The snow is making me a bit nuts, so I'm going to try to control those things in my universe which are controllable. Can't control the damn ice dams, but I can control my food (sort of - emotional eating notwithstanding).
Thursday
Breakfast: kids will have leftover oat pancakes (nom nom nom). I will have yogurt and fruit (we have yellow bananas!!)
Lunch: I will have leftover soup. Kids will have leftover pesto ravioli.
Dinner: Ellie has been mentioning turkey chili mac over the past few days. Ask and ye shall receive.
Friday
Breakfast: yogurt/fruit for me because it's quick. oatmeal, Cheerios, yogurt, leftover pancakes (likely none by Fri.) at kids' requests.
Lunch: leftover turkey chili mac
Dinner: fish, green veggie (I think Aaron bought broccoli!), rice, challah
Saturday
Breakfast: learning from last week, I need to eat breakfast before Caleb gets back from ice skating. He needs a second breakfast after skating. I may make myself an omelet/scramble while he is out, and everyone else's food will be thrown together from standard stuff. Besides, we might go to the market again this week, and the kids usually get treats there (scones, honey bunches)
Lunch: Maybe I'll get around to making the tuna salad I mentioned last week. Thinking sandwiches, maybe soup and grilled cheese for the kids.
Dinner: I'm thinking chicken of some kind or maybe pseudo-Mexican. At least I know I'll have time to cook dinner on Saturday.
Sunday
Assuming that I am teaching (not a guarantee given the pending snow on Sat.)
Breakfast: yogurt, fruit
Lunch: yummy sandwich made by dear Aaron (my husband is awesome)
Dinner: Up to aforementioned awesome husband. Maybe he'll make a chili, but that might be too much chili in a week - is that possible?
Monday
Breakfast: standard quick stuff (non-cooking)
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Cheesy lentil rice casserole - easy to make and usually well-received.
Tuesday
Breakfast: omelet for me, whatever kids request (within reason). Maybe I could make them smoothies if I'm feeling motivated.
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Soup and bread! Not sure which soup I'm craving... ok, I know which soup I want (tuscan pumpkin white bean), but I don't have all those ingredients. SO... perhaps either butternut squash as it is close to what I'm craving OR the 15-bean since I seem also to crave protein this week.
Wednesday
Breakfast: quick stuff
Lunch: leftovers (love reruns of food)
Dinner: pasta for kids, "special dinner" for me and Aaron
Just found out that my mother-in-law will be arriving on Friday and leaving on Sunday. I may switch my chicken day with the soup day to meet everyone's dietary preferences.
I have 2 complaints about this rough plan. First, I don't have any new recipes in it. I like expanding our options. Second, I have not specified side dishes, but I tend not to plan those. In general, I aim to have a "true" vegetable for a side dish at every meal - something green or not terribly starchy - and some dishes just lend themselves to certain side dishes. Chicken tends to get green beans whereas fish tends to go with broccoli, for example. This week, Aaron chopped up some raw vegetables and set them in a bowl on the table before bringing all of the meal. The kids went to town on cucumbers, broccoli, and even tried the red bell pepper a bit. When I get stuck about vegetables, I look to our fruits. No, they are not local, but I have decided to let that battle go for the winter months. The kids have been enjoying the dark red cherries and grapes. Clementines seem past whatever peak they may have experienced, but they were good for a while. And a lot of things I have planned for this week (and I suppose more generally) don't really need side dishes. Turkey chili mac has protein, fat, and carbohydrate covered. No, it doesn't have a green vegetable, but it has lots of beans. Surely beans count for something. Cheesy lentil rice casserole is another dish that doesn't really need a side. Sure, I might want an additional texture at the meal, but nutritionally the dish covers a lot of ground.
So that's the plan, with a commentary about side dishes. It is a guideline and certainly subject to change. I'll report throughout the week to let you know how we're holding up despite the tundra in which we seem to live.
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label winter. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Friday, April 23, 2010
Successful winter foods! - Part 2
As promised, here is the second set of recipes. Casserole heaven!
Casseroles
Winter is a season of comfort foods. Casseroles are the quintessential comfort food. However, so many casseroles are variations on the pasta them that they lack something in the protein and vegetable categories. Here are two casseroles my family (yes, even the kids!) enjoys which try to offer some protein and veggies.
Cheesy Lentil Rice Casserole
A new favorite here and oh-so-easy!
Ingredients:
3 c. broth (I did vegetable bouillon cubes)
3/4 c. uncooked lentils (feel free to mix up the colors)
1/2 c. uncooked brown rice
3/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. basil (I used fresh to 3xs that for fresh)
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 c. grated cheese (I don't measure, just put enough to cover the top at the end.)
Mix all ingredients except cheese in casserole dish. Bake covered for 90 minutes at 300 degrees. Remove cover and top with cheese, then bake for up to 20 minutes more.
YUM! What's great is that you can add in veggies or anything. I've added chopped carrots and broccoli before, and yes the kids eat it!
Squash Kugel (kugel = pudding)
Another fairly easy one, though you may have to play with the bake time.
Ingredients:
20 oz. butternut squash, peeled and cubed (defrost if frozen!)
1/2 c. creamer (I use heavy whipping cream)
1 stick butter (8 Tbsp.), softened
7/8 c. natural applesauce
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar (original recipe calls for 2 c, I reduced it)
5 eggs
cinnamon
Mix everything EXCEPT the cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour in a 8x8 or 9x9 pan, lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until firm and springy.
Depending on your pan and oven, it may take longer to bake. The first time I made it, it took something like 90 minutes. Oh, and I learned to put a cookie sheet under it to catch any drips.
Serve warm. Cut in squares for serving.
Casseroles
Winter is a season of comfort foods. Casseroles are the quintessential comfort food. However, so many casseroles are variations on the pasta them that they lack something in the protein and vegetable categories. Here are two casseroles my family (yes, even the kids!) enjoys which try to offer some protein and veggies.
Cheesy Lentil Rice Casserole
A new favorite here and oh-so-easy!
Ingredients:
3 c. broth (I did vegetable bouillon cubes)
3/4 c. uncooked lentils (feel free to mix up the colors)
1/2 c. uncooked brown rice
3/4 c. chopped onion
1/2 tsp. basil (I used fresh to 3xs that for fresh)
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 c. grated cheese (I don't measure, just put enough to cover the top at the end.)
Mix all ingredients except cheese in casserole dish. Bake covered for 90 minutes at 300 degrees. Remove cover and top with cheese, then bake for up to 20 minutes more.
YUM! What's great is that you can add in veggies or anything. I've added chopped carrots and broccoli before, and yes the kids eat it!
Squash Kugel (kugel = pudding)
Another fairly easy one, though you may have to play with the bake time.
Ingredients:
20 oz. butternut squash, peeled and cubed (defrost if frozen!)
1/2 c. creamer (I use heavy whipping cream)
1 stick butter (8 Tbsp.), softened
7/8 c. natural applesauce
2 c. flour
1 c. sugar (original recipe calls for 2 c, I reduced it)
5 eggs
cinnamon
Mix everything EXCEPT the cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour in a 8x8 or 9x9 pan, lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until firm and springy.
Depending on your pan and oven, it may take longer to bake. The first time I made it, it took something like 90 minutes. Oh, and I learned to put a cookie sheet under it to catch any drips.
Serve warm. Cut in squares for serving.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Successful winter foods! - Part 1
This winter we have tried to eat real food and tried to stay as true to season as seems reasonable for us. In the past month, we had to make some concessions. We need/want fruit other than dried fruit. We bought clementines and bananas. We also bought cranberries (more on that later). We have been cooking more of our meals from canned goods or prepackaged things. Even with our concessions, we have had some very successful meals.
Originally this was going to be one big long recipe post, but I decided that was nuts. Just too much to read in one sitting, and not good for printing if you do that sort of thing. So I broke the post into several, by category.
Soups/Chilis
Butternut squash soup
I'm so surprised and happy that my kids will eat this! The recipe comes from Whole Foods. I only changed it a tiny bit - no celery, veggie broth, and my thyme is dried. Both kids enjoy it, and Aaron prefers it to the crockpot version I make which incorporates apples.
Split pea soup
What a great way to get my kids to eat green food! Aaron makes this delightful concoction, no recipe as is his cooking style. Ingredients: 1 lb. bag of split peas, a bunch of diced carrots (maybe equiv. to 2-3?), some diced onion (probably 1 onion?), veggie bouillon with about 6 cups of water, a few potatoes chopped. Put it all in the crockpot and let it cook on low all day. Mash ingredients sometime before serving.
Ellie particularly likes seeing the bits of carrots. Caleb likes knowing that he'll be "strong like moose" when he eats this.
Turkey chili
Ever since we all returned to eating like omnivores, Aaron insisted on revisiting our chili "recipe." In the past, we (read: mostly Aaron) made a mighty fine vegetarian chili with 4-5 types of beans and texturized veggie protein (read: soy product often used as ground meat substitute). Since Aaron typically makes this dish, I don't have a real recipe. I can give you a rough idea though, at least of the proportions.
In the morning, put the following in your slow-cooker/Crock Pot:
Originally this was going to be one big long recipe post, but I decided that was nuts. Just too much to read in one sitting, and not good for printing if you do that sort of thing. So I broke the post into several, by category.
Soups/Chilis
Butternut squash soup
I'm so surprised and happy that my kids will eat this! The recipe comes from Whole Foods. I only changed it a tiny bit - no celery, veggie broth, and my thyme is dried. Both kids enjoy it, and Aaron prefers it to the crockpot version I make which incorporates apples.
Split pea soup
What a great way to get my kids to eat green food! Aaron makes this delightful concoction, no recipe as is his cooking style. Ingredients: 1 lb. bag of split peas, a bunch of diced carrots (maybe equiv. to 2-3?), some diced onion (probably 1 onion?), veggie bouillon with about 6 cups of water, a few potatoes chopped. Put it all in the crockpot and let it cook on low all day. Mash ingredients sometime before serving.
Ellie particularly likes seeing the bits of carrots. Caleb likes knowing that he'll be "strong like moose" when he eats this.
Turkey chili
Ever since we all returned to eating like omnivores, Aaron insisted on revisiting our chili "recipe." In the past, we (read: mostly Aaron) made a mighty fine vegetarian chili with 4-5 types of beans and texturized veggie protein (read: soy product often used as ground meat substitute). Since Aaron typically makes this dish, I don't have a real recipe. I can give you a rough idea though, at least of the proportions.
In the morning, put the following in your slow-cooker/Crock Pot:
- 4 cans (~16 oz. each) of different beans, at least some of these should be kidney beans. We also like adding black beans, black-eyed peas, and pinto beans. It depends on what we have around.
- At least 1 large onion, chopped.
- Corn (Caleb's addition to our chili)
- Chopped bell peppers. If you have a Trader Joe's, you can buy the frozen "Melange a Trois" which has red, yellow and green peppers. OK, so it's not as good as fresh peppers from the garden, but you do what you can in a New England winter.
- Garlic (but wait on other spices until later)
Winter Food
I knew winter would be challenging for me in terms of providing truly healthy, well-balanced meals for my family. Summer is SO easy with the bounty of fresh vegetables and fruits! Winter time in the northeast is just not so very bountiful.
Near the end of summer, Aaron started buying more food than we would eat in a given week or two. He bought beans, broccoli and other vegetables in rather large quantities. He blanched and froze them for the winter. I went on a frenzy of applesauce making and baking various quick breads (e.g., zucchini bread) so that we would have the yummy foods from summer and early fall later in the season. Our preparations were helpful but not nearly enough. We need to learn more about preserving vegetables, so I bought us a book to learn more for next year.
In the meantime, a strange thing has happened. I miss lettuce. I miss green salads.
Maybe that doesn't seem strange to anyone else. However, I don't like salad much. Sure, I eat salad like I'm supposed to. It's good for me. I need my vegetables, and I need to set a good example for my kids. Yet when given a choice of foods, I don't say "Oh, I think I'd like a nice salad today." In fact, I think I would choose almost anything BUT salad. Until this past weekend when I realized I missed the crunch of fresh vegetables, especially leaves.
A few weeks ago, our town's first winter farmers' market opened. We excitedly went in hopes of green vegetables, maybe some tomatoes for my boys (husband and son). Until about 1-2 weeks ago, no greens for us. And then all of a sudden - LETTUCE!! I'm putting green stuff on my sandwiches, and I keep doing a double take. Since when did I like anything on a sandwich besides the meat, cheese, and mustard? Apparently going long enough without a food really can make me appreciate it. :)
But the question remains - what are we going to feed the kids? And some ideas are coming in my next post!
Near the end of summer, Aaron started buying more food than we would eat in a given week or two. He bought beans, broccoli and other vegetables in rather large quantities. He blanched and froze them for the winter. I went on a frenzy of applesauce making and baking various quick breads (e.g., zucchini bread) so that we would have the yummy foods from summer and early fall later in the season. Our preparations were helpful but not nearly enough. We need to learn more about preserving vegetables, so I bought us a book to learn more for next year.
In the meantime, a strange thing has happened. I miss lettuce. I miss green salads.
Maybe that doesn't seem strange to anyone else. However, I don't like salad much. Sure, I eat salad like I'm supposed to. It's good for me. I need my vegetables, and I need to set a good example for my kids. Yet when given a choice of foods, I don't say "Oh, I think I'd like a nice salad today." In fact, I think I would choose almost anything BUT salad. Until this past weekend when I realized I missed the crunch of fresh vegetables, especially leaves.
A few weeks ago, our town's first winter farmers' market opened. We excitedly went in hopes of green vegetables, maybe some tomatoes for my boys (husband and son). Until about 1-2 weeks ago, no greens for us. And then all of a sudden - LETTUCE!! I'm putting green stuff on my sandwiches, and I keep doing a double take. Since when did I like anything on a sandwich besides the meat, cheese, and mustard? Apparently going long enough without a food really can make me appreciate it. :)
But the question remains - what are we going to feed the kids? And some ideas are coming in my next post!
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