Beef and Veggie Bake

The other night we had grilled ribs for supper.  But, unfortunately they were a bit tough =(

So, a couple days later I made them into this kid tested, kid approved meal.

Beef and Vegetable Bake

2 lbs boneless beef ribs cut into 1 inch pieces

5 medium carrots, sliced

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

6 oz fresh portabello mushrooms, sliced

1 cup dry red wine

1 cup beef broth

1/4 cup steak sauce

1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning

2 1/4 cups biscuit mix

2/3 cup milk

Mix everything but the mushrooms, biscuit mix and milk in a crockpot.  Cook on low 4-5 hours.

Add in the mushrooms.  Cook on low 30- 60 minutes more.

Mix up the biscuits.

Spoon the soup into individual oven safe bowls (or one big pan if you don't have individual ones).  Spoon the biscuit mix over the top.

Bake at 400* until biscuits are golden brown.  Remove from oven and serve.

My kids wanted theirs topped with cheese, of course.  So I sprinkled some Parmesan on top in the last couple minutes of cooking so it would melt/ brown up.

Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder

One of my absolute favorite soups is Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder.  It goes together quick and always gets rave reviews (unless you don't like sweet potatoes or corn ;))

3 medium sweet potatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil

4 cups corn

1 cup water

2 ribs celery

1/2 red onion

1/4 cup diced shallots

2 Tbsp tomato paste

1/2 tsp thyme

3 cups veggie broth

1 bay leaf

1 baking potato

2 Tbsp parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425* Peel and chop sweet potatoes.  Toss in a bowl with 1 Tbsp oil, salt and pepper.  Roast until tender- about 15-25 minutes.

Puree 3 cups corn with 1 cup water.

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a soup pot.  Saute onion, shallot and celery until tender.  Add tomato paste and thyme.  

Add veggie broth, pureed corn and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil.  Add diced baking potato and simmer until tender.

Remove bay leaf.

Add Sweet potatoes, remaining corn and parsley.  Cook until heated through.  Serve with your favorite, crusty bread =)

Food Make Over- Chicken Nuggets and Mac and Cheese

You're at a loss of what to fix for dinner.  You're kids are picky eaters and only want chicken nuggets or macaroni and cheese.  So once again, you find yourself pulling the bag out of the freezer or reaching for the box on the shelf...

Wait!  It's not that hard to make it!  And it will be healthier because you'll be able to pronounce all the ingredients!

Here is my chicken nugget make over.

1 lb (or more to feed your family) chicken- you can use breasts or thighs

1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (Panko stays crunchy!)

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I use Parmesan)

Italian seasoning to taste

Place breadcrumbs, cheese and seasoning in a gallon size plastic bag.  Cut the chicken up into bite size pieces.  Place in bag and shake until well coated.  Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350* for 15-20 (depending on the size of the pieces).  

There you go, easy peasy chicken nuggets.

The made over mac and cheese takes a bit more, but once you master the rue sauce, you'll be a master mac and cheese maker.

1 Tbsp butter (make sure it's the real stuff!)

1 Tbsp flour (I've also used arrow root powder)

1 cup milk

1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese (more flavor!)

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups cooked noodles

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Once melted, add flour and whisk until well blended- it should form a thick paste.  Slowly add the milk while whisking (to avoid lumps).  Once the milk is blended in, add in the cheese, salt and pepper.  Simmer until the sauce gets nice and thick.  Stir in your noodles.

I also use the cheese sauce to top vegetables.  Bonus points if you add the vegetables to the mac and cheese =)

Organic Panic

Health gurus will tell you that the only way to eat is all organic, all natural, only grass- fed beef...  They try to make you believe that it's an all or nothing situation.  

But, I live in the real world.  I don't have an unlimited food budget.  I have 6 people to feed and I can't spend all my money on organic foods- and truthfully, some of them aren't any better than the regular foods ;)

So what do you do if you're on a budget?  Be smart about how you shop.  If you have access to a farmer's market, talk to the farmers.  Many of them practice organic farming, but because of the cost involved in being certified, aren't.  You can get organic fruits and vegetables at the farmer's market cheaper than you can in the store.  

If you do have to shop at the store, use the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen lists to help you decide what to buy organic and non- organic.

Dirty Dozen Plus^™

Buy these organic

1

Apples

2

Celery

3

Sweet bell peppers

4

Peaches

5

Strawberries

6

Nectarines
– imported

7

Grapes

8

Spinach

9

Lettuce

10

Cucumbers

11

Blueberries
– domestic

12

Potatoes

Plus

+

Green beans

+

Kale/Greens

+ May contain pesticide residues of special concern

Clean 15^™

Lowest in Pesticide

1

Onions

2

Sweet Corn

3

Pineapples

4

Avocado

5

Cabbage

6

Sweet peas

7

Asparagus

8

Mangoes

9

Eggplant

10

Kiwi

11

Cantaloupe
- domestic

12

Sweet potatoes

13

Grapefruit

14

Watermelon

15

Mushrooms

In the last 10 years, the organic food business has exploded.  With revenues of $27 billion in 2010, the movement continues to grow exponentially.  This growth is good, because it gives us more access to healthier foods, but it can also create a problem.

Focusing on the quality of food (where it came from, how was it sourced,  how was it grown...) can lead many to an unhealthy obsession with healthy food.  They get to the point where their obsession with what they eat creates an imbalance with the rest of their life.

"It's good to eat healthy food.  But if a focus on healthy food begins to crowd out the rest of life, then that focus is becoming a problem." Dr Steven Bratman

Even for those who don't need to lose weight, obsession about the quality of food can lead to unhealthy eating habits.  This can deprive the body of nutrients it needs.  It can also lead to over- spending and unnecessary debt.

Just like in everything else, moderation is the key.  The next time you're grocery shopping and picking up vegetables, be wise about which ones you're picking.  Take small steps now to change your family's diet and soon you'll realize that it's been weeks since your kids had a bowl of sugary cereal =)

Gardening 101

Every spring my thoughts turn to the beautiful garden I'm going to have and the bountiful harvest.  How I'm going to save lots of money by growing and canning my own vegetables.  But then reality hits and I realize that I'm not prepared to tackle it all.

You've probably had the same intentions.  But then what happens?  Either you do get the big garden planted, but then are soon overwhelmed with the amount of work or you don't get to it soon enough in the spring and it's too late to get your garden going.

I'm going to offer some practical advice for the novice gardener (so, if every year you have a big beautiful garden, you can skip this post =)).

First thing you need to decide is what type of garden are you going to have.  There's everything from container gardens to the old fashioned garden plots that you remember grandma planting.  You need to pick the option that is going to work for you.  Don't have a lot of space?  Than a few containers on the patio may be the best bet for you.  Have a bit more space, but don't want to be overwhelmed?  Maybe try raised beds using the square foot gardening method.  

Container Garden

Plan for a 4x4 square garden

Secondly, be realistic about what you want to get out of the garden.  Only want fresh vegetables during the growing season?  Then plan for a smaller garden with only one or two plants of each vegetable.  Want to be able to can and preserve vegetables for the winter?  Than you're going to need a bigger garden.  But, make sure you also have the time and ambition to actually preserve the vegetables when the time comes (and, this goes in with the when to plant, but do you want to be canning tomatoes in the middle of August?)

Third, what kind of soil do you have?  For container gardens it's pretty easy- just pick up a bag of potting soil =)  For raised beds you're going to want to make sure that your soil has the nutrients the plants will need.  This might mean having to enrich your soil with compost and fertilizer.  Make sure that what ever method you choose that your soil is well worked and relatively weed free.  A bit of prep work before the plants go in makes a world of difference during the growing season. 

Fourth, you need to decide what you want to plant.  Pick things you know your family will eat.  Let the kids pick a new vegetable they want to try.  Don't plant vegetables you know you won't eat.  

Then you need to do some back planning.  Every packet of seeds will tell you how long the plants take to mature.  Look up the last frost date in your area.  Here in TX, I can start planting outside a lot sooner than someone in MN.  Figure out when you need to get the plants started to harvest before the first frost in the fall.  

A friend sent me to SproutRobot and it has a lot of information on when you're suppose to start your plants inside and when to transplant...  Sounds like Gardening for Dummies- written just for me =)

Or, if you don't want to start your plants from seeds, visit your local garden nursery and pick up some plants ready for planting in your garden.

Lastly, be realistic about what you can handle.  If you're welcoming a new baby this year, maybe a couple containers on the patio are going to be best.  If you have older kids who really want to help, then a larger garden is possible- especially if you can convince them to do the weeding ;)

I have to confess...  I really don't have a green thumb.  Most years I start with good intentions, but end up with pathetic looking plants.  This year I'm determined to do things differently.  Over the next few weeks, I'm going to start working on my raised beds- enriching the soil and getting them cleaned up.  I'll be planting seeds indoors and transplanting when ready.  AND!  I vow to keep the beds weeded and fertilized =)

So hopefully instead of my garden looking like this:

It will look like this:

What are your favorite herbs and vegetables to plant in your garden?

But, My Kids Don't Like Veggies!

When we decided to change up our eating habits I was really worried about how our kids would take it.  Would they be okay without their normal snack foods?  How would they handle snacking on celery, apples, cucumbers, etc?  Instead of totally changing everything at once I took it one step at a time.

First, we had a family meeting and told the boys that we would no longer be buying foods that weren't good for our bodies.  We explained that food is to give us energy and we wanted the best possible energy to keep us moving.

Then, we went to the store and I let the boys pick out anything that they wanted to try in the produce area of the grocery store.  Ryan and Dylan LOVE LOVE LOVE apples.  They picked out one of each type of apple.  Kamron really likes mangoes so when they are in season I buy TONS of mangoes.  Ryan also thought that brussel sprouts looked pretty neat.  We also picked out different colors of peppers, cucumbers, carrots, celery, lettuces, cauliflower, and broccoli. 

Next, I toyed around with recipes, dips for fruit and veggies, and homemade treats.  I told the kids that it was their job to taste everything twice and rate it.  I don't expect everybody to like something but I do expect them to try it.  After two bites they had to score it on a 1 to 10 scale.  Turns out Kamron doesn't like brussel sprouts (I don't blame him) but he loves green beans and broccoli cooked in garlic.  Ryan is a fan of anything you put on his plate (yea!).  Dylan likes most things but except mushrooms and tomatoes.  Anna is starting to eat table foods and she is a big fan of sweet potatoes.  However, I didn't expect them to like these foods at first but by keeping them in the process and letting them share their likes and dislikes I kept mutiny at bay.

I don't sneak veggies in my kids food.  I know that a lot of people do and it works for them.  The main reason I don't is because I have an open kitchen and I would get caught!  I also wanted to keep the kids involved and help them to be adventurous with their food choices.  By doing this they are slowly starting to try new foods without worrying about being forced to "like" something, as a result they are ENJOYING veggies!

Everything Soup

A week ago I took a meal to a friend that had recently had a baby.  My plan was to take Taco Soup but instead I made what my kids later christened Everything Soup.  It was so good and made so much that I thought I would share the recipe with all of you.  I unfortunately don't have pictures of it to post but will try to get some next time I make it.

You will need:
2 lbs ground beef
1 chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
1 head of celery
5 carrots
1 cup rice
32 ounces diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
1 cup brown lentils
64 ounces chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
Salt to taste

Brown the ground beef with garlic, onion, celery, chili powder, and cumin.  Meanwhile cook the lentils and rice in the broth.  Add beef to cooked rice/lentil mixture.  Add in carrots and diced tomatoes.  Simmer together until flavors meld and enjoy!  You might have to add some more liquid to make it your desired soup consistency.   We enjoyed it and this made plenty for dinner as well as lunch the next day!