Memorial Day

This is our 2nd Memorial Day that we have taken the kids to Leemore to my husband's grandpa and grandma's gravesite. His grandpa was a career Navy man serving in 3 wars. We take flags so the kids can put them around his grave stone so they know who he was and what Memorial Day is about.



After Leemore we head to Hanford to Superior Dairy for sandwiches and ice cream!

Wow! That is a big ice cream sundae! Little man said his tummy hurt afterwards from eating too much ice cream!

Meal Plan Monday

Monday- Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Tuesday- Leftovers (have school)

Wednesday- Carne Asada Tacos with black bean salad

Thursday- Buttermilk pancakes, bacon and fruit (school again)

Friday- Out to dinner

Saturday- BBQ Chicken w/homemade BBQ sauce, herb-vinaigrette potato salad and homemade rolls

High Fructose Corn Syrup

The past 10 days or so I have not made myself anything with refined sugar and have been careful in reading food labels to try and avoid as much sugar as I can. There is one food label that I really ever read because I really never thought that the 3rd ingredient in Yoplait vanilla yogurt is high fructose corn syrup! What? I eat it everyday for breakfast! Change of plans for breakfast now. I have looked into making my own yogurt and it looks pretty easy, so I will be trying it out next week when I have time to watch it.

I have decided to really watch my refined sugar intake since I feel sooooo much better when I do not eat it. I think that is one of the foods that really affects me since I have had hypothyroidism and I have been trying different substitutes like Blue Agave. That does not mean that I will not have ice cream at Superior Dairy on Monday, but if I can live 90% of the week like this I know I will feel a lot better and my tummy will look better too!

Note to self: Always read food labels even if you think it is good for you. Also, I was reading a label for a hot tea I was drinking while I was sick and that had soy in it.....really....soy? Also, one other thing I should not have too much of. It seems everything has soy in it. If you have a thyroid issue or it runs in the family you should avoid soy. Soy is not your thyroids friend.

Just had to vent a little about the stuff they put in foods. Have a great Memorial weekend!

Huevos "Ranch"eros

It was really good. I put the chips on the bottom of the plate and placed cheese on top of the chips and covered them with the ranchero sauce. The sauce melted the cheese and the chips got a little soft with the sauce so you could eat them with a fork. I made my eggs scrambled and hubbies over medium. I really enjoy my Food Network Magazine because it has tons of different recipes like this one.

I sprinkled the eggs with Chipotle hot sauce (my in-laws bought me this sauce in Arizona and I love it).

This is what the sauce looks like after you puree it.

The homemade tortilla chips with ranch mix sprinkled over them was very good, different but tasty.

Ingredients
For the Chips:
Vegetable oil, for frying
8 corn tortillas, each cut into 8 wedges
1 1-ounce packet ranch dressing mix
For the Sauce:
5 plum tomatoes
1/2 medium white onion
5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 to 2 chipotles in adobo sauce
1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the Eggs:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 large eggs
1 avocado, halved, pitted and sliced
Fresh cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese, for topping (optional)
Directions
Make the chips: Heat 3/4 inch vegetable oil in a pot over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F. Fry the tortillas in batches until golden, about 1 minute. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon dressing mix.

Make the sauce: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes, onion and garlic and cook, turning, until the vegetables are charred, 5 to 7 minutes. Squeeze the garlic from its skin and cut the onion and tomatoes into chunks. Transfer to a blender; pulse with remaining dressing mix (about 2 tablespoons), the chipotles and half of the beans until smooth.

Heat the olive oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the pureed mixture and the remaining beans and cook until thick, about 5 minutes. Keep warm.

Make the eggs: Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the eggs in batches until the whites are set, adding more butter as needed. Divide the sauce among shallow bowls; top each serving with 2 eggs, some ranch chips and avocado. Sprinkle with cilantro and cheese, if desired.

Oatmeal Cake

Recipe:

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp boiling water
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup Blue Agave
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9" round cake pan or square cake pan and lightly flour.
2. Pour boiling water over oatmeal and butter and let mixture sit for 20 minutes.
3. Sift dry ingredients together.
4. Right before the 20 minutes is up, beat together the egg, blue agave and vanilla.
5. Add wet mixture to the oatmeal then stir dry ingredients in.
6. Pour into your cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

I served mine as you can see with strawberries and homemade whipped cream. I just added 1 tbsp blue agave and 1/2 tsp of vanilla to heavy whipping cream and put the mixer on high. It was very moist!

2nd Batch of Granola Bars

Are even better!

I made this batch with craisins, coconut, almonds and honey as the sweetner.

I used the recipe I posted below but added the coconut and switched our honey for blue agave. I only used one egg white so they are crumbly, so I know to use 2 eggs whites when I make them. The coconut gave them a little sweeter taste and the craisins were nice and sweet too.

What's Next:
Healthy version of an oatmeal cake. It is in the oven baking right now. I am going to top it tonight with strawberries and I am going to make my own whipped cream using blue agave...yum...yum!
(I get so much done when both kids are asleep)!

Granola Bars from Scratch

I bought Blue Agave at Costco and you can buy it at Trader Joe's as well.

This is the granola recipe I posted last week. I really like it over my vanilla yogurt in the morning. I will make this about once a week to have for breakfast.

Granola Bars

Recipe:
Here is a basic recipe for granola and granola bars that you can modify to your taste. If you want more fiber and protein and less sweet, use with more nuts and seeds and little or no fruit. If you want a sweeter granola, add more dried fruits and fewer nuts and even more sweetener to taste. This recipe has no added fat and can be fat-free if nuts are omitted.

Some tips:

If you want loose granola, spread the mixture out on a cookie sheet and stir every 5 minutes or so.
If you want granola bars, pack the mixture into a loaf pan and cut into bars as soon as you remove the pan from the oven.
BE SURE TO LINE THE PAN WITH PARCHMENT PAPER--GRANOLA WILL STICK TO THE PAN.
Dry sweeteners will make a crunchier granola; liquid sweeteners make a softer granola bar.
One egg white gives more crunch but doesn't hold together as well; two egg whites hold together fine, but makes a softer bar.
If you find that the dried fruit burns, make the granola without the fruit and mix it in after the granola is baked.

For my test recipe I used rolled oats, almonds, raisins, blue agave, cinnamon and vanilla, in the proportions given in the recipe, plus two egg white. It was delicious.

1 cup grains
1/2 cup nuts and seeds
1/4 cup dried fruits (or more nuts)
1 tablespoon sweetener
1/4 teaspoon spices
1/4 teaspoon flavoring
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 or 2 egg whites, beaten until foamy


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all of the ingredients together except for the egg whites.
Whisk the egg whites until foamy or even until soft peaks form--the more volume you have the better you will be able to distribute the egg white through the other ingredients.
Mix the beaten egg whites with the dry ingredients until well incorporated.
FOR GRANOLA: Spread the mixture out on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
FOR BARS: Press the mixture into a parchment-lined loaf pan.
Bake for 20-30 minutes. Stir the granola about every 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cut granola bars to desired size and shape.



I found THIS website that has lots of recipes using substitute sweetners.

Life

This past week was a little rough. We started the week with hubby getting sick, then I got sick and had to go to school Tuesday and Thursday night. Little man got sick on Wednesday night then we had our annual yard sale to get ready for. Now that the yard sale is over, hubby now has a sore throat! It did not help that it was cold and windy out this morning.

I think the only thing I cooked off my meal plan were the burgers on Monday and we ate pizza and left overs all week! I did not have the energy and no one was very hungry anyways. Here is to looking at a better week and hopefully I will get to all the food sitting in my frig waiting to be cooked!

My new food adventure to to find recipes with no white sugar, using blue agave or honey as substitutes and to cook with more whole grains. We will have to see where this is going, because I don't know yet. Maybe a bread machine? Maybe grinding my own whole wheat flour? Hmmmmmm....I just don't know.

Meal Plan Monday

Monday- Chipotle Corn Burgers with corn salsa

Tuesday- Beef Stroganoff with whole wheat pasta

Wednesday- Huevos Rancheros with homemade chips and guacamole
(I will post this recipe and pictures).

Thursday- Slow-Cooker Brisket sammies with apple coleslaw
(Going to freeze the leftovers to make shredded beef tacos another night).

Friday- Out to dinner and getting ready for our annual yard sale.

Saturday- Leftovers

I usually do not make this much red meat in one week, but I wanted to try some new recipes and freeze some meat as well. I start school this week and want to have some leftovers and extra meat for quick meals if need be.

Healthy Granola

I added a new site to my blog list, broccoli cupcake. She has taken all processed foods out of her families diet and shows you how you can to. I do not think I will go that far, but I would like to make more low or no processed sugar snacks for my kids and myself. Here is one recipe I want to try. I will post pics and how I think they taste once I make them.

Recipe:

In a blender or food processor mix 1 ½ cups uncooked oatmeal, 2 tablespoons of blackstrap molasses, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 cup walnuts or almonds and ½ cup or dried fruit – I like cranberries. Blend until well mixed then form into bars on a baking sheet coated with a little bit of coconut oil. Bake at 200 for approximately 3 hours. The molasses and cinnamon make these a sweet, healthy treat perfect for breakfast on the go or in place of a granola bar as an afternoon snack.

Caramel-Peanut Butter Brownies

These are sooooo easy to make and they turned out sooooo good! The Nutter Butter cookies on top made the brownie.

Ingredients:

1 Box brownie mix
1/2 jar caramel sauce
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup water
2 Nutter Butter cookies

Place 1/2 jar of caramel sauce in the microwave for 20 seconds. Add to a 1/2 cup of peanut butter and mix well. Make the brownie mix and pour 1/2 the mixture in a 8X8 pan (I put foil on the bottom of my pan and sprayed with Pam). Take 1 tbsp scoops of the peanut butter caramel mixture and place through out the brownie mixture. Top with the rest of the brownie mix and swirl the peanut butter caramel mixture around with a knife. Smash 2 or 3 Nutter Butter cookies up and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degree for 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Wheat Germ

What is wheat germ?

Wheat germ is very high in protein. It contains around 28 percent protein and has more protein than can be found in most meat products. The human body needs protein in order to repair tissue damage and to help minerals and nutrients reach our cells.

The amount of nutrients that are contained within wheat germ seems endless. It contains more potassium and iron than any other food source. Also found in great quantities are riboflavin, calcium, zinc magnesium and vitamins A, B1 and B3. Vitamins B1 and 3 are very important to maintain energy levels and maintain healthy muscles, organs, hair and skin.

Another important vitamin found in wheat germ is vitamin E. Vitamin E is a very important antioxidant. It is helpful in preventing the body's aging process and also to prevent heart disease. Vitamin E also helps to prevent blood clots and is needed to strengthen the body’s immune system.

Wheat germ has been found to be very beneficial in order to keep the body in tip top condition. It is used by athletes in their diet to improve cardiovascular function and improve endurance levels. Body builders will also add wheat germ to their diets in order to bulk up and maintain the nutritional levels they need to perform.

You can buy wheat germ from all good health stores and many supermarkets will carry it as well. It can either be purchased in toasted or fresh form. There are also many food products that already contain wheat germ. A number of cereals are made with it, as well as bread and flour.

If you make your own bread or cakes you can easily add wheat germ when baking by using it instead of a small amount of flour. You will find that it has a sweet, almost nutty flavor that is not too overpowering. It can also be added to meat dishes, eggs, vegetables and even yogurt.

How I use it:

Anytime I make pancakes or waffles I put about a 1/2 cup in my batter and add a little more milk or less batter. You can't taste it and I know that my kids are getting some protein and vitamins in their breakfast. As it states you can add it into almost anything. I prefer it in products that I bake or use flour in.

Tri-tip tacos

Last night I made tri-tip tacos with the left over tri-tip from Mother's Day. I cubed the tri-tip and put it in a pan and added sliced onions on top and a 1/2 cup of water to the pan. I put it in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes to heat up.

On the side I made the black bean salad that I posted recently and homemade salsa. It was so fast, easy and good! This is great to make with left over tri-tip. You put the black bean salad in the taco and it makes the tri-tip taste like a new meal!

Salsa Recipe:

4 dried chili de arbol chili's
1 pound plum tomatoes
1/2 white onion
1/2 tsp mexican oregano
1 lime
1 clove garlic
cilantro (however much you like)
salt to taste

1. Stem your chili's and take out some of the seeds. Roast them in a pan on medium heat for 2 minutes. Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over them, turn off the heat and cover for 15 minutes.
2. Slice your tomatoes in half and sprinkle with olive oil and salt. Grill your tomatoes until charred and place in a food processor.
3. Cut up your onion and mince your garlic and add it in the food processor with the rest of the ingredients.
4. I add in half of the water and chili's and pulse. I taste the salsa to see if it needs salt or another chili. Sometimes I add all the chili's, sometimes I add 3 depending on the heat. If the tomatoes are really juicy, you will not need to add all the water.
5. Let it rest for at least an hour so all the flavors come together.

Meal Plan Monday

Monday- Turkey Burgers with corn on the cobb

Tuesday- Tri-tip tacos (my father-n-law gave us a whole tri-tip from Mother's Day lunch)w/ black bean salsa

Wednesday- Chicken marsala w/green salad

Thursday- BLT sandwiches with pasta salad

Friday- Out to dinner

Sugar Snap Peas

I highly recommend buying them at the Farmer's Market. They were so good and fresh.

Recipe:
A bunch of sugar snap peas ends trimmed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 shallot chopped
1 tsp of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the sugar snap peas in a bowl and combine all the ingredients together coating the peas. Place in a shallow pan and cook for 8-10 minutes.

I served them over rice and made a dipping sauce that was perfect over it.

Dipping Sauce:

2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp brown sugar
Splash of sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
green onion optional

Mix together and let it sit at least 10 minutes. Great with pot stickers and the sugar snap peas.

Lemon-Blueberry Bundt Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Cool Time: 1 hour
Yield: Serves 12
Cost per Serving: $0.82


Ingredients
Cake:
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup buttermilk
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
4 large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups blueberries

Glaze:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon buttermilk
2 to 4 Tbsp. lemon juice

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan with melted butter, add a few tablespoons of flour and rotate pan to evenly coat, tapping out excess.

2. Sift 3 cups flour with baking powder and salt into a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, vanilla and buttermilk.

3. In a second large bowl, beat butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Add about 1/4 of flour mixture, followed by 1/4 of buttermilk mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Repeat, alternating dry and liquid ingredients, until batter is thoroughly combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Transfer batter to pan, spreading evenly.

4. Bake until a tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then unmold cake.

5. Make glaze: Mix confectioners' sugar, buttermilk and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice in a bowl, stirring until smooth. Glaze should be pourable; if it's too thick, add lemon juice, 1 tsp. at a time, until it reaches desired consistency. Pour half of glaze over warm cake. Let cool for 1 hour, then pour remaining glaze over cake and serve.

Black Bean Corn Salad

I saw this recipe on Faithful Provisions Blog and I want to make it. I am posting it here so I will remember.


This is the picture Kelly has with the recipe, looks yummy!

Black Bean Corn Salad
1-2 pint sgrape tomatoes, halved
1 pkg frozen shoe peg corn (or any other corn)
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3 green onions, chopped (whites and greens) - or red onion
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno peppers, seeded (1-2 peppers)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
2 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2-inch diced
Place the tomatoes, black beans, green onion, cilantro and jalapeno peppers in a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper and pour over the vegetables. Toss well.

Add avocado as you eat. This way you can keep it in the fridge as long as you want without the avocados turning brown.

This tastes best the next day!

Meal Plan Monday..okay Tuesday!

Monday- Broccoli Beef with Brown rice

Tuesday- BBQ salmon, baked potatoes and green salad

Wednesday- Sausage, pilaf, hummus and flat bread with veggies

Thursday-Crispy pork chops with pot stickers

Friday-Out to dinner

Saturday-BBQ chicken sandwiches with corn on the cobb

Sunday-Tri-tip and salads for Mother's Day at the in-laws. I'm making a broccoli salad.

Pampered Chef Giveaway on Faithful Provisions

Pampered Chef Trifle Bowl Giveaway
by Kelly on May 2, 2010

Go HERE to enter.

I am so excited about this one! Did you get to checkout my post this week by Lynn's Kitchen Adventures on Food Presentation Using a Trifle Bowl? If not, you should see all her great uses for a trifle bowl and she has some great recipes too.

Well, Pampered Chef has offered 3 to giveaway to my readers! Below is a description of it for you, or you can see it on the Pampered Chef website.

Description: Great for salads, desserts and centerpieces! Straight glass walls show off your recipes elegantly. A unique, removable stem helps you easily and conveniently transport, refrigerate and store the bowl. Unlike most trifle bowls, ours has a flat bottom that keeps layers from sinking in the center. The generous 15-cup capacity provides extra room to leave decorative borders and toppings untouched when you use the plastic lid. Dishwasher-safe.

If you would like to place an order, please contact Amanda Adams (Shoresadams@comcast.net).

========================
GIVEAWAY DETAILS
Pampered Chef is offering 3 Trifle Bowls to randomly selected winners. I will announce the winners on Thursday, May 6, 2010.

Faithful Provisions Giveaway Disclosure: Pampered Chef sponsored this giveaway by providing me with one trifle bowl and three to give away to randomly selected winners. For more information about Faithful Provisions, please read my Disclosure Policy.

The Battle of Mount Cupcake

I had fun making little man's cake. I did not have a plan, it kind of evolved and little man liked it. I used my cupcake pan that I love now (I have lots of ideas).

Little man blowing out his birthday candles.

These are the cupcakes I made for his preschool class. Little man said that they were beautiful!