Millet, Carrots and Kale

Odin enjoyed this meal so much he showed us his sign for "more" for the very first time! What a brilliant boy we have. :) I made the millet using this same process I've blogged about before. The carrots were roasted at 400 degrees for 30 minutes with olive oil and salt. The kale was chopped and added to the carrots to roast for the last 8 minutes. Pureed some of the veggies for Odin to enjoy with his millet, while the rest of us threw the veggies into our burritos. Enjoy! Odin did.

Thoughts on a CSA box

It's CSA season again, and I could not be happier. Every Thursday, we are gifted with an amazing box jam-packed with fresh, beautiful vegetables from Driftless Organics. I was inspired to write about how I used this past week's box, because many people ask how we can go through a full-share every week without food going to waste. Why so inspired this week? I was able to plow through this box in just two days. We were headed out of town for two and a half days just 36 hours after picking up our box, so I immediately attacked that box. Here is a list of the vegetables, and how I used them.

Broccoli
Garlic Chives
Green Garlic
Pea Vine
Radishes
Red Butterhead Lettuce
Red Potatoes
Salad Mix
Spinach
Yukina Savoy

Thursday
We picked up our box when we are usually already eating supper. So, just as we arrived home, I quickly threw in an Amy's veggie burger for the boys to share and started a pot of water to blanch the broccoli. Then I made a salad using half the spinach and half the salad mix along with pear, walnuts, balsamic vinegar, sunflower oil (also by Driftless and AMAZING) and freshly ground salt and pepper. The boys ate toast, veggie burger, salad and mounds of broccoli. Then off Ethan went to put them to bed as I continued on my mission.

Just after I pulled the broccoli out of the boiling water I tossed in the rest of the spinach which quickly wilted. I then pureed it and voila! Baby food. (Yes, there were bits of broccoli...but Odin loves broccoli, too). Put it in ice cube trays, and we've got spinach for several days for our Odin.

Dumped that water and started the pot all over again for a pound of whole wheat spaghetti. As the water came to a boil, I created pesto out of two handfuls of walnuts, all the garlic chives, salt and pepper, drizzle of olive oil, the rest of the salad mix (yes, you can make pesto from salad mix...you can make it from any green you want), and a cup of the pasta's cooking water. The cooking water is an excellent way to stretch the pesto with using very little oil and smoothing it out for the little ones. After the boys were asleep, Ethan and I finished the salad and had pesto spaghetti.

Friday
I was inspired to have breakfast for dinner, because this week's newsletter mentioned that the amount of potatoes was perfect for one batch of hashbrowns. I sliced the potatoes into 1/4 inch rounds, place in a pot and covered with cold water. Bring to a boil and parboil. I did this a few hours before dinner while the kids were either napping or occupied. Placed them in the fridge until I was ready to brown them. Heat one to two tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Add parboiled potatoes. Cover. Just before they were finished (about 8 minutes) I threw in the green garlic (chopped) and yukina savoy (roughly chopped). Along with the potatoes, we had another salad exactly the same as the night before except butterhead lettuce was the green along with roughly chopped pea vine. If you don't have pear, just skip the fruit or add berries instead! And the main dish...waffles!!! Topped with greek yogurt and pure maple syrup. My vegan-altered Betty Crocker recipe follows. I simply loved this meal.

Yes, I didn't use the radish...but they are sturdy and last long in the crisper drawer with the carrots and apples. I'm thrilled to use them tonight.

Vegan Waffles
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas
2 1/2 cups of soy milk
3/4 cup sunflower oil

Combine dry ingredients. Mash bananas in mixer. Gradually add soy milk, oil and dry ingredients until all are combined. Cook/bake as directed for your waffle maker. Extra waffles can be frozen. I used the extras for breakfast-in-the-car the next morning. (I needed to get to Grandma and Grandpa's house in record time...I needed a break!).

Hello, again, baby food

My sweet third son, Odin, is now seven months old. Unbelievable. As with all things, Odin has gracefully taken a liking to solid food. This third time around I found myself having many bittersweet feelings. I was excited for him to try this new adventure as I got to whip up batches of nutritious, simple baby food. Yet, he was taking a tiny step towards independence. Sigh.

I've been meaning to write about my method of introducing solids all month long! I'm glad to be here now writing these words. Yay! Each baby is different as is each parent. This is one way of introducing solids that has worked well for my family, and I hope it makes your transition to baby food a little bit easier!

When?
Six months has been the golden age in our home. I love, love, LOVE the information on www.askdrsears.com. They have incredible, straight-forward information that has naturally resonated with me. Check out their Feeding At A Glance Birth-24 Months. Awesome.

What?
I love starting with banana or avocado. So easy and no preparation needed. Simply mash and add a tad of filtered water for the appropriate consistency. Next, I love adding pear (pictured above) to their diet which is great for helping with their bowel movements during this transition. My babies eat this for breakfast every day until they can graduate to true oatmeal with the rest of the family. Don't believe the hype that fruit is too sweet as a starter food. There is plenty of research showing that is an unnecessary worry. Check out this great website on how to make your own rice cereal, which will also lead you to sources (including The American Academy of Pediatrics) backing that you don't have to start with commercial rice cereal or even veggies.

How?

Keep. It. Simple. While you are cooking breakfast, lunch or dinner, make a batch of baby food. This is actually a small amount of food. Three peeled pears fills up two and a half ice cube trays which will last for weeks during the first months. Babies eat so little, especially in the beginning, that cooking a batch in your 2 quart sauce pan will get your very far. I clean, peel, then evenly dice the fruit or veggie. Just cover with filtered water. Bring to a boil then lower to a gentle simmer. Cook until you can easily puree in with a hand blender, food processor or food mill. Spoon into ice trays. Transfer to freezer bags for easy preparation for weeks to come. You can find several books and websites with even greater detail. Just make sure everything (including your hands) are VERY clean.

Books?
Feeding the Whole Family: Cooking with Whole Foods by Cynthia Lair is incredible. It supports my theory that children should be given real, simple food. She thoughtfully approaches "Raising Healthy Eaters" as well as the nutritional realities of new eaters.

Simply Natural Baby Food by Cathe Olson is a fun resource if you want to add extra creativity to your menu. A small, easy companion.

Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron is redundant and an overload of information HOWEVER it has some great recipes...especially on how to make your own cereals such as her super porridge.

Being a healthy eater begins with first foods. If it's important to you to introduce a healthy, whole foods diet commit yourself to avoiding jarred food. Save it only for vacations. You can do it! I believe in you! Give you and your child the gift of avoiding food battles in the future by introducing food in their freshest most simplest way. Only feed your children what you are willing to sit down and eat yourself.

Lastly, you don't need recipes. Keep it simple. Keep it stress-free. Have fun!

Baked Brown Rice

I have been meaning to try baked brown rice for a while. This winter I gave it a shot, and I am so glad! I don't know if I will ever cook rice on the stovetop again. It comes out perfect every time (make sure it's always placed on the middle rack), and you don't have to keep an eye on it. I can walk away (which is mandatory...many meltdowns occur with my little ones between 4 and 6pm) and not worry about it boiling over.

I use Cathe Olson's recipe in The Vegetarian Mother's Cookbook, but here is a very similar recipe from The Motherload. I simplify by heating the water up in a teapot and adding oil rather than butter to the rice at the same time as the water.

Sometimes I fancy it up with adding a cube of Rapunzel bouillon at the same time as the water - just stir with a fork to break it up. Then adding some minced parsley just as it comes out of the oven. This is a great side dish to Snobby Joes.

Planning Healthy Meals and Making Them Happen

It's that time of year when our meals are the most predictable. During a Minnesota winter, someone like me who is interested in keeping our food (in order of importance) local, simple, sustainable and organic needs to get creative with dried goods and root vegetables. I often repeat the same repertoire every week in order to meet the previously mentioned pre-requisites but also to keep the family happy. My four year-old is in a phase where he can find something wrong with everything, so I find the more predictable (like most things in our life) the meal the less arguing.

Making the meal and its preparation simple is key in order for it to actually happen, since I rarely have a moment where a child of mine doesn't need my hands, words or breasts. Ha! Also, I want our food to taste like itself...I want my children to know what parsnips, rutabagas, kale, garlic, etc all taste like. I believe knowing these tastes from the moment they begin eating is what encourages them to grow into adults that will continue to choose and enjoy healthy foods.

So, here's a glimpse into how I plan our weekly meals. "Plan" being the key word. Planning is essential in getting wholesome, simple meals on your table if you plan on feeding people beyond yourself every day of the week.

I plan six dinners a week. We enjoy allowing ourselves one dinner out if we feel up for gathering the children and taking them somewhere...or we simply order pizza. Ordering pizza is a guilty pleasure of mine. Often our lunches are leftovers from the night before which helps guarantee a balanced lunch. These are the categories I use along with some of our most common winter recipes:

1. Pasta
-Cabbage Pasta

2. Chili

3. Lentils
-Lentil Bolognese
-Snobby Joes

4. Tofu

5. Soup
-Potato Leek
-White Bean and Tomato

6. Burritos
-Yes, burritos get their own category, because they are awesome.

Sometimes these categories overlap - like Lentil Bolognese. When that happens, I will then plan for two soups or two chilis that week...or a new random recipe!

I hope this inspires some to simplify and plan their family meals. I hope you have some tips for me! I plan to share some of our staple winter recipes in the coming weeks...

Watermelon

This time of year my family consumes at least one good-sized watermelon a week. We could probably double that, but I limit myself to one each week at the co-op to practice some good ol' self-control. Watermelon often serves as our dessert at lunch and dinner. I love all the water content, and feel assured that my one-year-old is getting an extra dose of water while he's mastering his drinking skills.

Sometimes I think watermelon is avoided, because it's seems like a big mess. I believe I learned our technique of cutting and storing watermelon from my husband. There is never a mess, and it's a one-time process for a whole week of tasty watermelon.

Step 1 -- We never cut watermelon on a cutting board. The juice oozes everywhere and the kitchen gets nasty sticky. Rinse the outside of the watermelon in the sink and proceed to do all the cutting in the sink. Cut the watermelon into quarters.

Step 2- Take your first quarter and create a grid of bite-size pieces.









Step 3 - Empty the inner pieces into a bowl.









Step 4 - Cut along the rind to empty the remaining pieces into the same bowl.

Step 5 - Repeat with the three remaining quarters of the watermelon. Store in storage containers in the fridge and feast for days!