What we're eating this week//3

A little late in getting this put up, but (just spelled butter) better late than never!  

With my trip coming up, we're trying to keep our spending more limited, so I'm pulling out the lentils, pasta and pinto beans that have been sitting in the cupboard.  Also, we're eating lots of green salad, since I found a tub of greens for a good price.  And as you can see, there is going to be lots of yogurt eating this week :).  

How do you cut back grocery spending?

What We're Eating This Week//2

Realizing that I haven't been sharing many regular fun photos for best of the best, but the reality of the matter is, I haven't been trying very hard to take many photos.  I'll get back to it, I know I will.

I received a lot of positive feedback from my menu plan the last time I posted, so I think I'll make it a regular deal as long as I've got a menu to share.  Several people asked for recipes, but I take them out of cookbooks (shocking, I know) but I'll share some as I can.

You'll note that I don't plan for a typical Monday-Sunday.  I refuse to grocery shop on the weekends, so I shop on Monday.  We finally found a Farmer's Market that works for our location and time but it's on Thursday, so you may see the days change pretty soon.

Anyway--here's what we're eating this upcoming week!

Recipe//Avocado, Bean and Corn Salad

I've been a little absent lately.  After browsing the web so much, I begin to feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of information and great things available.  There are times when I think I don't have much to offer, that everything is a little unoriginal.  I'm not very good at coming up with ideas on my own, as I need a little creative nudge most of the time.

I've realized I'm a creative cooker, though.  Everyone knows about my lack of ability to correctly utilize a cookbook.  I love having them there, but I'm not very good at using them.  I may not come up with some crazy new recipe, but I make a lot of original dishes.  So perhaps I'm not creative outside the kitchen, but there is something about me that is unique.

Here's a delicious salad/dip recipe for your next summery event!

Avocado, Bean and Corn Salad

Ingredients

2 Avocados

1 15.5oz can Corn, drained

1 15.5oz can Black Beans, drained

2 large Tomatoes

1 small Onion

1/2 cup chopped Cilantro

5 cloves Garlic

2 Limes

1 tsp Chili Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper 

Directions

Chop avocados, tomatoes and onion and place in a medium bowl with corn, black beans and cilantro.  Mince garlic cloves and place in bowl.  Roll the limes to soften, then quarter them and squeeze over the bowl to get all the juice out of the fruit.  Add chili powder, salt and pepper and stir until well mixed.  Chill and serve either as a salad or with tortilla chips to dip.

Recipe//Cucumber Tomato Salad

I love tomatoes.  Love love love them.  I think we go through 5-10 tomatoes per week, depending on what we're eating.  Often I'm eating these tomatoes in a simple salad for lunch time, sticking them on a pizza or garnishing a green salad. 

Here is an original recipe, that actually ended up on my menu planner for the week as "Tomato salad" but I decided I wanted cucumbers with it, too.

Ingredients

2 Tomatoes

1/2 Cucumber

1/2 Sweet Onion

Dressing

1/8 cup  Plain Yogurt

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 Tsp Dill Weed

1 Tsp Agave 

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Chop tomato, cucumber and onion and place in a medium bowl.  Place dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well blended.  Add to vegetables and mix well.  Serve chilled.

What we're eating this week

I have tried meal planning in the past and I just wasn't very successful at it.  Mostly it was because I was dealing with school and work so my time was much more limited than it is now.  Lately I've noticed that the way I used to shop and cook (buy a variety of produce, grains and proteins and figure it out as the week went along) just wasn't working out.  I found a lot of excuses to not cook and sometimes we would be doing things like eating green beans every day for a week.

So this week, there is a little kitchen reform going on.  I'm actually planning it all out.  I don't plan lunches because those always consist of leftovers.

How do you plan your meals?  Do you plan them or just go with it?

In my kitchen

Banana chocolate chip bread. 

Mushroom soup recipe.

The refrigerator pickles are ready to eat.

California scramble.

After recovering from being sick, I've been getting back into the swing of things around the house, which includes cooking and baking again.  I didn't really cook anything for a week, but instead found whatever might sound good if I just heated it up or didn't eat at all.  Leftover ice cream from Erik's birthday tended to be my food of choice.  


But sometimes I still like an easy food, especially for breakfast.  Here's an original recipe for a delicious, protein-dense morning bite to eat.  Serve with a side of fruit for a well-rounded start to the day.


California Scramble


Ingredients
2 eggs
1/8 of an avocado, chopped
1/2 large tomato, chopped
1/8 cup feta, crumbled
Salt and pepper to taste


Heat greased skillet on medium heat.  Add eggs and scramble in pan.  When eggs are just about cooked so they still are a little liquidy, add avocado, tomato and feta.  Mix in with the eggs and cook for 30 seconds - 1 minute longer, depending on how cooked you like your scrambled eggs to be.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yogurt at home

Yogurt is one of those "things," isn't it?  One of those you-should-eat-it-because-it's-amazing-for-you things, right?  It's kind of become "that thing" you should be making yourself, too.  Mostly because it's cheap, but also because it's great for your tummy (part of what makes it amazing for you).


I purchased a really cheap yogurt maker about a year or so ago.  It had four tiny containers and kept a constant temperature so you didn't really have to worry about keeping track of all the temps that are important to a proper yogurt.  But for some reason, I just didn't use it.  And I think when we moved two times ago, several of the little containers got lost and now I've just got one small machine with one small container.  Not very helpful.


But since I'm home all the time and I'm feeling particularly dedicated to the health of myself and my husband, I've been on the look out for a good yogurt recipe.  And I found it! .  The Simple Dollar offers an awesomely easy recipe for yogurt made in a crock pot--because none of us use that crock pot quite enough, right?  I've made this yogurt a few times already (posted about it here) and it worked out perfectly all but one time (read here for some reasons yogurt might not turn out quite right)  I encourage you to try it out yourself!  


And remember--keep 1/2 - 1 cup of the yogurt at the end to make a new batch.


Have a happy Wednesday!

From scratch

My week has already started off incredibly productive.  One of my favorite things about the move is all the time I finally have to explore cooking and making as much as I can from scratch.  I've already shared a few things, but this week is the week when things are really getting serious.  

Cheese.

Pickles.

Yogurt.

Ice cream.

Strawberry jam.

Birthday cake.

Ant killer.

Dryer sheets.

The list is a little intimidating, but yesterday I tackled four of these things.  It's only Tuesday!  The cheese did not turn out well, so I will have to try again.  But three out four successes isn't too bad.

Here are a few photos from my adventures.

English muffins

Yesterday, I made a nice big batch of english muffins.  Erik usually eats bagels for breakfast, but this is something I can make and it's a little less calorie dense.  

It took me a while to find a good recipe.  My More-With-Less is missing, which is where I usually get the recipe and out of all the other cookbooks I have, there wasn't a single english muffin recipe in any one.  The recipe below is inspired by one from All Recipes that I adapted to my own likes.

English Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons white sugar + 1/2 teaspoon
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/4 cup melted shortening
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Warm the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in 2 teaspoons sugar, stirring until dissolved. Let cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water with 1/2 teaspoon sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine the milk, yeast mixture, shortening and 3 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Add salt and rest of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead 6-8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled in size.
3. Punch down. Roll out to about 1/2 inch thick. Cut rounds with biscuit cutter, drinking glass, or empty tuna can. Sprinkle waxed paper with cornmeal and set the rounds on this to rise. Dust tops of muffins with cornmeal also. Cover and let rise 1/2 hour.
4. Heat greased griddle. Carefully place english muffins on griddle 2-4 at a time, depending on griddle size.  Cook muffins on griddle about 10 minutes on each side on medium-low to medium heat.  You want to make sure the inside gets cooked, as well as the outside so slow cooking is best. Keep baked muffins in a warm oven until all have been cooked. Allow to cool and place in plastic bags for storage. Split and toast when ready to eat.

Voluptuous Yummies

First, I want to make sure that everyone knows that these opinions are entirely my own and I purchased this book myself, with my own money.  I am not getting paid for this review.

I wrote spoke wrote briefly yesterday on Sophie Dahl's book Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights

but by the end of the day, there was so much to be felt and said about such a beautiful, quaint little cookbook.  So I go on, to share with you how this book affected me.

Sophie writes much of her own journey at finding a happy medium, enjoying food while not overindulging.  She is a semi-vegetarian, so her recipes are not meat-focused.  Organized by season, her recipes are simple, but have a decadent feel and are written with me precisely in mind, for I am not a good recipe follower.  I do not measure oil to sauté vegetables in so someone who uses the word "glug" to describe how much oil to use is suddenly my one true love.  The photos make me want to cook absolutely everything and her delightful way of writing makes me want to cook even more.  And, can I just say that with a title using the word "voluptuous" how can I not want to have it in my home?

When I was a very young girl, I wasn't quite sure how aware of one's eating I must be.  We often discussed "health foods" and that we should be eating skim milk and whatnot, but I don't really remember ever thinking that I should eat less.  Perhaps it was due to the many people in my family, but I always felt that if I like something, I had to eat as much of it as possible because it very well might be the last bite I had of that tasty bit of food.  This wasn't because there was a lack of food, just that there were many mouths who also enjoyed whatever I did, too.  The first time I realized there might be an issue was not when I tried on the women's size 12 jeans.  No, it was when I realized that all the other girls were far more petite than I was.  With the childbearing hips of a 30 year old woman (I mean no offense if you were to fit into that category), I was at the most awkward stage of 12.  

Once this realization hit me, I decided that perhaps it was time to go on a "diet."  I wanted to look better and try to fit in, for fitting in is my all-time favorite pastime.  For about a month or two I followed a little exchange diet that my mom had started up and felt pretty good about myself.  I'm not quite sure if I can remember where that got me, but it wasn't a bad experience.  If nothing else it taught me to pay attention to what I was eating.

And then I got a babysitting job, that was after my choir class.  I would walk every day for about 45 minutes to get there, pick up my young charge from preschool and walk us back to his home.  Suddenly, I dropped down to a size 4 and felt insanely excellent about my body size for the first time in years.

I've had many rocky ups and downs with my size, and how I feel about it.  As a once vegan for several years, I am very good at following strict rules.  Black and white serves me very well, it's the grey parts that become an issue.  For someone who studies Nutrition (nutritionists believe that moderation is the key to success), I'm not talented in the ways of "a little bit of everything."  When I first read French Women Don't Get Fat
I fell in love with the idea of enjoying little bits of things amongst a healthy dose of other good for you foods.  But I didn't know how to deal with this new-found freedom.  I overindulged and with the stress of a science degree, moving more than once, a wedding and other various life changes, the pounds just easily came on.  With a no-holds-bar outlook on food, I could eat anything!  But I was miserable.

Every since moving to Hawaii, I have slowly worked towards finding a middle ground through every area of my life, especially when it comes to food.  Losing weight has been a part of that journey, and not through some crazy diet with super restrictions.  No, it's been through eating some things now and some things a week from now.  It's been through smaller amounts and knowing that there will be some of it left if I want more later.

Miss Dahl's book rings true with me, and inspires me to cook beautifully and with an eye on moderation and no thought to cracking the dietary whip.  Such a delight.

Pizza Friday's

What is it about Friday's that just scream pizza?  I know growing up we often had our pizza day on Friday, and lots of other people do the same thing.  Perhaps it's a celebration of the weekend, to feel good about all the hard work we did during the week.  Whatever it may be, I am happy to make it tradition in our home.

The recipe I chose was Basil Tomato Pizza from the "Mennonite Girls Can Cook" cookbook, a bridal shower gift from my aunt (the baking stone I used was from her too :) ).  I was actually able to find the recipe on their blog, so now you can try the recipe out if you would like!

First, the pizza dough recipe is great!  It makes enough for two medium pizzas, so I put half the dough in the freezer for next week.  Adding a cup of whole wheat flour gives the dough a little more "health" so you're not eating only refined flour.  I also didn't let it rise quite so long (20 minutes) so the dough would be a little thinner.  

It's a white sauce based pizza instead of tomato sauce.  Erik and I don't like tomato sauce pizza as much as a white sauce, so I was happy to try this recipe out even though white sauce means far more calories (it's the weekend!).  There is a lot of chopped fresh basil and garlic, making the sauce more than just something to stick the toppings to.  It becomes a topping!  The only odd part about the sauce is the use of mayo.  I used Veganaisse, a vegan mayo substitute--I still maintain a lot of the habits I picked up over the years I was vegan.  

The rest of the pizza is loads of tomatoes and cheese.  I found some fresh mozzarella on discount because it was going to expire in a few days.  If you ever use fresh mozzarella, try to dry it a little beforehand.  It's full of liquid and will make a huge mess when you're baking the pizza.

All in all, this was a great recipe and will probably do some variation of it again in the future.

Any pizza or other food traditions in your home?

A Return To Veganism

Yes, it has yet again been a while.  After the chaos of finishing up Summer courses, I needed to deep clean my home, work a few extra hours and then I ended up on vacation for several days.  I just keep putting off this post!

Almost two weeks ago, I chose to return to a vegan diet for a short time.  Only for a month to start and I'll see how it goes.  In the past when I chose to become a vegan, my health greatly improved so I'm hoping that this time it will do the same.  I have the common "but I don't want to live without cheese" syndrome, especially since I work in a place that has such a wide variety of delicious cheeses.  So perhaps once I get through this month I will keep things cut back.

I've been reading "The China Study" which is a very detailed book about the correlation between nutrition and cancer, specifically how animal protein effects the development of cancer.  It's incredibly fascinating and has me rethinking some of the things I eat.    The arguments in the book are compelling and the author seems to have spent decades researching the topic, but knowing whether or not it's valid is hard to completely figure out.  One never knows since these days all sorts of people write completely ridiculous diet books that take the world by storm and in the end cause only harm.

On the vegan note, I wanted to link a blog that I found today when looking for a good soy yogurt recipe.  For those who already are vegan or toy with the idea, it's a great place to find healthy vegan recipes (as some can be complete junk).  Check out FatFree Vegan Kitchen.

A Random Friday

Happy Friday!  It is such a beautiful day!  After dreary weather that was highly reminiscent of February, it's finally sunny again.  Thank the Lord.

I don't work nor did I have to be on campus today.  In fact, I am writing this while still in my bed due to my lazy nature (and slight headache from the champagne I had last night to toast the new apartment).  I plan on actually getting everything cleaned up and organized today so I can finally post a few pictures of the new place.  Laundry and dishes will be caught up.  I will it to be.

I think I will also get started on the top I was mentioning yesterday.  I pulled out the fabric last night to make sure I had enough and I believe I do.

I may have posted about this before, but I have been testing the waters of Overnight Oats for breakfast.  I get out the door so fast in the mornings that unless I plan something the night before, I won't be eating until noon.  This recipe is from Fit Foodie Finds, a delightful blog by a girl in college who is living an incredibly healthy lifestyle.  I love her excitement over things such as grapes and almond butter.  It sure is encouraging :).  Anyway, this recipe is fantastic and quite delicious, not to mention nutritious.  I topped mine with some blueberries I got at the co-op a few days ago.  It's the first time I've done anything with chia seeds and I've gotta say, I love them.  I encourage you all to try out the recipe sometime soon!

Responsible Living Resources

Today I wanted to pass along some blogs and other information related to natural housekeeping and frugal living that I've found helpful and inspirational.  I think we all know that it's not always easy to keep a home without all the household conveniences and a little extra encouragement from others can really help.  Because making your own soap, hand-washing dishes and hanging your laundry can be tiring and it's tempting to just buy soap, stick those dishes in a dishwasher and toss the laundry in the dryer.  But in the long run, we all know it's worth it because we're choosing the responsible route, saving money and the planet.

Keeper of the Home is a blog I stumbled upon a few days ago as I was looking for suggestions to do grocery inventory and meal planning.  Stephanie is a wonderful woman offering advice on all areas of natural homemaking including gardening, pantry cleaning, organization and making your own cleaners.  She also home schools, which is something near to my heart and offers helpful tools for the home schooling mom.  While I do not always agree with her religious opinions, her website is brimming with useful information that can be called upon often.

Adventures in Diapering and Beyond has a little more to do with raising children responsibly, but is still a great tool for housekeeping information.  I have often referred to this website when trying to help my sister and friend find some resources for cloth diapers, making your own baby food and other things.  Morgan also has some home schooling information.

Living on Less offers daily money-saving tips and links to coupons and other resources that help you save money.  She has quite the following!

The Frugal Girl features Kristen,  a woman who is "cheerfully living on less."  I love all her money-saving tips, gardening advice, and how-to's that include how to make yogurt.  She is an inspirational woman and has a real presence about her, even online.

This post from Organized Home offers several recipes for natural home cleaners.

Flu and snow - A perfect combo for March 1st

Today I'm stuck home with the flu and over a foot of snow.

That's right.  Yesterday afternoon while I was sewing a tote bag for Christine ( a smaller, neater version of the on I made for myself) and I was suddenly hit by the body aches.  Eventually after realizing it wasn't just my imagination, as I had started a fever, I called in sick, took a bath and went to bed.  And when I woke up this morning, not only was I still incredibly ill but there was snow--everywhere!

I'm happy to be stuck indoors today, as tromping through the stormy area to school can become a little treacherous.

Here are some natural home remedy resources I've found to treat flu symptoms:
1.  WebMD has some excellent remedies
2.  Organic Nutrition provides a little more information about using vitamins and herbal supplements

Essentials for fighting the flu:
1.  Fluids, fluids, fluids - You lose a lot of fluids when you're sick, either from fighting a fever, sneezing and coughing.  Replenish your body's fluid resource by drinking water, tea or broth.  As difficult as it may seem to down liquids when you feel terrible, it will help.
2.  Garlic - This one isn't so well known.  Garlic has been known to have anti-viral properties, and while this is better done before you actually get sick, it could help your immune system and shorten the length of your cold or flu.
3.  Vitamin C - Known to help boost your immune system, take in some extra Vitamin C if you feel you're getting a little scratchy throat.  You can get Vitamin C through citrus fruit and juice if you don't feel comfortable taking a supplement.
4.  Take a bath - Add 10 drops of eucalyptus essential oil to your bath with a cup of epsom salts and soak for 20 minutes or more.  This will ease your aches, which is one of the most obnoxious symptoms of the flu.

I hope someone finds this helpful!  Everyone keep well :)

When the well known documentary "Super Size Me" came out in 2003, it caused quite a stir.  I did not view the film until just tonight, eight years later.  It astonishes me at how far we have not come in those eight years.  There are still far too many McDonald's joints cropping up on every corner.  Obesity has not only become a national epidemic but rather an international issue.

In 2000, the CDC set the "Healthy People 2010" goals, hoping to achieve better health for individuals all across the U.S.  One goal was to decrease the overweight and obesity rates, which were already high ten years ago.  However, these goals were never made.  In fact, the rates increased.  In a CDC report released August 2010, it stated "In 2009, no state met the Healthy People 2010 obesity target of 15%, and the self-reported overall prevalence of obesity among U.S. adults had increased 1.1 percentage points from 2007."


Not one state met the goal.


The "Food Revolution" has been well under way for years.  In fact, decades.  When co-ops began emerging over 40 years ago, it was to counter-act the industrialization of the food supply.  To offer fresh, organic and local foods to people.  Several documentaries similar to "Super Size Me" have been done to wake people up.  Unfortunately that doesn't appear to be working.  We all know what is bad for us.  We know how much sugar is in soda, how much fat in fries and burgers.  We know that too much of our food is full of harmful chemicals and less nutrients.  But we continue to live as though we are unaware.


We don't need Armageddon.  Take off your complacency hat or we are going to kill ourselves.

Veganism as a Religion pt. 2

Yesterday while discussing how my diet has been changing with someone, I stated that I have been a bad vegan lately.  I also added that it's kind of like saying you're being a "bad Christian."  I think I may have offended (and I may be doing so right now), so I would like to expound on that statement.    I have made statements about the subject before, but I would like to continue.

When one follows a certain set of beliefs, be it a religion, a dietary choice or any sort of lifestyle that includes specifics on what is appropriate to do i.e. rules.  When you're breaking those appropriate behaviors you're being a bad .  I think what is taken offense here is when one equates dietary decisions with religious beliefs (even though diet is an extremely important element within several religions, including Judaism).  However, it follows the same principles.  Regulators of food production have what's called "Standards of Identity" for most products such as ice cream.  In order for ice cream to be ice cream, it has to have a certain volume of milk, sugar, etc.  If you see yourself as being of a certain religion and have in your mind the "Standards of Identity" for a follower of that religion and you aren't adhering to those, you no longer qualify as a good ________.  The same goes for diet.  If you aren't following the rules of the diet, you don't belong in that category.  You are now something else.

As Christians, I know we forget.  We forget that it isn't about the rules.  There is such a fine line between legalism and "sinning so that grace may abound."  It's difficult to not let your "Standard of Identity" be influenced by rules, regulations and outside opinions.  There's too much emphasis on expectations put on yourself, expectations put upon by others.

Even though I have slowly added to my dairy intake, I still call myself Vegan.  Not because I necessarily follow the stringency of these rules, but because I continue to be influenced by the philosophy of one.  My heart is still there.

And that is all that matters.

Turkey

Today's prompt: Turkey

What exactly does a vegetarian do for Thanksgiving (or any holiday, for that matter)?  I refuse to give in to this Tofurkey business.  If you're going to have a pretend turkey, just go ahead and eat the real one.  I cannot even imagine the taste of that tofu-based fake poultry.  No thanks.

I like to dig in to squash, mashed potatoes, stuffing and cranberry sauce.  Pretty much absolutely everything but turkey.  While some may find this a mortal sin, I certainly do not miss the gigantic bird.  Waking up at 5a.m. to get that darn thing in the oven doesn't fit with my sleep schedule.  It's a holiday.  Sleep should not be interrupted by early morning cooking.

And to be honest, I never cared for the taste anyway.

Veganism as a religion?

Lately I've been tired of my choice to be a vegan.  I get exhausted from trying to figure out special things for dinner, how to get the right nutrients, and trying to find something to eat when going out.  People are always bugging you about it as to "why?" or "what can you possibly eat" or even "I should just sneak some cheese in there and see what happens!"  It gets a little annoying and sometimes I just want to throw it out the window, say "to hell with it" and just eat the cheese.  Laziness is usually what I chalk it up to.

I think we can tend feel the same way about our religious beliefs.  Whether you're a Christian, Buddhist or Jew, the religion you practice has certain "rules" and ways of living that become a lifestyle choice, a part of who we are.  But there are times when you get tired or bogged down by that lifestyle choice.  It feels stagnant and like nothing but going through the motions.  Not to mention all the people "persecuting" you, making fun of your beliefs or just always asking the "why?" questions.  Throwing it out the window can seem a very welcoming choice, especially when you realize that the answers you have to those questions don't really sound very convincing.

These are the times when we must remind ourselves that we did make these decisions based on very passionate and (hopefully) informed grounds.  There is something that I have made a dedication to, and it isn't so easily cast aside by simply feeling weak in my beliefs for a few days.  I take this time to reevaluate why it is that I choose to walk the path I do, am reminded of the reasons why... And plow on through.