Over the last few months, I've realized that I've kind of plateaued in my attempt to get rid of some of that "stubborn belly fat" that all those commercials for wonder supplements and crazy workout DVDs love to talk about. It's not stubborn. It's an unwelcome guest, and I'm kind of tired of it having way overstayed its welcome.
So I've been looking at how I can step it up. Not just so I can more easily slip into a pair of pants, but also so that I know I'm healthier.
For a long while, I've really reduced my meat consumption. I really really really don't care for chicken. When I was pregnant with HRH, it was a huge aversion to me, so much that when I tried to buy some of those pre-cooked strips for the Husband at the store one day, my knees buckled and I thought I was going to pass out. Ever since, I can only handle it if it's REALLY well made, and I have to REALLY want it. I also have tried to cut down on red meat, especially because of the many links between red meat consumption and a greater risk of colon cancer (among others).
And I like most vegetarian protein sources. I love beans. I really like tofu. Quinoa is great. Tempeh - meh (see what I did there?); that's really the one thing that I've had that I didn't really care for.
But nothing seemed to be working.
I decided, then, to take a week and try a modified paleo plan. I say modified because I did use a "paleo for runners" approved foods list, which includes more starchy veggies like sweet potatoes and squash. Apparently a non-runners paleo diet doesn't allow for them.
Basically, the paleo diet is, from what I understand, supposed to mimic the ingredients that our very ancient, probably much hairier forefathers would have eaten. Of course, this means no processed foods, but it also nixes all grains, dairy, and sugars (although some sites allowed maple syrup and honey because those were natural sugars, and I can totally imagine an early Homo sapiens risking life and limb for a handful of honey like he were some Ice Age Winnie the Pooh). Probably the most restrictive aspect for me, though was that it didn't allow for legumes or beans. Even though I love me some rice and white breads, rarely a week goes by that I don't have beans with at least two meals. But I was determined to try this to rev up my body's vacationing fat burning abilities.
I created a meal plan for the week and headed to the grocery store.
First of all, holy sticker shock, Batman! I haven't actually bought meat that wasn't turkey necks for Zooey or bacon in a really long time, apparently, because when I picked up a small package of ground beef, I thought I was going to have to take a second mortgage out on the house. Yikes.
I admit that on top of my mandate that I would still be enjoying my morning coffee with half-and-half and cinnamon sugar, I did "cheat" during one meal. One of my friends and I had lunch, and I had a beer. Beer, as you know, is made from grains - gluten-y grains - so it's waaaaaaaay up on the Verboten Items List. But I also don't want to be that person who puts the kibosh on every restaurant suggestion because it doesn't work for my super restrictive diet plan. "Oh, no, that place doesn't work for me. I can't eat anything that casts a shadow past 1:00 in the afternoon on Tuesdays."
Interestingly enough, that evening, I felt TERRIBLE. Like you might right before you get sick. Achy, tired, tempting fate by trying to NOT get a headache. Just...blah. And then I got cranky because I didn't feel well, so it wasn't the most pleasant evening.
I can't say with absolute certainty that this was all caused by the grains. But it was interesting nonetheless.
At the end of the week, I knew that this plan isn't for me. That isn't to say it's a terrible idea. I really like certain aspects of it. But I think that it's more of a diet than a lifestyle for me at this point in my life, and restrictive diets never work.
What I DO think I can take out of this experience is that I don't necessarily need to embrace the red meat again, but I can bid a fond farewell to grains more easily than I thought. And that's where I think I can improve my eating habits. While I'll be welcoming beans back to my diet very soon (hello, Cuban dinner plans), I'm not sure that I'll be so quick to nab a loaf of bread to go along with them. I'd love to experiment with gluten-free grains and work to reduce the amount of corn-based products I consume. While I didn't weigh myself at all this week, I do feel less full around the middle, even though I've felt like I've eaten a lot more than I usually did.
One big success is that I was able to stick to my meal plan. I made it a lot more simple and relied a great deal more on leftovers for lunch and dinner repeats, and I think that's where I've gone off the rails before. I'm hoping to be more consistent with that as well.
Where have you been successful in modifying your food lifestyle to make healthy changes? What are you willing to "give up"? What are non-negotiables for you?
I don't know of anyone who wasn't fed canned chicken noodle soup when they were sick as kids. I distinctly remember not liking the stuff with the stars, believing the long noodles were far superior. I can't, however, remember the last time I had soup from a can.
Getting sick sucks. Getting sick when you have a four-year-old who doesn't appear to understand the phrase "Mommy isn't feeling well; you need to let her sleep" sucks even more. I might be able to take a sick day from work, but there are no sick days in parenting.
You know what else sucks? Not having a go-to "feel better" food, specifically a "feel better" soup when I get down with the sickness. Ever since I was pregnant, I have shunned most poultry (even the thought of it makes me shudder), so chicken soup, even something homemade, makes me a little uncomfortable. For a time, I tried phở, that wonderful Vietnamese street soup, and it was delicious, but it didn't make me feel rejuvenated in the way I was looking for.
Enter Cho Dang's Korean Tofu and BBQ.
The Chandler location for the California restaurant is mere minutes away from our house, and I can't remember how or when Husband stumbled across this beauty, but I'm so glad that he did. Not only do the dumplings hit the spot whenever I need them, but I've discovered that their spicy pork tofu soup is The Most Perfect Thing to help make me feel better.
Lava so hot it makes me sweat...
The soups can be ordered at five levels of spiciness, from "white" (not spicy at all) to extra hot.
Usually I opt for the medium, which is nice and hot without making me want to either die or drink all the milk in the world.
Last week, I either became a wuss, or they added a little extra zing to the soup, because my mouth felt like it was melting off. I started sweating when I was eating. Yep, that's right. I was A Sweater. Right there at my kitchen table. Yet I wasn't able to stop, and so I sat there, eating my soup and sweating like a whore on nickel nighta sinner in church a racehorse until my belly couldn't take it anymore.
And then I did the same thing again at lunch the next day.
I'm not sure if this soup actually does anything like ridding my body of little cooties, especially this go round, which is a combination of the common cold, an ear infection, and strep throat (super fun times!!!!!!!), or if it's more of a placebo thing, but even Husband agrees that there's something "magical" about the soup, and you can be sure that the next time I'm feeling under the weather, I'll get more.
What is your go-to food (or drink) when you get a case of the sniffles and aches?
It might not officially be summer, according to the calendar, but once we hit 100° here in Phoenix, it's summer. Period.
Summer means many things to many people: lemonade, picnics, maybe vacation. A few of the things it means for us is "Ugh, what can I make that doesn't involve the oven?" and "I guess I can make something on the stove if it doesn't take too long."
Of course, with The Husband working late some nights, summer also means for me "What is fast and easy and not that messy but that I don't have to heat up the house to make?"
Enter summer salads.
This particular beauty was inspired by Kat, who, for several days this past month, was texting us about her "regular" lunch of strawberry, mango, and avocado salad. My mouth was watering, and I knew that would be a perfect starting point. When I realized that I still had some delicious black rice in the pantry, I had a winning combination.
This salad is ridiculously simple, and it's easy to change up the ingredients as you have them. And unless you want to add a sprinkling of feta (which I have twice in the five times I've made it), this healthy recipe is vegan as well as gluten-free.
Black Rice Summer Salad
1/2 cup black rice (you could probably sub any long grain rice if you can't get the black rice)
1 ripe mango (or a ripe peach/nectarine - also amazing)
1 ripe avocado
2 green onions (or a shallot or red onion)
red wine vinegar
olive oil
salt
cracked black pepper
Cook the rice according to package directions. If you need to, drain out any remaining water before tossing with the onions, chopped fairly fine, and the oil and vinegar (to taste - I only used about 2 Tbsp of each).
Cut up the avocado and mango into bite sized pieces and toss in with the rice. The rice should still be a little warm, which will make the avocado get a little melty.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately or chill for later - this recipe serves one as a meal or two as a side. It's delicious any way you try it.
"Das Leben is bezaubernd; man muß es nur durch die richtige Brille sehen."
~German toast
While most Americans think beer, beer, and more beer when they hear the word Oktoberfest, the tradition actually began with a wedding.
A big wedding.
On October 12, 1810, Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (he would one day become King Ludwig I, grandfather of "Mad" King Ludwig II, who built Schloß Neuschwanstein) married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. A fan of the Olympic games, Ludwig invited basically everyone (it helps to be the crown prince; budgeting isn't as much of an issue) to partake in the weeklong festivities in front of the city gates, including horse racing. In honor of Princess Therese, the fields that held the festivities were renamed the Theresienwiese (eventually shortened to Wiesn).
The Fest was so popular that it became a yearly event, which evolved into what we know as Oktoberfest.
Of course, Bavaria is home to great beers, thanks in great part of the Reinheinsgebot of 1516 (you can read me wax poetic about the Gebot and other Bavarian Bier wonders here), so it's not a surprise that beer stands soon popped up on the Wiesn.
Today, Oktoberfest begins at the end of September and goes into October, and millions of people flock to Bavaria to join in the celebrations.
But if you can't afford a plane ticket to München, you can always celebrate at home. Just remember to raise a glass to Ludwig and Therese.
Hopefully you've been celebrating our Beer Week festivities, which, yes, was totally scheduled to coincide with the first week of Oktoberfest. You'll have to figure out your own festivities next week. I'd recommend checking out the ponies. Ludwig would like that.
In my homage to Ludwig and Therese, I opted to start at a favorite location that has its own long history in the Tempe area: Four Peaks Brewery. The building that now houses the brewery was once a creamery, and the red brick stands out against the stucco that surrounds it today (check out the website for old and current photos - you'll love them).
If you live in the Valley, you are likely familiar with the two beers that Four Peaks bottles and has made available in stores: 8th Street Ale, an English brown ale, and Kilt Lifter, their best-selling Scottish style ale that is intended to be similar to those ales brewed in Edinburgh. In fact, Kilt Lifter is so popular that the October issue of Phoenix Magazine allows readers a tour of the brewing process.
But while I adore Kilt Lifter - so much so that I managed to ship Megan an entire six-pack a few months ago - when I go to Four Peaks, there is only one beer for me: the Arizona Peach Ale.
I first experienced it when The Husband and I went to Teakwoods for lunch a few months ago. Teakwoods is one of the local restaurants that serves Arizona Peach Ale on tap, and I was surprised that The Husband ordered it, as he doesn't tend to enjoy "fruity" beers.
"It's not really fruity," he said. "Here. Take a sip."
Fateful words.
I know, sexy pic.
Try not to be jealous.
Before you take a big, fat gulp like you see me doing here, you need to take a moment and bring the beer up to your nose to take in the aroma. Immediately, you'll be transported from wherever you are to a peach orchard. It's ridiculous, really. Fresh Arizona peaches. In your beer. It's almost mesmerizing. You get the flowery sweetness that is identical to the perfume of a freshly plucked peach. But the beer is anything but sweet. While you can taste the peach on the back end, the beer is a light, clean, and refreshing ale that is perfect for the Arizona heat. The peach just finishes each sip off so smoothly, and perhaps the only aspect of "sweet" that there might be is that there is no bitterness from beginning to end. There is no syrupy aftertaste or heaviness in the fruitiness of this Arizona Peach Ale. It's just as perfectly accessorized as Coco Chanel.
So in the last few weeks, I have found almost every excuse possible to trek over to Tempe in order to have a dinner date or a "late lunch" at Four Peaks.
Because the beer is good, and so is the food. Get the salmon BLT. You're welcome.
While the brewery is in the heart of Tempe, right by ASU, you'd think that it would be a crowded, college hangout. But in all actuality, there are only a handful of students that you might see; the regular crowd will include families and professionals, all competing for a parking spot close to the front door. There is room for young kids, as long as they don't sit at the bar, so the atmosphere is welcoming for anyone who walks in.
I love the industrial-red brick combo on the inside.
Sorry, though, that all my patio snaps were too dark to use;
it's quite lovely out there.
Unfortunately, until The Husband catches on to my hints about the growler of Arizona Peach that I think should live in our fridge and/or the brewery decides that I need to have six-packs available to me at my local grocery store, I have to get my fix at Four Peaks (I know - first world problem right here). In the meantime, I'll be buying that six-pack of Kilt Lifter. And using it in All The Things.
Like a German-style spicy mustard.
And ale-soaked sweet potato oven fries. Served with said spicy mustard and bratwurst. Because Ludwig and Therese would have wanted it that way.
And, because no course of a meal should ever be without beer, a maple-ale frozen custard for dessert.
Let's look a little more closely, shall we?
Basically, when we planned Beer Week, I had originally only intended to rave about Four Peaks and their Arizona Peach ale, but the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to take the opportunity to play around with the beer, even if it wasn't the beer I go to Four Peaks to drink.
Having had great luck (and tons of positive feedback) with the Guinness mustard I made for St. Patrick's Day (a.k.a. The Great Brisket Freakout of 2012), I figured that using Kilt Lifter in a mustard would be a cinch, although I wanted something a little more spicy and closer to the mustards that I loved when I lived in Regensburg as a student. Good thing I found this recipe from Serious Eats to play around with and tweak thus:
Spicy German-Style Kilt Lifter Ale Mustard
(adapted from Serious Eats)
1/3 cup each yellow and brown mustard seeds (I've found that I prefer the 50-50 combo of the two different seeds over having a greater percent of the yellow seeds)
1/2 cup organic, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (it should have "the mother" in it, although try not to use it in the mustard)
1 cup Kilt Lifter, divided into 1/2-cup measurements
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric (this is what gives mustard its beautiful yellow color)
1/8 teaspoon allspice
Drink any remaining Kilt Lifter once you've measured out the cup needed in the recipe.
Combine the mustard seeds, the vinegar, and 1/2 cup of the ale; refrigerate at least overnight (or, until you have a free second).
Combine the remaining 1/2 cup of the ale and all other ingredients in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until just boiling. Remove from heat and cool slightly (I would recommend doing this about 30 minutes before you plan to mix everything together).
In a blender, combine the mustard seeds and their liquid with the liquid from the saucepan. Puree until smooth, although the brown seeds will remain solid. Transfer to a pretty jar and refrigerate until you are ready to slather it over a properly made bratwurst (read: not national chain) or dunk some pommes frites into it.
And speaking of pommes frites...
All you have to do here is cut up some sweet potatoes (or any potatoes, I guess), soak them in Kilt Lifter for 15-20 minutes (you may have to toss it a few times), drain them, toss them in olive oil and seasoning, and then cook on a VERY well-oiled cookie sheet, into a 425° oven for 30-40 minutes, tossing at least once. If you are using sweet potatoes, make sure that, unlike me, you are careful not to let them burn. Or stick to the cookie sheet (my definition of "very" well oiled sheet was insufficient).
As a note, since I was using sweet potatoes, I thought we'd need a salty, savory combo, so my seasoning of choice was Bacon Salt, and I'd recommend that you do the same.
The above, of course, are best served with bratwurst, freshly grilled and topped with the mustard, caramelized onions, sauerkraut, and leek relish, and eaten while worshipping at the shrine of college football.
Go, Devils!
But as much as I love College GameDay and cheering on my beloved Devils while horking down ridiculous amounts of pub grub and washing it down with a favorite local beer (I mean, HONESTLY, what compares to that), this week, the star was the dessert.
As you might have figured out, I love maple syrup. If you hadn't, now you know. So of course I needed to find an ice cream recipe that combined maple and beer.
It turns out that I am not the first person to think that this is The Best Idea For Ice Cream Ever. Not like I was surprised. At first, I found a gingerbread ice cream recipe that I figured I could use, swapping the maple syrup for the molasses and omitting ALL the spices, but then I stumbled across this fabulous recipe for Peak Organic Maple Oat Ale Walnut ice cream over at Drink Craft Beer (bookmarked) that I knew was Perfect.
Of course, I used Kilt Lifter instead of the Peak Organic, so at first, I was a little nervous. A Scottish style ale is totally different than an ale made with oats and maple syrup, and who knew if it would work in the same way?
Well, it did.
The reduction of the Kilt Lifter made me even more nervous, as the beer has a smoky aspect to it, which really came out when it was reduced from 22 ounces to 1/2 cup. I mean, wow. But what also came out was an almost coffee-like bitterness that was fantastic, I mean FREAKING FANTASTIC when combined with the sweet creaminess of this recipe.
Which, I should point out, is actually a frozen custard recipe, due to the addition of the egg yolks and the higher percentage of fat (thanks to the cream and half-and-half called for in the recipe instead of cream and milk).
OK, so basically, what you need to know is this: the Kilt Lifter really made this recipe. I'm sure it would have been really good without the beer. But it was really, really, REALLY good WITH the beer. Since it was a creamier custard, and the maple syrup so sweet, the coffee-like bitterness of the ale reduction made a wonderful finish to each bite. I think that without the beer, it honestly would have been too cloying. With the beer, it was incredible.
Since we had plans to go to a dinner party at the house of some friends, I opted to take the custard as part of the dessert offering.
Now, aside from the fact that I had to share with several other people, this was a fabulous idea, as the other half of the dessert was a homemade tiramisu. And since tiramisu is made with espresso, it was a slam-bam knockout combination.
I'm just glad that there was leftover custard that I was able to bring home and continue to sneak by the spoonful straight from the freezer.
All right, Four Peaks. You already serve your delicious stoutamisu, made with your Oatmeal Stout. Now I have the perfect accompaniment for it. You're welcome.
(Now, could you please sell Arizona Peach Ale in bottles or cans? Pretty please?)
So now... in case you missed any of the wonderful Beer Week posts, please make sure you check them out. Do it for Ludwig and Therese.
Kirsten (Comfortably Domestic) kicked off the week with an amazing biography of a friend of hers who just happens to be a home brewer taking that passion and turning it into a livelihood. I'm making The Husband read this one carefully.
Jeanne (Inside NanaBread's Head) offered an incredible dark chocolate espresso stout cake topped with a caramel and Kahlua whipped cream (I KNOW, RIGHT?????)
Madeline (Munching in the Mitten), my former student, made a pumpkin beer bread, perfect for those crisp autumn days that we don't get here in Arizona.
Lauren (Climbing Grier Mountain) made a pale ale shrimp po' boy that may actually convince my husband to move to Denver in order to get closer to it.
Beka (Kvetchin' Kitchen), who is the newest addition to our reindeer games, jumped right in with a review of the Outlander brewery, which I MUST check out when I'm in Seattle next.
Megan (Wanne Be a Country Cleaver), who knows the sweet, sweet taste of Kilt Lifter already, made my German heart go pitter pat with her schnitzel and dumplings.
Carrie (Bakeaholic Mama) is helping finish off Beer Week tomorrow by opting to focus on a cider (an early American staple) recipe with her Woodchuck sweet potato bisque.
And Kirsten is back tomorrow too, wrapping up the week with a black and tan brownie that my own black and tan girl would kill to get her grubby paws on if chocolate weren't so deadly to dogs.
And lastly, because we can't celebrate a wedding without music, fill your glass one last time and get down to my favorite German beer song (you can find the lyrics here if you want to sing along, which I know you do). Prost!
And one more thing - please don't forget the Life For Lily Virtual Run next Friday through Sunday. Your steps (you don't have to run - don't worry!) can make the biggest difference for a little girl fighting something harder than any of us can ever imagine. So find your favorite kicks, sign up, and make a donation. Your heart will never regret any of it.
It's been two weeks since the official start of Operation Eat it or Starve here in the Philistines house, and I am here to tell you that this is probably going to last longer than the US occupation of Afghanistan.
Yes, HRH is a stubborn little devil; every time I think that I've advanced the troops, she manages to institute a counter-attack that leaves me speechless. If she were part of the French army during World War II, the Maginot line would probably have held.
I'm thankful to quite a few of my friends for posting photos on my Facebook page that I have valiantly tried to copy. Creative plates have helped HRH be at least willing to consider some items and actually put other foodstuffs in her maw, so I'll be continuing that as much as possible.
In the past few weeks I have played with Ms. Food Face...
Yes; I braided angel hair. Not as easy as you'd think.
...made flowers and trees...
For the record, the salad tree (top right) did NOT go over well. AT ALL.
...and played around with breakfast.
Homemade granola with fruit in an ice cube tray (left) and "apple" pancakes (actually squash - muahahahahahahaha!)
Some success I can brag about is that HRH is eating sprouted grain bread willingly and even enjoying it - when I made her some mini cheese sandwiches, she ate them in three parts: bread, cheese, bread (repeat).
Hard to tell, but those are a dog, a cat, and a fish; she decided that this was an underwater scene and dubbed them "cat fish" and "dog fish." Whatever; she ate them.
Additionally, she's finally discovered that food is more fun to eat when it's placed on each of the five fingers first (we're working our way up to olives).
The dragonfly was a string cheese body, cherry eyes, carrot antennae, and strawberry wings. The stem of the flower had cocoa peanut butter spread on the underside.
The variety still isn't what I want to see, but HRH has decided that she now likes kiwi. She's also unknowingly eaten squash every day this week in leftover pancakes; once she polished off the batch that had chopped summer squash along with the apples, I made a batch using acorn squash (I used a recipe for pumpkin pancakes, and it turned out really nicely).
We're taking a holiday in San Diego this weekend, so we'll see what happens while we're gone. I certainly don't want HRH to be eating nothing but chicken nuggets and French fries, although we may be limited while driving. I packed lots of good snacks, including carrots, fruit leathers, and strawberries, so that we continue modeling good eating habits even when out.
Do you put olives on your fingers before you eat them?
Are you willing to hide healthy foods (like squash) in your kids' meals, or do you prefer to be completely up front with them?
I've mentioned that HRH is a picky eater before (here and here). If she were in charge of MyPlate, there would likely be an abundance of ice cream, Goldfish crackers, and grapes, but probably not any zucchini or tomatoes.
It's a constant battle in the kitchen. On the one hand, I want to make sure that my family eats a variety of healthy (and yet delicious) foods. On the other hand, I don't want my child to sit there, eating nothing. She's a little too young to understand how fortunate she is to go to bed hungry only by choice - or else I'd be laying on the guilt thicker than Tammy Faye's makeup.
A few weeks ago, my friend Megan posted this picture to my Facebook page:
Of course, it made me chuckle a bit laugh out loud for ten minutes, but at the same time, it made me cringe. At myself.
Buddy Hackett said, many years ago, "My mother's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it."
I definitely haven't been in that category as a parent. I have been so focused on making sure HRH doesn't "go hungry" that I've been compromising and letting her eat her small window of "HRH-approved" foods. While many of those foods are fruits, it's really not acceptable to allow her to set limitations.
So, I have officially launched Operation Eat it or Starve.
That doesn't mean that I'm plunking down a plateful of mystery hash (or, as my mom called certain menu items, "Spinach Blob" and "Noodle Blob" - no lie) and expecting her to eat it. I want eating new foods to be a comfortable experience, so we're looking for a balance here.
Intrigued by the studies that show children prefer 6 to 7 different colors and interesting patterns on their plates, I have been trying to be creative and artistic in my efforts to offer her both "safe" and familiar foods coupled with new foods.
I say trying because I am not the most artistic person ever. Defense Exhibit A: my drawing of Princess Aurora (as requested by HRH).
Notice the rose red lips.
The good news is that cookie cutters are good for more that creating shapes out of cookie dough. The even better news is that The Internet has great ideas that I can copy to my little heart's content.
In: creative, fun food platings at meals
Out: snacks - unless plates are (for the most part) cleaned
In: excitement about beets and squash
Out: badgering
Here are some snaps of what I've tried this week. I can't take credit for any of the creativity, but I can take credit for the less than perfect adaptations of plating ideas that I found online.
Watermelon rain cloud, carrot lightning,
blueberry rain, apple umbrella (with cheese handle),
and brown rice path
(this looks way cooler with a red apple)
HRH ate the carrots, part of the apple, and the rice. Maybe a few bites of the cheese, too. She had been introduced to everything on this plate before, so everything should have been safe.
"Eating Nemo"
Brown rice sea floor, apple anemone, carrot seaweed,
watermelon mini-fish, peanut butter sandwich fish
with cheese stripes, and grape bubbles
The carrots and apples were all eaten, as were the cheese stripes and half the peanut butter fish. The green grapes were getting a little soft and "yucky," so those were left after a close inspection.
Cheese sun over a rainbow of strawberries, raspberries,
carrots, mango, kiwi, blueberry, and blackberry,
nestled between banana clouds
I ended up eating most of this. Except the cheese, which HRH consistently eats. I even made a cocoa-peanut butter-agave spread that I thought she should use to dunk (or just eat with a spoon...), but I was, apparently, mistaken. Good thing I like it.
Last night's dinner was our first big jump, as I began adding new/different/scary/unknown foods into the mix.
Squash and carrot sun overlooking a brown rice butterfly
(body - black beans, design - cheese and beets, antennae - carrots)
fluttering over a squash-grape-raspberry flower bed
Again, the cheese was eaten first, as were the carrots, raspberries, and red grapes (which seem to stay "crunchy" longer than the green ones). Then this conversation happened:
HRH: I want milk, please.
Me: You can have some milk after you eat one piece of squash.
HRH: But I want it.
Me: You can have some milk. But first I want you to eat one piece.
HRH: I don't like it.
Me: Remember Elmo teaches us to try foods two times before we decide if we like them or not. Please try one piece.
At which juncture she selected the smallest piece of squash, inspected every centimeter for about five minutes, licked it, sniffed it, put it in her mouth, and gagged before spitting it out.
No milk was offered for that Oscar-worthy performance.
So far, my opponent has proved tenacious and stubborn. Not that I expected a miracle (otherwise this post would be addressed to the Catholic Church about how I need to be sainted immediately), but I was hoping that the melodramatic gagging over the world's smallest piece of squash would be less... melodramatic.
Currently, I'm concocting a few ideas for the Ms. Food Face plate as well as how I can perhaps use chopsticks to trick convince HRH to even try some tofu. But I'll also be happy if she eats the watermelon and Bing cherries that she requested last time we were at the grocery store.
Did your parents have creative or sneaky ways to get you to eat when you were little? Or did they have any horrifying foodstuffs that served only to create food aversions? What creative plating ideas have you seen or tried?
At this time next week, I will have finished my first half marathon. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a bit nervous. Hopefully I'll be able to keep myself busy in order to make sure I don't spend an evening absolutely freaking out.
In the countdown to the big day, I've decided to avoid meat as much as possible. I, of course, haven't mentioned that to The Husband yet, and he came home from picking up our vegetables bearing not only said veggies but also some cedar planks and salmon, so I suppose I'll have to choke that down. Darn.
At the same time, my desire for carbs has taken over my thoughts about food, and most other thoughts as well (which is actually a good thing, since I'm thinking about bread instead of the new running shirt that I decided that I "need" to get before the race). I gave serious consideration last night to calling Oregano's and ordering eight loaves of garlic bread and a side of their "Bollo Pasta." To go. I mean, you don't think I'd eat all that bread in public where people would judge me, do you? That's an in-the-car-in-a-deserted-parking-lot kind of activity.
Fortunately, I held myself back, and my quest for carb-y goodness led me to have what, at the time, I determined to be absolute genius - tofu-angel hair stir fry in peanut sauce.
OK, that kind of sounds weird, but we don't have any udon or other appropriate noodles. However, we did have two bok choys in the fridge needing to be used in a fairly timely manner, so there you have it.
While rummaging around the fridge (which totally needs to be reorganized and wiped down, but I'm ignoring that for now), I came across a jar of Thai peanut sauce, and I took it out, thinking that I'd use it for the stir fry sauce.
Work has been insane of late, so I have neglected my poor little blog too much. It isn't that I didn't want to post, but I have been so busy that I've hardly been able to pull together a smoothie, much less anything post-worthy.
Hopefully, now that the state make-up testing is over, things will simmer down. While state testing is always stressful, the site where I was proctor was only blocks away from Loving Hut, a vegan restaurant I have been wanting to try for a good while (and wanted to even more after this post at Peas and Thank You).
It was so good that I went twice and was bummed out that I wasn't able to go a third day in a row. I kind of wish a location would open on my side of the Valley, but part of me doesn't, as I may frequent it a bit too much. There are two local places on my side of town that I need to try. I kind of just need to find a friend (or coughhusbandcough) who might be willing to try a vegan BLT with me.
Anyway, the one real meal I was able to make last week was a black bean and butternut squash burrito from Oh She Glows, which I modified a bit to work with what we had in the pantry. I had been wanting to make it since I saw this post roll across my Twitter feed, but I always remembered too late to make the brown rice.
Fortunately, Pinch My Salt has a lovely post that gets your real brown rice in a jiffy, and I was good to go!
(Both blogs have much nicer pictures than I do; I apologize for the chop job here)
I only have three more days of jury duty. While it's been a truly fascinating experience - I really don't get why people try so desperately hard to get out of it - the toll of being gone from my job twice a week is truly taking a toll on me, and I'm looking forward to having those two days back so I don't feel compelled to stay up until all hours in order to get assignments graded and returned, etc. I am thankful that I have an exceptionally supportive department chair and principal, and my other department members and colleagues have offered some fantastic encouragement as well. Everyone should feel so fortunate in their workplace.
But I think one of the best aspects of being on jury duty is that it has forced me to be in downtown Phoenix all day for each of those two days. Now, many large cities that I have visited have a bustling atmosphere, and Phoenix is not that different. During the day. But in past years, unless there was a sporting event or concert, the city practically rolled up the sidewalks come 5PM. That's the thing about the Phoenix Metro Area (known to locals as The Valley) - since we have everything we might "need" in our own particular suburbs, there isn't that same need to head downtown. While we do go to Mrs. White's Golden Rule Cafe with friends every New Year's Day (gotta get those beans and greens!), usually we stick close to home. Why go to Majerle's near the ballpark when there is one in Chandler (same could be said for Coach and Willie's now, too)? Who needs to go to the comedy club on Jefferson when the Improv is in Tempe? And don't get me started on parking - it's a b****.
Happy Independence Day! I am sitting here on the couch, drinking an Arnold Palmer, flat exhausted from the long weekend.
It was worth it.
Saturday I made this cake:
Isn't it pretty? I don't often make cakes anymore, and I most certainly don't have the time to decorate like I used to, but we had friends stop by on their way home from Tombstone, and since we rarely see them (they live in Lake Havasu City), I wanted to make sure that we had a nice afternoon.
Thus, after lunching at San Tan Brewing Company, I proudly served my little white cake.
Or...
My favorite sandwich has to be the bacon-lettuce-tomato. It's true that the salty bacon and sweet acidity of the tomato work so well together.
I am often disappointed by BLTs in restaurants - the bacon is rubbery, the lettuce wilted, or the bread soggy. But at home, I can make everything to my specifications.
Best BLT Ever
Two slices (per person) of whole wheat bread made with my friend Christie's recipe
As many rashers of bacon from The Pork Shop that you think you can fit in your mouth
Thickly sliced heirloom tomato (from my mother-in-law's garden)
The bread must be toasted completely (Scott always says that he likes his toast toasty - it needs to be crispy and crunchy all the way through), and the bacon needs to be as crisp as possible. The lettuce needs to be washed and then thoroughly dried.
I hate mayonnaise. It's gross - literally gives me the dry heaves. But thanks to a Facebook post from Hounds in the Kitchen, I mustered up the courage to try a recipe from my favorite, David Lebovitz. Now I understand why the French dunk their Pommes Frites in the stuff.
We didn't have any Pommes Frites, but we had a few CSA carrots and some crackers with herb cream cheese on the side, and it was a great lunch for a great day.
"If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?"
~~Milton Berle
When I was about four years old or so, my dad convinced me that the thing my mom wanted most in this world was a pink plastic yard flamingo. Imagine my excitement in having a dad who would help me obtain this unconventional holy grail of gifts and my near giddiness in being able to offer it to my mom to show my appreciation for everything she had done for me up that point in my short life.
Pinky I bit the dust several years ago, but I made sure my mom wasn't without her requisite dose of 1950's kitsch for long, and Pinky II now resides in her front yard.
Regardless of what else I do for my mom on Mothers' Day through the years (and I feel fortunate that I may still do so), that will always be, in my mind, the best gift I ever gave her.
I have yet to be blessed with a Pinky of my own, but I did receive from HRH some ASU PJ pants (someone with sharp teeth and no impulse control tore a hole in my other ones when she was a puppy) and an ASU running shirt, so I am calling this Mothers' Day a win.
There is really nothing like a meal made from the freshest local ingredients. The only thing that makes such a meal better is when it's prepared by someone else.
Yesterday, a friend and I took our girls to Superstition Farm for the farm's Earth Day tour. On top of the classroom presentation and hayride, the farm also introduced the community and xeriscape gardens that it's been working on, there were booths for area partners that we could visit, and the kids were able to plant some cotton seeds in milk jugs. The person who has the tallest cotton plant by the end of July wins ice cream for the entire family, so I am all about this contest, even if HRH didn't want to get her hands dirty.
strawberry, butterscotch,
& pistachio milks here
Now, in addition to the milk bar (this time we tried banana, pistachio, strawberry, peaches & cream, chocolate, and butterscotch), Superstition Farms has its own food truck that makes appearances at local farmer's markets, so we were able to have lunch fresh from and at the farm.
The burger was tempting, but I opted for the fried egg "sammy," which had in addition to the egg, bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato, spinach, and a chipotle aioli. It was served with cornbread hush puppies, also with the aioli. Oh, my, it was delicious. The difference in taste between store-bought eggs or cheese and these was tangible, and it was difficult not to inhale it. I wanted to really enjoy and savor it, after all. Thankfully, the girls were ready to go play after about two bites of their own lunches so it was take a bite, chase for a little bit, come back and take another bite, repeat.
As for the milk - I was in love with the butterscotch and peaches & cream (although HRH kind of hogged that one), but the pistachio was surprisingly excellent, too. I had feared a fake flavoring, kind of like pistachio flavored pudding (gag!), so I was having trouble even wanting to taste this one, but really - it tasted like real pistachios. With the milk, it was subtle and creamy; this is definitely worth a try when you are there (not like the other ones aren't - I have yet to find a flavor that is just "meh").
The Superstition Farm tour is always a great time; the family truly loves being in the dairy business but also teaching others about how we are connected in the food cycle. Farmer Casey's passion to reduce waste is remarkable; just listen to his excitement when he talks about the amount of citrus the farm helped NOT throw into the landfill this year during his "lesson" in the classroom (a perfect discussion for Earth Day - clearly Farmer Casey and the rest of his family love Mother Earth). If you haven't gotten out there yet, do it; it's most certainly a place to go for a fantastic family outing.
The food's so good, even the chickens wanted to get in on it!
Due to fortunate circumstances, I was able to meet Scott for lunch today. It was nice to get out for lunch, as I am usually scarfing it down over my desk around 2:00 when I realize I'm starving.
We met at Gilbert Pizza, which is located just across the street from the Gilbert Civic Center. During lunch, the restaurant only offers walk-up service; you have to go for dinner if you want them to take your order at your table. However, you get the best view of the pizzas they offer, including a baked ziti pizza (yes - pasta on pizza - it's like some sort of carb lover's holy grail) and a chicken marsala pizza, if you walk in and order a slice for lunch.
And all you need is one slice. Uh, and some garlic knots. They are also delicious, so don't overdo it on the pizza.
I had the spinach and ricotta slice. There were mounds (literally mounds) of gooey ricotta covering large pieces of dark green spinach. Yum - cheesy and spinach-y! It didn't take me long to inhale my slice and the three knots that were my allotment. The knots are garlicky and cheesy, too, so I was a happy carbaholic.
Do you see the ginormous globs of ricotta? Beautiful.
