What's in your cup?

I am sitting (still in my pjs) drinking my morning smoothie looking at my long list of blog topics I have not tackled. Today, drinking calories. On our house that means a couple of things. First, the kids & juice.
We don't really do juice. Now, both girls will have some smoothie in the morning after breakfast (I think they think it is like dessert). Smoothie is made with the whole fruit. So, the fiber is still there. And that is the glitch with juice. All those fruit sugars (and sometimes added sugar) but, not fiber to tell the body "I just had calories, I am getting full". We do juice for special occasions, at grandma's, at parties, etc. Also, whenever possible, I don't give them full strength juice but, I water it down. Doesn't work with juice boxes obviously.

With the grown ups, we each have our vice. Mine is coffee. Sometimes black. But, when I need to be reminded of all that is good in the world, cafe aulait with a little sugar (cafe aulait is just a latte with coffee instead of expresso). I tried Splenda for a while. But, I have a mommy friend who has a PhD in chemistry. She not only has a sensitive tummy when it comes to Splenda but has fundamental issues with the chemical alteration of sugar to make it. She just plan said it doesn't seem to be a great idea. Well, I felt that way about other artificial sweeteners. I reluctantly added Splenda to that mental list of "it probably won't kill me today but, it might keep me from meeting my grandchildren". I take a bit less sugar in my coffee. Took a little getting used to but, I find it just as yummy.

My husband loves soda. Yes, everyone loves soda. Bubbly chemicals with or without sugar in a cup. What could be better? Well, first drinking extra calories is something no one needs (I would normally say especially me & my husband but on the off chance he reads this one day, I will just say that he is perfect). I keep very little soda in my home. I try to limit it to what we need to mix drinks (hey, you keep your cookies, I will keep my Limonata & vodkas) and my husband loves Crown & Coke (or Gentleman Jack and Coke). I also wind up keeping lots of soda around during the summer. We have a pool and somehow, I am the only one who likes to drink water while floating in water.

What do we do in place of soda? I am for the most part fine with green tea and water. For a little change, I will throw a pitcher in the frig with sliced cucumbers in water or slice up some citrus to throw in my water. My husband drinks iced tea. He does tend to go for sweet tea sweetened with artificial sweeteners. Yep, drinking more chemicals. I just can't win them all.

So, I am going to go make some coffee (and ignore that maybe not everything coming through that filter does a body good and start dreaming about the yummy wine I will have tonight with dinner.

Mommy, I need a snack

Every Sunday as my girls play on the playground after Sunday school, I get a "Mommy, I need a snack". As a Sunday school teacher myself, I am well aware that the children of my church love the donuts available for purchase in the great hall. Many mornings the child who is wearing the cranky pants will state "I had two donuts before class". And, yes, I have read the articles about the studies that state that it is situations, not the sugar that make kids crazy (you know that crazy kids can only get at a birthday party after cupcakes, candy and a bounce house). What I notice more is the sugar crash - the cranky kid who can't listen, who must bug his/her neighbor, who hates the activity, and whines during class about being hungry.

Yeah, not as much fun as it sounds. So, I will fight the Sunday morning donut until I have no fight left in me. Instead, we go for what some of my mommy friends might consider junk food but, give me a break. First, I love carrying around whole grain Goldfish. All kids know them. They are easily accepted as that answer to "do you have any snacks"? Also, honey nut cheerios. Well, the kind from Whole Foods. There is so much honey on the outside, they are sticky. They are yummy, whole grain but, yes a little sugar.

I also love to have dried fruit. Now, I don't eat raisins due to an unfortunate children traumatic event, but, my three year old loves them. I really like freeze dried fruits and veggies. And, dried cranberries and dried blueberries? Are you kidding me, yum. (oh, this was about was snacks I carry for the kids, right, back on track).

I also love the milk now comes in a box and doesn't have to be refrigerated. Helpful for my child that might just be part cow. I also always have water. This is not just for the kids. I always have water with me. I do not use bottles due to the wastefulness and BPA (and expense. I mean I drink like 90 oz of water a day. That would be really expensive and that money should be going to mommy's wine bill). Instead, everyone in my family has their own Kleen Kanteen. I like these water bottles for more than just the fact that the company is located in Chico, CA. They are made from food grade stainless steel. Not only do I not have to worry about anything leaching into my water but, my water never tastes funny. We have sport tops, regular tops (I do not like sport tops), and even sippy cup tops. Most of our Kleen Kanteen's are the old ones (not insulated) and I do have the cover for then. I like the strap and find it makes the bottle more convenient for me.

Now not everyone needs to be drinking as much water as I do everyday. But, getting properly hydrated will allow you to see what is your right amount? 64 oz? 75? 90? I can tell I am off from getting enough water from how my skin feels. Also, when I don't drink enough water through out the day, I seem to want to snack more and am tired.

I am lucky. Both my girls love water. Yes, it helps that their bottles are pink. We also have some BPA-free princess bottles that apparently change any water to magic princess water. Oh, and the Cars one makes you run faster than Lightening McQueen.

Hope your weekend was a good one. I am going to grab some almonds and get ready for the week.

call me Ina

For those of you who don't know, Ina Garten is the Barefoot Contessa. She once owned the store and catering company by the same name but, now, hosts a Food Network show and writes cookbooks.
Anyway, she makes her husband chicken every Friday. It is Friday and yep, I am roasting a chicken. I call it my citrus chicken.
One whole chicken, washed, patted dry with paper towel, outside and in sprinkled with salt & pepper, and skin coated with a little olive oil. the citrus part is the orange that I quartered and shoved inside. 3 quarters up the um, rear and one in the neck. Since I had some fresh basil that was wilting, that wen in the cavity too.
I will roast on 325 for a little less that 2 hours. Since, I used orange, I will make sweet potatoes with orange zest (with a little nutmeg and chili powder).
Sweet potatoes will be cooked in the microwave then mashed with some chicken stock and orange zest (don't forget the salt).
For the girl's dinner, I will cube a breast off the chicken (giving my 3 year old a squirt of ranch to dip it in. That is the only way she would even look at the chicken.) I will mix in a little butter with their sweet potatoes. And serve with sliced apples.
The apples for my husband and me will be fried. A little olive oil (light not extra virgin) and butter in a skillet on medium heat. sliced apples go in and get turned after 5-10 minutes. Add a little brown sugar (like a tablespoon) and a bunch of cinnamon. Serve on fresh spinach or just with the chicken.
Maybe I will think about healthy ways to channel other of my foodie heroes.

Edited at add:
Thank you to Marianne who emailed me to point out that I missed something "in that post about sticking citrus up the chicken's butt". (She also likes to email me about my typos).
I actually turn the oven up to 375 for the last 30 minutes to get a nice crisp on the skin.

Weeknights can suck

Last night I had to run errands by the time I got home, it was almost a half an hour after dinnertime. A couple of snacks for the girls (ok, so they were also snacking during the Target trip but, who is keeping track). What is one of my quick easy dinners?
Personal pizzas.
whole wheat pitas bread (check the package to make sure whole wheat is actually whole grain)
pasta sauce (I like Bertolli)
shredded mozzarella
for the grown ups I add fresh basil leaves and fresh shredded parmesan

broil in the oven on 415 for 10-15 minutes. I like to make mine on a multigrain tortilla so it is really flatbread. I throw the tortilla under the broiler for 2 minutes to crisp then add the sauce, basil, mozz and parm. and I serve with a salad with a light vinaigrette.

Sarah had another kitchen adventure. (well, adventure makes it sound fun. That may not have been the case).


The other night I again attempted dinner for my family. This time I tackled something a little more complicated - a Rachel Ray recipe. This recipe involved two pans, chopping, whisking, and mixing all at the same time. The recipe was perfect for the family, cheesy, spinach artichoke pasta. Lots of cheese, creamy sauce, and some veggies. Unfortunately my first attempt resulted in burnt garlic and onions so I had to start over. By the time I finished Rachel's "30-minute" recipe, my kitchen was a disaster, but I had successfully made another dinner. Woo-hoo. Again, happy plates made by my husband and daughter.

I spent Sunday afternoon cooking two dishes that I froze. I got one recipe from my 4-ingredient cookbook. This was an easy one - ground organic beef, mushroom soup, shredded cheese, and tater tots. Hopefully it will freeze well and taste good when I do cook it. The next recipe was a weight watchers, and a lot more complicated. I'm a little nervous about this one. It involved pasta, baked chicken, whisking, and chopping again. It seems like a strange mixture to me - pasta, parmigiana cheese, onions, chili peppers, and chicken, covered with bread crumbs. We'll see. Wish me luck when I feed it to them on Monday night. At least I have three meals taken care of this week - Chicken-chili casserole, cheeseburger-tater tot casserole, and dinner at Di's house. Yea! The chili casserole did not turn out great. I found it lacking in flavor while my husband thought it was a little spicy.

Just a tip to help Sarah, garlic burns quickly. When you look at your recipe, think about the fact that the garlic should only be in the skillet for 30 seconds before you add liquid or other ingredients. If the garlic is brown, it is over cooked. Burned garlic will make the whole dish taste bitter. Sarah was smart to start over.

Soup and a PSA

There are a few things I am good at.....
um,
well, I am good at my job. I can put in cute pigtails on a dancing three year old and I make great soup. Seriously, great soup. Good, homemade soup is delicious comfort in a bowl. I love to serve soup in my latte bowls. The bowls are shaped to be cupped in the hand AND to invite drinking the last little bit. During the winter when I seem to eat more meat than I would like, a hearty vegetable based soup never even has me thinking of meat. (I m a rabid reader of Michael Pollan's books. And, though I am no longer a vegetarian, I now only buy meats for my home that are humanely raised with as little of an impact on the environment as possible.)

After raving about my soup I made the other night on Facebook, I promised to post the recipe for my potato-dill soup. Yes, I rave about my own meals on FB. That will follow this brief public service announcement on stock.

Stock? like the stock exchange? well, no. Chicken stock, beef stock, turkey stock, duck stock. You can buy stock. It is not that expensive and has resealable containers now. I always have a few in my pantry. But, really good soup needs really good stock. Yes, I am proposing that you make your own stock. It will be cheaper, will have less sodium (yes, you add salt to your stock but, since you will be freezing, you don't need extra salt to preserve), and it will taste a million times better. I have a secret to my stock. I never fully clean off a whole chicken or turkey. After a meal of roasted chicken, I take that poor, picked over carcass and toss it in a freezer bag (if the skin has bbq sauce or is heavy seasoned, I do pull the rest of the skin off) and throw it in the freezer. Right now in my freezer, I have 3-4 chickens, about 6 turkey drumsticks, and a duck all missing 98% of their meat and just wanting to become stock. If you are so bored you could cry, just skip the next two paragraphs.

To make stock, I pull out my big stock pot (ok, so, it's a lobster pot but, who is keeping track of these things besides Sarah?). About 3 tablespoons of olive oil go in the bottom (or duck fat if I am making duck stock). Next go in celery stalks that have been washed and broken in half. Wash you carrots, cut off the ends and break in a few pieces. Onion can be cut in half - I do remove the skin though I know many cooks who don't bother. Squash a garlic clove (which is one little piece of the head). I use the following guideline since I will have 2-3 chicken in the pot any one time. For each chicken I use 2 celery stalks, 1 large carrot, one medium onion, one-half clove of garlic. On medium heat, give the veggies a stir every 10 minutes of so but, let them sit on the heat for 20 minutes or so. You want to be able to smell the veggies. Oh, when you put them in the pot, give them a generous sprinkling of kosher salt. Now is time for the chicken. Mine go straight from the freezer to the pot. Then I add a couple of bay leaves and some pepper corns (about 4 per chicken). Fill the pot so that everything is covered with cold water. Turn on high until it boils then trun down to med-low for 2-2.5 hours.

Strain, toss the veggies and the chicken bones. I transfer my stock to freezer bags or the big yogurt containers. Then I fill the sink with ice water to cool down the stock so it can go in the frig or freezer. Make sure you date the containers.

Diana's Albany Potato Dill Soup
3 Large Yukon Potatoes, peeled
1 yellow onion
1 large carrot
1 leek (though I frequently omit because I don't have it or am just too lazy to wash out all the sand)
1 garlic clove
2 tbl of fresh or 1 tsp of dried dill
4 oz cream cheese (not non-fat)
32 oz chicken or veggie stock
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

dice the peeled potatoes, onion, carrots and leeks to uniform size. not too big. put a large saute pan on medium heat. cook the potatoes, onion, carrots and leeks in olive oil (dont forget to add salt) until onions are translucent and carrots get a little caramelized. pour in your stock. let that boil for 20 minutes. in a food processor or blender, blend the potato-stock mixture with the cream cheese and chopped dill. I usually do this in 2 batches. transfer all soup back to the pan. add a bit more salt, a tbl of cracked pepper and the cheddar cheese. let the cheese melt over medium low heat. it you prefer not such a thick soup, thin with more chicken stock or skim milk.
serve with a salad and bread.

Now, I have to go fill my freezer with stock. Enjoy the soup.

Amber Waves

Last night, Sarah and her family were over for dinner. She brought this amazing garlic bread from Whole Foods. It has a nice crust and is soaked in garlic butter. It is so yummy, I think angels have a hand in preparing it.

I don't turn my nose up to carbs. I really try to limit white flour. Nutritionally, it is a nothing. The bread and pasta in my home are whole grain. Having the fiber and having the natural vitamins and minerals that are in the grains have it falling on the Healthy Yummy list.

When I was recovering from postpartum depression, I learned my practice of loading up on lots of lean animal protein was messing with my serotonin levels. I was eating all the protein because I was nursing and wanted my milk to be the best it could be (yeah, by the second baby, I just focused on eating good healthy foods). I was amazed at how much better I felt by have whole grains with a bit of fat. That was when I got hooked of the 9 Grain Honey bread from Central Market. We eat at least two loaves a week in my home now. So, a piece of that yummy fresh bread with a nice schmear of peanut butter or soft cheese - yum. And, I wasn't getting as stressed and freaked out. I now make an effort to include whole grains in my daily diet. Figuring out a few things, like my favorite bread, that I can have in the house and is easy to grab makes all the difference.

My three year old loves honey flax bread and the bread from Whole Foods with the seeds. Um, yeah, I never remember the name but, it looks like it has birdseed in it.

Any of the honey whole grain breads are crazy yummy as cinnamon toast. Use a little good quality butter and it is really heaven.

This brings me to one piece of advice I give new moms on rice cereal. When I was an infant (yes, 800 years ago), my parents were told to give me rice cereal starting at 2 weeks. Yes, two weeks of age. Now, the recommendation is 6 months. Rice cereal is still the first food of choice because it is easy to digest and bland. Rice cereal is processed removing the sheath and the fiber (which would give the poor baby awful gas) and the nutrition that it contains. replacing breastmilk or formula with something not very nutritious makes no sense to me.
I know some babies are given rice cereal as a treatment for GERD. I have heard it works wonders for some babies. That is obviously a totally different scenario.

I tell my friends to skip the rice cereal. I have never heard of a baby that likes it. Both my girls looked at me like I was torturing them. So, our first foods were banana, avocado, and sweet potato. Neither of my girls were ready for solids at 6 months. I just kept offering foods and when they each were ready, they ate with gusto. Some babies are more than ready by 6 months. I have seen a few babies go after a spoon of mashed food like my husband going after a basket of wings.

Moms put a lot of pressure on themselves. We were told from the day we got pregnant that rice cereal is so important to our babies. But, a little common sense says no. Especially for breastfed babies (and you will not find any opinion or debate about breastfed v formula fed here. Every family does what is best for them, mommy and baby. My decision to breastfeed both my girls has no reflection on any other child or family), introducing solids should really be done cautiously. If breastmilk is the best nutritionally for baby, then any thing else is second best and is replacing that liquid gold. For formula fed babies, mommies can have the same problem. Some kids really love food. Well, if solids are replacing too much formula, baby may not be getting enough important nutrients, especially fat.

My point? That through every stage in life, the kitchen is important as is healthy yummy food. Parents and caregivers have to use common sense when feeding their families and themselves. When you order your sandwich at lunch time, ask if you can get that on whole grain.

Pizza and an Introduction

I am sure you have been wondering how the pasta was last night. Well, I know it is a yummy dish since I make it all the time but, it was not on the table last night. After running errands and picking up two starving little girls, I made the executive decision and ordered pizza.

Cheese pizza, salad, and fruit. Not great but, not that bad.

Instead of sharing what happened in my kitchen, how about another glance into another kitchen? I would like to introduce my friend, Sarah. Sarah is also a working mom to a three year old girl. By contrast, her daughter happily eats at mealtime. Another difference between me & Sarah is that I love to cook. Having extra time in the kitchen is relaxing to me. I recognize not everyone is like that. Words like braising, julienne, are meaningless and, a bit irritating.
I turn the blog over to Sarah...

I have suddenly been forced into cooking for my family since my beloved super suppers closed after almost 5 years in business. Yet another victim of the recession. To be honest, I am cooking-challenged. Fortunately, Diana has taken pity on my family and her 3-year old loves my 3-year old so she is helping to feed my family. Too bad we can’t eat there every night.

I am also looking for healthy and organic fare for my family. My challenge – arriving home at 6:00, with a hungry 3-year old and husband, and getting everyone fed, without any tantrums or fights. Last night was the first night of actually cooking a meal from scratch and it was a SUCCESS! I made “fried” chicken and served with fresh strawberries, rolls, and cheese sticks.

The recipe was from weight watchers, Southern “Fried” Chicken. It met my requirements – simple recipe, easy ingredients, and healthy. I was able to prepare and cook dinner in 45 minutes. All three of us ended dinner with happy plates, meaning cleaned plates. We even had leftovers, which we will be eating tonight.

A few suggestions on the oven fried chicken.
Instead of corn flakes, you can substitute dried stuffing. I like to pound down Pepperidge Farm's cornbread dressing. I mix that with some whole grain bread crumbs and toss in a little Tony Chachere's seasoning. It is also good on pork chops. If you use the Tony Chachere's do not add salt as well.

Just a little effort

So, today I have a big day in the office. An important marketing meeting and just lots to do. Instead of doing take out and unhealthy lunch, I made a plan.
I had a smoothie for breakfast. Lunch - huh, how to stay away from General Tso's.... Going with a sandwich. Whole grain bread, cream cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, and spinach. Oh, and maybe some peppercinis. It's fresh, yummy and the cream cheese feels decadent.
Dinner will be easy and yummy. Chicken and apple sausage. I will slice it when it is a little frozen (it slices easier). Throw it in a skillet. Throw in sliced yellow onions and julienned green peppers. I boil some whole grain pasta. When it is done, I toss with some good olive oil and sprinkle on some garlic salt. Toss with the sausage and veggies. Oh, I add a little parm. I like it shaved but, my three year old likes it shredded.

Thinking of garlic salt, I love garlic salt. I will sprinkle some on my sandwich at lunch today. I always put some on any avocado. I will use it when seasoning my veggies when making dinner rather than just kosher salt. I don't shy away from salt. I like my food to be well seasoned. Also, most sodium is being snuck into our diets through processed food. So, if I am controlling my salt intake by cutting out as much processed food as possible, I don't worry about properly seasoned food.

Ok, time to get back to work.

6 Theories about Fish Tacos

When I was growing up, my grandmother had one of those decorative plates in her kitchen that said "Before I had children, I had six theories about having children. Now, I have six children and no theories".
Well, I too had theories and plans. (yeah, they are hilarious - no tv, no Disney princesses, no flavored milk, mommy never loses her cool. I know, I told you, hilarious). One of the things I was so appalled by was Jessica Seinfeld's book about hiding healthy food. True, I never read the book or even opened it but, I did see her on a morning show. On my high horse I would spout how I want my kids to love the taste of good, healthy good and hiding it robs them of that opportunity.
And, then, I had a three year old. The same 3 year old who woofed down a cheese and tilapia quesadilla last night. Oh, I mean a cheese quesadilla, just ask her. Yep, not only did I sneak fish in there - then, I lied. (will my mother of the year award come in silver or gold? silver would match the decor in my family room). My 15 month old gobbed up the tilapia on her plate. White flaky fish is easy to hide. Just flake and layer it with the cheese.
For the adults, we had fish tacos. My husband piled everything in his except the avocado. He says he does not like it. It could be true. Though he has never tried it outside of a California roll.

Fish tacos -
Fresh whole grain tortillas. (the fresher the better. Sorry if you live somewhere that you can't just stop and pick these up.)
Fish (I like tilapia for this. It is inexpensive and easy to find. For a list of sustainable, low mercury fish http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagID=15890 )
Limes
Cilantro
Red Onion
Apple Cider Vinegar
Radishes
Avocado
Olive Oil
Sour Cream
Mayo
Sugar
Salt

Marinade the fish for 30 minutes to 1 hour in olive oil, fresh lime juice, salt and chopped cilantro in a plastic bag making certain that the fish is totally covered.
Slice radishes very thin.
Slice red onion very thin.
Finely chop cilantro.
In a small pot, put 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar on mid/high heat. Add tablespoon of sugar. Throw in red onions. Let come to a boil and turn down to a simmer.
Fish can be sauteed in a skillet or grilled.
Mix 3 tablespoon of sour cream with 3 tablespoons of mayo. Add 1 tablespoon of fresh lime juice.
Mash avocado.
Warm tortillas.
There you go. Fish tacos topped with radishes, pickled onions, avocado, sprinkled with cilantro with white sauce. They are yummy.

Cookie?

My three year old is, well, difficult at mealtime. To face facts, she is three. And, she is just really good at it. She does not like anything. In fact, her favorite phrase at mealtime is "I don't like that". She can have her favorite meal served to her on a princess plate no less and her first reaction is to push it away.
So, what to do.......
I do give her things she likes. Grilled cheese, strawberries, cheese, and the like. But, I also put things on her plate I know she will never eat. At lunch it was a potato. Yes, a potato. But, it came from the mommy's plate and touched green beans (it was from Dickey's. It had been cooked in rendered bacon and then boiled in butter. Yeah, it is shocking I let it leave my plate). I knew she was going to turn her nose up at it. But, I want her to have an adventurous palate.
I know at three that is a pipe dream but, someday, she will stop the food battle. When that day comes, I hope her plate is heaped with butternut squash and kiwi.
For now, I will continue to search for cereal bars that are whole grain and have no HFCS (the dreaded high-fructose corn syrup) and stock my fridge with enough milk to keep the princess cup overflowing with strawberry milk.
Some battles I can win and some battles, I am just happy to stay in the fight.

Trade you for a Twinkie

Both my daughter are in preschool during the week. (There will be no apology from me for being a working mom.) During the week, their cafeteria puts out junk food and crap. On Fridays, they get a break and I get to send lunches with the girls.
I have realized that if I am ever going to get my husband to pack these lunches, he will need a guidebook. So, here it is.
First and foremost, I want excitement when they open there lunch boxes (ok, true, my 15 month old is always excited about food). My three year old always her sandwich cut in the shape of a heart. I have a giant cookie cutter that does the job.
Sandwiches are on fresh whole grain bread. I stop by the bakery twice a week to pick up fresh bread. It doesn't taste like the wheat bread I always cringed at growing up. It comes in small loaves but, it doesn't have any preservatives so, you wouldn't want to keep it around long any way. My three year old loves jelly. I am not a fan of jelly since the first ingredient is sugar - yes, you can find jelly that does not a high-fructose corn syrup as an ingredient. But, this is one of my gives; a thin layer of jelly on one side and peanut butter on the other. Every grocery store carries peanut butter without preservatives. You keep it in the refrigerator and it tastes awesome.
Instead of the PB&J, sometimes I do grilled cheese or something else warm. I use a thermos. First I pour in hot water, let it sit for 10 minutes. Dry it out then add the warm food. It is still sort of warm by lunch. The better the thermos, the longer it stays warm.
Now, I like to add some more protein. Cheese or yogurt are my go to items. Yogurt also doubles as dessert and is a great nutrient rich food. I prefer organic with less sugar. If I was really on the ball, I could buy the pint of plain and add honey and squashed up fruit. Since I am human, I buy the individual containers. I like Brown Cow or Stoneyfield. Ok, I also buy YoKids and YoBaby. It has a ton of sugar but, it is easy and is a good portion. Oh and Silk makes a pretty yummy soy yogurt. Cheese are great because, yum - who doesn't love cheese?
Then we just need fruit or veggie. If I sent cheese, I sent fruit to double as dessert. When I send veggies, I sent ranch to dip. I just add a small ice pack to the lunch box. My three year old isn't a fan of all raw veggies so, a quick steam in the microwave takes care of that.
I send milk to drink. My girls drink it well and now that Horizon makes those convenient boxes, it is easy. When the girls are older, I will probably substitute water (in a reusable non-BPA container). I don't send juice. That is a whole other topic. But, drinking calories without any other benefit is not something I encourage.
My philosophy on lunches are get enough protein and foods high in fiber (whole grains, veggies, fruit) to get my kids through the afternoon. Too much sugar will make them cranky when they come off the sugar high. Also, I need to send food they will eat. Thus heart shaped sandwiches and cheese cut into cubes.
Making both lunches takes me 10-15 minutes. It keeps high levels of sodium and food additives out of their little bodies (yeah, lunchables do not do a body good). It is one of those time sacrifices that I feel is worth it.

It's what's for breakfast

So, I started my picking on my husband. It's ok, he likes it. I used to always eat breakfast. Ok, true, I was pregnant or nursing and always starving. Now, I have gone back to coffee and maybe a couple of bites of fruit.
Obviously, that has lead to snacks of candy and indulgent lunches. The last two mornings I have jumped on the smoothie wagon. This morning, I took my husband with me. I made his pretty sweet because he likes things fairly sweet and with soy yogurt due to his extreme lactose issues. I realized if I want to do smoothies, I am going to need a bunch more frozen fruit.
But, it was super easy.
Blender, yogurt, frozen mango, frozen blueberries, banana, OJ, agave nectar - ta da.

But, I only have one blender. So, if the dishwasher doesn't get run one day, that will be a problem. And, I think smoothies look kind of gross. Tasted good though.

Oh, for those who don't use agave nectar as a sweetener, I love it. I does not have a flavor like honey which sometimes I think is a little strong (though in a peanut butter banana smoothie, honey is awesome). I get it at Whole Foods and use it in a lot of things. There are also darker and less filtered agave nectarwhich can be used in place of maple syrup.

Teaching and Learning

I am a mom of two little girls and a wife to a great guy. I have thought for a long time about how I should be eating for health and in respect to its impact on earth (which comes back to health).
I love food, I love eating, I also love cooking. I do not love cooking the rushed weeknight dinner. That is an awful job for the parent who wound up being the family cook. Hungry kids and the chaos that ensues after the school and work day is nothing but a headache and temper tantrum waiting to happen.

Wait, let me give you a little run down on my food history before I jump into the mix. I never gave much thought to food growing up. I didn't like meat (except for fried chicken). I could eat fruit and cheese 24/7. Mashed potatoes were heaven on a plate. My mom tried to have healthy food in the house but, with marketing and three pushy kids we did have a bit of crap food in the house.
By the time I hit high school, I knew I liked to be thin. That was easy. A meal of diet coke and skittles twice a day with one meal of a baked potato and ta da. By the time I got to college, beef really killed my stomach (shocking since I was putting such healthy things into it). Without the richness of beef, I stopped eating meat all together by the time I left college. I can't say I had a great diet. When I finally read Becoming Vegetarian, I realized I was really doing some damage to my body. I started to think about what I was eating.
Well, I grew up a bit. I never really liked bread or pasta but, I discovered whole grains when I did eat those. I started eating different kinds of veggies. I also started eating meat again. It was easier being an omnivore and once I learned to cook, I realized poultry and fish are yummy. By the time my husband and I moved in together, I didn't keep any junk food in the house and ate pretty healthy. I think he is still regretting not knowing how to cook and letting me taek over the kitchen. Then, we had two little girls. And, I was determined to teach them healthy eating and give them a great palate for good food. At home, they only get whole grains, get lots of fruits and veggies, and seldom get junk food. School is another topic. I will save that for a later rant.

So, why am I now writing a blog about getting my kitchen yummy and healthy? It is simple. Mommy is chubby. I have used two pregnancies and nursing as an excuse to eat A LOT and eat things that are not at all good for me. Besides the weight, I am tired all the time even when my 1 year old actually lets me sleep. I don't want to diet. I know how to diet - dont eat very much. But, then once I start dieting, I know I will start this all again. I need new habits, a new way of thinking in my kitchen. This will be my journal of my learning how to keep a yummy, healthy kitchen, of learning to rethink food and eating, of learning new philosphies of food and eating.