Breakfast saver

Ok all of you parents who have sent your kids back to school, can I get a yee-haw? It's a bittersweet time for sure, for some more sweet than bitter or vice versa. But now you may find yourself deep in the throws of the morning chaos. If you are a well-oiled machine in the morning, you need not read on, but for those of us who could use some help or assistance, I have been introduced to a wonderful new breakfast option that may save you some time during the a.m. rush.

I am borrowing these recipes from a wonderful blog site called The Yummy Life. The blogger, Monica Matheny, has some wonderful tips and recipes, she's well worth checking out when you get an opportunity. www.theyummylife.com 

My new go-to breakfast is an overnight, no-cook refrigerator oatmeal. You will need a Mason jar with a lid and a great imagination! I found some awesome rubber Bell jars with lids at Menards, but I'm sure they can be found in various other stores. This is packed with nutrition and makes for a great grab and go option if need be. You simply fill the jar about with about a half cup of old fashioned oats, not the quick or steel cut variety. Pour a bit of milk over the top, any kind will do. Then add greek yogurt, I love the plain Chobani, around a half a cup, but add more or less to your liking. Then simply fill in the rest with whatever concoction sounds good to you! Yesterday I mixed raspberries and a bit of vanilla extract. The second jar had blueberries and maple syrup. The last jar I used almonds, honey and some cinnamon. Then you simply shake or mix well, cover and set in the refrigerator to enjoy in the morning! The oatmeal soaks up the liquid and you have a wonderful, hearty breakfast. My kids each picked a flavor that they liked and devoured it! It's such a great thing to prepare the night before and know that one extra step is complete for the morning.

Share your favorite recipe, there are so many to try! Enjoy.

Green thumb?

Those of you with a green thumb, raise your...um...thumbs! 

I will not be one to do that, I'm more of a garden/plant destroyer. Don't get me wrong, it isn't because I don't want or try to grow things, I think I'm just lacking in experience and general knowledge about how to go about keeping things green and healthy. But I am trying to change that. I have planted a few containers on our patio and so far so good. I've even "harvested" some rather tasty basil and dill and a few tomatoes are starting to grow. 

I am fortunate to have some very talented gardener friends, and we have the perfect spot set aside to add to these herbs, hopefully by next summer. They are going to help guide me in the planning and planting process! Yippee! 

We have participated in our local community garden, and have added weeding to our kids' responsibilities. It is so very important that they see how food is grown and participate in the process. I think we all gain such an appreciation for food and the work that goes into it. I will never forget the joy of picking a tomato fresh from the vine and eating it, warm and juicy. I have really enjoyed sending my kids out to pick some herbs for a salad or cut some lettuce and then they realize that it was growing right in our backyard. Even our son tried some. Success! So the next time I ask for a thumbs up to all who garden, maybe I can raise a partial thumb. At least I'm trying!

Bread. Simple.

Bread. How I love thee. There are not many people who can claim otherwise, we are a society of bread lovers! Unfortunately bread can come with some issues. Maybe you are gluten intolerant and cannot indulge like others. Or you are cutting down on the carbs you eat, and have to restrict the amount you enjoy. 

Still bread remains such a simple food delight, especially in our household. Sure, if my kids had their way they would eat only white bread, with very little nutritional value. I buy only whole grain or whole wheat, but occasionally we eat some wonderful baguettes or a loaf of crusty French. I was recently introduced to a new method to baking this crusty delicacy. 

A baker in Brooklyn discovered a new way to make a simple loaf of this bread right in our own homes, without the need for fancy equipment or ingredients. Instead of keeping this to himself he went to the New York Times and shared for all to enjoy. My girlfriend hosted a dinner and prepared a loaf for our meal, and what a treat it was! The dough is prepared fourteen to twenty hours prior to baking, and left to rise on your countertop. Then it is baked in a dutch oven or heavy cast iron pan at a high heat for approximately sixty minutes. The result? A large loaf of crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside, bread with just the perfect amount of a rich warm brown to color the outside. It was fabulous and we all indulged! 

The recipe is here, and I urge you to give it a try! If you yourself cannot eat this, it would make a great gift for all of your bread-loving friends! Take it from me, a non baker, even I can tackle this one with success. Enjoy!

Warm up the winter with creativity in the kitchen

Cooped up and tired of the cold?

Maybe you are like me and tired of all the warm weather vacation pictures everyone (but me) seems to be flaunting on social media. What to do, what to do? 

Well, I have been turning my creative energy inward and started cooking! My husband and I have taken to researching recipes on a Sunday afternoon, and then going to the grocery store Sunday evenings for our weekly menu supply. Some have been real winners, like the teriyaki chicken with sushi rice. Others were not quite as successful, but fun to create anyway!

Sometimes we rely on old standbys. Like quiche. Never considered it for dinner? Well think again. It's warm, flaky, and can be filled with any ingredient to suit your palate. I tend to buy just the pre made, frozen crust. It comes in a two-pack. I will make one flavor for the kids, and one for adults. If you aren't up for two, they freeze beautifully. Voilà, dinner for next week is ready! 

While we all endure this endless winter, we need something to keep our sanity! Throw a dinner party and let your creativity shine. Not in the mood to cook? Try our take on the "European" dinner. We serve up some good cheeses, sliced meats and hearty bread. I added some grapes and some good nuts, and dinner is ready! Of course, with a nice glass of wine, most things taste even better. 

Good luck with whatever method you choose to battle through the winter. Remember, spring will come!

Brrrrr. Make sure you have a winter survival kit in your vehicle.

The deep cold has arrived, fast and furious. Are you prepared? I think, in addition to having a sock monster in my house, we also have a windshield scraper thief as well. I get stuck at least once a season
without the aid of my windshield scraper, brush.

I've also left the house entirely improperly dressed. Which means I'm freezing all day and miserable! I remind my kids constantly to wear their hats and mittens, now I need to be the example!

As we face the reality that is winter, do you have your vehicle properly outfitted, scraper included? On the BalanceYour7.com website they give a handy list of supplies we should all stash into our cars. It's like the Boy Scouts say "Be Prepared."

Are you prepared?
If you got stranded in your vehicle in the cold, snowy winter weather, would you be prepared?
Don't take any chances.

Place a winter survival kit in your vehicle that includes:

• A blanket
• First-aid kit
• Road maps
• Cell phone
• Compass
• Water-proof matches
• Water
• High-calorie, non-perishable foods
• Paper towels
• flashlight and batteries
• Windshield scraper
• Shovel
• Booster cables
• Tool kit
• Tow rope
• Tire chains
• Can of compressed air for tire repair
• Flares
• Salt, sand or kitty litter to melt the snow or provide extra traction

I hope that we will never have to use the majority of these items, but when we live in a wonderful climate like ours, we must prepare for the unexpected! So safe, and happy travels to all!

Healthier versions of the old 'tried and true'

With Thanksgiving now just a day away, I feel like I've been fighting cravings for the usual comforting, though calorie-laden meal for more than a week. I believe there are just some things worth sacrificing the calorie count for, like homemade dressing or pumpkin pie. But these happen to be my favorites, and the few times a year I eat them, it's worth it! Now we don't need to go up a pant size every holiday just to get wonderful, flavorful food that still tastes like mom's.

I've been perusing the web for some healthier, skinnier versions of the old tried and true, and I think I've managed to come up with a few winners that may make it onto our dinner table, and maybe yours too! One idea that that sounds like a no-brainer is the Slow Cooker Savory Sweet Potatoes. Not only can you make these ahead of time, they are warm and ready in the crockpot without any of the fuss. 

Slow Cooker Savory Sweet Potatoes

• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1" cubes
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup sucanat or coconut palm sugar (found in the organic section of most grocery stores) if cannot find, substitute with honey
• 1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Add olive oil to slow cooker and preheat to high while preparing potatoes and garlic. Add potatoes and all remaining ingredients to cooker. Cover and cook on high 2-3 hrs or low 4-5 hrs.
skinnyms.com

Garlic Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Makes 4-6 servings

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 3 cups water
• 4 large garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 Tbsp butter
• Milk (if needed)
• Salt and Pepper

1. Cut the cauliflower into florets and place in the slow cooker.
2. Add in the water, garlic cloves, salt and bay leaf.
3. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2-3 hours or on LOW for 4-6 hours.
4. Remove the garlic cloves and bay leaf. Drain the water.
5. Add in the butter and let it melt.
6. Use a potato masher to mash the cauliflower or if you want to use an immersion blender to make it more creamy you can do that. If it needs milk add it in a tablespoon at a time.
7. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chives or green onions.

Review:
I halved this recipe and actually ate the entire thing by myself. What a great way to eat vegetables! Obviously it has a different taste than mashed potatoes but if you like the creamy texture of potatoes this might be a good way to save some calories. 3 1/2 stars.

There are so many ways to keep our calories in check during the holidays. However you choose to celebrate, I hope you enjoy the day to it's fullest, giving thanks, I know I sure will!

Find more great recipe ideas at skinnyms.com.

Favorite, easy summer meals

What are your favorite, easy, summer meals? When the thermostat rises, we tend to eat less and I tend to crave lighter dishes with fresh ingredients. One of our favorite "go to" meals includes chicken lettuce wraps. They are a simple, no fail meal that always satisfies. I love to take a head of iceberg lettuce or bib, and these become the wrap. In a bowl I toss together some cooked, shredded chicken. I usually buy a rotisserie chicken and only use about half of the bird, reserving the rest for another meal. Then I add whatever produce I have on hand, some examples are shredded carrots, snap peas, green peas, water chestnuts, chopped cilantro or parsley, purple cabbage, diced celery. Just add whatever you like. Then to this I tend to mix in crushed peanuts, and for seasoning some fresh minced garlic, some soy sauce, ginger, either fresh or powdered, and some red chili paste, add this to taste. Mix all up and serve with your lettuce wraps. We dip ours into store bought peanut sauce! Voilà, dinner is served!

 I am also a huge fan of anything salad. Whether it be pasta or green, a great salad is so satisfying and can be made ahead to save time. Sometimes these even taste better the next day. A recent favorite is an orzo pasta salad that can be found on the chef Giadia De Laurentiis's website. It adds dried cherries, feta cheese and fresh arugula and spinach. With the crunch of some toasted pine nuts, this salad has been a crowd pleaser on more than one occasion this summer. I highly recommend checking it out! 

And lastly, a salad I tried last week was the following:

GRILLED CORN, AVOCADO AND TOMATO SALAD
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 ripe avocado
2 ears of fresh sweet corn
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

HONEY LIME DRESSING
Juice of 1 lime
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp honey
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
Dash of cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS
Remove husks from corn and grill over medium heat for 10 minutes. The corn should have some brown spots and be tender and not mushy. Cut the corn off the cob then scrape the cob with the back of your knife to get the juices. Set aside and let cool. Slice the tomatoes in half. Dice the avocado and chop the cilantro.

Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

Combine the sliced tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and grilled corn and honey lime dressing and mix gently so everything is evenly coated. Be careful not to mash the avocados. Let the salad sit for 10-15 minutes to let flavors mingle. Enjoy.

Local abundance!

As summer very slowly makes its way to our region of the world, with it comes an abundance of produce, farmer's markets, and an overall feeling of fresh.

I read a quick interview with the author of the book Cooked by Michael Pollan. He says that the number one thing we can do to be healthier is to cook at home. He stresses that cooking is key to changing our health and the environment, and those who cook for themselves consume a healthier diet. One of the points that he made is that if we let corporations cook for us, they are going to buy food from the biggest monocultures. But we as consumers have a choice. We can take time out of our day and choose the food we prepare, how we prepare it and where it comes from.

The citizens of the Coulee Region are fortunate to be surrounded by agricultural heaven! We have local farmer's markets several times a week, where produce grown locally can be purchased only hours after it was picked! We can drive right up to a farmer's door and pick the cow, pig, sheep, etc that we want to have butchered for our freezer. We can see how it was raised and what it was fed.

I'm trying my best to buy more locally and shop healthier. As summer finally arrives I hope to continue to frequent our local farmer's markets and experiment with new recipes! Cooking can be such a joy, and seeing my kids try new things and discovering they enjoy them makes it worthwhile.

Now If I could only get them to do all the dishes.

For more, see this article: Buying local and organic food on the Balance Your 7 website.

'Tis the season: Burning Off the Splurge!

There is a great, and might I add, very timely, article on the Balance Your 7 website. It's titled Burning Off the Splurge.

I needed to read this after spending Thanksgiving weekend at my parents' house.

I'm just wondering when they discuss splurging once in awhile, if I can condense mine into a few days worth? Did I need that extra slice of pumpkin pie, at 10 a.m.? No, but someone had to eat it, Grandma worked so hard to make it!

When they discuss coupling your indulgences with exercise, does walking the dog a few miles count, or chasing the kids? I had great intentions of running in the annual Turkey Trot, but we didn't get to town in time. The next day, it was too icy to run outside, so I tried walking off a few calories while Christmas shopping at the mall! I know it's not the same as vigorous exercise, but it's nice to read an article like this and know it's ok to indulge periodically and remember that all things are ok if done in moderation. It isn't often that I have pumpkin pie for breakfast, in fact it's about once a year. I think that qualifies as moderation!

And as far as catching up on my exercise after a weekend of indulging, there's always Monday!

Comfort Food

Food can be the ultimate in comfort.

A warm bowl of soup, a slice of grandma's famous pie at Thanksgiving, pancakes like only your dad knows how to make.

A friend of mine recently had jaw surgery. She can eat only liquids for the next six weeks. Talk about the need for some comfort! So I decided to whip up two of my very favorite fall soups. Being the good friend that I am, I even made extra for us! The first is a very simple carrot ginger soup. It's the perfect balance of sweet with just a hint of spice. The color is beautiful with finishes of orange swirls.

The second, and a family favorite, is our curry butternut squash soup. This involves a few more steps to complete but the results are well worth every spoonful. The curry is just the perfect spice to compliment the hearty squash flavor. More or less can be added to your liking. According to my poor girlfriend, it was awesome! And I think for a few spoonfuls she was able to find some comfort in a bowlful of soup.


Recipes

Well done Farm2School!

Our local La Crosse County Public Schools have introduced a new program called Farm2School.

It teaches children about fruits and vegetables, letting them taste, watch and participate in cooking demonstrations, and basically getting kids excited about healthy eating. This is such a wonderful idea, and I have witnessed it actually working.

Our 7-year-old has begun to try new foods, instead of instantly snubbing them. He still holds a grudge against squash and a few other harmless vegetables, but he likes broccoli, kiwi and green beans. He continues to sample everything put on his plate, most of the time with a good-natured attitude.

I made a white chicken chili with lots of beans and vegetables. He LOVED it! For a mom this is a home run.

I think this is due, in part, to his exposure to new fruits and vegetables at school. Seeing his friends try new things, he too has decided this isn't such a bad idea. Every month they have one featured produce item on the lunch menu.

The executive chef from Gundersen Lutheran, Thomas Sacksteder, travels to local schools and gives demonstrations using items from local farms. We live in such an agriculturally rich area, it's wonderful to see this begin to be incorporated into the way our children should eat. This initiative needs to be applauded, especially from this mother!

Watch the YouTube video of chef Thomas Sacksteder by clicking here.

It's time for soup!

Today's weather--cold gray and rainy is screaming out for soup!

So I have transformed my kitchen into soup-making central.

It smells wonderful and makes me cozy just thinking about a warm bowl of soup for dinner. On today's menu is a curry butternut squash, using a few local squash as the base. I think next I will make a huge pot of chili, Alabama Chili to be specific, and freeze a big batch for future Packer games! The list is endless and its such a fun way to use fresh ingredients and experiment a bit.

Years ago my husband and I were given a cookbook called "Chili Nation." We have tried about a quarter of the recipes and are working our way through the book. What a fun way to try a new recipe, especially when the weather turns chilly. Another way I cheat a bit in the kitchen is to utilize my crockpot. I love leaving for the day and coming home to a warm meal already prepared!

Whatever your tastes may be, stew, soup, chili--enjoy!


Fall Soups
Seriously Soupy

That cheeseburger was screaming my name!

Ok, I'm confessing, I cheated today.

Nothing morally unforgivable or anything I cannot completely justify, but I still cheated. Two months ago I gave up eating red meat. I didn't do it for any other reason than to try. Plus the fact that it doesn't really sit well with me either. But today I caved. I realized it was two o'clock and I had not eaten lunch or much of a breakfast either. Add to that an hour at the gym and I was ravenous!! So, the leftover cheeseburger from last night's dinner was calling my name, rather, screaming it!

The grilled chicken sitting right next to it sat mute, darn chicken. So I heated up the burger and devoured it in less time that it took to write this post.

And I enjoyed every...single...last...bite.

But, I am now back to a no-red-meat policy. Until the next time I am positively starving and being yelled at by my leftovers.

Summer days...popsicles, sprinklers and creating fun

I've been giving a lot of thought recently to my childhood. We would spend our summers riding our bikes, maybe going to the pool, having an occasional lemonade stand.

My mom would set up the sprinkler and we would spend hours running through it, popsicles dripping down our arms. We played tag with the neighborhood kids until well past dark.

If we had a scheduled activity, it was usually a week at camp, but never longer and never lasted for an entire summer. It was a great way to spend a summer.

It wasn't perfect, and we complained of being bored, but we were often left to entertain ourselves, which can be a great thing.

Now it seems as though kids are scheduled, shuffled, dropped off and picked up constantly. Our neighborhood does not have many kids, so part of this is due in part to where we live. But there are days I want my kids to get into a bit of trouble exploring and creating fun on their own. It's a sign of the times that we supervise our children more, as safety is often a concern. Somedays it's sad. I wish for summers spent on a bike, making forts in the woods.

But I can't sit and daydream too long, I'm late for picking the kids up from summer school...

Thoughts on warm-weather meals?

It's hard to drum up an appetite with such oppressive heat day after day. Trying to please everyone in my household is challenge enough.

Any thoughts on good warm-weather meals to please even the fussiest eater?

Tonight we will be having fresh corn on the cob and BLT sandwiches. Some will opt for only a B some will be BL, some might just do plain toast! I need to make a visit to the farmer's market and look for inspiration this weekend. My husband makes fun of me for buying so much fresh produce, but it's available for such a short time and it just doesn't get any better than local, fresh ingredients!

Let me know what inspires you on these hot summer days.