Keeping up with life

At an event last week, I got to speak with several other moms of young kids and the conversation turned to food. The other ladies all agreed that keeping up with the family meals is difficult in the best of times. Where are the sales this week? Where is the best produce? Can I fit a grocery run in on my lunch break? Does cereal for dinner more than one day a week mean I'm a bad mother? It's so interesting to learn about other families' situations and how other moms deal with challenges. And it's comforting to know I'm not the only one who freaks out a little at meal times.

I like to think I have my life together most of the time. But this week has been a doosey. And what has suffered the most (aside from my mental fortitude)? Our family lunches. I usually do the job of planning, preparing and packing lunches. Which I love to do and have a natural inclination for...plus my partner in parenting does almost ALL the cleaning. I know, I've got it good!

Anyway, the food planning has been an increasingly important job as we budget our time and money. The morning rush is tough on us and our almost-fifteen-month-old tike. Thankfully, she stays with my mother for the day so even when I'm not on my food game, Nanny has it covered. She loves our little gremlin like her own (or perhaps even more) and she has duplicates of everything: diapers, cereal, treats, sippy cups, etc. It means I can be lazy about packing a bag for the day if I want or need to. Be that as it may, I still like to have things planned and assert some initiative in the healthy diet of our family.

I make at least one big-batch recipe a week which is used for several meals. I roast or steam vegetables and have those on hand in the fridge. And I often have fruit and some snacks packaged up on stand-by (like already-cut-up strawberries, Nutrios or other cereal, or yogurt). Processed foods are limited and we offer drinks like water, milk and only real fruit/veg juice like this one. I make smoothies with yogurt, fruit and vegetables. It can take up to an hour each night to get things in order for the following day for the baby...not to mention the two adults in the house.

All that prep really helps with the mornings and the short half hour evening window between getting home and getting baby to bed before she explodes in screaming tantrums of tiredness. It's a challenge every day. We do splurge with a treat out but usually on the weekends for time's sake.

Sometimes, though, even the best intentions fail and this mama slips up. This week, vegetables have been overcooked and even burnt, chickpeas have been used as a protein several times despite baby not really liking them, and I even sent a frozen salmon fillet in the lunch bag with cooking instructions. One night, I was very thankful for pierogies I had pre-made and frozen the other week...and even more thankful that the kiddo ate it up like it was the best food she'd ever eaten.

So I try to remember my Girl Guide days and the motto Be Prepared. But sometimes, you just gotta go with the flow. Even if that means cereal for dinner.

Make it now, eat it later

One of the many pieces of advice I got while pregnant was to make big batches of food in advance and put them in the freezer for when baby arrived. I understood that I wouldn`t have much time after baby arrived to cook (or eat!) but I also didn`t have much energy before baby arrived to cook. I tried but only managed to make a cake...which is still in our downstairs freezer. Thankfully, when Charlotte came to live with us we had the help of family and friends (and take-out) when it came to meals. During the first week, my partner in parenting made a big batch of vegetarian chili and we did manage to freeze some of it for later use.

This week, after a particularly hectic day, we broke out that chili and re-heated it. It turned into a nice snack-like late dinner. We put the chili over nachos chips with whatever veggies were in our crisper (chopped up), shredded cheese and pickled jalapenos from the condiment shelf in the fridge.

 Before: frozen veggie chili 

 After: Nachos!

I will definitely be making more batches of food for freezing in the coming days and weeks - like pastas, sauces, lasagna, meatloaf and probably more chili because it was such a big hit. I encourage anyone with a child on the way, a young one at home, or a busy schedule to do this too. It does take a little planning and effort to make food but you can cook it once and eat it many times. Just make sure to seal up the food tight and label it if you`re prone to forgetting items in the deep dark corners of your freezer. A little prep now can save you time, money and headaches later on...and it can be quite delicious.  

Here are some quick links to recipes you can make and freeze for your future starving self:

Baby Center`s 10 Frozen Assets

Canadian Living`s Deep Freeze

The Kitchn - Recipes that Freeze Well

Chilly weather chili

In anticipation of a snow day, I decided to make chili to have for supper and keep leftovers for a treat in case I got snowed in. Well, today ended up being a snow day so am I ever glad I had this tasty treat to tide me over! The chili was delish last night and even better today for lunch. Here's what I did (and why it's healthy):

Ingredients:
1 can crushed tomatoes (as low sodium as you can find)
1 can kidney beans (I used a can of Hunts chili style beans which had kidney and pinto beans)
1 can mushrooms
A whole lot of garlic (I mean at least 5 cloves)
.25-.5 lbs of ground meat (I used lean ground beef but you could use turkey, chicken, pork or veggie ground round....or leave it out all together, in which case I'd substitute chickpeas)
5tbs chli powder (ie. a good hand full)
1tbs dried chili flakes
1 tbs dried basil
salt & pepper to taste

What to do:
- Brown you meat in a skillet first until cooked through; add the chili powder and chili flakes to the meat and stir;
- In a large pot on medium, saute garlic until aromatic and browned. you can add chopped onions here if you'd like and/or chili;
- Then add your other ingredients in one at a time starting with the mushrooms, then the beans, and finally the tomatoes. You want to let each ingredient cook for a few minutes before adding the next one so you layer the flavours. Once the mixture is saucy from the tomatoes, you can add in the meat mixture;
- Once everything is simmering together, take a taste of the chili to see if it needs anything like salt, pepper, more chili powder or chili flakes.


I served this chili with very lightly warmed asparagus and some organic corn chips (Que Pasa brand) for dipping. For a treat, I put some shredded mozza on top but it's a President's Choice light cheese so not terrible for my diet.

This whole meal comes in at approximately 650 calories, 27g fat, and 32g protein (made with the lean ground beef) and is a welcomed and filling meal on a stormy day!

Protein-packed pasta

 I'm a girl who loves her pasta. But too much of a good thing can sometimes be boring...and a bit indulgent. So to strike a balance, I sometimes use a vegetarian option of a basic tomato sauce. This pasta dish is something I whip up when I want my pasta but I want to have my veggies too. 

Start by simmering some chopped onions in a large pan with a little olive oil. Add loads of garlic and some finely chopped chilies. Then add whatever vegetables you have and/or like. This time around, I added red pepper and mushrooms. I also had some dried basil (though I'll admit fresh is always better). Add harder vegetables first and let them cook and soften before adding ones that don't take as long. Also make sure you sizzle each ingredient before adding the next. That way everything marries together and forms a more complex taste. I call this the "layering" technique of sauce-making.

  

Then I add the secret ingredient: Yves veggie ground round. It's a meat-textured wheat and soy protein product that works like ground beef in your sauce. It ups the meaty texture and ups your satisfaction because in 1/3 cup portion it has 10g of protein. But unlike regular meat, it only has 0.5g of fat (and no saturated fat) and just 60 calories. 

Throw in the veggie ground round with your already-sizzling mixture. Add a dash of salt and a ton of pepper (well, that's what I do) and let it cook through until hot and fully mixed together. Add some canned tomatoes or tomato sauce and simmer everything for about 10 more minutes. Serve the chunky sauce over pasta or as "sloppy joes". It's an easy meal and very easy to experiment with or change out one or two ingredients for others you may have on hand or prefer. You could even substitute the veggie ground round for any ground meat, lentils, chickpeas or marinated, mashed-up tofu.

The veggie products come in a few other varieties and can be used in other pasta dishes, tacos, nachos, sheppards pie...you name it. And it's easy to prepare because it's as fast-food as you can get. With the protein, veggies, cooked tomatoes and garlic, this dish ends up being pretty healthy while remaining easy and warming you up on a cold day. Add some grated parm and enjoy!

KISS (keep it simple stupid) Onion Soup

Problem: limited supplies, cold night, laziness. Solution: Onion soup!

All you need to do is chop up a bunch of onions. Careful this will cause tears...take off your glasses if you wear 'em, light a candle and bear through it. If none of this works, stick your head in the freezer. Seriously. I didn't believe it work work but it does. I hate that it works. But it does!

Then put the onion slices into a frying pan with a little butter, slat, pepper and whatever else you have on hand that you'd like in your soup. This time around, I threw in a dash of the beer I was drinking, some balsamic vinegar and a little cumin. You need to wilt the onions down a lot. This is called caramelizing your onions. It will seem impossible at first but then, after 15 minutes or so your big batch of onions will caramelize and wilt down into yumminess.
In a pot on the stove, simmer some stock, traditionally beef stock. Add the onions and simmer some more. That's your soup. Simple as can be. Not necessarily the best, fanciest or refined recipe but it works. If you want to French it up, add some bread and cheese on top. Broil for a couple seconds and enjoy. Seriously. It will be tasty. And careful not to get too close to anyone afterwards - it may be KISS soup but its still onion soup!

A carnivore's dream

I'm notoriously not a steak person, and could leave red meat alone most times, but every now and then I crave meat. Pure, beefy goodness. All jokes aside, the other night I found some lovely grilling steak at my local supermarket and decided to have a go at it to see what I could create. No recipe. Just a girl, her knife and a frying pan. The result? Spicy beef with peppers, onions and rice. Yum.

A carnivore's dream complete with Worcestershire sauce, spicy chili, ginger and simple rice.

And yea, you've got to have this with a Guinness!

Sunday roast on Monday

The weather was crap today and I had just digested the America's Test Kitchen's Cook's Country episode on roast and gravy. Cool weather always brings out the carnivore in me. After a long day at work I went straight out and bought beef top sirloin roast. It was relaxing to methodically peel potatoes, boil vegetables, sear the roast and thicken gravy with a flour slurry. I cooked by ear, by feel, and without a recipe. Large cuts of beef are easier than roasting a chicken or turkey. No matter if it ends up medium-rare, medium-well, or well done you can pretend you meant it to come out that way. And the more I cook cuts of meat like this the better I'm getting at knowing what stage the meat is at by touch and feel alone. A meat thermometer would make the process even easier.

And I've finished the large process of cooking a Sunday dinner, no matter the actual day, without the reward of compliments and rave reviews. I just know everyone likes a home cooked meal. And besides, my friend went back for seconds which was the best compliment of all.

Junk food

Every now and then I crave something simple and not-so-good-for-you. Some people love chocolate, some love salty snacks, while I love stinky stuff. That's right. Curry, Doritos, garlic, whatever will make my breath stick is what I love. Thankfully, I have a partner who loves stinky stuff as much as me and can take raw onions and hot peppers like the best of 'em. Though I did not have this today, I often make nachos to satisfy my stinky junk-food craving. And if you want to make nachos less heart attack-inducing you can make some sneaky substitutions for a semi-healthy meal.

I think the secrets to a good plate of nachoes is layering ingredients and lightly broiling them for extra crispiness. For the nachos above, I added roasted chicken and lots of veggies like green and red peppers, tomatoes, onions and lots of jalapeno peppers. Use homemade or low-sodium store bought salsa, keep a light hand with the cheese and use organic and/or multi-grain tortilla chips (or there's even flax and baked seed ones out there now) and there's not too much bad stuff on there. Now, it won't be as satifying as a oozy, cheesy, sour-cream laden pile of fried chips. But there's enough stinky flavour on there to keep me happy!

Pasta salad for lunch

I've been a littlle lax lately with preparing lunches. If I don't get lunches together either the night before or in the morning, we end up eating crap and spending too much for said crap food. But what do you do when you're sick of leftovers and sandwiches? The other night I decided to improvise with what was in my fridge and cupboard and make a nice pasta salad. You could use whatever you had but here's what I used:

Bowtie pasta (about 2 cups)

Cherry tomatoes (1 pint and cut in half)

Black beans (1/2 can, rinsed)

Green pepper (1/2 pepper, sliced thinly)

1/4 cup light mayo

2 tbs mustard

1/3 cup mozza cheese (cubed, could also use feta or shredded cheddar)

dash of salt & pepper, paprika and chili powder.

Cook the pasta as per directions on the package. Drain and put aside to cool. Then chop/prepare the rest of the ingredients. Put into large bowl and add the dressing ingredients. Mix and combine with the cooled pasta. Then divide the salad up into small covered bowls or reusable lunch containers. Presto - lunch for at least two days. It was easy and it'll be there waiting in the fridge!

Salad improv

Last night we were zonked from work all day so we popped something in the oven from the freezer and picked up a ready-made salad at the supermarket. But just because you're too tired to cook a sensible meal does not mean you cannot eat sensibly. That pre-packaged salad can be something great if you just spruce it up a little.

The salad had mixed greens, strawberries, tomatoes and onions. It cost about $4 and had enough for four side-dish servings. With a little imagination and some help from a well-stocked pantry I added walnuts, dried cranberries and some boxed croutons for crunch. I dumped everything into a big bowl then dressed the salad with a packet of poppy seed dressing, which came with it, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and honey for some zip.

Voila! A custom meal in no time and it was good for us to boot. Good doesn't have to be difficult.

Brown bag note: If you weren't terribly hungry you could easily save un-dressed portions of salad for the next day's lunch.