Good Morning!

Desperate Housewife

I'm definitely not a housewife. Although, I desperately wish I could be.

I'm a cook in the making doing some on the job training, if you will.

After my turkey incident, I nearly put away my cooking stuff and threw in the dishtowel.  But. I had turkey left over! and I put too much energy into it to not use it.

I attempted to make these sandwiches and I think they turned out pretty darn well for a first time broiler.

I took some pieces of whole grain bread and tried to broil them, but this was after I had to call my dad to find out what it meant to broil something. Who knew there was a heating unit in my oven that wasn't the oven?

Have some pity on me, I'm only 23... I should be eating ramin noodles in a dorm room somewhere finishing my masters, but I chose to take a little different path in life and I couldn't be happier!

Back to these sandwiches.... I broiled the bread but only got the crust to get crusty, but persevered anyway. I threw some spinach leaves (I love spinach leaves) on, sliced some tomato (I try to convince myself daily that I like tomato, but I really don't), avocado (I love avocado)....

I think I may have used too much, but at least avocado is a health fat right?

Used up the turkey I had left over...

Put a slice of colby jack on top...

and broiled it for a few seconds. If I could figure out how to get this method of cooking to be consistent with all three sandwiches it would be golden. Fast, efficient, and the sandwiches were mouth watering good, even with crusty crusts and normal bread like centers. 

Perhaps I'll try these again sometime soon, but buy precooked turkey next time. haha

Green Eggs and Ham Strawberries

About a million years ago when we had cable I was watching Paula Dean on The Food Network and she was cooking with her niece and nephew or grand kids or whomever they were... it was a long time ago okay? and she made them green eggs and ham! So I thought I would try it out, but every time I have thought about it sense it's after the eggs are already almost cooked and I'm scrambling (pun intended) to find the food coloring! and by the time I do, it's too late.

But not the other day!

well... sort of...

I thought, oh no! I forgot to add the blue food coloring again!! So I rushed for the food coloring, got it, and instead of 2 drops of blue to the yellow eggs to make green, I panicked and added about 10 just in case the eggs cooked before I could add anymore. So I guess they are more like blue-green eggs, but Riley and Raigan both loved them and ate them all up.

Fun and easy breakfast!

Crockpot Steel Cut Oats

I've been reading a lot about making steel cut oats in the crock pot. I am in love with this site: Weelicious here is her post about Crock Pot Oatmeal. So I made it for the girls. They loved it. The end.

Just kidding.


I used Whole Foods brand of steel cut oats 1 cup, like 4 cups of water, too much cinnamon, and a few huge squirts of agave nectar (which is a mix between syrup and honey-but o'natural) and cooked it on low all night (about 8 hours). It was ready for my hungry little girls Raigan in the morning, and Riley ate some too haha.

I did have a picture from the next morning when they were done, but I lost it, so you'll just have to believe me that it was good.

Edemame

You may have heard these yummy little green things be referred to as soy beans. They have a Nu Val score of 91!There is even a website dedicated entirely to them: http://www.edamame.com/. They are packed with nutrients and minerals that you can read about on that site, or here. I bought these from Trader Joe's. They are really fun for kids too, because they have to open up the pod to get the soybeans out! Riley loved the novelty of it all.

They are super easy too for Moms. All you have to do is thaw them (if frozen) and serve. I love that kind of food!

That green blob is a soy bean. Raigan didn't know what to make of them first, but she continued with mmMMmmms so I'm assuming she enjoyed them too, since she ate all of her's.

Star Fruit aka Carambola

Star fruit is new to our house. 

I have been seeing it at the grocery, and decided last night to give it a try. 

You don't peel it, just wash it with cold water, slice it, and enjoy.

Reading more about it in my free time (ha!) turns out it's a great choice too! 

It's a tropical fruit that is rich in Vitamin C, A, fiber, and potassium.

It has a Nu Val score of 100!

(let me just say, I thought an idea just like Nu Val a few years ago, and then these nutritionist and doctors come up with the same thought! Great minds must think alike)

Riley gave it a thumbs up!

Although Raigan's face looks like she could have taken it or left it, she did eat a lot, so I'm assuming that she enjoyed it too!

It's so fun for kids because it's in the shape of a star!

Easy as...

pie? Nope. Easy as chicken.

I love chicken. When I was a vegetarian for years, it was the chicken that I missed most.
I love chicken and I love simple.
I love honey and mustard too, and salt.

So here is the yummiest chicken recipe made with all things I love:

It's 4 simple ingredients

*Chicken breast (after watching Food Inc, I try to buy organic free range whenever possible)

*Yellow Mustard

*Honey

*Salt

Your portions of meat should  be the size of your palm. My husband and I usually share a chicken breast, Riley will eat a small portion of mine, if we're lucky, and Raiggie, she isn't quite there yet, close, but not there. I sometimes make more to have leftovers, but not very often, because unless Brandon takes them for lunch the next day, they just sit in our fridge till I get around to cleaning it out.

You preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put a chicken breast(s) in a shallow pan or baking dish (I use aluminum foil because it makes clean up easier).

Cover the chicken breast(s) with a good squirt of honey and a good squirt of mustard. Sorry if I'm being too technical here. haha

Sprinkle with a small dash of salt.

Pop it in the oven for an hour, baste the chicken a few times throughout with the honey mustard glaze, and.....

voila! Honey mustard chicken breast.

Back to Life...

Back to Life.. Back to Reality.

We were only gone for a week, but it feels like we have been gone an entire season.

When I left Kentucky last Saturday night the weather was warm, the sun was shinning, it was still summer like with a hint of fall.

I come back and it's 60 degrees, raining, and fall smacks you in the face as soon as you walk out the front door.

My local Kroger has totally paved and re did their parking lot and the whole produce section has changed! It made me feel like a stranger in my own town! Luckily the important things were still in the same spot, like the cookies.

When stopping at the unfamiliar grocery tonight I found the best thing ever:

 

 I love avocados, so much that I may marry it one day. We all know that whole fresh locally grown fruits and vegetables are the healthiest, but sometimes you just can't wait for that avocado to ripen and you need your fix right then! Or something like that...

These come in three small little 100 calorie packs that you take with you on the go. I have never been able to take an avocado on the go. Until now!

I'm pretty excited about these! I will be having chips and guac for lunch tomorrow!

A Tutorial on Tofu

I just asked Raigan if she wants me to do a tutorial on tofu and she went crazy in baby babble. So I guess I will, because she's the boss.

I made a resolution at the beginning of the year to live more simply. I'm struggling with it, and working on it daily every once in awhile. I try to double up on things., do them when I think about them so I don't forget or have to spend time even remembering that I had to do them.

I use the same logic with feeding my children. I'm very much interested in nutrition and establishing good eating habits in my children. On the otherhand I still need it to be simple and easy, because there is too much in my life is not simple and easy.

Tofu is a great choice in the meat and bean group. What the heck is tofu? I used to wonder the same thing. Tofu is soybean curd, there are many types, consistences, and it's been around awhile. I'm trying to keep this simple.See? I'm working on it.

Tofu is a great alternative to meat because it contains little fat, and little to NO cholesterol, which is huge when trying to find protein. Tofu is super rich in protein, iron, and calcium. It contains Omega 3s, which lower the bad cholesterol and raise the good. It's got a pretty big bang for it's buck.

Tofu doesn't taste gross either like kale some other healthy foods that are high in vitamins and minerals. In fact tofu doesn't really taste like anything. At least when it's by itself. Tofu is like a sponge, it soaks up whatever flavors you want it to, so you can marinate it to whatever you like. I'm talking baby food talk though here, so there is no need to season it, because babies don't yet know too much about seasoning yet.

My point from all this:

Tofu as a baby food is a great idea. It's very simple, easy to make, soft already for baby, and packed with nutrition. Babies can start eating proteins at around 8 months.

What you need:

Hungry baby? 

 Check.

Package of extra firm tofu?

 Check.

There are all different kinds of tofu for different things, but in my opinion extra firm is best for baby food.

Drain the fluid off of the block of tofu.

Place the block of tofu on a towel or paper towel...

and wrap it up.

The goal is to press out as much of the moisture as you can.

Use pressure from your hand or put a book on top and push down on the book.

Once you've squeezed the heck out of it cut it into tiny little cubes for the babe.

And serve. Easy as tofu pie!

Since tofu is bland I fed this to my little Raiggie with applesauce.

I couldn't shovel it in fast enough so she was grabbing some herself in between bites.

Disclosure: I am not a Registered Dietitian. This is not professional advice. I'm just a mama wanting to feed her kids well while living simply.

Avocado & Banana

Avocados are nutritionally dense and have 20! essential nutrients and they taste like a thick creamy butter. I mean could there be any better food? They are full of healthy fats that keep our bad cholesterol down and our good up! When I was younger I had no idea what an avocado even was, and just found out 6 months ago that it was a fruit, who knew? I've been missing out though, I know that.

I got the following nutritional information from http://www.avocado.org

Do avocados offer nutrients beneficial to babies?

Avocados can be an important part of your baby's growth and development. Fresh avocados are sodium and cholesterol-free. They contribute valuable nutrients including 8% of the recommended Daily Value (DV) for folate; 4% DV for fiber and potassium, 4% DV for vitamin E; and 2% DV for iron. A serving of avocado also contains 81 micrograms of the carotenoid lutein and 19 micrograms of beta-carotene. One serving also contains 3.5 grams of unsaturated fats, which are known to be important for normal growth and development of the central nervous system and brain.

Not only are avocados nutritionally great for babies, they are a great first food for babies and mom's too! They are soft and creamy with no cooking involved- all you have to do is peel them and mush/cut them up. When Raigan was just starting solids I would smash the chunks up very well, but now that she sports two teeth and gums food like a champ, I just slice them and she uses her pincer grasp to feed herself. Makes breakfast time super easy.

Bananas are another great first food for baby and so easy too. I love buying baby food, but jared bananas are just gross, they don't even taste, look, or smell like the real deal. Again, like an avocado, you just peel, mash, and serve. Raigan LOVES bananas, but who doesn't?

Bananas are a great source of fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and B6. They are low in sodium, saturated fats, and have no cholesterol. Oh, and they taste great!

Raigan seems to think so anyway. Oh, and these foods are great for toddlers too! The Go Gurt isn't the  super healthiest choice, but life's a compromise right?

I have been making my own baby food!

I cannot lie. I love to buy baby food from the store. I'm weird, I know. I just like picking out the variety, getting ideas from Gerber and Earth's Best, and seeing how much my sweet babe loves the most of each new food they offer. 

I do find it strange though that none of them have broccoli? 

Although I have a love affair with shopping for baby food, I have become interested in learning more about making my own baby food! So... I read some books, did some research, shopped for fresh fruit and veggie's, and food processed my heart out!

Zuccini and Squash!

In the food processor!

Raigan waited anxiously!

So I let her lick the spoon!

I froze the rest for later in ice cube trays!

They turned out beautifully!

Pears!

This is some plum and banana puree I made!

It was a hit!

I love having a baby that loves to eat!