Stop rushing me August! August 2, 2009

A couple of days ago I was talking to Noelle on the phone and realized in the middle of the conversation that August is here. Frick!

So here I sit at 10:34pm working on next month’s menu while simultaneously polishing off Brian’s leftover Cheesecake Factory cheesecake. Double frick!

How about a shot of things growing like mad in the garden to make us all feel better. This project gets more rewarding everyday. We hop out of bed every morning and walk straight to the window to see what’s changed over night. Then I curse the mutant grasshopper that’s been nibbling on things.

We’ve also made and drank about six jars of this over the last couple of days (not including the huge jar I shattered in the driveway on my way to deliver it to my neighbor).

And seriously, I’ve become like a little factory with this. If you call and say you want some I’ll have it out on the curb for you. LOL

Basil Lemonade

Makes 6 cups

1 can lemonade concentrate, thawed

6 C. water

Slightly less than 1/3 C. sugar

Juice of 1 juicy lime

A good size bunch of torn basil

This will taste a little different each time you make it depending on the type of basil and limes you choose.

Shake it all together in a jar or stir it in a big bowl. Refrigerate for about 8 hours. Strain basil and enjoy!

Now, what the heck to eat this month? What to feed my getting pickier by the second son? Ugghh, I’m so tired of picky kids. I feel less creative this month. Usually I love nosing around in all my cookbooks and favorite sites and mixing it all up. Maybe it’s the summer heat. We seem to be stuck in a holding pattern with PB & honey sandwiches so to change it up and keep them happy I choose a different nut butter (almond, cashew, sunflower, etc). Also, I’ve started cooking classes with the kids twice a week. By cooking class I mean me yelling, “Come to the kitchen it’s time for cooking class!” Then I whip out this nifty kids cookbook that Sarah thought I would love, and I do! I ended up ordering the whole series by Mollie Katzen and even one for my mom to keep at her house since Wyatt is always wanting to “make some soup Gram!” They are by far the simplest best cookbooks that I have seen for kids. So this month it’s Honest Pretzels and Zucchini Circles during Shal’s Cooking Class.

Happy Summer!!

Mary, Mary quite contrary… July 3, 2009

Time for me to regain my meal sanity by getting back to the monthly menu planning.

I almost have a whole year’s worth now so this month I mostly cut and pasted from the plans of past months. Easy right?

First, we finished the garden! Our watering strategy took some doing and doing again, but I think we figured out a nifty little drip system. We turn it on and show it to all who come over. Then we added the pavers and stones (all from Home Depot).

Here’s what’s growing. I have a feeling we’re going to be out there a lot:

Eight varieties of lettuce (most of which I’ve never heard of)

Mrs. Burns’s Lemon Basil

Night Phlox (smells like cake supposedly)

Cukes

Lemon Mint

Pineapple Mint

Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherries

Carrots

Cilantro

Long Red Onions

Golden Sweet Peas

Maule’s Red Hot Peppers

Greek Oregano

Mini Chocolate Bell Peppers

Heirloom Tomatoes (a couple varieties)

Amaiah drew pictures on the markers for me

Can’t wait to show you how it grows!

Oh shoot, it’s March already! March 8, 2009

I guess I should post my March menu. It seems like there’s so many food topics floating around my space here. Firstly, some heartbreaking news. For the last couple of years we have been transforming our yard from gross to chemical-free. We were days away from ordering our seeds for our garden (see below) when our plans were brought to a screeching halt.

A certain pesticide control company employee, Joe Bad-Eyes, misread the address on his order and sprayed our entire property with cancer-causing neurotoxic crap. Waaaahhh! I’ve cried my eyes out, bought us all protective suits, and fired the pitbull in charge of keeping unwanted guests out of the backyard. So now it sits, not growing our rest-of-the-year bounty. Bummer. I guess we’ll be growing in containers until the issue gets resolved.

Happy Note: Sarah made me the best dang loaf of bread and then came to my house and baked some biscuits.

I’ve fallen in love with this site: What The Hell Does A Vegan Eat?

I’m saving the shopping lists from these menus from here on out so now I can include a copy if you want with the menu. It is divided into two trips, one on Wednesday and one on Saturday.

One perk that has come of this project is people seeing what I like to cook and sending me recipes they think we’ll like. So thoughtful you are!

Eat this, February! February 1, 2009

Friends, the menu, and therefore another shard of me, is back. Remember, I do this mostly for my own organizational sanity and because I love knowing what other people are eating so I figure some of you must also. Two other things: No dish I cook is ever as fancy as it’s name, and we spend a lot of money on good ingredients (we choose that over a long list of things that could be made new in this house, such as the $@#%ing garbage disposal). Let’s move on, quickly.

The book (and author) I have been relishing for sometime now. A wonderful little gem of a soup book. It’s the first cookbook I’ve read cover to cover; his story equals his recipes. I shut it wondering if I was supposed to be reading all my cookbooks.

With great pleasure

Sorry about the small photo, it’s the biggest one I could steal.

So here’s the plan for February. I’m not putting links to the recipes at the end. If you want one e-mail me.

Cheers!

September Food September 6, 2008

There’s a lot of food stuff going on around here this month. First, some dang good food reading! After having to check this in and out of the library about four times, I’ve finally finished it. It’s a beautiful piece of non-fiction, and if it doesn’t have you planting asparagus in your front yard, nothing will. Read it!

So I’m only a week late on getting this up. If this is serving no purpose for others, the self-imposed deadline is keeping me accountable to this hungry clan that I want to fill with Godly goodness. Woohoo! I’ve said it before, this is a task I simply hate–the planning! I figure it to be about 79% of the battle in the kitchen for me. Typically I’ll spread out with my binder of recipes, magazines, and any library cookbooks I’ve checked out. Then I sweat, panic, rustle papers, write things, erase things, get distracted, stare at my hands, get sucked into magazine articles, and then, with all that out of my system, I bust it out.

There are so many things I try to take into consideration when feeding us–what’s in season and hasn’t traveled far to reach us (i.e., what grows in this area instead of say Chile), what is minimally processed, contains as little dairy and meat as possible, what was raised and harvested (er, slaughtered) humanely, and so on. It drives me crazy that finding simple, fresh, straight-out-of-the-dirt, neurotoxin-free, antibiotic-free food has become so difficult that eating well, eating in way that not too long ago was considered normal, is now elitist and a counter-culture notion. Grrrr…

Meanwhile, back at the menu…

Once I pencil it all in I make copies of all the recipes. I put all the recipes behind the menu, and that all goes into a plastic sleeve and hangs on the fridge. A menu packet! This way I don’t have to pull out any cookbooks, binders, etc. over the course of the month. Shal, you’re probably asking, why not just put your originals in your nifty packet? Why all the copying? And the answer my friend, is because at the end of the month I can then file away the entire packet which can be pulled out at any time to be used again. That way we can be at the park instead of waiting for me to meal plan! LOL. This month I’m also going to include a shopping list (it’s waiting for me to type it) because that takes me awhile as well. I broke it down into two weekly shopping trips. I think Saturday and Wednesday will work for us just based on our Farmers’ Markets and when shelves get restocked. Also, if anyone wants a packet e-mail me. It will save you a month’s worth of planning!

Lastly, some friends and I signed up for the Green Smoothie Challenge. Want to do it with us? It’s just adding a green smoothie to your diet everyday for a couple of weeks. They send you the recipes. Come on, your insides will thank you for it! You can start with this one, courtesy of my mom. Thanks mom!

Happy Eating!

July Eats-God’s bounty is so freakin’ good July 2, 2008

When I was a kid summer marked the distinct beginning of a good eating season–outdoor eating. My dad and I talk often about these experiences and the importance of growing, gathering, and preparing your own food. He pointed out that my kids are the first on his side of the family to hail from the land of sidewalks, the rest of us from dirt.

Wyatt and Amaiah:

I wish you could have seen the peach tree in my grandma’s backyard whose trunk split right down the middle one year under the weight of it’s own offerings.

Shucking 12 dozen ears of corn takes a long time. It’s worth it.

Finding a worm as you’re working might make you scream and throw your ear down. That’s funny.

It’s good to get lost in a corn field at least once in your life, or any field for that matter.

Taking the shortcuts through alfalfa fields might get you scolded.

Take your kids to Peach Days at least once.

1976-Start ‘em young

1984-1,000 more buckets to go girls

2006-Yes! Passing the torch.

Happy eating everyone!!

Cilantro Pecan Pesto-Grilled Yellow Squash and Zucchini

Grilled Corn w/ Chili Lime Butter

Grilled Rib Eye w/ Lemon Pepper Marinade

Sunflower Sprouts Salad (I modify to make simpler)

Chicken w/ brussels sprouts, pine nuts and bacon

June Cleaver (that’s the slow cooker) Sausage & Spaghetti Dinner

Grilled Amaretto Peaches

June Menu June 1, 2008

We just got back from another great camping trip with friends. I thought I would include this food related shot.

Photos, then food

Phaith, photos, food

Phaith, photos, books, food

What do you know I’m meal planning for the second month in a row–a record for this modern frenetic homemaker. A couple of great things to report for May’s menu 1) Yes, that was me whistling and carrying on a genuine conversation with the kids as we shopped. It felt so great not to have to make decisions at the store. 2) Having the whole month planned out was way better than trying to do it week by week. It just goes by to fast. 3) If somebody didn’t like something I blamed it on the schedule, and it worked!!

Now, the drawbacks. And these are things that I just cannot figure out on paper generally; I have to be in it and doing it to see where the changes need to be made. 1) I did not account for leftovers enough 2) Things can be repeated even if it looks boring on the menu 3) We are not always home at snack time so car snacks need to be easy. Or you can take the position that I’m leaning toward which is why do we need to eat every time we get in the freakin’ car? I never remember snacks or even water in the car when I was a kid and no one dehydrated or starved..hmmm…

I’ve also added some links to good raw food sites on the side bar. I’ve been so inspired by the people I’ve met who have committed to eating so cleanly. Your creativity and passion for great food makes my jaw drop (at which point I shovel in as many raw brownie balls as possible) .

Enjoy your June!!

Recipe links:

Cooked Millet w/ Dates and Mandarins

Banana Energy Sundae

Kermit’s Dip

Scallops and Asparagus Risotto

Sage and Garlic Turkey Burgers

“Mom, what’s for dinner?” April 16, 2008

To which I usually reply, “Umm, I don’t know. I’ll figure it out a little later. I’m trying to figure out what we’re eating for breakfast.” And then I really don’t-my mind just wrestles with it all day until we have to run to the store, at which point my anxiety increases because I’m at the store so I should buy for tomorrow too, but the kids are usually doing one of three things: running, dropping things, fighting about their cart status, which makes it impossible for me to recall anything let alone what I need for Broccoli Pasta. Menu planning is not fun for me! Odd, considering I LOVE to cook (and eat). My problem, as many of you know, is the decisions. My recipes are well-organized, but my list of things I want to make next is getting way too long. I want it to be different and new every day. I can’t believe it took me this long to accept that that only worked before young kiddley-winks were on the scene. I don’t recommend honing basic homemaking skills wilst you are in the midst of being a homemaker. Let’s prepare our daughters before they get there should they choose this path. And all my mormon friends give two snaps up.

So enter my food guru Shelly (also committed to Waldorfy things like daily rhythms for kids) and her menu. She e-mailed it to me and it was so simple and beautiful I wanted to marry it. And thus I renewed my vows to coming up with my own. I’m still trying a lot of new recipes, mainly from the Whole Foods site because we shop there a lot and they sounded so yummy. However, I am keeping the same menu for a whole month. And even after that some things will remain the same. For example, Monday breakfast will always be eggs but what we add to them will change. I think this is another way I can keep my thinking about it to a minimum and my conversing with the kids to a maximum. I hope to post each new menu here in case anyone else like me wants some ideas or something to copy altogether.

By the way…everything is pretty healthy relative to the SAD (standard american diet). If you see things like chocolate milk, it’s chocolate rice or almond milk. The hotdogs are all-organic beef no nitrates or -trites. The bread is sprouted whenever possible. And fruits and veggies are organic as much as we can afford.

Drum roll Wyatt and Amaiah…..

Recipe links:

Dutch Baby Pancake

Banana Energy Sundae

Kermit’s Dip

Turkey Veggie Pinwheels (note: I’m adding preservative, hormone-free lunch meat)

Black Bean Quesadillas

Pigs in a Blanket

Apple-Pear Salad (I will be buying candied pecans)

Orange-Kissed Chicken

Soy Ginger Lettuce Wraps

Tamale Casserole

The smoothies are raw-vegan and so friggin’ good! Shoot me an e-mail for a recipe.

Happy Eating!