Tuesday Pantry Challenge: Zucchini Flat Breads

What's for Breakfast:
Trader O's
Cranberry-Walnut Toast with butter/cream cheese
Banana-Pumpkin Muffins
Banana

What's for Lunch:
Grapes & Pomegranate Seeds
Zucchini Flat Breads (recipe below)
Leftover Butternut Squash soup
Banana-Pumpkin Muffins

What's for Dinner:
Fall Flavors Vegetarian Lasagna
Whole Wheat Honey Bread (made by Maria Lazo)

Thanks for joining us on our healthy living journey. Today marks Day Two of The Great Pantry Challenge. To be honest, this whole eating out of the pantry thing has not been hard at all so far. I was expecting to be mopey and have major withdrawals for my weekly Trader Joe's run. Sure, it's only day two, but already I'm discovering I have so much more food than I thought I had when I originally made my careful menu plans last Thursday. (It's amazing what joy a small bag of dried black beans discovered in my freezer can bring!)

One of the main reasons we are in plenty instead of want is because we have family and friends who continue to share with us. My mother-in-law had extra grapes and almonds from a Valley farmer who goes to her office. My mom decided to get creative in her baking and then shared a bread made in her bread maker. For lunch, we invited our friends the Freelands over. They are also doing this Pantry Challenge. They shared extra pizza ingredients for a second flatbread. Sure, they have five kids but our food supply wasn't really depleted when we considered what they shared and the great feeling one gets when sharing fellowship around the table. This evening another couple shared with us a bag of organic raisins from the farmer's market because they couldn't make it through their abundance.

Unbelievable. Mind you, I never solicited food from friends or family members; they just happened to have extras to share. Most of them don't even know we are doing this challenge. Imagine what would happen if people decided to share the abundance we have in the city of Fresno with the homeless. What about sharing the abundance we have in the United States with other countries that are experiencing food crises? Could be revolutionary. I have this feeling this week is going to teach me a lot more than just how I can save a few pennies eating out of my pantry.

Ok, on to dinner. One of the items I discovered when menu planning was a box of whole wheat lasagna noodles. I decided to dig out a recipe I created last winter and try it again with what I had on hand. First, I had to consider the sauce. I didn't have any tomatoes (fresh or canned) so I had to use two cans of organic tomato sauce instead. That was easy enough. I also substituted sliced zucchini from lunch for the mushrooms and chopped swiss chard instead of the purple kale. We didn't have ricotta cheese or anything really close so we tried the lasagna without it. The result was a really yummy entree. The most amazing part of the meal is that my parents joined us and my carnivore of a father actually gobbled up two slices of my mom's homemade wheat bread and two servings of lasagna and then said, "I'm full!" He didn't even realize he had just eaten a mean VEGETARIAN lasagna. Mangia! Mangia!

Don't worry meat-eaters: we have no intentions of going totally vegetarian. Over the last two years we have taken "baby steps" to eating more healthy. We have seriously amped up our daily intake of vegetables and fruits and taken our carnivore tendencies down a notch but we still eat meat. We are just attempting a vegetarian meal once or twice a week to save money, clean out our systems and fight the bad guys (sickness and disease). I like to think of it as a part of prevention rather than paying the big bucks in doctor bills and meds later.

A Note from our Nutrition Guy (aka my Hubby):

What a lot of people don't realize is that our bodies need foods that are filled with nutrients, not just calories. For example, a bowl of raspberries and a bowl of Oreo cookies may have the same amount of calories but the amount of nutrients they contain are drastically different. Nutrients provide more than just energy; they also fight the diseases and chemicals we encounter daily in our environment.

Raw leafy greens have the highest nutrient density of any food. Our family tries to incorporate a serving of raw leafy greens in our menu each day. They are kind of like the superheroes of food. Examples include Swiss chard, kale, spinach, collards, parsley, romaine and more. In this day an age, you don't need to do it Popeye-style and force down a can of spinach. Instead think of creative ways you can incorporate leafy greens in your regular meals. We sneak a handful of greens in our morning smoothies, chop and add them to soups and layer them in lasagnas. Then, of course, there's always the classic salad option.


*Today's featured recipe was created in the kitchen using what we had on hand. I've seen lots of chefs do a kind of zucchini appetizer or pizza like this but I wanted to try for a new crust. After reading several recipes, I put together this one which incorporates spelt flour for added nutrition. The dough was surprisingly tender and easy to make. And the whole ordeal is quite cheap but elegant enough for a fancy holiday party.

Zucchini-Garlic Flat Breads
Makes 2 flat breads, 9-inch diameter
Ingredients:

Crust:
-3 cups unbleached flour (Trader Joe's chemical-free brand)
-1/2 cup spelt flour (bought in bulk from Winco)
-1/2 teaspoon quick-rising active dry yeast
-1 teaspoon honey
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-2 teaspoons sea salt
-1 cup warm water

Toppings:
-Zucchini, thinly sliced
-5-6 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Combine all crust ingredients in a heavy duty mixer (like Kitchenaid). Using dough hook, mix together on low speed until dough comes together and away from the sides of the bowl (approximately 2 minutes).
2. Remove hook and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest for 20 minutes.
3. Reattach dough hook and beat dough for 5 minutes. Cover bowl with a towel and let rise for 1 hour until dough puffs.
4. Divide dough in half. Refrigerate for later or roll out on a floured pizza pan or stone.
5. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile, add toppings to flatbread dough.
6. Bake approximately 10-15 minutes or until dough is golden brown and cheese is melted.
7. Serve plain, cut into wedges or drizzle with a favorite sauce like honey mustard or Goddess dressing.

Pantry Challenge: Breakfast & Lunch Ideas

I promised I would share some ideas for what to eat for breakfasts and lunches during our Great Pantry Challenge this week. The following is based solely on what is available in our pantry. Feel free to share your own creative breakfast and lunch ideas based on your pantry's abundance. Interested in recipes? Let us know.


Breakfast Ideas:
Trader O's cereal
Banana-Pumpkin Muffins
Zucchini Muffins
Banana Bread with a Healthy Twist
Steel Cut Oats
Cinnamon-walnut Oatmeal
Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal
Maple Granola
Cranberry-walnut toast with Cream Cheese
Veggie & Egg Frittata
Quiche
Pumpkin Pancakes

Lunch Ideas:
Zucchini Flat Bread
Pita Sandwiches
Curried Egg or Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Italian Egg salad with Basil Sandwiches
Grilled cheese on Whole Wheat Sourdough
Butternut squash soup
Alphabet noodle soup
Leftovers

Monday Pantry Challenge: Chicken Cacciatore

What's for Dinner:
Baby greens salad with Fuyu persimmons, Feta Cheese & Almonds (Our garden & Farmer's market) 
with Champagne Pear salad dressing (Trader Joe's)
Mama Maria's Chicken Cacciatore (recipe below)
Rotini Whole Wheat Pasta (Trader Joe's)

Today is the official launch of our Great Pantry Challenge. We skipped our grocery shopping for this week in an effort to save money, live out of our pantry and contemplate the abundance we are blessed with in the United States. If you're just tuning in, find out more details here.

We just returned from a weekend hanging out with my brother and his family in Los Angeles. Since most of our weekend meals were provided by them, we'll say that tonight's dinner is our starting point for reflection. Our meal began with a Baby Greens Salad. The greens are the first we have ever harvested from our own garden. No, we didn't plan for them to be ready today. We have been aspiring to garden for years but never really got around to it. A friend helped us build planter boxes from Sunset magazine in June. Then we had to wait until we returned from a month-long trip to Haiti before we could plant.

Our 3-year-old picked out seeds at the local garden store for bok choy (her fave), a variety of greens (for salads) and a mix of sunflowers. We also plan to do carrots. We finally planted the seeds about six weeks ago and then waited. We've been watering (when we remember) and checking on the plants every few days. Finally on Friday we were able to harvest our first two bunches of bok choy and then today a handful of greens was ready. This was a perfect quantity for a salad. We sliced up a fuyu persimmon and sprinkled feta cheese on top. The "fuyu" persimmon is like an orange, squatty tomato and firm when ripe. These are great in place of apples or pears in your fave dishes. We have a few fuyus left from our last farmer's market trip (October 17). We pretty much always have feta cheese or goat cheese in our fridge so we added that with a handful of whole almonds we had from a local farm.

Our main entree was Chicken Cacciatore, an Italian dish I learned to make from my mom. This comfort food dish melds together the flavors of onions, green peppers, tomatoes and black olives with tender chicken. We only had frozen chicken thighs so I substituted them for the usual chicken breasts. I also had to ditch the mushrooms since we didn't have any and I threw in some fresh zucchini instead. I stock up on canned organic tomatoes (when they're not in season) and sauce from Costco at the start of each month. The great thing about this meal is that I actually made it last Thursday to feed my family (including my parents). We had enough to feed our family (of 3 minus the baby) tonight when we rolled in from L.A. and even more for at least one lunch leftover. I love making meals that I can freeze or refrigerate extra portions for another meal. I try to make at least one of these kinds of meals a week so I can save time on another busy night.

A note from our Nutrition Guy (aka my hubby, Ericlee):

Tonight's pasta was whole wheat "rotini" (curly-Qs) from Trader Joe's. We try to eat whole wheat pastas in place of the typical enriched pastas. Since Bible times wheat has played an important role in our diets. Today, we seldom think about where pastas and bread come from or what is used to make it. The life of a wheat kernel begins once it is broken open through a process called milling. Essential nutrients immediately begin to oxidize when the kernel is milled. Within 72 hours of milling, 90% of more than 30 nutrients have oxidized or disappear.

Looking back in history, the 1920s brought new technology which allowed enterprising millers to separate wheat components. They removed the germ, germ oil, and bran, and the remaining white flour could be stored forever. Now white flour was accessible to the common person and not just to royalty and the wealthy. White flour also became a status symbol; the whiter the flour, the richer the household. But while some people were feeling rich, they were eating white breads and pastas with very few nutrients and thus were getting sick. In the 1940s, the U.S. government made it mandatory that some nutrients be returned to flour so the large mill companies “enriched” the flour by replacing 3 vitamins and 1 mineral.

For more details about grains and personal grain mills, read Grains of Truth by Donna Spann or check out her web site.

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients:

3 lbs. cut –up chicken pieces

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1 clove garlic, minced

2 cage-free eggs, well beaten

1/4 cup raw milk

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

Sauce:

1 29 oz. can organic diced tomatoes

1 15 oz. can organic tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves, crushed

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 green pepper cut up in 1 in.x 2 in. slices

3 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1. Wash chicken and pat dry.
2. Heat oil to medium heat in large skillet.
3. Mix flour with salt, pepper, parmesan cheese and garlic in a plastic bag and shake together.
4. Combine eggs, milk, and parsley in a shallow dish. Shake chicken 2 pieces at a time, coating all sides. Roll in egg mixture and place skin side down in skillet. Brown all sides, turning pieces as necessary with tongs (about 20 minutes).
5. Sauce: While chicken is browning, sauté onions in a Dutch oven a few minutes, then add peppers and garlic.
6. Add all other ingredients of sauce and cook on low until chicken is browned. Carefully add pieces of chicken to sauce.
7. Cover tightly and cook on low for 30 to 45 minutes or until thickest part of meat is fork tender. Add a small amount of water if sauce becomes too thick. Chicken Cacciatore may be served plain or over cooked pasta of your choice.

Cheap Eats: The Great Pantry Challenge Menus

Ready, set, go. We're gearing up for The Great Pantry Challenge. You can read more about our plans here. Of course, eating with what you have on hand requires a bit of planning. I usually plan my weekly menus on Fridays and Saturdays so I can get my list at the the local farmer's market on Saturdays and Trader Joe's on Monday. The only difference is this week we aren't making our usual stops.

Ok, let's start planning. I fully understand that what you have in your pantry is probably not what I have in my pantry but I thought I'd share what our Dinner Plans are for this week. I've discovered that I'm going to have to especially be creative with some healthy whole grains like quinoa, amaranth and cracked wheat that I bought way back when.

I'd love to hear your dinner plans if you're taking the challenge or even if you're not and you have some healthy recipes in mind. My friend Brandy is joining me on this challenge and you can peek in on what her family of seven(!) will be eating this week too. She's added a fun rule that you can trade with someone if you need something they might have in their pantry.

Day by day I will also share exactly what we eat for breakfast, lunches and dinners and even for our snacks. For now, here are the lunch and dinner plans (with a few additions or subtractions from the original recipes). My next post will include breakfast ideas. I'm also taking some cues from The Prudent Homemaker.

MONDAY
Lunch: Pumpkin & Goat Cheese Pita Sandwiches
Butternut squash soup
Dinner:
Chicken Cacciatore served over Whole Wheat Rotini pasta

TUESDAY
Lunch with friends: Zucchini-Garlic flat breads
Banana-Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
(Brandy will bring an item from her pantry to share.)
Dinner:
Fall Veggie Lasagna
Baby Green Salad with Persimmons, Feta & Walnuts

WEDNESDAY
Lunch: Curried Egg Salad sandwiches, apple slices
Small Group Dinner: (We will be eating our friend's house & each family will bring a different part of the meal like Main Dish, Side Dish, Salad or Dessert. We were assigned dessert.)
Dessert: Chocolate Ravioli

THURSDAY
Playgroup Lunch: (We meet up weekly with two other mamas & kids and we each bring something to share with the group.)
Baked Sweet Potato fries with Spiced Aioli
Dinner:
Italian Wedding Soup
Cracked Wheat Pilaf
Fuyu Persimmon Wedges

FRIDAY
Lunch: Italian Basil & Egg Salad Sandwiches
Organic Applesauce with Cinnamon
Dinner:
Black Olive & Turkey Bacon Pizza

SATURDAY
Brunch: Whole Grain Cinnamon Waffles &
Dinner: Harvest Pumpkin & Black Bean Soup
Quinoa with Sauteed Onions

The Great Pantry Challenge: Will you join me?

I love a challenge! We have one week left of the month of October and I have decided to take on The Great Pantry Challenge. I was reading about this "Eating From the Pantry" Week on another blog and I thought it would be a great learning and growing experience to try it. Truth be told I usually get creative at the end of the month with what's in our fridge and pantry anyway. This time I intend to document it.

The rules:
My last grocery store stop was last Monday, October 19. I've decided to make do with what we have on hand (in the refrigerator & pantry) until Sunday, November 1. The only exception is that we will buy our half gallon of raw milk at our local farmer's market. We're all out of juice and I think the extra five bucks is worth it to keep my family healthy. We will be gone to Los Angeles this weekend to hang out with my brother and his family so the real challenge starts Monday, October 26 for us. I thought I'd just give you all a heads up since many do their shopping and planning for the week on the weekends. In a nutshell, this challenge is not so much about being stringent but about using what we have and spending less. If you're joining me, you can make up your own rules.

Why I'm doing this:
Let's be transparent here. We crunched the numbers and we don't have any more money in our food budget (or any of our budget categories) until the new month starts. When my husband lost his job last December we had to reduce our living expenses quite a bit. I'm grateful for his new job but it pays significantly less so we're still figuring out how to cut costs but still eat healthy. I'm not trying to get you to feel sorry for me. I'm just sharing because I know I'm not alone in that. Times are tough for everyone. For me, that's an extra challenge to put on my game face and get creative. I'd rather pinch pennies now than at Thanksgiving or Christmas time.

What I hope to learn:
The bottom line is: we are spoiled. We can run to the grocery store or to a local market any day we please. We might say things like "We don't have anything to eat" or "We don't have anything in the house" when really we don't even understand what that truly feels like. I'm reading this book called CRAZY LOVE by Francis Chan. He notes that most of the world lives on $2 a day while we in America think we are poor when we are (on average) raking in $135 daily ($4,000 a month). I, for one, am not going to go around saying "I'm poor" or "I'm broke" anymore. Times may be tough but they could be tougher. I have a full closet and multiple pairs of shoes. I actually do have options in my pantry and a little in my garden. And most of all my husband has a job and I have many small ways I can earn a living while raising my two precious daughters.

What I hope to share:
I'll be blogging what we eat each day and our personal journey as we think through "making do with what we have." Everything is easier with a friend. I know at least one friend who has said she will join me on this challenge. I hope this week will be a chance to share more with my bloggy friends. We can share resources, tips and recipes. Even more I'd like to share encouraging stories and reflections.

Are you in? Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.

Recipe of the Week: Chocolate-Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Ok, friends. There's probably nothing I like more during this season than the flavors of pumpkin and chocolate melded together in a yummy comfort food dessert. That's exactly why my daughter and I decided it was time to do some experimenting in the kitchen. I shared this recipe at our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting a few weeks ago. This is a perfect way to put day-old or hardened baguettes to good use. If you're looking for a snazzy dessert for your Harvest Party or even a decadent Fall Brunch idea, check this out!

Chocolate-Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Ingredients:
-1-pound loaf whole wheat bread (or consider using leftover bagels, baguette, croissants or other whole grain breads)
-olive oil spray
-6 large eggs
-2 cups raw milk
-1 cup heavy cream
-2 cups pumpkin puree (15-oz. can organic pumpkin)
-1 tablespoon vanilla
-1/2 cup organic brown sugar or 1/3 cup honey
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips or grain sweetened chocolate chips
-1/4 cup maple syrup

1. Cut the bread into 1-inch chunks.
2. Spray a 2-quart oven-proof dish with olive oil spray. Add bread chunks to  dish.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, milk, heavy cream, vanilla and pumpkin.
4. Stir in cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Stir in chocolate chips
5. Pour mixture over the cubes of bread. Let sit 20 minutes to soak into bread.
6. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Drizzle maple syrup on top & serve.

Cooking Club: Fall Flavors with the Friends

This Saturday we had a Fall Flavors Cooking Club with our friends, the Freelands and the Benedicts. Our original intention was to go apple-picking somewhere in the Valley and then bake with our pickings. After several days of searching the internet and making phone calls to local farms, I discovered we missed the boat this year on apple-picking. We'll have to plan a trip for next year to the illustrious Apple Hill. We decided on the Hillcrest Pumpkin Patch in Reedley as an alternative for some fall fun. The pumpkin patch was a winner with corn mazes, a hike up to a train, mounds of pumpkins to choose from and even a giant tree swing. After we frolicked in the fall weather we headed to the kitchen for some good eats.

Our menu included:

Chicken with Spiced Apples

Pumpkin Soup

Apple Cupcakes with Cinnamon-Marshmallow Frosting

The Pumpkin Soup was a recipe created right in the Freelands kitchen with some fresh ingredients we picked up at the Vineyard Farmer's Market, from Stacie's friend's farm and from the pumpkin patch. The result was a fabulous pureed soup with a secret ingredient - coconut milk - that made it memorable.

Bon appetit!

Pumpkin Party Soup

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
-2 tablespoons organic butter
-1 red onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 small sugar pumpkin (2 cups, chopped - could substitute canned)
-4-5 sweet potatoes (2 cups, chopped)
-1 medium butternut squash (2 cups, chopped)
-1 quart organic vegetable broth
-1 bunch bok choy or celery (1 1/2 cups, chopped)
-2 teaspoons salt
-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
-2 teaspoons curry powder (We used Cost Plus World Market's mild curry.)
-1 15-oz. can organic coconut milk (We used light from Trader Joe's.)
-1/2 cup green onions, chopped for garnish

1. Chop onions and mince garlic. Add to large soup pot with butter. Cook until onions are translucent.
2. Meanwhile, get to work chopping the other veggies. Peel and quarter pumpkin, sweet potatoes and butternut squash. Clean out any seeds and then coarsely chop hard flesh into 1-inch cubes. Add to soup pot.
3. Add vegetable broth and simmer vegetables approximately 20 minutes until soft.
4. Add chopped bok choy (or celery). Add salt, black pepper, curry powder and cook 20 minutes more.
6. Using and immersion blender or other appropriate appliance, puree with soup in batches. When soup is smooth, add coconut milk.
7. Serve with green onions for garnish.

**We were blessed to have Nathan Freeland and my sweet hubby to help with the veggie chopping and pureeing of the soup, but if you want to save time you might consider squash that is already peeled and diced from places like Trader Joe's and Costco.

Here are some more of our favorite Fall Flavors recipes:

Harvest Apple Salad

Squash & Corn Chowder

Chili Pizazz & Honey Cornbread Muffins

Butternut Squash Soup

Pumpkin Pancakes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Harvest Banana-Pumpkin Muffins

Recipe of the Week: Italian Wedding Soup

The cooler temps are here and that means "Soup's on!" at our house. My friend Jen made a Veggie Meatball Soup for us last week for lunch and it reminded me of this classic Italian "meatball" soup that's always a hit around here. This one even includes some healthy greens. Buon Appetito!

(Serves: 8-10)


For Soup:

1 cup onion, diced

1 cup celery, diced

1 cup carrot, diced

1 cup turkey bacon, diced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

12 cups organic chicken broth

2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (adjust depending on how spicy you want it)

1 tablespoon parsley

1 bay leaf

1 15-ounce can cannellini (white kidney beans) or 2 cups cooked beans

2 cups spinach leaves

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated



For Meatballs:

Approx. 30 small meatballs (You may use already prepared meatballs or mix the following ingredients together and roll your own meatballs.)

1 pound ground beef (grass-fed) (or use half ground beef/half ground turkey)

1/2 cup unseasoned whole wheat bread crumbs

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1/4 cup raw whole milk

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 cage-free egg, beaten

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon dried basil



1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix together ingredients for meatballs and roll into bite-sized balls.

3. Place on a greased baking sheet with a rim. Bake meatballs for approximately 10 minutes so the meatballs will hold their shape in the soup.

4. Meanwhile, put a large soup pot or Dutch oven on the stove and heat olive oil at medium heat.

5. Chop onions, carrots, celery and ham and add to pot.

6. Mince garlic and add to pot.

7. Stir ingredients and heat until softened.

8. Add chicken broth, oregano, red pepper flakes, parsley and bay leaf.

9. Simmer 20 minutes over low heat.

10. Drop meatballs into simmering soup.

11. Cook approximately 10 more minutes.

12. Add beans, spinach leaves and parmesan cheese. Keep heat on low and cook 5 more minutes.

Dorina's Curried Chicken Salad Sandwiches

I recently checked a cookbook out of the library called Raising the Salad Bar by Catherine Walthers. It's a whole book of inventive salads - and not just leafy greens with stuff added on top but also creative pasta salads, chicken salads and even whole grain salads. It's a great find for foodies like me who love to shop at local farmer's markets and incorporate lots of fresh veggies in everyday fare. I was especially drawn to the Curried Chicken Salad recipe but since I didn't have half the ingredients at home I decided to make up my own. This can be used for traditional sandwiches or put in wonton cups or small crostini toasts for a fancy appetizer. This salad is not spicy hot but is very flavorful.

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder (I use the Frontier Indian Curry powder, which is a salt-free, all-natural blend)
1 small zucchini, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
1/4 cup dried craberries
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Boil in 1 cup water for approximately 20 minutes until cooked through. Set aside to cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the other ingredients and blend.
3. Finely chop the chicken and add in with vegetable mixture.
4. Spread chicken salad on bread for sandwiches.

Go, Mama Workout #4 - aka "The Bertha"

My hubby's back to making me "Go, Mama workouts" since I like to change it up as often as possible. If you are new to the concept, check out my initial blog on the topic. I'm trying to find unique workouts I can do at home with kids in the vicinity. These take 15 minutes or less and are great for toning your body and getting your metabolism cranking.

Here's The Bertha...

*15 Bulgarian lunges (These babies will burn a little more than regular lunges. Put your back foot on a low stool or a second stair in your house. Keeping the foot on this ledge, lunge forward using opposite arms to maintain balance.)

*15 chest press (Use the ball to lay on your back and press together a set of dumbbells above your head. I use 8 lbs. If you don't have dumbbells, look for objects you have around your house like bags of flour or canned goods.)

*15 tricep curls (Sit on the ball with back straight. Put hands on either side of a dumbbell. Raise above your head. Guide dumbbell behind your head and then extend your arms at the elbows.)

*15 crunches (Lay with the small of your back on the stability ball.)

Questions? Comments? Great success to share? Let us know what you think!

Recipe of the Week: Haitian Rice & Beans with Chicken

Bonswa! My family and I just returned from a 3-week mission trip to Haiti. We ate Haitian food every day for our "lunch," which is the big meal in Haiti. While a lot of the food is fried there are some dishes that really are very healthy. One of those dishes is the classic rice and beans - a staple in many developing countries. When rice and beans are combined they have a certain synergy that makes them a "complete protein."

Below is a recipe for Haitian Rice & Beans and Haitian Chicken sauteing the chicken in olive oil rather than deep frying it in Canola oil. Maje sa bon - Good food!

Haitian Rice & Beans

Ingredients:
5 whole cloves (sold in spice section)
3 whole cloves garlic
1 cup dried red kidney beans
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups jasmine rice
2 tablespoons raw butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon green pepper, minced
1/2 teaspoon thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
10 cups of water

1. Add 4-5 whole cloves and 3 cloves garlic to 6 cups of water in a pot. Add beans.
2. Cook the beans and boil for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You should be able to press them together with your fingers and white powder will come out. (You do not want to overcook them because they will be heated again with the rice.)
3. Add 1 teaspoon salt & pepper and set aside.
4. In a large pot, brown butter and add garlic, salt, thyme and green pepper. Add olive oil and rice. Coat rice with oil and spices.
5. Meanwhile, strain beans.
6. Add 4 cups of water to 2 cups of rice and cook for 15 minutes on medium-high or until water evaporates.
7. Add beans to rice and cook additional 10 minutes or until rice and beans are fully cooked.





Haitian Chicken

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 whole chicken cut into pieces (or 3 lbs. of chicken thighs or legs)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
3 whole cloves (the spice, not garlic)


1. In a large frying pan or saute pan, heat olive oil. Meanwhile, wash chicken pieces.
2. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and garlic powder.
3. Saute chicken pieces in oil until browned on all sides.
4. Mix together 1/2 cup water, tomato paste, onion, parsley and cloves.
5. Pour over meat. Cover pan and allow to cook about 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
6. Add more water to pan if chicken is sticking to the bottom.
7. Remove chicken to a platter.
8. Reserve marinade and juices and mix in 1/2 cup water to create a sauce to pour over rice & beans and chicken dishes. Garnish with sliced onions.

Fourth of July Party Fare

Fourth of July is another fun holiday for traditional fare. This year we are celebrating Independence Day with our friends, the Schultzes, and our parents. Everyone is contributing to our meal and we're eating poolside. A tradition in my family is making this Berry American Flag Cake. It's a fun project for kids of all ages! This year we're adding some homemade Chocolate Gelato for dessert made with Mom and Dad Lazo's new ice cream maker. If it's going to be a sizzlin' 105 degrees, we've got to incorporate something cool. Bon Appetito!

Here's Today's Menu:

Blackberry Lemonade

Blue Corn Tortilla Chips with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Tossed Green Salad with Farmer's Market Veggies

Mom's Famous Armenian Pilaf

Grilled Corn with Cilantro Butter

Grilled Salmon/Chicken with Tropical Salsa

Berry American Flag Cake

Chocolate Gelato

The Recipes:

ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS DIP

7 oz. dried garbanzo beans or 1 15 oz. can
2 large garlic cloves
7 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons tahini (ground sesame seeds found in paste form in most grocery stores near the peanut butter or in the Middle Eastern food section)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 oz. of Fire Roasted Red Peppers (available at Trader Joe's in a jar)
paprika, cilantro, and/or salsa for garnish


Directions:
1. If using dried garbanzo beans, boil for 45 minutes to soften. Then combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor except items for garnish. Whirl until smooth.
2. Add roasted red peppers to blender.
3. Serve with vegetables cut into sticks like carrots, celery or cucumber or even pita chips or blue tortilla chips. Top with a few whole marinated red peppers for garnish.


GRILLED SALMON WITH TROPICAL SALSA

1. Coat 1 large salmon filet big enough for your family (We get it from Costco or Trader Joe's - You can substitute in the kind of fish of your choice. Mahi mahi is another one of our faves.) with olive oil.

2. Sprinkle with herbs, such as basil, oregano, coriander, garlic, lemon pepper and/or chili pepper.

3. Add sea salt and pepper.

4. Let salmon sit in a dish or on a platter and prepare the salsa in a small bowl.

5. Chop 1 red onion, 1 red pepper, 1 orange, 1 cup pineapple, 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro and 1 mango. Make sure everything is in bite-sized pieces or smaller and stir together. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil. (You can make this salsa ahead of time and reserve in ziplock bag)

6. Grill the salmon approximately 10-15 minutes, depending on your grill and the size of your filet. Watch for when the white fat juices start to ooze out the top and the salmon meat is flaky at the touch of a fork. Then it's done. You only need to grill on one side.

7. Top with tropical salsa and serve with rice or potatoes for a colorful, fabulous summer dinner.