broccoli in paradise

This broccoli is really good. Really, really good. I substituted plain old steamed broccoli for the Caesar salad with our spaghetti last week and had to fight the kids to eat it. I saw this recipe today and decided it was worth a shot. It's easy and seriously delicious. Try it!

Roasted Broccoli

2 pounds broccoli, washed and cut into bite-sized pieces and dried thoroughly (i buy a pre-washed bag at Sam's--so easy!)

2-3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt, better with kosher or sea salt

dash pepper

4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced (or about 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425. Line baking sheet with foil. Toss broccoli, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic and spread on baking sheet. Roast for about 15-20 minutes, or until broccoli is tender and some pieces have browned edges. Remove from oven and drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with cheese. Enjoy!

new recruits

We've changed it up again around the dinner table. Our meal routine for now goes a little something like this:

monday: spaghetti with meatballs and caesar salad

tuesday: tacos (ever tried lettuce-wrapped tacos? my new favorite thing)

wednesday: soup

thursday: pasta

friday: free/date/eat-out night

saturday: stir-fry (like the one I just posted)

sunday: breakfast

The kids really like most of these, so that helps a ton. It's a good rotation so far. I am just a routine kind of girl, I guess.

success!

stir-fried chicken and broccoli with sweet and sour sauce

serves 4

chicken:

2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. flour

2 tsp. soy sauce

2 tsp. chinese rice cooking wine or dry sherry

12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2), trimmed and sliced thin

stir-fry:

3 scallions, minced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp. canola oil

1 small bunch broccoli (about 1 lb.), florets cut in to 1-inch pieces, stems trimmed and sliced thin

1/4 cup water

2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks

sweet and sour sauce:

6 tbsp. red wine vinegar

6 tbsp. orange juice

6 tbsp. sugar

3 tbsp. ketchup

1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/2 tsp. salt

1. for the chicken: combine the sesame oil, cornstarch, flour, soy sauce, and rice wine in a bowl, stir in the chicken, and marinate at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.

2. for the sauce: whisk all ingredients together and set aside.

3. for the stir-fry: combine scallions, garlic, ginger, and 1 tsp. of the canola oil in a bowl.

4. heat 1 tsp. more canola oil in a 12-inch non-stick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the chicken, break up any clumps, and cook until lightly browned on all sides but not fully cooked, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and set aside.

5. add the remaining tsp. canola oil to the skillet and return to high heat until shimmering. Stir in the broccoli florets and broccoli stems. Add the water, cover and steam until the broccoli is bright green and just begins to soften, about 2 minutes.

6. uncover and allow the water to evaporate, 30-60 seconds. Stir in the carrots and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 3-4 minutes.

7. clear the center of the skillet, add the garlic mixture, and cook, mashing the mixture into the pan, until fragrant, 15-30 seconds. Stir it into the vegetables.

8. return the chicken, with any accumulated juice, to the skillet. Whisk the sauce to recombine, then add to the skillet. Simmer, tossing constantly until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Serve with rice.

cakes

I love making birthday cakes for my family. My mom always made us a special cake for our birthdays and it was the best part. Here are some I've done for my kids.

Spicy Chipotle Chicken Salad with Corn

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice from 2 limes

2 tsp. minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

4 cups shredded cooked chicken (they recommend poaching it)

2 scallions, minced

1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine

1/3 cup frozen corn, thawed

2 Tbsp. minced fresh cilantro

Whisk mayonnaise, lime juice, chipotles, oil, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper together in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in chicken, scallions, bell pepper, corn, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste and let sit until flavors have blended, about 15 minutes, before serving. this salad is great in sandwiches or spooned over a green salad.

shrimp with tomato and avocado

Pan-Seared Shrimp with Tomato and Avocado

from the America's Test Kitchen's Healthy Family Cookbook

1 lb. tomatoes, (2-3), cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

6 scallions, white and green parts separated and sliced thin

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce (more or less to adjust spiciness)

salt and pepper

1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined

1/8 tsp. sugar

4 tsp. canola oil

1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

lime wedges (for serving)

1. Combine the tomatoes, scallion whites, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, chipotles, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a bowl.

2. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and season with the sugar, salt, and pepper. Heat 2 tsp. of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of the shrimp and cook until curled and lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

3. Transfer the shrimp to a bowl and cover with aluminum foil. Repeat with remaining 2 tsp. of oil and shrimp; transfer to the bowl.

4. Return the skillet to high heat, add the tomato mixture, and cook until the tomatoes soften slightly, about 1 minute. Off the heat, return the shrimp to the skillet and toss to coat. Transfer the shrimp to a platter, season with salt and pepper to taste, and sprinkle with scallion greens and avocado. Serve with lime wedges.

Banana Bread

Banana Bread

from Baking Illustrated

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan

1 ¼ cups walnuts, chopped coarse

¾ cup sugar

¾ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

3 very ripe, soft, darkly speckled large bananas, mashed well (about 1 ½ cups)

¼ cup plain yogurt

2 large eggs, beaten lightly

6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
2. Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
3. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and walnuts together in a large bowl; set aside.
4. Mix the mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with a wooden spoon in a medium bowl. Lightly fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined and the batter looks thick and chunky. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
5. Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
6. The bread can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

This is my favorite banana bread recipe. Best I've ever tried. I like it with or without the nuts.

Thai noodles

This recipe is from my mom and is also posted on the Page Family Recipe Box blog. This is one that I miss a lot since my kids voted it out of the rotation. It is SO good.
Thai Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli

Sauce:
3 Tbls soy sauce
1 Tbls sesame seed oil
3 Tbls peanutbutter
1 Tbls sugar
1 1/2 tsp chili paste ( I am not sure what this is so I put 3/4tsp chili powder)
2 Tbls vinegar
1/2 cup chicken stock
Wisk above ingredients together and set aside.

8 oz spaghetti noodles
4 cups broccoli florets
2 carrots sliced diagonally
Boil the noodles in large pot of water for 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and carrots cook an additional 3 mintues. Drain.

1 Tbls sesame seed oil
1 Tbls minced ginger root
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 lb chicken breast sliced in thin strips
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (use as garnish)
Stir fry chicken garlic ginger until chicken is no longer pink. Add the above sauce to the chicken and simmer covered for 5-10 minutes. Toss with the noodles and vegetables. Garnish with the coriander.

trying something new

I have revamped my cooking habits over the last eight months, which is one reason I have been so absent here. We now eat on a weekly meal plan, for dinner at least, and it has helped in a lot of areas. Here is what we started out with:

Mondays- baked potatoes and broccoli

Tuesdays-grilled meat (usually chicken) and carrots and melon

Wednesdays-breakfast (usually pancakes and smoothie)

Thursdays-Thai noodles with broccoli

Fridays-soup and rolls

Saturdays-Mexican (usually tacos)

Sundays-Italian (usually pasta casserole or spaghetti)

I started doing this in June and it has now evolved to this:

Mondays-fish and vegetables (usually broccoli) and brown rice

Tuesdays-bbq pulled pork and carrots and mashed potatoes

Wednesdays-breakfast

Thursday-grilled burgers and corn on the cob and melon

Friday-tacos

Saturday-soup and rolls (our favorite is broccoli and cheese)

Sunday-Greek pasta and feta

We've done stir fry vegetables and rice, individual foil dinner with meat and vegetables, and a few other things that the kids fought me on week after week. Those things didn't stay in the rotation once I could think of something else healthy that I was willing to try. Some of our favorite ingredients lately are feta, laughing cow spreadable cheeses, and egg beaters. Feta is good on so many things I would never think of pairing it with. My kids love it!

Eating on a schedule like this has really simplified a lot of things for our family, like grocery shopping and planning, food storage, calorie counting (for me), and cooking time. I have loved it and recently expanded it to my other meals. I have a schedule for my breakfast and lunch and snacks that I try to stick to. It takes a lot of stress out of trying to help myself and my family eat more healthy meals.

I will be posting a few of the recipes I use a lot in this new eating plan. Most of them are very simple, but maybe they'll be helpful for you. They are all like around here, even by my six little ones. Well, the five that eat them, anyway.