herman

once, i had a lavender cat who had thumbs named herman.
he was a scaredy-cat from a shelter and my other cat terrorized him. until he wouldn't come out from under the bed. i hope he found a good home. i took him back to the shelter when i was certain there was no hope.

i find the balance between remaining positive enough to be a constructive (ish) person and the draw of acknowledging reality as i see it (grim, dim, salabim) completely exhausting.

i don't like anything too positive - it feels like someone is spitting in my face by denying reality.

but sometimes i hear myself and think, oh JUST SHUT UP! everyone knows how shitty the world is and we're all just trying to GET OUT OF BED WITHOUT THROWING UP.

i already feel a little better. it's this pretending to be thankful and happy and brave and upbeat...it is fucking depleting. i am all of those things sometimes. but certainly not always.

so anyway, now i'm going to go make muffins. these muffins. don't those look yummy? my husband loves cheese. and spicy things. and it's his birthday picnic tomorrow. i'm also making a key lime cake. not pie, cake. i think it will be good.

everything is better with cake. i hope my husband likes it and has fun. our life is challenging these days and we don't get much down time. i'm hoping he sees how much i love him in this cake.

food = love. duh.

i'm really tired. i bet tomorrow i will see rainbows where i now see drizzle. because tomorrow is another day.

quinoa pancakes & a hangover, in my opinion

i was a party girl before i was a mom.

last night i ventured out to columbia university campus to congratulate a good friend of mine who just finished classes in her grad program for writing there. i hung out with a bunch of writers and poets and drank wine with her and her family. it was awesome.

but oops- i forgot to eat much yesterday and stayed out until 2:30am. i felt like i was 30 again. (see? some people would say 25 or even 20...not me. 30.) i even shared a cigarette with friends. it was like sex. it was incredible. and i do NOT miss smoking. blech.

i got to see my friend and her family and her writer friends and another friend who lives in south korea and i haven't seen in a few years. it was just a great night. a warm night in nyc full of energy and smart (young) people.

i feel like shheeeeeeeeeiiit today. my husband had to work so i took care of my son and if i may say so, i did a fantastic job given how crappy i feel.

part of the fantastic part was making quinoa pancakes. it seemed like a great idea. and they turned out well.

make some quinoa, and follow this recipe. couldn't be simpler. i used agave syrup instead of maple or sugar (lower on glycemic index), omitted the ground flax seed because i don't have any, and added one very ripe, mashed banana. they are so yummy my son gobbled them up as did i! i will make more and freeze them. no need to serve them with syrup, in my opinion.

i said, in my opinion.

Quinoa Pancakes

by Rachel Gurk on March 11, 2011 · 19 comments

I’m a big breakfast person. Well, I am now that I am a stay at home mom. I usually have two eggs, toast, fruit, juice and coffee. I’ll probably switch to egg whites (or at least 1 of each) when I’m done nursing and have to watch my calories more closely. Sometimes I’ll have oatmeal with ground flax, dried cranberries, fresh or frozen blueberries and toasted walnuts. So yummy. Lately I’ve been on an egg kick though. It is important for me to eat a big breakfast because sometimes I don’t get a chance to eat lunch until about 3pm. So when I came across this recipe, I tore it out because I knew it would be a good way to add protein to my breakfast. Also, it came with freezing instructions, helpful for hubby to grab as he is running out the door in the morning. My mom came to visit and made a version of these, and they were really good! I stuck a little closer to the recipe than she did. 

Quinoa Pancakes
adapted from Everyday Food magazine
1 cup cooked quinoa or brown rice (I used quinoa)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg white (I used the pourable variety of egg whites)
1/2 tsp course salt
1 Tbsp  unsalted butter, melted, plus more for skillet
1/4 cup low fat milk (I used skim)
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup (I think my mom used white sugar but I gotta say the maple syrup is really tasty in this recipe)
2 Tbsp ground flax seed (optional, this wasn’t in the original recipe–I added it)
1) In medium bowl, whisk together quinoa, flour, baking powder, and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg white, butter, milk, and syrup until smooth. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and whisk to combine.
2) Lightly coat a large nonstick skillet or griddle with butter and heat over medium-high (I did medium). Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls (I used a 1/4 cup measuring cup) into skillet. Cook until bubbles appear on top, 2 minutes. Flip cakes and cook until golden brown on underside, 2 minutes. Wipe skillet clean and repeat with more melted butter and remaining batter (I skipped the wiping and skipped adding more butter–I was using a nonstick skillet. I’m sure the butter would have made it taste better, but it wasn’t necessary with the type of pan I was using). Serve with maple syrup and fresh fruit or preserves if desired. Makes about 12. (I doubled the entire recipe because I wanted to freeze some).
Freezing directions: Freeze cakes between sheets of waxed paper in sip-top bags, up to 1 month. Reheat in toaster.

Verdict: These are really, really good. They are different from your typical pancake because there is a little bit of a crunch from the quinoa. The pure maple syrup gives the pancakes a really nice flavor. I wasn’t sure how reheating them in the toaster would go, I was thinking that maybe the microwave would be better. However, I heated three of these in my toaster oven this morning, and wow! It was like they were fresh off the skillet because they were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Delicious.
Husband’s take: He used the toaster oven for these and he really liked them. However, he just told me “I prefer IHOP with chocolate chips and strawberries and whipped cream.” That’s my healthy hubby! No really, he is a bit of a health nut. When he wants to be. Aren’t we all?
Changes I would make: Next time I make these I’m going to try them with whole wheat flour, or maybe half whole wheat and half all purpose.
Difficulty: Easy. Just make sure you remember to make the quinoa in advance.

3 things you can do to help your life and health

1. cook!

According to Michael Pollan, the author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food, the number one thing you can do to change the food system in the US and to help you and your family eat better is to cook! He has a new book out called, Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation.

Well, we already cook all the time. It's hard to keep getting inspired, but I think this is one of the best things the internet can be used for. I just made this dish with artichokes, peas, and orzo over the weekend and it was delicious. It was too time intensive for my current schedule with a baby, but the end result was delicious and it fed over 6 people for a picnic, along with a sundry of other items we had.

I also can't rave enough about this garlicky broccoli recipe from the Times as well. I make it at least once a week and because of it, my husband and I eat a lot more broccoli. It's super easy to make and is just incredibly yummy.

2. stop using plastic bottles for water!

they cost too much and are a huge detriment to the planet. buy a reusable bottle and fill it up at the tap. tap water also has fluoride in it which will help prevent cavities for you and your children- not true of filtered and bottled water! Eating Well magazine suggests this Takeya bottle is a good one. I also use Camelbak bottles which are light and easy to use and BPA free.

3. grow your own herbs and food.

we grow our own herbs and some food each year. depending on where you live (climate, i mean), you can grow a bunch of different stuff. you don't need a lot of room, but you do need sun. and water. we have a patio and this year i've already planted our herbs. we will scale back the food we grow because i have a young child and don't have much time to dedicate to watering, but i'm still looking forward to fresh herbs all summer long. plus, i will freeze them so we have fresh herbs until the following spring as well. this way you know there are no harmful chemicals on your food and once established, your garden will save you some money on expensive things like fresh herbs.

my favorite things to grow are low maintenance, high-yield like tomatoes, especially cherry tomatoes, herbs, hot peppers (thai), zucchini, lettuces. this year we are doing herbs and maybe one tomato plant and that's it. we also have a fig tree and two blueberry bushes that i hope will produce a lot of berries this year!

yay, spring!

Soup weather

With Fall comes a change in diet. I'm watching what I eat in an attempt to be more healthy for the 800th time. And that combined with dropping temps means soup.

Tonight, after a good day, I made split pea soup from Saved By Soup. It's super yummy and was so easy I can't believe it. Here's the recipe:

2 tsp canola or corn oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped finely
2 medium-sized carrots, cut in half lengthwise, and sliced 1/2" thick
1 rib celery, trimmed and finely chopped
2 cups split peas, rinsed and picked over
4 cups defatted chicken or vegetable broth, preferably homemade
2 cups cold water
salt, pepper
(i added some chopped organic ham)

heat the oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. add onions, carrots and celery, stirring, until vegetables begin to soften, about 2 to 3 mins. add the split peas, broth and water and bring to a boil. partially cover the saucepan, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until soup is thick, about 45 minutes. season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

sooooo easy and yum!

i'll try more from this cookbook and let you know how they are.

a smoother smoothie

i'm OBSESSED with the smoothies i've been making.

i've decided to start adding whey protein powder to them after hearing about it from friends and reading about it online to make a smoothie more of a meal. it really works. i'm able to go much longer after having a smoothie before eating again if i add the protein powder.

i bought blue bonnet's chocolate flavored whey protein and add 1 scoop of that per person. today i made one with lots of frozen cherries (a great combo with the chocolate), a Tbs of unsweetened cocoa per person, 1 banana, about 1/2 cup of frozen strawberries, some cold water and a few Tbs of flax seed (sometimes i add honey and cinnamon too but not today). DELICIOUS.

i have to stop myself from making them more than once/day. that's how good it is. but it's super chocolatey. i hear the vanilla flavor is good too. but seriously, this is good shit.

i'm already looking forward to one tomorrow. mmmm...chocolate whey powder.

recipes that make me drool. chili!

how good does this look?

it's chili season, after all.

Black Bean, Sweet Potato, and Quinoa Chili with Smoked Chipotle

Author: Monique

Recipe type: Dinner, Lunch, Healthy

Prep time:  10 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  40 mins

Serves: 4-6

A filling chili made with Black Beans, Sweet Potato, and Quinoa, topped with a cooling smoked chpotle yogurt.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, diced small
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon Smoked Chipotle Tabasco sauce
• salt, to taste
• 1 can (15.5 oz) low-sodium tomato sauce
• 2 cups cooked quinoa
• 2 can black beans (15.5 oz), drained
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable stock, plus more to thin if desired
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced into small cubes
• For Chipotle Creme:
• 1 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons Smoked Chipotle Tabasco sauce, plus more if desired
• ½ teaspoon honey
• ¼ teaspoon dijon mustard

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in  a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots and salt; saute for 5 minutes or until onions become translucent.
2. Add the entire can of tomato sauce to the pot. Next add the black beans, vegetarian broth, all spices, and quinoa. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat to medium, add diced sweet potatoes. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
3. Make the smoked chipotle yogurt combine tabasco sauce, honey, and dijon mustard in a medium bowl.
4. Spoon chili into bowls and add yogurt sauce on top. Enjoy!

616

Smoothie madness.

i've put off making smoothies for myself for years. i'm not sure why. do you ever have things you want to do but just never get around to doing? well, smoothies have been on that list for me.

i just made myself a berry, flax seed, greek yogurt, milk & choc chip smoothie for lunch and it was dee-lish-us. why have i waited so long have this healthy and satisfying food experience? i used frozen berries, a berry mix and whole, frozen strawberries. i quickly learned that for my cheap blender, that was too sticky so i added greek yogurt...still too sticky. so added about 1/2 cup of skim milk, that helped. chocolate chips (a trick i learned from my oldest brother...yum). and i had to add flax seed because uhhh...it's healthy.

bottom line is, the damn thing blended up with some coaxing from a spatula and it was soooo good.

next time i would like to use more frozen strawberries, fresh banana, more yogurt, milk, choc chips, flax seed and some chocolate protein powder.

love it!

God spoke and the light shone down...

"Let there be Kettle Salt & Pepper Potato Chips... BAKED!"

I had some last night and today... and I'm here to tell you, they are fucking delicious! Haha!

All the taste, less than half the fat - bring it, Kettle, bring it.

Homemade Caprese, makin me a-crazy.

Soooooooo good.