First trip without Da!

Lucy and I have officially made our first trip without Jason. I'm sure there will be many more to come, but the first one is always a bit of an adventure. We haven't gone too far - we are in Charlotte hanging out for a few days while Jason fills the house with toxic fumes while re-finishing our bathtub. The trip usually takes about 3 1/2 hours...or 4 if there's any traffic at all. It took Lucy and I 4 hours and 45 minutes, which isn't too horrible. It was a little adventurous.
- Lucy started out like a champ, sleeping the first hour and a half!
- I had to figure out how to use a public restroom that had no place to put a baby (since we are no longer using the removable car seat)
- We drove through a rainstorm that had me using the windshield wipers on high and driving 40 mph...and still BARELY being able to see the lines on the road right in front of me
- Lucy decided during just about the only 20-30 mile stretch of NO WHERE to stop that she was done being in the car and started to fuss, then cry, then scream until we finally saw a McDonalds to stop at
- After all that exertion, Lucy went to sleep about 20 minutes after leaving McDonalds and slept the rest of the way!

We made it! Fun with friends to follow =) ....and in a few days, the trip back!

Greg's Lentil Stew of Tastiness

When Greg and Ryan were visiting last weekend, they cooked dinner one night (and helped me cook the other night, they are very pleasant house guests). On the menu was steamed kale and Greg's Lentil Stew of Tastiness. I had never had lentils. I was not entirely sure what lentils were. I had some vague suspicion that they grew in water and were kind of tendril-y. I formed this opinion based entirely on how the name sounded to me and the tone in people's voices when they talked about cooking them. I have held onto it for at least 15 years now, never having been curious enough about them to actually look up 'lentils'.

Well, I was waaaaay off. (although I do give credit to my imagination on the weird and vivid imagery it initially came up with)

Lentils are a small bean-like substance rather resembling split peas. Except lentils are cuter. and they make a VERY tasty stew...and are surprisingly healthy. Since Greg shared the recipe with me, I'm assuming he doesn't mind if I, in turn, share it with you =)

Lentil Stew of Tastiness
Olive oil
4 cups of broth or water (he used vegetable, but chicken would work too)
1/2 onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 carrots (I vote for 3-5 carrots), sliced
1 lb lentils
1 can diced or crushed tomatoes
Thyme
1 bay leaf
crushed red pepper
cumin

Sautee' onion, garlic, and carrots in a little bit of olive oil until onions are transparent.
Add thyme, crushed red pepper and some cumin...it's kind of a however much you think you'd like sort of measurement
Sautee a bit longer and add lentils, bay leaf, and broth (or water)
Cover and simmer for about an hour or until broth is absorbed
Add tomatoes, stir and simmer for a few more minutes.
Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
Then "nom nom nom!"

Goes well with rice, bread, quinoa, or just a mug and spoon. Leftovers are excellent as well!

All in all, I'm rather glad lentils aren't a slimy, tendril-y underwater plant! ...and I read an article today that said they were one of the top 10 foods to mush up and feed your baby, so there you go!

Back on the Wagon

Interestingly the days following the chocolate festival were full of sugar cravings. Those are particularly hard to ignore when the baby is fussy and the husband is working 19 hour days. But today I decided no more giving in! I have even been successful. It wasn't a sugarless day, but it was void of candy, ice cream, and hot chocolate so I think that's a good start. Anyway, back to where I left off: New Recipes to post! These are some good ones coming up today! Let's start with desert. (I should preface this with a note that I was halving the recipe...and forgot halfway through, so my proportions were a bit off and the cinnamon and nutmeg were a bit strong, but it was still delicious! it tastes like Christmas)

Wild Apple Crunch
6 apples, peeled and sliced
3/4 Cup chopped walnuts (I vote for an even 1cup since that's how they are sold in the baking aisle...and I like walnuts)
8 dates chopped (or approx. 1/2 cup)
1 cup currants or raisins
3/4 cup water (I vote for an even 1 cup here too)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
juice of 1 orange

Preheat oven to 375
Combine all ingredients except orange juice. Place in baking dish and drizzle orange juice over top
cover and bake at 375 for 1 hr. or until all ingredients are soft, stirring occasionally. (it's fine if you don't stir...at least, mine was!)

*can also be simmered in a covered pot on the stove for 30 min.*

I think it would also be good cooked uncovered with granola sprinkled on top for extra crunch, but I haven't tried it.

Southwestern Chicken
1 cup salsa (low sodium)
1 cup black beans
1 cup corn
2 TBS fresh chopped cilantro
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350
Mix salsa, beans, corn, and cilantro together
put 1/2 mixture over chicken and marinade for at least 1 hr.
bake chicken 30 min or until cooked through
slice chicken breasts and top with remaining salsa mixture

It's very good like this, but we also tried a variation that I think is even better! I guess you could call it more of a southwestern chicken salad.

Variation
2 cups salsa (or 1 small jar)
1 can black beans, rinsed
2 cups corn
1 or 2 avocados, chopped
4 TBS cilantro (optional)
2 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded (optional)
brown rice, cooked
whole grain tostitos chips (optional)

Mix the salsa, beans, corn, avocado, and cilantro & chill
serve over brown rice topped with shredded chicken. Extra delicious if eaten with whole grain scoops. This may be my favorite recipe so far...

Spaghetti Squash Primavera
1 medium Spaghetti Squash
1 1/2 carrots sliced
1/2 cup celery, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup cabbage, shredded
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 can pinto beans, drained (low sodium)
1 can chopped tomatoes, drained (low sodium)
1/3 cup apple juice
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup pasta sauce
1 head romaine lettuce (optional)

Preheat oven to 350
Slice squash in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Place both halves upside down on baking sheet. Bake for 45 min.

Meanwhile, cook carrots and celery in 2 TBS water (umm....1/4 cup or so is better, or the water cooks off too fast and the veggies burn) in a covered pan over medium heat for 10 min. stirring occasionally.

Add a little more water if needed. Add garlic, cabbage, and zucchini and cook, covered, for another 10 min. Stir in remaining ingredients except for pasta sauce. Cover and simmer 10 more min. or until carrots are tender.

When squash is done, remove from oven and, using a fork, scrape spaghetti-like strands from squash and into bowl (this is amazing). Add pasta sauce and mix well.

Mix veggies, beans, and herbs with squash/pasta sauce mixture and serve on bed of shredded romaine leaves if desired.

Ok, so it doesn't actually look that good, but it is.

*When this was cooking I didn't think I'd like it, I thought it smelled odd, but it was actually very good. Possibly a little oregano and basil could improve it further...and maybe some Parmesan sprinkled lightly on top*

We interrupt this program.....for the Chocolate Festival!

I know I've been sharing about a journey toward health lately, but today I detour in the name of chocolate.

There are several things I will miss about Lewisburg, West Virginia when we leave (trying to get health insurance is NOT one of them). I'll miss the beautiful summer and fall, the mountains, the green space downtown, the bakeries, knowing people in all the shops, aaaaand: THE CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL! Every town should have a chocolate festival once a year. Ours was this past Saturday.

I was looking forward to walking around downtown with Lucy on Saturday and sampling different chocolate tasties, but I was kind of sad about having to do it by myself since Jason was (and still is) madly working on a show that opens this Friday and wouldn't really be able to come. Then, happy coincidence!

Our friends Ryan and Greg (NY and NC respectively) apparently decided to have an existentialist crisis, sell all their possessions, quit their jobs, and take the Great American Road Trip. Go them! Sounds like fun to me...well, not with a baby....which - I'm guessing - is why they're doing this now. Anyway, thanks to some cold weather and lack of cold weather gear, said friends ended up at our house late Friday night! Saturday was spent at the chocolate festival. Pictures of us will come when Ryan e-mails them to me, since he was the only one who thought to bring a camera.

Most Unique:
- Amazonia Dark Chocolate Truffle with Vermont Creamery Goat Cheese and Italian Citrus (very odd, kind of spicy)
- White Chocolate Fennel Bisque with Orange Salt (it was SOUP! Soooo good! Didn't really taste chocolaty, just had a hint of sweetness...and who knew they made orange salt?)

Basic chocolate tastiness: 
- Flourless chocolate mousse
- Espresso Brownie
- Mini Chocolate lava muffin with espresso sauce (very light and not too coffee-ish)

Absolute Amazingness: 
- Amy's thoughtful rich chocolate cake (oh my goodness, soooo rich, 3 bites was plenty!)

There was also the chocolate bake-off where you could sample various chocolate concoctions not made by professionals. I don't remember everything we tried, I think we got around 10 or 12 samples between the 4 of us (Jason joined us for an hour at lunch) and we all tried all the samples. My favorite was the chocolate cake with pumpkin spice frosting (except is wasn't exactly a frosting). I didn't think I'd much care for chocolate and pumpkin spice together, but it was amazing.

Not bad for a Saturday. I think we spent about $18 between the 4 of us, sampled around 20 different kinds of chocolate, and walked around downtown (and visited a couple cemeteries and one mass grave) for 4 1/2 hours. Plus getting to visit with old friends! (on a side note, while we were standing around with our variety of bake-off goodies, who should call but Campbell University....asking for money)

Sunday morning the boys went rock climbing (Jason included!), then Jason went to work and Ryan and Greg cooked dinner (what nice guys!). Monday the road trip continued and I'm back to square one, trying to un-addict myself from sugar.

But it only comes once a year and it was SO worth it! =) Besides, when else do you see the mayor walking around dressed as Willy Wonka?

Success in the kitchen!

For the past couple of weeks I have been reading Eat For Health by Dr. Fuhrman (more on that later) and trying some of his recipes. The first couple  were not really what I would call successes - for instance 'Tomato Tornado Soup' looked like it would be really good, but we could barely eat one serving, giving it an overall rating of 2 stars...It has potential and could be really good...I think...but currently I'm not sure how. If I figure it out, I will post a modified recipe. This week, however, has had several successes and I thought I would post some recipes in case you are looking for some good healthy dinner (or desert)  ideas yourself! Sorry, I haven't taken pictures of anything, hopefully I will remember next time! So this post isn't too long, I will start with the vegetarian dishes, then do the meat and desert dishes in the next post.

Baked Potato Fries
2lbs Yukon Gold or Sweet Potatoes (I used Yukon Gold)
4 cloves fresh garlic or 2 tsp garlic powder (I used garlic powder, but next time I'd like to try fresh or minced)   
1 TBS Olive Oil                     
2tsp onion powder
no salt herb seasoning (I used Mrs. Dash table seasoning)

Peel potatoes if not organic and cut into strips (mine weren't organic, but I just washed them)
Mix remaining ingredients and toss with potatoes
bake for 30-45min at 350 until lightly golden and tender (I think I did 45)

***these were quite tasty and sodium-free....at least until I dipped mine in a little bit of ketchup =) I'd like to try it with sweet potatoes and see how different they would taste. When you are making them they smell like they will be really strongly-flavored, but they were actually very mild. 

Black Bean Lettuce Bundles
2cups canned black beans (no salt)
1/2 large avocado, mashed (or 1 small avocado)
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
3 scallions, chopped (grocery store didn't have scallions, so I just left them out)
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (also missing from the grocery store and my bundles, but I'll bet it would
have added nice flavor)
2 TBS lime juice (could be b/c I was missing a few ingredients, but I thought 2 TBS was a little much)
1tsp cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1/3cup mild salsa (low sodium)
8 large romaine lettuce leaves

Mash beans and avocado together
mix in all other ingredients except lettuce (I threw everything in a food processor, worked great)
place approx. 1/4 cup of filling in center of lettuce and roll like a tortilla

***I think it would be even better, although more calories, to get a whole wheat tortilla, spread a couple leaves of lettuce over it, cover lettuce with filling and roll the whole thing together. It would make it a little more filling too.

Quinoa Bean Salad
*this is better made the day before so all the flavors have time to blend*
2cups cooked quinoa (I used red, but I don't think it matters)
1 15oz can white beans, drained
1cup carrots
1 cup currants (I used raisins)
1/2cup walnuts, chopped
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced (I don't like raw onion too much, so I used 1/3-1/2 an onion and chopped it up with everything else. It gave just a hint of onion flavor...and made me need gum afterwards!)
1/2 green pepper, chopped   
1/2 red pepper, chopped         
1/2 orange or yellow pepper, chopped (I used both b/c they came in a package)
3 cloves garlic, minced (I used 2, but in retrospect I don't think 3 would be overpowering)
1TBS chili powder
2tsp low sodium soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/2 cup goji berries (optional) (What is a goji berry anyway?)

Cook quinoa according to package directions
place other ingredients in large bowl and mix
add quinoa and toss

***.5 - I put all the veggies in a food processor, which worked great, but if you like bigger, chunkier veggies, that may not be your best option. I really liked this recipe - It makes enough for 6 people easily, so be prepared, but the leftovers taste just as good !

California Creamed Kale - I fully expected to not like this recipe, but it was shockingly tasty!

2 bunches Kale, leaves removed from stems and chopped or shredded
1 cup raw cashews (all we could find were salted, so I soaked them for about an hour and rinsed them before use - it seemed to work pretty well) 
1 cup soy milk
4 TBS onion flakes (good, but I might try 3TBS next time)
1TBS Dr. Fuhrman's VegiZest (optional) (I left it out since it's not something you can get at walmart)

Place Kale in large steamer pot - steam 10-20 min until soft (I think I did 30...oops!)
Meanwhile, place remaining ingredients in high powered blender and blend until smooth
(Note: sauce can be used with broccoli, spinach, or other steamed veggies)
Place Kale in colander and press with a clean dish towel to remove excess water
Coarsely chop and mix kale with cream sauce.

***.5 - This was very tasty, although it got cold quickly and it's definitely better warm! I was a little short of 2 bunches of kale and may go buy some more tomorrow to add it to my leftovers since there seems to be a lot of cream sauce. I love the lightly cashew flavor! Also, it looks like you will be steaming a TON of kale, but it actually shrinks a lot...and turns kind of a gross greenish-brown color, but don't worry, it tastes good!

So there you have it - my early forays into the world of healthier eating! (...and in case you were curious, over the past several weeks between working out (sporadically) and increasing my veggie intake I have finally broken through the barrier and lost my first 5lbs!!! YAY!!!!)