Miscellaneous Musings

Well, the summer has flown by.   In about a week, my son will become a Sophomore, and my daughter a 5th grader.   We survived our summer together with no tears, only a few arguments, and a lot of laughs and good times.

My kids both broadened their horizons this summer, trying out new things, and meeting new people.  I admire both of them for their courage.

My daughter played in her first softball league, and absolutely loved it.  I admired her for accepting her assignment to a team of complete strangers with a sense of excitement.  She made new friends and learned a lot about being part of a team.

My son played golf all summer with Flint Junior Golf, and improved every week.  Again, I admire him for joining the group, despite not knowing anyone there.  In the end, he missed making the playoff rounds by only two strokes, shooting his best round of the year in the final week.

We grew a garden together, and my children got a better sense of where our food comes from.  Many BLT sandwiches were enjoyed thanks to our tomato patch.  We often marveled at the giant zucchinis we found in the mornings that were only small ones the day before.  We laughed heartily when we discovered that our big dog Beans had an affection for raw green beans just picked from the vine, leaving my daughter to ask, "mom, if Beans eats beans, is it cannibalism?"

Fall raspberry season starts next week, and the thought of having to pick berries has my son moaning and groaning as if I were making him haul rocks.  My daughter, on the other hand, takes the opportunity for what it truly is, an opportunity to stand in a patch full of sweet, juicy berries, picking the wonderful fruit, and eating at least as many as she puts in the bucket!  Raspberry jam will be made and put away for consumption during the cold winter months.

As my kids return to school this fall, I hope they will tell their friends that they had a great summer.  A summer not filled with countless hours in front of the TV, WII and computer, but with small adventures in the outdoors, baking cookies, trips to the library, craft projects, watching movies at home, sleeping in, and staying up late.  Life can be simple if we make it a priority.  Our children are only children for a short time, and we owe it to them to teach them to appreciate the simple things in life.  My daughter will be one of the few kids in her class without a facebook account, and my son will not have a cell phone.  Neither of them feel deprived, and I again am in admiration of them for realizing that these things are not necessities, just merely distractions. 

As for me, I am looking forward to the fall, and the challenges that it will present. 

I hope that everyone had a summer as good or better than the one we in the Taylor house shared!

LT

Meatless day three, still going strong

The eggplant parmigiana was awesome.  Lots of leftovers for lunch over the next few days. 

Last night was a clean-out-the-refrigerator kind of night, and it was still rather hot at dinner time, so I made a very quick pasta dish consisting of a bunch of roasted veggies, eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, red pepper, some little balls of fresh mozzarella, and a generous helping of homemade pesto over spelt pasta.  For a completely improvised meal, it turned out great, and once again, it yielded leftovers for lunch!

The boys are playing golf tonight after Tim gets out of work, and won't be home until 8pm or so, so it'll probably be leftovers tonight!

Have a great weekend everyone!

LT

No meat for 7 days, day two and still going strong.....

Hi Everyone -

had a slight delay on starting our week long journey into meatless meals.  I was overtaken with some kind of stomach bug on Monday that put me on the couch with a fever of 101 degrees, so the hubby and kids were on their own for dinner, and I could only stomach a can of chicken noodle soup.  But I'm feeling much better now, so on with the journey.

The spinach and cheese burritos were good, but I made some modifications.  I used soy cheddar jack cheese because of my lactose intolerance, and I added some cooked portobello mushrooms to the spinach-cheese-cream cheese mixture because it just didn't seem substantial enough for me.  It was a very nice addition, and added some meaty texture to the burritos.  Everyone but my daughter liked them, but she is frequently picky.  I highly recommend topping them with your favorite salsa.

Now, for day two, we're having Eggplant Parmigiana.  Tonight is my hubby's golf night, and he doesn't like eggplant, so tonight seemed like the perfect night.  Here's the recipe I'm using, courtesy of Weight Watchers:

	1/3 cup(s) seasoned bread crumbs, Italian-style
	1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
	1 tsp Italian seasoning
	1/4 tsp garlic powder
	1 medium raw eggplant
	2 large egg white(s), lightly beaten
	1 1/2 cup(s) canned tomato sauce
	1/2 cup(s) part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9 X 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
  
• Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic powder in a medium-size bowl; set aside. Remove skin from eggplant and trim off ends; slice eggplant into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
  
• Dip eggplant first into egg whites and then into bread crumb mixture. Bake eggplant on a nonstick cookie sheet until lightly browned, about 20 to 25 minutes, flipping once.
  
• Place a layer of eggplant on bottom of prepared baking dish, then add 1/3 of tomato sauce and 1/3 of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with 2 more layers in same order. Bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling, about 10 minutes more. Slice into 4 pieces and serve. 

I'm doubling the recipe to ensure leftovers.  For all you weightwatchers out there, this recipe counts as 3 points.

Happy Eating!

LT

Seven days without meat, can we do it?

Okay, it should be obvious by now that I love food, and almost all kinds of food.  When I started to feel "not so great", I started taking a look at what I'm eating, and what I should be eating, which are not necessarily one in the same thing.  My naturopath doctor recommended the book Eat Right for Your Blood Type as a good resource.  The premise of this book is that, based on our blood type, we all have different nutritional requirements, and that following these requirements can lead to better health.  I got a copy of the book from our local library and started reading that same day.


I'm a type A blood type, and according to the book, I should be eating a more vegetarian diet, with little or no red meat or pork.  Chicken, turkey and fish are okay occasionally, but the main characters are cheese, eggs, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, and of course, lots of fruits and veggies.  Being that I already discovered that I'm somewhat lactose intolerant, I will stay away from milk, and focus only on yogurt and ricotta, feta, sheep's milk cheeses, and goat cheeses.


So, starting today, I'm putting the theories put forth in the book to the test.  For the next seven days, I will eat within the guidelines of the type A diet.  I'm hoping to lose some weight along the way too.  I'll try to post what's on the menu every day, and how the recipes tasted. Oh, and I didn't tell my family that we'll be eating vegetarian for the next week, so we'll see if anyone notices or complains! 

For today, here's what we'll be having:


Breakfast:
Fruit smoothie made with frozen blackberries, peaches, pineapple and strawberries, thinned out with some almond milk and with a little peanut butter added for protein


Lunch
Vegetarian chili that I made last night.  Loaded with beans, onions, tomatoes, corn, and this soy based crumbled meat substitute that tasted just like ground beef.


Dinner


Spinach and Cheese Burritos - From the Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers Cookbook

Ingredients:

For the burritos

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 bunch scallions, white and light-green parts, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 10 cups (about 10 ounces) loosely packed fresh baby spinach, stemmed
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Pinch nutmeg (optional)
• 3 cups (about 10 ounces) lightly packed Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese, grated
• 1/3 cup cream cheese
• 8 to 10 7- or 8-inch flour tortillas
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil

For the sauce

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil or olive oil
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• Salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 can (15 ounces) whole tomatoes, with juice
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick oil spray.
For the burritos: In a large skillet on medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the scallions, garlic and cook until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until the leaves are wilted. Stir in the coriander, nutmeg, if desired, grated cheese and cream cheese. Remove from the heat.

To keep the tortillas from cracking, place them on a baking sheet (overlapping is fine) and heat them in the oven for a minute or two.

Place 1/3 to 1/2 cup of filling on the lower half of a warm tortilla, fold the bottom up and the sides in to encase the filling, roll it up and place it seam-side down in the baking dish. When all the tortillas are ready, brush the tops with the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil, cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until hot, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the blender tomato hot sauce: In a heavy saucepan or skillet over high heat, heat the oil until it is almost smoking. Add the onion, bell pepper and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the bell pepper is blistered and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander and cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes, stirring to combine, and remove from the heat.

Transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Add the tomatoes and puree.
Return the sauce to the pan and add the cilantro, if desired, and salt to taste. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, partially covering the pan to avoid splatters.
Serve the burritos topped with the blender tomato hot sauce.




Happy Eating Everyone


LT