A Little Magic in Your Water

Recently I was reading on another blog, The Skinny Fight, how important it is to drink water daily. And lots of it.  I'm sure we've all heard it but Adrienne brought up something that I hear a lot too.  Lots of people don't like the taste of water.  What?  Hmm...I thought water didn't have a taste.  My husband says he doesn't like the taste of plain water either--I've always wondered why! 

If you feel that way too I wanted to share a little tip with you on a natural way to flavor your water.  Put cut up fruits and veggies in it.  Yup, that's right.  One time I went to a local spa (yes, rare but it has happened) and in one of their "relaxation rooms" they had a pitcher of water with sliced cucumbers floating in it.  "That's kinda weird" I thought.  But being that I was thirsty at the time I decided to try it. It was delicious!  So refreshing and how simple is that?  Another time I went they had sliced strawberries and yet another time sliced melon.  Talk about yummy and the bonus?  You're not adding anything artificial to your water but you still get some flavor.  You can use just about any fruit and many vegetables.  How about pineapple or sliced apples? 

If you want to give it a try, slice up one of your favorite fruits or vegetable (firm fruits and veggies work best-bananas or tomatoes probably not so much), fill up a pitcher with water and add some ice cubes.  You can pour yourself a cup whenever you feel like it.  Or keep a pitcher ready to go each day in your fridge and pour a glass regularly.  Experiment and try it out!  If you do, let me know what you think!

Cookbook Review: The Dinner Doctor

Perhaps you've heard of the Cake Mix Doctor series of cookbooks (I have a couple of them--love them for "doctoring" up a cake mix to make it really "wow!") Now comes The Dinner Doctor based on the same concept. Here the author "doctors" canned, frozen, boxed, bagged & ready-made deli food to get dinner on the table in a hurry. I must admit thought, that at first I was a bit skeptical that the book would be filled with lots of processed foods just thrown together to make a casserole (not knocking casseroles but I was looking for something a bit different). I was pleasantly surprised to see that many of the convenience foods simply saved me a preparation step rather than being totally processed foods...for example, a bag of coleslaw mix (instead of me taking a head of cabbage and bag of carrots and chopping them up myself) or a package of broccoli crowns. She also gives tips for snazzing up prepared deli items to make them your own--like potato salad and adding "add-ins" like crumbled cooked bacon or stirring in diced pimientos and shredded sharp Cheddar cheese.

Every recipe includes an ingredient preparation tip or other helpful kitchen tip. And a quick glance at the recipe shows both a "To Prep" and "To Bake" time so you can plan accordingly. Dinner Doctor 101 includes some basic tips for making time in the kitchen and supermarket a little bit quicker--who won't appreciate that?

If you're looking for ways to streamline your time in the kitchen (and who isn't), The Dinner Doctor, is a great place to start! Hungry for more? Check out the author's website at The Cake Mix Doctor...there's a newsletter, blog, forums and so much more! Happy cooking!

Eating the Alphabet: The Letters Q & R

It's time again to pick back up with our Eating the Alphabet adventures!  Since I got stuck at P for pomegranate I kind of came to screeching halt with Q.  What do do with Q?  Ok, the only thing I could come up with is Quince, a fruit similar to a pear but seasonally available only during fall and early winter.  Ooops, I missed my window. That and they are probably pretty hard to find....I'd need to find a Middle Eastern or Hispanic market if I wanted one and even then it might be a long shot. 

So, we're moving on to R.  Radicchio, Radish, Rutabaga and Rhubarb--all fine choices but either aren't in season or would require an extra trip to the store.  How about Raspberries or Raisins?  Yes!  I have both of those on hand!

Since I've already done my shopping for the week (great planning, huh?) I'm going to go with Raspberries since I have those in the freezer already and they'll fit nicely in with my Pantry and Freezer Challenge to use things up!  I found the yummy sounding recipe for Raspberry Struesel Muffins that will work just great--especially since my kids have been begging for some new muffin recipes.  This one also looks good! Raspberries are usually available for picking in the summer months so that's why I like to pick them and freeze them to have all year round.  You can also buy frozen raspberries at your local grocery store or wholesale club.

Raisins...that's another good one that I already have on hand so will pull those out for the kids to have as a snack.  They like to eat them plan or sometimes I mix them with a little granola or peanuts for them to munch on after school--easy peasy!  They're also a great snack for on the go!

I hope you join us in our adventure and enjoy the yummy fruits and vegetables along the way!

Menu Plan Monday

Just finished cleaning out the freezer and redoing my inventory sheet so I could better plan my meals for the Pantry and Freezer Challenge (sign up and join in so we can encourage each other!) Add to the mix, my husband stopping by the store last week and picking up some "really good deals" on meat. Ack! So my freezer cleanout effort has taken a step back.

Here's what's on the menu this week!

Monday: Grilled steak, baked potatoes, garden salad
Tuesday: Tuna Roll ups with creamy mushroom gravy (part of my New Year's Resolution for one non-meat meal per week), garden salad
Wednesday: Onion hamburgers on whole wheat buns, carrot sticks
Thursday: Broccoli Beef with steamed rice
Friday: Leftovers
Saturday: Out to eat/leftovers
Sunday: Make-Your-Own-Pizza night

Pantry and Freezer (and a little bit refrigerator) Challenge Ingredients I'm using up this week:

• Steak (grilling on Monday, sauteeing on Thursday!)
• Celery
• Carrots
• Onion hamburgers
• Whole wheat buns

What's cooking in your kitchen this week?

Make Leftovers Fun with a Daily Specials Menu

A few years ago I read in a parenting magazine about a mom who made a menu at the end of the week listing all the leftovers that her family had to choose from for their Friday night meal.  I thought this was such a fun idea!  Of course it's taken me until now to implement the idea and I'm sharing it with you.  I created this fun Daily Specials Menu for you to print out and fill in whenever you're serving leftovers for dinner.  It's almost like recreating an all new meal when you present it in a fun way!  Since we have leftovers nearly every Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday night, it will certainly come in handy too!

My kids love to play "restaurant".  How fun would this be for them to be a part of the meal preparation when they can fill it out and help heat it all up.  They can even set the table in a special way to make it something to look forward to each week.  So print out this menu (and laminate it if you want to reuse it each week with a dry erase marker) and let me know what your family thinks of your reinvention of your leftovers and your family's new restaurant!

Cookbook Review: Saving Dinner Basics-How to Cook Even If You Don't Know How

From Leanne Ely, author of Saving Dinner comes a great companion book to those that want to get started cooking more meals at home but don't know where to begin. Ely highlights basics such as Equipping the Kitchen (tools of the trade), Pantry Primer (what items to always have on hand), How to Pick Produce, Poultry and Other Meat and cooking method basics like slicing, dicing, sauteeing and simmering. She also talks about how to take advantage of your kitchen assistants by using those small appliances that may be collecting dust in your cabinet like your food processor, blender or slowcooker.

Included is the section that includes simple-to-prepare recipes that have high flavor appeal like Italian Chef Salad, Chicken Spinach Salad, Creamy Mexican Cooked Pork Stew, Japanes Noodle Dinner and some yummy desserts like Blueberry Crumble or Fake It Key Lime Pie.

Check out this primer if you're a little unsure in the kitchen and you'll be on your way to making delicious meals your whole family can enjoy.

Menu Plan Monday!

I'm cooking with holidays and the Pantry and Freezer Challenge in mind.  Here's what's on the menu this week!

Monday:  Pad Thai (in celebration of Chinese New Year--yep, one day late)
Tuesday:  Mardi Gras starts today!  We're celebrating with Easy Shrimp Etouffe, garden salad, king cake (ok, I bought mine but if you're feeling ambitious you can make your own)
Wednesday:  Chicken Alfredo (from my Freezer Gold session), garden salad
Thursday: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: out to eat
Sunday: TBA (I need to start thinking about this a little better in advance!)

Pantry and Freezer Challenge ingredients I'm using:

• Cream of Mushroom soup (for shrimp etouffe)
• Chicken Alfredo (it's already made--in the freezer)
• Rotisserie chicken carcasses-two (for the soup)

What's on your menu this week?  Don't forget to join the Pantry and Freezer Challenge so we can get more organized and hopefully save some money too!

How About A Little Challenge? And Clean Out Your Pantry and Freezer too!

Recently, as I opened the freezer below my refrigerator I was so frustratred looking for the parmesan cheese that I KNEW was in there, but I couldn't find it--argh!  (yes, it was labeled and I did eventually find it).  There was just too much other stuff in the way.  A similar thing happened when I was in the pantry looking for an ingredient for a recent recipe.  You see, I had a lot of extra items in the pantry and freezer leftover from "I'm going to make this for dinner" type things but they never got used.  Some were leftover from when I was stocking up if it was on sale.  Others were leftover from when my hubby came home with a bunch of things he thought looked good when he popped into the store (but really had no idea what they would work with). 

And while it's true, I'm a meal planner, I'm not so great when something changes our plans and the ingredients that WERE planned for get left behind on the shelves.  Sometimes it's just "life" that gets in the way and changes our plan. Or sometimes I'm just to tired or uninspired at the end of the day to make what I had actually planned.  I needed to start purging the contents of my pantry and freezer before they expired or freezer burn set in!So, being inspired by Money Saving Mom's Pantry Challenge and the Use It Up weekly feature on Martha Stewart Eveyday Food radio's host Sandy Gluck, I've decided to offer up a challenge for my own readers to join in (partly because Money Saving Mom's challenge ended in January).  My goal is to keep things going at least through March 31st--so just about six weeks.

It will be a fun challenge too, I think, to rediscover a purpose for that extra can of artichokes, bottle of roasted red bell peppers, maraschino cherries or half a bag of self-rising flour.  Or maybe it will be the bag of Italian blend cheese that was on clearance or pita bread rounds that are now in my freezer.  Perhaps I will actually make up those soups I had in mind when I threw the two roitsserie chicken carcasses in a bag into the freezer or the leftover ham bone too.  Should be fun and I love the creative challenge!

The bonus?  My grocery budget will also benefit because I'll be spending less each week while using up the ingredients I've already got at home--it's a double win!

I love how Money Saving Mom suggests that you consider setting aside the money you save from the Challenge by paying down debt, adding to your savings or donating to a charitable cause of your choice so I encourage you to do the same! Of course, it's not required but won't it feel great and maybe keep you even more motivated if you have an extra special goal in mind?

Ready to join the challenge?  Then post about your plan on your own blog and come back here to leave a direct link to the post below for extra inspiration--then we can all learn new ways to use up what we've got.  If you don't have a blog, you can still join us by telling us about your plan in the comments section of this post.  You can also take the little badge that I made and put it on your blog if you like!  It's my first attempt making a badge like this so I hope you like it!

Seen Any U.F.O.'s Lately?

That's Unidentified Frozen Objects of course!  So you've decided to get on board with making more meals for your freezer so you can pull them out on busy nights right?  And you're all set and even have some things in the freezer that you made ahead or bought on sale so you could stock up.  But now dinner time has rolled around and you're still not sure what's for dinner because you can't remember what's in the freezer or  can't tell what it is now that it IS in the freezer. 

Enter this handy little Freezer Inventory Form I created to help you keep track of what goes in and what comes out.

I organized it by food type instead of a more common way of doing it by date or just a running list of what's in there. To me this makes sense because when I'm plannng my meals I want to know what I've got not just when I got it. And because I like color, I assigned each section a color. Of course, when you write down what's going in it's a good idea to jot down the date that it went in as well so you can use up older things first.  What I have done that is a bit different also is I've added a section for my prepared meals to be listed. That way when I'm in a hurry and need to know what I can pull out and thaw for that evening's dinner, there's less guessing and less stress!  Don't forget to label your containers as they go in too so that when you go to look for them you will be able to find them otherwise they truly are U.F.O's!

The key to using a form like this is to (of course) print it out and hang it near your freezer so that you'll be sure to use it each and every time. I have mine printed out (and I even laminated it so I can use a dry erase marker and reuse it over and over again--going green in the kitchen you know!) and hung it up on a little nail hung next to my freezer (this is for the deep freezer in the garage). For the refrigerator freezer, it is printed out and put on the side of the fridge with a magnet. Easy peasy! I have whole pages for each category to use with my deep freeze and which I will be putting up on my Resource Page soon so you can use the forms that work best for you.

Hope you like this form and that you will find fewer UFOs in your freezer and start using up more of those great items before freezer burn sets in!

Cookbook Review: The Healthy Baby Meal Planner

As the title suggests, Annabel Karmel has included more then 200 Quick, Easy and Healthy Recipes for your baby that are Mom-tested and Child-Approved recipes for your baby and toddler. Boy, do I wish I had this book when my children were younger and I was so clueless about what to feed them when!

Part reference and mostly recipe guide, Karmel explains why babies need what they do at certain stages and when. There is a section on pureeing for baby's first tastes and includes some different combinations like carrots and cauliflower or Three-Fruit Puree (with peaches, pears and apples). Included is a weekly meal plan for your baby to help you figure out how to introduce new foods. When baby begins feeding herself, Karmel offers suggestions for yummy meals that are sure to appeal....like The Three Bears' Breakfast (a combo of oatmeal, etc.) or Strawberry Rice Pudding or Chicken and Apple Balls. Wrapping up with the section on Toddlers, Karmel offers recipes with more varied flavor combinations that are sure to be a hit!

If you have little ones in your life, check out this book to help them get a good start and learning to love all the wonderful foods available!

Note: Your pediatrician is your best source for when to feed your baby what and help you figure out food allergies. This book is designed to be a guide once you have the basic understanding from your pediatrician on when to introduce new foods to your baby and consider your baby's health and weight, etc.

Kids In the Kitchen: More Than Just Learning How to Cook

For as long as I can remember I’ve been cooking in the kitchen. I’d have to say it really took off when I was a teenager. I even planned themed parties for my friends and all the food. So it was only natural that when I had children of my own I would include them in the kitchen as soon as I could.

My children have been cooking with me pretty much since the time they could stand up. We started with a simple recipe: banana bread. What kid wouldn’t like mashing up a banana? Now that they are a bit older, they help in lots of different ways in the kitchen. The added bonus: they are much more likely to try new foods (or even old foods) when they’ve helped prepare them!

When I first started bringing my kids into the kitchen, I mainly viewed it as another way to spend time together. But over the years, I have discovered that it is an opportunity for them to learn so much more. They learn patience as they wait for me to measure out ingredients or while things bake or cook until they are done. Vocabulary is boosted when they learn new words for the ingredients you use or techniques. As they grow, practicing reading the recipe helps them learn new words and make the comprehension connection when they see how everything goes together. Math sneaks its way into meal prep too; counting the number of ingredients to include, learning about different units of measurement and more. Practicing teamwork is an added bonus as they learn to take turns with you or with sibling helping too. For young children, motor skills are enhanced when they learn how to pour, mix, roll and stir. New textures are also introduced with the opportunity to notice differences between liquids, dry ingredients, batter and doughs. Other shapes and textures can be noted in the ingredients as well like different types of fruit, nuts, whole grains and more.

Tips for Getting Started:
• Use plastic bowls, measuring spoons & cups and other equipment, if possible.
• Expect a mess! And at the end, use that mess to teach them how to clean up—a valuable life skill!
• Be patient—kids sometimes take a long time and are messier than you might be.
• Bring cooking down to kid level; use a small table to prepare on or provide a chair or stool to stand on.
• Check your moods before starting—your child’s and yours! Choose a time when everyone is well-rested and in a good mood.
• Prepare ingredients in advance, if possible like pre-measuring ingredients, chopping items, etc. This will make things go smoother and more quickly—especially since kids’ attention spans can sometimes be really short!
• Teach children that ovens and stoves are hot and that is for the grown-ups. I taught my children to stand in the same spot on a nearby rug every time I opened and closed the oven—it’s a habit they still practice today!

Are you anxious to bring your kids into the kitchen with you but need a little guidance on what they can do? Here are a few guidelines by age:

One- to two-year-olds can:

• dump in premeasured dry ingredients and help stir
• help shape cookies and other dough
• tell you when the timer goes off
• hand you an egg or other ingredients

Three to four-year-olds can also:

• help measure ingredients
• help crack eggs and mix ingredients
• help pour batter into a pan
• hold a mixer with you (his hand under yours)
• arrange food on a serving plate

Five- to six-year-olds can also:

• help read a recipe
• learn how to measure and mix dry ingredients
• crack eggs and learn how to separate yolk from white
• learn how to safely use mixer or wire whisk
• set a timer

Seven-to eight-year-olds can also:

• read a recipe out loud
• follow most of a recipe with your help and supervision, except placing things in or pulling them out of an oven

Nine-year-olds and up can:
follow a recipe without help

Now go make some memories and yummy food and get your kids into the kitchen with you!

Menu Plan Monday

Here's what's on our menu this week!  It's cold outside so we're cooking from the freezer and enjoying some comfort food.

Monday: Spaghetti, garden salad (part of my New Year's Resolution for one vegetarian meal per week)
Tuesday: Rustic Italian Tortellini Soup, garden salad, garlic bread
Wednesday: Pizza Sloppy Joes
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday:  Leftovers
Saturday:  out to eat
Sunday: Valentine's Day Chinese food-menu TBA!

Sunday, of course, is Valentine's Day.  It's also the start of Chinese New Year.  And next week is the start of Mardi Gras.  Be sure to check out my upcoming post on how I'll be celebrating these events in our kitchen!

Kid Friendly Kitchens Help Kids Help Out

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Create a Kid Friendly Kitchen

I've been subscribing to Family Fun magazine for many years now and I love it because it provides so many fun activities and ideas for our family to do and go to together and lots of other solutions to common parenting challenges.  So guess how excited I was to read this month's issue and the article on how to create a kid-friendly kitchen!  It was something I had written in my mind for awhile now and here it was already done!

It's not too tough to get your kids into the kitchen.  Simple things putting plates, bowls and utensils at kid level in a lower drawer or cabinet encourage kids to help prepare their own meal or snack.  Or a simple set of kitchen shears will help kids chop and dice like a pro without the same worries that using a knife would bring.  Check out the link above for more ideas (and be on the look out from me for more tips on how to get your kids in the kitchen) or check out some fun kid cooking videos like the ones from Activity TV that we love at our house!

A Pyramid On My Plate!

So, I've told you before that I LOVE tacos!  They are so easy to throw together and my family loves them!  But what I especially love about them is that they are like a food pyramid on my plate.  Start with a tortilla or flatbread (or taco shell for crunchy tacos), add your meat or other protein (tofu, falafel, beans, etc.), then some veggies and finally some dairy with sour cream, plain yogurt and/or cheese.  Yummy!

The bonus?  My family is getting a daily serving of ALL the food groups in just one meal.  How cool is that?  And they don't even think about it.  Sure, there's the occasional picking out of the veggies like onions or bell peppers but a lot of them go unnoticed and get gobbled up and they're even asking for seconds.

Since tacos are one of my favorite weeknight meals, I'm sharing with you the "recipe" for this week's taco.  I'll be sharing other versions here and there as I get to them...Greek Tacos, Asian Tacos, Mexican Tacos, you name it and it can become a taco!

Here's how to make the pork taco shown above (not super scientific but easy!):

BRENDA'S PORK TACO
2 C cooked Pork Tenderloin, cubed or shredded (mine was leftover from a recipe similar to this one)
1 C sliced onions
1 C sliced green bell pepper
1-2 ripe avocados, sliced
1 C shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/2 C sour cream
6-8 Flour tortillas

Saute onions and green bell pepper in 1 T canola oil until tender.  Layer pork, peppers and onions and remaining ingredients evenly between tortillas, adding ingredients as desired to customize to your taste preference.  Roll up and enjoy!

Let me know if you try it and what you think!

Giveaway winner! Supermarket Vegan cookbook

Congratulations to Adrienne for winning the Supermarket Vegan cookbook giveaway. I used Random.org and the number that came up was 5! See, not matter how late you join the party you can still win! Thanks to everyone who entered and be on the lookout for future giveaways.

Cookbook Review: Mariel's Kitchen-Simple Ingredients for a Delicious and Satisfying Life

This book caught my eye when I was at the library and walking past the "New Books" shelf they have right by the checkout area. I grabbed it thinking "Oh, it will be nice to look at but that's probably it." Boy, was I surprised. What I found was not only a beautiful cookbook (nice pictures!) but great content as well. Hemmingway speaks to those readers who want to start cooking more simply and without preservatives or processed foods AND seasonally but don't know where to begin. What results is a collection of delicious recipes that are actually easy to prepare too and family friendly.

The first section explains different types of ingredient substitutes, most of which can be found in your local health food store (such as Whole Foods or GNC) or the healthy food section of your grocery store. Ingredients like Whey Protein Isolate (a great protein booster) and xylosweet--a natural, non sugar sweetener that can be used just like sugar in recipes.

Each subsequent chapter is broken down by season and offers recipes based on the produce that is available during that season. The first page of the chapter is a list of the produce that is normally available during that season. Then recipes like Ricotta "No Bread" Bread Pudding with Blueberries in spring, Farmer's Market Heirloom Gazpacho in summer, Pumpkin Walnut Balls in fall or Turkey Burgers with Cranberry Sauce in winter.

Sprinkled throughout are smaller chapters that offer suggestions for cooking "greener" that not only benefit the environment but also your body! What I found especially helpful is the suggestions for making all-natural substitutes in your baking and cooking that still let you enjoy the foods you love.

Menu Plan Monday

Another crazy week--I thought January was supposed to be the slow month after the holidays but it just flew by and now here we are in Feburary already! Here's what's on the menu this week:

Monday: Four Cheese Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce (a family favorite--it is freezer friendly too!  Part of my Meal Magic New Year's Resolution plan)
Tuesday:  Crunchy Ranch Tortilla Chicken fingers (mine is actually from a Southern Living recipe but this one comes close), garden salad, pasta side
Wednesday: California Burgers (have some patties in the freezer to use up), carrot sticks
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: leftovers
Saturday: special activity--no cooking for me!
Sunday: Monte Cristo Sandwiches (part of my New Year's Resolution for Triple-S Sundays), carrot sticks or sliced apples

What's on your menu this week?  Happy cooking!