kelly lynn creations

deceptively delicious review: part I

I recently read through Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook and was intrigued by how she got her kids to eat vegetables. I flipped through the book with the kid and together we picked out four recipes to try. Here is my review two of the recipes.

recipe #1 Chocolate chip cookies (chickpeas)
As I was making the dough, I had some serious doubts. The recipe doesn't say to puree the chickpeas, but when they are in the batter along with the chocolate chips it looks very unappetizing. I ended up taking my immersion blender to the bowl to blend the chickpeas down. The recipe also called for no-trans-fat tub margarine and that gives it an odd texture as well. I tried one right out of the oven and then one that had cooled and they were both pretty good. My taste-testers gave the cookies two big thumbs up. We actually had to take a cookie away from the kid - we thought 3 cookies before bedtime might not be a good idea...

The Purees
For my main dishes I needed some cauliflower and butternut squash puree. This was the first time I had roasted a squash and it was super easy and I was surprised at how the outer shell just peeled right off. I steamed the cauliflower and then put them both in the food processor in separate batches. The cauliflower produced a lot of puree, which is good since most of the recipes call for it. Overall, it was a pretty easy process which I was able to do while doing other chores around the house.

recipe #2  Creamy Potato Soup (cauliflower and butternut squash puree)
This soup came together fairly easily, until I added the purees. I have a standard sized Cuisinart and there was no way everything would fit in. I ended up grabbing my immersion blender once again to save the day. Once I added the butternut squash puree, the soup looked like butternut squash soup. The kid took one look at it and was not interested. I was disappointed that it looked nothing like the recipe and it tasted like butternut squash soup, not potato soup. The soup was OK, but I wouldn't make it again.

I'm hoping the remaining two recipes go better then the soup...

 

 

 

what's for dinner?

This is something I want to streamline in 2010. Last year, I noticed that taking the time to write out a menu plan for the week was the best way to go. Unfortunately, I did not do this on a regular basis. Since I always cook with a recipe, it often feels daunting to figure out meals for the entire week based on specific recipes. I need a new system.

Driving home from the gym this morning, I realized that the chances of me having a dinner plan would be greatly increased if I stopped by the store and bought a main course to prepare at home. Whenever I leave this chore for after school, it is never pretty. Taking a 5 year old to the grocery store is painful. "I'm bored!" "Can I have some chips" etc...

So I stopped off and got a pork tenderloin as my main course, knowing that I had some basic ingredients at home for side dishes. After settling into my morning routine, I scanned a few recipes online and selected a marinade for the pork tenderloin. I spent less then 15 minutes putting the marinade together and now when I pick up the kid from school, I know exactly what we are having for dinner. Now I just need to figure out how to organize my successful recipes...

Edited: The pork was delicious!

one little word...2010

This is my third year of participating in the one word challenge. Over the past few days I have been throwing around different ideas for my word. I ended up making a list of over a dozen words and then hoped that something would speak to me. And then it ended up coming to me in an entirely different way. I saw a word in print that was the exact opposite of what I wanted to focus on and then it came to me.  I also really enjoyed Christine's post , and her worksheet for solidifying your word. 

My word for 2010 is COURAGE. I want to focus on the courage to try new things, expand my horizons, push myself to do things outside of my comfort zone. I fully expect 2010 to be a big year for me. 

Here's to my best year yet, how about you?

healthy eating

At our son's preschool auction last year, we purchased a tour at a local health food store with a Certified Health Counselor. It took us over a year to schedule our tour, but it was definitely worth the wait.

Andrea, of Soaring Eagle Wellness met us at New Seasons and proceeded to walk us through the entire store. It took over an hour and we learned a lot. Our main goal is to increase our intake of vegetables. Not just for our kid, but for ourselves. Things like kale and chard need to be part of our vocabulary. We are still working on that!

We have been able to incorporate Kefir as a staple in our house. It comes in a variety of flavors and is great for smoothies. We use it instead of yogurt, since it has a longer shelf live. Hubby even drinks it like a glass of milk, as long as I buy strawberry. In the New Year, I'm hoping to incorporate a lot more of the suggestions and recipes from Andrea.

Andrea also teaches Laughter Yoga which I'm planning on trying out in the new year. Come join me!