To Glaze or not to Glaze?

Not sure if I told you but we love breakfast around here. One of my best and early memories of our marriage was when Jeff would get up earlier then me and get a Huge breakfast going. Eggs, fruit, toast, COFFFFFFEEEEE! waffles or pancakes and any other fun thing he found in the fridge. Well Saturdays and Sundays are just not that lazy anymore (funny things happen after you turn 30) so we only do this every once in a while but lately with church now starting at 10, its been creeping back in to Sunday mornings. Instead of him cooking and I snoozing in bed, its Sophia and I, and I must say it is just as magical.
After berry picking and freezing I had so many berries that didn't meet "quality control" for one reason or another so I decide to make double berry muffins.
After I noticed that Jeff had eaten 5 in a matter of maybe 5 minutes I said are they good. Awesome was the response..
So enjoy
3/4c Almond milk or whatever you like
1/2 cup yogurt
1 egg or egg replacer mixxed
2 cups flour you can do half and half 1 wheat 1 white but not the whole thing wheat too heavy
about 1/4 cup honey
1/4 coconut flakes
3 Teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1/2 cup raspberries 1/2 cup Blueberries

preheat to 400 spray or line muffin pans
blend milk, yogurt,egg in a small bowl. Sift dry ingredients in another. Make a well in the dry and pour in the wet, mix well. Fold in the berries and divide among the cups. bake 15 to 20 minutes depending on how you like yours.
Lemon glaze
when muffin are cool dip the tops into this yummy oozzzzey goodness
Juice of 1 lemon
about 1 cup powder sugar
a good squirt of vanilla
a teeny pinch of salt
mix and use.

All right, I just noticed its way toooo late for me so happy bellies all. I have a another loaded bowl and a simple eggplant parm for you which I'll post with in the week till then

Void that needs filling...

So for the past week its been nothing but prep around this house of mine. All in order to get ready for what's to come.
School that is, yep its back to it for us.
Sophia is officially potty trained. She only wear pull ups ("Sleeping panties") at night and is wearing "Big Girl Panties all the time now. She is getting used to asking other adults to use the potty and is pulling over her step stool to go almost completely on her own (wipe). Yay! Great job little one and I must say it wasn't that bad, her sense of humor got in the way sometimes like when she would have and accident and look at me and say "Again! Momma, I just too busy so I pee on the floor" which I respond, "REALLY!"
Fall, I've been canning up a storm here and the boiled and burnt pages of my 30 something year old Good Housekeeping cook book can prove it. Putting up beans, corn, berries, tomatoes and peaches anything just to have this wonderful veggie love in the middle of the winter! It really is so easy to do, a bit of prep but trust me sooooo worth it.
Over the next few weeks I'll start making bigger batches of dinners too, this way I can freeze them for crazy busy work nights. I try to double about 4 meals a week in September and October which helps so much come November through January.
Bedtime, not just for the little one, but us too which means DVR has been in use a bit more too. We are so not a TV family but go figure our 2 or 3 guilty TV pleasure shows are all on at like 10pm, not happening anymore.
Me I am in such an emotional overload moment that I have this odd void hanging around. This what if feeling always creeps in around this time of year but I feel it more so this year. I would pretty much have to say it has all to do with a variety of happenings that are very personal but pretty much can be summed up in this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2T7AzuCQgGY
There's been lots of praying over here. And I know it is just a matter of fully trusting God and that he fully in control of my life and everyone else. That's always been a strong issue for me Control and trust.
Dear Father,
Allow me to be open and raw, let me breathe in your spirit and be filled with what you know I need. Give me the strength to be quiet and whole. Let me be your reflection and use me to show your mercy. Soften my heart and mold it to your will.
Use these moments of fear and sorrow to return life to others who need it more then me. Wrap your arms around those that need to be healed, save those that have fallen or have not yet seen your glory and grace. Carry us now as you have always carried us in past moments.
In the most precious name of Jesus I pray, Amen...

So all of that above is stewing in me and I am working through it.
I love how God brings us closer to those we pray for, so What's going on in your world and how can I pray for you?

Fun Link

Check this out...

http://kitchengardeners.org/world-kitchen-garden-day

As we went to the berry farm this weekend, I was just saying to the Mr. I love that Sophia knows where food comes from. That what is good for you is grown, fed and nurtured just like us. Funny how God made that work out, huh.

So celebrate by eating something that didn't come from a box.

I've always felt this way but this year having the CSA share makes me think at every meal, "Someone was loving on my food before it even got to my hands. And as I clean, cut and trim it all I also think how how many people need this very same food to survive. My brown leaves on a head of lettuce (that end up down the garbage disposal) are a families only meal for the day..

I vow to give back in this area much more then I ever have...How about you

Funk and Fun

Not much new this week
Our house is Getting the back to school jitters for sure. Most of our time lately has been spent just enjoying being home. Sophia and I have been loving slow days and I am very nervous about the upcoming change of pace. With that we have been going to the library and just hanging out together.Nothing beats cuddling over books or dance parties around here.
Lots of walks and spur of the moment zoo trips. I don't think I'll ever be able to say no to her when she wakes up from nap or the morning and says "Momma lets have a picnic at the zoo".
I am also in a little kitchen funk. In the early part of the week I made dinner to bring to a friend and 8 batches of cookies (about 40 dozen) for church. I loved doing it but after just needed a time out.
So as we started this weekend out with a trip to the berry patch to scoop up the last of the Red raspberries and Blue berries along with a giant CSA pick up I had no choice but to put on the boots and jump in the mud
In order to make room for all the goodies from the farm I needed to make a big pot of soup, you know the kind the cleans out the fridge: Here is the recipe
CSA Soup
(Warning loosely based on the Cabbage soup recipe from the silly soup diet, if your not looking for a diet soup add some fat!)
1 onion
1 Hungarian pepper, 1 green bell pepper
1 small can of diced tomatoes or 2 cups of fresh diced
2 carrots
1/2 head of cabbage
1 ear of corn removed from cob
Curry
Fresh cilantro, garlic
Lime
3 veggie bouillon cubes

Dice the onions and saute them in a bit of cooking spray
Clean up the peppers and dice them toss them in (give them a few minutes to cook down)
Take off the tough outer cabbage leaves and dice the head, toss it in
Clean, peel carrots, toss them in too (give it a few mins to cook)
add tomatoes, curry to taste, cilantro, diced garlic, squeeze 1 lime, add bouillon cubes.
Add about 12 cups water and corn, cook for about 2 hours or more.
The end result should be a clean tasting soup with a bit of mexicany zip. You may need to salt and pepper it depending on taste. Serve with home tortillas or some toasted pita and hummus.

There is no need to add rice or pasta here but by all means go ahead, add some beans to if you need. Your cooking to make your belly happy so have at it!

Also on the plan Sweet Potato and Cinnamon brownies ( I think I am secretly trying to find ways to make it ok to eat a brownie everyday and taking out some of the fat and changing them up is allowing me to do so)

SP & Cinny brownies
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cinnamon, ground
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 egg whites
Olive oil cooking spray
ICING
1/2 cup low-fat plain cream cheese
3 tablespoons agave nectar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1 tablespoon water {optional}
1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Prepare brownies: Combine flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl and set aside. In a food processor, combine sweet potato, agave, oil and vanilla. Puree until combined and smooth.
3. Gradually mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients, until just combined; do not over-mix.
4. In a separate dry bowl, whisk egg whites until fluffy. Then, using a rubber spatula, gently fold egg whites into batter.
5. Lightly spray sides of baking pain {9 x 9 x 2-inch} with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and place into oven. Bake for about 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove pan from oven and allow brownies to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
6. While brownies are cooking or cooling, prepare icing: In a small bowl, combine cream cheese, agave, cocoa powder and cinnamon. Whisk until incorporated, adding 1 tablespoon water if mixture is hard to whisk. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
7. Loosen brownie and turn slab out onto a cutting board or platter. Cut into 16 pieces, wrap and refrigerate overnight.
8. To serve, divide icing evenly over each brownie and serve immediately. Leftovers may be kept refrigerated in a resealable container for up to 2 days.


Till next time, love on your food and each other and keep you bellies happy

To Market To Market

I ADORE FARMERS MARKETS....... Have I mentioned that before, mmm, yep probably did.
Today Phi and I went and let me tell you nothing is cuter then a 2 year walking around eating a huge tomato like an apple with juice and seeds dripping everywhere. No I didn't get a pick, ugggg. Anywho I picked up a bushel of Roma's that will get put up and turned into sauce this week, some beans that will be frozen and, I was supposed to get corn to put freeze but I forgot it so we'll go back during the week.
Oh and fresh local honey. Did you know that there is soooo much research out there that proves eating honey grown locally (within 3 hours of where you live) is the BEST immune system support you can give yourself. (NOT for babes under 1)
Check this link out
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/health-benefits-of-organic-locally-grown-raw-honey/

Yesterday was a hot one and Jeff has been working at a place that is even hotter inside which calls for some pretty crafty dinner needs on my part.
Refreshing and replenishing while being filling, not heavy and stuffing.
Here is my take on a loaded bowl. They make great main meals or small lunches or side dishes too.
Enjoy
The Loaded Bowl
3 c quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 c fresh chopped cilantro
2 avocados, pitted and peeled
fresh lemon juice, to prevent avocado from browning
salt and pepper
juice of 4 limes
zest of 1 lime

dressing
1/4c EVOO
1/4 c whie vinegar
2-3 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper

Directions
1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions. Cover and set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add beans tomatoes, and cilantro. Toss to combine.
3. Dice avocado, drizzle with lemon juice, and set aside in fridge.
4. Add all dressing ingredients to a food processor or mini chopper. Pulse until garlic is blended and dressing appears creamy. Set aside in fridge.
5. Fluff quinoa with a fork and add bean mixture. Season with salt and pepper and add lime juice and zest. Toss to combine. Serve in bowls, topped with avocado and drizzled with dressing, dividing evenly.

Oh and those peaches became 20 jars of jam and jelly, about 6 dozen jars of peach butter, numerous cobblers and plenty to be had in our tummies.

Enjoy and keep you belly happy

Fusion Enchilada's

Give this a try it was pretty yummy (we excluded the beef, but you could really do it with anything that fits your fancy)
Clean Eating Enchilada's revamped with "refried" Beans

1/2 Small onion. diced

2 cloves Garlic, smashed

1 cup Frozen shelled edamame beans

1 tsp Cumin, ground

1 tsp Chili powder

2 tsp Fresh lime juice

Sea salt, to taste

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

FILLING

1 1/2 tsp Olive oil, divided

1 clove Garlic, minced

1 tsp Cumin, ground

8 oz Sirloin beef, thinly sliced

1 cup Corn kernels (frozen & thawed, canned or fresh)

1 Medium red bell pepper, finely diced

2 cups Baby spinach

1 1/2 cups All natural low-sodium tomato sauce, divided

Sea salt, to taste

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

8 Small whole wheat flour tortillas (about 6 to 8 inches in diameter)

1/2 cup Low-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preparation

ONE Preheat oven to 425F

TWO Prepare "refried" edamame: Bring 2 cups water to a boil over high heat. Add onion, garlic & edamame, bring back to a boil & cook for 4 mins. Drain onion-bean mixture, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Pour bean mixture & reserved cooking liquid into a food processor & add cumin, chili powder & lime juice. Puree until almost smooth & season with salt & black pepper. Scrape into a bowl and set aside

THREE Prepare beef filling: In a small bowl, combine 1/2 tsp oil, garlic & cumin. Add beef & mix well to season

FOUR In a nonstick saute pan, heat remaining 1 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Add beef and saute for about 1 min, until lightly browned. Add corn, red pepper & Spinach, and mix well to combine. Add 1/4 cup tomato sauce and cook for 1 to 2 mins, until heated through. Season with salt & black pepper & remove from heat

FIVE Spread 1/2 cup remaining tomato sauce over the bottom of a 9 x 13 in baking dish and set aside

SIX Spread tortillas out in a single layer on a flat work surface. Scoop 2-3 tbsp edamame filling and spread in the center of each tortilla. Top with 2-3 tbsp beef mixture and roll tightly. Place enchiladas seam-side down on top of tomato sauce in baking dish. Cover with remaining tomato sauce, top with cheese and place dish in oven. Bake enchiladas until hot throughout and cheese is melted, about 8 mins.

SEVEN Remove from oven and serve immediately

Cobbler

(I am experimenting with my little point and shot camera, That came out pretty good huh?)



A lot of my ideas like most come from a magazine or a clip from a cooking show, or over hearing someone in the grocery store... I am a people watcher so over hearing comes with the territory but hey I would have never been inspired to make zucchini cakes if I hadn't heard someone else talking about them (Similar to Potato pancakes but with zukes)

Here is the peach Cobbler recipe I am going to tweek
http://fortheloveofskinny.wordpress.com/2010/07/13/easy-peasy-peach-cobbler/
by taking out the white sugar, adding in a bit more spice, some wheat germ and nuts for crunch and making it family style rather then single serves.

So here's the challenge for this week. Take a recipe that sounds good to you and use what you have or love to make it your own. Most of the time you can always add something or leave something and not hinder the results that much.

Let me know what you did I would love to hear.

Another week of summer

Oh my goodness I can not believe its been a week since I posted. Life is moving way too fast again. For me it goes in waves there is everything or nothing......
Last week was full of family time and friends. I think I am trying to rope in the last little sprinklings of summer.
On Saturday we headed up North to a local fair that we had never been to. I was so impressed (can you say that about a fair?) It was about 1/4 of the size we are used to, clean safe and friendly. The day could not have been more beautiful. Everyone was happy and had a wonderful day. Phi made it all day and slept in till 8:30 on Sunday, which kind of set us back for the day but, you need that every now and then.
Sunday was supposed to be busy as well but the rain and some icky tummies ended keeping everyone inside.
Our CSA share this week was just huge. I am trying to find some new recipes to make use of the 2 incredibly large heads of cabbage I have. Lots of lettuce, heirloom cukes, tomatoes, beets, carrots, onions, peppers, zukes, squash and this lovely smelling bushel of peaches.
It was calling to me from the minute we brought it in. Nothing like a ripe juicy peach shared with a 2 year old.
So we are all set to make some cobbler, jam and can some peaches for the winter.
I am really trying to stay a head of all the fruit and veggies this summer and freeze it all now so we have the same yummy goodness through the cold months.

Dinner this week looks like this:
Today is a fridge clean out, lots of fresh veggies tosses with some browned butter served over Polenta cakes, Fusion Enchilada's, Lemony Pesto Pasta, Medi Calzones, Loaded Bowls and Saturday is Date night. We are going to try a new restaurant and see Eat, Pray, Love ( I am really excited about the movie).

Other then that, things are slowing down here too. Bedtime is moving up again. I try to do 15 minutes each week the month of August so that by the time school starts we have all smoothly transitioned back to the early shift.

I have also been exploring lots of blogs lately, so many different formats and styles it is so neat to glimpse into them all. But they can also be a time waster so I have to be careful before you know it, I look at the clock and its 11pm and way too late for me.


Add a new twist on Cabbage, I think I may serve this along with the pasta
http://www.dailyunadventuresincooking.com/2010/07/creamy-baked-cabbage-recipe.html

Keep your belly happy and smile at someone today, you never know who needs it...

2 new favorite Blogs to follow

A view to ease the day. No matter how many times you see a sunset you never loose interest in the beauty



I was with a few friends today and we talked for about a minute on blogs. Everyone has one, huh? For me its a nice way to document life and share. I always used to use a few minutes of my planning time to decompress by checking into a list of blogs. I wanted to share 2 new ones I follow: enjoy and post your favorites too.


http://goop.com/
This is Gwyneth Paltrow's site. I really have a different view of her after wading through this. Its big with lots of stuff to digest but enjoy. She has some good cooking demo's too

http://wildethings.org/
Olivia Wilde is an actress, and an activist. I really like her take on life. She spends a lot of time giving back and trying to make things better then when she found them. She is Vegan but gives a nice explanation as to why http://wildethings.org/veganism. She has lots of yummy recipes that I am on my way to trying out.

Meal Plans

Having a plan always makes things go a it more smoothly. I always planned our meals out on Saturday and Sunday but now with Sophia and work (Sept-June) I feel its even more important.
Generally I pull from a few categories of food we love:
Mexican, Pasta, Salad, Soups, Sandwiches, Pizza, Breakfast, Asian and go from there.
We are pretty adventurous with our food as well and I add something new into the mix almost on a weekly basis. I also try to make the meals and ingredients carry over into each over. Saves on prep and cost (example if I make a side of boiled butter and Parsley spuds the left overs get cut up and used to make homefries for Breakfast for dinner night or if I have rice or Quinoa as a side its leftovers are used to stuff something)
So this week I challenge you to try it out lay out the week, clip your coupons, pull your recipes and set up the week. Let us know how it goes. I think it would be fun to share the ups and downs in the kitchen.

Tonight I am trying something new, Roasting corn in my broiler and using it to top of an Avocado Salad.

Keep your bellies happy and have fun with someone you love

Buns, BBQ, Better Skin, Bait & Big Brother

Wow lots to fill you in on today....
Have I told you how much we love going to Restoration Church? We prayed about checking it out and really were not sure where God was pointing us to in our walk. Well, it was here for sure. For so many reasons but on some what silly reason (which I didn't realize or think about until today) is Breakfast. We love weekend breakfasts and everyone in my house has a Cinnamon Bun weakness. Last night at about 9:30 I got this crazy need to make buns for the morning. Nothing like the smell of hot yummy buns to wake you up and get you ready for the day. Not the best choice in the healthy balanced breakfast dept. BUT....here's the recipe
Cinnamon Buns Very easy Just a lot of wait time
1 pack of active dry yeast
3/4 warm water
1/4 sugar
salt
1 room temp egg
2 1/2 cup bread flour (King Aurthor makes one, I have tried it with other kinds and its just not as soft and fluffy)
Cinnamon
Brown Sugar
Butter
Mix the yeast with the warm water let it sit till it gets creamy about 10-15 min,
The mix sugar,pinch of salt, egg and 1 cup flour together with the yeast mix. Once combined mix in the left over flour about 1/2 cup at a time till its all pulled together to make a good dough ball. Pull it out onto a floured surface and knead for about 10 min cover it with a damp cloth and let it rest for about 10 min more. Grease an 8x8 pan roll the dough out to a good rectangle. Smear with butter, sprinkle cinn and brown sug. to your liking and roll. Cut about every 2 inches, you should get 9-12 pieces place them in the pan with the cut side up. Bake about 20 min at 400. Cover with your favorite icing, I mix Powder sugar, almond milk, a pat of butter and a pinch of vanilla.

Another weakness in our house is BBQ sauce. I love to grill veggie and use it as a dip. This is something I no longer buy and make up as I go.
BBQ
A very skilled recipe!
A good squirt of Ketchup
Some Worchestershire sauce
Honey
Cumin
Chili powder
Minced Onion
S&P
Mix till your taste buds are happy.
(Cumin and Worchestershire add smokey flavors, Honey adds sweet, Chili adds heat, Onion adds kick.

Better Skin and Better Choices.
I am a product JUNKY!!!!! I need a 12 step program. It has gotten better with age, as I realize I don't need half the stuff I have. I really have gotten into the Kindlife Philosophy a(http://www.thekindlife.com/) and a while ago there was a post about
http://www.gabrielcosmeticsinc.com/. Well it just so happened I really did need a new moisturizer and eye cream (I have made a personal vow to not get wrinkles, hmmmm, do you think I'll keep it)I ordered from the site, which I thought was very reasonably priced for the quality of products. LOVE THEM, love them, love them. Since ordering the skin care I have tried the powder foundation and hair products for kids,
I have not been disappointed yet. Worth a peek and a sample if you are looking for a change.

and BIG BROTHER.
I am not a TV person. We own 1 TV that is 16 years old and the volume is almost gone, but that puppy still works I tell you. Anyway, about 5 years my friend asked me "do watch BB?" what was that I had never heard of it. So I had to check it out. It like a juicy summer beach read for me. Maybe because its on 3 nights a week and you don't have to wait long to get a fix? Not sure. Its some what of a reality game show. There is always a pretty good mix of people. They almost always have someone on with a good head of faith too. Well this year like all the rest I am hooked. There is this big Texan, Oil Rig salesman Lane, I just dig him for some reason...Hope he wins

Bait
We live very close to a nature walk/park. We love to go feed the squirrels and enjoy the outdoors. When we went on Saturday, to our surprise it was very her to find any animals at all. So we set out lots of bait and kept walking. It was so cute to hear Sophia ask "did they take the bait momma?" as we headed out of the park.
Love little adventures with my 2 favorite people.

Oh what a weekend. Here's to a good week for you and your belly