Vegan For Lent: Week Three (or so...)

I've had several conversations recently with people wondering how "the vegan thing" is going. My husband has really been craving and missing the experience of eating meat- a big, fantastic hamburger, or grilled salmon. He's been a champ, but he'll be very ready to enjoy something of the meat-variety come Easter Sunday. I honestly haven't really missed meat. Granted, grilling season has yet to begin in earnest, and we can't afford to eat sushi anyway. But I really thought I'd be pining away for shaved parmesano reggiano or a giant dollop of goat cheese atop spicy italian sausage and peppers. Not so far, though Easter is still 3 weeks away.

What I have appreciated is the very thing I was hoping for- I really wanted to enjoy the abundance of plant-based food. Sauteed bell peppers and sweet onions with portobello mushrooms, stuffed into a tortilla with gloriously spicy guacamole. Delectable strawberries with coconut-milk whipped cream for dessert. And yes, french fries still make the vegan-table.

I've long since believed that, to experience beauty in its many forms is to experience GOD. And anytime we stop and recognize that beauty, when we enjoy it and give thanks for it, we worship GOD at a fundamental level. A communion of Creator and co-creator/created happens in a mysterious, but experiential way. I've continued to find this to be true throughout this Lenten season.

There's something more that I'm craving, though- something more that has compelled me to take this journey of Lent via my dinner plate. Of course, I haven't really known quite what that is. I was at Target this last week and on a whim picked up the book "Women, Food and God" by Geneen Roth. I was intrigued by the title and figured it'd probably be appropriate for the season.

I have to admit that I skimmed through quite a few pages, as compulsive over-eating hasn't really been my issue. I was surprised at how vague her notion was of God- or least, that's how she presented her notion. I found her references to God were more about psychology and ourselves, but OK- I can work with that. In fact, I could probably reinterpret that more easily than if Ms. Roth were a hyper-evangelical Christian. But that's a different issue I have. :)

What struck me about this book and the thing I have been considering all week is this: when I use food to meet an emotional or spiritual need, I am checking out of my body and excusing myself to be somewhere else- I become dis-integrated from myself. And this is something God has never wanted.

This idea of dis-integration is one that really resonates with me because for the last few years I've been on a quest to re-integrate the various parts of my life. I want what I believe to be true about God- about myself- about the world to be integrated (or in alignment) with the way I parent, the way I spend my time, the way I love my husband and friends. And I want that same integration/alignment with the way I treat my body- how I speak to it, how I feed it and how I use it to enjoy physical activity or to help others.

Vegan For Lent: Week Two

For lunch the other day, I prepared a breakfast bagel sandwich. Scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese and four slices of maple bacon. I got through half of it before I realized, "Oh crap! This isn't vegan! And James is gonna know because he'll smell the bacon!"

And then I woke up.

Yep. Those are the kind of dreams I'm having these days. I always wake up with a chuckle.

Week two has included some superb food. James and I had a Groupon to Little India that expired last weekend. So, you know, we simply HAD to get away for dinner to use it before we wasted $20. I was skeptical, having only ever ordered chicken vindaloo when eating Indian (except when in India, of course). I wasn't super excited about what I feared would amount to stir-fried veggies in some tasteless sauce. (How I got to this conclusion, I have no idea. It can't possibly be based on any reality actually involving Indian food that I've experienced up to this point.) What we ate was, simply put, one of the best meals I have had in a long time- vegan or no. We ordered a chickpea masala and another dish that featured mushrooms, lentils, peas and a divinely inspired spicy sauce. The naan at this particular Indian restaurant had egg in it, and I was heartbroken. That is, until James introduced me to Puri. For my New Mexican friends, puri is akin to indian fry bread, only in smaller portions. So we mopped up every last bit of sauce-y deliciousness with deep fried, glorious bread.

I also happened to make the best pancakes AND the best banana bread that I've ever made this past weekend. If you know me, you know I'm not a good baker. I'm terrible at following directions. So this was really no small feat. I'm posting the banana bread recipe below.

So, any significant revelations? Nah. But we're eating well, and enjoying it for sure.

Rachael's Vegan Banana Bread (1 loaf)
(adapted from her mother's delicious recipe)
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. Earth Balance butter
1 TBS apple cider vinegar
2 super-ripe, mashed up bananas
3 TBS non-dairy milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
semi-sweet chocolate chips, if desired

Preheat to 350*. Cream sugar, butter & vinegar together. Add bananas and milk, and stir until well blended. Add baking soda, baking powder and flour. Stir until completely combined. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 45min to 1 hour.

Vegan For Lent: Week One

It's funny how we venture just a few steps at a time, and after a few years, realize how far down a path we've come that we never intended to go. This is certainly the case for me with food. I would have never thought that I would even consider eating a vegan diet for six weeks. Anyone who knows me would know that my love for cheese would have surely trumped that idea. It's interesting how it's usually the small steps that take us the farthest. 

In this case, I'm not sure exactly where I am headed. Looking at it from the outside, it seems a very strange thing to me to look at food as a potential source for spirituality. And that source having less to do with exactly what I eat than simply the thoughtfulness behind it. As I get older, though, I find that it's increasingly important for me to see an integration among the daily activities within my life. I don't really have time for superfluous- I'd rather expend my energy doing things that are integrated within the values I hold in life. I think about this a lot when it comes to how I parent my kids, or the kind of wife I try to be. I think about it with my job. Those are the biggies, of course, but that intentionality is starting to trickle in to some of the other daily, but less obvious activities of life. Activities such as eating. Exercising. Practicing hospitality. 

I'm not interested in spiritualizing something, simply for the sake of it. I've been around those sorts of folks who insist on placing a sort of "godliness" about everything they do... and I guess if that leads them to a place of gratitude, so be it. I'm simply trying to understand the inherent interconnectedness within what we do with our bodies, our emotions, our intellect, and our soul. It's no secret that sex, for example, isn't simply a physical act which doesn't impact the other areas of our being. And so I wonder, does the same go for the way we eat? 

I didn't begin a vegan diet because I believe that to tap into the spirituality of eating requires a moral stance on the content of our plate. I truthfully began it because a good friend suggested it. And when she suggested it, she put it in the context of being conscious of what we are preparing, and enjoying the abundance of great flavors the earth has to offer. So for me, Vegan For Lent isn't about deprivation or fasting. I'm certainly not approaching it as such. God knows this week I've enjoyed the silkiness of avocados, the sweetness of slowly roasted bell peppers and the satisfying earthiness of portobello mushrooms. I'm simply looking to prepare our meals thoughtfully, and wondering aloud how what I eat impacts all the layers of Me. 

That... was not good.

Ever have one of those meals when you sit, post-mastication, wondering what in the hell just happened? I mean... how could you go wrong? Mushroom ragu (with real cream and parmesan cheese)? GOOD. Fresh spinach? GOOD. Polenta? GOOOOD. But somewhere in the mix, something went horribly array. It's a damn shame, too, considering all the calories. Sigh. Oh well.

On a different note, my friend Joy (who I swear I am not stalking, though I do reference her a whole lot) is introducing Vegan For Lent as a spiritual practice this year. Eating a plant-based diet as part of a lenten practice is a historical tradition starting back a few centuries after the time of Jesus. Here's a snippet of her Vegan For Lent guide, which will be downloadable at www.highlandschurchdenver.org after Sunday, March 06. Included are nutrition guidelines, Denver-area restaurants, food substitutions and over 40 recipes.

Room at the Table

The idea of abstinence is not based on what is lacking, but on what fills the space.  When we remove things from our lives, it creates room for whatever we choose. And when we abstain from elements of our meals, we create room for God at the table.

How many meals are eaten in a blur of activity, in the quick pause of a lunch break, or as we rush off to the next activity? These practices are far removed from the feasts of the Hebrew Bible or the table fellowship of Jesus’ time. It’s no wonder we seldom consider where our food came from, or what effects our food choices might have. Use this time not only to enjoy meals and those we share them with, but also to consider with an open mind what we are consuming, and to do so mindfully.

Simple Abundance

A diet based solely on plants might appear very austere at first glance, but consider the abundance found in nature and in the plant world. Think of a perfect plum, a garden-ripe heirloom tomato, or a rich, fatty avocado. These are the foods first given to humanity to eat, and they represent a simplicity we don’t often experience.

Jesus’ time in the desert was not about deprivation, but transformation. Likewise, this Lenten practice is not based on deprivation, but on the transformation that can occur when we find abundance in the midst of simplicity. Eating vegan creates the space for us to discover it. God is in the simplicity. God is in the abundance.

James and I will be doing this for Lent this year. If any of you are interested and want to dialogue about your experience, please let me know. We don't have any intention to permanently venture into vegan-dome, but at least for me, I just intend to enjoy the food provided by the earth. I hope to challenge my creativity in preparing meals without cheese (my staple and thigh-unfriendly ingredient). And I hope that in the process, I'll experience GOD in a new way. 

For any questions you might have in entering this journey, you can email Joy at veganforlent@yahoo.com.

Mmmmmm.... Sooouuup -Joey Tribiani

I'm not sure at what age it becomes acceptable to adore soup... but I'm pretty sure this launches me into the middle-aged category somehow. But who cares, because I really do like soup. The nostalgia of hot soup on a cold day is enough to keep me coming back for seconds.

I mentioned in a FB post that I'm fairly certain GOD makes Creamy Green Chile Soup on cold days- that endorsement seemed enough for some of you to want the recipe. So here it is- it comes from my sister Anna's kitchen. Other soups that I mentioned are listed in the side bar of recipes- I think the Butternut Squash/Pear Bisque is outstanding, so definitely give that one a try this fall! Because of the calories, I usually reserve the GC one for special occasions- it has become our Christmas Eve tradition.

You'll need:
1 stick of butter (real butter is better than margarine, but you could use margarine if you want)
3/4 C. flour
2 C. (fat free) half & half: (fat free works perfectly and it saves a few calories)
        or you can use 2C whole milk (skim milk will probably not work but 2% will likely be fine)
3 C. chicken broth
2 C. cooked, chopped chicken (rotisserie chicken works exceptionally well!!)
2 C. green chile
1 tsp. garlic powder (or to taste)
salt & pepper, to taste
Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and warm, buttered tortillas

In a large pot, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk over medium heat for 5 minutes. The roux will get a nice golden brown. As you continue whisking, slowly add the chicken broth. Once this is fully incorporated, add the half & half (or milk) and continue stirring as you bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and add in the green chile, chicken and seasoning. Once the chicken is heated through, the soup is done. The taste only develops as it sits, so be sure you make enough for leftovers!

Veggies, With A Side of Veggies Please

I think I am somehow going to have to figure out how to grow my own vegetables next summer. Let it be known now that my thumb is actually black. My dear friend Kristen planted lambs ear in my backyard garden and assured me it was impossible to kill. Well, it took 3 years, but I have managed to do the impossible. It is 100% dead- and that's with me watering the garden and attempting (however slightly) to maintain it. Sigh.

I have found that eating vegetarian dinners on a regular (4-5 times/week) basis has actually been much easier than I anticipated. It took a few weeks to get into the groove. But I will say that it hasn't improved my budget- I haven't actually done a cost comparison (because I'm too lazy) but the amount of vegetables it takes seems to cost about the same as the meat I'm replacing. Bell peppers are ridiculously expensive at at least $1.25/each (and that's extremely cheap compared to the regular grocery store)- portobello mushrooms are about the same. We easily go through 12 bell peppers and 8 onions a week. I roast 'em together with a bunch of carrots and toss it in to just about every recipe I can think of (and they are DIVINE).

But I'm cheap, dammit, and need to figure out ways to cut down the grocery bill. So I may have to figure out how to find the discipline to actually tend a garden next summer. Like, really, not just theoretically.

Here's a veggie recipe I'm trying this week:

Veggie Enchiladas (Green Chile)
3 bell peppers
3 onions
3 carrots
1-2 zucchini
2-3 handfuls of fresh spinach or 1/2 6oz pkg frozen
2-3 oz goat cheese
1/2 c. grated cheddar (reduced fat is better)
12-18 corn tortillas
1 can hatch green chile sauce + extra fresh green chile
OR 1-2 cans Hatch red chile sauce, if you prefer

Slice bell peppers, onions and carrots. Toss together on a cookie sheet with 2 TBS oil. Roast at 425* for about an hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Cook until caramelized and gorgeous. Set aside. Dice zucchini into small bites. Brown in a skillet with 1TBS olive oil. Set aside.

In a 9X12 baking dish, spray with cooking spray, spread tiny amount of chile sauce and lay down first 4-6 corn tortillas. Sprinkle 1/2 the goat cheese and all of the zucchini and spinach. Spread a bit more sauce and top with next layer of corn tortillas. Sprinkle the rest of the goat cheese, all of the bell peppers/onions/carrots. Top with almost all the sauce, reserving enough to cover the final layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining tortillas, then the remaining sauce, and top with the cheddar cheese.

Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes. It should be hot throughout and the cheese should be brown and bubbly on top!

The Journey To... Where, Exactly?

I nearly started this blog out with a sentence in reference to this journey of food discovery, when it occurred to me, I'm not actually GOING anywhere. And while I view spirituality as being a journey of discovery without really having much of a tangible destination, I at least had to stop and ask, is that what this is, too? I'm so goal-oriented in most things, it sure would be nice to think of changing my family's diet as something more of an adventure to be enjoyed, rather than a mark I'm not quite hitting...

I was feeling a little down the other day because our actual meals haven't exactly been what I had planned- particularly in the area of sugar-consumption. (I'm afraid homemade lattes are quickly replacing my mid-morning soda fix. And blessings on the Eat-Clean Diet Lady, but I'm just not to the no-sugar place yet, as is evidenced by my just-too-tight pants...) But then I started thinking back to what we had been eating lately- and I realized that nearly all of our dinners the last 3 weeks have been vegetarian. And hey, coming from a rather carnivorous, that's not something to sneeze at. (Wait, is that how that expression goes?)

So I've decided to let myself off the hook a bit and continue with our destination-less journey of discovering good, healthy food. With that in mind, I'm posting a recipe from a delightful dinner I made last weekend for my sister and my vegetarian/vegan friends. It was 100% vegan, and lacked absolutely nothing. Don't believe me? Try it!

Grilled Portobello Sandwiches and Green (Ridiculously Good) Salad
for 4 people

For the Sandwiches:
4 large portobello caps
2-3 bell peppers, roasted (jarred or roast ahead of time- any color)
2 yellow onions, caramelized (you can either roast these with the bell peppers, or if using jarred bells, cook these in a skilled with olive oil until brown and oozey.)
4 roma tomatoes (you can either roast them on a cookie sheet to make them sweet, serve them raw or use sundried tomatoes)
4 green chiles, diced or just sliced in half, and seeds removed
1 large foccacia bread (buy high quality bread, and skip the baked-in cheese- you won't miss it)

Preheat your grill. Brush both sides of the portobello mushrooms with olive oil, salt & pepper. Grill mushrooms for approx. 10-13 minutes, turning once. (Alternatively, if you prefer, you can slice the mushrooms into long slices and cook them in a skillet- the sandwich will look beautiful either way.) If your bell peppers and onions are not already hot, warm them in the microwave just before mushrooms are done. Slice the foccacia into four portions, and slice open. Layer each sandwich with one portobello, bell peppers, onions, 1 tomato and green chile. Serve with salad on the side.

For The Salad:
4 C. favorite lettuce (I prefer plain baby spinach)
2 granny smith apples, diced
1 C. walnuts (I cook about 2 c. walnuts in 1/3c. pure maple syrup in a skillet over med heat, stirring until the syrup has caramelized into utter deliciousness)

For the Dressing:
1 C. olive oil
1/2 C. apple cider vinegar
1/2 C. sugar
1 garlic clove
1 small package fresh basil (about 1/3c.)

In a small food processor, chop up the garlic and basil. Add the other ingredients and blend well. Store in a container that has a tight lid- as it sits in the fridge, it separates, so you'll need to shake well. Will last about a week.

Eat Like A New Mexican...

My son is absolutely convinced that he is a New Mexican, despite being born in Denver. Being a child of mixed race, he's very familiar with the concept of getting some of his genetics from his dad and some from his mom- and so his logic concludes that since I, his mother, am New Mexican, so is he. Where his logic breaks down is acknowledging that really, he's a Coloradan first and foremost. But whatever. He's six. And because I am, in fact, proud of the quirky Albuquerque culture that helped shape who I am, I don't tend to argue with him.

Where my New Mexican influence has been lost is persuading my children that spicy food is, in fact, edible food. What's worse is that on Sunday, I brought home two bushels of freshly roasted green chile, relishing the aroma that tells me it is time for the fall season. The scent of roasted green chile is enough to make me smile, cry and laugh, all at the same time. My children's response? Something like this: "EW! Mom! What is that NASTY smell?!" It broke my heart just a little bit.

My good friend Allison shared our green chile bounty and turned what would have otherwise been a dreary Sunday afternoon prepping my weekly ingredients (while missing the Bronco's game) into a delightful afternoon of sipping red wine, peeling tons of green chile and engaging in adult conversation. Among the topics of conversation heralded the question, "what are we going to do with all of this green chile?!"

Now of course, being from NM, this is not a question I struggle with. It was ingrained upon me at an early age that green chile does, in fact, go with everything. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and yes, even dessert- all can be sublimely complimented with green chile, or as we New Mexicans refer to it- the green nectar of God.

So this post (and probably a few others) will be dedicated to utilizing this fabulous, low-calorie, flavor enhancing food in some creative ways. Admittedly, to "eat like a New Mexican" generally does not include a particularly healthy assortment of foods. I have a delightful and reduced calorie recipe for green chile chicken enchiladas, but to put that in your "healthy meals" category would be a stretch. Really, it's just a slightly leaner option of a most decadent indulgence. I will, however, include this recipe below, for your enjoyment.

Today for lunch I enjoyed a variation on a caprese salad: i diced up 3 roma tomatoes, about 3 oz of fresh mozzarella, about 1 TBS of fresh basil from my next door neighbor's garden, and 2 green chiles (roasted and peeled, but not cooked further). I tossed it all together with about 1/2 TBS of olive oil and some salt. It was very good. Some avocado chunks would have sent this right over the edge of fabulous, but I didn't have any.

Also on the menu this week is the basic ratatouille recipe, but with, of course, green chile. We're eating it tonight and I can't WAIT to try it. I will let you know the verdict.

The only downer to Sunday's green chile-fest was the fact that it was 94* outside- it was just a little anti-climatic. I'm excited to make some healthy (and at least one decidedly NOT healthy) soups, all centered around this fabulous fruit. If you have a great recipe utilizing green chile (especially an unusual or unexpected one) will you share it with us? Post it in the comments section- I'd love to see it and try it!

Here's the enchilada's recipe:

Rachie's Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas (flat, not rolled because I'm too lazy)
Makes 1 big pan
1 pkg corn tortillas (18 tortillas) (flour will also work and gives just a slightly different texture/flavor)
3  cooked and diced boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1 rotisserie chicken boned and cut into pieces
1 C. chopped green chile (fresh or frozen- whatever you can find)
1 can Hatch Green Chile sauce (I don't have an alternative to this, so if you live in an area where you can't buy green chile sauce at the store, let me know and I'll try to think of something else.)
1 small tub of reduced fat sour cream (i tend to shy away from fat-free, but feel free...)
8-12 oz of reduced fat cheddar cheese (the less you use, the lower in calories- if you're really concerned, you can wait and only put cheddar cheese on the top layer of the casserole- or you can omit it all together.)
A few handfuls of fresh or frozen (and thawed/drained) spinach (I usually just use fresh)
You could also include cooked, diced zucchini, fresh diced tomatoes- really any veggies you want to sneak in here

In a sauce pan, add the green chile to the can of green chile sauce and mix together. It's my humble opinion that you can't have too much green chile in these enchiladas. It also allows you to adjust the heat to your liking.
In a 9X13 greased pan, spoon in a thin layer of green chile sauce. Lay down 6 slightly overlapping corn tortillas. Spread some sour cream (to your liking) along the tortillas with a spatula.  Layer 1/2 the chicken, 1/2 the spinach, a little cheese and any other veggies you may want to include. Top with a couple of ladles of green chile sauce. Repeat the process with another round of tortillas, sour cream, chicken, veggies and cheese. More sauce. Put the last of the tortillas on the top, with lots of sauce and top with the remaining cheese.
At this point, you can cover with foil and refrigerate for later, or you can place into a preheated 375* oven for 20-30 minutes. Everything is cooked, so it just needs to be heated through and the cheese on top needs to be brown and bubbly. It really does make a difference if you only melt the cheese instead of getting it browned, so be patient. You can put it under a low broiler, if needed.

Serve with some guacamole on the side! Yum!

Hey MAMBO

Today's cooking day requires a glass of this wine- "Hey MAMBO" for two reasons. One, my friend Allison bought it because this "California sultry red" reminded her of me and two, today is my birthday.

Last week's meals were pretty tasty. I'm adjusting to the concept of eating the same dinner two nights in a row (having never really been one for leftovers). But here's my motivation: preparing one meal intended for two nights really is a money AND time saver.

This week I'm continuing our change to have the bulk of the meat we consume for lunch, with vegetarian dinners at night. And on the weight loss front, I did manage to lose 3 pounds this week. It's amazing how much of a difference 3 can make- I am at least able to button up the un-buttonable jeans from last week. I'm not saying they are actually wearable just yet... but we're making progress.

Here's the menu for this week:
For lunches- chicken fajitas on Monday & Tuesday, sausage & peppers with a dab of goat cheese on Wednesday and Thursday, sweet & sour shrimp Friday and perhaps Saturday.

(I grilled a bunch of chicken last night, so today's prep day will be to roast the veggies and saute the chicken sausage. The rice is already cooked and I will saute the shrimp a little later in the week.)

For dinner:
Sunday & Monday night- vegan nachos- here's the recipe: http://veganjoy.blogspot.com/search/label/nachos
Tuesday- veggie pizza (homemade crust I'll probably make tonight with sliced mushrooms and roasted bell peppers cooked tonight- the veggies will be paired with a little bbq sauce and some bleu cheese)
Wednesday & Thursday- Leftover veggie lasagna that I froze 2 weeks ago
Friday- Raspberry Chicken & brown rice (this is a bulk recipe that I will make today from the "Don't Panic" cookbook. I'm making 18 chicken breasts and freezing 15 of them for later.)

The veggies tonight will take an hour and a half to roast the way I like them, but the rest of the food to prep shouldn't take too long to prep. Wine in hand and "Psych" on www.hulu.com, it should be enjoyable enough. :)

Oh, It's Official...

My jeans don't fit. That's what I get from a summer of fun and (less than) occasional fast-food trips... So this week's menu will be somewhat less exciting. Hopefully it will result in a loss of 5 pounds so at least I can button them up... Oi.

For me-
Breakfast: either 1/2 an apple & 1/2 a grilled chicken breast or orange cream green smoothie (see entry below for recipe)

Snack 1: 1/2 cucumber (no dipping sauce, I'm afraid), 1/2 sweet potato (will likely make baked fries, with Pam instead of oil) and 1/2 chicken breast

Lunch: Handful of spinach or grilled asparagus, 1/2 sweet potato, 1/2 chicken breast or shrimp

Snack 2: 1/2 apple, tomato slices (with a little salt) and 1/2 chicken breast or roasted turkey breast

Dinner: I can't follow the "Eat Clean Diet" exactly and still feed my family. So I'm gonna try these recipes:
Mexican Rice & Beans (from the Eat Clean Diet cookbook)
Eggplant Parmesan (made with as little cheese as possible)
Spaghetti & Beans (from Rachel Ray- you can find on the foodnetwork website- I will substitute fried seitan for pancetta)

For my eggplant parmesan, here's how I make it:
2 small to medium sized eggplants, sliced into 1/4inch slices (no need to peel)
Handful of fresh basil
Marinara sauce- I haven't measured this out- maybe 1-2 C.
8oz part-skim mozzarella
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
Fresh spinach- maybe 2-3 c.

Preheat 450*. Pat the sliced eggplant dry with a paper towel. Season with a little salt and pepper. Mix up some bread crumbs and parmesan cheese on a plate. Smash each eggplant slice in the mixture on both sides. You don't need eggs or anything else- the bread crumbs should stick pretty well. Lay each slice flat on a sprayed baking sheet. Bake the eggplant slices at 450* for about 25 minutes, or until the bread crumbs are golden brown. (I do this rather than frying the eggplant because it saves a ton of calories and still gives a pretty decent texture.)

Once the eggplant slices are done, spray down a large baking dish (or two small ones, if you want to save one to cook later in the week). Put a big of sauce at the bottom, lay down slices to cover the bottom. Top with a little bit of cheese, all the spinach, more sauce, then the next layer of eggplant. Top with the basil,  sauce and cheese. Bake in 350 or 375 degree oven until heated through and the cheese has turned golden brown and bubbly- probably 20 minutes or so.

I'll try to post the Mexican Rice & Beans recipe later this week. This recipe was surprisingly fabulous. Spicy and healthy!

This Week's Goal

Taking a little from everything, here's my general eating plan for the week. Next I will fill in the blanks with recipes that hopefully stay a little closer to budget this month. I got a notice from my budget manager (mint.com) saying that this month I spent 25% more on groceries than average and it said: "you might want to look into that."  HA! After menu-planning, I'll have to get on that...

Applying the 5-6 meals a day idea, combined with a general decrease in meat/dairy products and refined sugar, this is what I'll be trying to do:

Breakfast: 1 whole grain and 1 protein: for me, this is almost always an english muffin toasted with 2 TBS of peanut butter. Admittedly, I have not yet switched over to all-natural peanut butter. God help me, I LOVE Jiffy.  But I have been trying to learn to like oatmeal and cream of wheat. The "Eat Clean Diet" Lady recommends scrambled egg whites when she eats oatmeal. I gag at the thought, so will be skipping that.

Snack 1: A protein and a fruit: My friend Joy has a recipe for an orange cream green smoothie that I am still modifying to my tastes- but it's basically a frozen banana, the inside of an orange, orange zest, spinach, water and ice. The combination of spinach and fruit = amino acids which = protein. you can find her recipe on www.veganjoy.blogspot.com. The other option will likely be yogurt and either granola or frozen berries. I am still researching the health benefits of cow's milk yogurt versus soy or coconut milk yogurt. For now, cow's milk is substantially cheaper.

Lunch: A veggie, a bread-type portion, and meat: I will probably consume meat at this meal- i figure that will give my body more time while I'm awake to digest it. My personal goal is that if I had yogurt for my snack then I'll forgo cheese at this meal, just to make sure I'm not getting too much dairy in a day.

Snack 2: fruit and protein: this will likely be any piece of fruit with a scant handful of nuts. if i didn't eat peanut butter for breakfast, then i might opt for an apple with peanut butter. but i figure i had better limit my PB consumption because 1) I would eat it constantly if allowed and 2) I'm eating the sugary, trans-fatty kind.

Dinner: Veggies, starch (bread, pasta, etc.) and protein: I am going to try to generally make this meal vegetarian, focusing heavily on beans rather than meat for protein. That's not a hard-and-fast rule, but something to work towards. I figure I can make my  meat-y meals ahead (on Saturdays) and enjoy them at lunch throughout the week and focus on getting lots of veggies and very lean proteins in at dinner.

The one thing I really have to be mindful of is my portions. I'm eating more often during the day, but sometimes my portion sizes are the same as if I wasn't eating snacks. I'm trying to mentally shift my thinking to say, "I only need to eat enough to get me through the next 2-3 hours, not the next 4-5 hours." And if I'm not hungry in 2-3 hours, I probably ate too much at the previous meal. This is super hard.

I feel the need to pat myself on the back because I have been soda-free since July 29th. It feels like it has been a WHOLE lot longer than one month and it has been a SERIOUS battle not to drink one, especially recently when we've had some pretty hard days. And unlike our male counterparts, I have NOT lost 10 pounds just by doing this (not any pounds, actually) so I'm trying to remain motivated other ways, like reminding myself that there is nothing nutritionally beneficial to soda (diet or regular) and that it's NOT good for me.... I seriously need an AA group for soda consumption.

More to follow once this week's plan is in place.

A Quick Note

Today is Friday- we have managed to survive the first full week of school, though not without incident. Included in this week were karate class and Adrian's first ever soccer practice, as well as a four hour meeting for me that started at 6:30pm, James' birthday and the general exhaustion of long, busy days.

I have come to a conclusion about the cooking once a week idea: TOTALLY worth it. I can't tell you how helpful it was, even on the nights we DIDN'T have after-school activities, to be able to just put dinner together. No dicing or sauteing. Things were just ready to go in the oven. This included our lunches, since I've decided to pack both Adrian and James' lunch every morning. James in particular had a variety of food to eat this week that hopefully kept him from lamenting the loss of his fast-food lunch habit.

I will try to find recipes that are a little bit less intensive for the next week I do this (unfortunately, my grocery bill has been a bit out of hand this month, so the last few days of August we will be consuming whatever I can find around the kitchen). But I think this is honestly going to be the best way to keep my sanity during the school year, and still keep a healthy dinner on the table.

See you in a week, with the next menu and suggestions-

Worth It? The Jury Is Still Out...

This constitutes only round one of the dishes that were dirties last night in my whirlwind cooking extravaganza. Of course, calling it that makes it sound a whole lot more fun than it actually was. The temperature was 94* at 5:00pm when I got started last night. Admittedly, I had wanted to start earlier in the afternoon, but couldn't. I started on 5 recipes at once. That might have been a mistake...

I got the wheat berries cooking in one pot. water boiling for the lasagna in another, and a large saucepan for the lasagna sauce. In the sink, the chicken for the chicken crescents was thawing and in the oven were the zucchini and tomatoes, roasting in preparation for the ratatouille (which I had to make without eggplant this time). It was about that time that I needed about 4 more hands... one to lay out foil on the counter that was already covered in dishes so I could lay out the cooked lasagna while cooking more (had to do in batches), another hand to line the lasagna pans with plastic wrap and foil so I could freeze 2 pans, another set of hands to open all the cans of tomatoes, tomato paste and tomato sauce to dump on the frying onions and another to check on the veggies in the oven. Because that all needed to happen at the same time.

This is when I put out the S.O.S. call for a sous-chef. My husband came to the rescue, opening cans and spreading copious amounts of foil. The temperature in the kitchen was hotter than outside with 3 burners on full blast and the oven at 375*. We ran out of counter space so once the lasagnas were put together (not baked), I had to place them on the floor in the pantry to cool before I froze them. The roasted veggies found their places on kitchen chairs to cool (thankfully the kids were outside playing) and as you see in the picture above, the dirty dishes had taken up what seemed to be permanent residence on the counters.

I didn't quite get through my entire list of food to prep for this week- sometime tonight I still need to make homemade sausage-flavored seitan and mix up Cara's FABULOUS basil salad dressing (see previous post). James grilled 10 chicken breasts. There's no way I'd gotten through it all without him (or if I did, there's no way I would have still been a pleasant person).

Once I get those last two things made, I will have plenty of food all prepped and ready to serve up for the next 7 nights. I really, really hope it was worth it. And I hope I get better at this, assuming I ever choose to do it again. :)

Keep On Keepin' On...

Did I just accidentally quote The Brady Bunch? Or was it the Partridge Family?

At any rate, as eating seems to be something we absolutely have to do every day, there's nothing left to do but just keep trying to improve what we eat. So we're making small changes around our household- some radical, some not so much.

Neither my husband nor I are quite ready to make the grand leap to vegetarian (let alone vegan). However, after several great conversations with some vegetarian and vegan friends and 3 trips to India, he is much more willing to concede that the meat industry consumes an inordinate amount of resources, especially when compared to what is used by other countries. So our commitment right now is simply to eat LESS meat. To this end, I have scoured a few vegetarian cookbooks as well as consulted with my good friend Joy (author of www.veganjoy.blogspot.com and the upcoming cookbook "Eat. Live. Thrive. Recipes from Everyday to Exotic") about how to make sure that we continue to get the necessary protein in our meatless meals.

As I have talked with vegans, who, generally speaking, are more concerned with the treatment of animals in any industry, the diary industry actually seems to be a less-humane industry than even the meat industry. I have to admit that at this point, I am selfishly more concerned about depriving myself of much-loved cheese and yogurt than I am about the conditions of diary farms. Ignorance is everything, I suppose. I'm too afraid to watch all the recent documentaries that expose the meat and diary industries in this country. Having said all of that, though, I have made the commitment to again consume LESS animal-derived diary products than before. I have switched my kids to soy milk, which they love. And I want to be sure that I am not replacing meat in my vegetarian dishes with more cheese because nutritionally speaking, it would be a bad move.

So our recipes this week look like this:

Tonight: orange-teriyaki chicken with brown rice & roasted bell peppers/onions

Sunday: shrimp stir-fry using leftover ingredients from above plus a sweet & spicy sauce

Monday: herb-crusted island pork tenderloin with roasted cauliflower and yucatecan corn

Tuesday: spinach lasagna (made in a huge batch to freeze) (vegetarian)

Wednesday: ratatouille (vegetarian)

Thursday: leftover lasagna

Friday: James' birthday choice- chicken crescents & pecan pie (healthy ideals thrown out)

Saturday: grilled pizza (probably BBQ sauce, caramelized onions & bleu cheese, maybe with sausage-flavored seitan crumbled on top)

Sunday: grilled salmon and asparagus

A couple of other recipes I'll be making this week for our lunches include whole wheat pasta with a basic tomato sauce and sausage-flavored seitan and a wheat berry salad with an orange-vinaigrette dressing.

-For the sake of the health of these kiddos...

Vegan? Vegetarian? Sugar-free? Sucralose Is The Enemy?

Who can tell anymore just exactly what the best dietary guidelines are. I went looking for a cookbook at Barnes & Noble the other day and there were (literally) hundreds of "diet" books, in one form or another. Honest to God, it is EXHAUSTING to assimilate all the information there is about food and somehow formulate it into an educated decision about what to cook for dinner.  And yet, I don't feel like I can ignore all of this "great" information and still call myself a responsible adult and parent.

My husband and I both come from, shall we say, "non-dainty" stock. We both eat when we're stressed, anxious, bored or if given the option. I managed to lose 40 pounds after Baby #2 and have only put on about 8 of those after 3 years. My husband also lost 40 pounds, but has unfortunately put most of that back on. We have two very healthy, wirey boys who are active and intelligent. While I don't worry at this point about childhood obesity, given that you could play their ribcages like guitar strings, I do worry about setting them up with good eating habits that will go with them throughout the rest of their lives. So it doesn't feel like a luxury for me to worry about all of these different dietary concerns when my husband (who is genetically predispositioned towards diabetes and heart issues) desperately needs to curb his anxiety-food relationship and I have two eager young minds who will either learn to reach for a bag of chips when they are hungry or a bag of carrots- and who will either learn that food will make them feel better or that there are other ways to cope with stress.

So I'm neck-deep in food-related information. I have articles, books, cookbooks, blogs and friends- all of which (or whom) contain valuable information about the best way to feed ourselves. The conclusion? It is absolutely impossible to adhere to all of these great ideas simultaneously. I feel like I'm choosing my own religion, picking this idea from the Eat Clean Diet and removing that food as suggested by my lovely vegan friend. Will this mish-mash of food-dogma lead to a healthier body, or am I just making myself crazy for no reason?

A While...

I realize it's been, well, quite a while since I have posted. The holidays are just like that, I guess. Well, in preparation of a new year and our continued commitment to eat both healthy and economical meals, I took some time to make a master list of favorite meals. I find that as I am planning meals for the week, I get stuck in serious ruts and I forget the brilliant thing I made 2 months ago...

And because I'm oddly anal (which is a weird thing to type as I now look at it), I made categories for chicken and pasta and veggies... but it's super helpful, especially when I don't want to spend a ton of time planning meals. It took a little while- I combed my recipes in my (many) cookbooks- but hopefully it will save me a lot of time in the future.

So, there's a little tip for ya. :) Hope it helps!

Shrimp, Acorn Squash & Pear with Basil Polenta in Butter Wine Sauce

Ok, I really should come up with a shorter name... I just came up with this recipe tonight because I just had some ingredients on hand to use. I thought this turned out really well, but James absolutely loved it.

For 2 large appetites-
1lb shrimp (thawed, tails off)
1 acorn squash, peeled, seeded & cut into 1/2"
   cubes
1 danjou (green) pear, peeled, seeded & cut into
   1/4" cubes (adds just a tiny bit of sweet)
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1 stick of butter
1/2 c. white wine
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tube of basil/garlic polenta

In one skillet, melt 2TBS butter over medium-high heat. Add the squash, and a little salt. Saute for a good 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. While that cooks, prep the polenta by cutting into 1/2" slices. (You can also prep the pear and pull the tails off the shrimp, if you haven't already.) You will need two more skillets (or a skillet and a big griddle- that's actually better). Add the pears and another TBS of butter and continue to cook over medium heat.

 In the other skillet, melt 1TBS over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and stir frequently until almost completely cooked but not quite. Add all the contents of that skillet into the squash skillet. Add the wine & nutmeg and lower heat to very low.

On the griddle, melt another TBS of butter and add the slices of polenta. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. After you have flipped the polenta once, add the two handfuls of spinach to the shrimp mixture and stir in to wilt.  Serve on top of the polenta.

My Plan For The Week

I apologize for getting behind, but hopefully there have been some recipes here for you to put some meal plans together over the last week. Here's what I am doing this week because it works for our family schedule and it didn't involve buying a lot of ingredients- this may or may not be particularly helpful to you, but I hope it helps even a little bit. 

Monday- Sloppy Joes (see recipe below) and asparagus (lightly browning an extra pound of turkey meat while I'm at it to save time on Thursday when I make the Taco Bake.)

Tuesday- We have a supper club that will be doing a taco salad bar thingy

Wednesday- Sauteed shrimp, acorn squash & pears in a butter sauce served over basil/garlic polenta and a side salad. I have not come up with this recipe yet, but if it's good, I will post it for next time.

Thursday- Taco Bake (great for creating leftovers)

Friday- Sweet & Spicy Salmon with zucchini chips

Saturday- Sausage & Peppers with goat cheese

Sunday- Leftover Taco Bake (because I work on Sundays and hate to cook)

I'm not creating a grocery list for this because I have a feeling it's too random for y'all. But all the recipes will be on this blog somewhere, if not posted immediately around this one. 

Sausage & Peppers

This is a recipe of my own creation after having experienced 2 things: One was this fabulous little dish they used to serve at Carrabba's Italian Grille that involved italian sausage, marinara, rigatoni and a big slab of goat cheese. The second was when my good friend Cara came over to make a dish like this and awakened my heart and soul to the fact that I really DO like red bell peppers- if they're cooked right.

4 bell peppers (I detest green ones, but love the color variation of red, orange & yellow ones)
4 italian sausage links (turkey sausage doesn't save you much in calories and fat, so I say go for the good stuff (Canino's in Denver makes delicious ones that are 150 calories per link and 13g of fat.)
1-2 yellow onions, depending on the size (and your particular taste for carmelized onion)
1/2 jar thick marinara (make your own or just buy some)
Goat cheese (buy it in the tube instead of crumbled, if you can)
Olive oil

slice up the bell peppers in thin, long slices, discarding the seeds & white stuff. Try to get them roughly the same size. Slice the onion(s) similarly. In a very large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat (any higher and you'll scorch the bell pepper). Add the bell peppers only for the first 5-8 minutes. Then add the onions and reduce the heat to medium-low. The secret to fabulously carmelized veggies is low heat, and long cooktime. Give this about 15 more minutes, or until the onions are nice and brown and the bell peppers are soft, yea even supple.

While the bell peppers are cooking, slice the sausage into bite sizes, keeping them roughly the same size. Create some space in the pan so the sausage can be directly on the bottom, and turn the heat back up to medium. Cook until the sausage is cooked through- I don't have an exact time.

Once that's just about done, add some marinara, just a little at a time. I like mine thick, to eat with a spoon, so I don't put in a ton. The longer you let the sauce cook, the thicker it will get as the water evaporates out. Plate the sausage and peppers and add a big dollop of goat cheese on top. Enjoy.

Pronto Taco Bake

As my sister, Sarah (who gave me this recipe) says, "It's fast, easy and surprisingly yummy!"

1lb ground beef (i use turkey)
1 can drained corn
1/2 c. water
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can tomato sauce
1 pkg corn muffin mix (I like to use 2- see below)
1/2 c. green onions
1/3 c. part-skim mozzarella shredded
 **be sure you have the egg and oil that the cornbread mix needs

Preheat oven to 400*. In skillet, brown and drain meat. Stir in taco seasoning, water, corn, tomato sauce. Pour into greased 12X7 baking dish. In a separate bowl, prepare the corn bread according to the package directions. Add the green onions. Spoon the muffin mix along the outer edges of the baking dish. (I like to use 2 boxes of corn bread so I can spoon it over the entire baking dish- because I love me some cornbread.) Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Top it with cheese and bake for another 2-3 minutes more.

If you don't add extra cornbread and use lean ground beef:
Yields 6 servings
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 25 minutes
Calories: 440
Fat 17.7 grams