Chicken Enchiladas from the freezer

The enchiladas were AWESOME. I made a modification in the recipe assembly and it turned out fantastic. I just wanted to make a quick mention that enchiladas of any kind would probably freeze really well. Happy meal freezing.

A New Round and and NEW ME (in 90 days)

I'm making a commitment to myself and the world. I'm starting a new round of P90X today and I have exactly 13 weeks to complete it before Thanksgiving. This will be my 3rd time starting this program but I feel like it might be my best shot at completion.

I have been on a weight loss journey since last October (2009) and so far I have lost over 20 pounds. I started at 165 and I'm finally down to 142 - lower than my pre-pregnancy weight of 150. I made a decision the other day after a personal epiphany that I didn't have to accept 147 pounds as my "natural" body weight. Whats interesting is that since that day, I started loosing more weight. I'm down from 147 to 142 and there is no stopping me till I get to 135. At my height, 5'7, 135 is the ideal weight for me in terms of BMI and the healthy weight range for a female at my age (I'm 28).

So with that, I have decided that with the start of school I will be able to routinely workout every day (well...6 days a week). I will be working out when I get home from school when Graham takes his second nap. when he transitions to one nap, I'll work out then. I'm not planning on following the meal plan that comes with the program because I already have meals in the freezer (see my 15 meals in a day post) and I plan to restock the freezer with more meals when those run out. Its a time issue rather than a food issue.

So with that, I will post my previous pictures and my Day 1 pictures this afternoon after I get a chance to take them. I will update you every 4 weeks with new pictures and a progress report!

Follow along or join in with me! The more the merrier :) If you want to get your own P90X, you can buy it at www.ActiveEasy.com (my personal beachbody website)

15 Meals in a Day

A few weeks ago my sister forwarded a blog post about a woman making 30 meals in one day. I had heard about this concept before but never found it necessary in my life to do this. Well, times have changed. I have 2 weeks until school starts and we had to really crunch our budget to afford to hire the nanny while I'm in school. So we cut our grocery budget by almost half and I'm soon to be short on time!

I decided to attempt a modified version of the 30 meals in a day using software and a book called "Dinner is Ready" (you can buy it at www.30mealsinaday.com). I choose 8 recipes and based on serving size, I was able to generate 16 dinners, 6 lunches and an unexpected pot of chicken noodle soup (which equals 2 more dinners and 4 lunches).

Using the software, I picked my recipes, printed my grocery list, food freezer labels and cooking instructions for each item on the menu. I was all set to start shopping. I had a few extra days to look around for deals and I made some concessions on my organic food and bought regular chicken. However, the organic grass fed beef at whole foods was almost $2 cheaper per pound than Jewel's non-organic meat. I got all my canned goods at Target and bought the target brand to save more money. I got my dairy products at Jewel because everything was on sale. Over all, the total cost of food and packaging products it cost me $143.45 (my grocery budget is $220 every 2 weeks) However, when calculating the cost per meal, I didn't include the freezer bags or the aluminum foil because I will be using that for many many more freezer meals and I didn't feel it was fair to include in the per meal cost. So when all the calculations were done and the freezer was stocked it came down to $7.70 per dinner for the whole family. If I include the 10 additional lunches that were also created and break down the cost per meal per person, it comes to $1.92. That beats the cost of eating out any day! There isn't even a hot dog place where I could get dinner that cheap.

As far as the cooking goes, I started one stove top recipe, one crock pot recipe and then I started assembling all the recipes that didn't need to be cooked at all ahead of time. I had cooked all the chicken the day before and cubed and shredded it based on the recipe (these were the recommendations from the book). I also used the food processor to chop 7 onions and shred 2 pounds of cheese. (I always prefer to used cheese not previously shredded because it melts better in any meal.) I started cooking/assembling at 10:30 and I was mostly done by 2. I have most of the kitchen cleaned before bed time. At 9pm last night I started the crock pot again with the slow cook chili and let it cook on low for 10 hours overnight. We woke up to an amazing smell in the house and those meals will be bagged once the chili cooks.

All in all, it was totally worth it. I have 10 lunches for me and Erik and 18 dinners that only took me a total of 5 hours to create. I still have $60 in my budget to include fresh fruits and veggies and of course breakfasts and lunches. Here is the dinner menu I choose:

Broccoli Chicken ad Rice

Cheese Manicotti

Meaty Lasagna

Chicken Enchiladas

Corkscrew Chicken

Cream Cheese Chicken

Slow Cooked Chili

Taco Soup

Chicken Noodle Soup-this happened on accident and I had everything I needed to make it after the face. I made my own stock when I poached all of the chicken ahead of time. The fresh veggies I already had in the fridge!

This was an awesome experience. I would recommend this for anyone on a budget, anyone with time constraints, anyone who doesn't like to cook or doesn't really know how, and really anyone just looking to free up some time in the evenings. The other thing that I thought about was that I will likely only have to clean up the pot I use to reheat the dinner in and the plates we use to eat with :) That saves me TONS of time in itself.

If you live in or near Chicago and your looking to get cooking, I'll be doing this once a month so hit me up if you want to jump on the Once A Month Cooking band wagon and I'll help you get started! I'll let you know how things taste as we thaw and eat the meals!

P.S. If I didn't already say this, the book and the software were what made this a piece of cake!

Let the Real Adventure Begin

Life is far from what I had expected as a SAHM (Stay at Home Mom for those that don't know). I thought it was going to be days filled with play time and napping and fun, fun, fun. It is fun, and we do nap and play, but I didn't realize all the other stuff that went into raising a child. I guess I did know, but not totally. Its cooking and cleaning, teaching, correcting, loving, hugging, napping, correcting, cooking, cleaning, napping, playing.....you get it.

So back in April or May the hubby mentioned that maybe I should consider going back to school. To be perfectly honest, the thought hadn't crossed my mind. It wasn't even on my radar. But at the very mention of it, I got excited. I could once again pursue my interests independent of Graham. I looked at the transfer requirements and the only school that I had enough credits to transfer to was DePaul. I submitted my transcripts and crossed my fingers. All my eggs were in this one basket and I wanted it to work out.

Good news....it DID work out. I was accepted and am enrolled for the Autumn quarter as a declared Chemistry major. . Now its time to navigate the traditional college world as a full time MOM.

In the next few upcoming posts, I'll be detailing the work that went into getting financial aid, a nanny for my son, adjusting to school as an adult student, making the budget work, my volunteer work (orientation is next week for that), and trying to grow my Beachbody business (and staying in shape) with all this stuff going on! Life is about to get a lot more interesting and adventurous and I'm ecstatic.

Menu w/ shopping list

I realized today that I hadn't been updating my blog with ANYTHING. No meal plans, no recipes. But yesterday I had a friend mention that she didn't know how to meal plan. I logged into my google documents and emailed her a link to 3 out of the last 5 weeks meal plans/grocery lists. Then I realized that was exactly what I wanted to start this blog for in the first place.

There are so many websites and cook books out there that have recipes and grocery lists. But the problem is YOU still have to search the internet, find recipes that you are willing and able to make, and then put all of them in one shopping list. So I have sort of done that for you.

What I realized was that when I make my grocery list for me. It takes into account what I have in my pantry and I only shop for what I need. So if stir fry is on the menu, I already have ginger, peanut oil, soy sauce and sesame oil- so those aren't on the list.

Well, I'm going to change that. From now on, I'll put all the ingredients on the sorted grocery list and then you can just cross off what you already have in your kitchen. I'll occasionally post recipes that I really love w/ cooking instructions. But if your just a home cook looking for fresh, healthy, relatively easy recipes to cook, just check back every week. I'll post my previous meal plans and then from here on out, I'll do all the work for you (minus the shopping and cooking!!)

Week 1)

https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0Abv9VgrShh8zZGc0NjVyM2dfNDJocHdxdHFocg&hl=en

Week 2)

https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0Abv9VgrShh8zZGc0NjVyM2dfNDBjanpycXJkZA&hl=en

Week 3)

https://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0Abv9VgrShh8zZGc0NjVyM2dfMzZnN25iNXJnNw&hl=en

Menu Week 3/20/10

Sunday: Cheeseburgers w/ homemade buns

Monday: Turkey Mushroom Meatloaf w/ Steamed broccoli and Mashed potatoes

Tuesday: Pot Roast w/ Carrots, Potatoes, and Onions

Wednesday: Halibut w/ Rainbow Chard and Roasted Potatoes

Thursday: Grilled Chicken w/ Pesto, Pasta and Aparagus

Friday: Chicken Fajitas

I'm doing a 3 day Shakeology Cleanse to drop some quick pounds so I'm only eating salad and some kind of white protein (chicken or fish) on the grill. Because of this, I'm not planning a dinner for tonight (Saturday the 20th). I'll post the recipe for the homemade hamburger buns as well as the turkey meatloaf.

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White Fish w/ Rainbow Chard

I'm not always thrilled about veggies that I make. I like vegetables. In fact, I can't think of a vegetable I don't like. However they don't always turn out the way I want. But tonight I made baked fish with a lemon oregano bread crumb and a side of Rainbow (swiss) Chard with fresh ginger and jalapenos. It was FANTASTIC. The fish was fresh and light and the Rainbow Chard was tasty and refreshing. Everything was fresh from the market today. This was a great meal that even a novice cook can make for their family or friends.

So here is what I did:

White Fish-

Bread Crumbs:
1 lbs White fish (or other mild flavor fish like tilapia)
2 slices of bread (I used home made oat/wheat bread)
1 Tablespoon Parsley
1 teaspoon Oregano
1 Lemon (zest half lemon for bread crumbs and juice half or all of lemon in bottom of baking dish)
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil (maybe more or less...you want the crumbs to be moist but not wet. They should still be separate but moist)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the fish into individual size pieces. I made bread crumbs from home made bread. To the bread crumbs I added parsley, oregano, salt, lemon zest, and olive oil. In a baking dish I added white wine, lemon juice, smashed garlic, and olive oil to the bottom 9x13 baking dish. I placed the fish in the in the dish, making sure not to place it on top of any garlic pieces. Bake for 20 minutes and serve.


Rainbow Chard-

1 bunch Rainbow or Swiss Chard
1 teaspoon fresh zested ginger
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 small Jalapenos

Cut colored stems off the leafy greens. Cut stems in half lengthwise and then dice into 1/4 inch pieces. Cut Jalapenos and deseed and devein them (if you like a more mild spice) then cut into 1/8 inch pieces. Peel and zest 1 Teaspoon fresh ginger. Heat skillet to medium high heat (12 inch is best, but I used a chinese wok because its the only pan I have large enough to hold the chard) with 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Add colored stems, jalapenos and ginger zest and saute while you are cutting up the leaves. Cut Chard leaves into 1 inch pieces and rinse well then add to skillet. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes then remove the lid and continue cooking until the greens have wilted down and the stems are slightly soft. Season with salt and pepper to taste and Serve warm.

Health Care and Cost of food

So on Oprah today they did a special about food. They had Michael Pollen from Food, Inc. on the show. I have already seen food Inc and I think I've already posted about it. But I learned something new today. There is a statistic about the cost of food vs. healthcare costs and the difference between now and 60 years ago. Here it is: 60 years ago we spent 14% of our income on food and only 7% on healthcare. Now we spend 9% on food and 17% on Healthcare. The truth is, we decide who we want to pay. Do we choose our local farmer or do we choose our doctor.

I CHOOSE MY LOCAL FARMER. You can choose for yourself. There are lots of healthy ways to eat. But as Michael Pollen says, "Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants"

If you follow that simple rule alone, you will live a healthier life.

Jarred Baby Food

So I had a little play group at my house today and we talked for a minute about baby food. It seems like there may be fewer ingredients in baby food than I thought. Its my understanding that its just the fruit or vegetables and water. So that meets the "3 or under" (there has to be fewer than 3 ingredients on the label). However, after my friends left, I was thinking about it and it still seems strange to me.

If I made apple sauce at home from real apples, it wouldn't last in a jar at room temperature for any significant amount of time. In fact, I'm sure that even I could remove all the air from the container it would still need to be refrigerated and it wouldn't last weeks. Maybe one week I would think. So what do they do the baby food to make it last so long?

I'm not sure of the answer to this questions, but for now, I'm going to be making Grahams food. I'm not saying he will never eat jarred food. I'm a practical person and I know myself well enough to know that I won't always have food made for him. But for me its important to hold Grahams eating habits to the same standard I hold myself. So when possible, I will make organic foods for baby. I will use local ingredients when possible and I will give him a diverse food selection.

I hope my efforts produce a healthy happy baby :)

Chocolate Chip Scones

This recipe is AWESOME. The Scones are light and fluffy and have just enough sweetness. I have made them just as called for in the recipe, but I have also used non-fat milk and low fat sour cream. Honestly, the main difference was the look of the scone. For some reason the higher fat scones held its shape better in the oven. I have also tried to make 16 mini scones also by cutting each of the 8 scones in half, and that experiment wasn't so great. The scones just looked like puffs. The other down side was you got more crunchy outside, and less of the soft moist inside. I have made them at least 4 times now and if you know how to follow a recipe, you can't screw these up.

Its a cooks illustrated recipe for blueberry scones, but I used mini chocolate chips based on a recipe I found on epicourious.com so when you see "blueberries" in the recipe....just think Chocolate Chips.

So here it is:

It is important to work the dough as little as possible—work quickly and knead and fold the dough only the number of times called for. The butter should be frozen solid before grating. In hot or humid environments, chill the flour mixture and workbowls before use. While the recipe calls for 2 whole sticks of butter, only 10 tablespoons are actually used (see step 1). If fresh berries are unavailable, an equal amount of frozen berries (do not defrost) can be substituted. An equal amount of raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries can be used in place of the blueberries. Cut larger berries into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces before incorporating. Refrigerate or freeze leftover scones, wrapped in foil, in an airtight container. To serve, remove foil and place scones on a baking sheet in a 375-degree oven. Heat until warmed through and recrisped, 8 to 10 minutes if refrigerated, 16 to 20 minutes if frozen. See final step for information on making the scone dough in advance.


16 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 sticks), frozen whole (see note above)
2/3 cup mini milk chocolate chips (I have only been able to find them at treasure island)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 ounces), plus additional for work surface
1/2 cup sugar (3 1/2 ounces), plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (I have also used orange for a less tangy zest)

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Score and remove half of wrapper from each stick of frozen butter. Following photo at left, grate unwrapped ends on large holes of box grater (you should grate total of 8 tablespoons). Place grated butter in freezer until needed. Melt 2 tablespoons of remaining ungrated butter and set aside. Save remaining 6 tablespoons butter for another use. Place blueberries in freezer until needed.

2. Whisk together milk and sour cream in medium bowl; refrigerate until needed. Whisk flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in medium bowl. Add frozen butter to flour mixture and toss with fingers until thoroughly coated.

3. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; fold with spatula until just combined. With rubber spatula, transfer dough to liberally floured work surface. Dust surface of dough with flour; with floured hands, knead dough 6 to 8 times, until it just holds together in ragged ball, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking.

4. Roll dough into approximate 12-inch square. Following illustrations, fold dough into thirds like a business letter, using bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to countertop. Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form approximate 4-inch square. Transfer dough to plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in freezer 5 minutes.

5. Transfer dough to floured work surface and roll into approximate 12-inch square again. Sprinkle blueberries evenly over surface of dough, then press down so they are slightly embedded in dough. Using bench scraper or thin metal spatula, loosen dough from work surface. Roll dough, pressing to form tight log. Lay seam-side down and press log into 12 by 4-inch rectangle. Using sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles and transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet.

6. Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with remaining tablespoon sugar. Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

To Make Ahead:
After placing the scones on the baking sheet, either refrigerate them overnight or freeze. When ready to bake, for refrigerated scones, heat oven to 425 degrees and follow directions in step 6. For frozen scones, heat oven to 375 degrees, follow directions in step 6, and extend cooking time to 25 to 30 minutes.

(In the recipe online at cooksillustrated.com, there are photos of how to roll the dough and cut it. Sorry I couldn't cut and paste!)

Roasted Vegetables with Polenta

In an effort to reduce the amount of meat I eat and incorporate more vegetables into my diet, I tried this great recipe for dinner tonight. This weeks menu includes meatless meals every other night. I found this recipe on freshpicks.com, a company that delivers local organic produce, meat and dairy. My first order will be delivered next Thursday (YAY!). The end result was a sweet, hearty, filling meal. I was surprised that when I was done eating, I didn't crave more food. It was completely satisfying. I'm starting to realize that the fewer things I buy in a box, the fewer cravings I have.

The root veggies can be swapped out with others if you prefer something else, but for me the fun was trying veggies I wouldn't normally eat. So here was tonights dinner:

Cooking Time: 1 1/2 hours
Ingredients:
- 2 parsnips
- 5 carrots
- 3 large sweet peppers
- 1 bulb fennel
- 1 red onion
- 2 T olive oil
- 4 cups milk
- 1 c. hot water
- 1 t garlic
- 1 1/2 c. cornmeal
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup basil, shredded
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup fontina cheese, shredded
- 1 t thyme
- Salt and black pepper

Wash and cut vegetables into 1 inch pieces. In a large bowl, mix parsnips, carrots, peppers, fennel, red onion, oil, 1/2 t salt and 1/4 t pepper. Spread out in a single layer in a roasting pan. Roast at 375 degree F in the oven for 45 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking.

For the polenta, combine milk, water, garlic, 1 t salt and 1/4 t pepper in a large saucepan and simmer. Whisk in cornmeal; cook until thick and smooth for 3 minutes. If it is too thick add a little more water. Stir in Parmesan and basil. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 2 inch thick 13 X 9 baking dish with oil. Spread polenta out on the baking dish and arrange vegetables over the polenta. Drizzle cream on top. Sprinkle with cheese and thyme and bake all together in the oven at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes. Let cool before cutting. Makes 8 servings.

Local and Organic

About a week ago I watched the documentary Food, Inc. The movie opened my eyes to the food industry and its regulation. I thought I understood food and where it comes from. The truth is, I didn't know much. I didn't realize where my meat came from, or that the 1 pound of ground beef I buy from the grocery has (on average) meat from 1000 cows. YES, ONE THOUSAND COWS. I didn't know that companies in the meat/slaughter industry recruit immigrants from Mexico and then make agreements with immigration to only deport 15 immigrants a day so their business isn't disrupted. I didn't know that the reason we have such an E. Coli problem is that we feed our animals food their bodies are not designed to digest. I can't even begin to cover everything that had an impact on me in Food, Inc. so I just suggest you watch it.

At the end of the film, there is text that comes across the screen that tells viewers what they can do to make a difference. They suggest you buy local, organic produce and meats. Doing so reduces the distance your food has to travel from farmer to supermarket. It helps preserve the earth by using sustainable farming practices and promote healthy soil. It also allows you to know your farmer and what is going into your food. Another line at the end of the film had a huge impact on me. It said something like, If you say grace before you eat, pray that the food you are about to eat will keep you and the planet healthy.

When we buy local organic foods we: support our local economy, we promote a healthy planet, we reduce the impact chemicals have on our bodies and our planet, we can reduce our dependance on preprocessed foods that can be harmful to our bodies and are contributing to the obesity epidemic in our country, and lastly, we allow ourselves to explore flavorful healthy foods.

One of my new years resolutions or goals is to follow though on the causes that I believe in. Local organic food is one of those causes. Right now I'm shopping at Wholefoods. I do feel like that that is a step in the right direction, but its not good enough. So I found this great website Freshpicks.com. Its a small business that seeks out local farmers and sells their produce and meats. If during the winter months there isn't much available, they partner with other small co-ops in different regions of the country to bring us produce. I have my first order coming next week and I already feel good about it.

Check out http://www.takepart.com/foodinc and freshpicks.com (if your in the Chicago area).

Happy Healthy Eating!

Olive Oil Pie Crust

This recipe came about because I couldn't find a "good for you" recipe for pie crust for my Turkey Pot Pie. I did a little research and found a recipe that calls for Olive Oil as the fat. I have not tried this myself, but for the sake of those trying to make my recipes, this is a healthy alternative to the traditional pie crust. I want to give credit where credit is due. I found this at helensrecipes.blogspot.com. Here it is:

Ingredients for 2-Crust Pie:

2 c. sifted Unbleached Flour
1 t. Salt
1/2 c. Olive Oil
3 T. Cold Water

Ingredients for 1-Crust Pie:

1-1/3 c. sifted Unbleached Flour
1/2 t. Salt
1/3 c. Olive Oil
2 T. Cold Water

Sift flour and salt into mixing bowl.

Add oil and mix well with a fork.

Sprinkle cold water over mixture and mix well.

With hands, press mixture into a smooth ball. (If mix is too dry, add 1-2 T. more oil, a little at a time and then shape into a ball - it is rare that I ever had to add more oil.) Divide ball in half.

Now, you are going to roll this out a little differently than you are used to doing. You are going to roll it between wax paper. (Your rolling pin never touches the product and so it stays clean!) Because you want to make sure you roll out the dough large enough for your pie pan, use two pieces of wax paper underneath the dough and two pieces of wax paper on top of the dough - making a cross (+).

Turkey Pot Pie

I just ate a delicious Turkey Pot Pie that I created with what was in my fridge. I'm totally surprised and how great it turned out. It is a little sweet, but a good turkey (poultry) flavor. I would go back for seconds but I'm trying to loose 12lbs before I leave for my trip to India! The dish is mostly good for you- everything but the crust. I'm on the hunt for a better crust recipe so there isn't as much fat.

I used this recipe as my guide but I changed quite a bit: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Turkey-Pot-Pie-I/Detail.aspx. Here is what I did below:

1 small acorn squash, roasted then cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 small onion
1 cup cut green beans, about 1 inch pieces
4 button mushrooms cut in half then sliced
2 Tbs fresh Parsley, fine chopped
1 tsp dried Oregano
Salt to taste
2 cups chicken broth plus 2Tbs for saute
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
1-1/2 cups cooked shredded Turkey breast or chicken breast

Here is what I did:
1. Cut the acorn squash in half, Seed, and Roast the squash for 40 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Reduce oven heat to 375. Let squash cool then peel and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.

2. Dice onion and garlic and saute on medium high with 2 Tbs chicken stock (I use this method to reduce the amount of oil in the recipe). After about 5 minutes, add oregano, parsley, green beans, and mushrooms. Add additional chicken broth if needed to keep the pan moist. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, keeping the pan moist.

3. In separate sauce pan, melt butter until bubbling subsides, about 1 minute. Add flour and mix quickly to create paste. Add 2 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil to allow for it to thicken. Then add milk and bring up to a slight simmer. Reduce heat to low and add the Acorn squash and the onion, green bean, mushroom mixture and add in your cut up turkey.

4. Put filling into a 9-1/2 or 10 inch pie dish. Lay pie crust on top carefully. Trim and tuck the edges under (I used a standard pie crust recipe I found without sugar on allrecipe.com). Bake pie for 40 to 45 minutes until your crust is lightly browned and filling is bubbly. Be sure to put a baking sheet under the pie to prevent a bubbly mess on the bottom of your oven.

Enjoy!