Crock-pot Vegetarian Chili

Ahhhh, fall.  My favourite season.  Now that I can feel the crispness in the air, I can pull out my cozy sweaters and beautiful fall scarves.  It is also the perfect time of year to make chili.

Vegetarian Chili

I love that I can throw the ingredients into my CrockPot the night before, and I have lunch for the next day.  And the smell when I walk into the kitchen is amazing.

I got the original recipe from "The Yummy Mummy Kitchen" cookbook, which I picked up from the library last week.

Vegetarian Chili

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrots, chopped

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp Epicure Louisiana Hot n Spicy (or you could use chili powder)

1 tsp cumin (this is important...it really improves the flavour!)

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 tbsl tomato paste

28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with herbs & spices in juice

3 cups vegetable broth (I used my homemade stuff using vegetable scraps)

1.5 C cooked kidney beans, drained and rinsed (or use 1 can)

1.5 C cooked black beans, drained and rinsed (or use 1 can)

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a crock-pot.  Cook for 8-12 hours on low.

Meal Plan for the Week:
Sunday: Vegetarian Chili
Monday: Chili Leftovers
Tuesday: Honey Curried Vegetables over brown rice
Wednesday: Stirfry over leftover brown rice
Thursday: Spaghetti with tomato sauce w/ veg and black beans
Friday: Shepherd's Pie (made with sweet potatoes)
Saturday: Leftovers

Shrimp Pesto Pasta

Typically, my family eats vegetarian at home, but I will occasionally make a dish with seafood or fish.  I got this recipe while I was staying with my sister-in-law.  When she said she was making Shrimp Pesto, I thought "there's no way Peanut is going to like this"...but to my surprise, it was a BIG hit!  Shrimp was on sale last week, so I bought a big bag and thought I'd give it a try.

Shrimp Pesto Pasta

Shrimp Pesto Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pkg whole wheat pasta (I used rotini, but penne would be great too)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 large tomato, diced, liquid drained

20-25 shrimp: raw, peeled

4-5 tbsp pesto sauce (I used Classico brand, but you could use the store brand or make your own)

salt and pepper to taste

Parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions:

Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan.  Add onion, and cook until soft.

When onion is soft, add chopped tomato and shrimp.  Cook, stirring frequently, until shrimp is opaque (about 5-6 min).  Don't overcook the shrimp, or else it can get rubbery.

Once the shrimp is cooked, add the pesto, and the salt and pepper to taste. Stir it around to warm it up.

Toss the shrimp pesto with the noodles, and serve immediately.  Top with grated Parmesan cheese if you'd like.  

Rainbow Crayon Disaster

Peanut's crayons kept breaking, and we also left a couple out in the sun...which reminded me of this: rainbow crayon hearts.

So, I thought I'd give it a try.

It started out pretty well...

pretty crayon bits in silicone tray

I looked into the oven, and the meltedy bits looked so lovely and blended together.

And then I tried to take them OUT of the oven.  And with grace that only I can master, I tripped, and spilled swirly wax all over the place...'cause I'm awesome like that.

abstract art in my toaster oven

Then, in my infinite wisdom (while panicking about hot wax pouring all over the place), I set the tray on a wire rack.  Remember how the tray was made of silicone?  Did you know that silicone is NOT firm, and when hot, and full of hot wax, it can REALLY bend???  Well, it did...so, now I no longer have a useable silicone ice cube tray.

it's a little warped

But, alas, all was not lost, and I was actually able to salvage a few somewhat useable rainbow crayons...which will probably get left out in the sun to become yet another rainbow puddle (as seen above).

after all of this...peanut will probably just want to eat them anyway

The end.

Pumpkin Carrot Muffins

I just made THE BEST MUFFINS EVER.  They turned out so nicely - moist, flavourful, fluffy :)  I got the recipe here.  The original recipe only makes 6 muffins, so I doubled it, but kept all of the ingredients the same.  Oh, and I increased the cooking time (mine were definitely not done after 14 minutes).  Next time I might consider using applesauce instead of oil, and possibly throwing in some flax seed (or using a "flax egg" instead of eggs).  But then again, maybe I should just not mess with a good thing!

Pumpkin Carrot Muffins

Here's the recipe:

Pumpkin Carrot Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin
2/3 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup grated carrots
1.5 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Beat together pumpkin, brown sugar, oil and egg. 

Add in carrots. 

In a separate bowl, blend together flour, salt, soda, baking powder and cinnamon. 

Add to the pumpkin mixture. 

Fill muffin tins about 2/3 full. 

Bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Homemade Laundry Soap

I have been making my own laundry soap for a while now, so since I am making a new batch today, I thought I would share the recipe.  Now, you may think I'm crazy for making this myself, but let me tell you - it is not very difficult or time consuming (takes about 10 minutes, then you leave it overnight), and it is WAY CHEAPER than buying it.

We are a family of 3, and one batch of this (2 litres...8 Cups) lasts about 2 weeks.  I would make a double or quadruple batch, but I don't have the containers....I totally recommend you make larger batches!

Here's the cost breakdown:

Borax ($10.79 for 2kg)

Washing Soda ($8.99 for 2kg)

Lavender Essential Oil ($12.99 for 30mL)

Bar of Soap (Soapworks $1.99 per bar)

These ingredients will last me about a year for my family of 3, except for the bars of soap, which last for 2 months each (6 bars per year).  So, do the math, and that works out to be about $3.25 per month.  NOT BAD :)

Here's the recipe.  I got the original idea from here, but I made some changes.  She does a great job explaining it though!

Homemade Laundry Soap

water

1/4 bar grated soap (I use soapworks, but try whatever you want)

1/2 C borax

1/2 C washing soda (NOT baking soda)

10-15 drops lavender essential oil

Directions:

1) Boil some water.  Remove the pot from heat.  Dump in the soap flakes, and stir until melted (about 30 sec).

2) Add the borax and washing soda.  Stir until dissolved.

3) Add the lavender oil (smells nice and has antibacterial qualities!).  It will smell strong at first, but after it cools, the scent is actually very light.  Add more or less if you like.  You could use a different scent or no scent at all if you'd like.

4) Pour the liquid into a container...I use a large juice pitcher.  Shake it up or stir it.

5) Let it sit for a few hours, or overnight.  It will harden to be like jelly.  Then mash it up (I use a potato masher), or give it a good shake.  Add more water to fill the container, then mash/shake it again.  DONE!

NOTES:

-I use about 1/2 C per load, with warm water.  I like to mix it with a bit of water first to dissolve it a little.

-it won't bubble much because it doesn't have the bubbling chemicals in it.  THIS IS FINE - it will still clean.

-great for HE machines because of the lack of bubbles!

Breaded Lime Tilapia

I actually remembered to thaw my fish in advance this week, so that I could try a new recipe! (you can't do this if they are frozen).  I wanted something simple and light tasting, and something that Peanut would like.  I came across a recipe for "Lemon Sole" in my current favourite recipe book, "Healthy in a Hurry", and adapted it for the ingredients I had at home.  Aside from thawing the fish, it took about 8 minutes to prep, and about 8 minutes to cook.

Here's the recipe:

Breaded Lime Tilapia

Ingredients:

1 C bread crumbs (I made my own by putting a few slices of slightly stale bread in the food processor)

Zest of 1 lime (or less if you don't want it to "limey")

Sprinkle of salt\

Sprinkle of pepper

1 large egg

6 tilapia filets, thawed (or fresh)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400F.  Grease a cookie sheet.

2) Mix the first four ingredients together in a shallow bowl.

3) Whisk the egg in a separate shallow bowl.

4) Dip each filet (one at a time) into the egg, then into the bread mixture (ensuring that both sides get covered).  Lay each filet on the greased cookie sheet.\

5) Bake for 5-10 minutes (check at 5, then add time if needed - you will know they are done if the fish is white and flaky).

6) EAT!

I served this with quinoa and some roasted peppers and apples.  I really liked the flavour, and it was so easy!  WAY better than buying the gross breaded fish from the store.

Navy Bean-Lentil-Kale Stew

Here's my meal plan from last week:

Sunday - salmon, quinoa, steamed broccoli

Monday - apricot chickpeas on rice

Tuesday - out

Wednesday - Bean Stew and salad

Thursday - Fennel Potatoes, Marinated Tofu Steaks, Salad

Friday - Spaghetti

Saturday - leftovers

And this week:

Tuesday - cheesy "beef" noodles (from my freezer)

Wednesday - going to an event :)

Thursday - roasted squash, steamed broccoli, nut-loaf

Friday - Black bean burgers, roasted potato wedges ("fries")

Saturday - pasta...not sure what kind of sauce yet

This is the bean stew recipe from last week.  This stew was hearty and flavourful.  It's about 200 calories per serving, but very filling, and the protein from the beans gave me energy for HOURS.  Also, I don't usually love kale, but it tastes great in this stew, and doesn't get too wilted, which adds a nice texture.

I adapted the original recipe, which I got from the Healthy in a Hurry cookbook.  Instead of two cans of navy beans, I only used one and then added a 1/2 C of red lentils.  Red lentils are an awesome legume to store dry in your pantry.  It doesn't need to be soaked at all, so you can just throw it into a soup or a stew, and it will get nice and soft quickly, which makes for a quick and easy way to add protein to anything that is somewhat "liquidy" (think spaghetti sauce, for example).  And, it's CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!  Can't go wrong there, right?

Here's a pic and a recipe:

Navy Bean, Lentil and Kale Stew

Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 C chopped onion

1 1/2 C chopped red pepper

1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (or 3/4 tsp dried)

1/2 tsp dried crushed chillies

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 can navy beans (or white kidney beans...or really whatever kind of beans you want)

14 oz can diced tomatoes (with juice)

1 C water

1 bay leaf

6 C coarsely chopped kale leaves (centre ribs removed) (lightly packed)

Directions:

1) Heat oil in large deep frying pan, or sauce pan, on medium.  Add onion and red pepper.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion starts to soften.

2) Add next 3 ingredients.  Heat and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant.

3) Add next 4 ingredients.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes to blend flavours.

4) Add kale.  Stir.  Simmer, covered, for about 3 minutes until kale is wilted.  Discard bay leaf.

ENJOY!

Apricot Chickpeas

This is my favourite cookbook at the moment: Company's Coming Healthy in a Hurry

It is awesome because the meals really are healthy, and they are also easy, which is great since I have returned to work and it's nice to have something that I can whip up quickly at the end of a day.  Some of the recipes use shortcuts to save on time (such as canned sweet potatoes...yuck), but I figure that if I want to make one of those recipes, I can just plan to have it on a night that I have more time (and I can cook the potatoes myself...yum).

Anyway, I recently tried the "Polynesian Apricot Chicken" recipe, but since I don't eat chicken, I made it with CHICKpeas instead, and I served it over couscous (but rice, quinoa, pasta, barley, etc would also be great).

I admit that I was a little skeptical about soaking the dried apricots, but I was REALLY pleased with how it turned out, and I will definitely be making this again.

Apricot-Chickpea sauce, simmering away

So, here it is...

Apricot Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

Ingredients:

3/4 C dried apricots, quartered

1 tbsp Olive Oil

1 can chickpeas (I prefer to use No Salt Added, or use dried chickpeas that I have soaked and cooked myself)

1 1/2 C chopped onion

1 C chopped green pepper

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp finely grated ginger root

1/2 tsp chili powder (or, if you have it, Epicure's Louisana Hot n Spicy)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

14 oz can diced tomatoes (with juice)

Directions:

1) Put apricot into small heatproof bowl.  Cover with boiling water.  Stir.  Cover.  Set aside.

2) Heat olive oil in large frying pan on medium.  Add next 7 ingredients to the frying pan.  Stir.  Cook, covered, for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until green pepper is tender crisp.

3) Drain apricot.  Add to green pepper mixture.  Add tomatoes (with juice).  Stir.  Increase heat to medium-high.  Boil gently, uncovered, for about 10 minutes until sauce is slightly thickened.  Serves 4.

Taco Salad and Banana Cookies

Hey there!  I haven’t disappeared – I’m just not very good at keeping up with this blogging thing.  I am still doing the “real food”, though I am struggling with the no sugar thing, and I have slipped up more than once.  I’m doing pretty well otherwise though.

Last night we had taco salad for dinner.  Usually when I make taco salad, I use a can of beans in tomato sauce and put some taco seasoning in that (I use Epicure brand…no weird stuff in that).  However, I realized yesterday that we didn’t have any baked beans, so I decided to go with some black beans.  I soaked them for a few hours, then cooked them for 1 hour, and they were ready to go.

Here it is:

Black Bean and Corn Vegetarian Taco Salad

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat tortilla

1-2 tbsp olive oil

½ yellow onion

4 mushrooms

1C black beans (about ½ C dried, then soaked and cooked)

A few tbsp of water

Taco seasoning

Romaine Lettuce (about 1 head)

1 tomato, chopped

1 pepper (whatever colour you like – I used ½ orange and ½ yellow)

½ C corn kernels (cooked)

½ C plain Greek yogurt (I used 2%)

½ C salsa

½ C – 1 C grated cheese

Directions:

1)      Cut up the tortilla and bake it in the oven to make “crisps” – about 15 minutes at 350

2)      Meanwhile, sautee the onion and mushroom in the oil, until soft.  Add the beans, water, and taco seasoning, and cook on medium-low for about 10-15 minutes.  Most or all of the water should be cooked off, but if it’s not, drain it.

3)      Layer the ingredients in a large bowl: lettuce, tomato, pepper, tortilla crisps, corn, bean mixture, yogurt, salsa, cheese.  Enjoy!  Tastes great the next day too!

I took a picture of the original salad, but it just looked like cheese in a bowl.  Here are my leftovers the next day...not going to win any food photography awards, but I still think it looks yummy :)

I also decided to make these cookies:

Banana Cookies

Take 2 very ripe bananas and mash them up with a sprinkle of coconut (unsweetened), a small handful of chocolate chips and raisins, and 1 C of oatmeal.  Put on baking sheet in spoonfuls, and bake at 350F for 15 minutes.  THE END.

I saw the recipe on Pinterest, and I was a little skeptical, so I decided to give it a try.  Here's the original recipe (only 2 ingredients in the original)

The verdict?  They worked out GREAT!  So yummy!  And pretty much "guilt-free".

Here's a picture:

Yummy banana oat cookies

Real Food Day 24 - Vegetable Pot Pie

I wrote this post a while ago, but saved it as a draft, then forgot to publish it....

I love me some comfort food, and one of my favourites is pot pie!  I am terrible at making crust, so I like this recipe, which uses phyllo dough.  Now, the phyllo dough has some "no-no" ingredients, but the crust just wasn't going to happen for me.  If you wanted to make this with a homemade crust, go for it :)

Unfortunately, this picture does not do the meal justice - it was delicious!

Vegetable Pot Pie
Ingredients:
1 potato (cubed)
1/2 of 1 butternut squash (peeled and cubed)
1 large carrot (cubed)
1 onion (coarsely chopped)
1 red pepper (coarsely chopped)
1 (small) head of broccoli (coarsely chopped)
1 tbsp oil
3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour (I used whole wheat)
1 1/2 C milk (I used soy milk)
1 C grated cheddar (use white cheddar...orange cheddar has food colouring!)
2 egg yolks
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt to taste
Phyllo dough - about 3 or 4 sheets per pie
1-2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 415°F.  Grease the serving dishes.  Steam the potato, squash, carrot and broccoli until just tender (about 15 min).  Drain well and place in a large bowl.  Heat the first portion of oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and red pepper over medium heat for 2 minutes until soft.  Add to the bowl.

Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the flour.  Stir over low heat for 2 minutes, or until lightly golden.  Add the milk gradually, stirring until smooth.  Stir over medium heat for 3 minutes, or until the mixture boils and thickens.  Boil for another minute, then remove from the heat and cool slightly.  Add the cheese and egg yolks to the sauce and stir to combine.  Season to taste with cayenne pepper and salt.

Add the sauce to the vegetables and stir to combine.  Divide between the ramekins.  Cut off layers of the phyllo dough one, and brush one layer at a time with olive oil, then lay it over the ramekins (read the instructions on the box).  Trim off the edges with kitchen scissors.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.

Real Food Day 20 - Pear Quinoa Bites

I was browsing Pinterest today, and I came across a pin to this recipe:

Apple Cinnamon Quinoa Bites

I just ran out of muffins today, so I thought these would be great to make tonight after Peanut went to bed.  So, I got started...I measured out the quinoa and got it cooking, then I went to get out the apples.  Oh, no apples.  Hmmm....pears.  Okay, pears!  So, I chopped up the pears, and I started measuring out the other ingredients.  Oats...oh, no oats.  Hmmm....hmmmm.....cereal?  Multigrain OATbran cereal?...ummmm, okay.  So, I crushed up the cereal as best I could, and continued following the recipe.  And then refined sugar...oh yeah, I'm not supposed to have that...or brown sugar.  Well, I'll cut out the white sugar, and reduce the brown sugar and maple syrup.  Oh, and I don't have a mini muffin tin...so I'll just put globs in muffin cups. Okay, done!

So, in the end, I have a somewhat altered recipe, but they turned out GREAT!  Loads of flavour!  Yum!

Quinoa Pear Cinnamon Snacks

Here is the final recipe:

Quinoa Pear Cinnamon Snacks

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 cup crushed flake cereal (I used Multigrain Oatbran Cereal)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 cup chopped pears

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) In a large mixing bowl, add your cooked quinoa and quick oats.  In a separate smaller mixing bowl, combine your cinnamon, nutmeg and sugars and then add the spice mixture to the quinoa and oats.  Then add the maple syrup, apples and eggs and mix until just combined.

3) Spray your mini muffin pan (24 count) with non-stick cooking spray.  Make sure to spray the top of the pan as well.  The quinoa bites will overflow out of the cup a little bit, so you don’t want the tops to stick.

4) Fill each muffin slot with 1 tablespoon of the mixture and bake for about 15-20 minutes.

**UPDATE:  These are really really yummy!  Also, the were a HUGE hit with Peanut at breakfast this morning - sweet, flavourful, and nutritious!  I think next time I will reduce the sugar even more since the cinnamon, nutmeg and fruit add such a flavour punch.

Real Food Day 17

I got this book from the library, and I am really loving it.  The pictures are lovely and inspiring, and most of the recipes are pretty simple.  She also has pictures on each recipe to indicate what season it is best to make that recipe in - handy!

Buy it here

Today I am making my own vegetable stock.  I will use it to make soup later, or possibly to flavour some rice or quinoa for a stirfry.  I used to think that making vegetable stock from scratch was wasteful (shouldn't I just eat those vegetables), until it occurred to me to just save the part that you don't eat...like onion peels, celery leaves, etc.  So, I did that for a few days, and now I have enough to make a good amount of stock!  It's really simple - and here is the recipe that I am using (from the above book).

Vegetable Stock:

Ingredients:

1 part vegetable scraps

2-3 parts water

Directions:

1 - Place the veggies in a saucepan or soup pot.  Pour in water so it covers the veg by about 2 inches (5 cm).  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.  Cover and cook for as little as 15 minutes or as long as 1 hour.

2 - Allow the stock to cool enough to handle (so you don't burn yourself).  Place a sieve over a large bowl, pour the stock through, and press the veg with a spatula or back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as you can.  Dispose of the scraps in the compost (your garden will love you!).

Vegetable scraps ready to cook for stock

Real Food Day 15

A busy day today!

Peanut went to the sitter's for the afternoon, so I took the opportunity to get some errands done and get busy in the kitchen!

First I made a double batch of whole wheat tortillas (I will keep them in the freezer until I need them).

As the tortilla dough was resting, I whipped up a batch of whole wheat strawberry muffins (see recipe below).

As they were baking, I cooked the tortillas.

After that was finished, I put in some red peppers to roast, because later this week I am making spaghetti squash with roasted red pepper sauce, so I thought it would be best to be prepared.  I should've had the peppers going in the toaster oven while I was doing the muffins in the oven and the tortillas on the stove top...this would've saved a bit of time, but I didn't think of that.

Finally, while the peppers were roasting, I whipped up a batch of this DELICIOUS detox salad.  We are having salad with most of our meals this week, and this salad keeps so well in the fridge, that I figured I'd make it while I have the time so that I can spend less time in the kitchen later, and more time with Peanut.

And now...dishes.

Here's the muffin recipe:

Aren't these muffin cups cute?  I think they are from homesense - we used them for our wedding :)

Strawberry Muffins
Ingredients:
1C whole wheat flour
3/4 C all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1/4 C maple syrup (or slightly less)
3/4 C milk (I used unsweetened soy milk)
1/4 C oil (such as butter or coconut oil)
1 C sliced strawberries (use fresh when they are in season, or use frozen during the rest of the year)

Directions:
Mix dry ingredients together.  Mix wet ingredients together.  Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients (stir until moist...batter will be lumpy).  Pour into muffin cups.  Bake at 350°F for 18-20 minutes (they are done when you can insert a toothpick and nothing sticks to the toothpick).

Real Food Day 14

We were away on the weekend, and on Saturday I pretty much threw the rules out the window by eating a chocolate chip cookie and some chocolate peanut butter pie (though, they were both homemade!).  But now I am back on the real food bandwagon!

Last night I boiled some eggs so that I would have some handy to throw in salad, or eat as a snack.  So, this morning I had coffee, a boiled egg, and some dried fruit.

Lunch was a quesadilla (whole wheat tortilla, cheddar cheese, spinach), and then for snack I had another tortilla with plain cream cheese, dates, and sliced almonds.  The plan for dinner tonight is stirfry on brown rice.

I find that meal planning really helps me to keep on track with healthy eating, so every Sunday I sit down with the flyers and plan the meals for a week.  Sometimes I don't find the flyers that helpful because the stuff that is on sale most often is processed food.  However, it's good to know what produce is on sale and plan around that.  Meal planning prevents those "it's 5:00...what's for dinner?" moments, it saves money because it means less trips to the store (and I don't buy things we don't need), and it also means less wasted food.

Here's our meal plan for the week:

Monday: Stirfry (veggies, brown rice, tofu)
Tuesday: Salmon, whole grain couscous, steamed broccoli, salad
Wednesday: Soup and salad (just Peanut and I)
Thursday: Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Red Pepper sauce (NEW - I'm using this recipe)
Friday: Black Bean Tortilla Pie (also new, with this recipe, and homemade tortillas)
Saturday: Leftovers

Real Food Day 9 and 10

Last night I had a big fail with the real food gig.  We went out for dinner at one of our favourite restaurants, and they have a NEW MENU.  So, I ordered the veggie burger (comes on a white bun), topped with apple and brie, and a side of fries....bad bad me!  I didn't drink any pop though, and I LOVE cola, so that's good, right???

Anyway, today I am back on track - eggs and toast for breakfast, tomato barley soup for lunch, and we're having shepherd's pie for dinner!  Here's the recipe for the shepherd's pie I'm making: SHEPHERD'S PIE.  I love this recipe - it's so easy to make, and I always have the ingredients on hand, so it's one I go to when I realize I am running low on food but don't have time to go to the store.  It's also really easy to freeze, which makes it great for making ahead, and it's also a good one to give to people who are in need of food (e.g. grieving, just had a baby, etc).  I also love it because the food is soft enough for peanut to eat, so I don't have to make anything separate for her - YAY!  What's not to love, right?

Real food Day 8

For breakfast this morning, I enjoyed 1 pancake topped with berries, 1 egg, and a cup of fruit salad (homemade...basically just cut up fruit with some lime juice squeezed over it).

Lunch was leftovers from last night's stirfry, but to change it up a bit I added some slivered almonds and some cut up dates - this was a brilliant idea!  The dates added a nice touch of sweetness, and the almonds added some crunch.  YUM!  Here's a picture:

7 grains with vegetables, tofu, dates and almonds.

Haven't had supper yet, but I've got a delicious tomato-barley-vegetable soup cooking up in my crockpot, and it smells lovely.  I don't have a recipe, but basically what I did was throw in pot barley, red lentils, yellow split peas, a can of no-salt-added crushed tomatoes, about 6-8 cups of vegetable broth, onion, celery, carrots, potato, and some herbs and garlic.  I'm cooking it in the crockpot on high for 4 hours so that it will be ready for dinner!

Update - the soup was delicious!  Here's a picture:

Tomato Barley Soup

Real Food Day 6 & 7

January 6 - even though it was only yesterday, I totally forget what I had for breakfast.  Lunch was a delicious plate of homemade hashbrowns, whole grain toast, poached eggs, tomatoes and fruit.  For dinner I had baked salmon fillet with mashed potatoes and steamed brussel sprouts.

January 7 - this morning I enjoyed some whole grain pancakes.  I was lucky enough to find the pancake mix at a local store where they buy wholesale, then sell it in convenient smaller packages.  It's got wheat, corn and barley flours, and a few other baking ingredients.  All I did was mix it with water (easy and convenient!), though there is a mix with egg and water option which I will try next time because I think it will taste better.  I topped the pancakes with berries (no maple syrup).

Whole grain pancakes with berries.

Lunch was leftovers from last nights dinner <3

For dinner we had a 7-grain blend (rice, barley, oats, etc) with stir-fried vegetables and tofu.  The veggies were fried in olive oil, and for a sauce I used a touch of honey mixed with some garlic and soy sauce (naturally brewed...not sure if this breaks the rules or not, but I'm sure it's better than lots of the store sauces that can be purchased).

Dessert was fruit salad (my "salad-of-the-day") topped with sliced almonds.  The almonds added a nice crunchy touch!

Real Food Day 5

Today I was challenged because I new there would be a lot of snacks and treats at the family party I was going to that evening.  I LOVE sweets, and I find it really difficult to resist grabbing a handful of candies or chocolates if they are sitting right next to me.  I did not resist everything, but I think I did pretty well - I ended up sticking to nuts, cheese, a few crackers, a whole grain muffin, and some popcorn (but the popcorn was sweet and salty, so it had a little bit of sugar on it).  For drinks I had wine and tea.

In order to make myself more prepared to resist sweets, I made sure I had a protein rich late afternoon snack/early dinner of scrambled eggs with peppers and tomato, topped with goat cheddar - similar to this but without the potato.

Breakfast was a bowl of banana-berry oatmeal  (oats cooked with bananas, blueberries, and almonds, and topped with more berries) and coffee with soy milk. Lunch was whole wheat tortilla wedges topped with cheese, and some were topped with peanut butter and banana.

Real Food - Day 4 (Jan 4th) - Squash Gnocchi

For breakfast we enjoyed some delicious whole grain french toast.  The bread we had at home was store bought bread, so it didn't follow all of the rules, but after breakfast I went out and bought some whole grain bakery bread which is much better - so the next french toast will be right on!  We topped the french toast with tropical fruit (I used frozen that I had thawed in the fridge), and only a tiny drizzle of maple syrup.  YUM!

Lunch - leftover pasta from last night.  Leftovers are so wonderful.

For dinner, we had guests!  My husband and I love to entertain, so we enjoy having the excuse to make something fancy or to try something new.  Last night we had salad (cranberries, walnuts and romaine...provided by the guests), and Squash Gnocchi with a Goat Cheese Rosé sauce.  I used this recipe for the gnocchi, except instead of 1 3/4 C all purpose flour, I used 1 C whole wheat flour and 3/4 C all purpose flour.  I needed to add a few more tablespoons of flour because my dough was pretty sticky, and I used whole wheat for that too.  I also did not use a potato ricer - I just threw the squash and potato into my food processor (separately).  Oh, also, the recipe says to cook it for about 15 minutes...I only cooked mine for about 5 or 6, and it was just fine.

Here are some pictures of the process.  It certainly took some work, but was a nice thing to do for company.  I have also made the dough in a big batch before, then froze it for later..  I forgot to take a picture of the final product because we were too busy enjoying our company :)

Dough separated into balls, ready to be rolled out.

Dough rolled out and ready to be sliced.

Gnocchi dumplings ready for cooking.

Starting to float to the top.

Frying them up makes the outside a little crispier.

Sauce - plain tomato sauce with goat cheese, garlic, sautéed vegetables, and herbs.

For dessert we enjoyed yogurt parfait - plain greek yogurt (with a touch of honey added), layered with fruit and granola, topped with real whipped cream.  It was delicious!  Again, no picture...but I am sure I will make it again!

The main challenge of today was that our neighbour, who makes the BEST LONG-JOHN DOUGHNUTS EVER made some and dropped them off at our house...and I COULDN'T EAT THEM!!!  Waaaahhhhh!  But, our company enjoyed them, so that's great, and now they are no longer sitting on the counter tempting me.  Challenge overcome.

January 3rd - Real Food Day 3

This morning for breakfast I had a smoothie: plain greek yogurt, 1/2 banana, about 1/2 C frozen fruit mix (peaches, strawberries and mango), splash of vanilla, soy milk.  YUM!

For lunch I went out to East Side Mario's with family.  As I explained in my January 1st post, I am not going to be overly strict in restaurants, but I think I did pretty good.  I had the "Mario's Trio", which was a bowl of minestrone soup, garden salad, and the homestyle loaf.  Now, I know that the loaf breaks the rules, but I only had a little bit.  Otherwise, I think the soup and salad follow the rules pretty well.

Snack was some plain Triscuit crackers and peanut butter.  Later on I had a small whole wheat tortilla cut into wedges with slices of Monterey Jack cheese melted on top (in the toaster oven).

Here's what I had for dinner:

The photo doesn't look super appetizing, but it was good.  It was whole wheat pasta; tofu; chickpeas; sauteed zucchini, mushrooms, celery and onion; no salt added plain tomato sauce; herbs; fresh parmesan cheese.

Real Food & Salad Challenge - Today's Salad

Romaine lettuce, baked salmon fillet, tomato, bean sprouts with homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing (olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, touch of honey) 

Real Food Recipe: Whole Wheat Tortillas

Last night I decided to try to make some whole wheat tortillas.  They took some work, but taste pretty good.

Also, here are the ingredients in Dempster's Whole Wheat Tortillas: Whole grain whole wheat flour including the germ, water, vegetable oil (canola or soybean), salt, sodium acid pyrophosphate, potassium sorbate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium propionate, monoglycerides, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate, fumaric acid, cellulose gum, carrageenan, maltodextrin. May contain sulphites.

Here are the ingredients in my tortillas: whole wheat flour, olive oil, salt, warm water.  THAT'S IT.

Here is the link to the recipe I used: WHOLE WHEAT TORTILLAS  I followed the instructions and ingredients exactly, and this is how they turned out.

Mixing in the water.

Letting the dough rest.

Finished product.

Breakfast this morning: whole wheat tortillas with banana and natural peanut butter.

I found that they were a little thick, so next time I will need to roll them out thinner.  Also, I thought they might be a little bigger...which rolling them out thinner would solve, but I think I will make 10 wraps per batch rather than 12.  I really like the taste though, and they are soft and wrap up nicely.  They should be kept in the fridge or frozen.

100 Days of Real Food

My friend, "Mo", got me interested in this food plan: 100 Days of Real Food, so I've decided to give it a go, starting today.  I will be blogging about it, but I'm not very good at blogging regularly, so don't expect a daily thing, but I will try to do weekly at least.  In addition to this, I am also going to try to incorporate a "salad-a-day" challenge for the 100 days as well.

Here are the RULES.

However, I've decided that I am not going to be as strict as the family from this blog.  If I am going to someone's place for a meal, I will happily eat what they serve, because I think it is more important to be polite and enjoy good company than it is to strictly follow a food plan.  Also, if we are going out for dinner I will choose healthy meals, but if the salad dressing has a bit of sugar in it, who cares?  At home, however, I will strictly follow the rules!

What I like about the plan is that it's not a "diet" about losing weight!  It's simply about eating healthier.  I am not trying to lose weight at all, though cutting out sweets may result in a bit of weight loss.  I am hoping to gain more energy, and generally feel good all around.  Also, I would like to point out that this is not a "new years resolution"...it's something I do most of the time anyway, and it's a realistic, specific and achievable goal.  If doing the 100 days is too much of a sudden change for you and your family, try the 10-day-pledge or consider doing some mini-pledges.  Whatever works for you.

Along the way, I will share some recipes, photos, ideas, and thoughts.  To start, here's my breakfast today:

Plain greek yogurt, with frozen berries (thawed), and a small drizzle of maple syrup.  I also had two fried eggs (just enough olive oil to lightly coat the pan), and some herbal tea.  It was really easy AND delicious!

Tonight's dinner will be mixed whole-grain rice, with a salmon-fillet (with lemon and dill), a garden salad, and steamed veggies.  I may enjoy some fruit for dessert.  Again, EASY and delicious!

Dinner!

Update: Above is a picture of what I had for dinner.  The salad is romaine lettuce, mushrooms, tomato, and Monterrey Jack cheese with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.  The main course is mixed grains with lemon-dill salmon and steamed broccoli.  Here's proof that eating "real food" doens't have to be labour intensive: the rice was cooked in a rice cooker, the salmon was sprinkled with dill and lemon juice and baked, and the broccoli was frozen, so all I had to do was throw it in the steamer.  The most work was chopping up the veggies for the salad.