I have always been a “gardener”.  In fact, in the old days of early married life, my husband called me a farmer!  I had turned every available space into working gardening space.  I remember tasting Cauliflower from the garden to my mouth and it being the best damned cauliflower I had ever tasted.

Yes, it’s January, and if you don’t live in Southern California or somewhere warmish..planting a garden is the furthest thing from your mind.  But, really, it’s time to make a plan, order some seeds and get them in seed pots.  Why am I pushing gardening on you now when you might have been looking for a food/fitness post? Because, this is my website and I can talk about what interests me…it’s always been about food since it’s earliest days.  We eat tons of fruits and vegetables to the tune of $70ish dollars a week!  Zucchini, Onions, Carrots, Squash and Spinach are all vegetables I eat every single week…and they also happen to be very easy vegetables to grow (at least here- although I’ve never been successful with carrots).  You can actually help the planet by growing your own food, seriously.

This post was inspired by this TED talk and I’m planning my next veggie garden NOW.  Who’s with me?

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It all started with a pizza…way back when…. {see “How to Trash Your Kitchen in 15 Minutes Flat” , the Kale Chip Experiment and Tears of Seasoning.

I’ve always used cooking as a means of managing my young children while I attempt to get dinner on the table. But, really, it’s become it’s own thing now. My children are 8 and 5 and they are both VERY interested in getting their hands dirty in the kitchen. As my tastes and interests have changed, they’ve just gone with the flow up until now.

My youngest child is still very much a carrot, strawberry and protein kind of kid, however, he’s the one whose most interested in cooking {also should give credit to the movie Ratatouille}  and I find it fascinating the recipes he’s been picking out!  We are currently working our way through, Everyday Paleo and last night Ratatouille was on the menu even though my child will in general have nothing to do with zucchini, onions or tomatoes!  My deal with him is if he cooks it, he has to at least have 2 bites {Book Review}.   And, he eats it.  I am not sure if it’s the process of cooking he likes, or having control over the stove the most but I can’t get him out of the kitchen.  “I’ve got it mommy” he tells me with my biggest kitchen knife.  Cooking with kids can be dangerous, nothing like hot food and sharp knifes……and, yes, I have little panic attacks because he thinks he’s got it!   All in all, though, we are having a blast cooking together every night and I can only hope that eventually he will develop tastes for more than just carrots and strawberries.

My little chefs!

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My children and I have been doing tons of cooking.  In fact, they are begging me every night to let them do the cooking.  It has become their main thing to do when we get home from school, thanks to the movie Ratatouille.  At times, I am doing the chasing just to keep them from burning themselves and not letting things boil over.  However, I’m having tons of fun with this, so, now I’m on a hunt for matching chef hats and aprons for the boys and a cute, sexy one for me!  Santa would be doing us all a favor if he could deliver these for us, hahahaa…

Anyone, have any suggestions?

Flirty Aprons for Mothers and Daughters.

And for the boys, so, far, all I’ve found is on Etsy.

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is now published on Social Moms!

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Testing the Lean Out Program is now live!

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……..Back to Work Week, People!!

Yes, it’s true I’ve had two and a half months off, oh yeah, baby, being a teacher does have it’s benefits, although 12.5 hours with my two boys has been one heck of a ride!! We’ve been to the beach, the mountains, the air museum (twice), watched lots of movies and had generally good times when just hanging at home. They’ve learned that they can really dive into their cars game and it can literally last all day. Or legos, or trains, or whatever….as long as everyone is getting along, I’m happy.

Going into this week, I’ve had goals to you know, clean rooms, drop off donations, plant a another vegetable garden, cook lots and be rested. Well, let’s just check off two of those things, and hope for the best! My biggest fears are going back to work and having nothing healthy to eat for myself, my husband or my kids–wierd way my brain works, I know. So, today, you get to have a peek at my fridge, because I’m proud to say we are ready for the week!!

Pictured in fridge is 1 doz. hard boiled eggs, 2 large containers of roasted sausage and peppers to be eaten for breakfast and lunch, sliced strawberries, cooked beets, carrots, grilled chicken breasts and a butternut squash sauce to be served with sausage later in the week! Yes, we are good to go!

Now, please pray for a calm and successful return to work and that everyone adjusts easily.

Happy Monday!

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Ever tried grilled peaches?! They are delicious. What about grilled pineapple or grapes? It certainly changes your view on what can be put on the grill! It seems as if I now have a bit of a farm in my back yard and eating all the fruits from the trees has been a challenge. Which is the reason for me grilling the peaches. We can eat 4-6 peaches a meal if I grill them. Now, about plums?! Haven’t tried, but, I have a ton!!

What is the weirdest thing you’ve grilled before?

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The following is probably going to end up being a note to myself.

This past week, we were in San Diego for a “getaway” with the kids. I’m calling it a getaway and not a vacation because to me a vacation implies –REST and RELAXATION. With kids in tow, nights in hotel rooms are not vacations. Everybody has to share the space, the TV, the light, when to go to bed and when to wake up….In addition, you have to eat three meals a day where ever you are. On top of that, we have food requirements….such as eating lean meats, eggs, veggies, fruits and nuts for all our meals.

Now, here’s where I get a little freakish about my food. There was not fridge or microwave in our room so that left me wondering…”what will we do for food??” Not to mention my cheapness… First morning I spent an hour searching for a grocery store so I could buy sandwich meats, pre-cut fruits and nuts plus cereal and milk for the kids.

When we could have all just gotten dressed and head towards the nearest Coco’s or Denny’s and had omelets and the kids could have had pancakes for the same money and time I spent hunting for a grocery store!

At lunch, the same thing occurs, I need/want to eat clean food and I go out hunting for food to take back for the family! Not knowing the area nor fast food eateries that would offer healthy fare, it took me WAY longer than it should have. Luckily, I found, Corner Bakery Shop that had plenty of healthy food choices for both lunch and breakfast!!

Bottom line is that I was way too INflexible when it came to dining options and spent too much time and energy looking for healthy food options when they were right in front of my nose. Also, since it is vacation, I could have also tried to revert back to a Zone type diet for the few days we were gone for a bit more flexibility as there would be times and hours when I just wouldn’t eat because I didn’t want to eat crap food and was being cheap (not a good choice for me, but?!!)

Healthy food options are always available!
Omelets
Roasted Chicken
Raw veggies or pre-cut fruits
Half of Sandwiches
Smoothies (?!)
Salads (without cheese or croutons)

Live and learn right?!

How do you keep it clean while on vacation?

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Recipe inspired by this recipe…but, of course, I never really follow the instructions!! However, it was delicious and satisfying none the less, works great for breakfast, lunch or dinner! I also love that it makes a huge pot with plenty of leftovers.

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If you knew how I really function in the kitchen, you’d probably never want to eat here! I rarely follow recipes, I never measure anything, I cook all the food before I wash the dishes, and I feed my kids everything I cook. They do not get special dishes prepared just for them! And, on most nights, it’s the same old boring stuff: Chicken and Veggies, Fish and Veggies, or Sausage and Veggies. Tonight, I had 2 Butternuts and lots of veggies but I wasn’t sure how I wanted to put it together, so, I simply entered butternut and coconut milk in the search engine and this is what turned up first. Of course, I didn’t really follow this recipe!!

Butternut Squash and Coconut Curry

Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.
Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil coconut oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions. I added celery and peppers
2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch pieces (about 4 1/2 cups)
1 cup canned vegetable chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeño Anaheim chili
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup canned light unsweetened coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon Thai red curry paste
12 ounces dried futonaga udon noodles (oriental-style spaghetti) or linguine (this dish also goes beautifully with jasmine rice in place of noodles)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Directions:

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions; sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add squash; sauté 4 minutes. Add broth, jalapeño and garlic; bring to boil. Cover; cook until squash is almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, lime juice and curry paste. Simmer uncovered until squash is tender and liquid is slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. Season to taste with salt.

Meanwhile, cook noodles in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain noodles. Return to pot. Add squash mixture and cilantro to noodles; toss to blend. Serve.

Recipe taken from Love and Olive Oil.

Delicious and Kid Friendly!!

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