Monday Menu

Yes…a new year.  A new determination to make this MY year and get my diet where I want it to be.  Not where others prefer, maybe not even in their comfort zones, but to take the knowledge I gained in college courses on fitness and nutrition, what I have learned from life and from reading, and from what my body says makes me feel best and make some changes.

First up.  The dreaded…cover your eyes…no don’t, then you can’t read this, lol…Monthly Menu!  Meal Plan!  Whatever you choose to call it, it is a great idea that makes me crazy.

One…. it doesn’t really allow for shopping on a budget.  In my case, I shop around sales and coupons and what is in season. Not easy to plan for those.

Two…. I don’t know ahead what I ‘feel’ like cooking, how much time we’ll have after events, traffic, life…or what the boys will want to eat on any given night.

Three…. my very ADHD brain just doesn’t WANNA.

Okay, that’s not a very good reason, and the OCD part of me is grinning and rubbing her hands together in anticipation of my actually creating a plan for any part of my life.

Now, there was a time, when I was a younger mom with a house full of kids, homemade, adopted and foster, and a hubby who provided us a good income, that I actually was very good at monthly menus. Yeah.  Not sure where she went.  So here we go. Feel free to hold hands if it gets too scary. (Don’t worry… there won’t be an entire month here today… baby steps 😉 )

In everyday America meal plans are planned around the meat.  Not mine.

Monday:  Breakfast: overnight oatmeal with coconut and chia seeds/juice   Lunch:  pita sandwich with cabbage/carrot/brocci slaw, hummus, tahini, and whatever else I feel like throwing on…sometimes diced egg, or leftover tempeh…just fill it up  Afternoon snack:  (because without it the boy spawn might eat me!)  apple slices/peanut butter and popcorn  Supper:  spagetti squash with mushroom/pepper sauce and veggie meatballs

Tuesday:  Breakfast:  Fruit smoothie of whatever fruit and veggies are in the fridge plus flax   Lunch:  southwestern salad with corn, black beans, peppers and tortilla strips  Afternoon snack:  chips and dip  Supper:  Coconut Thai Curry with jasmine rice

Wednesday:  Breakfast:  cereal with berries and almond milk/juice   Lunch:  onigiri and salad  

Afternoon Snack:  banana and peanut butter sandwiches  Supper:  vegan Chili with Tortillas (make lots, it is great to have leftovers)

Thursday:  Breakfast:  Fruit smoothie plus hemp seed  Lunch:  Veggie kebabs on pretzel sticks with carrot chips and ranch dip  Afternoon Snack:  goji berry raw snack chunks

Supper:  BBQ pulled ‘pork’ (jackfruit is amazing!) sandwiches,  spicy fries, brocci-slaw

Friday:   Breakfast:  steel cut oats with fruit and almond milk/juice  Lunch:  Veggie Taco roll ups  Afternoon Snack:  Bababahummus with carrots/celery/pita chips  Supper:  Chili Nachos with guacamole and hot corn salsa

Saturday:  Breakfast:  pancakes with fruit/juice  Lunch:  pasta salad with veggies  Afternoon Snack:  PB Energy snack balls  Supper:  Mushroom pho soup

Sunday:  Breakfast:  Fruit and veggie smoothie with chia seeds  Lunch:  Mediterranean wrap, grapes  Afternoon snack:   roasted spicy chickpeas  Supper:  Mimi Taters and vegan sausage

There…that wasn’t so bad.  And I had a lot of the ingredients on hand or they are staples.  Gonna make this work.

 

Munchie Monday

I am a ‘working-on-it’ healthy eating fanatic.  I backslide; I admit it. Never all the way; just small ‘errors’ in judgement, ha. I am not as strong-willed as my eldest daughter who has been straight vegan for…ever!  And it shows.  She is healthy strong, and fearless.  I hope a little of that comes from me…making her endure packed lunches with homemade whole grain bread (no white bread in this household!), and fruits, veggies…no bologna or processed foods…just things I knew were healthy for a growing little person but awfully hard to explain to classmates who just thought she/we were ‘weird’.

The entire family has been red meat free for 15 years for humane and environmental reasons. I have in the last couple of years started cutting out all the turkey and chicken…and while I am pretty successful in managing mine, it is still in the house because I also have a very recalcitrant teenage son who wants his ‘meat’ at least sometimes.  Since this way of eating is my personal choice…and I hope someday he will make that choice on his own…I am not going to force it on him.  But here we are with a new month, a new year…and I am eager to expand my horizons on the foodie front.

I am so excited!  Today I revisited a favorite even with my meat-eater…stuffed okra boats.  The kids love them.  I love them.  Time to try some new things to stuff them with… but first:

This is my go-to recipe:

• 24 fresh medium size okra pods (1 lb.)  (split down the top, stem removed, and but don’t pop it open. It is a ‘boat’ not a ‘life preserver’ lol)
• 1/2 avocado (mashed)
• 1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts (chopped fine)
• 1/4 cup red onion (minced)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger  (minced)
• 1 jalapeno chili, seeds removed (minced)
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. coriander
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1/4 tsp salt  (add to taste)
• First mince all the ingredients that need mincing.  (NOT the okra)
• Combine filling. Add the creamed avocado.  Gently stuff filling into each okra boat.
• Place on parchment lined baking sheet, spray with coconut oil spray and bake at 425 till the boats are crispy and tops are slightly browned (about 10 min)
• 

Adventures in Thanksgiving

A crazy busy week that began on Saturday before my birthday and culminated today in a marathon of cooking and experimenting.  It was great!

Reesie invited her ‘sweety’ over to have Thanksgiving with the family. He got to meet AJ and the pets… he survived the shock, ha ha.

One of the goals I set myself for this new year is to not just eat healthier, but to explore new possibilities. What better time to indulge than today?

First up, a departure from the sugar-laden sweet potato casserole with its marshmallow topping invitation to diabetes… instead I made sweet potatoes with coconut sauce and fresh coconut which provided natural sweetness and a surprising crunchy contrast to the creamier sweet potatoes.

This was yummy … next year I am going to find the purple sweet potatoes. That ought to add a nice pop! to the table 😀

Instead of traditional gravy I made a lovely gravy with vegetable broth, sage, and apple cider. It turned out great, even the kids loved it.

And green bean casserole with its mushroom soup and fried onion topping was replaced with wonderful fresh green beans sauteed with a touch of garlic, caramelized onion, mushrooms (in this case brown beech mushrooms for their lovely nutty flavor, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms for their ‘meaty’ texture), fresh ginger, and a splash of my favorite spicy szechuan sauce and sesame oil.

I took some new ideas, tweaked them to fit our tastes, and what was available, and had so much fun in the kitchen this year.  Truly another reason to be so thankful this year.

Can’t wait for the next special occasion to see what I can come up with next.

Hope your Thanksgiving was extra special too.

Mochi madness

Now I admit, the first time I tried mochi I was …well, underwhelmed. My girls assured me we just got a ‘bad’ example.  A couple of months later we tried it again, different brand, different flavor, and ooohhh! Yumm!

Tonight  I was introduced to the next stage of mochi madness….mochi ice cream balls!!

ooooohhh!!! The bliss…sweet, creamy, cold middles (you can also use sorbet if you want to go dairy free…still mmmm!) and the nummy sweet deliciousness of a mochi coating.  Got to try this at home!  Mango is so amazing. Green tea is my favorite.  All the flavors are luscious. So, here is the recipe I am going to try asap.

April foolishness

A gorgeous day in the Lowcountry…mid 80s, clear blue skies and bright sunshine. Wisteria is coming back from the frosts that killed its first flush a couple of weeks ago, camellias and azaleas are offering a scant but determined final bloom and all around my neighborhood there are pinks, reds, corals, and soft purples rejoicing in Spring’s renewal. We have all the windows open every day and night and the fresh air is such a joy after the claustrophobic chill of winter.

The dogs spend a lot more time outdoors.  I spend more free time at the first wave of farm markets.  Last week’s excitement was over asparagus.  This week I am giddy over the prospect of first crop green (spring) garlic (as farmers thin their fields) and sugar snap peas.

Spring’s bounty in Asparagus, leek, and green garlic soup

The bluebirds are nesting in the backyard. I love watching them skim across the open flight path between the azaleas on one side, the shrubbery on the other, over the ancient wisteria to their little houses along the back fence.  As we are contemplating the possibility of moving from this lovely old house to a smaller place the one thing I should truly miss the most is this yard.  Most people miss their homes…apparently for me home is the outdoors, not the in.

Which means I probably should not be surprised at little environmental themes that seem to be continually popping up in my writing. Who knew dragons had such an important environmental niche to fill?  (okay, so that doesn’t really surprise me as they would be an apex predator and as such a linchpen in their cycle…. I just hadn’t really given it much consideration till they showed up)  Glad they did.

 

Marvelous Monday

Reesie brought me home last night.  We made salmon croquettes (a favorite)  and hung out. A pleasant afternoon.  Today we ran errands…. the ones I can’t get done because of the lack of car situation.  We went to Staples, the bank, got gas for her car, I wrote letters to be mailed tomorrow, we got some groceries … then home in time for dinner.

I made chayote to go with supper.  A different recipe than I usually make, but well suited to the meal and went wonderfully with the roasted pototoes and the cranberry sauce.  So simple:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 chayote squash, cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar or stevia

• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes   (I used more…but we like spice)

• 1 tablespoon lime juice

You put the oil in a skillet, brown the onion and garlic, toss in the chayote and seasoning.  Brown for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the lime juice (you may need a dash more if you have a large chayote as I did tonight) and cook another 2 – 3 minutes till done, but still crisp.

YUMM!