Menu Planning

Well, as I have been reading various food blogs devoted to cooking and especially to traditional foods, I have realized I need to get back into menu planning. I used to menu plan regularly and it was very helpful in making sure meals weren't so stressful and it helped when planning our shopping too.

I have fallen off the wagon, so to speak, with menu planning. I think mainly because our life is so hectic and crazy it was just one more thing to do. However, I recently have realized that it is something that will actually take some of the stress out of life. It will also help me be frugal in using up what we have on hand (which is a lot, we always have a plethora of food here!!).

So here is what I have come up with. It is a general layout as opposed to a die-hard plan. I find that to be easier as it is more flexible for me. I am also involving my 9 year-old daughter as she is really into helping in the kitchen so we have given her more responsiblility.

So today is Tuesday and here was the plan:
Breakfast-- we had fried eggs (local, free-range, organic) with homemade rye bread toast with butter. It was delicious!!
Lunch-- I made egg salad (farm eggs (see above) with safflower oil mayo and seasonings) with tortilla chips. The boys had sausage (from Markowycz European Home Style Sausage Co. in Detroit, MI--the best lunch meats and sausages I have ever had) as they don' t like egg salad.
Dinner-- We are having hamburger patties made with local, organic, pastured beef (we get 1/2 a cow a year from a local farmer and it is really great meat!!) and salad and fried zucchini. We have an abundance of vegetables from the CSA we belong to and we need to use them up as we get more on Friday. I am also going to make steamed broccoli (from our CSA).

The rest of the week menu (not sure which day will be what)

Breakfasts--
Sweet Cherry Claflouti--this is like a cross between a pancake and a souffle. The kids love it and it will use up some Traverse City Cherries we got at the farmer's market on Saturday. It isn't overly sweet and has lots of eggs in it, some milk and butter and I use organic whole wheat flour (from a local mill), so it is still relatively healthy.
Soaked Oatmeal Porridge--We soak our oatmeal (organic rolled oats) in water, whey and lemon juice overnight (helps reduce the phytic acid and other enzyme inhibitors to make it more digestible) and then cook it with water, butter and a bit of celtic sea salt and some cinnamon. After it is cooked we add a drizzle of pure Michigan maple syrup (from a local family) and some fruit and nuts or a few chocolate chips.
Eggs-- We love eggs and they are a good source of protein. Sometime we have scrambled, sometimes fried, and sometimes other way.

Lunches--
Egg Drop Soup-- The kids love this and it is made with homemade chicken stock and yummy veggies (whatever is on hand) as well as some left over roast chicken.
Nachos-I plan to make up some taco meat with our hamburger and serve it will refried beans and various toppings on some organic corn chips.
Hot Dogs-- We get our hotdogs from the same meat place in Detroit where we get our sausage, lunch meats and bacon. Sometimes we get them from a local farmer, both are great. No fillers, no nitrates or additives and all beef. We will have these with leftover veggies

Dinners--
Pot Roast- This is Ben's favorite meal, so even though it is summer, I make it for him at his request. I will have lots of vegetables that cook with it. For side dishes I will make sauteed cabbage and cornbread.
Roast Chicken-- I will probably just roast it whole with some onions, potatoes and carrots under it. I will serve it with a Quinoa Bake that has lots of greens, tomato sauce and some cheese in it.
Leftovers--one night will be leftovers I am sure and with it I will probably make a new recipe I want to try to go with whatever is leftover. I want to make a braised white bean and greens dish. I have some escarole and other greens to use up from our CSA so this along with the quinoa bake should do the trick!!

Other stuff:
Kim Chi--We love Kim Chi. I may make some if we still have cabbage left from the head we got last week in the CSA box. I am sure we will get more this week, so I want to make sure to use it up. We just put our last batch of sauerkraut in jars from the crock, so we have a good supply of it. We eat Kim Chi and/or sauerkraut with most every meal as a good digestive since they are so full of probiotics.
Bread--We make all our own bread. I plan to make a loaf this week (not sure what yet) and also to feed my sourdough starter and get it going again!!
Desserts-We don't do dessert every night, but Rachel wanted to try some recipes out of Disney cookbook, so I told her we would make Chocolate and Cherry Mousse this week. I also plan to make a Sour cherry/almond Gallette since I have half a recipe of dough left that I made one with on our anniversary last Friday!! It was yummy, but I want to try a few more revisions to the recipe I created (by piecing together parts of several recipes). I used rapadura to sweeten it and organic butter and flour as well as sea salt. I also used local organic cherries. It was good, but I think I can improve on it!! I also plan to make some Baked Brown Rice Pudding- This is a recipe out of Nourishing Traditions and is very good. I have some cream a bit past its date, so that will be a good use for it (if it isn't too far off, I haven't opened it). If I get more bananas at the co-op this week, Rachel wants to make a recipe from her cookbook that is bananas sauteed in melted honey and served with whipped cream.

So I have to remember to soak the oatmeal (probably Wed. night for Thursday breakfast) and the beans (probably Wed night too) for the braised dish!!

This should get me till the weekend when I get my new CSA disbursement (Friday) and hit the farmer's market on Saturday. Then I will do a full week menu from Saturday till Friday for next week.

Oh, wow, when you write it down it is a lot to do, but we love to cook, so it should be ok. Off to get dinner started!!

Lisa

Movie Review--King Corn

I saw a segment on Good Morning America with the two guys who made this film. I thought it sounded very intriquing, so I bought the DVD on Amazon. I forgot about it, until Diane Franklin mentioned that she and John had rented it and really liked it.

Jay and I watched it a few weeks ago and I really liked it. It was informative and interesting for sure, but it was also done in such a way that it was also funny and engaging too. I know a lot about food issues both locally and globally, and so much of the information on corn and how it is grown was not new to me, but to see it and see how big the machines are and to see the response of the beef industry representatives is still eye-opening and sobering.

I do think they could have done even more with this movie. You get the feeling they were discouraged by what they saw, but you don't really get if it changed the way they lived, ate, etc. It has in my family. Once were were wise to the way our food system works in this country (which was about 6 years ago or so now) we could not go back. We have changed the way we live, eat and relate to food. It is all for the better. I also was dissapointed that they didn't get into the real issues surrounding Genetically Modified Organisms either. They briefly touch on it, but by no means tell the audience all the dangers and cover-up and corporate greed that has spawned this generation of franken foods.

I do recommend that everyone see this movie, but I also highly caution you to look at it as a beginning look at issues and to do your own research and ask questions of those involved in your local food system to learn more. There are a lot of important issues that are touched upon in this movie, but you need to know the rest to really and truly understand what a crisis we are in with our current food and health system!!

A Smart Boy!!

I have many reasons to be proud of my children, but sometime they do something that just really makes you happy and you realize they are getting it!!



My 6 1/2 year old son is a foodie. He really always has been. He even as a small toddler loved to be in the kitchen and had to smell everything he ate or we were cooking. His little brother is quite similar in that regard and loves to just sit in front of my spice cupboard smelling each canister and asking what it is.



Wednesday I went to the wave pool with my older two children as they had a field trip from Farm Camp. I left the youngest home with dad (easier to manage swimming at a public place with just two to watch). It started pouring rain at one point and so we went under the pavillion (where the snack bar is) to get a bit out of the rain. I relented to my daughter's request to go get some junk food (we RARELY ever eat this kind of treat). We had brough our own packed lunch and they had eaten their good food already, so I figured a small treat of junk on a special field trip was ok. We went in and my daughter could not decide what she wanted, she was in awe of the pizza, nachos, ice cream, chips, etc. It was a junk food bonanza and of course was about the worst quality type of junk. We eat a bit of junk in our house, but it is what I consider the healthier side of junk (pita chips, tortilla chips (organic), homemade sweets --usually made with unrefined sweeteners). This was the BAD of the BAD. I felt guilty just walking in there. After several minutes (and letting several groups go in front of us) I finally convinced my daughter that she would not be happy with any of the "food" items as they taste terrible and are not what she is expecting. So we settled on an ice cream cone (soft serve on a wafer cone). My son can't have dairy, so I asked if he wanted anything else (bag of chips, etc.). He said he didn't want anything. I wanted to make sure as I didn't want any melt downs once we were out of that awful place. He said, "Mom, I don't want anything here, it all has high-fructose corn syrup and it is all food made in a factory" I was so proud. I gave him a hug and told him I had a special present for him a home.

He tasted the ice cream and said "I can't even believe you like that it doesn't even taste like real ice cream--Yuck". Funny as it isn't real ice cream.

We have taught him well. He always has been the most into the healthy food movement (as compared to my other two) and I really think that it is due to the fact he was about 18 months old when we started changing our family food culture and diet. He was brought up with it and is now old enough to appreciate it. My daughter had too much exposure to the SAD life and still is willing to eat whatever junk comes her way. I also think to a large extent it is their personalities. My daughter is very creative and less able to focus on one thing. That brings it's own set of issues but she is so bright and creative it is fun to watch her when she is in her "groove" of creativity. Jeremy is very much the type A personality. Very into getting the facts, working it out, and it has to be perfect. He soaks it all in and is much more introverted. He can be a big ham and silly guy and is good at making friends, but he is very "studious" I would say.

However, I love that he wants to learn why we eat the way we do. He tells others why too and he is not shy about expressing his views on "good" food vs. "yucky" food.

Gotta love it.

Lisa

Food Porn

I hadn't heard the term "food porn" until recently. I was checking out a cooking bulletin board I frequent and someone mentioned it when they were discussing a site devoted to food and blogs that had been shut down.

Apparently, this site (www.tastespotters.com) was shut down due to some legal issues and is hoping to reopen. I had never heard of it, but was too late to check it out. Well, in the backlash of so many devotees complaining, someone created a similar site. I had to check it out. Now I see what they were talking about, it is addictive, fun and can suck you into spending lots of time reading blogs and thinking about food. Of course, for me, I need no extra reason to think, write, read, make, etc. about food. I love food and cooking. In fact, tonight for my birthday, I signed my husband and I up to take a cooking class instead of going out to a traditional restaurant. We are going to Simply Good in Birmingham. www.simplygoodkitchen.com


The new site for "food porn" is www.foodgawker.com The concept is neat, people submit pictures of food and some are chosen to be posted which then links the picture to the blog it comes from. The pictures are incredible and it really makes me drool and want to up my game in the food photography department (mine are pretty poor currently). I have found many interesting recipes and blogs just in the few days I have checked the site.

Anyway enjoy!!

Nourishing Soup

I am a soup person!! I love soup. I make soup quite often. Since the weather here has turned a bit cooler (unusual for this time of year) and a bit dreary, I decided to make soup for dinner last night.

Everyone else in the family loves soup too, except my youngest child. For some reason he just won't eat soup (except he does eat my husband's matzo ball soup).

I have been trying very hard to get over a little sinus congestion, so I was craving some good brothy soup. I decided that something with homemade chicken stock, garlic and ginger would be a good thing to help knock this out of me. I did a quick search online and didn't really find what I was looking for, I was thinking of an Asian flavor soup, so I just created as I went, using an egg drop soup technique but adding my own combination of flavors.

It turned out great and my son who loves soup (Jeremy) begged for it for breakfast. Rachel, Jeremy and I had a bowl (or two) for breakfast, and I must say it was a great way to start the day!!

Here is what I did:

I heated up a pot of homemade chicken stock and added 2 large cloves of pressed garlic, about a tablespoon or so of grated ginger, a couple of tablespoons (estimates, I just poured) of organic tamari soy sauce, some redmond sea salt, and half a bag of mixed organic frozen veggies (carrots, corn, peas and green beans). I then chunked up some leftover roasted chicken (it was about a breast and a half of chicken) and put it in. I heated it up and tasted it, good but missing something. I added some more salt and a bunch of ground black pepper. DH tasted it and we decided it needed a few drops of fish sauce. I then turned off the heat and I streamed in two beaten eggs (local, organic, pastured eggs) slowly over the tines of a fork and stirred in a clockwise direction as the egg hit the broth. It was so good and very filling and nourishing. The egg ribbons were nice and silky and the soup was very tasty.

The kids loved it (except for Ben, who won't try anything called soup and ate plain chicken and some bologna for dinner). After dinner my husband said he felt so good that the soup really just made his whole body feel good and healthy!!

Lisa

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp

For Father's Day I had my in-laws and my husband's grandmother over for dinner. We were supposed to go to Jay's parent's house, but they decided to come here due to the weather forecast. We grilled a local chicken with homemade BBQ sauce and had salad made from local greens and other local toppings. We also had some local asparagus. My in-laws brought over some racks of lamb chops and some veggies to grill. It was an awesome meal rounded out with some homemade Sauerkraut and Kim Chi.

My mother-in-law was concerned about dessert, so I thought up something easy I could make quickly. I remembered that just a few weeks ago I put away in the freezer a bunch of Rhubarb from my father's yard (and a few stalks from my plants I started a couple years ago) and that we still had some strawberries from Ware Farm in Bear Lake in the freezer. I did a quick online search to find a basic Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp recipe and then made some healthy changes to it.

It turned out fabulous. In fact, everyone raved about it!! My mother-in-law asked me to make it for her 4th of July party too.

Here is my version of the recipe (which I doubled and used a 9x13 pan and baked for approx 45 minutes). I used whole wheat pastry flour and oats from Westwind mill and Caulder's butter. The rest of the ingredients (besides the rhubarb, strawberries, flour, oats and butter) weren't local but were healthy!! We served it with a bit of vanilla ice cream on the side!!

Enjoy!!

Lisa's Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp
Serving Size : 4

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups rhubarb cut into small pieces
1 1/2 cups strawberries -- if small can use whole, or if big, slice or cut in pieces
1/2 cup rapadura
1 tablespoon organic cornstarch
2 tablespoons organic orange juice

Ingredients for Topping:
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup rapadura
5 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons pecans (or walnuts) -- chopped

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
Butter an 8 x 8 inch baking pan
In a mixing bowl combine and toss the rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, cornstarch and orange juice
Transfer mixture to the buttered baking dish
Mix the oats, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a bowl
Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or use your fingers until the mixture becomes coarse crumbs
Mix in chopped nuts and spread over the fruit mixture
Bake until the topping is golden brown and the fruit is bubbling (30-35 minutes)

Note: Because ovens vary, check the cooking progress of the dessert after 25 minutes.

Yummy Local Meals

As part of the One Great Michigan Summer challenge (see previous post), I have been more conscious about meal planning. Today I had two fried eggs with toast. I cooked local, organic, free-range eggs in Calder's butter and cracked some black pepper over them. I had a slice of homemade honey whole wheat bread slathered with Caulder's butter to dip in the beautiful, yellow yolks. I make the bread with flour from Westwind Mill in Argentine, local honey, local milk and local eggs. It also has some salt, yeast, water and a bit of wheat gluten added. It is very good and I make it in the bread machine (which is so easy). I love to make bread by hand and frequently do, but sometimes just for ease and time savings, we use the bread machine.

For lunch I packed a lunch in one of our Laptop Lunchboxes to take to my Healthy Traditions Network Leadership Team meeting. I had a salad with local greens, sausage from Oliver's Dairy Farm, Spiced Gouda Cheese from Grassfield's and dried cherries from Northstar Organics. I had homemade ranch dressing on the salad (in the small container next to the salad). I also had a Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich made on my homemade Honey Whole Wheat Bread with Naturally Nutty Natural Peanut Butter (a local company that adds flax seed and hemp seed and it is all organic) on top of the PB I put a bit of local raw honey. I also had some chunked up salami and spiced gouda on the side and some homemade Kim Chi (Korean Sauerkraut). I had some local strawberries from Maple Creek Farm as dessert. I took a bottle of water and some homemade Kombucha to drink and boy was it a filling and wonderful lunch on the go!!

The pictures don't do the food justice. I need to learn to take better food pictures!! I'll work on it.