Clean Eating mac & cheese

This is not a typical elbow-pasta-slathered-in-orangey-cheese-topped-with-buttery-crumbs kind of mac & cheese. But it still ranks mighty high on the decadence scale, without the side of guilt. The recipe comes from the March 2012 issue of Clean Eating Magazine, which accompanied me to Chicago. With a few minor tweaks, I was able to make this gluten-free so The H could enjoy it, too. Because it'd be pretty rude of me to make dinner for the family and then stuff my face in front of him while he looked on forlornly (and hungrily), don't you think?

Clean Eating Mac & Cheese
from Clean Eating Magazine, Vol. 5 Issue 2
serves 4

I had a really great [camera phone] picture to post, but it was deleted before I could have The H send it to me. Alas, you're stuck looking at this dimly-lit, slightly unfocused version.

The broccoli and red pepper, not usually one of my favorites, were vegetation perfection in this meal. After a few bites, The H and I agreed that we could've done without the beans, though--too smooshy. However, we both think adding some cooked chicken would be delightful. The little guy was in a bad mood and pretty much refused to try this, even though it's packed full of things he usually loves. I'm sticking the kid-friendly tag on this anyway, because I truly believe if he was having a better day, he'd have asked for seconds of this one.

Juice!

Grapefruit, pear, blueberries, tomato, carrots, celery, and one great little sous chef. This was a fun and tasty way to refuel after a 4ish mile run.

Kale with quinoa and chickpeas

Oh, kale, you dark dusky-leafed green, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee blended into a cool, verdant smoothie as a refreshing post-run pick-me-up. I love thee sprinkled with kosher salt and toasted to a light crispiness. I love thee wilted into a rich red wine-saturated spaghetti sauce, or stirred into a hearty potato-sausage soup when the winter winds wail at my windows. 

(source)
But most of all, oh dear kale, I adore thee to the utmost heights when prepared the following way (super giant pink puffy-heart thanks to my friends, H&N, for this inspiration, and for continuing to acknowledge me in public):

1. Precook some quinoa and chickpeas (or use a can of garbanzos, rinsed well).
2. Sauté a bunch of washed, torn kale in a giant skillet. Set aside in a large bowl.
3. In the skillet, sauté two minced cloves of garlic in a swirl of olive oil, along with some paprika and cumin.
4. Stir chickpeas into garlic & spice mixture and mix well. (This gets 'em really nutty tasting...yum.)
5. Add 1-2 cups of the quinoa to skillet and toss it all together. Add the juice from two lemons.
6. Stir in kale until well combined; add more quinoa if you want.
7. Sprinkle with a decent amount of salt to taste and serve in the large bowl the kale was in.

It's actually far simpler than I've made it sound: stir together kale, quinoa, and chickpeas with seasonings; add salt and lemon juice, enjoy. 

The second time I made this within a week, I also bought a 2lb bag of dried garbanzos so I can do it again. You'd better believe I stopped halfway through writing this to reheat a little--and take a typical subpar picture. :)

You can serve this hot, warm, or cold... or while you stand over the stove before dinner... as you're boxing it up for lunches the next day... if you are scavenging for a midnight snack... at a picnic with your friends (genius, it doesn't require intense refrigeration)... pretty much anytime you want a hearty, flavorful, delicious, tangy, filling, vegetarian (vegan? I think so) meal. I'm already wondering how many times I can incorporate it into family picnics and parties this summer.

Check out this link to read a little more about the goodness of kale.

Sorry, Wednesday

I just now realized that I entirely skipped over Wednesday in my "mini meal plan" post. I must have really been lacking inspiration. Turns out my fortuitously-timed cooking mood from yesterday solved that problem nicely; the quinoa-adzuki burgers we had were delightful. Even for the little guy! The H said they lacked flavor, to which I took minor offense (I thought they were *great*) until he later confessed that, due to lingering sinus issues, he couldn't even taste the hot sauce he put on his. If Frank's isn't even coming through, I know I'm not responsible for tasteless veggie burgers. Phew.

Know what else I skipped on Wednesday? A run. Really! One of my knees has been feeling a little cranky and I didn't want to aggravate it too much before Sunday. So tonight, rather than a post-run picnic, I'm going to make honey-baked chicken, a recipe from the friend I was going to run with. We've been calling it Chicken Yum Yum; hope you don't mind, Mrs. E. :)

Oh, and I'm thrilled to report that the little guy, whose tastes can often be called particular, didn't notice any difference in the way his milk tasted yesterday at dinner or today on his Chex. Thank you, meijer instant milk powder. I'm pleased to say he also ate one-and-a-half adult sized servings of Adzuki Cake and still asked for more. So there's a win for Wednesday after all!

Baked Wild Rice with Almonds

This is one of the most flavorful rice dishes I've had in a long time, homemade or otherwise. Besides the amazing taste, here's what else I love about it: there is no added salt, it hides some veggies the little guy doesn't usually care for, and the hands-on part comes together quickly. I started this before we left for running group, then turned off the oven and let it sit until we got home. Even though it only had half of the active baking time, it was still perfectly prepared thanks to the remaining heat in the oven.

Baked Wild Rice with Almonds
from The Biggest Loser 30-Day Jump Start (Rodale/NBC Universal, 2009)
serves 6

1 tsp olive oil
1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (I doubled this)
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion (I used two large green onions)
2 Tbsp chopped or sliced almonds
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
2 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 375*.
2. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add rice, mushrooms, onion, almonds, garlic, and thyme. Cook 5 minutes, or until mixture is fragrant and onions are getting soft.
3. Transfer mixture to 2-qt baking dish. Bring broth and water to boil in the skillet and pour over rice mixture in dish.
4. Cover dish with foil and bake for 1 hour.

The little guy happily ate his--I don't think he knows there were mushrooms and onions in it--and The H and I both had more than one serving. I'm looking forward to mixing the leftovers with some of the chopped marinated chicken we served this with. Seriously, so tasty. Try it!

I love my grocery store!

This afternoon when I was checking out at Ken's Fruit Market (KFA) the [person I presume to be the] owner's wife asked me, with no other lead-in, if I was still doing my blog.

(source)
Now, I know it's a small store, and The H and I are in there *several* times a week, but I haven't mentioned my blog to her for over a year, since SHE asked ME if I was the "Clean Eating Machine." That interaction came about when I was purchasing leeks for a soup; she asked what in the world someone did with those, so I told her I was trying a new recipe for my blog.

So anyway, today. I was a little bit speechless for a second, but recovered quickly and told her that yes, I am still blogging, and actually recently linked to their website with my post about spilled flour.

And as I stand here in the kitchen, blogging and cooking all at once, I have to mention all the ingredients in tonight's dinner (Artichoke Lemon Chicken Pasta) that came from Ken's:

Chicken
Lemon
Mushrooms
Bacon
Cream
Parsley
Asparagus

The only non-KFA items are white wine, chicken broth (I had already gotten it at Costco), artichoke hearts (thank you, Trader Joe's), and gluten-free pasta.

Lemon Artichoke Chicken Pasta
from "So Tasty, So Yummy"
serves 4-6

Ingredients**
12 ounces pasta
2 strips of bacon
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (omitted)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (half a bag of TJ's frozen ones worked beautifully)
2 teaspoons capers, drained (omitted)
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp butter (omitted)
Chopped fresh parsley for garnishing

**Looking back on this list, it seems I omitted quite a bit--but I don't feel that my changes negatively altered the overall product. It was still creamy and completely flavorful, just with slightly less fat, sodium, and calories. The instructions below reflect how I cooked this meal.**

Instructions
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Cook pasta as directed; drain and set aside.

2. In a large Dutch oven, cook bacon slices over medium heat. Remove to a paper towel and let cool. Chop into bits when cooled.

3. Cook chicken in bacon grease until lightly browned on each side, and cooked through. Remove to a cutting board lined with paper towel.

4. Add mushrooms and artichokes to Dutch oven; saute until mushrooms are tender. Deglaze the pan with the wine, stirring to loosen all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook two minutes, then add chicken broth and lemon juice. Cook two more minutes, then add cream and heat through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Slice chicken into strips and add to mushroom-artichoke mixture. Stir in bacon bits and a handful of fresh chopped parsley. Serve hot.

Post-dinner update: This was a hit! Even the little guy had more than one serving, and bravely tried the artichokes. I loved the lemony sauce over the pasta and artichokes, though The H thought he would've enjoyed it more with less lemon. (I have a "thing" for lots of lemon. Ask The H sometime.)

Either way, I look forward to making this again. We did not flour the chicken (for somewhat obvious reasons, I hope) but did add salt and pepper as it cooked. I omitted the butter but left the heavy cream as is, since it's such a small amount anyway. The box of GF pasta I had was only 8oz instead of the 12oz called for, so we had a lot of soupy sauce that we ended up thickening with an arrowroot slurry.

After watching the little guy pick out all the pieces of bacon that had the nerve to end up in his mouth, and tasting the bacony-flavored chicken as I sliced it, I realized I could probably omit the crumbled bacon at the end. Mine turned out crispier than I would've liked anyway, but the flavor was a nice base to start with. We served this with (not seasonal) fresh roasted asparagus.

Gluten-free chocolate macaroons

The little guy has been really into playing chef lately. He says he wants to be a cook when he grows up--a cook who makes "glooten cupcakes" for me and him, and "glooten-free cupcakes" for his friend and The H. He has even come up with a name for his future bakery. I love watching his imagination develop!

To encourage his kitchen creativity, I decided to find a recipe for the two of us to make this week. The newest issue of Clean Eating Magazine arrived just in time! I had no problem finding a cookie recipe that was simple to make, didn't require any new ingredients, and that would be easy for the little guy to help with. The finished cookies are sweet, lightly crisp with almost a brownie-like interior, and perfectly portioned. They're even tasty for breakfast...

Double Chocolate Macaroons
from Clean Eating Magazine, Vol. 4, Issue 9
makes 24 cookies

Ingredients
8oz dark chocolate (60% cocoa or greater), chopped, divided
1 3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup organic evaporated cane juice
3 Tbsp natural unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch processed)
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup liquid egg whites (I used two large egg whites)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pure almond extract

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350* and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt 3 ounces of the chocolate on high for 45 seconds. Stir and continue microwaving in short intervals, stirring often, until completely melted. Set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, stir together coconut, cane juice, cocoa powder, and salt until well blended. Stir in melted chocolate until just combined.

4. In a small bowl, whisk egg whites, vanilla, and almond extracts until combined. Add mixture to coconut mixture and stir until well blended.

5. Scoop 1-Tbsp portions and set on parchment-lined baking sheet. Pinch the tops of each into a low pyramid shape (I skipped this and went for rounded tops instead). Bake for 14-15 minutes or until outer layers are firm, bottom edges are lightly browned, and centers remain soft. Let cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

This is where the little guy and I stopped--they were plenty sweet without the next step, and I didn't want to make any more mess of the kitchen than we already had. Feel free to proceed if you wish. Perhaps if I were making these for a party, I would have completed them as directed.

6. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the remaining 5 ounces of chocolate, stirring often. Carefully holding each macaroon upside down by its base, dip the peak into the melted chocolate. Place chocolate-side-up on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate until chocolate is set, about 30 minutes. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition info per cookie:
Calories - 119
Fat - 8g
Saturated fat - 6g
Carbs - 11g
Fiber - 2g
Sugars - 7g
Protein - 2g
Sodium - 20.5mg
Cholesterol - 0mg

Old Town Alexandria, 3-year-old style

Here's how we spent our day:

Playing ghost

 

Petting moss 

 Cheesing for the camera while acorn hunting

 Watching a construction site (he loves the cranes)

 Taking a coffee (for me!) and cookie (oatmeal raisin) break

 Hanging out at the fountain near the train station

 Observing the bubbles and money in the fountain

 Playing with (antagonizing?) one of the tiniest dogs he's ever seen

 Bumming around a farmers' market we found a block from our hotel

 A brief cuddle with his oh-so-tired mama after dinner

 Gelato date! He chose pineapple-basil. :)

He also spent time in the pool with The H, but I didn't document that. It's slightly different than how it might look if The H and I were here by ourselves, no doubt. But it was fun and tired him out, so I'm a fan.

Kid-friendly beef vegetable soup

This recipe is another Squeaky Gourmet gem. While I can't post the recipe, I can tell you this: watching the little guy eat several bowls of this (twice--it makes a lot!) without complaining about the veggies is more than worth the cover price, had I actually paid for this book. He claims to not like zucchini, onions, or mushrooms, all of which are in this soup, but once I had him close his eyes and eat it, the complaints ceased and all I heard was "YUM! I LOVE it!"

We called this "taco soup" because the seasoning is slightly reminiscent of Mexican food--and because tacos are fairly familiar to the little guy. Once he chowed his servings, I told him what was in there and said now he couldn't tell me he didn't like those things anymore. In addition to the zukes, 'shrooms, and onion, this hearty bowl contains ground beef, wild rice, grape tomatoes, and celery. That'll bring your veggie intake up for the day!

Since it does make so much, we had leftovers another day. I'm pleased to report that this freezes and reheats very nicely. I dumped a semi-thawed brick of soup into a slow cooker one afternoon before running group, and we came home to savory simmering goodness that was perfect for warming up on a chilly fall evening.

Gluten-free coconut macaroons

I've always loved macaroons--sweet, soft, coconutty goodness. While it's true that many macaroon recipes are gluten-free, the majority of them also call for sweetened condensed milk. No thanks! A web search led me to this recipe. For us, it's kind of a non-issue that they're gluten-free, because The H doesn't like coconut anyway. But I do, and I was excited to try these! In a half-sized batch, of course. No need to go crazy up in here.

Gluten-Free Coconut Macaroons
from Elana's Pantry
makes 24

6 egg whites
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup agave nectar**
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

1. Beat egg whites with salt until stiff peaks form.

2. Fold in agave, vanilla, and coconut.

3. Drop batter 1 Tbsp at a time on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

4. Bake at 350* for 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheet briefly, then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.

My batter was a bit wet, and some agave leaked out around the edges while they baked, making (very yummy) caramel-like puddles around some of the cookies. Those were easily removed without harming the finished product. Which, by the way, is soft. A bit sticky. And sweet. And coconutty. Perfect. The little guy has already chomped his way through three of them, proclaiming them delicious. LOVE that kid.

**There is some controversy about agave and how much better--if at all--it is than high fructose corn syrup. Read some articles/blogs (I like this one) and use your own judgment.

Pizza free-for-all

Got some random veggies around? Not enough meat to build a meal around? Make a pizza! It's almost as forgiving as soup when it comes to using leftover odds and ends in a new way.

We've gotten pretty creative with our pies lately, and each one seems better than the last. One of my favorite combinations is barbecue sauce, chicken, red onion, and cheddar cheese. Adding green onion and/or green olive if they're available is tasty, too.

This one was topped with local nitrate-free beef pepperoni, artichoke hearts, black olives, pesto instead of red sauce, and a random assortment of awesome cheeses left from a party.

On the side, using one of the small crusts (when I make Bob's Red Mill GF crust, I make one large for dinner and two small pie-plate sized ones for leftovers), I made a garlic cheese bread. Yeah, not clean. But deeelicious, especially with the yogurt-based ranch-inspired dip I made on the side.

 

This is just plain yogurt dolled up with some salt-free herb blends and a few shakes of dehydrated veggie flakes.

 Everyone loved it. :)

Happy weekend eating!

I made Hamburger Helper.

Not the kind in a box, relax. It was a homemade knockoff, using this recipe from Kitchen Stewardship. I wanted something quick and easy for after running group, but I didn't want to make chili in the CrockPot. (Turns out the night was chilly enough for chili, but I already had this halfway made before we left, so never mind about that.) None of the search results on allrecipes.com were thrilling me, so I went to trusty ol' Google and picked one that I had the ingredients for.

You'll realize there is no picture. Even I have my limits to what I will post. :D But the dish did turn out well, really. It just wasn't ready for a close-up.

I used Sam Mills gluten free corn pasta, lean, local ground beef (fat drained), Vidalia onion instead of onion powder, and HFCS-free ketchup in place of tomato sauce. That was our only grumble about this recipe. Between the ketchup and the sugar (turbinado--I didn't want to overpower the dish with sucanat, though I might try it next time), the sauce was quite a bit sweeter than either The H or I cared for. Reducing the sugar by half if using ketchup might be the way to go. I also omitted the salt and pepper, except for a sprinkle of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper on the meat while it browned--nowhere near the teaspoon and 1/2 teaspoon she calls for.

As far as quick and easy, this fit the bill. I couldn't really detect the cheddar at the end, and it seemed quite creamy enough without it, so when I make this again, I will either use a sharper cheese or omit it altogether. Between that change, using real tomato sauce (or Pomi strained tomatoes), and sucanat in place of sugar, we could have a decent one-pot dish to add to our rotation.

Lemon Chicken & Bulgur Salad

This recipe is one of the many from the March/April 2010 Clean Eating Magazine that made my list this week. What drew me to it was the simplicity of a lemon-marinated chicken combined with bulgur (which I can use this week, rather than subbing H-friendly quinoa!) and mint, which I have never used in my cooking.

 

The chicken deserves to marinate a lot longer than a measly 30 minutes, so plan for that. Mine was in the marinade for several hours, as I prepped most of this ahead of time while the little guy was at daycare. A squirt of lemon or lime is almost necessary at the end, to brighten up the flavors. As I was eating this, I thought honey would be a welcome addition (and wouldn't be out of place taste-wise) in the marinade next time, though I'm not sure how that would go when it's time to cook. Any ideas?

Lemon-Grilled Chicken & Bulgur Salad
from Clean Eating Magazine, Vol. 3, Issue 2
serves 4

2 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup fine-grain bulgur wheat
Zest from 1 lemon
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted (I used whole raw ones that I chopped with help, as you can see above)
1/4 cup mint leaves, chopped
Sea salt and fresh black pepper, to taste

1. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, oil, pepper flakes, cumin, and lemon juice. Stir to coat and marinate 30 minutes in the fridge.

2. Preheat a grill or grill pan (I used a cast iron skillet) to medium-high heat. In a medium saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Remove from heat; add bulgur and lemon zest, cover, and let sit 5-7 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Transfer to a serving bowl and mix in almonds, mint, salt, and pepper.

3. Remove chicken from marinade and grill for 3-4 minutes per side, or until cooked through (juices should run clear if you poke the thickest part). Remove from heat and let rest for a few minutes, then chop and add to bulgur mixture. Serve warm or cold.

I doubled everything (my chicken breasts were huge) and served this side-by-side the first time, but chopped the leftover chicken and divided it between the four portions of bulgur I had left. The little guy, who attempted several times to say "bulgur" but could only ever manage "bo-git," ate his required two bites plus a little more of his own accord. Despite the quantity of red pepper called for, the chicken was definitely not *spicy* by any means, so I'm considering this kid-friendly.

Spiced hot cocoa

This post is brought to you by my sweet tooth, craving something rich and desserty... at 4pm on Friday afternoon. Too early for "dessert" (even if I'd had any made) and too late for a froofy coffee drink (yeah, I'm old enough that caffeine after 3pm keeps me awake). My yen for chocolatey goodness led me to allrecipes.com, where I found--and modified--a recipe for spiced hot chocolate.

It made plenty for the two of us, plus a slosh for the little guy, and even some leftover that I refrigerated for not-so-distant future use. It would make a fun coffee "creamer" if you're hoping for something more flavorful than milk or half-and-half. Adjust the spices to suit your taste; this one kicked me in the tonsils on the way down!

Spiced Hot Chocolate

modified from this recipe

serves 4

3 cups low-fat milk

1.5 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 Tbsp turbinado sugar (oops, should've used some stevia!)

1/2 Tbsp sucanat

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

Frothed milk, optional

1. Heat milk in a medium saucepan over low heat.

2. Whisk in cocoa, sugar, and sucanat until dissolved.

3. Add vanilla, cinnamon, chili powder, nutmeg, and cayenne*. 

4. Heat and stir 5 minutes or until well combined. Serve topped with frothed milk (or whipped cream if you're not feeling the cleaner option).

*I poured some for the little guy before I added the cayenne pepper; it would have been too spicy for a toddler otherwise. Use your best judgment regarding your own family.

At least they tasted good...

Friday's dinner was *almost* a fail. I've had my eye on the chicken nuggets from the Eat-Clean Family & Kids book for a while, and planned all week to make them. While The H and little guy were playing outside, I got to work cutting the chicken and mixing up the breading. I was a little skeptical that the amount of breading I had would coat the amount of chicken, but I went with it. And yep, I was right. See those mostly-nekkid chicken pieces on the bottom right? Oh well.



These did not become "golden," as stated in the last step of the recipe, until I turned the broiler on them 20 minutes after they'd been in the oven. Next time, I'll do that before I get irrationally frustrated with the floury lumps of poultry adhering themselves and their ill-stuck breading to my baking sheet.




Despite all that, these did taste really good! I will gladly make them again, perhaps with the intent to coat in buffalo sauce for a game-day appetizer or filling for a wrap. This time I served them with sweet potato fries, from the same cookbook.



Crispy Chicken Bites
from The Eat-Clean Diet for Family & Kids by Tosca Reno
makes 24 nuggets

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 18oz total
1/4 cup oat bran (used oat flour, and added some poultry seasoning)
1/4 cup wheat germ (omitted)
1 Tbsp coarsely ground flax seed
1/4 cup coarsely ground almonds
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
Pinch of garlic powder
1/2 cup water or low-sodium chicken stock (I think this was unnecessary)
1 large egg white, lightly beaten (next time I will increase this)
Eat-Clean cooking spray (oil in a spritzer)
1. Preheat oven to 400*. Prepare baking sheet by lining with parchment paper or coating with cooking spray.

2. Cut chicken breasts into nugget-sized pieces, about 1 1/2 inches square. Set aside.

3. Next, combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine. Combine water and egg mixture in a small bowl.

4. Dip pieces of chicken into egg/water, and then into breading mixture, making sure each piece is well coated. Place on the baking sheet and place in oven. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden.

Nutrition information per 4 nuggets:
Calories - 100 Fat - 3.5g Protein - 12g Carbs - 7g Fiber - 2g Sodium - 370mg Cholesterol - 0mg

Pasta with chicken and broccoli

This recipe could also be called "Watch your kid eat green stuff" as it's literally only the second time I've seen the little guy willingly eat fresh broccoli (the other time was with this recipe).



Kids Love Pasta with Chicken and Broccoli
from The Eat-Clean Diet for Family & Kids by Tosca Reno serves 4 generously

8oz brown rice pasta shapes (your choice)
3 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 1 medium crown)
1 cup frozen peas
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2" pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chicken seasoning (I didn't know what this was, and used 1/2tsp poultry seasoning)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried basil, crumbled
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
Fresh-ground black pepper, to taste
Sea salt, to taste

1. In a large pot, cook pasta according to package instructions. Toss broccoli and peas into the boiling water during the last few minutes of cooking time. Drain into a large colander, return mixture to pot, and cover.

2. While pasta is boiling, place the sliced chicken, chicken seasoning, basil, paprika, garlic, and chili powder in a large zip-top bag. Toss until chicken is well coated.

3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat and add chicken. Cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly, or until cooked through.

4. Add cooked chicken to pasta mixture. Stir in yogurt, salt, and pepper. Toss until ingredients are evenly distributed. Serve immediately.

Nutrition information per 3/4 cup serving: Calories - 200 Fat - 5g Protein - 13g Carbs - 24g Fiber - 4.5g Sodium - 40mg Cholesterol - 20mg

My favorite burger, revamped

Just in case you were wondering, this chicken burger recipe is equally--if not more--tasty as the original when you use ground turkey breast in place of the chicken. For one thing, they hold together better, so much that we were able to grill them. The H and I also thought they were somehow more flavorful, even though the *only* thing I changed was the poultry I used. I did freeze them on a foil-lined baking sheet for about 3 hours before cooking, simply because I didn't have fridge space and we weren't ready to cook them right away.

We served them with local raw gouda and a quick tomatillo relish that I threw together using our last two tomatillos, one seeded jalapeno, the juice of half a lime, and sprinkle of kosher salt. On the side, we had blackened green beans. Both of these dishes were cooked on the grill, which made clean-up incredibly easy and kept my kitchen cool on a warm summer day. Oh, and the little guy gobbled an entire burger--with organic ketchup--even though he was supposed to be in bed. He literally ran out of the room during bedtime stories, crowing, "Iss BURger tyme!" Thus, this post has earned the honor of the kid-friendly tag.

Berry Picking

This week, the little guy and I had our first berry-picking adventure! I can't believe I've never taken advantage of the U-pick stuff around our area. It was fun, and cheap. We got over 10 pounds of berries in about an hour, and it cost just a bit over $13. TEN POUNDS of bloobs is more than 14 cups, in case you were wondering. I felt accomplished when I washed and bagged them all up right when we got home.

He had such a blast, and was a great helper.

The berry bushes were so full--the farm was on their first picking--and it was so easy. We could get a handful of berries in one gentle grab. Look how pretty they are.

Happy summer, now in my freezer!

Ten Min Din

For the record, I despise the term "din din." Never ever shall I use it with my son, let it be henceforth and hereafter acknowledged.

So. This dinner took ten minutes to pull together. And the little guy LOVED it. We're on our own this week while The H soaks up some California sun in San Francicso (lucky dog) and a quick dinner was just what we needed.

In short, whole-wheat gnocchi on a bed of fresh organic spinach (and crushed red pepper--left out of the little guy's serving), topped with homemade-ish superfast marinara sauce. For that, I simmered a box of Pomi chopped tomatoes with Italian seasoning, a pinch of brown sugar to cut the acidity, some kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper.

My smiley guy kept giggling as he ate, saying, "I love yokies. You love yokies, Mama?" Perfect.

Whole Wheat Flubber

This was my first attempt at bread-from-scratch in at least 10 years. I do have a bread machine, but I've been making The H's gluten-free bread in it and I don't want to risk cross-contamination. I've also been purchasing wheat and/or multigrain bread from a local baker, but I ran out before payday/shopping day and thought I'd attempt it on my own.

I used this recipe from the Clean Eating Magazine website. Seems simple enough... flour, yeast, water, honey, oil, salt, all of which I have readily available all the time. (Well, my wheat flour was "readily available" because it's been ages since I've used it. And though it gets stored in the refrigerator, I did not have high hopes for its level of freshness.) After the initial 30 minute rest period as I was beginning the first knead/rise cycle, two things caused me slight concern:

1. The dough smelled like cupboard.

2. It was the texture of Flubber.

When I went to knead it the first time, I seriously feared it would glom over the edges of the board and onto my kitchen floor.

Back into the bowl it went. I whipped it around with a spatula to incorporate the other ingredents. I did the same for the second knead/rise cycle and then let its rubbery self flump into my olive-oiled loaf pan for the last rise.

I'm glad I had the foresight to put a baking sheet underneath the loaf pan for the final rise...

And although I may have killed the end result in the process, I decided right then to split the loaf between two pans. There's no way I wanted *that* cooked onto my oven, thankyouverymuch.

The loaves came out short (duh) but tasted fine enough. I still think my flour is too old.

The texture is lovely; airy and light but substantial enough to not fall apart when buttered. I tried some with SmartBalance 50/50 blend, that's how I know.

But there was a nagging voice in the back of my head, asking, "What if you DIDN'T split the loaf? Would it have really overflowed the pan?" Wanting to be sure, I decided to make another batch. Seriously, the ingredients are so minimal and it only takes about 2 hours from start to finish. The H's gluten-free loaves take 2 hours and 39 minutes, and while that is hands-off time thanks to the machine, most of this recipe is pretty hands-off, too. Besides, if nothing else, making another batch would help me use up the bag of flour so I can buy a fresh one. If it ends up tasting funky, I'll let the little guy feed it to the ducks on our next run through the park.

Here is the second loaf on its final rise:

Yep, overflowage. It had the same rubbery-elastic texture that the first batch had. There is no kneading of this recipe, folks. Don't even try. Stick with old fashioned stirring. This time, rather than freaking out and dividing it, I carefully folded the escaping edges back over the top and gave it a few gentle pokes to deflate it a little, but not flatten.

Only a few minutes after it went into the hot oven to bake, I could see it crowning smoothly above the top of the pan--not awkwardly climbing over the sides. Hooray! The top was a bit more rounded before I opened the oven to peek. Oops.

Now that's more like it!

Happy sandwich-making to me! I really love how simple the recipe is: flour water yeast, honey oil salt. Clean AND cheap.