Stir well and let the sauce simmer for 1-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

I serve this over whole wheat spaghetti noodles with a green salad. We always love the left-overs from this meal (I think this recipe can serve our family of four -- not including Maggie who prefers her noodles plain -- for 2-3 meals.) When you tire of noodles and still have some sauce and meatballs left, I think they would make an awesome sub sandwich, heated in the oven with some provolone cheese.

Oatmeal Cookies
1 c white sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c oil (you can use any vegetable oil, but I like coconut oil the best -- good for you and a great flavor!)
2 eggs
1 1/2 c flour (I always use wheat flour that I have ground from soft white wheat -- more nutritional and in these it tastes great!)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
3 c oats (I like thicker oats -- not the instant variety)
1 c coconut
1 c dried cranberries
3/4 c white chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla

Bake at 350 for 15 minutes

These are my Dad's favorite cookies (with regular raisins and no chocolate) and one of my favorite recipes to adjust a bit. They are good with just chocolate chips and no fruit. It is also yummy if you substitute butter for the oil, blend the oatmeal to make it a fine flour, and then use semi-sweet chocolate chips rather than white and toffee chips instead of cranberries. Enjoy!

Gel Stain

Warning: This is not a recipe. Dont' try to eat it. In fact, it may not belong in this section, but since I billed this blog as a place to share creative ideas, it seemed appropriate.

This last week I tried a new product: gel stain. I had seen it used on some HGTV show and thought, "Why not give it a try?" Prior to using this my bathroom cabinets were the typical 80's oak -- orange tone and shiny surface. I did NO prep work. I did not sand, prime, or strip the cabinets. I painted three coats of walnut gel stain on them just how they were, and I honestly cannot believe the result.

I did not think it was possible for my cabinets to look like this. In addition, I had been putting off doing anything to them because I was afraid it would require days of prep work. This was amazing, fast, and easy. Honestly, I think the end result could not have been closer to what I had hoped.