Generally when you buy a sack of flour or sugar, there is a recipe for cookies or pies or something tasty on the back. I've had success with label recipes twice- the Toll House cookie recipe (yes, even turned GF!) and the Libby's pumpkin pie recipe. Nick picked up a little bag of Trader's Joe's brand GF All-Purpose Flour last week for somewhere around $2. So after my class- the one that brain fries me from 8am to 2pm- I decided I needed some kitchen therapy. Unsure of what to do, I turned to the recipe on the back of the flour package. The recipe is for muffins sweetened with agave syrup and apple sauce. I am not going to lie, I thought it would be awful.
The recipe needed two of the little single-servings of applesauce, and I had one regular and one blueberry. I used both of those and added frozen blueberries. The muffins turned out really well- sweet enough, moist, fluffy. I enjoyed them. My husband enjoyed them. I brought a few to my chiropractor, who also liked them. Let's just say, I will most definitely be making these again!
On another note, I am always bothered by parents who allow their kids to be ridiculously picky about food. "They only eat chicken fingers and pineapple." "She just won't eat it!" Really? Because when my father was a child, they ate war rations. They didn't starve, but they ate things that do not sound appealing to me- chicken livers, bitter greens. Anyway, here is a blogger who sums it up quite well.
http://spoonfedblog.net/2011/02/23/want-kids-to-eat-better-stop-calling-them-picky-eaters/
Off to conquer the world...
(or just my midterm)
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Smoothie-licious
I really like fruit, but for some reason just can't seem to eat it before it goes bad when its in my fridge. In college I made smoothies in the morning, but had sort of written that breakfast choice off. It just so happened that I was thinking about those smoothie-making days when I lived just outside the city and commuted to nursing school every day. I would make a smoothie and take it with me as I ran out the door. In some ways, I find my mornings similar. This semester I am working 2 12-hour shifts, doing 2 8-hour days of clinical, attending class on Thursdays from 0800-1400, and using the two days left over to do laundry, zumba, and study.
Thankfully, I discovered Trader Joe's hemp protein. I've enjoyed it quite a bit in my quick-and-yummy breakfast smoothies. To use a phrase of my mother's, rice protein just "doesn't with me." Whey protein is dairy-based, which I generally try to stay away from. Since I cannot eat soy, I don't have too many protein powder options left over. I have been living my college days in the morning, whirring through the house at early hours, hungry. I make smoothies on most week day mornings, and find that adding the hemp protein to my smoothies is filling and has staying power.
Often, I just put random combinations of the fruit in my fridge together in the blender with a bit of almond milk and hemp protein and call it breakfast. Over the holiday, my sister-in-law talked about doing this Dr. Oz 3-day cleanse thing with her friends. (Why my sister-in-law, who grows much of her own produce and has a 6-pack of abs is doing a 3-day cleanse is a topic for another post.) Though I eat very clean, I thought I might just try it out the on the 30th for just one day. Why just one day, you ask. To be honest, I wasn't sure I would be successful if I was starving at work- hangry nurses are not nice nurses. My one-day cleanse went well, and I was never hungry. Dr. Oz put out some good ideas. I have been making the smoothies from the cleanse for breakfast, but cutting the recipes in half and adding a touch of hemp protein.
You should check it out:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-ozs-3-day-detox-cleanse-one-sheet
Thankfully, I discovered Trader Joe's hemp protein. I've enjoyed it quite a bit in my quick-and-yummy breakfast smoothies. To use a phrase of my mother's, rice protein just "doesn't with me." Whey protein is dairy-based, which I generally try to stay away from. Since I cannot eat soy, I don't have too many protein powder options left over. I have been living my college days in the morning, whirring through the house at early hours, hungry. I make smoothies on most week day mornings, and find that adding the hemp protein to my smoothies is filling and has staying power.
Often, I just put random combinations of the fruit in my fridge together in the blender with a bit of almond milk and hemp protein and call it breakfast. Over the holiday, my sister-in-law talked about doing this Dr. Oz 3-day cleanse thing with her friends. (Why my sister-in-law, who grows much of her own produce and has a 6-pack of abs is doing a 3-day cleanse is a topic for another post.) Though I eat very clean, I thought I might just try it out the on the 30th for just one day. Why just one day, you ask. To be honest, I wasn't sure I would be successful if I was starving at work- hangry nurses are not nice nurses. My one-day cleanse went well, and I was never hungry. Dr. Oz put out some good ideas. I have been making the smoothies from the cleanse for breakfast, but cutting the recipes in half and adding a touch of hemp protein.
You should check it out:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dr-ozs-3-day-detox-cleanse-one-sheet
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Dal
Despite the never-ending supply of soda, my mother ensured we ate a healthy diet. "Sugar cereals," like Trix, Fruity Pebbles, Smacks, were forbidden. You would never find a loaf of white bread in our house. We ate oatmeal for breakfast, in cookies, and added to turkey burgers. My mother made omelets with wheat germ, taboleh, cous cous, and lentils. My father made an amazing pea soup and killer pumpkin pie. One of my favorite memories of having my sister and mother together when I was young involved the two of them tinkering around in the kitchen and making banana and zucchini bread.
I enjoyed little rebellions when I was away from our home. At Ryan and J.J.'s house nextdoor I enjoyed peanut butter and Fluff sandwiches. Two doors up, Sarah and Shauna's mom made Kool-Aid. Lindsay and I ordered pizza to my house one day in the eighth grade- something I had never, ever done. We gorged on it and then laughed at each other's root beer-induced burps. In high school I would make sandwiches for lunch off of the salad and sandwich bar in the cafeteria with white bread, drank a Coke almost every morning of my Senior year, and enjoyed doughnuts almost every Friday. My freshman year of college, my roommate and I enjoyed late-night trips to the campus convenience store to pick up boxes of Count Chocula and beef jerkey. One thing remained the same: I still loved my mother's middle-Eastern inspired foods.
When my sister moved to the DR (the first time), she had a part-time maid who cooked for her once or twice a week. Despite having no idea what they were, she made amazing lentils. Each time I tried to make them, the lentils still had hard centers. My friend Deb makes an amazing lentil soup with smoked turkey in it. My attempt had not-so-good, hard results. This summer my sister left bags of different types of lentils and ingredients for dal for me to experiment with. I failed one bean-making attempt since them. (The dal was just flavorless and slightly hard.) I decided to try again, using my slowcooker. I found a recipe that matched one of the bag of dal I had opened, and went to town. They actually turned out! Here is what I did:
1. I stuck the beans in a pot of water and brought them to a boil. After skimming them, I let them sit there over night.
2. I put the dal and ingredients in the slowcooker according to this recipe.
3. After cooking the dal on high for four hours, the dal still had a lot of liquid in it. So, I turned it down to warm and left it over night.
I enjoyed little rebellions when I was away from our home. At Ryan and J.J.'s house nextdoor I enjoyed peanut butter and Fluff sandwiches. Two doors up, Sarah and Shauna's mom made Kool-Aid. Lindsay and I ordered pizza to my house one day in the eighth grade- something I had never, ever done. We gorged on it and then laughed at each other's root beer-induced burps. In high school I would make sandwiches for lunch off of the salad and sandwich bar in the cafeteria with white bread, drank a Coke almost every morning of my Senior year, and enjoyed doughnuts almost every Friday. My freshman year of college, my roommate and I enjoyed late-night trips to the campus convenience store to pick up boxes of Count Chocula and beef jerkey. One thing remained the same: I still loved my mother's middle-Eastern inspired foods.
When my sister moved to the DR (the first time), she had a part-time maid who cooked for her once or twice a week. Despite having no idea what they were, she made amazing lentils. Each time I tried to make them, the lentils still had hard centers. My friend Deb makes an amazing lentil soup with smoked turkey in it. My attempt had not-so-good, hard results. This summer my sister left bags of different types of lentils and ingredients for dal for me to experiment with. I failed one bean-making attempt since them. (The dal was just flavorless and slightly hard.) I decided to try again, using my slowcooker. I found a recipe that matched one of the bag of dal I had opened, and went to town. They actually turned out! Here is what I did:
1. I stuck the beans in a pot of water and brought them to a boil. After skimming them, I let them sit there over night.
2. I put the dal and ingredients in the slowcooker according to this recipe.
3. After cooking the dal on high for four hours, the dal still had a lot of liquid in it. So, I turned it down to warm and left it over night.
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Arrrrrrgh! Me blog is the spoil of the grad school invasion!
Enough of that.
The dust has once again settled after the semester. It was so serious that I had to do the deep clean the week after finals. Besides dust, dog hair, and wadded up pieces of papers, I had the flu. Yes, the real flu. I had a flu shot, per work requirements. I contracted this nasty disease after a patient coughed in my face while I was doing her physical exam during clinical. Sharing, in this case, is not caring. I was innocently sitting in class on Thursday after giving our final group presentation for research (the day after my health assessment final), when my body started aching. By the time I got home, I had a fever, severe chills, sore throat, headache, and could count the hairs on my head.
All I wanted the day following the onset of the plague was soup. And my favorite blanket. And my dog. The problem was I didn't really feel like eating. Eventually, I threw some things in the old standby crock pot and tried to re-make our healthy award-winning chili from the chili cookoff at work. Once I got to the end, I realized I didn't have any chili powder. So when you go to make this heart-warming, stomach-filling stuff, my recommendation is to check the spice cabinet first.
1 package of ground turkey meat (about 1 pound)
1 big can + 1 little can of crushed tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 cup water
1 16-ounce can dark red kidney beans
1 16-ounce can garbanzo beans
1 16-ounce can pinto beans
1-2 cloves of garlic (deending on how you are feeling)
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
EVOO
1. Heat about 1 tablespoon EVOO in a large pot over medium heat. Add the turkey to the pot and cook until the turkey is brown. Break up the turkey as it cooks with a wooden spoon. Stir in the onion and cook it until its tender (but not limp).
2. Pour water into the pot. Add in the tomatoes, beans, garlic, and spices. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for thirty minutes. -OR- Bring to a boil, plop in a crock pot, and cook on low until you can't resist the amazing smell anymore.
Enough of that.
 | |
| the view from my seat at the desk |
All I wanted the day following the onset of the plague was soup. And my favorite blanket. And my dog. The problem was I didn't really feel like eating. Eventually, I threw some things in the old standby crock pot and tried to re-make our healthy award-winning chili from the chili cookoff at work. Once I got to the end, I realized I didn't have any chili powder. So when you go to make this heart-warming, stomach-filling stuff, my recommendation is to check the spice cabinet first.
Some Really Good Turkey Chili
1 package of ground turkey meat (about 1 pound)
1 big can + 1 little can of crushed tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 cup water
1 16-ounce can dark red kidney beans
1 16-ounce can garbanzo beans
1 16-ounce can pinto beans
1-2 cloves of garlic (deending on how you are feeling)
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
EVOO
1. Heat about 1 tablespoon EVOO in a large pot over medium heat. Add the turkey to the pot and cook until the turkey is brown. Break up the turkey as it cooks with a wooden spoon. Stir in the onion and cook it until its tender (but not limp).
2. Pour water into the pot. Add in the tomatoes, beans, garlic, and spices. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for thirty minutes. -OR- Bring to a boil, plop in a crock pot, and cook on low until you can't resist the amazing smell anymore.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Willy's at GSU
I feel like Georgia State is much cooler now that we have a Waffle House and a Willy's in the bottom of the new science building. Willy's didn't have the GF info posted (or not posted where I could easily find it), so I emailed them. Here is their response:
"Thank you for your interest in Willy's! Willy's prepares fresh food items
in its restaurants daily and has made adjustments to its recipes to be MSG
and gluten free.
With the exception of the flour tortillas and our cookies, everything on our
menu is now gluten free.
However, it is possible that cross-contamination can occur from the
tortillas used in the steamer and on the cutting boards. To help prevent
cross-contamination, please tell the manager that you are ordering a gluten
free meal and ask that they change gloves before handling your food. There
is a high risk of cross-contamination from the steamers, some utensils and
the gloves if they are not changed prior to making a gluten free item they
use at the counter.
We hope this is helpful and you'll keep coming back to Willy's!"
...and now I am full of burrito bowl and very happy. :)
"Thank you for your interest in Willy's! Willy's prepares fresh food items
in its restaurants daily and has made adjustments to its recipes to be MSG
and gluten free.
With the exception of the flour tortillas and our cookies, everything on our
menu is now gluten free.
However, it is possible that cross-contamination can occur from the
tortillas used in the steamer and on the cutting boards. To help prevent
cross-contamination, please tell the manager that you are ordering a gluten
free meal and ask that they change gloves before handling your food. There
is a high risk of cross-contamination from the steamers, some utensils and
the gloves if they are not changed prior to making a gluten free item they
use at the counter.
We hope this is helpful and you'll keep coming back to Willy's!"
...and now I am full of burrito bowl and very happy. :)
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Christmas
We all have holiday traditions in our families. Some are things we as individuals due during a holiday; some are activities we do as groups. I like to start December off by reading David Sedaris' essay "Six to Eight Black Men." David's essay is one of my all-time favorites out of his library of humor. While the story makes me laugh, it reminds me of the quirks of cultural holiday traditions. I do find it a bit odd that the Christmas celebrators all cut forests worth of pine trees down to decorate and decompose in our living rooms over the holiday. And the idea that Christmas involves the economy.
Call me a cynic, but I wholeheartedly despise two pre-Christmas traditions. The first is laying out Christmas decor in stores before fall semester starts. All that is pointing to is commercialism, something I will address later. My second pet peeve is playing of Christmas music before Thanksgiving. Let's be real. Usually the music is used to get people into "the Spirit." Funny how I only hear Christmas music before Thanksgiving in stores, who are relying on this spirited music to get people to spend money. Thanksgiving is both my favorite meal all year and a day to give thanks- it should not fall in the shadows of Christmas.
Let's address the commercial aspect of Christmas. When Jesus was born, he was supposed to bring people closer to God. The Three Wise Mens' gifts to Baby Jesus lead to current traditions of gift giving. Society has made gift giving into a huge ordeal that involves stress, guilt, and large bursts of economic activity. So is gift giving wrong? No. I just believe giving should be within reason. I believe the focus of Christmas should be on community, family, sharing, love, and closeness with God.
You may be stunned after reading the above that I not totally hard-hearted. My favorite memories as a child involved the night when my sister would come home. My parents and us kids would spend time making ornaments from hand-made dough, baking them, and then painting them when they cooled. Often, we would enjoy loves of bread made from various members of the squash family that my mother or sister had made. There was laughter. Nobody had a knock-down, drag-out fight, and, most importantly, we all were together. As a family. That was as close as we would ever come to a vintage magazine add perfect day. Now that I am an adult with a mortgage to pay, its time to make my own Christmas traditions with my husband. I hope that once we have kids, ornament making over pumpkin bread with be involved in the mix.
My husband, an electrical engineer, has lit up the condo with lots of fun colored lights. We drive through the neighborhood looking at other homes and their light displays. His childhood in CT involved whole neighborhood participation, and he is always upset to see people without "the spirit." It seems like a silly tradition, lighting up your house, but I love it. The tackier the better. I love the absurd displays of giant mangers and blow up arctic friends in people's yards. Yes, its fun for the kids to look at, but I think it helps adults get in touch with their memories of childhood Christmas magic.
I set up our four foot tall fake tree this year, hung the stockings, and wrapped the gifts. I love wrapping gifts. Its fun. What I love more is seeing the surprise when my family opens their gifts. In my husband's family, the adults all draw names and buy for one person. We have a spending minimum. This is an idea I tried for years to get my family to do, because its much less stressful. This tradition also lets us all save money for traveling to see each other and to focus on the kids. Christmas for kids is so magical. Some eternally living saint drops down the chimney (or finds a random way in) tom homes and leaves surprises? Yup. Its crazy and fun. The magic for the adults, I think, is seeing the happiness on the kids faces when they open their presents.
Call me a cynic, but I wholeheartedly despise two pre-Christmas traditions. The first is laying out Christmas decor in stores before fall semester starts. All that is pointing to is commercialism, something I will address later. My second pet peeve is playing of Christmas music before Thanksgiving. Let's be real. Usually the music is used to get people into "the Spirit." Funny how I only hear Christmas music before Thanksgiving in stores, who are relying on this spirited music to get people to spend money. Thanksgiving is both my favorite meal all year and a day to give thanks- it should not fall in the shadows of Christmas.
Let's address the commercial aspect of Christmas. When Jesus was born, he was supposed to bring people closer to God. The Three Wise Mens' gifts to Baby Jesus lead to current traditions of gift giving. Society has made gift giving into a huge ordeal that involves stress, guilt, and large bursts of economic activity. So is gift giving wrong? No. I just believe giving should be within reason. I believe the focus of Christmas should be on community, family, sharing, love, and closeness with God.
You may be stunned after reading the above that I not totally hard-hearted. My favorite memories as a child involved the night when my sister would come home. My parents and us kids would spend time making ornaments from hand-made dough, baking them, and then painting them when they cooled. Often, we would enjoy loves of bread made from various members of the squash family that my mother or sister had made. There was laughter. Nobody had a knock-down, drag-out fight, and, most importantly, we all were together. As a family. That was as close as we would ever come to a vintage magazine add perfect day. Now that I am an adult with a mortgage to pay, its time to make my own Christmas traditions with my husband. I hope that once we have kids, ornament making over pumpkin bread with be involved in the mix.
My husband, an electrical engineer, has lit up the condo with lots of fun colored lights. We drive through the neighborhood looking at other homes and their light displays. His childhood in CT involved whole neighborhood participation, and he is always upset to see people without "the spirit." It seems like a silly tradition, lighting up your house, but I love it. The tackier the better. I love the absurd displays of giant mangers and blow up arctic friends in people's yards. Yes, its fun for the kids to look at, but I think it helps adults get in touch with their memories of childhood Christmas magic.
I set up our four foot tall fake tree this year, hung the stockings, and wrapped the gifts. I love wrapping gifts. Its fun. What I love more is seeing the surprise when my family opens their gifts. In my husband's family, the adults all draw names and buy for one person. We have a spending minimum. This is an idea I tried for years to get my family to do, because its much less stressful. This tradition also lets us all save money for traveling to see each other and to focus on the kids. Christmas for kids is so magical. Some eternally living saint drops down the chimney (or finds a random way in) tom homes and leaves surprises? Yup. Its crazy and fun. The magic for the adults, I think, is seeing the happiness on the kids faces when they open their presents.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)