Vegetable Stock

 

Roasted Vegetable Soup - with home made soup stockI wrote most of this article from the oral surgery waiting room, as Rick had his wisdom teeth removed.  Thanks to the unsuspecting man who hadn’t secured the hotspot on his Android, my wait was a productive one!   If I remember correctly – the recovery from having your teeth yanked can be a long one – and the likelihood of soup in our near future is high.  What better base to start from than home made vegetable stock?

This was one of my goals for this year – stop buying soup stocks and start making them.  In the past 3 months I’ve only bought one carton, and have made many litres – hopefully a healthy habit has formed enough to stick.

Why  make your own stock when there are plenty available at the grocery store, you may be asking.  The real answer for me is more about what a home made stock doesn’t have in it – way less sodium than most store bought, no questionable ingredients (from “natural flavour” to MSG to sugar – who needs that stuff?)   And, it’s way less work than you may think.

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Indulgent Green Smoothie for Mom (or Dad)

Indulgent Green SmoothieAre you an emotional eater?  I would have never classified myself as one, but this morning a light bulb went off for me and I discovered that I absolutely make food choices based on my emotional state.  And judging by the many websites out there devoted to emotional eating, I’m guessing that if you’re not, you know someone who is.

Let me set the scene for you.  At 7:15 this morning my day was running smoothly.  Kids and myself out of bed – check; dressed (them at least) – check;  breakfast and lunch making proceeding according to plan – check.  7:21 am:  daughter on floor having a meltdown because of some arbitrary thing that didn’t go her way and is now proclaiming the world and her mother are out to get her; son complaining that he only likes green apples and not red ones to be puréed and placed upon his oatmeal and is now refusing to eat the oatmeal but managing to smear it all over his library book nonetheless; me lying back in bed in the fetal position with door closed before I completely lose it on them – check, check and check.

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The Benefits of Meal Planning

Planning our meals for the weekThis is a conversation that I’ve had many times with my friends and family.  It goes something like this:  ”I don’t know what I’m going to make for dinner tonight, I have food in the freezer but I forgot to defrost it.  I’m so tired of cooking, I never know what to make and I spend so much money on food.  How do you get your kids to eat well and try new foods?”

The answer:

“We sit down together, pull out some cookbooks and magazines and create a meal plan for the week.  Then I know exactly what to shop for and I’m not scrambling at the last minute.  They eat it because they helped to choose it.”

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2013: Looking forward to the year ahead

Culinary ChristmasThe new year officially starts for me on the day my kids go back to school.  I can finally say Happy New Year to you!  I took a little bloggy vacation this Christmas – deciding to instead focus on having fun with the family.  I’m hoping that you all had a super celebration, no matter what you did this holiday season, and that you have some fab things planned for 2013.

This is going to be the year that I make home-made bagels, vegetable and chicken stock, train for a half-marathon and renovate my home (and I will forgive myself if I fall short on any of those goals)!

I have some great new equipment, that I was given for Christmas, to work with:  a set of 10 Williams Sonoma glass mixing bowls (so luxurious), a new ice cream maker and my very own grain mill attachment for the mixer.   Some incredible kitchen adventures are in store for us!

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Apple Picking and Calzones

You know what I love best about food (other than the whole keeping you alive thing)?  It’s the memories that go with it.  As far back as my brain can go, the big memories are associated with food.  One of the first things I can recall is being forced to choke down an overcooked brussel sprout (at age 3 or 4) and then promptly throwing it back up.  Of course we all have thousands of more pleasant food memories – from school lunches and holiday feasts to picnics, tasty travels and everything in-between. And the best of them all usually involve friends and/or family.

That brings us to a beautiful day at the end of August when we visited our local apple orchard for some apple picking shenanigans.  It was a fabulous time – after picking (and tasting) several varieties – the kids tried caramel apples for the first time and then we went home and made fresh pressed apple juice and crumble.  And just when I was wondering how to store all those apples, they were gone.

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Sweet Potato/Banana Pudding

Confession:  I spend way too much money on groceries.  Some people buy shoes, I splash out on organic papayas and grass-fed beef.  Once you’re aware of the effects of your food choices on your health and on the planet, it’s impossible to go back.  But, with the cost of pretty much everything creeping upwards, I’ve been attempting to chop my grocery (and other) bills.  Better meal planning, leftover nights and “clean out the fridge” stews are all part of the plan.

That is how I came up with sweet potato/banana pudding.  I found myself with 1) bananas that were so ripe they had to be used immediately, 2) an overbuy of sweet potatoes (oops!), 3) the desire to put a nutritious dessert on the table without shopping – voila!  I was quite surprised at the almost buttery, yumminess of this pudding.  And judging by the empty containers in the lunch boxes the next day, so were my kids.

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Sweet Corn Chowder

Do you love corn?  I’m slightly embarrassed to say that normally I don’t (it’s just a personal taste thing and I feel very un-Ontarian saying that).  So why am I sharing a recipe for corn soup?  Because thanks to this recipe, I found a way to really enjoy corn.  This is how it happened:

Every week I get fresh organic fruits and vegetables delivered to my back door.  The company that I buy from gives the option to customize your default order, but there is a deadline which I usually miss.  So that is how I ended up, on several occasions this summer and fall, with fresh corn in my delivery.  And when in doubt – make soup, always.  This recipe has become a family favourite (yes, including me to my own surprise).  It tastes like the essence of corn.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Squares

I have big love for all autumn food.  The favourite of my faves being the great pumpkin.  And my pumpkin love isn’t just about the amazing health benefits (although being a great source of beta-carotene, vitamin C and fibre doesn’t hurt), it’s everything else that comes with it:  Thanksgiving feasts, trips to the farm, hikes to be surrounded by the beautiful autumn leaves, and the spices like cinnamon and ginger that often accompany pumpkin in recipes.

This recipe was not part of the plan at all, but I could not resist trying out the carton of Pacific Foods pumpkin puree that jumped off the shelf into my shopping basket.  I am expecting a fresh pie pumpkin in my organic food delivery today, so I made a promise to myself to use this pumpkin puree immediately.

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Amazing Mayonnaise

I am about to say something that I never dreamed I would be saying – I made mayonnaise.   Me.  I’m still pinching myself.

The journey to homemade mayo began one evening at a Holistic Nutrition workshop about naturally fermented foods.  As I helped the instructor unpack her bag of goodies, I noticed that her two most recommended books were ones that I already own:  Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, and Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz.   We learned (and tasted) many incredible things that night – I was truly inspired, and I’m sure my experimentation with fermentation will show itself here from time to time.

At some point that evening the words “why would anyone buy prepared mayonnaise or ketchup from the store when you can make your own at home easily and healthily” (or something along those lines) really resonated with me.   I already have the book and it really fits with what I do on my website.  “I’m totally going to do this”, I thought to myself.

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Simple Cream Cheese

This is probably not a true cream cheese by technical definition, but you’d never know.  It’s light, creamy and simply delicious.  The best part is how absolutely simple it is to make – gravity does most of the work.

Plain cream cheese is a great base for any flavour you want.  You are only limited by your imagination.  Try it with some herbs from the garden and a pinch of sea salt (chives would be a fantastic addition), or maybe a little cinnamon and honey.  Your bagels will thank you!

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Healthy Lunch Box Containers

You know the expression “when it rains it pours”?  Well it seems to be pouring at my house lately.  Since the first day of back to school it feels like it’s been one thing after the other, including the loss of my beloved laptop for a whole week to the repair shop.  And so, when life hands you lemons…make lunch, right?

Speaking of lunch, how’s that been going for you?  All settled into a September routine by now?

I totally have some tasty recipes to share, but I wanted to take a moment to discuss healthy lunch box containers first.  Long gone are the days of the peanut butter and honey on soggy brown bread, wrapped in plastic and packed in a brown paper bag (fond memories of my youth, such simple times back then).  There are so many great reusable containers out there nowadays, where do you start?  Below is a list of my favourite eco-friendly and safe lunch containers. Please feel free to share yours!

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Apricot Oatmeal Cookies

Apricot Oatmeal Cookies!

Something smells good in here, besides the scent of a freshly cleaned house without kids in it, that is!  We’re celebrating the first day back at school with some home-baked after-school treats.  It’s pouring rain outside and I love being a homebody on a rainy day.  I decided to come up with something I could make without a trip to the store.

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