Marie is 6 months! What a big girl I have!
We've been spending weekends at the Smiths. So fun. Marie loves it, it keeps her from looking like this all weekend.
The new way to feed Marie is great. I call it "horsey trough" (piggy trough is just too traumatizing for girls). The food goes on the lip of the tupperwear and she chows down. She loves it.
Speaking of food, I've added a new gaget on this site. Its to list my new yummy findings while trying to be healthier. This week it's a Fiber One chocolate bar. Much tastier than a plain granola bar, healthier too. Brett wanted to add his treat of the week, a Milky Way. I think everyone has heard of Milky Ways before, so he will just have to assume that.
Also I am looking for good lentil recipes if you have them. Another resolution I forgot was to stick to our budget, and lentils are a good way to prepare to use food storage. Which with the recent peanut scare, has got me on my toes again- just think how easy it would be for all the food we eat to become tainted- it's just too easy!! So we are going to start eating foods that we will have to eat when the apcalypse comes!
So far all we have is Ange's Black Bean Dip. We eat it every week. So good. What was that? You want the recipe? Well I should ask Ange before I post it... but that would take a an email... oh fine! I'll just post it! Because you got that nice look to ya. Hope you don't mind Ange! You're the best healthy cook ever!
1 can black beans (though we have been buying dried and reconstituting them- you get 4x more for the same price!)
1/2 diced red onion
1 can raspberry salsa (we use Newman's Mango because it's all we can find- but still so good)
Reduced fat cream cheese (use less, or none at all if you choose)
Pepper Jack Cheese
Spread cream cheese into a baking pan, layer black beans, onion, salsa, and shredded cheese. Cook in oven until it is heated evenly. Or just dump it all in a bowl and microwave it like Brett and me :) .
Also I am inventing some kidney bean soups. Kidney beans are so nasty. But they sure are good for you.
So try a Rachel Kidney Bean Soup Version #1
Kidney Beans
diced celery & carrot
diced tomatoes, drained
1 tb+ of reduced fat cream cheese (this is what makes it edible)
salt and pepper
chicken broth (which is a recipe in itself- just saute a little chicken skin and add water to it, then take out the skin. However if you are not up for the cullinary challenge juse use canned broth).
I don't measure stuff, so just put in whatever looks good.
So thats it! Let me know if you have any good bean recipes or healthy fun foods I can try. I've only lost 4 pounds and I have like 7 million to go, so I need all the tips I can get.
Until then, I leave you with this:
Speaking of food, I've added a new gaget on this site. Its to list my new yummy findings while trying to be healthier. This week it's a Fiber One chocolate bar. Much tastier than a plain granola bar, healthier too. Brett wanted to add his treat of the week, a Milky Way. I think everyone has heard of Milky Ways before, so he will just have to assume that.
Also I am looking for good lentil recipes if you have them. Another resolution I forgot was to stick to our budget, and lentils are a good way to prepare to use food storage. Which with the recent peanut scare, has got me on my toes again- just think how easy it would be for all the food we eat to become tainted- it's just too easy!! So we are going to start eating foods that we will have to eat when the apcalypse comes!
So far all we have is Ange's Black Bean Dip. We eat it every week. So good. What was that? You want the recipe? Well I should ask Ange before I post it... but that would take a an email... oh fine! I'll just post it! Because you got that nice look to ya. Hope you don't mind Ange! You're the best healthy cook ever!
1 can black beans (though we have been buying dried and reconstituting them- you get 4x more for the same price!)
1/2 diced red onion
1 can raspberry salsa (we use Newman's Mango because it's all we can find- but still so good)
Reduced fat cream cheese (use less, or none at all if you choose)
Pepper Jack Cheese
Spread cream cheese into a baking pan, layer black beans, onion, salsa, and shredded cheese. Cook in oven until it is heated evenly. Or just dump it all in a bowl and microwave it like Brett and me :) .
Also I am inventing some kidney bean soups. Kidney beans are so nasty. But they sure are good for you.
So try a Rachel Kidney Bean Soup Version #1
Kidney Beans
diced celery & carrot
diced tomatoes, drained
1 tb+ of reduced fat cream cheese (this is what makes it edible)
salt and pepper
chicken broth (which is a recipe in itself- just saute a little chicken skin and add water to it, then take out the skin. However if you are not up for the cullinary challenge juse use canned broth).
I don't measure stuff, so just put in whatever looks good.
So thats it! Let me know if you have any good bean recipes or healthy fun foods I can try. I've only lost 4 pounds and I have like 7 million to go, so I need all the tips I can get.
Until then, I leave you with this:
Best show ever. I can't believe it didn't get nominated for every award in the world. However, i don't recommend it to anyone older than 14 or younger than 16.
19 comments:
I love Marie's blanket in the first picture -- I would be willing to bet a LOT of money that it is from Grandma Parry :) Those blankets are the best . . . I still have 2 that I cuddle up in when I am having a bad day!
I want to squeeze that face!
I have a good hamburger lentil soup. Although hamburger might be hard to come by after the apocalypse comes :/ It is actually quite easy to make and very tasty. Elizabeth gives it two thumbs up so I think Marie will enjoy it as well.
1 lb. lean hamburger (I recommend free range-without all the antibiotics and hormones)
46 oz. can of V8 juice (or tomato- but I prefer V8)
2 C. hot water
1 C. lentils
1 C. diced carrots
1 C. chopped celery
1 C. onion
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
brown and drain hamburger. Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for two hours, adding more time, seasoning, and water if needed.
I have a really good lentil soup that doesn't have any meat in it. Plus, it makes a TON, like, I think it serves 12 or 14...something like that, so you can freeze half of it for later.
1 pound lentils
4 cups chopped yellow onions
4 cups chopped leeks, white parts
only
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
3 cups diced celery
3 cups diced carrots
3 quarts chicken stock
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.
In a large stockpot on medium heat, saute the onions, leeks, and garlic with the olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 2o minutes, until the veggies are translucent and very tender. Add the celery and carrots and saute for 10 more minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and lentils. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for one hour, until the lentils are cooked through. Check the seasonings. Add the vinegar and serve hot with more drizzled olive oil, and grated parmesan if you want.
Jeff and I also like to make a staple from his mission about once a week or so. Beans and rice. We soak 2 cups of pinto beans over night. Then, the next day, we saute 1/2 pound of chopped bacon, (freeze the other half for next time, one diced onion, and as much garlic as you like, (we use a whole bulb because we LOVE it). In the meantime, boil your beans til they are soft, but not too soft or they will become mush when you add everything together. When you beans are soft enough add them to the bacon, onions and garlic. Add as a bunch of the boiling water from your beans as well because it will continue to get soaked up by the beans. To all of this now add 1tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cumin, and chili powder. We also add some cayenne pepper because we like it spicy. Then, 1 bay leaf and 2 tablespoons tomato paste. Let it all cook covered for another 15 or 20 minutes. Put that over some rice and you have dinner.
I got that recipe from a Brazilian food blog.
Oh yum! I'm so excited to get back home and try all these fun foods.
V8 in soup? Red wine vinegar? Thats genius! And it can have non-food storage items in it. In fact that is what helps me introduce them to brett, if they seem semi-normal.
So excited for these recipes! Yum keep them coming! I will totally make them all.
Here's another recipe for your collection: http://recipes.parry.org/recipe/search?search_query=lentils&commit=Search
Great pictures, I love that you are experimenting with beans. I think I'm going to try some of these recipes as well.
Aaron is National Guard, not active military, so we don't have to move anywhere and he can still keep being a wonderful band teacher.
Something I have been trying for lunch (especially because I am by my self for lunch on most days) is a black bean, brown rice, cheese burrito. Soak your beans with garlic so they absorb the taste, mash and 're-fry' in olive oil to get something similar to refried beans, only using black beans. (Aaron swears that if you soak your beans in baking soda it takes out the gas, but the jurry is still out). This is something you can make a lot of and store for lunch for days, and you can also use the beans and rice in dinner menus as well.
Another one, it's a little more pricy, but worth it--they have spinich or tomato wraps in the tortilla section that make wonderful salad wraps. Add some chicken and salad topper with a vinigarett and you've got a great meal. (if you're looking for something more light, leave out the chicken).
A really great breakfast--whole wheat english muffins (you can make them yourself if you are so motivated) with a fried egg an mild to meduim cheddar. You can also add some ham to make a more beefy breakfast. This gives you your healthy carbs and your protein (you can do egg whites, if you want).
I didn't mention it earlier, but you can also make the exact soup that I already posted, but if you want to, you can add 1 pound kielbasa, cut in 1/2 lengthwise and sliced 1/3-inch thick and add it add it at the very end when you add the red wine vinegar. Just make sure that it is heated through before you serve the soup. Also I should mention that the recipe is from Ina Garten "Barefoot Contessa".
Rachel, how do you reconstitute beans? Whenever we try, they end up crunchy and not good. I stuck them in a thermos once with boiling water all day, then repeated, and they were still crunchy. Anyway, we're morons, and need help.
I've only ever reconstituted pinto beans, but I've done it every week for months. I soak them in a pot over night,(more like, 24 hours because I put them in the night before I want to have them for dinner). Then, I drain and rinse, add more water and boil/simmer them for about 45 minutes or so. They are always totally soft.
1 - Cool Beans (or "Kool" Beans) is the best expression since sliced bread
2 - That baby is 110% adorable
3 - I must try that bean dip
4 - I have no bean recipe for you...sorry
Bubs- Sara is right on about the beans. Just soak for at least 10 hours (the package says 8, but whatever) and boil. The longer you soak them the less you need to cook them also.
Also try putting them in a crockpot for maybe a day and half on low, but make sure to refill the water when its low.
Love these recipes people. keep em coming! I will try every one- though maybe not all at the same time because we want to limit greenhouse gases.
On that note I have found that reconstituted beans give you less gas than canned bean, because of the way they are canned. Notice all the bubbles when you rinse a can of beans?
I don't know what beans I've been eating, but they must not have been "reconstituted." Whatever that means.
Ooh, I'm pumped to see a stop in Utah is in the near future :)
I have no bean recipes, but I have to give you props on your Fiber One bars recommendation. Those things are truly delightful! My favorite is the peanut flavored (yikes), but I've tried them all and there isn't really a bad one in the bunch.
Rachel, you should start some sort of household blog where you could discuss such matters as why groceries cost me $437.13 last month, and what we can do to each cheaper. I'm thinking I'll explore the Wendy's dollar menu for an entire month. Plus, look at all the experts you could invite to contrubute to your new blog.
Hey! You get so many comments. Our babies are getting so big. It's crazy! Cee will probably be crawling in a week or so. She's got the army crawl down really good. We started solids last week and she loves it. I'm not brave enough to give her the bowl though...
I love those fiber one bars too. The peanut butter is my fave - and the caramel. Also if you're looking for ways to save on groceries, call me and I'll give you some pointers I got from this lady in my ward that is seriously like a coupon queen. I know it sounds not so fun, but there are some good tips.
I'm thrilled to meet you when you stop in Utah. We will be at the B-ball game on Tuesday at 6:00 (I think). Maybe you can make it, too? And/or other hang-out-age (as the guys would say)?
Horsey trough is WAY less traumatizing than Piggy trough. No girl wants to be compared to a pig, but a horse? That's totally okay. :)
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