Supper Wars: Spaghetti with Sweet Potatoes & Ricotta

Another recipe from the Real Simple magazine Month of Easy Dinners. We've tried four or five over the past two weeks, and I'm sorting through photos to post while I can still remember what the kidlets had to say about them.

The first was the Gnocchi & Roasted Cauliflower, which garnered three positive reviews, one neutral, and one "why are you trying to kill me?" The good news is that all three children have now decided potatoes can be a part of pasta, and have asked if I'll make gnocchi again. (Though only one wants it served with the cauliflower next time.)

This time, Spaghetti With Sweet Potatoes & Ricotta. Stuck very close to the original, aside from making a little extra pasta, since I'm feeding more than four, and adding a few more dollops of ricotta at the end. Knew adding extra sweet potatoes would be pointless, since the two boys weren't going to eat more than one or two token bites of that ingredient.

It took 10-15 minutes to get the ingredients together and prepped.

While doing this, the water was heating for the pasta. Means this

recipe completely avoids pushing one of my big frustration buttons ofsupper-prep, the hurry-up-and-wait stage. Kept busy the whole time, and not just because I was being bombarded with homework questions from third, fifth and ninth grader.

Once the spaghetti was drained and set aside, I rinsed the pot and put it right back on the stove, with olive oil for the sweet potatoes & shallots. That's correct, same pot, which hits another high point of an "easy" meal... less cleanup!

While the potatoes & shallots cooked, I prepped broccoli for steaming, shaved parmesan, and chopped rosemary. (And came up with a 3rd grade level interpretation of wikipedia's entry on metamorphic rock, checked a math worksheet, and repeated "no, you may not watch tv" at least three times.)

By the time for adding pasta back to the pan, along with rosemary and scoops of ricotta, the kidlets were clearing away homework and setting the table. About the same time the last napkin was placed , the first plate was ready for the table.

Like with most meals which the adults like, this met with mixed reviews from the kidlets. B1 & B2 LOVED the ricotta, liked the flavor, but HATED the sweet potatoes. (This is after saying they liked the flavor of the pasta which had been tossed with the sweet potatoes... Ack!) DD was not a fan of the ricotta. Something about the texture when the ricotta is on it's own - she likes it as a filling for lasagna or in ravioli. She did like the sweet potatoes very much, though.

General kid consensus - neutral, leaning toward good-ish. If I want to make it again, that's okay, but could I please not give any of them the parts they don't like. Since this is a little difficult to do with something cooked all in the same pot, TOUGH. I will make it again, and they will eat exactly the same way as they did this time - token bite or two of the least favorite part, then scarfing down the rest.

The recipe in Real Simple says this meal takes 25 minutes. I didn't get it prepped and cooked in 25 minutes. In a perfect world, working in a perfectly ordered kitchen, quiet children studiously doing homework with nary a question, sure. But even at 35-40 minutes start-to-finish, this is still a keeper for easy suppers.

Supper Wars: Gnocchi & Roasted Cauliflower

Real Simple magazine had a feature this month with four weeks of easy meals. There are some things on the menu which don't appeal to me, and many which will spark a dinner table battle with the kids, but there are a few I really think we should try. This is one of those.

"What's a g-notchee?" was the question from a younger child. They wouldn't remember the last disasterous attempt at serving the puffy little potato pasta. B2 was a toddler, and DD wasn't even born. B1 was VERY PICKY about textures, and the experience was so bad that gnocchi hasn't crossed my mind, outside of restaurants, in almost a decade.

The kids were less than thrilled about the stack of ingredients on the counter. I did have two children sneaking raw cauliflower off the cutting board. (I had to pretend to be cross about the swiping, but... Yea! They were eating it like chips, and enjoying the crunch.)

My quantities were a little different than the original, since I was making this for more than four.

Gnocchi with Roasted Cauliflower
2/3 head of cauliflower, trimmed to florets
(I used the orange cauliflower, it turns a lovely color in oven)
12-16 sage leaves
3 Tbs Olive Oil
Sea salt
Cracked pepper
24 oz Gnocchi
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Toss cauliflower with oil, salt, pepper and sage leaves. Roast on baking sheet for 25-30 minutes at 400F.

While roasting veggies, start water heating for gnocchi. Cook according to package directions, then drain and toss with butter. (Original recipe I read didn't call for it, but I like it sooooo much more with butter.)

Place gnocchi on plates. Top with roasted cauliflower. Sprinkle with cheese.


It was so very good. Not only from a taste standpoint - the textures of the slightly crunchy cauliflower and soft, puffy gnocchi were fun. The kids gave mixed reviews, of course:

1. B1 thought it tolerable, but liked the gnocchi, and asked if we can do more with that.
2. B2 felt this was the best supper ever, had seconds, and let me know I could fix the same meal for him the next night, seeing as how there was a little bit of cauliflower left in the veggie bin.
3. DD announced she only likes food with "colorful flavors" and that this meal was not colorful enough for her. (Obviously, this is the child targeted in the decision to avoid plain white cauliflower. She ate it, but only because there were chocolate-dipped biscuits at stake.

From a convenience standpoint, this was great recipe for a night where afterschool activities and carpooling led to a later supper than usual. Start to finish, less than 45 minutes. Easy meal for kids to help prepare, and not a lot of mess to clean up after. With the side of steamed green beans, tossed with butter, the cost per person was about $1.45, making it far less expensive, and more nutritious than any fast food option... or any of the "healthy" prepared meals at the grocery stores. (Plus, I didn't have to sit in traffic for 30 minutes plus to get it.)

More experimenting with presersves: Blueberry Chutney & Plum Preserves

After the recent success with delicious (and properly sealed) jars of blueberry preserves, I decided to try a couple more recipes - plum preserves, and the spiced blueberry chutney I'd seen on Grist.

Along with three of the four pounds of plums and the two pounds of blueberries from my last Costco trip, I needed fresh ginger, shallots and lemons. Followed the recipe on the chutney - cut in half - but decided to wing it on the plums.

Since the plums would need extra time for sitting in the sugar and simmering off water, I started with those. Sliced the plums, then cut each slice into chunks. Mixed in 2-1/2 cups of sugar and set it at the back of the counter while prepping the chutney ingredients.

Poured sugared plums into pot and brought to boil on medium high. Added lemon juice and 1-1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon and brought the temperature down to medium low. (Just high enough to keep it at gentle boil.)

On the other side of the stove, sauteed shallots and fresh ginger in olive oil, then added one cup sugar and four cups of blueberries. Once this came to a boil, I added lemon juice, red wine vinegar, white pepper, allspice, nutmeg and one bay leaf. After it had been at a low to medium boil for 20 minutes, it had thickened quite nicely. Ladled the hot chutney into jars which had been simmering at back of stove.

By the time I'd finished with the chutney, the liquid had been cooking off the plums for about one hour. Used the potato masher to break up any remaining chunks, and brought up to a full boil for ten minutes before ladling into the remaining jars.

All jars were sealed, popped back into the hot water pot, and "cooked" for 10-15 minutes. Once everything had cooled, I had seven jars total, all with the lids popped down.


Opening the first jar of blueberry chutney tonight, to go along with fruit, flatbread and mini-melba toast. Have some Amadeus (buttery) and Parrano (sharper tasting gouda) from Whole Foods to have with it. Just have to decide between a glass of chardonnay or some of the wonder Mothership Wit from New Belgium. (Kids are eating leftovers from last night... they liked last night's turkey/vegetable loaf so well that they asked for it again. Far be it from me to discourage them.)

And, if I've any room left after supper, I'll join the kids in toasting up oatmeal muffins from breakfast and covering them in plums.

In a jam

Blueberry Apple Jam... YUM!

Whole Foods has had fantastic looking two pound containers of blueberries on sale the last couple of weeks. Went through blueberry scones, blueberry oatmeal crumble cake, blueberry waffles with the first package, along with sprinkling a few berries in every bowl of yogurt, ice cream or cereal. This weekend, I decided to try my hand at preserves.

I make jams, chutneys and jellies - in small quantities which go in the fridge or freezer. Have never tried official "preserving" before. Picked up a dozen half-pint ball jars at the local Ace, dug out my largest pot, and got all the necessary implements ready to go.

4 cups blueberries
2 grated granny smith apples (with skin)
2 cups sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Bring to full boil for 10 minutes. Add a small pat of butter if the juices get foamy. Turn off heat and ladle into hot jars. Seal and place back into large pot of hot water. Bring to boil and cover for 10 minutes.
Cool for 24 hours. Check seal on jar lid when cool. If the center of the lid pops up after pressing, store in refrigerator or freezer. If lid center stays down, it's sealed, and can go into the pantry.

All four jars sealed, so we're good to go. The little bit extra was used up right away, on a batch of cornmeal waffles.


Now that I know I can do it, I'm going to try something savory, while the blueberries are still a bargain. I found a recipe for Spiced Blueberry Chutney over at Grist.org, and am hoping to try it out later this week. A batch of pint jars might be in order soon too, as the grape and heirloom tomatoes in the garden are growing like crazy. When the yield is greater than we can eat fresh in a few days, it'll be time to put up jars of tomato basil sauce and spicy corn relish.

Kitchen Sink Granola

In making the last batch of nutty granola, I found a lot of little bits of fruit and nuts we've been mixing in. Rather than sticking with just a few ingredients and ending up with even more little baggies of not-quite-enough-for-another-batch, we threw everything in. Well, almost everything. There were some turkish figs I didn't think would chop well, and I was too lazy to shell a bunch of pistachios, or those would have gone in, too.



In addition to the organic rolled oats, cinnamon and maple syrup, we added:

• English Walnuts
• Cashew Halves & Pieces (salted, so no salt was added to recipe)
• Pecan
• Pumpkin Seeds
• Flax Seeds (only had 1/8-1/4 cup left, so is not much)
  
• Raisns
• Cherries
• Blueberries
• Golden Raisins
• Chopped Dates
• Cranberries
• Diced Apple Bits (added 1/2 way through cooking, as they tend to toast quickly)

It. Is. Amazing.

It tastes decadent, yet is healthy. Had to force myself to eat something other than granola for lunch and dinner.

I don't want to make the simple version anymore, but will, at least until I build up enough of the little ziploc baggies in the pantry again.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 18

Week 18 Shopping:
Trader Joes (Bike) - $19.74
Publix - $15.43
Trader Joes (Bike) - $26.43
Euro. Bakery (Bike) - $6.25
Trader Joes (Bike) - $44.41
Total - $112.18
Year to Date - $2,633.13
Average weekly spending - $146.28

The total could have been lower, but I gave in to a couple of special requests from the kids, like the Gouda w/Walnuts and the chocolate filled shortbread cookies. Oh - and I restocked cashews and pecans for salad topping and granola. Most shopping was done by bike this week. If weather permits, I'm planning to do the same thing this week.


Supper Wars
Good stuff this week, but nothing fancy. The big win for the week was getting zucchini into the children successfully! (Hid it in lasagna.)

Chicken Breasts, Potato & Onion Pierogi with Butter-Onion Sauce, Peas, Tomato Salad
The mashed potato texture of the pierogi filling disturbed B2, but everyone else enjoyed. The tomato salad ended up being all mine. (I didn't mind - I'm a big fan of the tomato.)

Sweet Potato, Spinach and Chickpea Curry Brown Rice, Leftover Chicken
Knew the kids wouldn't eat much of the curry, even though it was mild, so served up the leftover chicken on the side. I think it's growing on them. Or the lack of complaints just means they've abandoned hope.

Lasagna (Turkey Italian Sausage & Zucchini), Salad, Ciabatta
Had the leftovers the next evening, along with salad and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Veggie Stir Fry, Fried Rice

Brinner!
Was just B2 & me. Bacon, garlic roasted potatoes, slow-scrambled eggs (super creamy) and fruit.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 14

Week 14 Shopping:
Publix - $31.64
Trader Joes - $20.35
Publix - $41.96
Total - $93.95
Year to Date - $1,970.38

Average weekly spending - $140.74


Until I sat down with the receipts yesterday, I was sure this week would show up as a step backward in budgeting. Didn't follow any of the normal guidelines. I shopped without a list. Picked up a bit of junk food. Bought bread, instead of baking. Plus, everyone was here this week. When I took off the non food items - vitamins, allergy meds for the whole family, ibuprofen for the post-half legs - the total for the week was under $100. Taking advantage of a few of the Buy One, Get One specials at Publix definitely helped.

I'm starting Week 15 completely out of meat, poultry, milk, rice, couscous, oats, etc., so this week will definitely be higher as I restock. With the kids out of school for Spring Break, the food cost may end up being higher for lunches, too. The weather stinks, and cold temps are sparking requests for hot lunches and cocoa.

A good thing about the lousy weather these first few days of break - I'll have enthusiastic participants in the Farmers Market trip. They'll be completely sick of the house, not long after using up all their video game time. Time on the Xbox360 is earned by physical activity and chores. I'm going to guess that, for the kids, walking around the farmers market trumps cleaning out under their beds.

Supper Wars-

Flatbread Pizza, Salad & Fruit (Kids)
Leftover Sw. Potato Curry & Flatbread
This was after getting up early for the trip downtown for the ING Half-marathon. Nobody was terribly motivated, and we were all very happy with our dinners.

Chicken Fried Rice, Garlic Green Beans

Turkey Tacos, Black Bean, Corn & Mango Salad

Baked Mac & Cheese, Broccoli (Kids)
Quinoa Salad w/Feta & Avocado
The kids sampled the quinoa before I mixed it into the salad. DD is convinced the little string-like centers are worms, thanks to the comments of big brother. (I refrained from murdering the boy in question.)

Pork Chops w/Mango & Roasted Red Peppers
Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Liked the flavor left by roasted peppers, but wouldn't eat the actual peppers, yet. When I puree the peppers with more mango and onion, making a BBQ sauce for chicken, they'll eat them.

Garlic Chicken, Dahl Curry w/Couscous
Cornbread, Salad
Once they learned dahl was related to the lentils and chickpeas they work so hard to avoid, the eating of dahl & couscous stopped. It was expected, but still disappointing. (I'm pretty sure they're not actually my children, having been replaced by alien clones at some point.) The cornbread was a non-dairy experiment. Used olive oil and soy milk, instead of melted butter & whole milk. It was good, though a bit drier on day two than the dairy version would normally be.

Spaghetti w/ Pistachio Pesto, Salad, Rustic Italian Bread
The pesto was amazing. Modified the recipe from one out of the Splendid Table host's How to Eat Supper cookbook. Used the food processor, instead of doing the rough chop, figuring it best if the onions blended with the basil and pistachio. It worked.

It's a fun lunch day!

"It's a fun lunch day!" was the excited cheer in my kitchen this morning. My daughter noticed the fruit snacks (Stickerz) and YooHoo on the counter, and headed off down the hall, skipping on the way to tell her brothers the awesome news.

I'm usually pretty good about packing healthy lunches. Sandwiches on whole wheat or oatmeal bread - homemade bread 80% of the time. (1- Crunchy peanut butter & honey - crusts cut off. 2 - Creamy PB&J. 3 - Creamy PB, just a dot of honey, cut into triangles.) Some days are cheese and crackers, with a small baggie of cashews or almonds, instead of a sandwich. Apples, bananas, grapes, honey tangerines, or dried fruit. Alternate between chips and sliced carrots, so there's always something crunchy. Desserts are vanilla yogurt cups, or home baked oatmeal cookies. Water or a juice box to drink.

I keep a stash of typical lunchbox fare. Not a big stash. A small box of the brightly colored fruit snacks. Rice krispy treats or Oreos. YooHoo drink boxes. Every once in a while, lunches are packed with a couple of these items.

I used to feel guilty about those lunches. Not because I worried about the kidlets eating a little of the bad stuff. I know they eat healthy food at breakfast, lunch and dinner, which far outweighs a once-in-a-while junk food lunch.

"What will people think when they see this?" was what ran through my head. As if a critical glimpse inside a lunchbox could somehow cause a neon "bad mom" sign to appear above my head. (Though, given the increasing number of food rules, that day could be coming.)

I don't know if it's the number of lunches I've packed over the last 10 years, or that I'm finally getting past the insecurity of needing things to always look "proper", but I just don't care anymore.

A fun lunch day?

Yes. Yes, it is.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 11

Week 11 Shopping:
Harry's Market (Whole Foods) - $100.34
Publix - $27.61
Total - $127.95

Year to date - $1,649.75

Average Weekly - $149.98

Lower than last week, but it will take a few weeks before I start making a noticeable difference in my average.

It wasn't a bad week, as far as the budget went. Had I not done the majority of my shopping at Whole Foods (Harry's Market), it could have been lower. But, the weather was gorgeous last week, and a trip to the International Farmers Market would have meant less time to play outside at the park with the kidlets. Plus, we'd not have discovered the additional options for fresh ground nut butters which are not available at either the Whole Foods close to the house, or the Int'l Market. Not Almond or Cashew, as both other places have that. What I'm talking about are the two machines filled with nuts and chocolate chips. We tried the Chocolate Peanut Butter, but have plans to go back in a couple weeks to get the Chocolate Almond Butter. Mmmmmm....

Supper Wars -

Butter Chicken, Brown Rice, Peas, Naan
Tried it with coconut milk, instead of yogurt this time. (Per B2's request.) All three kids loved it. It was pretty good, though it was a bit too mild for me.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Couscous Salad
The chicken was declared the best chicken ever by the boys. Since it's something I've done before, I'll have to attribute the difference to the all natural, free range chicken breasts from Harry's. For the salad, I used a touch too much mint. Will scale back a touch next time.

Garlic Teriyaki Wings, Yucca Buns
Mango Salad, Sticky Rice
Other than complaints about the chicken skin, well received. Again, I think the all-natural, free range chicken makes a difference.

Hoisin Beef w/Snow Peas
Brown Rice, Broccoli
Finally have the onion chop size perfect. The kids are not complaining about the onions, as they're the perfect size to slide off to the side.

Grilled Cheese, Sliced Apples
Left the teenager in charge - ducked out for enchiladas and a movie.

Eggplant Curry, Naan
Turkey Burgers (Kids)
The kids tried the eggplant curry, but I knew it was both tangier and spicier than they'd care for. Had basil turkey burgers and crunchy baby carrots for them.

Tamarind Glazed Pork Chops, Sticky Rice
Braised Carrots & Broccoli
Really good. I think I'll add less tamarind next time, or a touch more sugar. The sauce was a bit too sour for the kids, though they did like the flavor of what had carmelized on the boneless chops. The veggies had mixed results. In a complete switch from the norm, the girl loved the broccoli, and the boys ate all of the carrots.

$100 Grocery Week?

After lamenting my inability to get the grocery spending down as far as I'd like, I decided to change it up a bit this week. For starters, the biggest part of the shopping was done at Kroger. The produce section is generally better than the Publix near my house, so it's the right choice for a week where I'm semi-avoiding Whole Foods. Second, I'm doing the remainder of my shopping in two small trips, one Tuesday, and one either Thursday or Friday. These small trips will be by bike, to either Trader Joes or Whole Foods. It will probably end up being one of each, as WF is the place to go around here for bean sprouts, which I'll be needed Friday night. (TJ's packages are equally fresh, but availability can be spotty.)

Sunday's shopping: $55.09. It would have been a smaller haul by bike, if I could have worn something other than flip flops on my post-13.1 mile toes. (Not pretty.) Took my three reusable bags and filled them all, plus the one gallon of milk. If I managed to put together the right plan for suppers, shouldn't be much more than $40 for the rest of the week.

Now, off to start bread and bake a batch of cinammon oatmeal cookies for tomorrow's packed lunches. There's no room for Keeblers or Nabisco in the budget this week, especially not with this Triple Brownie ice cream indulgence. It's excellent when drizzled with a bit of hot all natural peanut butter from WF, btw.

Update:
In less than three hours, I fixed, with help from DD:
Supper - Stirfried Pork with Corn (Thai)
Dessert - Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies (for tonight & the next few days of lunches)
Breakfast - Oatmeal Flax Muffins (2-3 days), AND
Bread - Honey Oat/Whole Wheat (two days of packed lunches)

WooHoo! Took until the end of the day, but today did turn out to be quite the productive day. Good thing we went for that hike earlier, because DD and I snacked on an awful lot of cookie dough.

Mmmmm, cookie dough.

Happy Belated Yoga Day

Saturday (25th) was National Yoga Day. Yeah, I didn't know there was an official day for it either. Found out from MizFit's weekly poetic Friday post. I was on a long run Saturday, so hot yoga was on Friday and Sunday for me. The belated yoga day was Tuesday (27th), when I had a yoga buddy. We struck a deal for mid morning, mid week yoga. (No babysitting issues.) Since it would be taking up his lunch break, I was going to have to cater the post-yoga meal. No problem.

Three hours before class - Vanilla whole milk yogurt on blueberries and half a banana, topped with two tablespoons of ground flax. Was slightly under four ounces of yogurt, and the fruit portions were fairly small, too. If you've not taken the hot bikram classes, the room is kept around 105 degrees, so you really don't want much in your stomach when you walk through the door into the studio. As for the whole milk yogurt, I know. The fat content is higher, we can get the same nutrients and calcium in the lower fat versions... blah, blah, blah. Don't care. Just like with ice cream and cooking with butter - having the whole version, we're satisfied sooner, and eat less.

The 90 minute class was great. I think I'm finally starting to get my knee comfortably stretched back out from Saturday's 8-miles of unwrapped knee. Yoga buddy liked the class, so much that he wants to go again. If I can drag the teenager out of bed early enough to watch his younger siblings, the early Sunday morning class is probably a go.

As for the food? Lunch - avocado and mango in honey/ginger/lime dressing, with chopped cilantro and celery. Topped with roasted cashews for protein (and salt - definitely needed salt after class), and a clementine.


And, because I'm being photo happy today, supper. Boeuf Bourguignon, cooked straight out of the Julia Child cookbook. Served up the mushrooms to the kids too, as their "try something different" for the day. (Technically, a "try it again, maybe you'll like it this time" for the day. And, it may be working. DD ate not only the mandatory single half a mushroom, she also chose to eat a second. Yea!) Sides of green peas w/butter and mashed potatoes and parsnips with garlic. And, a glass of Cab from Argentina.


Overall, a good day. Looking forward to (fingers crossed) another class with the yoga buddy on Sunday.

Grocery Challenge & Supper Wars - Week 4

Regular Grocery Shopping
Publix - $34.22
Dekalb Farmers Market - $51.52
Publix - $43.70
Week 2 total - $129.44

Weekly Average - $146.32

Year To Date - $585.28


Shopping Lists:
I kind of blew it this week on the whole grocery budget thing. A little lax in general, but here are a few big red flags:

1. The $15 in meat for one meal.
2. Running short on flour, again.
3. Blueberry B Monster Smoothie
4. Ice cream, when I had a perfectly good batch of cookie dough stashed in the freezer.

Attempt at justification:

1. Tried out a honey peppercorn steak recipe with the kids. Tough to do without steak. We don't do it that often... so there.
2. I'll be better about this for the next four weeks, as I have a much clearer idea of how much flour we go through now.
3. I knew I had less than an hour between yoga class and Friday reading at the elementary school (2nd & 4th grade classes). Enough time to shower, no time to fix lunch. The $3 smoothie waiting in the fridge prevented a fast food debacle.
4. It was Red Velvet Ice Cream.

Will be heading over to the International Farmers Market this coming Sunday, for the stockup shopping trip. No froufrou coffee, no crazy chocolate confections. Staples. Fruits. Vegetables. Protein.

For a bit of a lark, here are photos of my haul from two of this week's shopping trips. First, the farmers market ($51.52):

Next, the regular old grocery store ($43.70):


Less than $8 between the two register tapes, but what a tremendous difference in the quality and quantity of food!

Links:
2009 Grocery Challenge

Overall, the plan is still going well. The kids are helping with more food prep on nights where there's not too much homework. As an example, on Sunday, B2 mixed up the cornbread muffins and peeled parsnips and garlic cloves. DD sliced apples for the pie. B1 (14 y.o.) offered his younger siblings loads of advice on proper technique... given his vastly superior experience, gained over his "many years of cooking." Supper line-up for Week 4, with lunch from Monday (MLK Holiday):

Green - Hit; will make again
Red - Miss; try a new variation, or not
Black - Mixed results; tweak & try again.

Black Pepper-Honey Steak
Mashed Potatoes & Parsnips
Green Beans, and Cornbread Muffins
Apple-Cranberry Pie
Recipe for Black Pepper-Honey Steak was from The Splendid Table (NPR). It. Was. Delicious. The whole meal was a hit, except for the pie. Two children were put off by the cranberries in with their beloved apple slices. (I'm beginning to think those two may not actually be my children, but strange little alien pod people, put here to test the limits of human patience.)


Turkey Tacos & Black Bean Salad (Lunch)
Butter Chicken, Brown Rice, Green Peas (Supper)
Kids were a little iffy on [not-so?] mild curry this time. They ate it, but went through more ice water than usual at supper. I didn't notice a big difference, but the jalapeno I used in making the curry paste may have been a bit hotter than last time.

Fried Rice with Scallions, Edamame & Tofu
Picked up the recipe from RunningWithFood. Different flavor and consistency than the way I usually make it. Was tasty.

Leftover Night:
Mexican Pizza, w/meat from Turkey Tacos
Fried Rice w/Scallions, Edamame & Tofu
Butter Chicken & Green Peas (OK, this was just me)

Chicken with Lentils & Couscous
Kids picked out the yellow & red pepper, but I didn't get a lot of whining. I'm going to take that as progress.

Linguine w/Italian Sausage & Veggies,
Cheesy Toasted Flatbread, Broccoli
The onions were chopped small enough to get past, but the red peppers were picked out... again. Halved grape tomatoes, no problem. I've upped the amounts of fresh parsley & basil to get them used to extra green in pasta. I plan to sneak in fresh chopped spinach next time. One likes it, but the other two will only eat spinach as long as they don't know it's there. (Again... pod people.)

Had planned chicken breasts sauteed in butter with tarragon, rice pilaf and salad for Saturday... which was scrapped in favor of a meal at Tijuana Joe's Mexican Cantina.

We spent extra time at the park, playing a imaginative version of space-pirates-meet-intrepid-explorers, incorporating elements from Stargate SG-1/Atlantis, Firefly, Captain Drake (hence the pirates), and the many incarnations of Star Trek. Oh! B2 made sure we knew all of our close quarter battles were with light sabers, so Star Wars was in there too. The playground was empty, except for us. Not sure why, as it was a sunny day with temps in the 50s, but we took advantage of all that extra space.

Links:
Supper Wars

Butternut Squash Risotto

It's cold outside. I have a 4 mile run today, but am putting it off until the temperature hits 40 or above. I'm waiting for changes for a map from a client, my kitchen is clean, and the laundry is switched. I can't pick up my copy of Nation of Sheep by Andrew Napolitano, or I'll keep reading and miss the run. It's a good book. Plus, it will make me cranky, and then I'll spend most of my run grumbling, since I'll be pushed for time and cranky. So, I'll blog last night's dinner.

Modified from a recipe in The Farmers Market Cookbook
(bought at Costco several years ago... or was it Sams?)

1 cup Brown Rice
1/3 cup Lentils
Rice cooked according to package directions; lentils tossed in about 1/2 way through cooking.

Butternut Squash
Olive Oil
Thyme
Salt & Pepper
Peeled, seeded and cut. Roasted in olive oil with seasonings at 400 degrees for 30 mins or so.

Leek, sliced
Yellow Onion, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, chopped
Baby Portobello Mushrooms, sliced
Fresh Parsley, chopped
Carrot, rough grated
1/2 cup Vegetable Broth
2 Tbs Butter
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Handful of chopped walnuts
Handful of chopped walnuts
Cook onion, leek and garlic in butter over medium high heat. When onions start to color, add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms start to fry, then add carrots. Cook until carrots start frying, then add rice, lentils, parsley and vegetable broth. Cook for five minutes, then stir in half of the grated cheese. Serve, topped with walnuts and remaining Parmesan.

-----

39 degrees. Woo hoo - almost there! I'm off to get changed for my run, so I can get back home & heat up the leftovers for lunch.

The Rutabaga Revolt

"It's not fair! Why don't YOU ever have to try anything new?"

This is what I was asked last week, during one of the Try Something New suppers. That I've been alive a lot longer, and have already tried many of these foods, doesn't occur to them. I'm just a big meanie, forcing them to eat unpronounceable dishes. So, I decided to join the kids in the trenches of our Supper Wars.

I took a casserole-roasted chicken recipe I've used (a variation of) for years now, one we all like, and followed it to the letter this time. Instead of choosing to use a few root vegetables, I used all the veggies on the list: potato, sweet potato, carrot, onion, leek, onion, and... lentils and RUTABAGA.

I didn't have anything against the rutabaga, I have just never felt the need to tackle one in my cooking. I'm sure my mom told me stories of her own childhood traumas, probably meant to allay the trauma she was inflicting on me with overcooked, previously frozen, brussels sprouts. You know, after the starving children would be grateful to have what you are turning up your nose at... at least I don't make you eat what my mother served us... blah, blah blah.

Peeled, chopped and roasted the veggies, along with the chicken breasts. Smelled fantastic. People were hungry. Scooped out the chicken & vegetables and turned the pan juices into gravy. Couscous was to be on the side, and I even made pilsbury crescent rolls, figuring I might need a bribe to get them past the lentils in the gravy.

The chicken was fantastic. The potatoes, leeks, onions, carrots - all delicious. There weren't even complaints about the lentils. There was only 1/2 cup in the whole dish, so the kids probably assumed those were bits of herbs and not a big deal. But the rutabaga? Nope.

The texture was about halfway between a potato and a carrot. The taste was about what you'd think carrot/potato would taste like, too. Pretty good start. But the aftertaste? Hard to describe. Not cabbage, but something like it. I ate mine, because I was setting an example, and really hungry. But I didn't like it much, either. I moved the bar lower than usual, and set one piece of rutabaga as the target. Two children made it. Middle child (B2) chose to go without a crescent roll, rather than finish the second bite of his rutabaga chunk.

Not every battle can be won, and it this case, I'm not sure I'd want to win. Tonight will be a peace offering. Chicken breasts, plain old green peas, and some pasta tossed in olive oil & garlic.

I'll stick with my original meal plan, but they can try butternut squash and barley risotto some other time.

Brussels Sprouts & Me: A Hate/Love Relationship

As a kid, I HATED brussels sprouts. I know that's not uncommon for kids, but I had the kind of hatred which leads one to declare "when I have a daughter, I will NEVER make her eat brussels sprouts!"

My mom always made sprouts from the frozen brick. She'd boil until falling apart, which she did with most vegetables, now that I think about it. Sometimes, the brussels sprouts would go fancy, with a bit of butter, or sprinkle of cheese. Didn't help; they were always nasty.

When I was about 20, I had a boyfriend who liked the darn things. Being the loving girlfriend I was, I cooked them. Not frozen. Fresh from the produce section brussels sprouts. Blanched, then tossed in with butter, salt, and some sort of citrus. They were pretty good. 17 years went by without me repeating the side dish, though.

This year, while working on my day after Thanksgiving meal plans (official holiday dinner on Friday, due to Thursday half marathon), I came across a recipe for Oven Carmelized Brussels Sprouts with Autumn Fruits. Pears, apples, fresh thyme... I had to try it. And it was amazing. Have fixed Brussels Sprouts this way a couple of times since then, and loved it just as much as the first.

Late in the week, while thinking about my bin full of sweet potatoes, I read Hangry Pants' write up on colorful food on a gray day. (On a side note - love the She Says / He Says of Hangry Pants! Taste tests of new Trader Joes products, grocery shopping, healthy cooking, and ice cream.) The colorful food was sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts. And I thought:
IF Sweet Potatoes + Fruit = Good Stuff
AND Brussels Sprouts + Fruit = Good Stuff
THEN Sweet Potatoes + Brussels + Fruit = Really Good Stuff

So, I picked up a pack of fresh brussels sprouts at Trader Joes. Cut them in half, and tossed with:
Sweet potato
Carrot
Parsnip
Sweet Onion
Garlic
Apple (McIntosh, I think)
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Whole Grain Mustard
Sea Salt & Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
Brown Sugar (teaspoon)

My daughter helped with the prep, and we popped it in the oven at 425 degrees. 45 minutes later, the kids had a little of the roasted veggies alongside their mac & cheese and steamed broccoli... but no brussels sprouts. I was okay with that.

Anyway, dinner was delicious, and I will definitely make this again. Thank you again to She of HangryPants for the inspiration!

Supper Wars - Week 2

This week went pretty well. Only six days this week. Power was knocked out for the neighborhood on Wednesday, so we ventured out for dinner.

There was one day when I was sure the kids would love dinner, and was totally wrong. Fortunately, knowing I'm keeping tabs on what they like and don't like, they're more open to discussing what exactly it is they don't like, if it's just a part of the meal. Making them food critics and part of building the family cookbook is putting the stops on the general "yuck" complaints.

Green - Hit; will make again
Red - Miss; try a new variation, or not
Black - Mixed results; tweak & try again.

Ginger Chicken & Noodles (Old favorite)
Vegetable Stir Fry w/Zucchini
Kids still not into zucchini. Sticking with celery, carrots, broccoli and onion.

Beef Tacos, Black Bean Salad
Leave out the mango next time, and use mild salsa.

Baked Teriyaki Tofu & Veggie Fried Rice
Steamed Broccoli & Carrots

Tomato & Cheddar Packed Turkey Burgers
Oven Roasted Potato & Sweet Potato Fries,
This is where making the kids food critics helps. They liked the overall flavor, as they're used to me putting diced onions and chopped herbs into burgers. The diced tomato pieces were the offenders. I'll be leaving them out next time.

Mac & Cheese, Broccoli & Carrots
Roasted Brussels Sprouts w/ Sweet Potato
Kids tried the sweet potato & carrots in the sprouts. I count myself a lucky mom there's never any battling over broccoli, so I didn't push them too hard on the sprouts.

French Onion Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Cheddar & swiss on homemade egg bread? Instant win.

Links:
Supper Wars
2009 Grocery Challenge

GC 2009 - Week 2

Regular Grocery Shopping
Publix (1/5) - $75.64
Trader Joes (1/8) - $19.54
Week 2 total - $95.18

Weekly Average - $162.63

Year To Date - $325.26

Mostly produce, dairy and meat this week, plus a few items for packing school lunches. If I had to guess, I'd say I'm about halfway through many of the staples (rice, couscous, sugar, tea). I underestimated how quickly we go through flour. Between bread, rolls, waffles, muffins, cookies, it's a lot more than I realized. Will increase the quantities during my next stock up trip, in two weeks.

Links:
2009 Grocery Challenge
Supper Wars

Supper Wars - Week 1

Working to expand our "try something new" meals beyond just a couple times each week, by adding new side dishes with old favorites, or alternating days between the familiar and the unusual. When I'm fixing something terribly spicy or truly odd, I'll still fix a separate kid and grown up meal, but I'd like that to be the exception, rather than the norm. Tying the planning necessary to keep the kids trying new foods to the planning for reducing the average grocery bill seems like a no-brainer.

Green - Hit; will make again
Red - Miss; try a new variation, or not
Black - Mixed results; tweak & try again.

Pan Fried Deviled Eggs, on Mixed Greens
Kids did NOT appreciate at all, unfortunately. I thought it was delicious.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup w/Rustic Bread (Old favorite)

Adobo Chicken w/ Rice & Salad (Variation)
The kids don't like dark meat. Prepared a couple of skin-on split chicken breasts, in addition to the thighs. Worked like a charm.

Baked Tofu w/Fried Rice (Old favorite),
Edamame Succotash w/ Roasted Red Pepper (Variation)
Figure if I keep putting bell peppers in dishes, I will eventually stumble upon a method of cooking and presentation they like. This wasn't it. Not only would they not eat the peppers, they wouldn't eat the corn and edamame when cooked together. They eat both on their own, quite happily. (Ack!)

Turkey Burgers (old favorite) , Couscous Salad (Variation)
I'm upping the parsley, mint, and vegetable content of the salad each time I make this. Overdid it this time. Will have to keep the chopped red peppers on the side and add just to grown up plates. Kids picked out peppers and ate rest of salad, but there was much grumbling.

Flatbread Pizza
Build-your-own pizzas. Choice of either italian sausage & cheeses or shredded adobo chicken with sauteed onion & garlic slices. You can guess which kids picked.

Butter Chicken w/Basmati Rice, Nan and Green Beans
Two kids loved the mild curry chicken; one did not. He was extremely opposed to the entire concept. Will try this again, but let him add coconut milk, instead of the yogurt.

Pho Bo (Vietnamese Noodle Soup) w/Basil-lemongrass Meatball (Old Favorite)
Big bowl of rice noodles, topped with ladles of fragrant broth (beef, chicken & ginger). Toss in a couple of the basil meatballs, and let everyone pile bean sprouts, fresh leaves of thai basil and cilantro on from the salad plate. Can't go wrong.

GC - Week 1

Stock-up Shopping
International/Farmers Market - $155.04

Regular Grocery Shopping
Publix (2 trips) - $61.98
Trader Joes - $13.06

Week 1 total - $230.08

This was the stock up week. Refilled the spice cabinet, bought organic basmati rice, oat flour, wheat flour, flax meal, barley, whole wheat couscous, and more, in bulk. Spent at least $30 more at the farmers market than I would have, had I not had helpers (note the lower case h) clamoring for dark chocolate dipped ginger cookies, anchovy stuffed olives, large containers of pistachios and 1/2-lb bags of exotic coffee (the $40/lb stuff).

Made three smaller trips to the grocery stores through the week, for milk, meat/poultry, and for produce at the end of the week. (Included the wine for New Years Eve/Day)

This week's spending will be lower. Don't know how much yet, since I'm still working out the plan. I'm on day two of week two, and haven't needed to go to the store yet, so it's looking good so far. I'll be heading out when I get the rest of the meals planned for this week. Only needed half of the pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs Friday for Butter Chicken, so the other half soaked in ginger/soy/honey and became Sunday's stir fry.

Links:
2009 Grocery Challenge
Supper Wars - Week 1

Grocery Challenge - 2009

For one month of 2008, I challenged myself to keep the grocery bill for five to $125 or less. Did it. We cut back a little, but it wasn't too difficult.

Once I finished the month, I figured it would be a cinch to keep my bills lower, without extra work. I stopped planning a few days in advance, and returned to my normal pattern of "what do we want tonight?" I was wrong. The weekly spending in October and November crept up a little each week, until I hit $200/week. Reigned spending back during December, by $40-50/week, simply by going back to planning 3-4 days of meals before heading to the store.

I'm going to see how low I can keep my average weekly spending this year. I know the under $150/week target is easy to hit, with plain old, ordinary shopping at Kroger, Publix, Whole Foods & Trader Joes. No cut backs required, just that little bit of meal planning. But, what happens if I go for the bulk items at the international markets? Rice, flour, oats, pasta, beans, coconut milk, tofu - all cheaper than at standard stores. Same thing for many of the root veggies, which last quite a while when stored properly. Can setting up a vague monthly meal plan for staples, in addition to the weekly planning, make $125 or less the new "easy"? Can I get it down to $100?

We're also working to expand our "try something new" at meals beyond just a couple times each week, by adding new side dishes with old favorites, or alternating days between the familiar and the unusual. Tying the planning necessary to keep the kids trying new foods to the planning for shopping seems like a no-brainer.

The first week of shopping, the stock-up week, was split between 2008 & 2009, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Here's my rules:

• Weeks will run Sunday to Saturday, and I'll be posting my weekly total for the previous week on Sunday nights, after prep for Monday morning lunchbox packing. (Or Monday mornings, after the kids are at school and I have my coffee.)
• After the weekly amount, I'll post the updated weekly average.
• This is only grocery items. I handle shopping for most health, bath and home products during a once a month trip to Costco, Target or CVS. I will include any food items purchased on those trips with the grocery total. Even if that item is a bag of dark chocolate twix bars. (Which it won't be, ever, because I never do anything that unhealthy.)

If you're interested in what we're eating, you can take a look at Supper Wars.