Sunday, September 10, 2006
A Blip in Time!
I've been away from my blog for 8 days now! Wow. I never intended to stay away that long.
We took vacation time this past week, and it was a well needed break for all of us. I'll be posting more recipes this week, then I'll work on some menu plans for you.
I know that a lot of you sent your kids back to school this past week or in the past month. Here in Oregon, school started right after Labor Day. Our family homeschools and we don't really have a stop and start date, but to tell you the truth, we didn't have too much schooling this summer. :)
We do have all our curriculum now though and we'll begin again this week. So my recipes will most likely be posted in the afteroons or evenings instead of in the mornings.
Will some of you send questions about what your most challenging meals are during the school year and why? I know that time is of the essence, even for homeschooling families. We all have busy lives and it takes time to prepare and plan meals that are healthy and nutritious for our families. I'd like to make it easier on you if at possible.
One thing I do know that families have a hard time with is breakfast. It's busy in the morning and everyone is rushing out the door, sometimes even at different times! Most people who know me, know that I am not a proponent of cold cereal for breakfast, and yes I do know that it is fast and easy to prepare.
Have you ever thought about how such a high carbohydrate load and very little protein affects the concentration of your child at school? There really aren't that many nutritious calories in a bowl of cereal. Add fruit to the mix, and that adds more sugar, albeit natural sugar, to the body's sugar load. Have some things on hand to grab quickly or make quickly.
Oatmeal
Look back a few weeks in this blog and you'll see a recipe for overnight oatmeal. Serve with honey and some fruit. Then have your child eat a hardboiled egg for a little more protein, and if you drink milk in your family have some of that too.
Also, with oatmeal, you can make quick hearty oatmeal by mixing equal parts quick oats with rolled oats, pour hot water over it and let sit for a few minutes. Add butter & xylitol or honey to sweeten. Maybe even add some toasted chopped nuts for some extra protein. This can be made in less than 4 minutes.
Eggs
Always have some hard boiled eggs on hand. These can grabbed going out the door if you are in a rush. If you have 5 minutes you can make a scrambled or fried egg and eat it with some sprouted grain toast or sprouted grain english muffin.
Breakfast Meat
Turkey Sausage (recipe in last weeks blog), Nitrite free bacon, Nitrite free sausage, or Nitrite free luncheon meats.
Cook these up and store them in an air tight container for easy quick access throughout the week.
Well, those are all my suggestions for now, if you have a question or suggestion please post in the comments area and I'll answer to the best of my ability as quickly as I can!
We took vacation time this past week, and it was a well needed break for all of us. I'll be posting more recipes this week, then I'll work on some menu plans for you.
I know that a lot of you sent your kids back to school this past week or in the past month. Here in Oregon, school started right after Labor Day. Our family homeschools and we don't really have a stop and start date, but to tell you the truth, we didn't have too much schooling this summer. :)
We do have all our curriculum now though and we'll begin again this week. So my recipes will most likely be posted in the afteroons or evenings instead of in the mornings.
Will some of you send questions about what your most challenging meals are during the school year and why? I know that time is of the essence, even for homeschooling families. We all have busy lives and it takes time to prepare and plan meals that are healthy and nutritious for our families. I'd like to make it easier on you if at possible.
One thing I do know that families have a hard time with is breakfast. It's busy in the morning and everyone is rushing out the door, sometimes even at different times! Most people who know me, know that I am not a proponent of cold cereal for breakfast, and yes I do know that it is fast and easy to prepare.
Have you ever thought about how such a high carbohydrate load and very little protein affects the concentration of your child at school? There really aren't that many nutritious calories in a bowl of cereal. Add fruit to the mix, and that adds more sugar, albeit natural sugar, to the body's sugar load. Have some things on hand to grab quickly or make quickly.
Oatmeal
Look back a few weeks in this blog and you'll see a recipe for overnight oatmeal. Serve with honey and some fruit. Then have your child eat a hardboiled egg for a little more protein, and if you drink milk in your family have some of that too.
Also, with oatmeal, you can make quick hearty oatmeal by mixing equal parts quick oats with rolled oats, pour hot water over it and let sit for a few minutes. Add butter & xylitol or honey to sweeten. Maybe even add some toasted chopped nuts for some extra protein. This can be made in less than 4 minutes.
Eggs
Always have some hard boiled eggs on hand. These can grabbed going out the door if you are in a rush. If you have 5 minutes you can make a scrambled or fried egg and eat it with some sprouted grain toast or sprouted grain english muffin.
Breakfast Meat
Turkey Sausage (recipe in last weeks blog), Nitrite free bacon, Nitrite free sausage, or Nitrite free luncheon meats.
Cook these up and store them in an air tight container for easy quick access throughout the week.
Well, those are all my suggestions for now, if you have a question or suggestion please post in the comments area and I'll answer to the best of my ability as quickly as I can!
Saturday, September 02, 2006
BBQ Sauce
Mix up a batch of this BBQ sauce, store it in your fridge for those times you need a little zing on your grill. It would be easy to can this also and store on your shelf. This recipe makes just ove 1 quart of sauce.
Ingredients:
2 large cans of tomato sauce (Muir Glen)
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup Rapadura non-refined sugar
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. of dry mustard
1 tsp. celtic sea salt
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 tsp. natural liquid smoke
Directions:
Place all ingredients together in a pot and simmer for 1 hour on the stove, stirring occosionally.
Use, BBQ sauce for whatever dish you need it for. :-)
Ingredients:
2 large cans of tomato sauce (Muir Glen)
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 cup Rapadura non-refined sugar
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. of dry mustard
1 tsp. celtic sea salt
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/4 tsp. hot sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 tsp. natural liquid smoke
Directions:
Place all ingredients together in a pot and simmer for 1 hour on the stove, stirring occosionally.
Use, BBQ sauce for whatever dish you need it for. :-)
Friday, September 01, 2006
Quick Green Salad
I don't know about you, but making salad is definitely one of meal items that I don't like at all. I can't even figure out why I don't like making them, even though I know they are really good for me to eat!
One of the things I've done, is to buy organic salad greens already washed and prepared in the bags or containers at the store and even the farmers do this at the farmers market.
Having the lettuces already washed & clean, and pretty much done for me, is a big relief. I just put salad on each person's plate or in individual bowls, then top with baby carrots or sliced raw carrots, cucumber and some fresh tomatoes. We sometimes like to sprinkle sesame or sunflower seeds on salads, and top with our favorite salad dressings. Voila! All done.
One of the things I've done, is to buy organic salad greens already washed and prepared in the bags or containers at the store and even the farmers do this at the farmers market.
Having the lettuces already washed & clean, and pretty much done for me, is a big relief. I just put salad on each person's plate or in individual bowls, then top with baby carrots or sliced raw carrots, cucumber and some fresh tomatoes. We sometimes like to sprinkle sesame or sunflower seeds on salads, and top with our favorite salad dressings. Voila! All done.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Fresh Tomatoes
Tomatoes are in season! If you grow them in a pot by your back door, in a garden, pick them up at the store or farmers market, you'll notice that they are everywhere!
I've put up 6 quarts of tomatoes in the past week, along with some soups and other things that I think I'd like to have in the winter.
Fresh tomatoes are great just eat alone, or on a sandwich or in pasta or on a pizza or anything!
Here are a few quick ideas to eat those tomatoes:
Place meat, tomato, mayo & mustard in the middle of the lettuce leaf. Roll the leaf around them. Secure with a toothpick or two or eat straight away. Yum!
There are many things to do with fresh tomatoes, and I'd be happy to hear what you do with them.
I've put up 6 quarts of tomatoes in the past week, along with some soups and other things that I think I'd like to have in the winter.
Fresh tomatoes are great just eat alone, or on a sandwich or in pasta or on a pizza or anything!
Here are a few quick ideas to eat those tomatoes:
- Slice and sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and pepper. Eat.
- Dice up a small tomato and mix it into 1/2-1 cup of cultured cottage cheese. (try Nancy's)
- Or make a roll up sandwich:
- 1-2 slices tomato
- 1-2 slices nitrite free lunch meat
- 1 large leaf romaine lettuce
- 1/4 tsp mayo
- 1/8 tsp mustard
Place meat, tomato, mayo & mustard in the middle of the lettuce leaf. Roll the leaf around them. Secure with a toothpick or two or eat straight away. Yum!
There are many things to do with fresh tomatoes, and I'd be happy to hear what you do with them.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Turkey Breakfast Sausage
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground turkey
1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
1-2 tsp. dried rubbed sage
Directions:
With a fork, mix together all the ingredients.
Prepare as you would store bought ground sausage.
1 lb. ground turkey
1 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt
1-2 tsp. dried rubbed sage
Directions:
With a fork, mix together all the ingredients.
Prepare as you would store bought ground sausage.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Tuna Salad
4 Servings
INGREDIENTS:
2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained (water packed, no salt added)
2 tsp. mayonnaise (see recipe from August 7th)
1 Kosher dill, diced (try Bubbies Pickles)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 tsp. black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1. Separate tuna in a small bowl with a fork; add mayonnaise, pickle, mustard, celery, onion, and black pepper; stir to combine. Serve over salad greens or on Sprouted Whole Grain bread (try Food for Life or Avarado Street Bakery).
INGREDIENTS:
2 (6 ounce) cans tuna, drained (water packed, no salt added)
2 tsp. mayonnaise (see recipe from August 7th)
1 Kosher dill, diced (try Bubbies Pickles)
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 C chopped onion
1/2 tsp. black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
1. Separate tuna in a small bowl with a fork; add mayonnaise, pickle, mustard, celery, onion, and black pepper; stir to combine. Serve over salad greens or on Sprouted Whole Grain bread (try Food for Life or Avarado Street Bakery).
Iced Tea for Kids (and grown-ups too)
If you are ever looking for a replacement for Kool-Aid, this is the one! Why replace Kool-aid? Because it is chock full of artificial flavorings and colorings and requires too much sugar. My kids like to use the sun tea method below, they think it's cool. The hot water method we use when it's gray and cloudy outside. I also use stevia for this tea, there is less mixing as with cane sugar or xylitol, but you can use either one of those to replace the stevia.
Ingredients:
4 bags Wild Berry Zinger Tea (Celestial Seasonings)
15-20 drops of liquid stevia
2 Quarts filtered Water
Directions:
Sun tea: 1/2 gallon glass canning jar or sun tea container. Place tea bags in the jar, pour the filtered water over them. Sit in the sun for 4-6 hours. Remove tea bags, add stevia and serve.
Hot water method: Place tea bags in jar, heat filtered water to almost boiling but not quite. Pour water over tea bags and steep for 10-15 minutes. Remove tea bags, add stevia and serve.
Ingredients:
4 bags Wild Berry Zinger Tea (Celestial Seasonings)
15-20 drops of liquid stevia
2 Quarts filtered Water
Directions:
Sun tea: 1/2 gallon glass canning jar or sun tea container. Place tea bags in the jar, pour the filtered water over them. Sit in the sun for 4-6 hours. Remove tea bags, add stevia and serve.
Hot water method: Place tea bags in jar, heat filtered water to almost boiling but not quite. Pour water over tea bags and steep for 10-15 minutes. Remove tea bags, add stevia and serve.
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Oriental Beef Salad
This is a very yummy meat salad, easy to prepare and make several days ahead of time. Or make a recipe and eat for lunch for several days one week.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. beef flank steak (grass feed and hormone free, if possible)
1/2 C. lemon juice
6 Tbsp. Bragg's Amino Acids (soy sauce)
2 Tbsp. Cold pressed virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
1/2 pound snow peas, steamed 2-3 minutes, quartered
1 lb bean sprouts, steamed 2-3 minutes
1 red bell pepper, julienne cut
2 large avacodo's, halved and seeded
Directions:
With a sharp knife, score the flank steak diagonally, against the grain of the meat on both sides. Broil in the oven, 3-4 minutes on each side or until the meat is cooked medium rare. Remove meat from the oven and let stand on a cutting board for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, in a medium dish that you can cover with a sealed lid, sitr together the lemon juice, soy sauce, oils, ginger and red pepper flakes. Cut the meat across the grain into very thin slices, then julienne the slices. Marinate in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours or longer. Before serving mix in the snow peas, bean sprouts and bell pepper.
Serve over 1/2 an avocado.
Yeilds 4 servings.
You can get more recipes like this one from: The Maker's Diet: The 40 Day Health Experience That Will Change Your Life Forever
or
Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. beef flank steak (grass feed and hormone free, if possible)
1/2 C. lemon juice
6 Tbsp. Bragg's Amino Acids (soy sauce)
2 Tbsp. Cold pressed virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
2 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
1/2 pound snow peas, steamed 2-3 minutes, quartered
1 lb bean sprouts, steamed 2-3 minutes
1 red bell pepper, julienne cut
2 large avacodo's, halved and seeded
Directions:
With a sharp knife, score the flank steak diagonally, against the grain of the meat on both sides. Broil in the oven, 3-4 minutes on each side or until the meat is cooked medium rare. Remove meat from the oven and let stand on a cutting board for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, in a medium dish that you can cover with a sealed lid, sitr together the lemon juice, soy sauce, oils, ginger and red pepper flakes. Cut the meat across the grain into very thin slices, then julienne the slices. Marinate in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours or longer. Before serving mix in the snow peas, bean sprouts and bell pepper.
Serve over 1/2 an avocado.
Yeilds 4 servings.
You can get more recipes like this one from: The Maker's Diet: The 40 Day Health Experience That Will Change Your Life Forever
or
Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats
