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.)

Back to school "fun"

The second week of school started today. Between all the BTS schedule adjustments last week, along with homecoming picnics, parent meetings and cross country practice, it's been all kerfuffle, all the time around here.

With this morning's stint in the front office at the high school, and children picking their afterschool activities (one per child) for autumn, I'm finally beginning to get things nailed down on the calendar.

Just out of curiousity, what would this image in a note from your child's teachers say to you?

Would it give you the idea that you shouldn't send peanut butter & honey sandwiches, and maybe try out some alternatives, like almond or cashew butter? Because that's what I thought. (I knew soynut butter was out, since it's more closely related to peanuts than the others.) Found an almond butter my picky little DD liked. She proudly packed up a small container with her apples, string cheese, whole grain crackers, dried pineapple and oatmeal cookies today.

Imagine my surprise at her almost tearful report on not eating her almond butter and apples today, along with a stern "NO MORE" from the teachers. It's not peanuts. If the child(ren) in her class is allergic to tree nuts, then the school has sent out the wrong note. And, if it's just because almond butter is a nut butter, and they're being super-cautious, then... well, actually, I understand that, but they still need to send out the correct information about which products are banned.

In the meantime, here's hoping the threat of bologna sandwiches can change my little girls opinion on sunflower seed butter. I refuse to send jelly-only sandwiches, which I understand some parents are doing.

Constant Cravings

For the past few days, I've been craving greek yogurt (honey), nutty granola and dark chocolate chips.
Breakfast, lunch (except for one day of thai curry), and dessert. Heck, I'd be eating the same combo for supper too, if not for the rest of the family.

Then, this morning, I'm feeling a bit out of sorts, so opt for a slow lope with the dogs, instead of a tempo run. When I get back home, pour my coffee and put together my yogurt/granola/dark chocolate combo, I sit down at the computer to this at MizFit:

MIZ. What do you eat when you have your period and crave sweets. Lots of sweets. I cant do treat days through my whole cycle. HELP!

Ahhh, that’s me (and many of us) to the proverbial T.

I used to think it was all in my head but, the older I get, the more I realize it isnt. My body truly craves sugar during that time of the month.

Interesting timing, no?

And then, part two of the post:

Miz, I’ve heard you talk about active rest and I wondered if you could define this for me. As a former overexerciser I tend to use the term active rest to pretend to myself I am taking a day off (doctor’s orders) when I am probably still doing too much. Suggestions appreciated. Thanks!

I loved this email because active rest is a concept which took me a while to wrap my training-brain around as well.

I tend toward the other end of the spectrum from our emailer and, when I was following a set program/training for competition, wanted my days of active rest to be more the latter word than the former.

By definition active rest is when we do lightlight activity (walking, slow swimming etc) in order to spark the RECOVERY process and not in an effort to calorie burn or tax our bodies in any fashion.

What?! How did MizFit and her readers get into my head this morning?

In all seriousness though, there's great information in the post and comments about the connections between particular cravings and missing essential nutrients they signal, along with discussion of active rest and recovery exercises.

Fun with Fitness & Organization on the iPhone

It will take me some time to see how I feel about these in the longer term, but here's how I've spent what little free time I had over the past couple of weeks:

iMapMyRide / Distance Meter
I keep track of runs & rides on the MapMyFitness website, via another app, Distance Meter. Have been using it since October, but I was willing to be wooed away from it. I tried to use this iMapMyRide, because it is from MapMyRun / Ride / Fitness. I don't like it. It's hard to say why. Sometimes the GPS is funky. Sometimes it randomly quits, mid-run.

It's not as easy to use as Distance, so I'm sticking with what I know. Distance had it's problems, but many of the random drops and trouble with incoming calls and texts interrupting the workout have been fixed. The screenlock feature is handy - really handy. Since it requires a triple tap to reactivate, there's no accidental switch offs when the iPhone is bouncing around in the zipper pocket on the back of my jacket or shirt.

Grocery iQ
Love, Love, LOVE this one. It's so easy to tap up my grocery list, especially when I'm heading to the Farmers Market. Quantities and notes about possible substitutions can go right into the phone, and it's really easy to navigate in the aisles. I can have one of the kids reading the list and doing the checking, which keeps them busy. (I know, they can do it on paper too. But since it's on a screen, there's not even a hint of complaining.)

After shopping, all the checked items can be moved into my history, making the staples quick to add to the next list or transfer to Favorites. I've gone back in and added notes about quantities for the next trip, so when I put it on the next list, it's automatic. Example: Bought flour on the stock up trip. Turns out I underestimated again this month, but not as badly as last month. What I purchased lasted 2 weeks, so I've doubled the qty in the favorites list, to have it come up properly for the next Farmers Market / Bulk trip.

Gas Cubby
I think I'll end up liking this one, but it will take a month or two to know for sure. I plugged in my gas purchase 10 days ago, along with the mileage, oil change schedule, tire rotation, annual emissions testing, etc. In the 10 days, I've yet to use a whole tank of gas. I've not even used a half the tank yet. Like I said, it's going to take a month or so to see how handy it really is, but I like the idea of it.

Lose it
Saw this on one of Apple's ads. Downloaded it, and haven't stopped using it since. I've been using it for a little over a week, and keeping track of food & exercise. I have customized calorie burn on types of runs, based on my heart rate monitor, which is rather neat. There are a lot of restaurant and supermarket brand name foods and meals available, but what I really find handy is the section which allows you to add your own recipes. For example, I was able to plug in the ingredients for Butter Chicken, including the batch of rice and side of green peas, and get a per person nutritional count. (It's 530 calories, in case you were wondering.) I'm not tracking all of the available info., just calories, protein and fiber.

To give the weight loss goals part a trial run, I'm doing three weeks with my daily calories set for a one pound per week loss. I did put on a couple pounds over the holidays, but it was within my "window", 3 lbs. either side of my average weight. I finished up the first week, and - sure enough - dropped one pound.

What's more - this app has made me aware I've not been eating enough calories. For the first few days, I was coming in 300-500 calories below the amount recommended for weight loss. Some days were fine, but seeing the actual numbers on days with 90 minutes of either running or hot yoga, I've probably been slowing down my metabolism. A bowl of blueberries and sliced strawberries may be super healthy eating, but it's not enough to make up for a 7 mile run, unless I use a much bigger bowl. Lose it had me tossing on an extra scoop of flax meal, and using 1/2-2/3 cup of yogurt, instead of just a couple of spoonful. (spoonsful? spoonfuls?)

Anyway, I'll keep using it, then switch over to "maintenance" as my goal after the three weeks are up. I'll have a virtual cookbook finished by then. I would really like to be able to sync the information for my custom foods and recipes to the computer. Not only would I not be in danger of losing all the data if there was a problem with the iPhone (touch wood), it would be nice to see it on the big screen while I'm doing menu planning and shopping lists. After all, I can't have both Grocery iQ and Lose it open on the screen at the same time.

My photos of the screen are lousy, I know. Here's the pretty version of the daily log screenshot from their website. For as much as you're entering each day, it's pretty simple. Doesn't feel as much like work as writing it all down. Of course, it can also be done through one of many websites, but that requires me to write it down too, so I don't forget it when I get home. If I'm writing it down, there's the little matter of having to also spend time digging up the quantities and remembering where I put the paper or notepad. I prefer Lose it.

2009 Grocery Challenge - Week 5 - Farmer's Market Stockup!

I love being in the kitchen after a trip to the farmer's market. Did my stockup shopping. Didn't get a picture of everything together, as the bounty didn't fit on the counter all at once. I do have photos from the couple hours after getting everything put away. Starting with this happy bowl of fruit, right by my aprons. Peaches, valencia oranges, pink lady apples, bananas, limes, avocado - and a bag of dried pineapple chunks, which are candy substitutes for my daughter, the resident sweet-tooth.




Supper! Lamb, marinating in garlic, ginger, honey, red wine and soy sauce. Red and sweet onions, cilantro, water chestnuts and snowpeas (trimmed by little people), ready to be stir fried with more ginger & garlic, with rice and bean sprouts on the side. Sure I could make this from the supermarket, but the snow peas and bean sprouts would not have been anywhere near as crisp, and the lamb would have been older, more expensive, and from sheep loaded with antibiotics and hormones. (Recipe from Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper cookbook.)


Now that I'm stocked back up on whole wheat & oat flour, it's baking time! Oatmeal breakfast muffins, honey whole wheat buns for Monday's cheese stuffed turkey burgers, and bread for sandwiches in packed lunches. Between this and the Lamb Stir fry in Hoisin, the kitchen - no, the whole house - smelled amazing!

I'll need to get a few items at the supermarket, like Very Vanilla Silk and the evaporated milk I use when cooking. It doesn't make sense to pay almost $2 per can at the int'l market, when it's only 87 cents at Publix. (Total reverse of the coconut milk pricing.) I'll post a full list at the end of the week, but here is the shopping list from the main trip:
Spent time dividing the lamb & beef for multiple meals. The turkey and chicken will also be doing double duty. I'm mixing with minced onion, garlic, parsley, basil and chopped scallion - a little over half will be used for cheese stuffed burgers Monday, the rest scooped into balls and frozen for a meal next week. Another plus to the meat & poultry from the farmer's market? Never been frozen, so it keeps far better when I do things like this.

Counting Calories: My new hate/love relationship with food

Odd things are happening to my relationship with food. I used to not think of calories at all, or when I did, in a vague "ooh, I probably shouldn't eat this" way. Even as I was losing weight, I made myself think about healthy food choices and moderation, not calorie counts. That was a couple years ago, before I started cycling, then running. Even a few months ago, I was focusing on food choices and variety, not diet and weight loss.

But now that I'm playing outside (don't think of it as workout - too much fun) five or six times each week? I think about calories and food constantly.

My normal calorie intake for age, weight, and sex at a "normal" rate of activity should be in the 1650-1800 range. To offset the running and riding, I need to average 2,800 per day.

That's an extra 1,000 per day! I don't eat fast food. I don't load up on sweet coffee drinks with whipped cream. My idea of a good snack is a handful of almonds, or a couple fig newtons. That's nowhere near enough calories. So, I spend time each day thinking:

How much do I need to eat today?
I should probably grab some chips to eat with my veggies and hummus.
These miles mean how much extra food?
Will tossing avocado in my salad be enough?
What if I use the whole avocado?
I forgot my mid afternoon snack. Gotta eat.
Ugh. This yogurt's only 140 calories. What can I add?

It's exhausting. It's also necessary. After being in a very comfortable little range for almost one year, I've dropped weight fast this month. In the last six or seven weeks, almost 9 pounds. I think I might have just hit a point where my body was done at a certain plateau, and had decided it was okay to kick the metabolism up, since the increased exercise and food patterns were established. The body fat dropped by a full percentage point, so I think that seems reasonable.

My rings are loose. My clothes, other than running/cycling gear, are loose. My face seems different, too. I can see in the mirror which collarbone was broken when I was 12, and that bugs me. I feel pretty good, and have plenty of energy. (Not today, but that's normal girl stuff).

I'm still well within the healthy BMI, but am starting to grow a little concerned. It's probably nothing more than my body reshaping itself. I could keep researching online, reading the food discussions at Runners World, and pick up a couple books... I think it may be time to talk to a nutritionist. Build a good plan for the next several months. Between the half marathons this fall, then starting an official multi-sport training plan over the winter (duathalon - I'm a lousy swimmer), I'm not sure this is a time for me to stick with my normal trial & error methods.

Speaking of food, it's noon. I'd better go and grab some lunch, right now. Be a shame to ruin my appetite for that three o'clock snack.

Flirting With Raw Foods

I've been a regular reader of Gala Darling's iCing blog for about a year now. I love her perspective. She is one of those people who take great joy in life. From her, I've been hooked into Etsy, the online community of artists and craftsman. It's a great place to find the perfect gift for... anyone.

A few months ago, she wrote about raw foods way of life, and linked to We Like it Raw. I read a bit of their website once or twice a week. Have tried a few of the recipes. I think 'yea!' and 'yummy!' about 3/4 of the time, and 'ugh' the other. I have learned honey, molasses and maple syrup are not the only alternatives to sugar; and how to make cashew milk. (Cashew milk would be one of the Yummy! items, in case you were wondering.)

For the last two months, I've been working on an entry into this way of eating. More veggies, less meat isn't a big change for me. I eat red meat less than once per week, with maybe one or two servings of chicken or fish. Veggie curries with brown rice and various combos of spinach/mushrooms/tomatoes/yellow squash/onions/broccoli with basil and olive oil are regular evening meals. I know those are better choices than burger and fries, but still not as good for me as it could be. Hence, the desire to eat more straight off the cutting board.

I started with breakfast. Sliced strawberries and bananas with a handful of blueberries and a tablespoon or two of ground flaxseed is what I eat most mornings. If I'm up early enough, I'll toss everything in the blender with soy milk and make a yummy smoothie.

Then, this way of eating spread to lunch. Sliced avacado and grape tomatoes (or mango) on mixed greens with sunflower seeds and cilantro, topped with fresh squeezed lemon juice and olive oil.

And now, I crave big bowls of veggies for dinner. Figured this out in front of the meat counter at Whole Foods last Wednesday. Headed back to produce to grab heirloom tomatoes, red bell peppers, cucumbers and extra avacados. Drained and rinsed black beans, did some chopping. Lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, sea salt and roasted garlic. Mixed it all together for dinner. (Photo stinks, but I'm working on that.)

It was delicious. I was completely satisfied, and didn't feel any of the normal hankering for munchies during my evening mapping. Even when I sat down for a bit of television time. No ice cream. No crackers. Just a cup of tea.

Next day, swapped out mango for the heirloom tomatoes, added cucumber, chickpeas and sunflower seeds.

I'm not comfortable trying out a major diet change for the kids. I can experiment on myself. If I get the protein and vitamins wrong on me, I can adjust. I won't risk their healthy development. Chicken, fish and beef are still going on their plates. What I have been doing though, is expand the side dishes at dinner to include sliced fresh fruit, and to pull vegetables out of the steamer a little earlier in the cooking process. They've always been resistant to some vegetables (zucchini and asparagus are great examples) but have been great about trying [barely] blanched yellow beans, orange cauliflower and broccoflower. The yellow beans and yellow carrots were harder to sell than I expected. I try to have something yummy for dessert in the wings for the nights they willingly try anything new, especially if contains leeks, mushrooms or lima beans.

So far, so good. There have been a couple of times the crunch green bean and baby carrot combo have received a positive reception. There are fewer requests for plain old peas or corn. The grocery helper for last week picked up the yellow carrots and vidalia onion for me to mash into the potatoes. And, I'm getting requests to pick up the purple cauliflower as soon as it's available in the store.