Tag Archives: homemade

by | June 2, 2010

Garden Pea Puree!

The last day of my 3-day mini vacation and it’s going to RAIN? So not cool.

Oh well. I decided to savor every minute of my day off with my boy anyway. First, I savored this cup of Granbiotics vanilla almond granola with So Delicious coconut milk, a few cranberries and half a nanner. I think I may have started a new love affair with coconut milk. It’s SO good (swoon-worthy even), and I love that it’s vegan and high in B12.

Don’t worry almond milk, I still love you and I always will…

The other half of the nanner found it’s way into a much smaller tummy. I’ve SO been looking forward to sharing food!

I felt like carrot casserole (funny, you don’t look like a carrot casserole… :D ) Unfortunately, the carrots weren’t quite ready…

But the PEAS were! Woohoo! Some wouldn’t be so excited, perhaps, but me? I’m stoked to make Garden Pea Puree!

I shelled these bad boys and steamed them until soft in my (broken) steamer. 

I then pureed them in my little puree machine, which I proceeded to break. Looks like I’ll be investing in a better food processor even sooner than I thought! :(  The last step was pushing them through my strainer to remove any pieces that didn’t puree. Once your baby is past stage one foods, this step really isn’t necessary anymore.

The little bit I had time to pick yielded 4 servings when mixed with just a little water, 3 of which I put into one of my KidCo. BPA-free baby food freezer tray for another day (I have the food mill, too, but we’re not quite there yet.) I left the puree a little thick so I could thin it out with breastmilk before serving each cube (purees freeze better without the milk…save that for later, when you’re getting ready to serve.)

This puree turned out a rad shade of green! Can you tell by this little face that it tasted pretty good, too? 

Next time, we make the BIG BATCH!

Since Mommy and Daddy have a slightly bigger appetite, and lots of fresh produce to use up, we ended up with a bit of a hodge-podge for dinner  (My favorite! I’m so laid back and unstructured like that, you know... ;)  )

A little too yellow, perhaps, but super good with a super short ingredients list! Fresh corn, broccoli from the garden, Low & Slow white sweet potatoes, a yellow tomater, and a few tiny chicken tenderloins. (I ended up giving mine to the husbo…just wasn’t feeling the chix.) Oh yeah, and salt, pepper, garlic and olive oil. That’s it.

What color is your food?

A full day of healthy foods and baby snuggles. Rain or no rain, it doesn’t get much better than that.

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Do you make or plan to make homemade baby food? What is your favorite recipe?

What is your favorite pea recipe? I need LOTS!

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by | May 22, 2010

BC o’D

My alarm went off at 2:45am this morning.

I do believe that is what is referred to as the “butt crack of dawn.”

I have it all worked out: If I set the alarm for 2:45, I actually get up at 3. I throw on clothes, then change and feed my boy if I can stir him enough to nurse (a lot of this depends on him…if he wakes at 1 or 2 and eats then, the whole plan is shot.) Then, I try to pump a bottle before heading off to work with both of my boys snuggled in their beds. This way, I can get almost a full day in at work and they hardly know I’m gone. They get to spend the morning together, and I’m home by 1 or 2pm, ready for a fun Saturday. (What I really mean is nearly comatose, halllucinating and dying for a nap, but whatever.)

Do I have a choice? Yes, but I think it’s best this way. There will come a day when my child has no interest in spending the day with his Mom. I’m gonna take it while the gettin’ is good. 

Breakfast? Doughnuts! ….just kidding. What I meant to say was: Mammoth Oats!

No, there is no actual mammoth in my oats. I’m not a big breakfast-meat eater. Just a mammoth portion of oats, almond milk, PB, raw almonds, cranberries, cinnamon and a fat nanner. (Has anyone posted the Doughnut Oats recipe yet? Come on, people. I know it’s out there.)

It isn’t actually all that big a portion…it’s just in a flat, thin container. :) A little over 1/2 cup of oats with a bunch of junk on top should keep my tank full for a while.

And it’d better, because these are just a few of the choices at the Cafe de la Office Caf:

-Double Pork Chop Sandwich

-BBQ Rib Flavored Potato Chips

-”Big Az” fried fish sandwich

-Every king size candy bar known to man

-Fruit parfaits! Made with pie filling, cake and pudding.

…and there’s a machine that will actually cook and bun up a cheddarwurst or hot dog for you. :| It’s magical.

To their credit, there is a wellness program that points out healthy choices with a lovely, very healthy-looking, little green leaf. Where might one find this leaf, you ask? Why, next to the Lean Cuisine, Twizzlers (!), SnackWells cookies (?) and a lone container of 8 baby carrots for $1.75, of course. Ack!

Pass, please.

So, after a morning in editor mode, I’m ready to switch back to the more comfy and oh-so-much-more-cuddly-and-yummy mommy mode.

On the radar for today: shopping for diapers (we’re making the switch to cloth!), some garden fun, and whatever other adventures that happen to divert our attention (which, at some point, will mean food!! Gotta love Saturday food.)

I’ll fill you in on all the haps, right after I wake up.

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What is the lunch atmosphere like at your office/workplace? Are healthy options offered? Does anyone want them?

What’s the best food day of the week (for you)?

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by | May 21, 2010

Hello, Broccoli

It’s the first official broccoli harvest of the season!

Insert catchy line about  broccoli here…hmmm…I really want to tell you that it’s that time of the season to rock out with your brocc out, but that’s just too horrible…

Anyhoo, I took this picture only a few days ago, and these lovelies had doubled in size by yesterday! I figured we’d better harvest before they either: A. took off (one had already bolted) or B. the little buggers got them (one of the hazards of being pesticide and chemical free!)

Enter: foil packet, olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic.

On the grill with some cute little chicken tenderloins.

Mayo, Dijon mustard and seven  PEPPADEWS! YUM!

Wrapped it up in whole wheat with a little spizznach and grated carrot.

And VOILA! Healthy spring dinner, in no time. 

Pretty easy on the budget, too! 

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What’s your favorite way to enjoy broccoli?  I have a feeling there’s a lot coming my way, so I could use some quick and easy prep ideas!

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by | May 17, 2010

Finally, a moment to sit…

Jeez…It feels like it’s been a week since my last post!

What a busy weekend. I still feel like I didn’t get anything done, but I always feel like that. I’m always thinking about what I didn’t do, instead of focusing on my accomplishments.

Maybe I should write it all down so I can see it on paper, because I know I did A LOT. Or maybe, I should blog about it…

I worked on Saturday from 5am until about noon, which makes for a pretty early morning with a 60-mile commute. I lucked out, though…it seems there were some white sweet potatoes, peaches and nectarines ripe for the taking, and nobody else wanted them. I took a bunch, and left a bunch behind in hopes that someone else in my office might take advantage of free produce!

Take a look at my booty (hee hee...)

Not a bad haul, eh? 

The little fam and I made a run to the local greenhouse and our favorite “Bent & Dent”, where we always find unexpected treasures. I picked up the first of my seasonal herb plants (cilantro and oregano) and stocked up on rolled oats, organic tea, breastmilk storage bags, and lots of other goodies for dirt cheap (mostly discontinued and close-coded items). It’s amazing how many organic products you can find at Bent & Dents and clearance aisles (although, I’m thinking that’s not a good thing, because it means nobody is buying them…)

I was feeling inspired by my sweet taters, so I threw them on the grill alongside some salmon (both in foil packets.)

I felt a salad coming on, so I started rummaging through the fridge to see what I had to use up. I sent the husbo to the garden to collect some greenage, and proceeded to build what shall hereby and forever be known as the Snowball Salad. 

It just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger…

and it was OFF. THE. CHARTS.

DIY Snowball Salad

-Grilled lemon pepper salmon

-Grilled sweet potato chunks

-Garden greens (spizznach, beet greens, lettuce mix)

-Black beans

-Avocado

-One falafel ball

-Carrot

-Zucchini

-Mushrooms

-Oregano

-Italian vinaigrette

-Everything else in your fridge

One thing missing: Big spoonful of zingy salsa (I didn’t figure that out until I was done.)

No, I did not eat the whole thing. Yes, I came very close. I see more Snowball Salads in the near future!

And for dessert:

Any chocolate that comes in a black wrapper has to be good, right? Nope. It was very waxy, and very disappointing. Boo on that.

Big surprise of the day: Mommy and Daddy even had a few minutes at the end of the night to relax together, alone.  Mark that one in the record book! (and get your mind out of the gutter…)

Fast forward to Sunday morning:

Breakfast at Subway (See tomorrow’s post for more details…)

Grocery shopping

Home to clean like a hurricane, do 2 loads of laundry, and snack on this old friend from late last summer! It was still fantastic after a long sleep in the freezer. Don’t you love it when you do something great for yourself, and later you get to enjoy it and remember how cool you are? 

Pineapple Zuke Bread

 

…made a BIG FAT DELICIOUS CREAMSICLE!

This is one of my all-time favorite drinks. The Polar vanilla seltzer makes it smell just like a creamsicle, but it’s not nearly as sweet. I use about 1/4 calcium-fortified OJ to 3/4 seltzer. LOVE this. 

Made Finn’s dinner for tonight/lunch for tomorrow: funky white sweet potato puree.

This came out surprisingly smooth and creamy. I can’t wait to start making pureed everything.

Packed my lunch/breakfast/snack for tomorrow:

Has anyone out there tried these Evol Burritos? I’m very excited about it. That, and my tiny banana. I love that I can be excited about a bag lunch. (My kick-arse husbo bought me a new lidded oats mug!)

Then, finally, baby and I headed over to the ‘rents so Shane could paint at home in prep for the appraisal. No baby in the house with paint, No-VOC or not.

Upon our arrival, Mom was busy creating this lovely concoction:

Rhubarb and raisin chutney. Really nice with a grilled pork chop. Spinach and orange salad on the side. (Vitamin C + Iron = better absorption. Go Mom!)

Alright, so maybe I did get something done this weekend.  :)

It was a pretty good food weekend. Sometimes I feel like I’d have so much more time if I bought more prepared foods. Then, I tell myself to shut up.

Now, my sweet potato-filled boy is snuggled in his bed and I’m going to spend some time with my Mom. It’s Survivor finale night!

If Parvati wins, I’ll be so p’ed.

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Do you give yourself credit for what you get done, or do you tend to focus on the one thing you didn’t accomplish (like me)?

I didn’t get my run in this weekend. Something had to give. What did you NOT get done this weekend?


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by | May 12, 2010

An unexpected fall day in May sparks a little creativity…

I’ve got bread on the brain.

Isn’t it funny how bread got such a bad rap for a while there? Poor bread…so misunderstood.

I’ll admit it. I bought into the hype for a while, and I’d like to hereby issue a formal apology to bread.

But not to white bread. I still don’t like that guy. 

But this guy, I like…

Bad news: No PB&J for me anytime soon. A moment of silence, please…

So, what ‘s a hungry girl to do? Well, I need to use up the latest pile of greens so my husband stops making salads covered in Goldfish crackers…

and I lucked into a bounty of Crofter’s Pomegranate Jelly in the grocery store clearance aisle (!) for a mere buck forty a jar, so my wheels started turning…

LaBrea Organic Multigrain + leftover chicken + pom jelly + spinach and beet greens + a quick shred from a block of sharp white cheddar (still love/hate on the cheese issue) = one heckuva good sandwich! Especially when paired with local asparagus and crisped up in my trusty electric skillet…

Instead of complaining about the cold, damp, very un-May-like weather, I decided to follow some inspiration imparted by The Healthy Everythingtarian and turn my N into a P…

I hate this stupid, crappy cold weather. I want to wear flip-flops and the sun should be shining in May!

I get a free day of Autumn right in the middle of May! Woohoo! What better thing to do in the fall than roast sweet potatoes!

I’d been putting off  trying the Low & Slow method that’s been swirling around the blog world because I didn’t want to heat up the kitchen, so I carpe’d the diem and rubbed some thick slices of potato with the yummy organic macadamia nut oil I’m always trying to use. It’s infused with a Tahitian vanilla bean and it’s AMAZING.

For more lowdown on the Low & Slow, I’ll refer you to Kath, because if you’re not reading her, you should be.

I was totally impressed with the results. My husbands’ take: “It tastes like a breakfast pancake.” I think he’s on the right track. They couldn’t have turned out better if I’d mashed them, made patties and fried them.

Soft, sweet, and soul-satisfying: The perfect fall food!


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