Cleaning up the Krusteaz

Yesterday was difficult. The little guy was clingy and cantankerous, which is always hard on everyone. He was very hands-on, which didn't leave me much time for puttering in the kitchen. So when lunchtime rolled around I had no idea what I was going to make. In his grumpy mood, he refused everything I offered, even his usual favorites.

Then I remembered the box of buttermilk complete Krusteaz pancake mix in the pantry. He tucked away a large blueberry pancake at running group on Saturday, so I decided to whip up a small batch. The mix itself isn't the cleanest but I added unsweetened applesauce, a healthy handful of frozen blueberries, and some ground flax seed in addition to water to make it a bit heartier.

We got 7 pancakes out of it--we each ate one for lunch (I wasn't too optimistic about my chance of getting to eat later) with a chunk of sharp cheddar, and I put the other five in the fridge. He asked for one this morning for breakfast, so we must have a winner. If I had more time, I would've made them from scratch with oatmeal so The H could have some of the leftovers.

Breakfast for dinner

The weather here has been gray and drizzly all day, and has now turned cold. Usually I'd make chili in the CrockPot on nights like this, but I didn't have any turkey thawed. Comfort food runner up? Breakfast for dinner! Tonight we had gluten-free veggie pancakes (not as gross as they sound, I promise), chicken-apple sausage, and homemade blueberry syrup. The H said the house smelled like fall, "and maybe a little bit like winter." The pot of half-caff Sumatra-Mandehling coffee he brewed added to the hunker-down homey feeling.

Veggie Pancakes - triple batch

1 16oz bag frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots, corn, green beans)

1 bag Bob's Red Mill GF pancake mix

3 eggs, or equivalent (I used one egg + 1/3 cup egg whites)

1 1/2 cups milk (cow, almond, rice, etc. as stated on pancake mix; I used enough for a double recipe, not a triple as I didn't want them runny)

3 Tbsp vegetable oil (could use applesauce, I bet)

Cook vegetables until soft - microwave works great. Let cool slightly, then add to blender and puree with milk; add eggs and oil and blend until smooth. Don't add the eggs with the milk or the might start to cook if your veggies are still quite hot. Mixture will be light green. In large bowl, stir veggie mix into dry pancake mix. Add more milk if you like thinner pancakes (remember I used 2x the milk called for, and 3x everything else).

Heat a griddle over medium heat. Add oil or spray of your choice. Scoop pancake mix by 1/4 cup and pour onto hot griddle. Flip when pancakes are dry on edges; cook another few minutes until golden on the other side. Making a triple batch provided enough for our dinner plus 14 extra to freeze for quick breakfasts or snacks. They do turn out green, but the veggies do not negatively affect the flavor.

Blueberry Syrup

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup water, minus a few tablespoons to mix with cornstarch

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp powdered stevia (I found mine at Trader Joe's, in a big shaker-style container. I think Truvia would work)

1-2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with reserved water

Combine blueberries, water (minus reserved), spices, and stevia in small sauce pan. Bring to boil over med-low heat, stirring often. Mash blueberries with a fork if you feel like it. Once the liquid has reduced a bit, stir in the cornstarch + water slurry. Return to a boil and let bubble until thickened the way you want. Pour into small pitcher or gravy boat and serve with pancakes.

For the sausage, I just sliced each one into quarters (giving each piece a flat side) and browned them in a skillet, adding water to keep the pan from scorching. With a small glass of milk and the aforementioned coffee, this was a great filling meal for a cold blah night.

Cooking ahead

"What's for lunch?" is often a more difficult question for me to answer than the usual, "What's for dinner?" Dinner (or supper, if that's what you call it) means cooking for my family. Dinner is why I comb through cookbooks and magazines in my spare time looking for delicious and healthy meals that fit with our clean-eating lifestyle. Dinner is eating with other people, so it's fun (for me, anyway) to plan for and look forward to.

But lunch? Lunch is lonely. It's something to get through on the way to my son's naptime, or eaten in a hurry at my computer while I try to get some work done once he's down. Lunch is usually leftovers, if The H hasn't taken them to work. Lunch is boring. A hurdle to jump over on the way to a delicious dinner.

Enter cooking ahead. Determined not to have boring lunches all week, I decided to make things from my clean cooking resources that The H wouldn't appreciate as much, or can't eat because of his allergy. Cooking ahead saves time in the long run, which is always nice, and something I've heard readers asking about lately. It doesn't take a lot of time, promise.

Tonight's dinner was one of our old standbys, a CrockPot casserole-type thing we call "chicken-salsa-rice." It's really a hands-off dinner, since the only real prep is pouring a jar of salsa over frozen chicken and turning the crock on low. Closer to serving time, cooked rice and shredded cheese are added, and sour cream if you want. When I made the rice this afternoon during snack time, I figured I might as well make a big batch to keep in the fridge for lunches or another dinner later this week.

After dinner, once the baby was fed, bathed, and in bed (by 7:30) I got to work in the kitchen. I'd had a package of Trader Joe's extra-firm tofu staring me in the face every time I opened the refrigerator and figured I should use it--the tofu burritos from Tosca's family & kids book were a perfect fit. The H has also been asking for hard-boiled eggs, so those needed to get made. And then there were the chicken breast tenders I wanted to use for dinner tomorrow (chicken taco salad). Sounds like a lot! But you know what? I was done, with the dishwasher running and my pans hand-washed, sitting in front of my computer before 8:45.

First, The H (never turn down free help!) put the eggs in a pot and started them cooking. He also laid out all the chicken tenders on a baking sheet and drained the tofu for me. And then it was my turn. Onion, garlic, jalapeno, bell pepper and tofu got chopped. Canned tomatoes were drained; juice was saved and labeled. Oil heated, veggies added, tofu stirred in. Mixture seasoned and simmered. Eggs done and cooled. Burrito filling container labeled and filled (I love my label maker), burrito pan washed. Egg pan rinsed and dried. Chicken checked, not done, timer set for another 10. Then I went to shower (ran a quick 3 miles before dinner) and came back to put the chicken away. Chicken pan rinsed, dishwasher started, the end! Whew.

Now I have a fresh (as in not left-over) option for lunch. I can add brown rice to the tofu filling in my whole-grain wrap, or use some plain tenders + rice + whatever seasoning for a different flavor, in a wrap or not. I can make a clean egg salad to eat on Ezekiel bread. My son can have an egg with his morning fruit-and-waffle. If The H doesn't take dinner leftovers, those are still available, too.

Tomorrow I will make a batch of oatmeal-egg-white wheat-free pancakes (would have made them tonight but didn't feel like washing the blender) to freeze for another breakfast or lunch choice. And you know what else? I haven't gone grocery shopping since last Sunday. All of this was made with ingredients I had hanging around! If you ask The H, or even my son's sitter, they'd have likely told you there was nothing to eat. Surprise!

I love cooking ahead. It might even help me love lunch.