So Easy a Caveman Can Do It - But I Can't

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?

Favorite Food Friday - Black Rice Summer Salad

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.

Something Savory in a Sweet Week

Hi, internet friends!  It's Caramel Week!

The Theme Weavers have gotten back together for a week chock full of ooey-gooey goodness, so I hope that you brought your sweet tooth and are stocked up on butter.
As a kid, I wasn't a fan of caramel.  This may be shocking to you, but bear in mind that what I knew as caramel were those horrid store bought too-chewy caramel candies.  It was only when I got older that I discovered the diversity of truly good caramels and caramel sauces.  Then I was introduced to salted caramel, and my world changed.
To be perfectly clear, anyone who says that salted caramel has jumped or will jump the shark and I can NOT be friends.  Salted caramel is not a fad.  It is a balanced flavor Way of Life.
As much as I love the salted caramel cupcakes at TopIt Cupcakes, the salted caramel apple pie I made for Thanksgiving (two years in a row) by Four and Twenty Blackbirds, and Megan's salted caramel sauce that I have been adding to my Greek yogurt for this entire last week, when we planned caramel week, I knew that I needed to do something that wasn't a dessert.
Partly because I wanted to be "practical," and partly because it was a great excuse to have our friend Dani over for dinner two weeks in a row (she's coming over next week for our Kentucky Derby themed dinner), but mostly because I knew that if I made a dessert, I would end up eating The Entire Thing.  And that's not really working with my current plan of eating better right now.
Enter pork.
Pork is a fantastic partner with caramel; it lends itself to a variety of sweet-ish fruit pairings well, so I knew that working with a pork tenderloin would be the way to go.
Now, let's backtrack for a second to take a closer look at my love of salted caramel.  That it is salted is what makes it genius.  That salt balances out the sweetness of the caramel, which can sometimes be cloyingly overpowering.  Yes, salt can enhance the sweetness of sugary goods (this is why we add it to baked goods), but in enhancing it, that sweetness is tamed.  Simply put, more taste buds are able to come to the party in your mouth.
What I wanted to have, then, was an even bigger party, one in which all the taste buds were mingling and jumping fully clothed into the pool.  I had my salty and sweet, so I was on a mission to bring in the sour, bitter, and umami.
The perfect balance, I found, was a peppercorn-crusted pork tenderloin over a shaved brussels sprouts and apple salad, all drizzled with a soy-caramel sauce.
But first, in the spirit of Theming All the Things and because appetizers, baked brie with apples, hazelnuts, and tamari-caramel sauce.

If you haven't made baked brie, run - don't walk - to the store, get yourself the best brie you can possibly find, and do this.  You're welcome.
All you have to do is plop that wheel onto a baking sheet (the rind is edible), poke a few holes in the top with a sharp knife or fork, put it in a 350° oven, and bake to melty deliciousness.  Then sprinkle whatever you want on top.  In this case, you're seeing some apples that were sauteed in a touch of butter and cinnamon sugar and some of those roasted hazelnuts.  All of this was topped with that modification of Megan's salted caramel sauce I mentioned earlier (I used a tamari syrup instead of corn syrup and didn't add as much salt at the end).

Perfect on just about anything (or simply conveyed to the mouth on a spoon), we downed this atop gluten-free bagel chips and almond crackers.

And now back to the main course.
I followed the recipe for the tenderloin's soy-caramel sauce with only a few modifications:

• I didn't add ginger.  It has no place in my house.
• I went with a red onion.  We had a white onion, but the red onion was needing to be used, and we love the flavor that it offers.  I chopped it pretty roughly so that we could get some big ol' bites.
• I used tamari instead of soy sauce for a fuller, saltier flavor and for the gluten-free option.
• I added more mustard.  Because mustard.
• Since the sauce was a bit thin, even for a dressing, I added a splash of cream and let it simmer while the pork finished roasting.

For the salad, The Husband was kind enough to shave the brussels sprouts finely.  In that effort, we decided that the mandolin I bought just for that purpose wasn't intended for brussels sprouts, no matter what the user guide said.  However, the experiment with potatoes went well, so I'm certain weekend lunches until the end of time will now include homemade chips/waffle fries.  Not complaining.
To the sprouts I added thinly julienned apples that I had tossed in lemon juice (partly to keep from browning and partly to add another sour component) and roasted, chopped hazelnuts.  That's it.  It was as simple as could be.  As the pork rested (roasting in an oven must be exhausting), I drizzled the warm dressing over this so that the sprouts would wilt just slightly.  I still wanted the crunch of the green as a contrast to the tenderness of the pork.
Once the pork was rested and sliced, the medallions were plated over the salad, and yet more dressing was drizzled, this time with plenty of those roughly chopped red onions.

This whole plate on a fork at at time is greater than the sum of its parts.  When each mouthful has the sprouts, apples, hazelnuts, pork, onions, and sauce, all of the taste buds are engaged.  Additionally, the different textures of the sprouts, the pork, the hazelnuts, and sauce (plus the wine/bubbly that we had) all serve to enhance the different elements that lend themselves to a beautiful mouthfeel.  Honestly, even though I didn't make dessert (see also: we filled up on brie), this really left us wholly satisfied and craving nothing more.

But if you're still in the mood to satisfy your sweet, tooth, fear not!  The rest of the Theme Weavers have whipped up such an amazing array of delicious caramel treats that you'll be setting out the butter and checking your sugar supplies to make all of them.

Yesterday, we introduced the week with some dynamite eats:

• Kirsten at Comfortably Domestic showed us how easy it is to make dulce de leche in the slow cooker.
• Beka at Kvetchin' Kitchen made a caramel apple pie (already established as one of my favorites).
• Mads of La Petite Pancake made a caramel and banana bread pudding.

Today I'm teamed up with my friend Carrie over at Bakeaholic Mama; she's made some amazing Milk Duds brownies - mmmmm... caramel and chocolate....mmmmm....

And don't miss out on the rest of this week's caramel craziness:

• Tomorrow Jeanne of Inside NanaBread's Head and Kirsten are tag teaming their recipes -  chocolate-coated alfajores with salted vanilla bean caramel (Jeanne) and traditional alfajore sandwich cookies (Kirsten), our friend Haley over at The Girly Girl Cooks is sharing her Almost-Famous Fairground Caramel Sauce, and Lauren from Climbing Grier Mountain has made my heart race with dulce de leche milkshakes.
• Thursday, do NOT miss Kat's caramel corn sundae at Tenaciously Yours, nor should you miss the butterscotch pudding from the newest player in the Theme Weavers, Christina from Buffy and George. Beka is also back with a luscious red wine caramel sauce.
• For Friday, Madeline at Munching in the Mitten baked up a gorgeous caramel cake, and Megan from Wanna be a Country Cleaver has pear caramel mini cheesecakes
• Finally, Kirsten will be wrapping things up for us on Saturday with a DIY dulce de leche coffee creamer in which I am VERY interested, while Katie of The Hill Country Cook has a salted caramel pie (WHAT!?!?!?).

I hope that you enjoy reading through all of these wonderful recipes as much as I do, and please, let me know - what's your favorite caramel-based recipe to make?  If you don't cook with caramel, have you ever had a caramel sump'n-sump'n at a great restaurant?  What was it, and where was it?

I Love it When a Plan Comes Together - Anaheim Chiles with Blue Cheese and Bacon

Usually, when I envision a "recipe" in my head, it turns out to be less than thrilling on the plate - flavors don't mix well, the texture is icky, etc.
But this week, I had a stroke of genius.
Anaheim chiles have started making an appearance in our weekly CSA shares, and I knew we'd need to find some new, creative ways to use them this year, aside from the traditional chile rellenos (not my favorite ever).  So I started looking for some inspiration.
And I didn't have to look too hard - the recipe that was attached to this week's share was cheese stuffed anaheims - yum.
But the recipe was more of an appetizer feature - stuff, chill, slice, and serve on crackers.  And while that does sound quite tasty in its own right, crackers aren't really what I'm looking for during dinner time.  At least the recipe got the wheels turning, and once home, I examined the contents of our fridge, and I realized that I had something even better than I had imagined at first.  To say I was excited to make dinner is an understatement.

I slit and seeded those chiles.

And fried up some bacon (making a bit extra for HRH).

Then I mixed some cream cheese and blue cheese with a few green onions and tossed in the bacon, which I'd chopped finely.

I baked the whole concoction until it was done.

And then I ate the whole thing.

Oh, these chiles - they were gooey and creamy and tangy and salty all in one.
You want these.  Now.

Blue Cheese and Bacon Stuffed Anaheim Peppers

• 4 large anaheim chiles
• 4 oz cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese
• 4 oz (or more) blue cheese
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 2-4 slices bacon, cut into lardons 
• cracked black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°.
Set out cheeses to soften at room temperature.  Place lardons in cold fry pan and cook at medium-low heat until crispy.  Drain and cool on paper towel.
While bacon is cooling, mix together until smooth the cheeses and green onions, adding black pepper.  Chop cooled bacon into small pieces and add to the cheese mixture, mixing until evenly blended.  Taste and add more pepper, if necessary.
Slit each pepper, careful to only slice through one side.  Remove all the seeds and veins.  As a note, to ensure that all the seeds have been removed, I like to rinse out the interior of the chile and then pat dry.  If you like a bit of heat, leave some of the veins in - it depends on the chile, of course, as to how hot it might be.
Fill each chile with 1/4 of the cheese mixture.  Using toothpicks, seal up the chile as well as possible in order to keep as much of the mixture from oozing out during baking.
Place chiles on cooking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until chiles are slightly softened (you still want them firm enough to have some resistance when you bite into them).
***If you really wanted to, you could wrap each chile in a slice of bacon before baking.  I can't be sure, but it would probably be delicious.
I should also note that you'll want to have whatever balance you desire of the cream cheese and blue cheese, but remember that blue cheese can often be overwhelming, so I'd start with a 50-50 combination and go from there.  Additionally, the taste of the bacon mellowed during baking, so add a bit more (like one slice) than you think you'll want.

I highly recommend serving the chiles with a chopped salad of sorts, in case you get some that are a little warm or inadvertently miss one of the veins (or leave them in on purpose, if you like the heat).  I chopped up some cucumber, canary melon, green red onion, avocado, and yellow heirloom tomato, adding only a touch of red wine vinegar, olive oil, and pinch of salt.  The sweetness of the melon and crisp acidity of the salad overall made a nice counterpoint to the creaminess of the chiles.
Oh - and don't forget the local beer!  I've made a commitment to buying only Arizona brews for (at least) the remainder of the year, and ordering it whenever possible when we go out.  The Oak Creek Brewing Co. hefeweizen (Sedona) was an excellent choice.
This meal was a delicious taste of summer, and while we in Arizona are going to be sweltering for a while more, if you live somewhere that is seeing those summer nights starting to wane, you'll want to jump all over this.
Oh, and as for overall health of the meal, since I'd run 6 miles that morning, I felt like I needed something a bit heartier, and to be honest, I got about 4 ounces of the cheese-bacon mixture - everything else was veggies.  This is a great example of the vegetables remaining as the star while the protein, fat, etc., from the meat and dairy merely accompanied the greens.  Which, if I'm going to do meat, is really as it should be (as I type this, The Husband is smoking 6 pounds of pork butt and some sausages he's wrapped in hojas, so I'll just ignore the irony of that for now).

How hot do you like your chiles - just a bit of a kick or melt your mouth off?
What veggies do you like to throw together for a chopped salad?
Are you a stinky cheese or mild cheese person?
How do you satisfy "the runger"?

Holy Crepe Week, Batman! Vegetarian Roasted Red Pepper, Mushroom, and Goat Cheese Crepes (Plus a Bonus!)

Well.  If you've been following the #CrepeWeek hashtag on Twitter, you'll know that it's been a whirlwind week round these parts.  We've got 12 bloggers, 4 cookbook giveaways, and one can't-miss crepe recipe.  Winning-er than winning, if I do say so myself.
If you haven't been in the reindeer games, let me bring you up to speed:
America's Test Kitchen has kindly worked with us this week as we all played with their fabulous, can't-possibly-screw-up-it's-that-easy crepe recipe (Don't believe me? Click the link to watch the video - you'll be sold.  And while you're there, I encourage you to sign up - ATK has amazing, time-tested recipes that you will want to use again and again).  All of us used this recipe as our base while filling the crepes with all sorts of amazingly drool-worthy recipes.  ATK has also provided four of their cookbooks as fabulous (Seriously - they are FABulous!  You want all of them!) giveaway items.
But more on the cookbooks in a minute.  First, the crepe recipes.
We paired a savory and sweet crepe each day, providing you with a litany of possible meal combinations.  It's up to you to determine which one you have to have today, and which one can wait until later today:

• Comfortably Domestic and Wanna Be a Country Cleaver kicked things off on Monday with, respectively, Tuscan crepes and Grand Marnier berry crepes.
• Tuesday, we were served up some southwestern crepes with cilantro pesto by Tenaciously Yours, as well as Inside NanaBread's Head's lemon cream crepe cakes for two.
• On Wednesday, pork belly and wild mushroom crepes by Climbing Grier Mountain and blueberry ginger crepes à la mode (because why would you NOT want ice cream?) from Munching in the Mitten were on the menu.

(Are you dying yet?  Because I am.)

• Bakeaholic Mama brought us "The Vermonter," a beast of a crepe with Vermont cheddar, Vermont ham, apples, and sage, and The Hill Country Cook made an amazing blackberry orange crepe with cream cheese and mascarpone filling on Thursday.
• Friday nearly finished off the week with The GromMom's prosciutto and asparagus crepe with a (screaming this part) MANGO CREAM SAUCE (plus a bonus - don't miss it!) and La Petite Pancake's strawberry crepes au lait.

Yes.  Our dinner parties would be EPIC.  It's pretty much a given that we need to all get together somewhere with a huge kitchen and basically throw down.  And then hibernate for 6 weeks while we recover from said food fest.

And don't forget to enter to win any or all (you want all) of these amazing books from America's Test Kitchen:

• Baking Illustrated (offered over at Comfortably Domestic)
• Cook's Illustrated (offered over at Wanna Be a Country Cleaver)
• Weeknight Faves (offered over at Climbing Grier Mountain)
• ATK Family Baking (offered over at The Hill Country Cook)

And that brings us to today.  I've paired up with our newbie, Ann at From My Sweetheart, and boy, oh boy, do we have some goodies for you.  Seriously.  I can't even begin to tell you about Anne's red velvet crepes with sweet mascarpone cream.
I screamed a little bit lot while typing that.  And maybe peed a little.  I'm pretty excited.  OK, a lot excited.  Actually, I had to be stopped from buying a plane ticket to go to her place for dessert.
This is clearly one of those Run-Don't-Walk-Eat-Dessert-First situations.  I mean, I like my crepes a whole lot, but we're talking red velvet here.  That's a completely different level.

Once you've snarfed those babies down, I've got a twist on one of my favorites.
When The Husband was finishing up his master's, he had a fellowship with the city of Washington, DC.  While I stayed in Michigan that last year, he was down there in a postage stamp sized apartment.  I love DC for all that it has to offer, especially the food.
Mere blocks from the apartment was L'Enfant's, a Belgian crepe bar.  We went there fairly regularly when I would come to visit, and the roasted red pepper and goat cheese was always a go-to when I wasn't sure what I wanted.  For my version, I beefed it up with a bit of mushroom.
And for heaven's sake, don't forget the Hoegaarden!

Roasted Red Pepper, Mushroom, and Herbed Goat Cheese Crepes
(serves 2)

• 2 organic red peppers, washed, cut in half, and seeded
• 2 Tbsp coconut milk (or organic whole milk)
• Oregano (preferrably fresh), to taste)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 pound mushrooms, any variety, chopped
• 1/2 onion, any variety (I prefer red onion here), chopped
• 5 oz herbed goat cheese (or plain goat cheese that you have mixed with your favorite herbs)
• Cooking oil (your choice)

Put your sweetie to work making those amazing ATK crepes.  The Husband is Official Crepe-Maker (hehe - crepe-maker!) in our house, so I took the opportunity to share a snap of him.

On a hot grill or under the broiler (or actually on a stovetop burner), roast the peppers, turning to ensure that the skin gets evenly charred. Remove and immediately place into a plastic zip-top bag; allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.  Remove peppers from the bag and peel off/discard the skins.
(Sorry I don't have a pic of this - my hands were covered in red pepper skin, and TH was chasing HRH around the house to keep her away from the kitchen)
Place 1 1/2 pepper along with the coconut milk, oregano, salt, pepper, and lime juice into a food processor and blend until  smooth.  Set aside, but keep warm (not hot).
Chop the remaining 1/2 pepper
In a large saute pan, heat 2 Tbsp of your favorite cooking oil (this recipe works well with canola, olive, and coconut oils) over medium-high heat.  Add mushrooms, onions, and the remainder of the red pepper and saute until the mushrooms and soft and the onions are translucent.

Add mushroom mixture to a bowl where the goat cheese is already waiting and mix. thoroughly.  Adjust seasoning to taste.

To assemble crepes:
Spoon 2-3 Tbsp of the filling into each crepe and roll up.  Drizzle red pepper sauce over crepes just before serving.

For an added kick of pepper, you can add cayenne or hot sauce to the red pepper sauce and put inside the crepe with the filling as well as on top.  Which is what we did.  Because we go big.

Note - these crepes are not a looker - it's my experience that anything that is mixed with a soft cheese or  various gravies usually look blobby.  But don't you fret.  These babies might not be that photogenic, but they don't disappoint on the trip to Flavor Town.

Of course, in the Philistine house, we can't just have one kind of crepe.  Whenever we have crepes for dinner, we have to have them for dessert, too.  I'll be honest - that there were leftover crepes for my breakfast the next morning was a complete anomaly, one that I took measures to ensure would not repeat itself at lunchtime.

So here's a special bonus crepe recipe, just for you!

Pineapple Mango Crepes with Coconut Cream and Macadamia Nut Drizzle
(serves 2)

For the crepes:

• 1 large red mango (or two yellow mangoes), roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup crushed pineapple (or chunk pineapple, chopped to be a bit smaller), drained
• 2 Tbsp pineapple juice
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch or tapioca flour

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring just to a boil.  Simmer 10 minutes and then remove from heat.  Allow to cool slightly, but the filling should remain warm.

For the coconut cream:

• 1/2 cup coconut milk (full fat only, please!)
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch or tapioca flour
• 1/3 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
• 1/3 cup toasted coconut or dried coconut flakes
• In a small saucepan, bring the coconut milk, syrup, and cornstarch just to a boil and reduce to simmer.  Simmer until the mixture has reduced and thickened; set aside so it stays warm.

To assemble crepes:
Add 3 Tbsp filling to each crepe and roll up.  Drizzle the top with the coconut cream, and then top with macadamia nuts and coconut.  Try to breathe between bites.

We are huge fans of tropical fruit in our house, and we especially liked this recipe because it was fruit sweet but not overly sweet.  By adding just a touch of sweetener to the coconut cream, we balanced out the acidic sweetness of the pineapple with the creaminess of the drizzle.
And then we licked the plates clean.

I hope that you enjoyed Crepe Week as much as we all did.  A huge thanks to America's Test Kitchen for helping us throw this party - the crepe recipe is amazing and easily adaptable, as you've seen, to both sweet and savory crepes that are perfect for any meal of the day!

***Disclaimer: all opinions expressed in this post are my own.  I was not remunerated by ATK for it in any way, but I just really like the show, the books, and the website, and I think you will, too!

Operation: Eat it or Starve - How Do You Know You Don't Like It if You Won't Try It?

Did you hear that?
It was the sound of me turning into "that mom."  The mom who nags the kid to eat.
Yep, that's me.
Good thing I have a pair of mom shorts I can put on so I really look the part.

HRH has worked tirelessly to reject anything that isn't a strawberry, apple, or highly processed carb.  In the last week, she even decided that she doesn't like cheese anymore, which is disconcerting to me; since she doesn't eat any meat other than bacon and the occasional chicken nugget, I do want to make sure that she is getting the protein she needs.
But she's been a huge proponent of Drink All the Milk of late, and she conned her daddy into buying her orange juice, which she is drinking, and bananas, which she isn't eating.  Oh, and she also asked for peaches and green apples, which were purchased in the Not Organic Section.  Then she told us she doesn't like peaches.
Even my attempt to make a The Very Hungry Caterpillar-themed dinner fell flat.  The plum was also disconcerting to our fair princess.

It was at this meal that HRH informed me
that she no longer eats cheese.
Zooey was only too happy to help out with that.

So, clearly, we are taking the "starve" route of late.

Today, especially, was tough.  Having left early in the morning for a run and hike, I have no idea what she had for breakfast or even if she had it (The Husband is NOT a morning person and barely managed a grumble when I said goodbye, so I'm uncertain as to whether or not he was mentally capable of making a meal in such a state).

For lunch she was presented with a first course (we've been doing courses so that she can't fill up on strawberries and ignore spaghetti) of fruit salad: apple, peach, cherry, honeydew, and watermelon.
To her credit, she put a piece of honeydew in her mouth.
And then spit it out with such to do that Gloria Swanson's heart would swell with pride.
No further courses were offered.

At dinner, I made her this lovely plate:

Carrot and cucumber butterflies
fluttering around a berry flower - yum!

Yes, I even gave HRH *A* strawberry in the "salad" course.
And she didn't even eat that.  Apparently the cucumber traumatized her so much that she couldn't bring herself to eat anything.
So I ate the strawberry and blueberries but left the veggies, which are really what I'm trying to focus on this week with HRH's meals.
A little later, the carrots were eaten, but still, the cucumbers continued to traumatize left and right.

So, tonight, HRH really is going to bed hungry - very little lunch (as in none), an unsanctioned glass of milk while I ran to the grocery store, and a few carrot sticks are all that she's had since this morning.

Maybe tomorrow morning I can get her to eat something.
Maybe.

Meatless Monday on Training Tuesday

First and foremost, I must say that I am thankful for the crazy monsoon weather that we've been having in Arizona this year.  While it makes for some seriously muggy, sweat-laden morning runs, the temperatures have been kept to within reasonable parameters.  By Arizona standards.
My morning runs with Zooey, which begin with a 4:30 AM alarm - followed immediately by a 4:30:30 coonhound alarm, just in case - have been hovering in the low 80s.  Not my most favorite temperature to run in, but it beats anything hotter.  So while the rains have drowned all by my mint (I think) and peppers (which are thriving), I'm more than happy for them to continue so that we can keep things tolerable.
Today marked my first Official training run to prepare me for my second half marathon, which will be in November.  I have, of course, been running and cross training throughout the summer, but it's been Unofficial, which means I haven't felt that bad about veering off of The Plan for various reasons.  Starting today, though, my heart rate monitor was strapped back on, and instead of just running a "basic" run, I set a time goal (in this case, a mere 30 minutes).
I love the time-based goals.  My training plan is pretty much the half marathon training plan set out in Marathoning for Mortals, by John Bingham and Jenny Hadfield, which I used to prepare for London's Run, and having the weekday runs be time-based is something that I came to almost rely on - it was the promise that I'd be done "soon."  Really, the only alteration I made was to add a few more weeks of training in and switch around the running and cross training weekdays.  Using time instead of distance really helps me focus on my heart rate, stride,and foot strike instead of "how much farther?"
Of course, this morning I had trouble remembering how to start my heart rate monitor, a delay that Zooey found unacceptable.
The Official training run didn't feel much different than Sunday's last Not Official training run (except we were faster this morning; I was tired Sunday), but it's nice to know that I'll be back on The Plan.  When on The Plan, I'm much stricter with myself and have the discipline not to skip/put off days, so I anticipate a solid performance for my second 13.1.

In Mrs. Obama Arms news, I'm still struggling with my Hundred Pushups Challenge.  After falling off the wagon for about a week and a half, I reset myself back to Week 3, Day 1, in which I did 48 pushups.  They were a little difficult, but that's to be expected.
My frustration lies in the fact that while Weeks 1, 2, and 3 felt like they were gradually moving me toward more and more pushups, Week 4 felt out of control.  I am not one to make excuses (most of the time), but I can't help but wonder if a woman's upper body strength limitations - I really don't like that word there, but I'm not sure what else to say - were taken into consideration with this program/app.  That's not to say as a woman I CAN'T do this, but I think some resetting and careful cross training will need to be taken into account; I might have to do Week 4 three times in a row before I think I'm ready for Week 5.
What I need to do is remind myself that this is OK.  I'm still working toward a great goal, and as of last night, I have completed 843 pushups since beginning the Challenge.  That probably brings my lifetime total to about 900, so I can't complain.
I mean, I CAN complain, but there's not really anything tangible for me to stand on there.
Besides, if it were easy, it wouldn't be called the Hundred Pushups Challenge.  It would be called the Hundred Pushups Easy Thing.

One more thing - I've started the Plank a Day Challenge as well.  This one is fairly simple to follow.  Each day, I do a plank for as long as I can.  That's it.  The goal, of course, is to be able to plank longer and longer, improving my core muscles.  I'm not gonna lie - I'm really tired of crunch/pushup workouts, so I'm game to try this.
My inaugural plank wasn't bad:

Now it's time to up the game and see where this can take me.  The good news is that, unlike my Hundred Pushups Challenge, I don't have a set time that I have to hit each day.  I just need to challenge myself at my level.  And, apparently, watch out for the Plank Police.

So how am I fueling myself?  Lots of plant-based proteins.  I'm not one to say "never" to anything, but I don't foresee myself our our family going 100% vegan, and I think that may not be the best route for me.  But I am doing my best to cut down on animal products when I can.
I've moved from half-and-half to coconut milk in my coffee.  While both have saturated fats in them (that's the " really bad juju" when it comes to reading the fats label), I've been reading up on the stuff, and studies are suggesting that the saturated fats in plants, such as coconuts, have less of a detriment on one's body than those found in animal products like butter or cream.  That being said, I am careful to have only 3 spoonsful in each cup, and I generally have two cups of coffee each day.  That's my "splurge" each morning.
And while I moved on to agave nectar for a while, I'm a little concerned about the process by which the "nectar" is made, so I'm trying out coconut sugar, which is gotten by a process similar to how maple syrup is obtained.  It's still got calories - my coffee is my morning splurge, remember? - but the coconut sugar is lower on the glycemic scale than white sugar, so there are no spikes in the blood sugar.

I still can't believe I've come this far, considering it wasn't long ago that I had to have a splash of coffee with my CoffeeMate.

I'm also having fun with vegetarian and vegan versions of my favorite dishes, like korma.
Last week, the okra in our CSA bag gave me a craving for Indian food that would have impressed even the most pregnant of women.  I thought about it morning, noon, and night, and I kept thinking about ordering take-out or suggesting that we go out.
The problem - HRH.  I'm perfectly happy to "force" her to eat certain foods, but I'm not going to take her to a restaurant that serves fare that far outside her comfort zone (we're still working on quesadillas, people).  I want to be allowed out in public with her again.
But if I were to make it at home, I could serve her similar ingredients like brown rice and carrots, and I could still get my korma fix.
Now, I love love love love (freaking) LOVE lamb korma; it's my go-to item when we go out to an Indian restaurant.  But unlike Aunt Voula, I understand that lamb doesn't fit into my plant-based focus, so I opted to make a vegetarian korma with tofu and fresh veggies, including that okra.  I just needed a recipe.

Thank you, Interwebz.

So, last Monday night (maybe Tuesday - I don't remember), I tried a recipe from Vegetarian Times.
It was good.
But it wasn't the korma I was thinking of - that creamy, spicy, sauce that you can literally sop up with a biscuit bit of naan.
So the craving?  Still there.
My poor husband - it was like I was pregnant all over again, but I didn't have a pregnant belly that he could rub like it was a freaking genie lamp.
So I searched and found one that would be better - perfect, even - one that used not only coconut milk and tomato but a cashew cream to give it a silky, creamy texture.  Thank YOU, Post Punk Kitchen, for delivering!
Of course, I didn't follow the recipe exactly (you know I have a hard time following directions) - I made my own garam masala earlier this year, since I am sensitive to ginger, anise, and turmeric.  So I played around with everything to get something that would still be savory, although I think I still needed to amp the spice and garlic when we have our next go round.
End result - this recipe was a lot of work (I'm sparing you pictures of the aftermath in the kitchen since this post is already so dang long), but it was totally worth it, especially when paired with some homemade naan that was already on the right track (it's hard to duplicate the flavor and texture when your kitchen is lacking a tandoori oven).

As far as naan goes, it was good, but The Husband and I discussed how we can improve it so we didn't use so much oil in the process.  We determined that some terra cotta planter bottoms (the flat parts that hold the water in) on the grill will probably be the closest we can get, so next time you see me at the hardware store, it's probably because I'm thinking about dinner.
I've gotten my korma fix, but we still have a jar full of the leftover korma sauce, so I'm thinking of making a korma pizza later this week.  I can toss some roasted veggies on top of it and call it a meal - the perfect training food.

Do you need to be on a training plan to be disciplined?
What is your favorite way to strengthen your core?
What food cravings have you had recently; did you indulge?

Smoothie Sunday - Colourful Smoothie Challenge Week 2

It was my first week back at work.  I miss vacation already.  Especially since work was combined with HRH's soccer camp, trying to ready the house for my mom (who came into town on Saturday), and trying to unpack completely from San Diego (still a slow process).
But I did at least get my smoothies taken care of.

Some winners:

• Charissa's carrot cake "shake," although I'm not sure I'm a fan of protein powders yet.
• Straw-nana (I had it Sunday AND Monday)
• Tropic Thunder from 24 Carrots Juice Cafe here in Chandler.  

And a Not Ever Going to Be a Winner - the green smoothie up there (bottom right) that utilized some coconut water that HRH didn't like (failed attempt at a homemade "Gatorade") - everything was chilled, but I didn't use anything frozen, and it tasted warm.  Considering I took it to soccer... ewwwwww.

Note to self - always include Something Frozen.

My go-to, in case you were curious, is frozen berries (any assortment), a half a frozen banana or frozen avocado (more than half a banana makes anything too banana-y - ewwwww), some water, some flax seed, and kale.  I'll add some sweetener if I feel it needs it in the form of maple syrup, honey, or agave.  Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Smoothie Sunday - Colourful Challenge Week 1

We went to San Diego over the weekend, and it was absolutely delicious to run along the boardwalk in the cool morning.  There was a fitness convention going on at the same time, although I suspect that over half of my new running buddies were more regular visitors to the beach fronts.  

At the end of my run - it was probably only 65°.
Did you hear that "ahhhhh..."?
That was me. It was just lovely to run there.

It's going to be hard to take that first run back here in the Arizona heat.  Really, really hard.

The Colourful Smoothie Challenge that I'm participating in over at Colourful Palate proved to be more difficult than I thought it would be while we were gone.  Almost immediately upon our arrival, I checked with the concierge about any nearby smoothie locations. When I clarified that I wanted a place that was more of a juice bar than a place that passes off glorified ice cream as a smoothie, I pretty much knew I was going to be out of luck!

His response: "Unfortunately, there is nothing nearby."

By "nearby," he meant anywhere within at least a three-mile radius.

Which would have perhaps been more easily attainable had HRH not gotten sick the first night we were there.

And the second night.

Because NOTHING is more fun than having a puking preschooler in a hotel room.

I did what I could, but I'll be honest; nothing beats a homemade smoothie.  I know exactly what goes into my blends, I don't have to make special requests, and I can inhale them without any worry that someone might look at me as if I'll eat them next.

I can't find one photo, so I'm missing Day 7 (I'll have to ask TH tomorrow if it's on his phone or camera).  That being said, so far I'm pretty happy with the tasty concoctions that Cato and I have whipped up (and one whipped up by some blender whose name I never got - it was a smoothie one night stand).

Clockwise from left:
tropical-honeydew, cherry-chocolate-almond, cherry-cherry-cherry,
kitchen sink, cherry vanilla, orange-carrot-peach

Of course, since we were headed out of town, several of last week's offerings were kitchen sink-worthy - that big yellow one with the honeydew garnish up there had (I think) kale, honeydew, peach, mango, kiwi, and coconut milk, while the really awful pic of the blender contained cucumber, kale, cherries, and heaven knows what else (I literally cannot remember what else was in there, but I know there was something).

So - a few things I have learned this week:

• Oranges are not the best tasting thing ever in a smoothie; they can taste a bit a lot pithy.  To his credit, The Husband drank that pithy concoction like a champ.  He only complained after I said it was awful.
• Since cherries have been in season and readily available, I've been consuming them like a woman possessed, and they are amazing in smoothies.  I guess this is something that I really didn't learn.
• Cucumbers are pretty refreshing in smoothies, but I'm not a fan of cucumber melon all the time, so it's nice to put them in with less watery fruits to add liquid.
• Smoothies can make a crummy day a little bit better; before we left for San Diego, The Husband came across a teeny kitten on his walk with Zooey.  We tried to save it (TH named it Monte, since that was the name of the street where he found it; I named it Sammy, since one eye seemed to be gone), but when I got to the vet, I was told there was nothing that could be done - it was too far gone (I had tried to bring its blood sugar up with some agave and rehydrate it with a straw and some water; I even said a quick prayer to St. Francis).  Enter an absolute ton of tears; when I got back, the cherry vanilla smoothie and a pedicure made me feel better and remember that I at least gave Monte-Sammy some love in its short life and peace at the end.  RIP, bitty kitty; you were loved, even if only for a few hours of your too-short little life.
• I could probably OD on coconut milk if I let myself, so I need to be careful - lots of calories and fat in that stuff!  Maybe I should look into coconut water so I can get my fix in more often (without the regret)!

I'm not sure if I've lost any weight (although I'm pretty sure that if I did, I totally pissed that away with the pizza we ate our last night in San Diego), but I'm loving my smoothies regardless.

The good news is that we are home (well, I am - TH is in Chicago for a training class - lucky dog!), and I have Cato working hard for me.  Additionally, there are plenty of smoothie places and juice bars (that make real smoothies) close by, so I will be anything but bored.

I just have to get to the grocery store; I'm pretty sure an acorn squash smoothie will taste TERRIBLE.

What's your favorite smoothie ingredient?

What is a smoothie or juice combo that didn't work (read: was terrible)?

Veggie-fruit combo, or one at a time?

Finicky Fridays - Operation Eat it or Starve: the Battles Rage On

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?

Smoothie Operator

Now that Cocktail Week is officially over, this blog needs some detox!  To be totally honest with y'all, while I wanted to try each and every delicious cocktail that was posted by all my girls last week, I knew that if I were to do so, I'd probably just be waking up in a ditch with my pants on backwards somewhere.
And that's just really not how I roll.  So they have been bookmarked, jotted down, and even pinned for future reference, and I can return my focus back to consuming better, more healthful Things.
And that's why I'm so excited for July (when one lives in Arizona, there are few things about July over which to get excited).  This month, Charissa over at Colourful Palate is challenging readers to drink a smoothie a day - it's the Colourful Smoothie Challenge!

I love smoothies.  I mean, who doesn't?  They're basically a milkshake you don't feel badly about inhaling through the largest straw in the house, since, when done properly, they are made with all sorts of good things for the body.  What makes smoothies far superior to juice, in my opinion, is that since everything is blended together, none of the nutrients in the fruits and veggies are lost like they are in the juicing process.
Oh, and can I mention how easy it is to make them?  Basically, any smoothie recipe probably started out like this:

*person looks in fruit bowl and veggie bins*
"Hmmmm.... what can I make myself that will be fast and easy and use the foods I have?  I KNOW!  I'll take this, this, and this, and I'll whip those bad boys up in my blender!"

BAM!
Smoothie recipe.

This is a great opportunity, too, for the newest addition to the kitchen staff to show off what he can do.  Cato is our new KitchenAid blender, and I love what he's done so far.  I'll be putting him to work quite a bit this summer, and especially through this month of the Colourful Smoothie Challenge.

My biggest concern is that we are spending this coming weekend in San Diego, so I'll have to seek out juice and smoothie bars in the area of our hotel in order to keep the trend going.  Hopefully I won't be stuck with large, national chains that make their "smoothies" out of juice, sugar, and ice cubes (not naming names, but it rhymes with Bamba Puce).

Now, this is a challenge, and there are possible prizes involved, but I really want to participate in this because I think that it will be a good way for me to challenge myself to try different smoothie combos instead of getting stuck on the same, albeit delicious, ones for weeks on end.  Charissa has some great-sounding smoothie recipes on her blog, and I've found quite a few others on other favorite sites that I'm looking forward to mixing up, too.
The goal this week is to clean out the fruit bowl and the veggie bins before we head out of town.  I've got peaches, berries, cherries, honeydew, limes, a carrot, and plenty of kale to work with, so I'm confident that each day this week before we're gone will be a new and exciting menu item.
What's up first?  In the spirit of the Challenge, I thought I'd try a take on Charissa's strawberry and vanilla milkshake (yes, she calls it a milkshake, but it's actually a smoothie that just tastes like it should be bad for you) that she posted over at the Fitfluential blog (where I first learned of the challenge).  What's more - all the ingredients are in my house.  Winning.
Bottoms up!

What is your favorite smoothie recipe?
Are you a fan of the green smoothies?

Finicky Fridays - Commencing Operation Eat it or Starve

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?

Favorite Food Friday

When I was pregnant with HRH, I wanted pizza.  All.  The.  Time.  My poor husband, who loves pizza himself, got so weary of it that when I wanted pasta he almost celebrated the chance to not eat pizza.
I continue to love pizza (it's weird that HRH doesn't like pizza; you'd think it was like mother's milk to her... especially since I suspect my milk actually tasted like pizza), and although I could probably eat it more than once a week if I were given free reign, I don't.
Sometimes we go out, but more than not of late, when I want pizza, I just make it myself (insert sound clip of small child yelling, "I DO IT MYSELF!").
This also helps make sure that I win the Deep Dish vs. Thin Crust debate (The Husband is pro-Chicago-style; I am a fan of New York pizza).
I have played around with various crust recipes but have found my best success with the crust in the Peas and Thank You cookbook; it's light and bakes up nice and crispy.  This week I subbed a small bit of whole wheat flour for the whole wheat pastry flour to get a little bit denser, chewier texture.
When I make pizza, it's basically Whatever Possible Toppings Are On Hand flavor.  I feel like I've come a long way in my belief of What is Allowed as a Pizza Topping; when I was small, it was only pepperoni, black olives, and, when done appropriately, sausage, white onions, and cashews.  The first time I saw artichoke hearts on pizza, I was mortified.  Now I find them delectable and will regularly order them when eating out.
This week, my toppings included yellow summer squash, apples, arugula, and caramelized onions that came right from our CSA share as well as sun-dried tomatoes and part-skim mozzarella cheese.  I don't generally use sauce - red sauce has never been my favorite, and while I really do love white garlic sauces, I don't need the calories that my favorite ones add (the approximate number is a bazillion).  So I just brush the crust with olive oil.  I did plan to add some minced garlic, but I forgot, as I did with the Kalamata olives
The one thing that I think ALL pizza crust recipes need to include is this:

Before shaping the crust, sprinkle an ample amount of cornmeal onto your shaping surface.  Right before you put your pizza in the oven, sprinkle your pizza stone with cornmeal as well.  This will help prevent the crust from sticking to anything.

See?  Ample.

I mean, I guess if you were going to shape your crust on a pizza pan, this wouldn't be a big deal, but since we have a pizza stone that we use in the oven and on the grill, it's a Necessary Step.

I can't guarantee that all my pizza creations are as veggie-fied as the one I made this week, but hey, when I make it myself, it's bound to be a healthier version of one of my favorite splurges.

Pre-cheese

If there is anything tastier than baked cheese, I want to meet it.

Pizza is the exception to my "no seconds" rule.
Every rule has to have exceptions.

What is a food you could eat at least once weekly for the rest of your life?
What is your favorite pizza topping combination?
Red sauce, white sauce, or no sauce?