So excited!

I just received a new book and I started reading it tonight. I put it down for a moment to start this post and I plan to pick it right back up when I am finished. I am excited because this is a GREAT book, I am just upset that I didn't find it sooner. It is called, Feeding the Whole Family, Recipes, for Babies, Young Children and Their Parents, by Cynthia Lair. This book not only speaks to me in the way of food, but also as a mother. The book takes your on the bumpy food ride with children, from breastfeeding to young adult palates and smooths out the ride to make it more enjoyable and tasty for the whole family!

Since I haven't finished the book yet, this isn't the final review, but I was so excited when I received it that I had to jot something down right away!

More on this book to come. In the meantime, if you want to check out Cynthia's talents, check out her website, www.feedingfamily.com.

Fire Up the Grill!

Roasting vegetables is one of my favorite things to do. And, now that it is summertime I am so excited that I get to do it on the grill. I bought a pan awhile back for the barbecue, it looks like a regular pan that you would use on the stove but there are holes throughout just big enough to let the flames in, but the food will not fall out. It is great! I used it for the first time the other day for a melange of vegetables. Oh, they were so good! Here is a little recipe for the roasting the vegetables on the grill as well as a few yummy things to add to them. ENJOY!

Roasted Veggies on the Grill
3 small eggplant (I used white eggplant)-chopped
3 small zucchini-chopped
1 large red/yellow pepper-chopped
20 artichoke hearts (we bought these frozen, they were awesome, we found them at Trader Joe's, you can thaw them and toss them in anything
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning (a blend of Italian spices, including oregano, basil, and garlic)
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
10 fresh cherry or grape tomatoes (I added those to the mix after the grilling)

Toss all of the above ingredients together in a large bowl
Let sit for about 10 minutes
Pour into a barbecue skillet or a wire barbecue rack
Grill and toss for about 20 minutes on high heat

Eat as is or...
Toss with some olive oil and Parmesan cheese and orzo or basmati rice
Add to a pasta dish

Eggplant Fries

That is what I called pan fried eggplant to my children to get them to try a new vegetable. I have a 50% success rate at the moment as my almost 2 year old at them up and my almost 4 year old said...yuck, no way. I thought it was a good idea anyway and my husband and I ate them all up.

Eggplant, I LOVE it and tend to forget about it all the time. It is so good and tender. It almost reminds me of a piece of meat (vegetable meat...)

Anyway, I cut the eggplant small wedge-like fry shapes, dipped them in egg, then in whole wheat flour and then pan fried them in olive oil. One thing that I SHOULD have done but didn't, was to sprinkle some Parmesan cheese before serving...ahhh, well, next time. (I did however put a bit of sea salt on them)

Hope this gives you just one more easy, tasty idea for dinner or a snack. Prep-time is about 10 minutes and cook time is about 5-8 minutes a batch.

A use for bread crust!

That's right...this is simple and I can't believe I never thought of it before.
My kids don't always eat their crusts. I told myself that I would just leave them on and make them deal with it, but then so much of the sandwich goes to waste because they don't get quite close enough to the crust. So I started cutting them off so they would eat more. What I found is that I end up eating the crusts or I throw them out.

But, I found a new use for my crusts-Breadcrumbs!

Save your weekly crusts in a bag and at the end of the week, put them in your food processor and make breadcrumbs! They are awesome! Season them to your liking and you have wonderfully natural, fresh breadcrumbs. What and idea! DUH!

Mexican Chili Casserole

So, I came up with this recipe the other night purely by accident and it worked out so well that I have made it twice in the past week. It was Sunday and the cupboards and refrigerator were pretty bare (I was putting off grocery shopping all week). I found a pound of lean ground beef, a can of pinto beans, a can of black beans, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, basmati rice, and sharp cheddar cheese...here is what I did.

I browned the ground beef, in a skillet and added 3 tablespoons of chili powder, I then added the beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste and a dash of salt and pepper. I let this simmer over medium/low heat for about 5 minutes

While the beef was browning, I prepared the basmati rice (1 cup rice uncooked) (according to the directions).

In a 9"x9" pan I spread the basmati rice on the bottom, then added the beef/bean mixture by spreading it over the rice in an even layer. I then grated the cheddar cheese (about 2 cups) and sprinkled it in an even layer over the beef/been mixture.

I put the whole thing in a 425 degree over for 10 minutes to melt the cheese and make it bubble a little bit.

That is it! I Mexican Chili Casserole that you can love and is easy to make. YUMMY!

A New "Sister" Blog

Check out Mommy Runs! A new blog that isn't quite so serious, but all about running and being a mom.
I love to run and I love being a mom, but the two don't always gel together. Exhaustion and time can make running a bit difficult, but I plan to try to stick to it as best I can so I can improve my running and lose 20lbs to fit back into my pre-pregnancy jeans....

Check it out...

Mommy Runs

Time to join Cookies Annonymous (CA)

I have a problem with cookies…I can’t help it.

I am forever in search of the perfect cookie recipe. A cookie that can be appreciated by all. From the carb counters to the diabetics to the careful parents and the sweet toothers. I have made endless batches of cookies in my kitchen. When I was pregnant, most of the cookies were high in fat, chocolate and sugar, however now that I have children, my focus has shifted and I am now baking low sugar/healthier cookies. I have a cookie on my website www.simplyfoodonline.com for Oatmeal Raisin Butter Cookies, which I am pretty happy with, but I was looking for something better, maybe a recipe where I did not have to add any sweetener (I only use Organic Agave Nectar) at all. What I found I have placed below. Holy Cow! These moist cookies can be eaten without much guilt at all. Without any added fat or sugar (besides that which is found naturally in the added fruit, this one is a true winner. I have tweaked it a bit and noted that you can add 2 tablespoons of organic agave nectar if you want to sweeten it even more. Another addition, if you like, in place of cocoa or carob powder, add a teaspoon of vanilla…YUM!!!

No-Sugar Date Chewies

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Mash bananas in a bowl, leaving some little chunks.
In a medium bowl add the egg whites and mix with bananas (at this time add agave nectar, if you are using it)
Then add the dates and the raisins and mix well or until the fruit is coated with the egg mixture
Add the oatmeal and the cocoa/carob powder
Use parchment paper or non-stick cookie sheets to bake cookies
Bake for 22-25 minutes
Remove promptly from oven and transfer cookies to a cooling rack



Ingredients:
2 bananas (ripe)
2 egg whites (cage free eggs)
1 cup dates, chopped or ground
2/3 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups rolled oats (old fashioned work best)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, or 1 tablespoon carob powder or 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
2 table spoons agave nectar (for added sweetness if you desire, but truthfully, not needed)