Juice, Toddler Food & Ranch Dinner

We are still trying to juice some, mostly in the mornings. The other day I used this combination of carrots, oranges, and spring mix/baby spinach. Pretty tasty! 

Preparing meals for toddlers can be difficult, and I often find myself in a rut of mac and cheese and grilled cheese. So, when I am a little more nutritionally minded, one of my favorite meals to cook for Jack is sauteed sweet potatoes. Just peel and chop sweet potatoes into bite size pieces then place in a bowl. Drizzle them with a little canola oil (or whatever oil you have on hand). I like to add chili powder and cumin and toss the potatoes around. Then saute them in a pan over medium high heat until they are a little crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Jack loves these and sometimes I serve them alone, or as I did above, with black beans.

This dinner is not pretty. Looks a little too monochromatic for me, but our broccoli went bad and I didn't have anything pretty to garnish it with. However, it was pretty tasty. The chicken, not so much, so I will spare you the details, but the potatoes were definitely something I will make again. For the potatoes I peeled and chopped 2 russet potatoes, placed them on a baking sheet, then drizzled them with olive oil and about 1/4 packet of ranch dressing mix. I stirred them around then baked them at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just check them to see if you need to bake them longer. They should be lightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.

Meal for a Friend

Have you ever been through something like illness, the death of someone you love, or maybe something a little more exciting but still stressful like the arrival of a new baby or a move? I and/or my family have experienced all of the above throughout our lives, and one of the things I have appreciated most during these times is when our friends have organized meals for us. It is so nice to have one less thing to worry about! 

I have both given and received meals over the years, and from these experiences, I have come up with a few tips (some of these are my own ideas, and others I have picked up from friends:

• Think about how your meal will taste if it sits for awhile or has to be reheated. In most cases, your friend will not be eating it the moment you walk into their home. So although a steak sounds like a great treat, it might not taste so good after sitting for an hour or especially if it has to go in the microwave later. 
• Ask your friends about food allergies, dietary restrictions, and personal preference. They might be vegetarian or have a peanut allergy (as a mother of a child with a peanut allergy, this is very important to me), or they may not like mushrooms. You don't need to waste your time and theirs bringing them something they cannot or would rather not eat. 
• Not a cook? Don't let this stop you from helping a friend. Ask them what their favorite take out restaurant is and what they usually order there. Or pick up a prepared dinner from a nice grocery store like Whole Foods. They will appreciate this more than you think!
• If you are the one organizing the meals for a friend in need, try out a website like Take Them a Meal. This website (and others like it) are great for this. You can set up a schedule, include the preferences of the friend receiving the meals, their address and phone number, so that they can be contacted about times, etc. Then you can email it out to everyone (this is great for churches, playgroups, and co-workers), and each person can sign up for a meal on the day that works best for them. They type in the meal they plan on bringing, and that way your friend will not receive 10 lasagnas in a row (I love lasagna, but it can get old).
• Bring all food in disposable containers or other containers your friend can keep. It's a pain to have to clean everyone's casserole dishes, remember which one belongs to which person, then bring it back to them. 
• If they have children, consider including a few goodies for them, plus some food you know they will enjoy like fruit. 
• Make double of everything, then you will have dinner ready for your family too. 
• Give your friend some fresh flowers or a little gift like a candle along with the meal.
• Some of my favorite meals to bring friends are tacos, fajitas, enchiladas (you can do everything ahead of time except the baking so that they can just put it in the oven when it's most convenient for them), chili or soups, pulled pork, and brisket.

A friend of mine recently gave birth to a sweet baby boy, so having received meals myself, I was happy to make one for she and her family.  I decided to do tacos this time. They are so easy, and one of my favorite meals. It's comfort food to me (I grew up in Texas, so Mexican food is comfort food there). I was always so happy when my mom made tacos, it made my night! It's one of the things she taught me to cook too, and I loved to help her with it, so it's one of the first meals I felt comfortable making on my own. Tacos are great for bringing to someone, because it tastes just as good reheated as it does fresh. I just buy a packet of taco seasoning at the store and follow the directions on it. My favorite is Lawry's brand, it's what my mom always used. It's usually around $1 per packet, but is often on sale for much less, so I try to stock up on it then and keep it on hand. You can use ground beef or ground turkey. Both are great, the turkey has less fat, but is usually more expensive. Or for vegetarians you could do a mixture of black beans and chopped or shredded veggies. Last night I used beef.

I made my homemade salsa to include with the meal. I have shared the recipe before, but I will do it again. If you have not tried making your own salsa before, you need to do it. It is so easy, less expensive, and delicious! Plus you can adjust the recipe to suit your own tastes. Here is the recipe for my salsa:

• 1 28 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
• 2 jalapenos, seeds and stems removed
• 1 serrano pepper, seeds and stems removed
• 3-5 roasted green chiles, seeds and stems removed (if you don't have fresh ones, you can find canned green chiles in most stores)
• 1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
• 1-2 garlic cloves, pressed
• Dash of salt (remember, the chips are usually salted, so taste with a chip to see how much you'll need)
• Dash of cumin

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Pulse a few times or until you reach desired consistency. This usually stays fresh in the fridge for about a week or more. This recipe will make what I consider to be a medium spicy salsa. To make yours hotter or more mild, add or remove peppers. Serrano peppers are pretty spicy, so if you like more mild salsa, try making it without those. Also, green chiles can be purchased mild, medium, or hot. I use the hot ones. You could also add onion, I just prefer mine without.

I put the salsa in a mason jar. I also made my black bean and corn salsa which is: 1 can of black beans rinsed and drained, 1 can of corn, drained, 1 can of diced tomatoes and green chiles, drained and 1-2 chopped avocados. Then add a little salt to taste. I put all of the ingredients in a mason jar as well, without the avocado so that it didn't turn brown. So I just gave her an avocado to cut up when they were ready for it.

Above is a picture of everything I brought to my friend. The taco meat is in the plastic container, the salsas in mason jars, cheese to top the tacos in a zip top bag, an avocado, a box of taco shells, a bag of tortilla chips, and some bananas, cuties, and chocolate bunny grahams for her 3 year old to enjoy. This meal was easy to put together ahead of time and is a nice change from the usual pot roast or lasagna most people like to bring. And I made enough for us to enjoy for dinner as well.

Delicioso!

Easy Pasta Sauce

Monday I was inspired by the Pioneer Woman to make her baked ziti. But by the time dinner rolled around, I wasn't sure that I wanted something quite that heavy with all of the cheese (truth is, I had way too much leftover pizza for lunch, so the baked ziti wasn't sounding so great). So, I decided to use much of the same ingredients (and a few different ones) to make my own pasta sauce to go with the penne I had at home.

I browned about 1/2 pound of hot Italian sausage (you may want to drain some of the grease afterward or wipe your pan a little with a paper towel), threw in a small diced onion and a couple of minced garlic cloves, and cooked until they were translucent.

Then I added a 16 oz. can of diced tomatoes and an 8 oz. can of tomato sauce. I added some salt and pepper as well as some Italian seasonings (you can use whatever you have and taste as you go), then let it simmer for a bit. Next I threw in about 8 oz. (half of a box) of cooked penne and tossed it together.

I topped it with a little parmesan cheese and would have added fresh basil, but I didn't have any. This made enough for Josh and I to eat it for dinner and have leftovers for lunch. This is a great easy weeknight meal. If you wanted to save even more time, you could make the sauce ahead of time, then just reheat it and throw in some fresh pasta.

P.S. Please forgive the poor lighting in these pictures. I didn't realize until afterward that I still had my camera on "sunset" mode. Plus, our 1970s house has terrible lighting. So it was a winning combination.

Saturday Mornings

Saturday mornings are my favorite. I love that Josh wakes up with Jack so that I can sleep in, and I love having both of my boys home with me. I also love the slow pace. We have nowhere to go and can just take it easy. That also means more time to make breakfast. Last Saturday I made scrambled eggs and bacon. It's comfort food to me. Reminds me of weekends growing up when my dad would make eggs and bacon for us. It was his specialty!

Asian Cooking...and Take-Out

I love Asian food. I use to think it was something I could never make at home, but have slowly learned more and more about it, and discovered it really is not all that difficult. It is true that you will have to branch out and buy some new staples for your pantry, but once you do you will find that so many Asian dishes use these things, and if you are like me, you will go through them quickly!

I admit that I have never traveled to Asia and my knowledge of Asian food is limited, so most of the recipes I have tried have come from magazines, cooking shows, etc. So, I am not claiming that they are super authentic. But they are delicious. And easy. So give it a try.

The other night I had some chicken breasts on hand, so I decided to cook Asian-Glazed Chicken. I used this recipe, which I found in Cooking Light a little while back. Side note: if you do not get Cooking Light, you should. It's awesome. I had made it once before with chicken thighs, as it calls for, but this time used chicken breasts, and it was delicious again (you may need to extend the cooking time if you use chicken breasts, so make sure you check your chicken before you eat it)!

The ingredients above are those I used in this meal. These, combined with a few others like hoisin sauce, chili paste with garlic and sriracha should have you set for most recipes you find. Occasionally you may have to search for something else, but these basics will get you started. And you can find most of them at almost any grocery store. If you cannot find them at a regular store, try an Asian Market or World Market if you have either of those. Also, I always use low sodium soy sauce, no matter what the recipe calls for. I cannot taste the difference, and cutting the sodium in half is definitely a good thing!

Along with the chicken, I mixed broccoli and carrots with equal parts soy sauce and rice vinegar, a little chili paste, and a little sesame oil. Then I sauteed them in a pan with a some canola oil (you won't need much). This meal was good, healthy, and easy!

So you might be reading my blog and thinking I am some kind of super mom/housewife that always has a fresh meal on the table and wouldn't dare pick up take out, order a pizza, bake a frozen pizza, etc. Well, as much as I love to cook, I am frequently guilty of all three. Many nights I find myself tired, not up to cooking, or just craving something besides what is in my own kitchen.

One night last week I even had an Indian dish in the slow cooker but did not feel like eating it or cooking the rice (I know, so tough) to go with it, so I picked up Chinese take out instead. And it was delicious. And I had an excuse. I had Bible study the next morning and could bring my Indian food there, so I would not be wasting it.

So I savored my delicious orange chicken and fried rice from one of our favorite local spots for Chinese, Golden Chopsticks.  It's nothing fancy, but we think the food is good, and the prices are great (plus it's just a few minutes from our house). Sometimes you just have to give yourself a break...

Breakfast for Dinner (and Breakfast)

When we got back from our trip to Texas for Thanksgiving, I looked through our fridge to figure out meals for the week trying to use mostly what we already had. I had eggs and bacon, so decided to make some grilled breakfast sandwiches for dinner.

I began by frying bacon in in a skillet until it was nice and crispy (crispy bacon makes me happy), then set it on paper towels to soak up some of the grease. I drained most of the grease out of the pan, but left just a bit (this adds so much flavor to your eggs), then fried eggs over easy and sprinkled a little pepper over them). After the eggs were done, I assembled sandwiches with bacon, one egg, and cheese for each of us. Then I grilled them until the cheese was nice and melty (I added a little olive oil to the pan before grilling). These sandwiches were delicious and make a great dinner or breakfast!

Trader Joe's is one of my favorite stores ever. If you haven't experienced it, you are truly missing out. Most weeks I make multiple trips there. Besides the usual groceries, they have so many tasty little goodies like this pumpkin butter (it's seasonal, so you may have already missed the boat on this one folks). Anyway, I love spreading it on toast accompanied with fruit for a great breakfast. The morning I took the picture below I had pear with it, which happens to be one of mine (and Jack's) favorite fruits.

Green Smoothie

As I have mentioned before, I am not very good about getting in my daily servings of fruits and veggies so one way I have discovered to help me consume more fruits and veggies (besides juicing), is to make these green smoothies. They taste pretty good and are super easy. Plus, the Greek yogurt adds lots of protein.

The recipe below made one glass for me, a sippy cup full for Jack, and a little leftover to give Josh when he gets home. Jack loves smoothies and drank it all! It's a great way to get kids to have more fruits and veggies too! You can tell them it's a "Monster Smoothie" or a "Christmas Smoothie" if they need a little more coercing. Please forgive my not so exact list of ingredients. I just eyeball it every time and add more of whatever I need.

• Handful of kale
• Handful of spinach
• 1 banana
• 1/2-1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1-2 cups frozen fruit (I like the tropical fruit mix from Target, their Market Pantry brand)
• About 1/2-1 cup water, juice, soy milk, or other liquid of your choosing

Blend until smooth, adding more liquid if too thick or more frozen fruit or ice if too thin. If it isn't sweet enough you can add honey or use flavored yogurt instead of plain. You can use whatever leafy greens you have around in place of or in addition to the spinach and kale. 

Juice

We did not decide to do another reboot this week, as you have probably noticed looking at what I have cooked, but we are still trying to juice on a regular basis. It is such an easy and delicious way to get your fruits and veggies!

This morning I made juice with these ingredients (pictured above):

• 4 green apples
• 4 fuji apples
• 5 large carrots
• 4 oranges
• a few handfuls of kale

This made plenty of juice for 2 adults and one hungry toddler. Jack loves when we juice. When I am making juice, he yells, "Ju!" with such enthusiasm. Although we find it completely adorable and hilarious, I am afraid he will yell it in public someday and people might get offended. So, if you ever happen to witness this, please realize he just likes his juice and is still working on developing his speech. We love all people :)

The Land of Chile

I live in New Mexico, not only known as "The Land of Enchantment," but as I am sure any New Mexican would agree, it is also the Land of Chile. That's chile with an "e," not an "i." Chili is what most people are familiar with, the stew-like food made of various peppers, meats, beans, etc. Chile refers to the peppers, which are a huge part of New Mexican cuisine. The best peppers and most popular are from Hatch, New Mexico, which is in the southern part of the state. They harvest them in late summer and at every grocery store in the state you will see big roasters outside. Most people buy them by the bushel and have them roasted, which softens them and gives them a delicious flavor. Then they bring them home and freeze them so that they can use them throughout the year for enchiladas, rellenos, salsa, or to add to a burger or hot dog (really, it's good in so many things)!

It's difficult for non-New Mexicans to understand the the whole chile obsession, but if you move here or spend any significant amount of time in the state, you will most likely be converted, as I was when I originally moved here over seven years ago. The problem is, once you're converted, it's very difficult to live without it. The first time I moved to New Mexico, I lived in Las Cruces for three years then moved back to Lubbock, TX. While Lubbock is only a couple of hours from the New Mexico border, they did not have green chile (in the quantity I desired with the option of having them roasted). I was so distraught imagining a year without my chile, that I drove two hours away to Clovis, NM to buy some (crazy, I know). Our third year in Lubbock, the wise folks of West Texas finally came to their senses and began selling and roasting Hatch green chile. My dreams had come true. And the following year we moved to Albuquerque, where I would never lack my beloved pepper. In fact, I even bought a deep freezer this year so that I would have plenty of room to store them. I know, it's a little crazy. Although, I have to admit, a deep freezer comes in handy for storing many things, and if you have seen the movie Bernie you might be thinking of other things that some might store in their deep freezer (side note: this is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time, if you haven't seen it, DO IT!).

I know now you can find fresh Hatch chiles many places throughout the country, especially in the southwest, and most likely in many larger cities in other regions as well. However, if you are not so lucky, most grocery stores at least have the canned version, and if you can find the canned Hatch chiles, chose those over other brands (trust me, I have experience here).

Last night I used our plethora of peppers to make The Pioneer Woman's Lazy Chiles Rellenos. This is not the traditional way of making rellenos, which usually involves stuffing the pepper and frying it, but it is a tasty and much less time-consuming alternative. As she mentions in her post, she is not lucky enough to have the access to fresh green chiles that I do, so she makes hers with canned chiles. I used mine from our freezer, but other than that I followed the recipe. She said to cook 30-40 minutes, I had to do 40, which may have been my oven (which is older than me), the altitude, or something else altogether. I served mine with flour tortillas because it was all I had on hand, and some black beans.

It was really delicious, Josh and I both liked it. I bought the hot chiles this year (you can buy them in mild, medium, or hot), and they were super spicy! When I have made enchiladas with them, they were almost too hot, but I liked this recipe because I think the milk and eggs helped mellow them out a little, yet they still had a kick. When I had the leftovers for lunch today, I bought some tortilla chips and those were really tasty with them. I think it might also be good to fry tortilla strips and bake them on top of the rellenos. I may try that next time. That way it also has the crunch that traditional rellenos would.

All in all, this was a great recipe, easy, inexpensive, and I was able to prepare it ahead of time, then throw it in the oven that night. It would be great for when you have company or would like to bring someone a meal.

So give this recipe a try, and if you are not from New Mexico but might find yourself visiting here someday, EAT CHILE! You'll be happy you did!

Leftover Lunch

I have enjoyed my leftover tortilla soup for lunch and added a grilled turkey and cheese on ciabbatta. It was a great combination! The sandwich was good grilled, but if I had a panini press, I think it would have been even better. So many kitchen gadgets I want to buy!