The Sandwich Crust and Pickle Diet

Every spring something draws me to want to get out in the crisp air and just breathe, exercise, and enjoy nature. The ground is cold, the soil is wet, the grass is green, and flowers are poking up everywhere. This year is no different. In fact, the draw is a bit more intense. I'm not quite pre-baby yet... I need to get rid of 8 pounds. Ugh. And I'm not good at diets. Chocolate is just too important to me. I cannot live without its pure and perfect, rich and dark deliciousness.

So, since I won't commit to a diet, I will go with this generalization: I just want to take better care of my body.

One of our biggest challenges as moms is eating the right foods at the right times, and preparing balanced meals for ourselves and our families on a regular basis. We are either running out of the house too fast to pack something, or so hungry by the time we've fed the kids, that we grab the first thing we see regardless of what it is. I find myself cooking separate meals for all four of us, which can cause a bit of a messy situation. By the time I've made my kiddos mac 'n cheese, I'm so hungry myself that I scarf a few spoonfuls of his noodles, eat a pickle from the fridge, a piece of bread or a tortilla with cheese, and a handful of chips. That's not the greatest meal, obviously.

Anyway, I have found the ANSWER. Seriously. I've found the answer, and it's not hiring a personal chef or moving into the deli aisle of Whole Foods. It all comes down to two little words. Plan Ahead. Now, if I knew how to guarantee the time to plan ahead each week, I'd be eating a perfect diet. It's not happening, but I'm working on it.

Here are my favorite tips for planning ahead. I'm going to be working on these for next few weeks. Now, I can't take credit for all of them. I found many of them HERE, on my favorite nutrition blog.

1. Wash and prep food after your weekly grocery or farmers market trip. Don't just throw everything in the fridge when you get home from the store. Wash and dry the lettuce for an easy salad later. Wash, peel and chop carrots, celery, bell peppers, etc. into snack size pieces and store in airtight containers in the fridge. (Here are some of mine for this week)

2. Take the prep a step further and divide veggies and dip, trail mix, pretzels, and cheese into snack size baggies or containers for easy lunch packing.


3. Have a cooking night once a week. Make a batch of rice or quinoa to use in stir frys or salads, cook up a pot of bean or lentil soup with fresh vegetables, make some low sugar blueberry or banana muffins, or some pumpkin pancakes for easy breakfasts. Add a couple good protein items as well, such as hard boiled eggs, tuna salad, or chicken breasts. If you make your own gluten free bread like I do, add this to the list as well.

4. Keep the pantry, fridge, and freezer stocked. Things like pasta sauce, canned beans, chicken broth, and tuna are lifesavers when you only have a half an hour to make dinner. Make sure to have some good crackers or tortilla chips, peanut butter, salsa, and salad dressing as well. Frozen chicken breasts can be tossed in microwave steam bags and are ready in minutes for a variety of recipes.

5. Post a tentative meal plan on the refrigerator. It doesn't have to be a list of every meal, but do include lunch and snack ideas so that when you are starving and brain dead, you'll grab the tuna salad and lettuce wraps rather than the crusts you cut off your kids grilled cheese sandwich.

6. Have a no-fail recipe collection. Keep a little binder or recipe card holder in your kitchen with your favorite no frills, quick, and easy recipes. Make sure to flag the ones that are easily made out of pantry ingredients!

Here is one of my favorites:

Chicken Tortilla Soup
One medium onion
1-2 Cloves of Garlic
Olive Oil
One box of Trader Joes Chicken Broth
One can of diced tomatoes with green chiles added
One can of Trader Joes Chicken Breasts in Broth
Dried Cilantro, salt, and pepper to taste
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, if desired
Tortilla Chips
Sour cream, cheese, and avocado for topping

Pour a little olive oil in your soup pot and set to medium heat. Chop and drop the garlic and onion, and saute until softened. Add broth, tomatoes, cilantro, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and add canned chicken. Return to a simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and serve over tortilla chips, topped with cheese, sour cream, and avocado. Enjoy!


Link to my menu plan for the week (yes, I actually type these things up, and yes, I am a bit crazy)

My New Love

Oh Baby, where have you been all my life?

When I pair you with three delicious ingredients...

Sugary Deliciousness...
Instant Caffeine... a la Trader Joes

Rich Vanilla Almond Milk....

Frothy, foamy, better than Starbucks...... I am in LOVE!

Crock Pot Lentil Soup

I haven't used my crock pot in about 4 years. I don't know why, but I'm usually a quick cooking type of girl. But lately, I've been in the mood to try it.
This morning, I pulled it out, chopped up some onions (3 small), carrots (handful of baby size), and ham (about a cup), and threw them in the pot with a pound of lentils and 2 1/2 quarts of water. A little salt, pepper, and minced garlic, and I was done. It's now in the garage (yep, garage... I have to stay away from the smell or I won't be able to eat it by dinner time), cooking away. In a little bit I'm going to throw in some spinach and chopped tomatoes... I hope it turns out well! Ryan was excited to hear he was going to have a home cooked dinner tonight... YUM!

Mom's Pesto Recipe

I've also had requests for my mom's pesto pasta recipe from Luke's birthday party..... here it is straight from the chef herself... just add your choice of pasta and you have a delicious dish! We use gluten free rice pasta, but any will work. Thanks Mom! she didn't know I'd be posting her directions on my blog when she sent me the email... ;-)

Spinach Pesto

Here is what I put in it. Frozen spinach, I thaw it and squeeze all the liquid out really well. I used the frozen bag from trader joes.
In my Cuisinart I put garlic (as much as you like), lemon juice (as much as you like from a fresh lemon), Parmesan cheese, (I usually use pecarino cheese but I was out of it, Parmesan has a milder flavor). I usually just add as much as I want for flavor and texture, I also added a few basil leaves, but you could also use Italian parsley leaves too.

After you get it all in there add a little salt and a good olive oil. Blend while adding more olive oil until it is all blended finely. I usually store it in a jar for up to 2 weeks.... just make sure you cover it in olive oil to keep it fresh. Each time I take some out for pasta or pizza I add more olive oil to top it off in the jar. Pine nuts are really good in it too. I didn't put any in the kids dish because of possible allergies. But if you can, try pine nuts for a great roasted flavor and it adds a little protein to the sauce. I buy pine nuts at trader joes and roast them myself in a nonstick skillet over low heat YUMMY! Good luck and have fun! You can't mess this up its all to your taste.


***Note from Suzanne - The "adult" version used primarily basil instead of the spinach, and included pine nuts. There was also diced chicken, and roasted pepper, eggplant and tomato included. ***

Holiday Candy Recipes

I have gotten many requests for the recipes I used to make both the peanut butter cups and toffee at Christmas and Luke's birthday... here they are!

Chocolate Almond Toffee

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups butter
• 2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup finely chopped almonds

DIRECTIONS

In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Allow to come to a boil, and cook until the mixture becomes a dark amber color, and the temperature has reached 285 degrees F (137 degrees C). Stir occasionally.

While the toffee is cooking, cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

As soon as the toffee reaches the proper temperature, pour it out onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the chocolate over the top, and let it set for a minute or two to soften. Spread the chocolate into a thin even layer once it is melted. Sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate, and press in slightly. Putting a plastic bag over your hand will minimize the mess.

Place the toffee in the refrigerator to chill until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container.

(recipe taken from allrecipes.com - http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Best-Toffee-Ever---Super-Easy/Detail.aspx)


Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter, divided
• 4-1/2 teaspoons butter, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 milk chocolate candy bars (1.55 ounces each), coarsely chopped
• Colored sprinkles, optional

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup peanut butter, butter, confectioners' sugar and salt until smooth; set aside.
In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips, candy bars and remaining peanut butter; stir until smooth.
Drop teaspoonfuls of chocolate mixture into paper-lined miniature muffin cups. Top each with a scant teaspoonful of peanut butter mixture; top with another teaspoonful of chocolate mixture. Decorate with sprinkles if desired. Refrigerate until set. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 3 dozen.

(Recipe taken from tasteofhome.com - http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Homemade-Peanut-Butter-Cups)