Spreadin’ the Word

Posted on April 17, 2013 by mdespard001

Recently I’ve had the privilege of speaking with some super-cool moms at MOM’S Club of Altadena and MOM’S Club of Monrovia. (Hey Ladies! Loved meeting with you all!)

As moms today we have modern conveniences coming out ‘our ears–so why do so many of us struggle with nutrition?

Maybe it’s because–thanks to modern conveniences–it’s so easy to pop processed foods into lunch boxes as our kids sprint out the door. Maybe it’s because as a society we place far more emphasis on test scores than we do on eating properly. Maybe it’s because we’re all so dang busy…

What I have learned since beginning my family-journey nine years ago is that if you want to eat well and get your family to do the same, you have to be very intentional about it. If you’re occasionally flipping through a magazine article or glancing around at what most people consume, well, you’ll see it’s a low bar.

I’ve seen statistics that state somewhere around 4% of children eat properly on a regular basis. Childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes is rising so quickly that experts predict our kids’ generation will actually have a shorter life expectancy than ours.

Um… what the WHAT!?

I’m a “Generation X’er.” What is my children’s generation going to be labeled? “Generation heavier-die-younger?”

When I talk to moms about nutrition my message is triple motivated 1. I have a handle on easy-tasty-healthy food at my house (my kids are in that 4 %!) and I’m thrilled to share what I know. 2. I’m hoping that if more people like me do this we can, perhaps, come up with a different label for all our kids to share!

3. Besides reminding myself of the importance of what I do in the kitchen I always learn from other parents when I present. It’s just as empowering to share my message as it is to get ideas from others.

Here’s to finding healthy journey for all our families–and to enjoying the experience along the way!

Making the world a better place, one meal at a time: that’s me. 🙂

Cupcake Diaries

Posted on April 15, 2013 by mdespard001

So it was Grandma Maye’s (my mother-in-law) birthday yesterday and my trio of kitchen sidekicks wanted to kick it in the kitchen. Josie, my middle love, has been reading Cupcake Diaries by Coco Simon and wouldn’t you know that the books contain recipes… Sounds like one of those serendipitous moments when the planets line up–or at least that what my kiddos thought.

A healthy organic plant-based diet is what I shoot for in general, but I’m not made of stone. Of course we can make cupcakes from scratch. Whytheheck not?

Don’t worry. I’m going to retype it in real people letters for your ease and entertainment.

Vanilla Cupcakes from Mia in the Mix by Coco Simon

Ingredients: 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 cup whole milk

Directions (as usual, I ignored pretty much all the “do this step first and then do this” type instructions… sorry. I said I would make cupcakes, I didn’t say I liked baking! I still dislike it as much as ever…) So, my directions are: put it all in a bowl and mix it up. Oh–and I think I forgot the baking powder. I got distracted when there was some heated arguing over who had “poured in the most stuff” that resulted in everyone stepping away from the bowl for a few minutes to re-evaluate our purpose in life. We regained our purpose, overall, but I really don’t remember getting the baking powder out of the cupboard after all was said and done… and nobody complained so let’s just keep this tiny oversight between you and me. K? Thanks!)

Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting

Ingredients (I quartered the amounts and the original quantities would have been enough frosting for 100 cupcakes!) 2 tbsp. room temp. butter, 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. whole milk, dash vanilla. Mix and, uh, put on the cupcakes.

Sweet, fattening treats for the heck of it? Not super common at my house. Sweet, fattening birthday treats that connect literature to real life, allow my kids the chance to create and give to someone they love, feel proud of what they, themselves made and the opportunity for Josie to begin plans for her own foodie blog some day: I’m in.

Chili Week Cha-Cha-Cha!

Posted on April 12, 2013 by mdespard001

OK, this photo is not destined for Sunset’s cover, but I saved my ultimate fave-ola breakfast (if you’ve been following, you know how much I love a good meal to kick off my new day…) scene for Friday: Chili with an egg on tortilla. Man is it tasty.

I like my egg over med, scoop some chili in the pan for the last minute or so to heat it up, add a little shredded sharp cheddar cheese and some hot sauce… seriously… this… is… so… good!

Corn or flour tortilla will do.

If you’ve lost count, that’s five (5!) options from one chili recipe. What a way to celebrate ~~national, local~~ Michelle’s independent Chili week!

This chili freezes well, btw.

I think if you Google “chili recipes” you’ll be amazed at all the ways you can heat up a pot of spicy-tomato-y-beans and what-not for dinner. I’ve used recipes with cocoa powder, a multitude of beans (obviously not from Texas,) different meats… it’s really fun to experiment with the options.

And in that vein, here is another fun recipe for vegetarian chili that I made a few weeks ago. It was my usual method of preparation (winging it) but I actually took the time to record my adventure for your benefit. If I had to think of a title for delicious concoction, I guess I’d go with:

Michelle’s “This Time” Chili:

Ingredients: 1 large diced onion, 3 cloves crushed garlic, 1 cup chopped celery, 2 cups chopped bell pepper, Two 15 oz. cans drained kidney beans, One 15 oz. can drained pinto beans, One can black beans w/liquid, One 12 oz can tomato paste, 1/2-3/4 bottle of beer (OK–yes I took a few sips so I’m not sure…) 1 tsp garlic salt, 2 1/2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp. cayenne, 1 tsp. black pepper, pinch of sugar

Directions: simmer the onions, peppers, celery and garlic until it all begins to soften. Add everything else and bring to boil. Simmer until veggies are fully cooked. Open another beer and sit down to dinner!

Adventures in Chili, Parte Dos!

Posted on April 10, 2013 by mdespard001

OK. So here’s a chili option for all you gluten free guys and gals (or not, whatever): Chili on a baked potato! Yu-uhm.

I like my tater-chili topped with a dollop of Greek style yogurt and a dash of hot sauce.

Or… my versatile chili is so, uh, versatile that you can even slap it on a tortilla with some taco fixings (Yes! It’s true!):

Here is my chili/bean burrito with some (you guessed it) hot sauce, fresh cabbage, little shredded cheese maybe (I can’t remember and it might be tucked inside.)

One recipe for easy-peasy Chili and look at all the fun you can have! I know. You’re welcome.

And, ladies and gentlemen, I’m still not done… but you’ll have to tune in Friday for my final cha-cha-chili post.

On a side note and because I’m not done with my coffee yet so I may as well keep typing… I was once informed by a Texan that real chili doesn’t even have beans in it. Being of Latino-German heritage and growing up in Minnesota, I was unaware of this. So, if you’re from Houston and you’re reading this entry, please reserve judgement.

I’m not Tex-Mex, I’m “Min-Mex.” Forgive me. I don’t mean to offend… 🙂

Coffee complete. Have a great day everyone!

Michelle’s Easy-Peasy Chili

Ingredients: 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1/2 med onion (diced), 1 clove crushed garlic, 2 med bell peppers (diced–approximately 1 1/2 cups), Two 15 oz. cans black beans (with liquid–don’t drain’em!), One 15 oz. can diced, stewed or crushed tomatoes, One 6 oz. can tomato paste, 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Directions: Simmer onion (any kind will do,) garlic and olive oil for a few minutes. Add bell pepper and cook until peppers start to soften. Add everything else, stir and bring to a boil/simmer until peppers are fully cooked. You. Are. Done.

(OK. Yes you can top off your creation with shredded cheese, diced onions, sour cream, what have you… Then. You. Are. Done.)

Easy-Peasy Chili

Posted on April 8, 2013 by mdespard001

OK. So my girlfriend, Jen, requested I deliver on my promise to post my chili scene before the weather turns. As she is one of my favorite people on the planet (she helped schlep my kids and even brought me a gorgeous plant when I was on my imagined death bed last month,) this is a request I am happy to accommodate.

Michelle’s Easy-Peasy Black Bean Chili

(OK. Yes you can top off your creation with shredded cheese, diced onions, sour cream, what have you… Then. You. Are. Done.)

Tips: You can use fresh tomatoes if you have them, but this is the “easy-peasy” recipe so we’re going with that theme. Any color bell pepper and any type of onion will do. This is a mild version so my kids will enjoy it as well. Often I serve my three little Gringo-mouths first and then add cayenne and chipotle powder or hot sauce to Mike and mine.

You can use other beans besides black (kidney, red, white, pinto) if you like, but I only include the liquid of black beans when I cook. Any other kind tends to have that viscous water-ish situation that I prefer to drain. It grosses me out. What can I say? So, if you use red or another type of bean, you’ll need to add water.

Meat (chopped leftover cooked chicken or cooked sausage, ground beef) can also be added to this recipe, but even my meat-and-potatoes husband found this version satisfying from the get-go.

Besides the obvious ease with which this meal is created (it literally takes me 10 minutes start to finish), I love how healthy and tasty this chili is. Legumes baby!!!!

My final fave thing about this recipe is the variety of simple ways I can use it to make different meals. There are soooo many ways, in fact, that I’m going to don this week “Chili Week!” Tune in all week to see all the easy-peasy-tasty-healthy ways you can make this meal for your family too!

I usually double or even triple/quadruple this recipe, freeze or share with someone I love.

For today, we’ll go with two chili thingies:

Michelle’s fave: Chili with crushed tortilla chips on top (Hey–how did that beer get in the photo!?)

And we also like our chili with cornbread.

I usually use Trader Joe’s cornbread mix, and substitute buttermilk for regular milk. Super yum.

What else can a mama do with chili? Baby, just you wait…

Easy-Tasty-Fancy Looking!

Posted on April 5, 2013 by mdespard001

OK. So in the title I took out “healthy” and replaced with “Fancy Looking.” Just work with me here.

Fruit Pizza is what we call this in my family. You may or may not be able to tell that I was going for a “sun” theme with the fruit display. I made this for Easter so it seemed appropriate.

Every time I make fruit pizza everybody gobbles it up and all the mommies ask for the recipe. It looks beautiful and is so absurdly easy to make everyone should have this recipe in their back pocket.

Fruit Pizza

Ingredients: (I’m embarrassed to say…) Pilsbury Sugar cookie Dough, 16 oz. cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar (or powdered sugar), tsp. vanilla, diced fresh fruit.

Directions: Set cream cheese out for about an hour to soften. Spread the cookie dough (this is 1 1/2 tubes) out on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for approximately 17-20 minutes or until done. Set out to cool. Mix softened cream cheese with sugar and vanilla. Spread on completely cooled sugar cookie crust. Top with fruit.

Tips: I’ve made this with homemade sugar cookie dough and although it is certainly a less processed food choice, you really cannot taste the difference (short cuts are all the rage.) Fruit can be arranged in a stunning display of some sort (not featured above, unfortunately) or just scattered. The pineapple and orange chunks that I used were drained before placement. Good fruits for this include strawberries, blueberries, grapes, sliced stone fruits… don’t use bananas though as they will brown and throw off the whole “impressive” statement you’re going for. (I seem to be using an excessive amount of quotation marks today…. Don’t you think?)

I seriously dare you to take this to a potluck situation and not impress the masses. Yes. Maybe even double-dare.

Precious

Posted on April 4, 2013 by mdespard001

Warning: today is a “mommy post” so if you’re not up for it, consider yourself notified. 🙂

My kiddos’ school has a uniform policy. Besides the school colors and polo guidelines, we also have school t-shirts. I had purchased my three each a t-shirt from the old stock, but they hardly ever choose to wear them. So when this new design (slogan and color voted upon by student body–fun!) was created, and they all three begged me to get them each one, I was hesitant.

“But you don’t wear the t-shirts you already have.” I said. “So I’ll buy one shirt for the three of you to share, and if you really like it, we’ll get more.” I said. We’ll see how this goes, I thought.

My kids love this t-shirt. It’s either in the wash or on one of their backs every day of the week. We have an assigned rotation–I know, right? Seriously… –now to make it fair.

“So when are you going to buy two more shirts, Mommy?” My daughter asked me this morning. “Hmmm… I’m not, my love.” I said.

How many people have had this experience: You take your toddler to someone else’s house or a children’s museum or whatever. He discovers a toy he’s never seen before and becomes so enthralled with it that it makes you misty. You see the toy at Lakeshore and purchase it without a thought as you can’t wait for your child to have the ability to encounter, time and time again, that same engaging experience.

Soon enough, however (sometimes even later that same day!), the newness wears away and you find the toy in the bottom of the bin with all the rest.

My toddlers are now school-aged, and if I haven’t learned anything since then, what the heck have I been up to?

Why deprive my kids of the opportunity to have to wait for something special? They’re too young to realize, but I see very clearly, that–at least in part–the anticipation is what creates the sense of satisfaction. If each of my children had his/her own new t-shirt, they wouldn’t wear it every day. If history is any indication, it wouldn’t take long before this shirt would be hanging in the closet alongside all its common friends.

So, I’m controlling the supply and keeping the demand–and excitement–high. Josie already had her turn this week, Rhea was thrilled that today was her chance for the t-shirt, and Grayson can’t wait till he gets his go.

Our precious t-shirt.

Hamburger Helper

Posted on April 1, 2013 by mdespard001

OK. So technically these are turkey burgers, not beef. Why so many? I’m making them for school lunches of course.

Spring break just ended for us and we’re in the home stretch now, but there are still 10 or so weeks of school left–that’s still 50 lunches times 3 kids to pack. Whew.

One of our current faves is a burger for lunch. Pictured above you see 8 patties (there are more that didn’t fit on the pan) that I made from a pound of ground turkey. Little olive oil in the pan, dash of garlic salt on top and wah-lah: ya’ got yerself some burgers.

Once they’ve cooled, I can put the patties in the freezer (buns separate) and then pull them out for a fridge-defrost the night before. 20 minutes at the stove top for a dozen lunches = good return on my time investment!

Out of a one pound package of meat, I can make 12-14 patties. Slap these little honeys on a whole wheat bun with some ketchup and what do you know: Lunch!

Here you see me placing my model burger in a reusable food pouch.

The pouch cost me about eight bucks–but they clean up in the dishwasher, and we’ve been using them all year long and they still look great.

(I made sure my kindergartener was going to be responsible with his lunch bag before I started sending such pricey accoutrements with him. It’s important to be green, but once my daughter lost her lunch bag with a water bottle, thermos, food pouch and fruit container. Thank goodness we recovered it or it would have come out of her college fund…)

My middle child will eat one of these a week. The other two would eat it every day if I packed it up. Throw in some veggies, fruit and a little cookie–now we’re talkin’!

Does the bun get soggy from the condiments? Not enough to bug my kiddos. You could see about a small container with a dipping style situation though if it’s a problem.

Sometimes when Mike’s been a very good boy, I send him to work with a burger too.

Meet My Meat Sauce

Posted on March 29, 2013 by mdespard001

What the heck kind of “meat” is that, right?

Oh… you are all too clever for me. You got me! These are vegetables, of course. But this is actually how I start my meat spaghetti sauce–with a slew of whatever seasonal veggies I have around that I can chop, saute and toss in. Apparently celery, carrots and bell pepper are some current farmers market pics.

This is, in my humble opinion, the easiest way to get more vegetables into my family’s diet: I just put’m there!

Whenever I cook, I add more of whatever vegetables the recipe calls for, I add additional vegetables that I have around, and I add vegetables–period–whenever I can find a place for them.

When cooking a meat sauce, the vegetables take longer to cook than the meat, so if you’re winging it (like me!) you’ll want to start these colorful friends with a few tablespoons of olive oil, onion and garlic first. After they begin to soften, grab your meat, herbs and spices and have at it.

Winging it is not without risks. Once, years ago, when I was getting to know my crock pot during a particularly wet an chilly winter, I had the great idea to add fresh beets to my beef and vegetable stew. I came home hours later to find a house that smelled like heaven, but a pot that looked like warm and steamy Pepto-bismal. With chunks. 😦

I’m not a huge presentation girl, but the appearance of my simmering fuchsia pot was so off-putting that Mike and I couldn’t even choke it down. I’m grimacing as I write about it even now.

So, whatever. Lesson learned. Beets go on the side.

If you’re nervous to add uncalled for ingredients for fear you’re going to mess up dinner, try adding a little bit at first or make a second pot on the side the first time. It’s worth it when you see how many vegetables you can get into your family by just slippin’em in here and there.

Have a great Easter weekend–and by the way, I think my Cole slaw would go great with a baked ham!

Pre-Summer Quinoa Salad!!

Posted on March 27, 2013 by mdespard001

There are three things you should know about this salad. First of all, I’ve never actually made it myself. It’s not my fault though! Lisa keeps making and making it and bringing it over… When or why would I go to the trouble?

The second thing you should know is that this recipe comes from another blogger, Once Upon a Chef that Lisa says “is a lot like me.” (Sounds like a cool lady, huh?)

The third thing you should know is that not only do I love this salad soooo much, I love tons of salads like this. This, friends, is my kinda bowl of yum to have in the fridge. It’s a pretty complete meal, it’s de-lish, you can prep large quantities at a time and then grab a spoon for days… I’m smiling already.

So I’m telling you all this to tantalize your taste buds. There will be more salady-posts coming your way as summer (SUMMER!!!) approaches. Aren’t you excited now? Boy-oh-boy-oh-boy!

Quinoa Corn/Tomato/Lime Salad (you can read the recipe here, on my recipe page or you can check out the blog from whence it came–nothin’ like options!)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion, from one small onion
1 cup pre-washed quinoa (if not washed, follow package instructions for rinsing)
1-2/3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 cup chopped tomatoes, from 2 medium tomatoes
1-1/4 cups fresh cut cooked corn, from 2 cobs
2 scallions, white and green parts, finely sliced
1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice, from 1 large lime
1 avocado, cut into bite-sized chunks

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add quinoa to onions and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes. Add vegetable broth and stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil. Cover pan tightly with lid, turn heat down to low and simmer for 17-20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Transfer cooked quinoa to mixing bowl and chill in refrigerator.
When quinoa is cool, add remaining tablespoon olive oil, tomatoes, corn, scallions, jalapeno, cilantro, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Right before serving, scatter avocado chunks over top.

Tip: So far, every time Lisa has made this we get so distracted with the kids (gossip, whatever) she has forgotten to put the avocado in–but it still tasted heavenly.

Tip #2 (unrelated to quinoa salad, but still good to know…): If you’d like to check me out all week on Hometown Pasadena, well, go right ahead. My featured March recipe is fajitas !!!