Well, fall has come and gone, we're full swing into school, I've had and nearly recovered from shingles, a whole new array of produce is decorating the market, Thanksgiving is just passed and we're now heading toward Christmas. It's been awhile, but here are a few of the new things we've eaten that I haven't posted yet. I hope you enjoy!

Pizza -- whole grain crust, olive oil, garlic, caramelized onion, butternut squash (roasted with olive oil, salt, pepper and just a smidge of maple syrup), basil, black olives and feta.

Roasted acorn squash with a tiny bit of red pepper flakes, served with roasted chicken and fresh fruit salad.

Spaghetti squash roasted and grated with a fork into "noodles", topped with marinara and cheese.

Eggplant breaded with panko and Italian herbs, fried in olive oil and topped with sauce of tomatoes, onions and cannellini beans.

Roasted salsa -- roasted all the tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic, blended with salt, pepper and spice. Added corn and black beans, served with tortilla chips.

Though most of us liked all of these, the tilapia topped with basil pesto and black olives and served with roasted sweet potatoes is a new family favorite. Yum!

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Why Stir Fry?

Japanese and Mediterranean diets are known to be some of the healthiest. While genetics may play some part in the health of these people, the quantity of fresh fruits and veggies they consume is no doubt a huge part. One that even those of us with German and Irish roots can work with.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/diets-of-world-japanese-diet
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mediterranean-diet/cl00011

• Stir Fry: Whatever veggies you have (even leftover), season & serve -- one pan. What could be easier? Try stove top ratatouille - onion, pepper, tomato, zucchini, and eggplant.
  
• Pasta is almost as easy: A few veggies (even leftover), add cream, broth or pasta water to make it saucier if you want, add cooked pasta -- two pans, not bad.
• Salad: A mix of whatever fruits or veggies you have plus dressing -- no pans (unless it's pasta salad), one bowl if you make dressing. Super summer dinner. Yum! Try mixed greens, spring onions, avocado, and grapefruit with grapefruit honey dressing, topped with baked salmon.
  

These dishes are a great way to increase the quantity and variety of your fresh produce intake. It's easy to add protein with any meat, legumes or tofu.

I love to see what delicious meals I can make just with whatever produce I have. Let me know what yummy dishes you have created this way!

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Very Veggie Spring

I use salt and pepper in nearly everything. Anything not boiled is likely cooked in olive oil.

One day I chopped up some red potatoes and corn cobs, added fresh green beans and boiled all together for a yummy summer veggie dish. Tossed with olive oil, salt & pepper, served with chicken salad.

Fast fagioli -- I love pasta e fagioli, but it's not a fast meal to prepare. This was nearly as good and faster. Browned ground beef, add cannelloni beans, sauteed garlic, onion, celery, carrots, diced tomatoes and a little chili powder served over whole grain pasta shells, sprinkled with cheese.

Grilled veggie fajitas -- grilled portabellas, red, orange and yellow sweet peppers, and onion, served on whole grain fajita tortillas (wrapped in foil and warmed on the grill) with sliced avocado and homemade salsa of diced tomatoes, roasted (on the grill) garlic, a smidge of chili powder and lemon juice. Family didn't even know avocado was in them. :o)

Pizza using whole grain Boboli crust, olive oil, lots of minced garlic, artichoke hearts, baby spinach, fresh tomatoes, basil, oregano and feta cheese. Bake at 450 until warmed through. This was loved by hubby even more than the zucchini pizza, everyone else liked it about the same, Alot!

Pastas --
Barilla Plus elbows with shrimp, orange and grapefruit segments, sliced black olives, peas, halved grape tomatoes and homemade citrus vinaigrette.

Barilla Plus penne with Chicken, carrots, celery, garlic, radishes and peas. Tossed with olive oil, thyme.

Plus Rotini, garlic, shrimp, onions, orange segments, cilantro, olive oil.

Plus Rotini cooled with fresh tomatoes, basil and grated parmesan. Served with grilled steak and fruit salad.

Whole grain cheese tortellini, garlic, onion, carrots peas, served with salmon.

Stir fry --
Baby bok choy, bamboo shoots, broccoli, carrots, onion, garlic, water chestnuts, mushrooms, scrambled egg.

Leftover chicken, garlic, onion, celery, carrots, peas in the pod, potatoes and corn.

Shrimp with broccoli and peas in the pod, garlic. Served with whole grain rice.

Salad --
Mixed salad greens with radishes, carrots, mango, blackberries and homemade balsamic dressing. Served with baked salmon.

Baby spinach with bacon, orange segments, red grapes, homemade citrus vinaigrette and feta, served with roasted potatoes.

It was all so Yum! I love the fresh produce available in Spring & Summer. We have been so busy & not able to get to the farmer's markets as much as I'd like -- but, hopefully more soon. Stay tuned....

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Props to Pops

The last time I posted, I noticed my dad (Pops to his grandkids) is a follower of this blog. I realized how much of an influence my dad has been on my cooking. He cooked quite a bit while I was growing up and I loved most of what I had. Watching and helping him, I learned to take risks and be adventurous when cooking. To try new combinations, new seasonings to see what comes of it. So, whether you are more artistic and inclined to the creative process or more scientific and inclined to the trial and error of experimentation, try new things, new foods, new ways to prepare, new seasonings. It is food for the soul.

As a kid, I remember my mom serving pickled beets. I hated them. Having never had beets any other way, I decided for many years that I hated beets. I decided recently to try them another way -- roasted. I was hesitant, even up to the point of sitting with them prepared on my plate, ready to be eaten. But I want to set an example to my kids of trying new things and of eating a variety of healthy food so I gave it a go. As it turns out, they are pretty good -- kind of sweet like carrots, with only a hint of flavor reminiscent of those pickled disks from when I was a kid. Definitely worth having again.

One day recently, we had only one hour between places to be, things to do. Seemed there was little option besides fast food. With some planning, I managed the little option. We had a picnic of fried chicken and veggie filled pasta salad. The weather didn't cooperate for eating at the nearby park, but we managed a healthy family dinner in the car.

Another day we had an asian treat with teriyaki chicken using a similar sauce to what I used on the salmon. I baked the chicken thighs at 425 for a while to get the chicken mostly cooked and the skin a little crispy so I could pour alot of the fat off. Then brushed on the sauce for the last 10 minutes of cooking. I served it with a stirfry of bok choy, carrots, onion, broccoli, mushrooms, garlic and whole grain thin spaghetti. Yum! You could add meat, cannelloni beans or tofu to the stirfry if you like. Add broth for a healthy soup.

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Like eating out, only better

One of my favorite restaurants is Ko Sho. They used to have teriyaki salmon, but last time I went, it was no longer on the menu. That's ok, they still have plenty of delicious food and I can make the salmon at home. Soy sauce, brown sugar, spicy brown mustard, garlic and pepper. Combine and pour over salmon. Bake at 450 for approx. 10 mins/inch of thickness, basting once or twice.

I wanted to expand our veggie tastes. I'm not a big fan of cooked greens, but thought I'd try something new. I made a frittata -- in oven-proof pan, saute onions and mushrooms in oil, add salt, pepper and garlic, then swiss chard until wilted. Add eggs beaten with milk or cream. Cook until almost set. Add grated Parmesan and fontina, bake at 400 until completely cooked. The entire family loved it! I added a side of salad greens with orange and grapefruit sections and citrus dressing -- citrus juice, spicy brown mustard, honey, salt, pepper and olive oil.

Another popular take out item, pizza. I made ours with a 100% whole grain Boboli crust, brush with olive oil, add lots of minced garlic, some salt & pepper. Add a layer of sliced zucchini, a little more salt & pepper. Bake 5 mins, add basil, oregano, sliced black olives, grated mozzarella and grated Romano. Bake 5-7 mins more. Yum!! Side salad of baby spinach with fresh pears and balsamic dressing -- balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, olive oil.

Benihana @ home -- more veggies, less show. I like to cook, but I have neither the equipment nor the talent of the grill chefs at Benihana. I sauted onions, mushrooms, zucchini in oil, salt & pepper. Added garlic, shrimp, pre-cooked whole grain rice and soy sauce.

We also love pasta. A couple we had recently:
Whole grain pasta shells, onions, broccolini, garbanzo beans, roasted red pepper, garlic, salt & pepper in olive oil, add Parmesan.

Sauted onion, asparagus, garlic, salt and pepper in olive oil. Add diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, shrimp and spaghetti. Top with Parmesan.

Some treats we've had recently:
Ricotta sweetened with a little honey, topped with fresh raspberries and a drizzle of chocolate.

Sparkling lemonade -- Simple syrup (sugar water), freshly squeezed lemon, sparkling water.

Grandma's mountain cobbler -- flour, sugar, milk and baking powder in a buttered baking dish. In a pan, heat fruit (we used fresh blueberries), sugar and flour. Pour into center of batter, don't stir or try to level. Bake about 30 mins at 375.

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Two at a Time

Well, it's been more than 2 (very busy) weeks since I posted last, so I'll give you some of the good stuff for 2 weeks this time.

We had a birthday party a few months ago and had one guest that is vegetarian. I wanted something easy to make and serve, as well as filling, for a group. I decided on veggie lasagna. After reading several recipes, I came up with my own. (As a side note, in addition to using recipes as suggestions for inspiration, I don't measure much unless I'm making jelly or pastries. For anything else, it's just according to what you have or what you like.)

In large pan, saute diced green pepper, onion and mushroom in olive oil until tender. Add minced garlic, 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can tomato sauce, basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, salt & pepper. Bring to a simmer. If you will be using this as spaghetti sauce, you can reduce it some. A little extra liquid will be ok for the lasagna. Thaw, dry and chop some frozen spinach, cook and chop some broccoli, combine the two. You could use thawed frozen peas too, if you like. Coat pan with non-stick spray. Layer sauce, no-boil lasagna noodles, ricotta, green veggies, grated Italian cheese, sauce...top layer: noodles, ricotta, sauce, Italian cheese. Bake covered at 375 for an hour, uncover and bake 5-10 minutes more. To save time on another day, make 2 at a time and freeze one.

Another day I combined onion, green pepper, broccoli, fresh pineapple, garlic, shrimp, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and served with curry mashed potatoes. Fast, easy and delicious. For a veggie version, try cubed tofu or garbanzo beans instead of shrimp.

One of our favorite super fast meals is salmon and asparagus. Drizzle salmon with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400 for 10 minutes/inch of thickness. If the fish is straight from the fridge, it might take longer, but it's a good idea to let it sit out a few minutes first. Drizzle asparagus with olive oil, salt, pepper and just the tiniest bit of sugar. I know, but you know what they say about a spoonful of sugar... and my family eats it even better than with hollandaise. Spread asparagus out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once fish is done, pop the asparagus in the oven, broil for 3-5 minutes, depending on how thick the stalks are. Nuke a little whole grain rice (what do you want, we're going for fast here). Dinner's done. Yum!

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More Frozen Finds

Last week we ate mostly from what we already had in the freezer and pantry.

To tell the truth (confession time), I had never made pie crust from scratch before, but it turned out great for the potato pie. I used yukon gold potatoes, dry thyme (because the fresh at the store looked kind of dried out anyhow), rosemary and marjoram. I added some mushrooms I had leftover from the pasta the week before and used a blend of grated cheese since Swiss isn't my favorite. I served it with a simple romaine salad. You could leave out the bacon and add roasted red pepper for a veggie version. This was very good and we had just enough leftover for lunch the next day.

One day was Dip Day. Since this was to be our dinner, I wanted to make it healthy too. I made an artichoke dip in a lower fat version (chopped artichokes, 1/3 cup mayo, 8oz cup non fat yogurt -- strained in a coffee filter to thicken it, 1 cup 2% milk Italian cheese blend, 1 tblsp lemon juice, salt & pepper). For protein, black bean hummus, except I used romaine ripped in ½ because it is much more nutritious and is already the right shape for wrapping. We also had veggies & grandma’s dill dressing (so much better than ranch) and sliced bananas (on sale) with chocolate ganache (using some of the cream leftover from pie).

For the herb crusted pork loin, I used less cumin a bit more cinnamon plus some cardamom for the rub. I used flat leaf parsley instead of cilantro and lemon instead of lime (I had for the dips anyhow). It was moist, flavorful, Yum! I served this with roasted fennel with grated cheese. Yeah, the family was not too fond of the fennel. I'll have to come up with another way to prepare it. For dessert -- roasted pears. I skipped the ice cream and added vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom to the brown sugar. I had just enough cream left for a dollop of whipped cream on each. I intentionally made twice as much pork as I would need to use for a second meal.

I made spaetzle with 1 cup of flour, 1 egg, and enough water to make a batter about as thick as brownie or cake batter, spread out like a thin layer of frosting on a board then slice strips and roll off with knife into hot water or stock. When they float to the top they're done. Toss with butter, salt, pepper and parsley. I just tossed them and butter into the pan I used to warm the thinly sliced leftover pork roast. I also made red cabbage and apples -- saute half a head of red cabbage thinly sliced, one granny smith apple sliced into thin wedges, a bay leaf (remove before serving), salt and pepper in butter until soft and wilty (about 20 minutes). Deglaze with stock and add a splash of apple cider vinegar and crumbled bacon. No leftovers, should have made more!

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Meals of Sales Past

This week I didn't purchase any meat so our meals centered around what I had purchased on sale and kept in the freezer.

One day we had fried tilapia with peas and roasted red potatoes. I combine 1 egg with a tablespoon or so of either lemon juice or rice vinegar and allow the fish to marinate for 10-20 minutes. Then directly from the egg bath, I dredge it in Andy's Fish coating (which is also a good coating for oven fried chicken) and fry in a small amount of oil for a few minutes on each side. We never have leftovers with this meal!

Another very busy day we had tuna salad with mini whole wheat bagels. Inspired by sushi roll, I packed the tuna salad with veggies to make a quick, easy, healthy meal. I mixed 2 envelopes of tuna with mayo, celery, diced onion, diced mango, diced avocado, minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt & pepper. Ok, so it was very different from the inspiration, but there was only a tiny bit leftover.

I like Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce, but saw a recipe I wanted to try. And it was Yum! 1 cup balsamic vinegar, 3/4 cup ketchup, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tblsp dijon mustard, 1 clove of garlic minced, salt & pepper. I didn't measure, but these are the measurements from Giada. She also included Worcestershire, but I didn't have any -- didn't really need it. Stir all ingredients into a saucepan and simmer until reduced by about 1/3. Baste seasoned meat and grill, continue basting every few minutes until done. I used chicken thighs. They are cheaper than breasts, more flavorful and juicier because they have a little more fat and also have more iron. Served with roasted broccoli sprinkled with grated cheese.

Because the package of chicken was so big, and of course I didn't separate it before putting it into my freezer, we had chicken on another night too -- oven fried. Chicken dredged in seasoned flour, egg then panko bread crumbs. I like to use paprika in addition to salt and pepper, but if you prefer, thyme, rosemary, marjarom, oregano...whatever, give it a try. Served with tender, sweet, caramelized roasted cauliflower.

In the mix there was a meatless pasta dish. The original recipe is here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/everyday-italian/rigatoni-with-creamy-mushroom-sauce-recipe/index.html. I used Barilla Plus penne instead of rigatoni, stock instead of white wine and sweet onion vs shallots. Mushrooms and onion were on sale, but the mascarpone was a splurge. Tasted wonderful!

There isn't much meat on the shopping list for this week either. Let's see what else we have in the freezer...

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Soup's On!

Here's the wrap up on our soup week last week.

The leftovers from the pasta e fagioli and tortellini were enough for 2 lunches for us. The tortellini tasted even better than it looked!

We had chicken noodle soup one day made with rotisserie chicken leftover from dinner the night before. Carrots, onion, celery and garilc sauteed until tender and onion is transparent. Add Chicken broth, diced cooked chicken, salt pepper and herbs (I used thyme and rosemary). Bring to a boil and add noodles, cook until noodles are tender. If you have leftover pasta &/or rice to add, just heat through. Another good addition -- Uncle Ben's Whole Grain Ready Rice -- it's not as good as cooking it yourself, but it is whole grains fast. If you have any left over peas, corn or whatever, try adding it. It's just soup, no rules.

Another night we had potato soup. I think the best potatoes for this are yellow or gold. They were on sale a week ago so I grabbed some. Carrots, celery, onion and garlic sauteed...you know by now. Add 1 qt broth and 2-3 medium potatoes diced, cook until potatoes are almost done. (Here's a trick I learned from Giada, and it's good!) Add in a cup or two of leftover salad greens, if you have some that will (or have just begun to) wilt before you use them. Cook 2-3 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk, salt, pepper and herbs -- I used thyme and rosemary. Heat through. Serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese and bacon crumbles. If you skip the bacon and use vegetable broth, you have a vegetarian dish.

I know alot of people avoid potatoes. Truthfully, like any other food, moderation is key. Potatoes have alot of Vit. C and some calcium. Sweet potatoes also have alot of Vit. A. Red skinned potatoes have a variety of B vitamins and some other minerals. They have fiber. Not to mention how well potatoes keep in a cool dry place. So, don't load them up with too much fat, and don't skip the potatoes.

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With Snow Comes Soup

Our family loves soup, especially when the weather is cold. Tonight we had pasta e fagioli, made with the leftover roast beef. It's pretty easy and very healthy. Though there are quite a few ingredients, they are all things I try to keep in the house anyhow.

1 cup each carrots, celery and onion all cut small and 2 cloves of chopped garlic. Saute in olive oil until tender and onion is transparent. Combine in large pot with 1 can (about 15 oz or so) each of tomatoes (diced, crushed...on sale this week @ Meijer), tomato sauce, kidney beans and great northern beans (on sale) and V8 juice. Also add 1 lb ground beef browned, 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, 1/2 tsp thyme, salt & pepper. Cook until thoroughly heated and not quite as thick as desired. Add 1/2 lb of elbow noodles cooked al dente. I like Barilla Plus. It has whole grains, extra protein and Omega 3s, but doesn't have the grit of 100% whole grain pasta. Sprinkle with Italian cheese. Yum!

To save money, or if you are a vegetarian, you can skip the meat. To get ahead on another meal, cook extra of the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Put some in the fridge to use for fried rice, meatloaf or toss with pasta. Tomorrow, we will be having Bertolli whole grain cheese tortellini (on sale) with asparagus (from the end of last week), olives (on sale) and shrimp (on sale...seeing a theme?) tossed with olive oil, garlic and herbs.

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With Gravy on Top

Last night's dinner was roast beef in the crockpot. I just chopped a few carrots and half a large sweet onion & put in the bottom. I seasoned and seared the roast (on sale this week) in the skillet, put that in and added some chopped garlic and some broth. Cooked it on low for 8 hours or so. The roast fell apart coming out of the crockpot it was so tender. Because I don't like what the crockpot does to veggies, especially potatoes, I made mashed potatoes the old-fashioned way. Small dice and they cook much faster. But I didn't waste the veg in the crockpot. I pureed those with just a little of the broth and it made a very delicious gravy. Healthier than regular gravy too, I bet. I tossed some carrots and asparagus (also on sale) with olive oil, salt, pepper and just a smidge of sugar and roasted in the oven, 400 degrees. These were good, but would have been better had I checked them sooner, they were a little overdone. An easy, healthy dinner nonetheless. I will make it again and try not to over-roast the veggies.

Oh, and the pork chop leftovers -- I cut the chop into bite size pieces and sauteed that, the leftover veggies and some pasta leftover from spaghetti night in the skillet. No extra seasoning required. With a side of diced mango (on sale), it was a perfect lunch for us! Yum!

Stay tuned for the fate of the leftover roast...

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New Family Favorite

This week, Meijer has boneless pork loin chops on sale. We tried this new recipe for Grilled Apple Brined Pork Chops and we all loved it! We had it with roasted little red potatoes (also on sale), sweet potato and broccoli, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, basil and rosemary. Put in a single layer on a baking sheet at 400 for about 35 minutes, depending on the size you chop the veggies. So Good! And even better....just enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

I brined the chops for 5-6 hours and used Montreal grill seasoning, our family's favorite.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/grilled-apple-brined-pork-chops-recipe/index.html

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Taking the plunge

My husband blogs, tweets and probably some other similar activities I don't know about. He truly enjoys that sort of communication. I, on the other hand, prefer face to face, one-on-one (or small group). I am a private person and don't even keep a written journal, preferring to keep most of my private thoughts just that, private. Besides, who really cares to hear or read what I have to say anyhow?

The afore mentioned hubby has asked me in the past about blogging. "No, not really interested." But, I have an idea that will allow me the opportunity to become part of this millennium without exposing more of myself than I want to.

Our family reviews our budget at the beginning of each year, usually finding the largest opportunity to save is eating out less often. This year is no exception. Busy schedules make eating out an easy, though not ideal, solution to the need to eat. Also, like many moms around the world, I do try to have my family eat healthy, well-balanced meals. I am known to now and then bring home an unusual fruit or vegetable for my family to try. However, fruits and vegetables are a difficult find when eating out, even at many sit-down restaurants.

I love to cook and asked for recipe software for Christmas to keep track all of the recipes I make up on the fly. Especially important if the family likes the meal! So, this year, I am resolved to plan and cook more meals at home, to help save our family some money and include a greater variety of fresh produce.

Quick and easy. Healthy and delicious. Inexpensive. Is that too much to ask? Join me on this expedition, if you like.

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