Beets, beets, and quinoa

As a mom/chef of a toddler, one has to have something up her sleeve at all times! My little munchkin has always been an adventurous eater, but I've noticed lately that her portions have shrunken, due to the toddler syndrome I am guessing. That coupled with the fact that she is pint sized (I mean she still has infant medicine when needed, and is in her baby bath.....). I want to make sure she is still getting all her nutrients and continuing her food education! However, exposure to so many types of flavors can take a chunk out of your wallet.

 SO I found these enormous golden beets for $2.69 a bunch at the grocery store and scooped them up without thinking what to use them for. That is very dangerous because it could potentially lead to wasted food, mind explosion of not knowing what to do with them or not having the accompanying ingredients when I do figure out what to do with them. Luckily, I had quinoa at home and I always have fresh herbs on hand. Really, one can't go wrong with throwing a bunch of stuff together in a bowl of quinoa, herbs, cheese and some roasted ANYTHING!

After the beets were roasted I got to thinking I could basically use beets, especially these golden beauties, in place of butternut squash in other recipes/concoctions.  These beets are a little lighter on your wallet than the squash, too. Plus, they get double points because you can use the green tops as you would any other greens like kale, spinach, chard or dandelion. Also, they are just so darn sweet. I did end up making beet green chips, similar to kale chips, because I am a chronic binge eater and I figure these are way better for you than regular chips! (They are almost gone :/)

I hope you get inspired to use beets in your recipes soon!!!

Golden Beet and Quinoa Pilaf

1 large bunch golden beets, scrubbed, and boiled till just tender (a fork should be able to just slide through and the skin can be rubbed off)
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar, or to taste
sprinkle of Himalayan salt
2 sprigs thyme and/or rosemary (pick something hardy)
1 garlic clove, minced
small handful fresh mint, chopped
4 oz soft goat cheese, cubed or crumbled
1 15 oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed
3 cups cooked qunioa, still warm

After the beets cool slightly, rub the skin off with a knife or back of a spoon. Do this while still pretty warm. Dice the beets into bite size pieces. Toss diced beets with oil, vinegar, salt, chopped herbs and garlic. Spread evenly on baking tray.
In a preheated 350 degree oven, roast beets about 15-20 minutes. Turn beets and roast another 15-20 minutes till golden brown.  Keep an eye on them so they don't burn.
Add goat cheese to warm quinoa. It will partly melt, partly cluster. Add fresh mint and beans. Fold in beets. Hide from everyone else unless you are in the mood to share.

Beet Green Chips

Tops of fresh beets, stems removed, rinsed and dried really well (I let mine sit out on a dish towel for an hour)
Olive oil
Himalayan salt
Black pepper, old bay, chili powder, or any other seasoning you like on chips

In a preheated 350 degree oven, spread beet leaves over two baking trays sprayed with cooking spray  or covered in parchment paper. I had so many greens I did mine in two batches. Drizzle olive oil, salt and any other seasoning over the leaves. I sprayed my leaves with cooking spray to make sure they were all the way coated. Alternatively, you could drizzle the oil over the leaves and toss them before spreading on trays. Bake 15-20 minutes on one side, turn and bake 10 minutes more till crisp. Keep an eye on them; they will appear to steam if not enough time has gone by and they will quickly crisp up when ready. Eat right away!!!

Easter Traditions (for this multi-faith/ethnic family)

Since becoming married and having a child, blending and balancing our religious faiths and traditions has been interesting. When it was just the two of us, taking turns for holidays was never too difficult because Jewish holidays don't often coincide with Catholic ones or at least Jewish celebrations often have multiple days. Having a baby didn't matter much either because she really didn't know what was going on that whole first year other than "It feels good to have my diaper clean," and, "That food is great!" That baby is now a full fledged tantrum throwing, emotional-hot-mess, no-no-no, "Delilah do!" human being who knows that this bunny strangers we meet in the grocery store talk about is REAL. So after a wonderful Passover Sedar at my parents house, we in fact had a visit from the Easter Bunny this morning. In more serious news, this Bunny left a basket with TWO chocolate eggs, one for each sweet year Delilah has blessed us. In addition, gardening tools, stickers, hair bows, bubbles and socks filled said basket. 

For the last seven years Bryan and I (and for some of that time, Delilah) visited his family and enjoyed a most scrumptious Easter Dinner. Every year we come to expect his mom's delicious artichokes that are humongous globes of awesomeness, her cheesy potatoes and traditional ham. Many of her recipes come from the women in her family no longer with us, and I love hearing about her memories of them. In fact, one of my favorite parts about holidays is hearing about our parents stories of those they love and miss. 

With such a short spring break this year, not to mention the semi-banshee, semi-angel toddler we are sporting now-a-days, we had our first Easter ever as couple at home. It was bittersweet: sweet that we didn't have to ride in the car for 7 hours each way with you-know-who; bitter that we haven't seen our family since New Year's and are missing this gathering. So I tried to incorporate many of the foods we have in NY for Easter on our menu today:

Breakfast played homage to the cheesy potatoes my Mother-in-Law bakes: I did hash-brown cups with baked eggs over asparagus spears. Bryan's mom always supplies us with eggs to decorate, which we eat Easter morning while we wait for the real meal. And it is Easter, so we had to have eggs! 

We enjoyed artichoke risotto and grilled lamb chops marinated in rosemary and garlic. I have to admit, even though the risotto was so good and "the best" Bryan's ever had, I did miss my MIL's steamed artichokes! On a side not, I tried this new organic wine from Frey Wine Vineyards out of California, as any good chef would before using it in their risotto, and it was delish!

For dessert I made a strawberry-rhubarb pie. Typically we have carrot cake in NY, but I made one with this recipe for our Passover Sedar, so this spring pie was shouting to be made! 

Now that dinner is over, and the sidewalk chalk has been broken out, Bryan and I need to think about how we will be blending our faith's in the years to come, especially as Delilah starts to expect things/questions things/be a teenager one day :(. We all know we will be starting with the food, so at least that part is going to be easy. Happy Holidays!

A Clean Eater

I jumped on the Clean Eating bandwagon last year and have loved the way it makes me feel energized, healthy and mindful of what I eat. I have been a little lackadaisical for the last month or so due to the holidays. So we hit it back into high gear starting with one of our favorite recipes in the Briest household: Pancakes!

Delilah eats hers on a daily basis for breakfast, usually alongside yogurt and fruit. Occasionally I treat her to mini chocolate chips. I got the recipe from a friend (see below) but created my own for my new favorite, Lemon Poppy seed Protein Pancakes. Both are a great way to get lots of protein and fiber in a grain-free way.

Lemon Poppy Seed Protein Pancakes
created by Lexy Briest

3 organic eggs
3 tbsps coconut flour
2 banana's, peeled
1 lemon, zested and juiced
pinch each of cinnamon and ground cardamon (can be omitted but recommend)
poppy seeds to taste
1/4 tsp pure vanilla

grass-fed butter, coconut oil or nonstick cooking spray for griddle

Combine all the ingredients up to the vanilla in a blender. Grease griddle or large frying pan. Pour batter in small (2-3") circles. The bigger they are the harder it is to flip because it is a moister pancake than wheat ones. Flip after the edges turn golden, 2-3 minutes. Fry other side 1-2 more minutes till cooked.






Coconut Protein Pancakes

3 organic eggs
2 tbsp's coconut flour
2 banana's, peeled
pinch of cinnamon

1/4 tsp vanilla
grass-fed butter, coconut oil or nonstick cooking spray for griddle
mini chocolate chips, or blueberries optional

Combine all ingredients up to the vanilla in a blender. Grease griddle or large frying pan. Pour batter in small (2-3") circles. The bigger they are the harder it is to flip because it is a moister pancake than wheat ones. Sprinkle chocolate chips or blueberries if using them.  Flip after the edges turn golden, 2-3 minutes. Fry other side 1-2 minutes till cooked.

The new, Glam, BRAT diet

As summer comes to an end and my little munchkin gets some sort of dreaded tummy bug, both her diaper and her belly need a little extra TLC. After many diapers of disaster in the last 48 hours, Delilah has been put on a probiotic a la doctor to restore health to her GI tract as well as a modified BRAT diet a la mama.

She got her beloved banana at breakfast, and would eat it at every meal if I let her. For her Rice course, the mama provided a decadent mushroom risotto. I absolutely love risottos because you can dress them up so many ways! I had some local eggplant just sitting, begging to be used, so I grilled them and stacked them between mounds of the warm risotto to satisfy the inner chef in me.

Don't fret, I served it with a side of Gianelli Turkey Sausage for our protein. And also because I can't spell apparently and thought chicken was one of the foods for the Brat diet (Delilah prefers Turkey as her poultry of choice, and now so do I!).  (I just checked and Wikipedia says BRATCH, the "CH" being for chicken, is a variation, so there!).

I took this opportunity to make a double batch to freeze for my stock of back-to-work grab and go. I froze both the risotto in single serve portions as well as a few portions of protein by mixing the sausage with some leftover organic kidney beans. I also set up a tray of toddler sized portions to serve Delilah. Double score!

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As for the "A", she had her probiotic hidden in some unsweetened organic applesauce (a real treat since she never gets purees anymore other than in her yogurt ). I have yet to give her toast- because I don't eat bread and that would mean going back out to the store. Maybe I should grab a loaf of organic bread and leave it in the freezer for future situations?

Make-Ahead Time Saver

It is getting to be that time of year where I have a giant mixed bag of emotions...school is starting! Being a teacher is unique because you never outgrow those feelings from when you were 5 years old and first started school. Excitement, nervousness, anger that summer is coming to an end.

One of the emotions I am battling with has to do with time. As a mother we are always worried about time. I know that when I get home from work I have exactly one hour to prepare and eat our dinner, play with my cuddle monkey, and if it is bath night then I only have 40 minutes for all of those things. It really is not a lot of time as my little mini-me is asleep in her crib by 6:30 every night (I know, it seems early but it is at her request!). Also, in the morning I will have zero play time as we have to get her up from her slumber at 7:30 to have her changed and dressed for daycare.

 Last school year I struggled with having her food ready to go to daycare let alone having mine made for the day and dinner on top of that. This year I have a plan! I will create make-ahead meals that can be left in the fridge for a week or in the freezer for longer. If I am going to actually make that work for at least a few weeks (let's face it, it can't really work for the long run as I am a foodie and can not deny my need for freshness), I need to start NOW. I have exactly 15 days, 4 hours and 19 minutes before I have to go back to work.

I bet many other moms could use some freezer make and take ideas, so here is the one I started with: it is a twist on a recipe found here: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cilantro-pear-turkey-sausage-50400000117233/. The changes I made were doubling the recipe, using organic ground pork, which has less fat then conventional ground pork (I got it on sale for less than $3 a lb!), and using a spray oil.  I served it with a fresh tomato-basil-cucumber salsa and baked organic sweet potato wedges. After dinner I split half the patties in half and stored each half with a whole patty in Ziplock baggies in the freezer. That way I can pull a perfect 3 oz portion out as needed.

   

Sharing is Caring

I feel so blessed that Delilah is an adventurous eater. I am very proud of the fact that she is very disciplined in her food education thus far. Lately she has been eyeing my plate in a different way, noticing how my food looks different than hers (i.e. it is not cut into tiny bite size pieces!). Though they are the same foods on each of our plates, now she wants her food to look like mine.

Tonight she decided to go for the 3-4 inch long string bean from my plate and found that it was in fact too difficult for her to chew herself. Again, I am so proud that this moment of frustration did not result in a tantrum.  Rather, she choose to explore her options, and after a few tries, settled on feeding the sting bean to me up until the last half-inch at which point I handed the rest back to her. That was an acceptable form of compromise according to Delilah, and me, too! Now what to do about a favorite summer time treat, crabs....... :)

First Kiss

Little girls think about their first kiss very early on. There are many kinds of first kisses.  Like the one at your 5th birthday party when your prince charming wakes you from your pretend slumber at your princess themed festivity (yes, I have cool parents!).  Or the one on the playground in elementary school. Then there is the one that you were dared to do in middle school. And of course the one from your first boyfriend in high school.  All those kisses only have one thing on the big smoocher I recently got tonight: they were sloppy and wet!

As we continue to experience many firsts with our darling 13 month old, I have never been caught as surprised as I was when Delilah planted one huge open mouthed kiss in my mouth/chin region at the end of our bedtime routine.  After a long week of trying to keep up with the tiny energizer bunny/food guzzler/ diaper hoarder/only-wants-to-go-outsider, this was the best first kiss I have ever had (sorry, Bryan).  It took all I had not to cry but to carry forth my loving mini-me to her crib where she ravenously scooped up her second and third paci, cuddled up to her lovey and sat up to graciously accept my nightly kiss on her precious little head.

Cuddle Love

There is nothing quite like the cuddles of your baby in your arms.  In the first months of her life, that is all we did outside of feedings, diaper changes and sleeping.  Those cuddle moments are precious, and everyone warns you how one day they won't want to cuddle. But before that future tragic strikes, I am relishing in having Delilah leave her toy to rush over into my arms, often on her own accord but occasionally when I ask, "Mama, Love?" with outreached arms.  

We have a nightly routine that has been the same since she was 3 months old: we get changed for the night, lotioned up and hair brushed while daddy prepares her room for slumber and selects three books. Then Delilah sits in Bryan's lap while I read. The past few weeks Delilah has taken to stacking the books in her lap and browsing through them on her own for a few minutes when I am done reading. Tonight was the first night that, when finished her book hoarding, she climbed out of Bryan's lap and laid down across me for a body hug. She looked up at me with her piercing blue eyes and snuggled me tighter. My heart just melted.  

A few months ago Bryan and I felt like we were drawing sticks for who was going to put her to bed because it was such a long affair of rocking and feeding. Now, we skip the rocking chair, carry her to her crib, singing one round of our nightly song (which we use to sing for 5-10 minutes!!) and lay her down on her back, placing her extra paci in one hand and her lovey in the other. She looks up and says something through her paci-plugged mouth in gibberish that I am pretty sure is "I love you, too" and we leave the room. It truly is magical! I have been looking forward to these sort of reciprocated and random cuddles as well as the easy bed time since my head came out of its hormone induced cloud at 2 weeks post-natal. 

And though I am happy she is tucked in her crib for the night, I still miss holding her cuteness and will stalk photos and videos of her on my phone for the rest of the night. 

Finding the Time

I often think about things I want to write, to remember, to be able to share with Delilah when she is older. Finding the time to do so is incredibly hard.  All moms know this. And I use to feel bad about not blogging. But now I feel zero guilt. I am a working mom. I am a wife. And I am creating memories by spending the time not blogging with my beautiful daughter.

Speaking of, Delilah has settled into the most amazing sleeping pattern. She sleeps 6-6:30pm-6:30-7am (except for this morning when she woke up at 7:45!). This has led to me being able to take the time to take care of me and also to be a wife to my husband. I have recently been eating a mostly clean diet with regular meal planning and going to the gym. I have attained my pre-pregnancy weight and with that gained my confidence back. I feel like myself both physically and emotionally. I feel more able to live in the moment when I am playing and holding my daughter because I know I have other things in order for later: I cook on certain nights after she goes to sleep for a few days at a time; I plan ahead when I will go to the gym so my husband will pick up Delilah from daycare; I split household chores with my husband which we do during her naps on the weekends and when she is a sleep in the evenings.

I am very lucky to have a husband who shares these tasks with me (he was taught well by his parents:) ). I am very lucky to have a wonderful woman that helps us raise our daughter while we are at work. And I am blessed with an extraordinary daughter to which I dedicate this blog to so that she may one day see what her life was like when she was so young.

A Case of Formula

When my daughter decided to wean around 4 1/2 months I had to jump into high gear way before I thought I would need to find out what formula would be a right fit for us. I already knew that she would be getting something organic. I have read too much about GMO's, reproductive/hormone disruptive ingredients found in generic, non-organic foods and their effects on behavior.

However, I am also aware that not all organic labels are equal. For example, arsenic is a common chemical found in the natural world, including our food,  but that doesn't mean you want to feed it to anyone! A lot of organic foods have rice or apple in it, two foods which often contain higher levels of arsenic. There are other naturally occurring harmful chemicals in other foods as well, organic or not.

With this knowledge I went forth to conquer the realm of formula and came across this lovely article which helped me make my decision: http://foodbabe.com/2013/05/28/how-to-find-the-safest-organic-infant-formula/. One other deciding factor: a miss Delilah Poppy's taste approval. It took her a month to fully wean so we tried a few different kinds in those early weeks. I finally settled on Baby's Only Organic Dairy Formula by Nature's Way. Based on what I read about how they choose their ingredients, and that fact that their DHA Formula comes from eggs, not Fish Oil (which contains mercury), I feel comfortable giving Delilah this necessary item.

We get it ordered by the case from VitaCost but I have also bought it singly at Wegman's, My Organic Market, and Common Market. I have yet to see it available in the other superstores and grocery stores in my area.

As I said earlier, I did not plan on having formula in our house for a very long time, if ever: I thought  wanted hoped she would breastfeed till I had to wean her. That said, we are very happy with this formula.

Relaxation through Risotto

 There is something so relaxing about making risotto. Risotto has a meditative quality to it. There is structure involved in preparing and cutting your accompanying ingredients. In stirring and ladling the stock, watching it be absorbed and repeating the process. It is a quiet process, with a saucepan of simmering stock on a back burner, the slow hiss of vegetables being sauteed in luxurious olive oil and a pad of organic butter.

The key to good great risotto is exceptional ingredients. There aren't that many so it is worth it to be choosy. After that, you can combine it with anything on hand. I had a few select ingredients tucked away in the freezer from a recent Trader Joe's adventure calling my name.

I recommend making a risotto earlier in the day- a weekend for most of us. It does take about 30 minutes if you are a speedster and can be done after work. But if you want to reveal in its glory and enjoy the process give yourself 45 minutes of stress free "me time." The payoff is this lusciously rich yet light dish that tickles your taste-buds and soothes your mind, body and soul. I'm on cloud 9 just thinking about having it over 19 hours ago. The most difficult part is not eating it all. I can't wait to puree it for Delilah and watch her eyes roll back in her head at the flavor profiles. Enjoy!

Late Autumn Risotto                                        

Basic Risotto:
10 sage leaves, stems discarded
1 sprig rosemary
1 qt good quality low sodium vegetable stock
Olive oil
3 tbsp organic unsalted butter
1/2 a onion, chopped
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup semi-dry or dry white wine (that you would enjoy drinking)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Autumn Topping:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 a onion, chopped
1 lb sliced mushrooms (cremini and shitakie)
1/2 cup sliced leek, white and light green only                          
10-12 frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
roasted brussel sprouts, optional                                            

salt and pepper


Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tbsp butter in a large, heavy skillet on medium-high. Fry the sage leaves and rosemary sprig, 2-3 minutes per side, then remove and drain on paper towel. Add 1/4 of the onion to the pan till fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms to sautee till tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. If needed, add more oil or butter before sauteing leeks and artichokes till lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper then remove from the pan and set aside.

Meanwhile, simmer the stock in a saucepan on medium-low. If needed, pour a glug of the wine to deglaze the pan and remove burnt bits. Heat 1 tbsp each of olive oil and butter. Saute the remaining onion 2-3 minutes before adding the garlic, 1-2 minutes more. Add the rice to the pan to toast the grains till fragrant, 1 minute. Add the wine, stirring as the rice absorbs the liquid. Once the wine has been absorbed, add one ladle  of stock, stirring until it has been absorbed, about 2 minutes. Then repeat, adding stock one ladle at a time, stirring until the rice has absorbed it, about 2 minutes each time before repeating. Make sure to stay nearby to stir almost constantly.  This process takes about 20 minutes for the rice to become tender and release its starches. You may have a ladle of stock leftover or you may need to add water at the end if you run out of the stock- it depends on the rice. Once the rice has absorbed as much liquid as it will, turn the heat off and add 1 tbsp more of butter and the Parmesan cheese.  Spoon the risotto into your bowl. Top with sauteed vegetables. Lay a sage leaf or two on top and break up with fork when ready to eat. And then savor it! For some extra protein you can add sauteed cannellini beans or crisp pancetta.

Ammunition

 

I started out making baby food combinations based on recipes I found from favorite chefs, blogs and websites. Some of my favorites are Tyler Florence, French Foodie Baby, WholesomeBaby and Weelicious. Now that I have been at it for a few months I have started developing my own recipes. 

It appeared that I was running low on my freezer supply so I gathered leftover ingredients from the past two weeks of holiday recipes to create a flavorful, fresh and seasonal Delilah approved puree. This recipe would be a delicious accompaniment to a poultry dish, as well!

Carrot-Cranberry Apricot Puree with Citrus

3 medium Organic Carrots, chopped into 1" pieces

 (I used a combination of Red and Yellow locally grown beauties)

1/2 cup cranberries

5 dried apricots

1/2 water

zest of one clementine (or 1/2 of an orange. Grapefruit zest would be great, too!)

In a medium saucepan combine all the ingredients except the zest. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover until carrots are tender, apricots have plumped up and cranberries have burst, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and puree using an immersion blender or transfer to a blender. Once pureed fold in zest. Divide portions. Enjoy!

She didn't give me a chance to snap a photo while she was eating, she scarfed this down so fast! She had a sweet potato-coconut milk with cinnamon puree by Weelicious along side this burgundy delicacy as well as goat cheese. I will definitely be using these photos and this blog as ammo for when she is older and claims she doesn't like such and such foods!

 

Timing

My daughter has never rolled over in her sleep, preferring to sleep on her back, even while she was crying or having a fit in her crib. She didn't move. "Sweet," I naively thought. Earlier this week she started pivoting in her sleep from the traditional vertical position to a horizontal, head and feet against the bars position. After a few nights of her horizontal pivot shift, and too many wakings to check the monitor that no limbs were stuck,  we decided it was time to lower Delilah's crib.

The same night that her crib was lowered she sat straight up in the middle of the night crying because she didn't know how to get back down. Really funny, the first time. Since then, she has started sleeping on her stomach half way through the night, pushing up on her arms in a cobra pose. I spent the first part of this week anally checking the monitor to make sure she was breathing, as this was the first time she slept on her stomach. I've gotten really good at analyzing the night vision on my video monitor. You'd think she could get herself rolled over like she does during the day, but I think that a different part of the brain is active at night and she hasn't figured that part out yet. So I am waking up throughout the night when she fusses to check the monitor and going in at least once to set her back on her back for sleep. I am looking forward to the night she figures it out and I get better sleep again. I am also aware that next she will learn how to pull herself up on the bars of the crib but not know how to get back down and this process will repeat itself. The beauty of parenthood.

Being Thankful

Today I am thankful for a wonderful husband whom I married three years ago today. We have a gorgeous daughter and beautiful home. We have happiness (most the time!) and generally great health. We are surrounded by amazing family and friends near and far. We are so grateful for all those relationships, some very old and some rather new.

I am also thankful for the delicious food that grows on our earth and roams on its bounty.  It can be rather depressing to think about how all our natural resources are swiftly declining, which includes all the yummy things I love to eat. This time of year is a good time to be mindful about what we eat. Make sure you enjoy it, that you aren't wasteful. I like to educated myself about where my food comes from and if it processed, how so. I want to be able to inform Delilah with this information so she can learn to make her own decisions about what she eats.

I took her to the grocery store last week and she went gaga over the beautiful colors and shapes (we spent a long time in the produce aisle). One fellow customer even asked what she was smiling about  (well she is almost always smiling)! It makes me proud that I have a happy, healthy baby girl who is excited about life and especially food. She had me worried Monday and Tuesday when she wasn't eating that much food, but if you had boogies clogging your nose, I guess you wouldn't want to eat much either. Luckily she is feeling better (mostly just crusties for those wanting to know) and is eating almost like her old self.

In honor of getting over colds, I took the bag of organic pink lady apples we got together from our grocery excursion and a few leftover red delicious and turned them into an apple pie and an apple galette. I just used the leftover dough and saved some apple filling to make the galette so that Bryan and I could taste it today and save the pie for Thanksgiving dessert tomorrow!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Apple-Rosemary Pie

Crust:
2 cups flour (I used Gluten Free)
a dash of salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cubed
8 oz cream cheese (I used greek yogurt style cream cheese for more protein and less fat!)

In a food processor combine dry ingredients. Add the butter and cream cheese. Pulse till a crumbly dough forms. Turn dough out onto a dusted surface. Divide into two. Flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic if not using right away and put in fridge. (With a baby, sometimes you have to take breaks.)

Filling:
4 lbs or so of organic apples (more is better for tastings...), peeled and sliced (I used pink lady and red delicious)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
dash of salt
a few swipes of a fresh nutmeg grated or 1/4 tsp of ground nutmeg spice
4 tbsp cornstarch (more if you are using more apples)
squeeze of fresh lemon juice (about half a juicy lemon)
1 spring rosemary, leaves removed and chopped, stem discarded

1 tbsp cold butter, cubed
1 egg white beaten with 1 tsp water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine apples, sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cornstarch in a large pot set on medium-high. Cover and cook 15-20 minutes, stirring once or twice to prevent burning. Uncover and simmer on low 5 minutes till liquid thickens. Take off heat, add lemon juice and rosemary. Let sit till cool, 20-30 minutes.  Roll out one disk of dough and place in pie pan, letting ends hang. Fill with most apple filling if also making galette or you just want some yummy apples to nosh on while you wait for the pie to bake. Cut the remaining disk of dough in half. Roll out one of the halves and cut strips to make the lattice on top of the pie. Fold hanging edges of crust over the top to form a strong edge. Brush the top of the pie with the egg white mixture for a glossy sheen. Dot top of pie with butter. Bake 1 hour. After half hour, I covered edges of pie with foil so they wouldn't burn. Let cool another hour. Wrap up and hide from view to avoid not having a dessert to bring to your Thanksgiving dinner.


For the Galette:

Roll out the remaining dough and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place the remaining apples in the middle of the dough leaving a 2 inch border. Fold the edges over themselves to form a "crust." Dot with a few cubes of butter. Bake 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Let cool 20 minutes before devouring.

Jewish Penicillin for the sick baby.......and mom

As many parents know, when your child is sick you will try anything to make them feel better. It is helpful to realize that their sickness will have to run its course and encouraging to think that their sicknesses now will help them fight future infections later by strengthening their immune system (thanks Aunt Rachie for your medical insight!). Let 's be honest: no one thinks these things during those stressful crying and fussing sessions that seem to never end.

Even after I have put Delilah to bed I find myself worrying about her breathing and is she okay? It is just as stressful as when she was awake, and there is no more wine in this house! Or cookies. Or Once Upon A Time to watch.  So instead let me reminisce about my day of cooking.

I set out at 7:50 am to pick up supplies to make Jewish Penicillin aka Chicken Soup. The kind with the bones and skin. The real stuff. There is something about the fat from the chicken and probably the marrow in the bones that makes you feel better. Not to mention all the health benefits from the vitamins and minerals released by the fresh vegetables and herbs that make the broth taste so good. I finish mine off with a squeeze of fresh lemon and chopped dill. The lemon and herbs are a go-to homeopathic ingredient, having many health benefits. Again, it also just taste darn good.

Chicken Soup with Lemon
(all ingredients are organic as this was for my infant daughter. If that is unattainable splurge on the chicken as it is the main component)
1 whole free range chicken or chicken parts that include the bone and skin
2 stalks celery
2-3 carrots (I used red and yellow locally grown)
1 medium turnip
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
a few springs dill and/or parsley, plus more for garnish
5-6 whole peppercorns
salt to taste
1 lemon

Combine all ingredients except the lemon in a large stock pot. Cover with water till it is 1 inch above the chicken. Bring to a boil. Let simmer for at least 2 hours, more if possible, skimming the surface for impurities. Resist skimming the fat. There shouldn't be that much as there is no added oils and a free range, organic chicken has better quality fat. Take the chicken out on a cutting board and take off the meat. Scoop vegetables out and decide what to keep. Chop the larger pieces into bite size chunks. Strain the stock. Add the lemon juice.

For baby, I kept some of the broth separate. I also pureed a small amount of the chicken and vegetables with some broth.

I think the best part of making this soup is the whole family benefits from the immune boost. As I finish writing this I recall how my own throat has been hurting for the past hour and how I will most likely experience cold symptoms when I wake up. Then Bryan will get them. Hopefully ingesting this soup will make the cold less intense and take less time to get over. Time to get a bowl..........and I only checked the monitor twice!

Hello

It's been how long?! I often think about what I want to write on this blog, usually on my drive to work (when my brain is functioning the best). Then it mysteriously gets forgotten by the time the traffic lights become part of my drive and the teacher in me takes over.

Rather than try and make up posts about things I wanted to say weeks ago I am just going to start from this point on and accept the fact that as a mom my time management is not always rainbows and butterflies.

You know who is sunshine and daffodils?  Delilah! She is so amazing and full of life. And thankfully sleeping through the night 12 hours on average. It has been a tough journey, especially today when her first big cold and possible first tooth cutting collided in a cacophony of cries, snot bubbles and drool. However, when it was time to eat, she was a champ!

She dined on baby spinach and roasted pear puree with Parmesan, apple-cranberry sauce and some chevre cheese for lunch. For dinner she had sweet potato chunks, broccoli mash with lemon and a yam-coconut milk puree with a dash of cinnamon. I am so proud of my adventurous eater!

In other worthy Delilah news, she has added the word "Hello" to her growing vocabulary which currently includes "Mama," "Dada," "Baba " (for bottle), and a breathy sounding "Delilah" (hey, that's a lot of syllables!)

Purees aren't just for Babies

Now that I have the hang of using our Beaba BabyCook to make Delilah's baby food, I am finding more ways to use it for the whole family. I have this fanciful notion that one day, when Delilah eats regular foods, we will all eat the same things. I don't want to be a family where the kids eat "kid meals" and adults eat the adult meal. So now I am thinking up ways to use the same ingredients for both her food and ours until the time comes when she will eat the same textures as we do.

Last week I decided to make a batch of sweet potato pancakes with the remaining sweet potatoes from Delilah's first adventure with solids. I was craving something sweet but harvest-y and wanted an easy breakfast ready to go for the week. I used the same recipe below this week using pureed pumpkin instead of sweet potato with the leftover pumpkin puree I made.

I adapted a recipe from Tyler Florence for Sweet Potato Pancakes. I honestly make mine all different sizes so there is no precise number of pancakes, but it makes a lot. I added chocolate chips to the second half of the batch. Blueberries would be great too!

2 cup flour (I used gluten free all purpose but am considering creating my own out of a few different flours)
1/4 cup sugar ( I used less because my flour mix has sugar in it)
2 tsps Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
Pinch of salt
3 eggs
2 cups Almond Milk
2 Tbsp organic unsalted butter, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups organic sweet potato pureeor pumpkin puree (Steam a peeled and diced sweet potato, puree with some of the steaming liquid, as needed.  For pumpkin, cut a well washed pie pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and stringy mush, and place cut side down in a baking dish filled with an inch or two of water. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 40-50 minutes till the flesh is tender and the skin is soft when pushed. Scoop out the flesh and puree with some of the steaming liquid, as needed).
Coconut oil, Grapeseed Oil or Vegetable Oil
Chocolate chips or blueberries (optional)
Maple Syrup and Fresh Ricotta (optional)

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat the eggs with the almond milk. Combine the milk mixture with the butter and vanilla. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the wet, mixing until just combined. Fold in the Puree. Heat on High a Large skillet or griddle. Grease with oil. Pour ladle fulls of the batter- add chocolate chips or blueberries to each one if using. After 2-3 minutes, when the bubbles stop forming, flip the pancake and cook 1-2 more minutes. Repeat in batches, greasing as necessary.

I enjoyed mine all week with a dollop of ricotta cheese and drizzle of maple syrup. You can cool the pancakes and freeze, reheating as you need them.

Adventures in Solids

Delilah has been staring me down as I eat or drink for at least a month. It is safe to say she is more than just curious but rather interested in the concept of putting things in your mouth then having them disappear to some magical place called the tummy. I originally thought we would start her on solids when she turned six months. She is 5 1/2, so it isn't that far from what I expected. As she has completely stopped breastfeeding as of September 1st, it seemed like a good idea to introduce solid food.


Our wonderful neighbors gave us their Beaba BabyCook and I whipped up some sweet potatoes a la puree for the little piggy. It is super easy to use and as we are only introducing as many types of vegetables as we can, it is a little boring (literally water and the cut vegetable steamed). Once Delilah has had each veggie for 4 days each, I will start to introduce flavors with the vegetables in the form of herbs and spices. I want her to try everything in its most natural form first.


Here are some shots from our first time eating solids- she really enjoyed it!! She ate all of her serving the second time!

Start with Scrubbed Organic Yams

Chopped Sweet Potatoes 

I think it would be wonderful to fry these sweet potato skins with some sage leaves or rosemary stalks and use as a garnish

Baby Approved!

Though not necessarily in order, depends on the grocery store selection, this is what I plan on serving before bringing in the fruits and proteins:

Avocado (mashed)
Leeks (steamed with potato)
zucchini (steamed with potato)
winter squashes (steamed with potato if needed)
chard (steamed with potato)
green beans (steamed with potato)
broccoli (steamed with potato)
Brussel sprouts (boiled)
cauliflower (steamed with potato)
endive (steamed with potato and pureed with clean water, not the steaming liquid which will be bitter)
celery root (steamed with potato)
peas (steamed with potato)
carrots (steamed with potato and pureed with clean water because of nitrates)
asparagus tips (steamed with potato and pureed with clean water, not steaming liquid which will be bitter)
eggplant (steamed with potato)
turnips (steamed with potato if needed)
baby bok choy (steamed with potato)
pea shoots and microgreens, sorrel all steamed with potato

Mommy Juice

Before becoming a mommy I had this amazing idea that I would be able to breastfeed my daughter till she no longer needed my mommy juice. I told people that I would breastfeed if I could and if not, no worries. But I secretly thought I would only breastfeed because it's not that hard, right? Wrong. It was super hard, especially with a 5 week preemie, a disabled husband (he is better now) and a daughter who nursed every 2 hours till she turned 4 months old!  After Delilah turned 4 months she nursed every 2 1/2-3 hours depending on what time of day it was. Then at 4 1/2 months she squirmed away during a mid day nursing session. She continued to do so after 5 minutes on each side for the next few days. At that point I caved and handed her to my husband to feed her formula after she had about 10 minutes of breastmilk - this is the same child that would nurse 50 minutes or more only a week before.

Within a week my baby dropped nursing during the day and only nursed when she woke up, went to bed and in the middle of the night. It just so happened that I went back to work that week.. This past week she dropped her bedtime and morning nursing. She is still nursing in the middle of the night for about 20 minutes before getting a bottle. She has been waking later and later to eat, this morning at 4:45. Soon she will drop that middle of the night feed and I won't have any nursing time with her.

It is bittersweet because I won't have that special time together that only she and I can have while breastfeeding, but now she will have more time eating with other people which is good for her food education. It is bittersweet because I can't say I exclusively breastfeed her, but now I have a little more freedom to go out for longer periods of time without feeling like I am going to burst out of my shirt and I am not a slave to the pump. I don't feel as guilty when I am not the one feeding her.

The best part is that I get my own "mommy juice." I had a nice hot cup of caffeinated heaven this morning and a delicious, long awaited glass(es) of vino this weekend :) And I have more time to cook. Not that much time, as I am still a mommy and working full time. So this weekend I made the best Sloppy Joe out of leftovers from the fridge and pantry. It was so good, I am getting hungry right now!

Mama Lexy's Sloppy Josephine

1 lb any ground meat or meat substitute
1/2 jar leftover pasta sauce (I had leftover dandelion tomato sauce)
a few tablespoons of chili sauce, to taste ( I make my own/ it was leftover from my BBQ rib marinade)
1/2 a red onion, chopped small
1/4 cup brown sugar

burger buns
provolone cheese

After browning the meat in a pan (use oil or spray), add all the ingredients till combined and heated through.
Put a slice of provolone on each side of the bun. Top one side with the meat mixture and cover with the other bun half. The cheese will melt from the meats heat.

This is the first time I made sloppy joe's;  I don't know why it took so long.  It was actually not thought out, hence the leftovers. I originally planned for hamburgers on the grill when I made my weekly menu, but we are out of gas. Not a lot of ingredients and so tasty!

The art of quick cooking

     Having a baby who is reaching new milestones each day and working full-time leaves very little time for anything else- especially one of my favorite pastimes- food! I have had to menu plan so that I can get some cooking done on the weekends and figure out how to cook healthful, flavorful meals in a jiffy during the workweek.
One of my new specialties is my Coconut Chicken. You can substitute many of these ingredients for whatever you have on hand, but here is what I use:

     This is a one pot dish so I use a heavy frying pan with 2" or higher sides that can also go in the oven.  A small dutch oven would work if you don't have that kind of a pan. I pan fry a bunch of organic boneless skinless chicken thighs in coconut oil till they are browned on both sides. Remove the thighs and set aside. Next, saute a small chopped onion with a good chunk of minced ginger for about 4 minutes, till translucent and fragrant (I break off a 2-3" piece at the grocery store and use the back of a spoon to rub the skin off before mincing). Add a can of light coconut milk and fill that can with low sodium organic chicken broth (you are looking for 3 cups of total liquid). When that comes to a boil, add 1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice. After the liquid is reduced by about half (no more than 5 minutes), put the chicken thighs on top of the rice, sprinkle the whole dish with reduced fat, unsweetened shredded coconut and pop in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes. When it comes out of the oven I squeeze a lime over it and sprinkle chopped cilantro.

     I keep forgetting, but I have been meaning to add peas to the dish before it goes in the oven. You could switch out vegetable broth for the chicken broth, chicken breasts or tenders for the thighs (but the thighs withstand the long cooking duration on the stove and in the oven best), sweetened shredded coconut (might taste too dessert-like) and any herb for the cilantro. I also started out using Extra Virgin Olive Oil and then grapeseed oil. Both are great, but I bought coconut oil so now that's  what I use. It's super easy and I am going to turn the leftovers into fried rice tomorrow with the leftover BBQ pork ribs and corn on the cob I made tonight!

Happy Eating!!