Foodie Friday

Well, we learned today that, in this house, we do not indeed cry over spilt milk... we do cry over broken eggs. My morning started off with a half-full carton of backyard-fresh eggs hitting the kitchen floor. It was very traumatic; I can only imagine what poor Lavender will think when we tell her what I've done. The damn chicken survives a hawk attack (yes, you read that right - a few weeks ago, Peep set off the chicken war-cry and when I got out back, a Cooper's Hawk had Lavender pinned to the ground... never fear - with the help of my trusty dear dog, and a bit of shrieking and arm-flapping, the hawk left and Lavender's bloody wounds healed)... and all I can do to repay her hard work is splatter 6 of her eggs on the floor... ho-hum...

So, to satisfy your need for recipes on this blustery Friday, here are some breakfast staples that do not include eggs. *whimper, whimper*. You can see how our indoor animals are satisfying their needs on these cold, winter days:

Apple Ginger Scones
adapted from Cook's Illustrated, March/April 1994

• 2 C stone ground organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 T organic unsalted butter
• 2 T local honey
• 1/4 C fresh-squeezed organic orange juice
• 1/2 C local whole milk
• 2 small organic apples; peeled and chopped
• 1/4 C organic candied ginger pieces
• Combine dry ingredients; cut in cold butter with pastry cutter
• In a separate bowl, combine honey, milk, and OJ
• Stir apples and ginger into dry ingredients then mix in wet ingredients
• Drop on parchment paper lined baking sheet (makes  8-9 fist-sized scones)
• Bake at 450 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Smoothie

• Frozen organic banana
• Frozen organic mango
• 2 organic navel oranges, peeled
• 2 C fresh organic kale
• 1/2 C organic plain whole milk yogurt
• Local elderberry juice
• Vitamin D3 drops (the girls take these; John and I take our extra D in pill form)

Carrot Fruit Smoothie

• 1 large organic carrot; peeled
• Frozen organic banana
• Frozen organic mango
• 2 organic navel oranges; peeled
• 1 C homemade almond milk
• 1 T organic unrefined coconut oil; melted

Eat. More. Kale.

" Deck the plates with piles of kale... falalalalalalalalala

Tis the season for immunity to fail... falalalalalalalalala! "

It truly is the season when everyone gets something - gifts abound, stockings are filled, and germs invade. I don't get a flu shot. I don't give the girls a flu shot. But we do what we can to give our immune systems the fuel they need. Here are my top cold-season must haves:

1. Elderberry juice (local, of course)

• It's not the cheapest little serum, but a little goes a long way. I give the girls each 1/2 tsp per day, usually mixed into their smoothie but they'll down a spoonful if needed. High in vitamin C and touted as a good antioxidant.

2. Kale

• It's green and lovely. We eat it in soups... I loaded lasagna with it... it makes the best fresh salad... and we're pretty much green-smoothie-a-day folk.
• Smoothie:
• 2 C organic fresh kale
• 1 C organic whole milk plain yogurt
• 2-3 organic oranges; peeled
• 1-2 organic frozen bananas
• 1 C organic frozen mango or pineapple
• Kale Salad (which we fondly call "Kay's Kale Salad", as she introduced us to it)
• 1/2 bunch organic fresh kale
• 2 T toasted whole wheat bread crumbs
• 1/3 C finely grated parmesan
• Dressing:
• Juice of 1 organic lemon
• 1/4 C olive oil
• 1 garlic clove; pressed
• Pinch of kosher salt

3. Vitamin D

• John, the girls, and I all take Vitamin D supplements daily. We're getting less sunshine these days and a little boost can't hurt.

4. Sleep

• Non-negotiable. The girls are in bed by 7:30... usually asleep by 7:33. And if bedtime is bumped back, their daily rest often turns into a nap. If we know we're going to be up later than usual, we take a nap that afternoon as a proactive measure. I don't do tired - not me, not my kids. 

Knock on the Christmas tree, but we are doing good thus far! There has been a lot of coughing and sneezing at family gatherings the past couple of weeks and, while John got taken down for a few days, the rest of us are feeling a-okay, which is good because last Friday was a big deal: first piano recital! The girls are loving lessons and doing fantastic. They showed no signs of nerves or anxiety - marched up and played their two pieces each like pros. Elise, after seeing another student very nervously struggle to get started, turned to Gran and whispered "this must be her first recital". Yes, sweet child, just like it's your first one as well! And the day after, while riding in the car, Abby said "that piano recital was so much fun". 

Foodie Friday: Drink green. Eat sweet.

Green(ish) Smoothie

• 1 organic frozen banana
• 4-5 organic frozen strawberries
• Juice from 2 organic oranges
• Local whole milk (maybe 1/2 cup)
• 4-5 big leaves organic kale
• 1 T organic coconut oil; melted and drizzled in while blender is running
• 1 local, organic egg yolk

Japanese Sweet Potato

• 1 organic Japanese sweet potato
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Wash sweet potato
• Prick skin with fork several times
• Bake on foil-lined baking sheet until fork pierces easily into potato - this really depends on size... but maybe averages 30-45 minutes?
• I LOVE these - without anything on them. Baked. Eaten. Yum.

A smoothie a day...

I'm obsessed with my blender. It gets used, on average, twice a day. I have no idea what combination of this or that makes for the healthiest combination, but I do know this: we have been damn healthy. The girls have had one runny nose in the past six months - it lasted less than 48 hours each. I can't remember the last time I had a cold. Maybe it has something to do with our smoothie-a-day obsession? Not sure, but not planning to stop. Keep that blender blending.  :)

Green Smoothie-of-the-day

• Organic baby spinach - at least 2 cups
• 1 frozen organic banana - I buy organic bananas when the Merc has the super-ripe ones on sale. Then I peel them, cut them into big chunks, and keep them in a freezer bag in the freezer
• 1/2 - 1 C organic frozen mango
• 1-2 T organic ground flaxseeds
• 1 C homemade almond milk
• 1 T organic coconut oil - melted, but not too warm, and drizzled in while blender is running

Smooth(ie) Moves

My blender is probably the most-used kitchen appliance that we own. It was my life-line when making baby food, it grinds grains for Super Porridge, and it is our smoothie machine. We eat smoothies at least 5 times a week - sometimes for breakfast, sometimes for a snack, sometimes we pour them into the Zoku popsicle maker, and sometimes they're dinner. You can seriously make a smoothie with almost any ingredients and I personally find them to be a dietary staple. Here are two of our current faves:

The Greener the Better

• Organic kale
• Organic Greek yogurt
• We've starting eating Wallaby Greek yogurt - The Merc recently starting carrying it and it's one of the few organic Greek yogurts that is actually strained instead of adding pectin to thicken it
• Organic frozen fruit
• I like to use any combination of bananas, pineapple, peaches, or mango because it allows the green color to remain vibrant. But that's just me!
• Organic juice
• Orange, peach, or apricot are nice
• Maybe a few ice cubes, if you want it colder

Figs are Fun

• Frozen organic banana
• 2 T (or so) organic almond butter
• Organic apricot juice
• Organic Greek yogurt
• 5-6 organic figs
• Maybe a few ice cubes, if you want it colder

As you can see, I don't ever measure - it's more of a chop, toss in, pour, blend, add, blend, drink. But the fig smoothie - yes, please! The girls and I devoured that one! It's only noon, and I've already used the blender twice today. Who knows what the afternoon will bring! :)

Yo-J

Growing up, our family trip to Minnesota was a highlight of the summer year after year after year (32 years for me, to be exact). When you have someplace that is special, the people, places, and things that make it so awesome stay with you forever. It might be a trip to Benjamin Franklin for nail polish. It might be that plastic goo that you can blow bubbles with. Maybe it's Yo-J. Anyone remember Yo-J? We bought it every summer at the little grocery store in Aitkin, Minnesota. And it was delicious. YOgurt and Juice: Yo-J. Go make yourself some. Feed it to your children. Use different juices. Whatever (see? already tossing the "whatever" around...see previous post).

Homemade Yo-J

• Organic homemade plain yogurt
• Organic blueberry juice
• Organic lemon juice (just a tiny dash)
• Local honey
• Whisk away
• Drink

There is nothing involved in this recipe. You probably do it all the time. But I hadn't made Yo-J in awhile and this morning it was a lovely treat for the three of us girls. Speaking of treat... John and I don't go big when it comes to gifts, especially for each other. Hell, I bought him drumstick chopsticks this year. Seriously. Chopsticks on one end, drumsticks on the other. He told me that he loved them and I believed him. However, he surprised me with a killer tabletop photobooth - it has the screens on two sides and the top with a backdrop and then two lights that shine in from the outside. I took the pics above with it and I am loving the quality. Thank you, dear! While I was sitting in the kitchen savoring my Yo-J, it seemed strangely quiet for having two small people in the house with me. I found the girls, in my workroom, posing their little critters in the photobooth and taking pictures with my camera. They took these pictures - 100% on their own. Now I'm not feeling so smug about my pics, because theirs are damn good. 

Frozen banana? Yes, please!

Okay, so does everyone know about frozen bananas???? I just discovered them. Go right now. Buy some bananas. Let them ripen. Freeze them. Once they are frozen, don't assume that the ugly, brown peel is a sign of what you'll find inside - slice that unattractive thing open and you will find a cold, in tact, perfectly preserved banana. Talk about a tasty treat! So far we've used them in smoothies, popsicles, and psuedo-ice cream (did you know that if you throw frozen, sliced bananas in the blender with a splash of milk to get it going, the consistency totally mimics ice cream????)... I feel like there is a lot more that could be done. Ideas, anyone????

Strawberry Banana Popsicle

• 1 frozen organic banana
• 8 medium-sized organic strawberries
• 1 C organic apricot nectar
• 1/2 C organic plain yogurt
• 1 T local honey
• Place all ingredients in blender
• Follow Zoku popsicle maker-instructions, adding a few strawberry slices before filling

Brinner... without syrup????

Brinner (breakfast for dinner) is such an awesome cushion when we've had one of those days that just hasn't allowed time to cook a meal. While Brinner typically involves syrup for us, I decided to bake up a little frittata action this week to satisfy our needs, accompanied by the beautiful green smoothie you see to the right. :) The frittata was a combination of recipes - I have one in my recipe box from my Mom that I used for the baking time, oven temp, cheese, and overall process; I also just got my Everyday Food magazine and it had several frittata recipes, which inspired the idea. And the green smoothie... per a friend's recommendation (thanks, atlanta!), I picked up some fresh kale instead of spinach last week. Well, wasn't I surprised! Kale is so much tougher than spinach, with thicker leaves, but it blends up beautifully in a smoothie. I actually think the taste is milder, as well, so we've been drinking kale all week!

Ham, Leek, and Potato Frittata

• Cut potato into small chunks (1-inch or smaller) - I used one large organic russet potato. Toss chunks in olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt, and bake until a nice crisp edge forms all around. I started the oven at 350°, then increased to 400°, and up again to 425°, finishing by turning the broiler on to really brown up the tops
• Chop 1 large organic leek and saute in olive oil
• Cut antibiotic-free ham into small pieces
• Mix together:
• 6 organic, cage-free eggs
• 1/2 C. organic cottage cheese - I tossed the cottage cheese in the blender first until it was smooth. I haven't blended cottage cheese before, but the girls have never been a huge fan of the texture. It blends up to an extremely creamy consistency
• 1/2 C. shredded cheese
• Salt and pepper
• Butter a 9-inch pie plate; cover bottom with pre-baked potato pieces, sauteed leeks, and chopped ham; pour egg mixture over the top
• Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes

Kale Smoothie

• 2 C. fresh organic kale; chopped
• 1 fresh organic pear (without skin)
• 1/2 organic banana
• 1/2 C. organic yogurt
• Frozen organic blueberries and strawberries (the frozen fruits help smoothie-it up; without it blends to more of a juice consistency)
• Orange juice

Last night for dessert, I served a green milkshake. Yes, I am admitting right here that I placed kale in the dessert category. I know - seriously? Abby is an eating machine right now and after polishing off seconds at every meal, she looks up, tilts her head to the side, puts her hands up and says "Something else?". I made homemade vanilla ice cream over the weekend, so I tossed that in the blender with kale, OJ, and frozen fruit. Totally sounds like a dessert item, right? It was just the "something else" that Abby needed and, upon polishing off her portion, Elise inquired "vitamins in here?". Now how often can you answer "YES" to that question when you're talking about dessert??? Pat on the back, Momma. Pat on the back!

Breakfast of champions

Breakfast is a meal of such importance, such power. We are "breaking" the overnight "fast", for crying out loud! Say you sleep 8 hours a night. That is 8 hours without a drink, without a morsel of food, without anything to quench your body's need for nourishment. Our bodies NEED breakfast, and in this house we meet that need head-on! 

Super porridge and fresh orange-apple juice

The girls had the oh-so-popular bowl of porridge this morning. At least once a week (if not twice), I toss into the blender:

• 1/2 C. organic brown rice
• 1/2 C. organic barley
• 6 T. organic millet

I then keep this concoction in the fridge to use in the mornings. To cook, I boil 2 C. water, add a heaping 1/2 C. of ground porridge mix, and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Today we added some cinnamon and nutmeg, honey to sweeten, and topped it with raisins.

Now, the "pow" this morning was our smoothie. By 8:30 this morning, the girls had consumed (shared between them):

• 2 whole organic carrots (juiced)
• 1 organic apple (juiced)
• 1/2 C. yogurt
• 1/2 C. organic baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 banana
• 4-5 frozen strawberries

We needed a super breakfast today to make sure that the Abby and Elise's bodies are loaded with cold-fighting powers to give the runny noses a fond farewell. Today is extra special because our buddy, Cohen, is here ALL day! The 3 tots are snoozing, I'm blogging, and the dog is lying in the sun. Everyone is happy...

Mid-morning snack time!

Playdoh! Here's a great homemade playdoh recipe.

"Actually, me no like."

This afternoon I made a pumpkin smoothie. I found it to be tasty. Elise said "Mmmmm, Momma. Very good". Abby said "Actually, me no like". It's amazing how her cave-man talk meshes so well with words like "actually". Here's what went in:

• 1/2 C. organic canned pumpkin
• 1/2 C. (or a bit more) organic plain yogurt
• handful of frozen mango
• several good squirts of local honey
• organic 2% milk

I'm not sure if you've noticed lately, but the girls are getting cuter. I seriously cannot keep my hands off of them. I find myself saying "Can I hold you?" rather than having them constantly ask "Momma, hold?". They want to talk, read, sing, play, and snuggle all... day... long. And to be honest, actually I do too.

 

Brinner! (Recipe #9: French toast and Smoothies)

What do you get when you dine on breakfast for dinner? BRINNER! And brinner, a term coined by my hubby, is such a killer fall-back meal. Our house is currently under construction (new master bathroom necessary in order to prevent shower from falling into basement) while at the same time in the throes of potty training. Luckily, both battles are being won! The new shower looks great and the new tile floor is awesome - after the sink goes in and the paint goes up... voila! Bathroom beautified. And potty training - I never imagined I'd get such a rush from the girls becoming independent in the bathroom. In the words of their NICU doctor, they continue to be "rockstars". I just started my load of diapers for the night (cloth) and my two-day diaper count is a mere 6 diapers... for 2 little ones. Yes.. sweet, sweet, success.

This brings me full circle back to brinner. I have not been cooking. I've spent a lot of time in the bathroom, waiting for the delicate sound of tinkle in the toilet... I've been busy doing "dry, dry, dry

dances", celebrating the dry undies between potty breaks... and we've been on-the-go, picking out tiles and paint and snoozing at Gran and Grandpa's in order to nap without drills and saws across the hall. Tonight we feasted on French toast, chicken sausage, and smoothies. Brinner, you tasted so good!

French toast:

Bread (we used fresh Great Harvest Nine Grain)
Eggs
Milk
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Freshly grated nutmeg

Smoothie:

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 cup frozen blueberries

1 container plain Oikos yogurt

Handful of frozen cherries

Handful of frozen blackberries

Tablespoon, or so, honey

Orange juice (as needed to blend smoothly)