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

Super Simple Spinach Enchiladas

Let's get right to the point: Spinach Enchiladas. Can you go wrong with chicken, spinach, sauce, and cheese? There is nothing fancy about what I'm going to share with you; I don't even have a picture of the finished product. But I thought the sauce was worth noting, so here's what happened in the kitchen today...

Spinach Enchiladas

• Sauce:
• Organic cottage cheese
• Canned tomatillos
• Canned whole green chilies
• Toss all into blender and give it a WHIRRRRRRRR!
• Add more of whatever to make it tangier, spicier, or thicker
• Other ingredients:
• Local, free range chicken breasts: poached and shredded
• 1/2 organic white onion; diced
• 3 C fresh organic baby spinach; roughly chopped
• Shredded cheese
• Organic whole wheat tortillas
• Pour a bit of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan
• Fill each tortilla with a bit of everything, including sauce
• Pour remaining sauce over the top and add some shredded cheese
• Bake for 30 minutes at 350° and serve with organic brown rice
• Easy-peasy

And just because some of you enjoy the girls far more than the food... yes, they are still adorable...

Snow, spinach, and salmon

Another fantastic snow day was had here in Lawrence! We slept in, we didn't shower until 10, we took naps at 11:30, and we were out sledding around 2:00. I think anyone that complains about snow days is just. plain. crazy. I love my job. I have always been highly motivated by working with children and families, it's insanely rewarding, and I have a great group of colleagues now. But since A & E were born, I have definitely done a bit of re-prioritizing and didn't think twice about leaving work yesterday without a file, my notebook, or a to-do list of work-related items in the event of a snow day. Work can wait; sledding cannot.

After a day of fun in the sun and snow, dinner was much needed. I already had this fantastic spinach-cashew pesto made, courtesy of Joy The Baker.  

Spinach-Cashew Pesto:

• 2 C organic baby leaf spinach
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 C roasted cashews
• Fresh lemon juice from 1/2 organic lemon
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 C freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 C organic olive oil
• Toss everything into the blender and blend away!

So, I cooked up some pasta, mixed in the pesto, baked some frozen salmon patties, whipped up a little tartar sauce... dinner was served!!!

Not the prettiest of pictures, but the pesto is actually a beautiful green and a great recipe find. I'm thinking the beauty of the snow pictures makes up for what the pesto is lacking visually. :)  

The girls are both super into emotions right now and are concerned with how others feel, especially Abby. If I drop something and say "oh, shoot!", Abby comes running and says "Momma happy?", worried that I'm upset. She sat down in Elise's face yesterday and asked "Elise happy?", and when Elise didn't answer, Abby pressed further with "Elise, happy? sad? grumpy? sleepy?". Hmmm... I wonder who has been reading about the seven dwarfs? Tonight, we were all tired after our sledding and shoveling adventures, and Elise got mad that I wouldn't let her hold the book we were reading. She jumped off the side of the bed, tossed herself face-down on the floor, and said "Momma, I don't feel happy". John and I were both stifling laughter because it was so dramatic and so stinkin' cute but I certainly didn't want her to think that I'd laugh at her despair! The trials and tribulations of a 2-year old, right? I know one thing - I DO feel happy about snow days. Winter, you are being oh-so good to me. Thank you!

Pie... savory, not sweet

Apple pie. Pecan pie. Pumpkin pie. Quesadilla pie? I warned you in the title of this post that we were talking savory not sweet, didn't I? 

During some internet browsing, I saw this recipe for quesadilla pie. It looked like a great addition to dinner staples that are simple, fairly fast to put together, and can fall into the "one pot wonder" category. "One pot wonders" are the best - grains/fiber, protein, veggies, dairy - brought together to create a party in your mouth! Here was what I came up with:

Quesadilla Pie

• Diced leftover grilled turkey
• Diced organic onion
• 1/2 - 3/4 can black beans (rinsed and allowed to air dry a bit)
• Whole wheat tortillas
• Shredded cheese
• 3/4 can green enchilada sauce
• 1/4 C. organic Greek yogurt (plain)
• 1 10 oz. package frozen organic spinach (thawed, water squeezed out)

Dice turkey, onion; Rinse black beans; Mix together enchilada sauce, yogurt, spinach; Butter glass pie dish; Place 1 tortilla in dish as bottom layer; Spread enchilada/spinach mixture, sprinkle turkey, onions, beans, cheese; Add tortilla; Repeat filling; Add top tortilla; Butter a bit and sprinkle with cheese. I followed the same baking instructions as the above recipe: 30 minutes covered at 350 degrees then 15 minutes uncovered at 400 degrees. 

Served with some avocado and lime juice, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and a splash of salsa - definitely a pie worth remembering, even if the dollop wasn't whipped cream...

Store bought goodness!

A plain and simple fact of life is that food must be had. People must eat. Even on busy days, when it's hot and humid and you'd rather be collecting fallen acorns on the sidewalk, dinner has to be prepped.

Last night, due to the above-mentioned reasons, our meal was simple and store-bought! As pictured to the right, I found some organic spinach and cheese ravioli at The Merc as well as some tasty (and surprisingly low-salt) basil pesto. Voila! Boil the ravioli, toss with the pesto, and serve it up.

As a side, I made a nice little spinach salad:

• fresh organic spinach
• sliced organic strawberries
• shredded organic carrots
• thinly sliced organic plum

I wanted to toss our salad with a little dressing that would appeal to the girls so I whisked together:

- Plain organic yogurt

- Balsamic vinegar

- Fresh lemon juice

- Kosher salt/pepper

It was perfect! Abby and Elise aren't too keen yet on the fresh spinach leaves (which is why you'll find them regularly blended into smoothies here), but they did devour the rest!

Happy feasters, I'd say!

Black bean, spinach, and sweet potato enchiladas (#17)

I love sweet potatoes. Beans are a staple. Spinach kept Popeye strong. All together now: Black bean, spinach, and sweet potato enchiladas!

This was an insanely quick meal to put together - I made brown rice ahead of time so there wasn't the "Shoot! I've waited too long to start dinner, brown rice takes 40 minutes, what will eat on the side" debacle. And, as I typed that, I was reminded yet again why, whenever the girls drop something, they say "Oh shoot! Bummer!". Here you have it:

• Saute finely chopped onion in olive oil; add small chunks of sweet potato; cover until sweet potatoes are tender
• Add 1 can rinsed black beans
• Add 2 cups chopped fresh spinach; cover until spinach starts to wilt
• Season filling with salt, pepper, fresh herbs, salsa
• Sauce: Store-bought mild green enchilada sauce (make sure it's a brand with no MSG - they sneak that into some enchilada sauces)
• Pour 1/3 can sauce straight into bottom of dish (I used a casserole dish with a lid)
• Combine remaining sauce with 1/2 cup (or so) plain Greek yogurt
• Fill whole wheat tortillas with a scoop of black bean filling and a couple spoonfuls of sauce/yogurt mixture
• Pour remaining sauce/yogurt mixture over top of all assembled enchiladas
• Cover and back at 375 degrees for 20 minutes

Serve with brown rice and a fresh tomato and avocado salad!