Mealpod

Lunch Roundup #6

2012-03-09T12:20:00.002-08:00

This week's lunch has pea pods, grapes, cheese, spelt chocolate chip muffins, and pasta with chicken sausage.

I was going to include the recipe for the chocolate chip muffins in this post but they didn't turn out very good. I used the recipe on the Bob's Red Mill package for spelt muffins but altered it a bit with buttermilk and adding vanilla and chocolate chips. They turned out spongy, but edible.

For the pasta and sausage I used a gluten-free pasta which I am not the biggest fan of but I had some in the cupboard. I prefer skipping the pasta myself and giving the rest of the family whole wheat pasta. The gluten-free just doesn't have as good of texture as normal pasta. I added some butter in it for the kids and some Thin n' Trim garden vegetable chicken sausage. Their veggie was on the side - nice crunchy pea pods.

Its a pre-cooked product but does not have any nitrates so I think it is good for every once in a while. The only ingredient that is not meat or veggies is a bit of sugar.

I cut the sausage in chunks and browned it with a little olive oil before combining with the pasta to make it more tasty. It is precooked, but browning it makes it extra special.

I made my husband an Italian pasta salad with the hot sausage flavor, olive oil and veggies for lunch as well.

Chicken Pot Pie

2012-03-05T04:57:00.000-08:00

This is another ALMOST gluten free recipe. Instead of wheat flour I again used whole grain spelt flour. It seems to not effect me in the same ways as gluten: no bloating, water weight gain, or bingeing tendencies so far. I don't think I want to have TOO much spelt, but one recipe a week I think is fine.

This recipe is for two 9 inch pies - one with 2 crusts and a lighter one with one crust on top and none on the bottom.

Spelt Pie Crust Recipe

The recipe I used for the spelt crust was from user spud nut on food.com http://www.food.com/recipe/spelt-pie-crust-146604 It makes two crusts so I went ahead and doubled it to make 4 and then froze one so I could have the one bottomless and the other not.

2 cups whole spelt flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 tsp salt
1/3 (10 tbs) cup cold organic butter
1/3 cup organic shortening (yes there is such a thing and it is trans fat free)
5-7 tbs ice cold water

I did this in the food processor but you could do it by hand like the recipe link describes. Here's what I did:

1. Add flour and salt to the food processor.

2. Add butter and shortening and pulse until it until the butter and shortening are pea sized.

3. Add 1 tbs of cold water at a time into the processor pulsing in between until it can be formed into a ball. 5 tbs did it for me.

4. Remove and shape into a large disk. If you did the one recipe cut into 2 pieces, reshape into disks and wrap them in saran wrap. If you doubled it for top and bottom crust make 4 disks.

5. Place them in the fridge until your filling is made.

6. When ready - remove disks and place one on a piece of parchment paper. Place another piece on top and roll until it is bigger than your pie dish.

7. Peel off parchment and flip over into pie dish or over filling and cut off excess.

Chicken Pot Pie Filling Recipe

Enough for 2 9-inch pot pies

Ingredients

4 cups roasted shredded chicken thighs
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 chopped onions
2 potatoes chopped and peeled
2 carrots chopped and peeled
1 celery stalk chopped small
2 cups frozen peas
1 cup finely chopped kale
2 tsp sage
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp Low Sodium Chicken Bouillon Granules
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup corn starch
2 cups milk (I used 1%)

Instructions

In a saucepan pour half the chicken broth, add onion and bring to a boil.
Add the other half of the broth along with potatoes, carrots, peas, kale, bouillon granules, and spices.
Cook until potatoes are tender.
Mix milk with corn starch in a medium bowl and stir until combined well, set aside.
Rinse and dry your frozen peas and add to the pot.
Add the cornstarch mixture into the pot and cook on med high for about 5 minutes and has thickened.
Remove from heat and divide into your two pies.
If doing it bottomless make sure you generously grease your pie pan. Fill with pie filling and then top with a crust as described above.
Brush with an egg yolk mixed with a little milk if desired.
Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until browned.

Lunch Roundup #5

2012-03-02T07:40:00.006-08:00

Lunch Time!

The lunch of the week I picked has a sandwich on a skewer made of my homemade spelt bread, grilled chicken breast, sliced cheese, and baby spinach. The bento box also has carrots, strawberries, and some little whole wheat cinnamon crackers.

The sandwich is interesting isn't it? I can't take credit for its design - daughter #1 has gotten into helping me make lunches and she is much more creative with the food. Daughter #2 does not like sandwiches, but she likes all the parts of sandwiches. I know - weird - whatever - but if you give her a sandwich it comes back home untouched. Putting all the parts on a skewer just makes it a bit more fun and she can eat each part separate. If it were not a picky eater eating this there could be some other yummies on the stick like red peppers, cherry tomatoes, etc.

Now for the cute little homemade cinnamon crackers. I was getting ready to make these the other night and was whining to my sister to remind me why I am doing things like this from scratch. I put sugar on them and honey in them so its not like I am cutting down the sugar (actually I think I am). My Sis put me straight though. She said what I was trying to get the kids away from is the processed junk snacks they sell in the stores. Most have hydrogenated oils, and HFCS but even when they don't, they have a team of researchers trying to make the snacks addictive so people will buy more. If you haven't seen the 60 minutes show on the food industry tweaking foods to create food cravings you need to watch it:

Tweaking tastes and creating cravings November 27, 2011 12:45 PM Meet the scientists who create flavors that make foods and beverages so tasty that critics say they're addictive. Morley Safer reports.The Flavorists: Tweaking tastes and creating cravings

& I have seen this in action. If I buy a box of Teddy Grahams, or Little Debbie's that I tell the kids are for the dessert in their lunches they are ALWAYS gone in a day or two, making me go back to the store to buy more & more & more. That doesn't mean food you make at home can't be just as addictive (hello chocolate chip cookies) but I am finding that desserts and whole grained baked goods last a whole lot longer if I make them myself. They say they like them and they are excited about them, but they are not binge-eating on them one after another.

I took a basic recipe for whole wheat thin crackers from the LA Times and tweaked it to make it more of a sweet cracker for a dessert. I would have preferred to make graham crackers but I was making this from things in the cupboard and I don't have graham flour. That's great though because now if I need something like this in a pinch I know I can make something similar to graham crackers without going out to spend more food money.

Whole Wheat Honey Cinnamon Crackers

Ingredients

1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup milk (I used 1%)
2 tbs honey
1/3 cup canola oil
egg & 1/2 cup water for egg wash
cinnamon sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl combine salt, flour & pumpkin pie spice.
In a separate bowl combine milk, canola oil, and honey and mix well.
Pour the liquid ingredients in the flour mixture and mix with a spatula until all the liquid is absorbed. It should not be sticky. If it is add more flour.
Knead on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes.
Split the dough in half and wrap one half in the fridge. Take the other half and roll out with a rolling pin as thin as you can get it while still keeping it even. You want to do this between two sheets of parchment paper that you very very lightly floured.
If you want to make little shapes like I did, use a mini cookie cutter (1 1/2 - 2 inches) that doesn't have any points because those points will brown too fast. If you don't care about making them cute, just cut the dough into small wheat thin sized pieces using a pizza cutter.
You can have them very close together without touching as they do not rise.
Whisk one egg and 1/2 cup water for an egg wash and brush the tops of your crackers.
Dust with cinnamon sugar if you want to.
Bake @ 310 on the bottom piece of parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet for 22-24 minutes. I like to let them get a little brown before I take them out and let them cool all the way. They get more crisp as they cool.

This recipe makes 115 little mini crackers. I am waiting to find out the nutritional information. I added it into Livestrong but they have a new approval process so I don't know how long that will take. I will add the nutritional information as soon as I know!

Someone asked where I got my Bento Boxes. I bought mine at Bed, Bath, and Beyond and found the same ones at Old Navy (in colors), but I also searched the web and did find them on Amazon.com in all the pretty colors. They are BPA free too which is always good.

Chicken & Sweet Potato Bake

2012-03-01T10:43:00.000-08:00

Boneless, skinless chicken thighs were on sale last week, so I bought them and threw them in the freezer. Then I started looking for a recipe base of what I wanted to do with them. I love to think of flavors that sound good to me then just Googling "chicken, sweet potato, casserole". Almost every casserole recipe I come across has a sauce with flour to thicken it or the icky cream of whatever soups. I really don't find all that stuff necessary if you use fattier meats and good fats like coconut oil and butter.

This really doesn't look very pretty, but its extremely tasty.

Chicken & Sweet Potato Bake

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 6

INGREDIENTS:

1 large apple, diced

2 sweet potatoes, diced

1 small onion, sliced into half moons

½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1lb)

DIRECTIONS:

· Preheat oven to 400˚

· Peel and dice apple and sweet potatoes, slice onion into half moons, mix in a bowl with spices.

· Spread in the bottom of an 8 x 8 dish, top with chicken thighs and place ½ tbsp on butter on each thigh.

· Bake 45 minutes or until vegetables are soft and chicken is done.

Allow to cool, wrap tightly in foil, then freeze.

Nutrition:

6 PODS (serving) 194 calories, 7g fat, 111g sodium, 16G carb, 3g fiber, 18g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-chicken-sweet-potato-bake/

Scotch Eggs

2012-02-28T15:31:00.000-08:00

So. Scotch eggs. Hard boiled eggs wrapped in sausage. Mmmmm. Seriously? I read about them a couple places this week, my favorites being F.E.D. and Johnny Roadtrip. I really wanted to do a Pork x 3 egg with Canadian bacon, thick country bacon and sausage. Sadly, my Canadian bacon was too thick and wouldn't wrap around the egg well enough. I will defintately be re-trying this recipe with the Candian bacon.

These were really super easy. I wanted to add an extra Paleo-esque aspect by rolling them in the ground almonds and frying them in the bacon grease before throwing them in the oven. I am totally a breakfast person and I cannot imagine a more perfect breakfast unless I figured out how to add butter to this.

Scotch Egg

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 12

INGREDIENTS:

12 eggs, hard-boiled

12 slices thick cut bacon, lightly cooked

24 oz pork sausage

¼ cup ground almonds

Bacon drippings

DIRECTIONS:

· Preheat oven to 375˚

· If you can hard boil eggs the night before and cool in the fridge. Cook the bacon until done, but not crisp.

· Wrap each egg in a slice of bacon, then cover in 2 oz of pork sausage.

· Coat with ground almond, then cook in bacon drippings until lightly browned.

· Bake in oven on a raised rack for 45 minutes.

Allow to cool, wrap tightly in foil, then freeze.

Nutrition:

12 PODS (serving) 295 calories, 34 g fat, 716g sodium, 3G carb, 0g fiber, 19g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-scotch-egg/

Faux Italian Sausage Meat Sauce with Hidden Veggies for 3 Mealpod Recipes

2012-02-27T04:07:00.000-08:00

Artwork: Italian Decadence - colored pencil by Nicole Caulfield

If your family is like mine, it is very rare that everyone is completely happy with a given meal. Everyone has to make sacrifices. This week I did Italian - good ole red sauce Italian, but I did it 3 ways to make everyone happy. One red sauce and 3 Mealpod Recipes that is. I made a noodle-free eggplant lasagna for me (a recipe I posted before here), a whole wheat noodle lasagna for hubby, and whole wheat angel hair pasta for the kids. The sauce WAS a compromise however - because I added loads of hidden veggies (shhh the kids don't know how many I put in there).

If it weren't for making the meals into Mealpods (portioning them and freezing them in packs) I would not be able to cater to everyone's tastes. I spent two hours cooking all the recipes but I got about 24 servings of food out of it - with 3 different varieties. Not bad!

The sauce is the big star in all of these recipes. When I went shopping, the ground turkey was on sale - CHEAP. I don't really like the aftertaste of ground turkey so I decided to make a faux Italian sausage meat sauce using 2 lbs of the turkey on sale and 1 pound of ground sirloin. We try to keep our meats lean and lower in saturated fat if we can. I figured the sirloin would add some flavor, but then added fennel seeds (the seeds in Italian sausage), and red pepper flakes right into the meat before cooking to mimic the flavors of sausage.

Another camouflaged element in the sauce were those veggies. The trick to getting the kids to eat the veggies in the sauce and not pick them out is to cut them very very small. I think some people put them in the food processor after cooking and pour them in the sauce like a V8 but I like the chunks in the sauce even if they are small chunks.

So here is the recipe for the chunky sauce which you can layer in lasagna like I did, put it over pasta, or heck it tastes so good you can eat it as is. Hey its just like chilli!

Meat Sauce w/ Faux Italian Sausage & Hidden Veggies

This is a kid-friendly - chunky meat sauce with lean meats and teeny vegetables

Ingredients

1 lb ground sirloin
2 lbs ground turkey
1 zucchini chopped really small
1 small onion chopped really small
2 bell peppers chopped really small (your choice on color)
2 tsp fennel seeds
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 clove garlic or garlic powder
30 oz strained Pomi tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
2 tbs Italian Seasoning
1-2 tbs olive oil

Instructions

In a large bowl combine your meats and add fennel seeds, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper.
Brown in a pan and drain, set aside.
Dice your veggies really really small like the photo above and sautee with some minced garlic, olive oil, and Italian seasoning until softened.
In a large pot pour in your strained tomatoes, tomato paste, and add in your veggie mixture, and meat mixture.
Bring up to a simmer and them simmer for about 30 minutes.

- I used the sauce layered in the no-noodle eggplant lasagna. Recipe here (this one was for me)

- made a traditional noodle lasagna layering it with whole wheat noodles, part-skim ricotta & egg mixture, and part-skim mozzarella. (for hubby & the kids a bit) This recipe is really the noodle-less one but replacing the eggplant slices with whole wheat noodles. The trick to keeping it healthy is picking the part-skim dairy products (Sis might disagree on this one).

- lastly just mixed it with some angel hair whole wheat pasta for the kiddos who don't really like ricotta.

& here is the most beautiful thing. The freezer all stocked back up! There are still bags of other pods but they were getting pretty empty. You must be wondering if we eat frozen food every night. Well of course not. We ate fresh today, and we do a couple of other nights too. The Mealpods are eaten about 4 or 5 out of 7 nights which is such a treat not to cook on those nights without ordering takeout!

- Nicole

Fitness Goals 2012 (for turning 40)

2012-02-25T07:26:00.000-08:00

Me a couple of years ago in Hawaii
I was doing just upper body strength
trainingand running then.

This is a big year for me. I turn 40 in September and my oldest daughter just turned a teenager officially. Let me make sure you know I am NOT 40 yet. I turn 40 September 9th, 2012.

I played around with some fitness goals for the year. I thought about doing a half marathon again (I've done one - by myself, lol) but I just wasn't feeling it. I actually prefer doing cardio most days of the week and training for longer miles just makes me not able to do it 6-7 days a week. I know some people think you shouldn't do it everyday but I get CRANKY if I don't, so I really do it for the world in general - to make it a more beautiful place.

I've been ~~running~~ jogging for gosh years now and really like it. I like it mostly because it is free. You can do it on vacation too without being stuck in a little hotel workout room. I started to not like running as much lately though. Doing the same cardio every day makes the same muscles worn out and it was not serving me well for my crankiness, because sometimes I would not want to do it. Plus I managed to give myself plantar fasciitus which is not fun. Its like a bad exboyfriend that keeps on popping back up just when you think he's gone. Ouch.

Luckily a gorgeous new YMCA was built a 1/2 mile from my house & my health insurance paid for a good portion of it! So now I started alternating my cardio and not running every day. On a perfect week I do spin class Monday mornings, run Tuesday & Wednesday before work, Thursday do the cross trainer, run Friday, spin class on Saturday, and whatever I feel like on Sunday.

I also have been introduced (better) to the concept of interval training. I had heard of it before and have seen the setting on different machines but until I did spin class I did not really see the benefits. I always just jogged at a steady pace - every day. I have completely changed that though. I love intervals. They make the time go fast, they make it fun and rewarding, they make the speeds I used to think were fast seem slow, etc. Intervals put simply are just alternating between slower/easier work and harder/faster work in set intervals (or unset). You can do it for various amounts of time like run fast for 1 minute, slow for one, and repeat several times for 20-30 minutes. The goal is to get your heart rate up to 80-90% of your maximum for the hard intervals and back down for the easier ones. You really want your heart rate to go back down during the rest portions before you kick into your harder interval, so if your heart takes longer to slow back down you need to rest longer. A heart rate monitor is really helpful for that.

I am no fitness trainer (obviously) and I think you have to know you don't have any heart problems before doing interval training so please take my silly advice with caution. Actually don't think of this post as advice at all.

Here are some articles that talk about the benefits of interval training:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/03/fashion/03Fitness.html?pagewanted=all

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070627140103.htm

I've also added in strength training. I always wanted to, but I hated the first couple of weeks of soreness and I always thought that it would impair my running. Well I've been doing it for a couple of months and it has done the opposite. After the first two weeks of pain, that felt like I had the worst flu ever or maybe more like I was turning into a zombie, I think it has actually improved my running. I can do those intervals of sprints without my knees giving out. I can even race my 9 year old without that happening - although she always beats me. (I think I could run for longer though).

Right now I am just doing the weight machines at the Y and some free weights, but might do some of the strength classes they offer as well. There is a cross-training class (generic cross-fit) tomorrow if I can get up the nerve and do exercise with other people without a spin bike as a security blanket. Bites nails.

More on the benefits of strength training for runners:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-304--13093-0,00.html

http://www.performbetter.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/PBOnePieceView?storeId=10151&catalogId=10751&languageId=-1&pagename=195

So I don't have any set fitness goals for when I have to turn 40 this September (why do I have to)? I like the weight I am at. I am enjoying my exercise and I would like to keep on enjoying it. I would like to get less jiggly but I think the intervals will help with that as will the strength training.

I would love to hear about your fitness goals if you are turning 40 too, or 30, or 24 (I hate you). I would also love to hear your opinions on intervals or strength training as well.

-- Nicole

Lunch Roundup #4

2012-02-24T04:35:00.000-08:00

Lunch Round up is a bit different this week. The kids and I had off school/work for winter break. That's like spring break but in the winter for you non east coast people. :-) I thought maybe if I went ahead and made their lunchboxes as usual they would take them out of the fridge and eat their lunch or part of it when they were ready for it. So that is what I did Monday & nope, they did not want to have anything to do with it. Even with a little (not so) gentle coaxing from me. So for the rest of the week I just precut a bunch of their favorite fruits and salad fixings and stacked them in the refrigerator. Which worked out really well because we have had friends over, the kids have gone to their friends' houses, we've gone to the mall, my youngest got to go to an indoor water park, and having plenty of fruit and veggies cut up in the fridge has helped. On top of that we have sandwich fixings in the fridge as well as leftovers. I'll have to get more creative for summer I think!

I also made my usual treat for the week. This time I had Life as a Plate's Bananacado muffins printed out and ready to go but then got cold feet because of the expense of all the avocados and a couple of jars of almond butter. Plus my youngest does not like cooked banana recipes. :-( So I decided to start with her idea and make my own recipe.

This was actually a first for me - I have never made up a baked goods recipe. I used whole spelt flour, and replaced the oils in a standard chocolate cake recipe with the healthy oils in avocados and almond butter. My first try had a great texture but not much chocolatey taste, so I upped the cocoa and added some mini chocolate chips. Adding the chocolate chips, however, added some saturated fat and extra calories.

The taste and texture ended up turning out something like those Little Debbie's Brownies with the candies on top (Cosmic Brownies), which happen to be my 9 year old's favorite thing to beg for at the grocery store. One of those little packages has 280 calories, 11 grams of fat etc, not to mention questionable ingredients.

Mine below for one fudgey brownie bite has 86 calories and healthy fats. I know that no one ate just one, so you do have to at least double everything on the chart.

Fudgey Brownie Bites

Whole wheat spelt brownie bites with avocado and almond butter for healthy fats.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup (1 medium) smashed avocado
1/3 cup almond butter
2 eggs
1 3/4 whole spelt flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup Ghiradelli mini chocolate chips
1 cup hot water

Instructions

Mash your avocado with a fork to get rid of as many lumps as possible.
In a large bowl add avocado, sugar and almond butter and beat until smooth.
Melt 1/2 a cup of your chocolate chips and add to mixture.
Beat in eggs.
In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa.
Add milk to the avocado mixture alternating with flour mixture until well mixed. Add vanilla.
Mix in hot water.
Stir in remaining (not melted) chocolate chips.
Fill two mini cupcake pans with liners. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Yield: 48-52 mini cupcakes

After a sleepover this week, my daughter and her friends had some whole wheat mini bagels, scrambled eggs and cantaloupe for breakfast but wanted some junk food. I let them walk the almost mile to the gas station to get some (& the same distance back). This has been my policy in the summer too. If you want junk food you have to go and walk and get it. What do you all think about that? Sometimes they think its not worth the walk and sometimes they do. This is for my 13 year old, btw. My 9 year old has to go with the 13 year old and there are sidewalks the whole way. Plus this week it was unseasonably warm at 50 degrees.

- Nicole

Gluten-Free Mexican Casserole

2012-02-23T10:45:00.001-08:00

I love Mexican food, but it’s not easy to do Paleo. I have to allow myself some corn torillas and corn chips once in awhile. It’s not something I do often, but when the taste for it hits me I don’t make excuses.

You could be fancy-pants and make your own tortillas like my sister, which are delicious, but messy and kind of time consuming. Personally, I buy the authentic corn tortillas at my local Hispanic grocery store. They are made fresh in Chicago and don’t contain any preservatives.

When I reheat this one, I do top it with some sour cream and salsa. It actually turned out better than I thought it would. I love it when that happens!

Gluten-Free Mexican Casserole

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 9

INGREDIENTS:

1 ½ cups chicken broth

1 cup coconut milk

½ cup plain yogurt

14 oz diced tomatoes

4 oz green chilis

¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp oregano

½ tsp cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

1 ½ tsp coconut oil

1 cup onion, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups chicken, cooked

10 corn tortillas, cut in quarters

8 oz shredded cheddar

DIRECTIONS:

· Preheat oven to 375˚

· Combine broth, coconut milk, yogurt, tomatoes, chiles, parsley, chili powder, oregano and cumin. Season with salt and pepper.

· Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.

· Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 with half the tortillas. Top with half the chicken and half the onion mixture. Spoon half of the sauce evenly over the top. Repeat layers with remaining tortillas, chicken, onion mixture and sauce. Sprinkle with Cheddar. Bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.

Allow to cool, cut into 9 slices, then freeze.

Nutrition: 9 PODS - 255 calories, 10 g fat, 410g sodium, 23G carb, 3g fiber, 17g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-gluten-free-mexican-casserole

Apple Cinnamon Pork Muffins

2012-02-21T10:40:00.000-08:00

I saw this recipe for Apple Cinnamon Pork Loaf at Chowstalker and knew it had to be made into muffins for Mealpods! The muffins look kind of lonely up there and if I were eating them for dinner I would probably add some sweet potatoes or coleslaw or both. These are my lunch this week, though, so solo pork muffins it is!

Apple Cinnamon Pork Muffins

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 12

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs ground pork

2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored & diced

½ cup onion, diced

1 tbsp cinnamon

½ cup walnuts, chopped (set aside a few for topping)

¼ cup coconut milk

¼ cup white wine vinegar

½ cup almond meal

1 egg

3 tbsp applesauce

DIRECTIONS:

· Preheat oven to 375˚

· Combine all ingredients except applesauce in a large bowl, use your hands to mix all ingredients together until well combined

· Divide into 12 equal portions into a muffin tin

· Bake for 30 minutes, drain, then top with apple sauce and a few nuts, bake another 15 minutes

Allow to cool, then portion 2 muffins per mealpod for freezing

Nutrition: 6 PODS (servings) 517 calories, 38g fat, 280g sodium, 12G carb, 3g fiber, 33g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/apple-cinnamon-pork-muffins/

Mardis Gras Cajun Shrimp and Kale

2012-02-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

This version of cajun shrimp and rice is light on salt and oil and packed with healthy kale!

I knew I wanted to do something cajun for Mardis Gras and I had bought a big bunch of kale at Market Basket last week because they HAD it and they are usually out of it. I'm glad I did because it was perfect for the veggie in this week's Mealpod and it helped cut that spiciness down! Because boy this is spicy! I'm going to write the recipe with a little less cayenne so I don't hurt anyone.

Seriously Fun Cajun Seasoning

Cajun Rice with Shrimp and Kale

Ingredients

1 lb cooked extra large shrimp (not jumbo) if frozen thawed and dried
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp cajun seasoning (Slap Ya Mama or Old Bay)
4 cups low sodium chicken broth (or homemade)
2 tsp salt
3 tsp oregano
3 tsp paprika
3 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp no sodium chicken bouillon granules (optional)
1-3 tsp cayenne pepper (depends how daring you are!)
5 cups shredded kale
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice

Instructions

In a large pot add chicken broth, salt, oregano, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and bring to a boil.
Add in rice and kale. If there is too much kale for it to come to a boil again, hold some back and steam separate. Bring to a boil again.
Turn burner to low and put lid on. Let simmer for 18-20 minutes or until all liquid is gone. Set aside.
Add butter, oil, minced garlic cloves, and old bay seasoning in a large nonstick skillet on medium high heat.
Add defrosted shrimp and cook until shrimp is hot.
Add shrimp and juice to your rice mixture. Mic and serve hot and over steamed kale. Divide extra into Mealpods for the freezer. It made 8-10 Mealpods depending on how much you ate while cooking it!

- Nicole

Lunch Roundup 3

2012-02-17T05:17:00.000-08:00

Spelt bread turkey sandwich, raspberry mini cupcakes, strawberries, blueberries, and broccoli

Another week of bento lunches - woo-hoo! I had a request to do sandwiches this week. SO I decided to bake some spelt bread for them. I used spelt because it has much lower amounts of gluten in it compared to normal wheat. I can go on about how it is an ancient grain and yadah yadah yadah, but really I thought it would just be good to give them a variety since wheat is in so many things. Plus I am testing myself to see if eating spelt made favorites has the same effect on me as the wheat versions. Spelt is not an alternative btw for people with celiac disease, since it does contain some gluten.

Everything was Valentines theme of course too so if you are sick of hearts - sorry! Above is MY almond butter and jelly sandwich. I have not had one in FOREVER and I have to say with the spelt bread it was soooo good. We always use almond butter in the house since my daughter is allergic to peanuts. Above is store bought Barney Butter which tastes to me exactly like everyday peanut butter but with less sugar. They label it as completely peanut free which is really hard to find too. I played around with making my own almond butter in the food processor this week - but one recipe at a time, lol.

These are the cookie cutters I use for my cheese shapes...

you can use them on veggies, cheese, sandwiches, etc!

The trick is they are tiny.

Also in the lunches were a teeny tiny vanilla cupcake with raspberry frosting. I believe in a little of a bad thing is not so bad. I put frozen raspberries in the frosting to make the pink color and flavor. My daughter gave one away to her friend at lunch who tried it and said "There was a yummy smoothie on that cupcake... it made the cupcake kind of a let down!" LOL

Recipe for spelt bread: I made 2 loaves in my food processor. Making bread is easy, but messy and someone always asks you to give them a ride when you are waiting for it to rise to do the next step, but it is so worth it. I used half whole Spelt flour that comes packaged by Bob's Red Mill and half from the bulk section that looks more like white flour. I used one yeast packet for both loaves for a denser loaf, but you can use two for a lighter one.

Spelt Bread

Requires a LARGE food processor

Ingredients

2 2/3 cups warm water
1 envelope Active Dry Yeast
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup sunflower oil
2 tsp salt
6-7 cups Spelt flour

Instructions

Add water to your food processor with the dough blade in. Sprinkle in yeast and pulse to dissolve.
Add 1 1/2 cups flour and pulse until smooth.
Remove the bowl from your base and allow it to rest in a warm draft free place with its lid on and a towel draped over it for 1- 1/2 hours or until it gets a spongey top.
Stir the sponge down and add honey, oil, salt and 2 cups more flour. Pulse to mix well.
Turn your food processor on and add remaining flour a little at a time until it turns to dough and pulls off the dough on the sides. It should be sticky. Let it process for 1-2 minutes to knead.
Place in a large oiled bowl and turn it to coat with oil. Place a towel over it and let sit for an hour.
Punch dough down and transfer to an oiled cutting board or counter. Separate in half and smoosh into two 8 x 12" rectangles. Roll one end tightly like a jelly roll and pinch ends.
Place in two greased loaf and and let sit with a towel over them for 1 hour.
Bake 375 for 30-35 minutes

Yield: 2 loaves

Carrot Cake Pancakes with Honey Butter

2012-02-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

Carrot Cake Pancakes were a favorite from my pre-Paleo days. The original recipe used regular flour and brown sugar and lowfat everything. I have added coconut oil and use local, organic honey with Kerrygold butter for my topping. No syrup needed here!

For photograping purposes I have added some Omelet Muffins and thick sliced country bacon. In reality, I will eat half of this as my breakfast. It sure does look awesome, though, all piled up high on the plate! I could eat all that if I didn't want to eat the rest of the day. As a formerly obese person, I still have to watch my calories pretty tight, Paleo eater or not.

Carrot Cake Pancakes with Honey Butter

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 6

INGREDIENTS:

1 ¼ cups almond flour

¼ cup chopped walnuts

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

Dash of nutmeg

Dash of ginger

¼ cup maple sugar

¾ cup buttermilk

1 tbsp coconut oil, melted

1 ½ tsp vanilla

2 eggs

2 cups carrot, grated

3 tbsp butter, softened

2 tbsp honey

DIRECTIONS:

· Mix dry ingredients together until fully blended. Add milk, oil and eggs, then fold in carrots.

· Heat skillet with coconut oil, spoon mixture onto hot skillet, about 2 overflowing tablespoons per pancake. Allow pancake to cook until you see the edges start to brown. Flip gently and continue to cook until done.

· Combine butter and honey in a small bowl and serve with pancakes.

Nutrition: 6 PODS - 392 calories, 30g fat, 356g sodium, 22G carb, 4g fiber, 10g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-carrot-cake-pancakes-honey-butter/

Make Ahead Chicken, Mushroom & Wild Rice Casserole

2012-02-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

Last week's make ahead casserole was delicious, so I really want to try to make one every week. My daughter has a lot of activities after school, so we often don't walk in the door until 6pm and getting dinner on the table by 7pm is usually the plan.

I put this together while making my other mealpods for the week. While the Apple Cinnamon Pork Muffins were being mixed up, I threw the chicken in the oven for the casserole. The onions I chopped were or both recipes. I portioned out all of the ingredients for this recipe while waiting for the other to finish cooking.

Make Ahead Chicken, Mushroom & Wild Rice Casserole

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 8

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup wild rice

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked

2 tbsp coconut oil

¼ cup onion, chopped

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

1 cup chicken broth

¼ cup almond flour

½ cup parmesan cheese, grated

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup parsley, chopped

2 cups frozen French cut green beans

½ cup sliced almonds

DIRECTIONS:

· Cook wild rice to package directions, set aside

· Heat oil in dutch oven add onions until just starting to brown, add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until the liquid has been released and evaporated. Add chicken broth and increase heat to boiling, cooking until most of liquid has been evaporated.

· Sprinkle the green beans with almond flour, add coconut milk, bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Stir in Parmesan, sour cream and parsley. Remove from heat.

· In a 9 x 13 pan, spread the rice in an even layer in the dish, top with the chicken broken into bite sized pieces, then the green beans. Pour the sauce over the top and spread evenly. Sprinkle with almonds.

Cover and keep refrigerated for up to 2 days. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350˚ and cook for 30 minutes.

Nutrition: 8 PODS - 277 calories, 16 g fat, 200g sodium, 13G carb, 2g fiber, 20g protein

nutrition information estimated at Livestrong.com:

http://www.livestrong.com/recipes/mealpod-chicken-mushroom-wild-rice-casserole/

I have one of the corningware dishes with a fitted plastic lid that I love. It comes with a carrier so you can easily bring it to events.

Easy Chicken Teriyaki Stir Fr

2012-02-13T07:01:00.000-08:00

I let hubby pick what to make this week for one of my Mealpod recipes and he picked a tofu and vegetable teriyaki stir-fry. I am not a big fan of tofu, so I made an easy teriyaki marinade/sauce and made 1/2 with tofu and half with chicken. The protein really doesn't take center stage anyway - its those gorgeous veggies!

-Nicole

This will not make it to the freezer and will instead be devoured cold or heated up all week. I am going to try and freeze one serving to see how it reheats as well but I'm not hopeful. The beauty of a stir-fry is still crisp veggies.

Chicken & Vegetable Stir-fry (and tofu too)

to make this you will need:

3 large chicken breasts
1 package extra firm tofu (or double your chicken)
a big bowl full of fresh stir-fry veggies, cut, rinsed and dries and ready to go (about 6 cups) Your choice here - I used red peppers, shredded carrots, broccoli florets and snow peas
triple batch of teriyaki sauce recipe
2 tbs oil of your choice

The night before or 3 hours before cooking:

Make your marinade/sauce (recipe from Robin Robertson's Quick-Fix Vegetarian)

This has been tripled so you don't have to do the math. Just combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 freshly squeezed orange juice
3/4 cup Tamari
6 tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 tbs light brown sugar
salt & black pepper

Cut your chicken into smaller pieces and using a meat tenderizer, tenderize a little bit on each side. Place in a ziploc bag with enough marinade to cover chicken but not too much over (you want enough sauce left to have with the finished meal). Place in the fridge overnight.
Yum
Before mealtime:

Start by prepping your veggies. Cut your broccoli into smaller florets, cut your red peppers into thin strips, etc. Make sure to wash and dry (I use a salad spinner) too. Set aside
For tofu place 1 tbs oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and brown on both sides. Remove from heat and set aside.
For chicken place 1-2 tbs oil in nonstick skillet over medium - medium high heat. Drain the chicken and stir fry until slightly browned. Set aside.
If your pan is too dirty get a new pan or wash the one you have. In the same skillet add a little oil if needed and stir-fry the veggies just until starting to get soft. You want a good crunch in them if you are going to heat up later in the week. Plus they are so good that way. Turn down the heat to low.
While the skillet is still hot add your chicken or tofu (divide if you made both) and pour with remaining or some of the sauce/marinade and just warm everything up. Serve right away and store the rest in the fridge for the week. Its great cold too.

I am not sure how many serving this made - maybe 8 - we have been snacking on it all day.

This pic was screaming for our website url!

Lunch Update Week 2

2012-02-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

Lunch Box #2

I've decided to post one kids' lunch from the week every week. I am sure I am going to have many repeats of lunches so I am hoping this will keep me on my toes. When I find something that the kids like and do it over and over again they eventually get sick of it, so I need to not get stuck in a rut.

So you know I eat gluten-free but my family does not. The lunches I post will have gluten in them, but not always. I am planning on trying some recipes next week that use whole spelt flour instead of regular flour and see how that goes (spelt has minimal amounts of gluten), but for now I used my leftover pizza dough and made whole wheat heart shaped bread sticks to go with the other things in the lunch.

I would really like a better balance in the lunchboxes - 1/2 fruit and veggies and the other half protein and a grain. That seems attainable although I am not there yet. Another goal is to "have a rainbow" of colors of fruits and veggies. That is from one of the tips posted by Primal Kitchen who makes her preschooler paleo lunchboxes every day. She is such an inspiration and knows what she is talking about! Today's box has carrots, fresh pineapple and kiwi, a hard boiled egg, slice of bacon, a whole wheat heart breadstick and cheese "hearts." I am including a little dessert every day to keep them excited about the boxes. Today is little mini chocolate cupcakes with no frosting.

I used the leftover whole wheat dough from my mini pizzas to make the breadsticks.

1/2 Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
By Nicole CaulfieldINGREDIENTS
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 packet Fleishmann's rapid rise yeast
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg
kosher salt

INSTRUCTIONS
Put all your flour, salt, and yeast in a heavy duty food processor with the dough blade in.
Warm up a cup of water in the microwave on high for a minute. Remove and mix in 1 cup hot water from the tap. Mix in the oil with the water.
Pour the water/oil mixture into the food processor and turn on. Let it go for a couple of minutes or until you have a well mixed dough. If you need to add water or flour go ahead
Let sit for 10 minutes in an oiled bowl with a towel over the top.
Pull of 2 inch balls of dough and roll a long coil. Wrap around to make a heart and pinch the bottom to make a point.
Brush with whipped egg and sprinkle with kosher salt.
Bake @ 375 until browned.
If you don't have a food processor - mix half the flour with salt & yeast & all of the water/oil mixture. Combine well and then add the remaining flour. Knead until smooth and doughy. Resume with step # 4.

Like my jumbo silicone muffin cups? They make great dividers!

Greek Meatza

2012-02-07T11:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, to be honest? The Margherita Meatza was better than this one. This is tasty, don't get me wrong, but apparently, Greek just isn't my thing. It probably needs more spinach and another kind of cheese, but I wanted to stay true to the Greek thing and leave it with just feta.

Greek Meatza

By mealpod

Published 02/09/2012

Paleo pizza with a meat crust and greek toppings.

Ingredients

1 1/2lb ground beef

1/2 lb ground lamb

2 egg

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

1 tsp salt

1 tsp fennel seed

1 tsp oregano, ground

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and measure and mix your crust seasonings together in a small bowl.

Place beef in large mixing bowl and eggs. Once you have thoroughly mixed in the egg add the seasoning mix and Parmesan cheese. Flatten beef into a 12 x 17 jelly roll pan and place into oven for 10 minutes.

Spread the crust evenly with feta.

Arrange tomatoes on the top, then remaining ingredients.

Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is melty, about 10 minutes.

Prep Time: 20

Cook time: 20

Nutrition

Calories: 269

Fat: 17

Sodium: 492

Totalcarbs: 3

Protein: 26

Bacon & Brie Stuffed Chicken Rolls

2012-02-07T10:24:00.000-08:00

So. I attempted to make something more "Mealpod" and less "Paleo" but I failed. LOL. I tried to add rice to my crockpot recipe and it turned into a gelatinous mass! I think maybe I was supposed to add it at the last hour instead of slow cooking it forever.

Anyway! The chicken tastes delicious and it's moist and bacon-y. Pounding out the chicken was.not.fun. I need to get some better kitchen tools. I think this recipe really has potential and I will probably try it again!

Bacon & Brie Stuffed Chicken Rolls

By mealpod

Published 02/08/2012

Palo crockpot recipe, boneless skinless chicken breasts filled with bacon and brie cheese.

Ingredients

3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

6 pieces bacon, cooked

6 ounces of brie

1/2 cup almond flour

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 tsp sage

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 cups chicken broth

Instructions

Flatten chicken breasts to 1/4" thickness. Place 1 slice of bacon and 1 oz brie in each breast. Roll up and tuck in ends, secure with toothpicks

Combine almond flour, parmesan cheese, sage, paprika & pepper. Coat chicken on all sides, cover and refrigerate for an hour.

In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil, then transfer to slow cooker. Add broth and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 2:00

Cook time: 5:00

Nutrition

Calories: 344

Fat: 27

Sodium: 723

Totalcarbs: 4

Dietaryfiber: 1

Protein: 24

Make Ahead Cheesy Beef, Broccoli & Potato Casserole

2012-02-07T10:18:00.000-08:00

So, this was an unexpected Mealpod! I knew that my daughter had a lot of activities this week and I didn't want to have to buy dinner out too many of the nights, so I googled for "make ahead casseroles" and found something close to this recipe at Eating Well. Except for all the non-Paleo crap ingredients, so I Paleo'd this one up and it turned out FANTASTIC!

I made the casserole Sunday morning while doing my normal cooking for the week. I put the whole thing together in a 9 x 13 dish and put it in the fridge. When I got home from Sarah's activity last night, I threw it in the oven and baked it.

Maybe I was just super hungry, but I thought it was really, really yummy. Plus the recipe made a lot more than I needed for dinner, so I was able to put 2 Mealpods away for future use!

Cheesy Beef, Broccoli & Potato Casserole

By mealpod

Published 02/07/2012

A make ahead Paleo casserole with ground beef, fresh broccoli and shredded potatoes

Ingredients

4 cups broccoli

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 1/2 lbs ground beef 85/15

1 cup onion

2 tbsp Worcesterchire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

2 cups shredded cheese

1/4 tsp tumeric

1 egg

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp paprika

2 cups shredded potatoes

Instructions

1/2 4 potatoes and boil for 7 minutes, use grater to shred large into hashbrown type potatoes, set aside.

Toss broccoli with 1 tablespoon oil in a large bowl. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast, stirring once halfway though, until just soft and browned in spots, about 15 minutes, set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add beef and onion and cook, breaking up the beef with a wooden spoon, until the beef is browned and the onion is softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in Worcestershire, garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt, set aside.

Spread the beef mixture in a 9-by-13-inch (or similar 3-quart) baking dish. Top with the broccoli and sprinkle cheese evenly over the top.

Combine potatoes, egg, pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Sprinkle paprika evenly over the casserole.

Bake the casserole until it is bubbling and the potatoes are beginning to brown, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 8

Nutrition

Calories: 366

Fat: 14

Totalcarbs: 15

Dietaryfiber: 3

Protein: 28

Prep Time: 20

Cook time: 60

Dark Chocolate Kisses

2012-02-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

For Valentines Day I made molded chocolate kisses.

I love making molded chocolate, but I really dislike the candy melts they sell at the craft stores. They taste terrible and have loads of sugar and hydrogenated oil in them. They also have artificial flavor as the last ingredient which boggles my mind. I mean chocolate and a little vanilla is all you need. So I make mine using melted chocolate chips and a little sunflower oil. I might not be able to get the really shiny look or fancy colors of the candy melts but the chocolate tastes good and has less sugar. You can see the difference below on Ghiradelli chocolate chips' ingredients and Wilton candy melts' ingredients. I used Ghiradelli because that's what they had at Target - but I am sure you can use any semisweet chocolate you want including organic chocolate bars broken up. Just put a tablespoon of sunflower or other oil in about 10 ounces of chocolate and melt using a double boiler or at 1/2 power in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Take the chips out of the microwave when they are still lumpy and let them melt while stirring with a spoon. Spoon into your mold and put in the plastic ring pop ring if you have them. That just makes it fun! I like to speed up the hardening process by putting them in the freezer for about 5 minutes. I am impatient!

Ingredients Wilton candy melts - sugar, partially hydrogenated palm kernal oil, whole milk solids, cocoa powder processed with alkali, reduced mineral whey powder, cocoa powder, soy lechithin, salt, artificial flavor

Ingredients Ghiradelli 60% cacao chocolate chips - Bittersweet Chocolate (unsweetened chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter, milk fat, soy lechithin - an emulsifier, vanilla).

The kids will be getting these in their bento lunch boxes one day this week as a preview to Valentine's day! They would also make great school valentine gifts.

Here's a similar candy mold at Amazon that has the space for lollipop sticks so you won't need the plastic rings:

Super Bowl Fluffy Meatloaf Cupcakes

2012-02-05T10:31:00.000-08:00

My sister usually does the MEAT recipes on our site and I usually do the ones packed with grains as well as veggies and a little meat, but I was so intrigued by all the paleo meat cupcakes I've been seeing. Then I spotted Meat Ball Pancakes in my vintage Betty Crocker cookbook and thought I'd have to try them as cupcakes! Plus I know my daughters will eat them! My oldest even took a picture of hers last night and Facebooked it to her friends, lol.

My husband on the other hand likes to limit how much red meat we eat, but I think these paired with the sweet and sour brussel sprouts I also made is a great meal and the cupcake is already made into a limited portion for the meat, so you know you are not eating too much. The potatoes on top are really basic boiled mashed potatoes but would be even better for you and cuter with sweet potato mashed poatoes.

So here is the Betty Crocker pancake recipe that I altered into cupcakes. Let me know if you try the pancakes!!! I posted the recipe I did for the cupcakes below. Mine is very similar to the pancakes, but I added loads of finely diced veggies into ours.

Fluffy Meatloaf Cupcakes

By Nicole Caulfield

Fluffy meat cupcakes with veggies inside!

Ingredients

1 egg yolks, lightly beaten (you can use less if you like)
1 pound ground meat (of your choice)
1/4 tsp. baking powder (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
garlic powder (I just dumped some in)
1 cup diced veggies (carrots, yellow peppers, green peppers, green onions)
3-4 egg whites stiffly beaten

Instructions

Combine ingredients in a large bowl, except the egg whites.
In a separate bowl whip your egg whites until stiff.
Gently fold in the egg whites until you get a sort of batter.
Pour the mixture into foil cupcake liners in a muffin pan about 3/4 full. Throw away the paper inserts.
Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until the tops brown. If they seem finished but the tops aren't brown, throw them under the broiler for a minute or two.
Top with Mashed potatoes, and garnish with sliced green onions!

Curious how these will fit into Mealpods for the week? We ate some for dinner last night. We packaged some sans potatoes in our Mealpod foil packs for the freezer. I left some out in the fridge for dinner later in the week or to use in the bento lunch boxes. You can also see the brussel sprouts I made that were so good. I may post that recipe as well because I altered the one I linked to (no quinoa, used dried cranberries). I put the leftover brussel sprouts in the fridge last night and already had some cold with a cold cupcake from the fridge and it was so good. I think the brussel sprouts were in some ways better cold, so those will end up in my and my husband's bento boxes on Monday (if I don't eat them all first). The freezer cupcakes will be taken out at dinnertime over the next few weeks and paired with some extra veggies. I like a plate with half veggies, and half other stuff.

NUTRITION: 12 PODS (SERVINGS) 96 CALORIES, 4G FAT, 180G SODIUM, 1G CARB, .5G FIBER, 12G PROTEIN from Livestrong.com

Lunch Roundup

2012-02-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share with you how the first week of bento lunches went. Picky eater loved it. We had loads of fun making them (at least I did) and older daughter enjoyed making them with me for two days and then left the task for methe rest of the week. We did have one pizza left for Friday and two kids wanting said mini pizza so I had to come up with something fun (instead of grilled chicken salad) for one of them.

We had had Mealpod dinners all week so tonight I cooked tacos with homemade corn tortillas for dinner. I posted the simple recipe for tortillas last month. They were "kitchen sink" tacos with things that were leftover from the week. I found an acorn squash in the back of the fridge and a red pepper, so I cooked up some 90% lean ground beef, added some chilli powder, cayenne pepper, and cumin seeds. Made tortillas. & Roasted the acorn squash in the oven sprinkled with some cumin seeds. After everything was cooked I piled the beef, spicy squash, crunchy fresh red peppers sliced thin and a bit of avocado. The result was sweet and spicy with a bit of a crunch with the red peppers. It was so delicious.

Tacos tonight was perfect for coming up with the last minute pizza alternative for my daughter's bento lunch tomorrow. I took some of the raw corn tortilla mix (masa & water - see the tortilla recipe), pressed it out in the tortilla press and put some cheese and a little meat in the center. I topped it with more tortilla dough and pressed it all around like a ravioli. Next I cut it out into a more circular shape with a round cutter, spritzed it with olive oil and popped it in the oven at 375 until it browned. I made a few so we could try it and see if it was good for lunch and daughter #1 and Dad voted yes. :-) I am calling it a round taquito but I'm not really sure what to call it. Topped with a bit of salsa it would be sooo yummy - even picky daughter #2 was rethinking the pizza she insisted on. :-)

& here it is in the lunch box. We are calling this one "Patriots lunch" - since it is the last school day before the super bowl and here in New England everyone is getting revved up. I made sure everything was red, white, or blue and made some star "tortilla chips" by baking cut out tortilla dough in the oven with a bit of olive oil spray and sea salt.

I wrote my list for next week's Mealpod dinners and lunch menu today, so I'll be back soon!

- Nicole

Paleo Turkey Goulash

2012-01-31T10:56:00.001-08:00

I have a pile of my "old" (Pre-Paleo) recipes that I loved so I keep them and try to turn them into Paleo recipes. This is one of those recipes. Rather than using non-stick cooking spray and pasta, I subbed in butter and mushrooms for this recipe. It's really pretty quick to make and the seasonings are items I usually have on hand all the time. I went ahead and left the ground turkey as ground turkey, because it's so plain it really allows you to taste the vegetables.

Turkey Goulash

By mealpod

Published 01/31/2012

A paleo version of a traditional goulash

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 cups onion, chopped

1 pound ground turkey

2 cups mushrooms, chopped

2 large zucchini, chopped

6 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cayenne

1 bay leaf, crushed

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1 cup chicken broth

Instructions

Saute the onion, mushroom, zucchini and garlic in butter until slightly softened.

Add ground turkey and cook until lightly browned.

Add chicken broth and seasonings and bring mixture to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce to simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until veggies are tender.

Portion into 6 pods, allow to cool, then freeze.

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 10

Cook time: 60

Nutrition

Calories: 246

Fat: 16

Sodium: 535

Totalcarbs: 11

Dietaryfiber: 3

Protein: 16

Lunch Time - planning lunches for the family

2012-01-30T20:00:00.000-08:00

Lunch Time!

My 13 year old is a great eater. She will try anything and usually picks fruits and veggies to eat over other things (except chocolate cake). My 9 year old on the other hand is a bad eater and very recently has gotten even worse. Most recently she throws tantrums about eating good foods - just wanting to eat snacks or "treats" all day.

I am going to try and turn the situation around. Making kids food nutritious and fun is hot these days, so I am jumping in on the trend to see if it works. This study says it might, lol, &THIS post is my first try at American bento boxes.

warning: the following food will have wheat and is far from Paleo (most of it), but my family doesn't follow my rules and this is for them. It is all wholesome or homemade however & not all of it has wheat!

I thought I should start out with something that I know she likes, is treat-like, but I can make healthier. So I made home-made mini pizzas with my own whole wheat pizza dough, part-skim mozzarella, and a chunky pizza sauce . I used store bought because I was making so many things, but there are some good sauces out there. The stars are pepperoni, but few and they are nitrate free. The star shape is just a cookie cutter. I made more pizzas for my husband's lunch too using the extra veggies I had from making our Mealpod dinners and cooking them first in a teeny bit of olive oil, spices, and garlic. He also got the bits of pepperoni left after I cut out those stars with a cookie cutter!

Here's the recipe for the pizza dough using half whole wheat and 1/2 regular flour. If you are gluten free and want to make mini pizzas for lunch - there are mixes by Hodgson's Mill. I have never tried them though so I can't say how they are.

hubby's pizza

1/2 Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

By Nicole Caulfield

Ingredients

2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 packet Fleishmann's rapid rise yeast
2 cups hot water
1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions

Put all your flour, salt, and yeast in a heavy duty food processor with the dough blade in.
Warm up a cup of water in the microwave on high for a minute. Remove and mix in 1 cup hot water from the tap. Mix in the oil with the water.
Pour the water/oil mixture into the food processor and turn on. Let it go for a couple of minutes or until you have a well mixed dough. If you need to add water or flour go ahead
Let sit for 10 minutes in an oiled bowl with a towel over the top.
Pull of 3 inch balls of dough and form into pizza rounds. Place on a greased cookie sheet.
Add sauce of your choice, part-skim mozzarella and toppings. Bake on the second to bottom rack @ 375 for 15 minutes or until the cheese gets bubbly.

If you don't have a food processor - mix half the flour with salt & yeast & all of the water/oil mixture. Combine well and then add the remaining flour. Knead until smooth and doughy. Resume with step # 4.

Yield: 14 mini pizzas (give or take a few)

To make the pepperonis look like stars, I just used a tiny star cookie cutter I had in my Christmas things. For the toppings for my husband's pizza I cut up onions, and mushrooms, and sauteed them in a little pan with olive oil spray, garlic powder, oregano, basil, and a bit of black pepper. I didn't actually caramelize them all the way. I cooked them until they were soft and a good amount of their juice went into the pan. I drained them on a paper towel so there wouldn't be too much moisture on the pizzas.

I don't think they will want pizza every day this week so I froze half of them and grilled up some chicken breasts for the non-pizza days.

I made 75 blueberry buttermilk oat bran mini muffins (they are tiny) to be the healthy dessert for the week and froze some as well. Recipe below.

Here are this week's variations on lunch: I hope they get eaten well!

Katie's grilled chicken salad, mini blueberry muffins, grapes, & strawberries

kid mini pizza, blueberry muffins, strawberries & grapes, and carrot sticks

hubby's veggie pizza strawberries, grapes, blueberry muffins, & a tomato

Cucumber Dill Chicken Salad

2012-01-30T10:06:00.000-08:00

So, this is where we usually tell a story about the recipe and when we made it. Umm.... I don't have a story today. I had leftover dill and wanted to use it. I like buying rotisserie chicken when it's $3.99 for a whole chicken and making easy food with it. So this is why we have Cucumber Dill Chicken Salad this week. Plus. It's yummy.

Cucumber Dill Chicken Salad

By mealpod

Published 01/30/2012

A light and refreshing take on chicken salad, Paleo-style

Ingredients

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 cup cucumber, finely diced

2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped

1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

4 cups chicken breast, cooked

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together, except chicken, then add in chicken and stir gently to coat.

Portion into 6 pods, approx 1/2 cup each and store in refrigerator.

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 10

Nutrition

Calories: 224

Fat: 8

Sodium: 160

Totalcarbs: 2

Dietaryfiber: 6

Protein: 32

Easy Slowcooker Chicken Curry

2012-01-29T12:18:00.001-08:00

This week I remade the butternut millet casserole from last week because I liked it so much and it is completely gone. The millet recipe makes a bit of a mess in the kitchen, so I needed an easy slowcooker recipe to go with it for the week. This one is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe to make it into a Mealpod, and I couldn't believe how EASY it was AND there are no weird ingredients if you have Indian spices already. The result is good (not amazing) but definitely something I would make again because it is easy and cheap.

-Nicole

Easy Slowcooker Chicken Curry

By Mealpod
Published 01/29/2012

This chicken curry is the easiest crockppot recipe I think I have done in a long time. It has been adapted from Martha Stewart's Chicken Curry recipe to be made into a Mealpod.

Ingredients

3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 1/2 tbs Madras curry powder (or your favorite)
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 ts sea salt
4 tsp garlic minced
16 oz. frozen green peas
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups (1 can) lite coconut milk
1 1/2 cups jasmine rice

Instructions

In a large slow cooker, toss in chicken, onion, ginger, curry powder, coriander, cumin, salt, and garlic.
Set the crockpot on high and cook for 3-4 hours or until chicken is soft and can be shredded easily.
When the chicken is finished, add in coconut milk, carrots and peas and cook for 20 more minutes.
In your rice cooker add 1 1/4 cups rice and 2 1/2 cups water and cook. If you don't have a rice cooker, cook according to rice directions.
Remove the chicken and shred with two forks and add back into the crockpot.
Remove about 1.5 cups of juice from the crockpot and set aside.
Add rice to the crockpot and combine. Turn off slow cooker and let cool. Package into 12 Mealpods. Store the extra sauce in the fridge for the week to add to your Mealpod if you like or you can toss it.

Yield: 13 pods

Prep Time: 10
Cook time: 04:30

Tags: chicken, curry, crockpot, slowcooker

Sweet Potato, Bacon & Egg Salad

2012-01-26T10:43:00.000-08:00

Sunday Cooking with Sis

Week of 1/22

I consider this recipe another Paleo staple. The dressing is really the star of this dish. I could eat it by itself (and have) or on a salad, but really the flavors just go so amazing with the sweet potato it's a perfect match.

Someday, I will make my own mayonnaise. I'm not sure what about it scares me or makes me not want to do it. I have a lot of recipes for homemade mayonniase. I know in order to be a true Paleo eater that I totally should ditch the jarred mayo. I apologize in advance. Please feel free to make your own mayo for this recipe.

SWEET POTATO, BACON & EGG SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups cooked sweet potato, diced

4 hard-boiled eggs, diced

8 slices cooked bacon, sliced

8 tbsp dill weed, chopped

4 tbsp mayonnaise

4 tbsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

· Start with cooked sweet potato, eggs and bacon

· Dice eggs and sweet potato, slice bacon add to large bowl.

· In a separate bowl combine dill, mayo and lemon juice.

· Add dill mixture to the sweet potato mixture and stir gently to combine.

Portion into 8 pods, this will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Note: Serving size is approximately ½ cup as a side dish, as a meal you can eat more!

Nutrition: 8 PODS (servings) 175 calories, 11g fat, 124g sodium, 11G carb, 2g fiber, 7g protein

Lemon Chicken with Rosemary Squash

2012-01-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

Sunday Cooking with Sis

Week of 1/22

Chicken thighs are cheap and so easy to make well. They are pretty much my go to when money is tight and I need food for the week.

I happened to have squash, but this works with zucchini and potatoes too, but potatoes have to be cooked longer. I threw in freshly grated Parmesan cheese that isn't in my recipe because I had it in the fridge and it just sounded good. Adding cheese is always a bonus.

Ingredients

6 chicken thighs, bone in with skin

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp oregano

1/3 cup lemon juice (or juice of 1 lemon)

1/2 cup water

2 medium yellow squash, sliced in circles

1 tbsp rosemary, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1 tbsp coconut oil

Instructions

Sprinkle squash with herb mixure

Heat coconut oil in large skillet, add squash and cook until lightly browned on both sides,

Season chicken pieces with garlic powder and paprika, place in shallow baking pan skin side down.

Combine remaining ingredients, pour over chicken. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Turn chicken, sprinkle with Parmesan and continue cooking another 20 minutes until skin is brown and crispy.

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 10

Cook time: 60

Nutrition

Calories: 226

Fat: 17

Sodium: 71

Total Carbs: 3

Dietary Fiber: 1

Protein: 14

Omelet Muffins

2012-01-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

Sunday Cooking with Sis

Week of 1/22

Omelet Muffins are a Paleo eating staple, but they work good for everyone. It's a super easy way to have a hot, delicious breakfast every day of the week. You can use absolutely any toppings you want, meat, fruit, veggies, cheeses. The only limit is your imagination and what's in your pantry.

This week I made bacon and feta muffins they are extremely simple and tasty.

Omelet Muffins

By mealpod

Ingredients

12 eggs

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup shredded cheese of choice

6 slices cooked bacon

1/2 cup assorted fresh vegetables, diced

Instructions

Whisk together eggs, mayo and water

Pour into well greased muffin tins

Add toppings to each muffin

Bake 20 minutes at 350 or until eggs are firm, but not brown

Portion into 2 muffins per foil pod, allow to cool, then freeze

Yield: 6 pods

Prep Time: 10

Cook time: 20

I usually eat them the week I make them, just pop them in the microwave to 15/20 seconds to warm them. You can freeze them and them heat them in the oven too.

Millet Butternut Squash Gratin

2012-01-23T05:04:00.000-08:00

Millet Butternut Squash Gratin

My grocery store peels and cubes butternut squash in nice big packages that I keep on salivating at when I go past that produce aisle. So I scoured the internet for some type of butternut squash casserole that was not based on maple syrup or sugar which is easier said than done.

I found this one on Huffington Post Food for Butternut Squash Millet gratin. (the link does not seem to be working anymore - sorry - but it is the right link!) It has the grain Millet in it (obviously) which I checked to make sure was gluten free. It is - and apparently also the number 1 ingredient in bird seed.

I changed the recipe a little - adding loads of diced mushrooms and lessening the thyme and adding sage into the mix. The result is savory but still a little sweet only from the roasted squash. The eggs and cheese get mixed with the cooked millet which creates a crust for the casserole. It tasted good right away but tasted even better the next day after the onions had time to designate their flavors in the slice better. Its actually so good I think I might make it again next week because all 15 pieces are gone. Oops. Considering it is good for breakfast as well as lunch or dinner that is not surprising.

Millet Butternut Squash Gratin

By Mealpod
Published 01/19/2012

A sweet and savory casserole Mealpod with butternut squash and millet.

Ingredients

1 whole butternut squash peeled and cubed
3 tbs olive oil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sage
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup finely diced mushroom
1 cup onion diced
1 clove garlic minced
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1.5 cups millet
4 eggs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450. Grease a 2.5 quart glass pan or casserole dish.
Pour 1 tbs oil onto a cookie sheet and arrange cubed squash in 1 layer (use two pans if needed) and sprinkle with thyme, sage and S&P to taste. Drizzle with a little more olive oil. Bake for 20 minutes at 450, or until soft.
While squash is in the oven, sautee mushrooms, onions and garlic in a tbs of olive oil until slightly softened - about 2 minutes. Mix with squash when both are finished.
Add 1 tbs olive oil to a medium-large sized saucepan and set to medium-medium high heat. Add millet and stir until slightly browned. Add chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil at high heat then lower the heat to allow a simmer and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the water is soaked up.
Whisk 4 eggs and milk in a bowl, add Parmesan cheese. Add the cooked millet and combine.
In your well greased pan pour half the millet mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 the squash mixture on top. Repeat with the other 1/2 of millet and squash. Sprinle the top with a little extra Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 450 for 35-40 minutes or until Millet is browned.
Let cool and slice into 15 Mealpod slices (minus one to eat now) and package in foil Mealpod packages.

Yield: 15 servings

Prep Time: 30
Cook time: 40

Tags: gluten free recipe butternut squash millet Mealpod casserole

Nicole

Paleo Pot Pie Recipe

2012-01-19T06:20:00.000-08:00

Sunday Cooking with Sis
So... these were not my most successful recipe ever. The filling is super tasty, but the crust really didn't come together at all. I had been hoping to make them in mini disposable pie tins, but couldn't find them anywhere!

So, we went with mini casserole dishes instead, making each pie two servings.

"We" being Sarah and I. Sarah's my almost 10 year old and she sometimes likes to help with the cooking. This week she made the crust and chopped the baby carrots for me. I totally should have taken her picture while she was working. Next time!

The crust really just fell apart on me and the bottom of the crust would not come out of the pan. I have altered the recipe to just have a top crust. Once you package these as a mealpod, you just kind of have to mush the crust right in.

I have never used crème fraîche before and was excited to try it. I felt like a contestant on Chopped using fancy pants ingredients! The creaminess went really well with the bacon and chicken, it's not "gravy" but you don't miss the gravy in the pot pie at all.

I'm going to research some other gluten-free crust options, if you have a suggestion please let me know!

INGREDIENTS:

1 cups Almond Flour

¼ tsp Kosher Salt

1 tbsp Coconut Oil

1 egg

4 fried slices Thick Cut Bacon

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup baby carrots, sliced

1 cup thin green beans, halved

2 tsp Rosemary, Fresh

1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth

2/3 cup crème fraîche

2 cups Skinless Rotisserie Chicken

DIRECTIONS:

· Preheat oven to 450°

· Place flour and salt in blender or food processor and pulse to blend. Add coconut oil and egg and pulse until mixture forms a ball.

· Cook bacon in skillet until crisp, chop bacon and set aside

· Sauté onion in bacon fat, add carrots, green beans and rosemary. Add broth, bring to boil over high heat. Reduced heat to medium and boil until vegetables are almost tender. Stir in crème fraîche, chicken and bacon and simmer.

· Divide into pie tins, cover with crust, pierce crust all over with fork.

Bake for 22 minutes or until crusts are golden brown, let cool, then package for freezer

Sis

Margherita Meatza

2012-01-18T15:42:00.000-08:00

Sunday Cooking with Sis 1/15

I really found a winner this week! Lots of Paleo folks know all about MEATZA, it's Paleo pizza with ground beef as the crust. I had looked at the recipes before and always wanted to try one. I didn't just want normal pizza toppings though, so when my brain popped up with a margherita pizza idea, it all came together!

It really turns out like especially awesome burger patty, moist and very tasty! Two slices is a bit too much for me at about 600 calories, so I am having mine with a salad or coleslaw this week for lunch.

INGREDIENTS:

TOPPINGS:

¼ cup Olive Oil

½ tsp Coarse Kosher Salt

1 clove garlic, minced

8 medium Roma Tomato, sliced

8 oz Mozzarella, shredded

10 Fresh Basil Leaves , shredded

¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

¼ cup Feta Cheese, crumbled

CRUST:

2 lb Ground Beef

2 egg

½ cup Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Fennel seed

1 tsp Oregano, Ground

1 tsp Garlic Salt

1 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes

DIRECTIONS:

· Preheat oven to 450°

· Stir together olive oil, garlic, and salt; toss with tomatoes, and allow to stand for 15 minutes.

· Measure and mix your crust seasonings together in a small bowl.

· Place beef in large mixing bowl and add eggs. Once you have thoroughly mixed in the egg add the seasoning mix and Parmesan cheese. Flatten beef into a 12 x 17 jelly roll pan and place into oven for 10 minutes.

· Spread the crust evenly with Mozzarella.

· Arrange tomatoes on the top, then sprinkle with basil, Parmesan, and feta cheese.

· Bake in preheated oven until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Allow to cool. Slice, then freeze.

My crust shrunk a lot, I'm not sure why or if that is normal. I have never seen mention of it in any other Meatza recipe. Sarah and I delicately moved it to a new cookie sheet, blotted it and then added the toppings. I actually think it worked out well, but I'm not sure that's what should have happened!

I can't wait to eat this today for lunch.

Sis

Tamale Pie - 15 Mealpods

2012-01-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

This recipe was insired by a Tamale Pie recipe my mom got out of Paula Deen's magazine that used canned enchilada sauce, thick corn masa, and loads of cheddar cheese. I liked it but I wanted to try and make it taste more like authentic tamales, without all the rolling and folding. I started with researching how to make the key meat in the middle: boiling pork loin with garlic and onions until it soaks up all the flavor and falls off the bone. I replaced the canned sauce with a simple homemade one and replaced the cheddar with milder (and leaner) mozzarella that doesn't overpower the other flavors.

The result is a layered casserole that tastes like a tamale, with the added pleasure of cheese and a thick enchilada like sauce that is a bit more tomatoe-ey (you could call it a chili sauce). It also only has 232 calories per Mealpod, so two of them make a great meal.

Forgive me my photos today- I lent out my camera and had to use my husband's tablet to take the photographs. I hope to replace them with better ones soon.

Tamale Pie Recipe

2.5 - 3 lb pork loin
3 small onions
1 clove garlic minced
2 cups Masa Maseca instant corn flour (for use with tamales and tortillas)
2 cups broth (from the pork loin)
24 oz strained tomatoes
3 tbs chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
12 oz part-skim mozzarella
water

Overnight: Place the pork loin, onions (cut in half), and garlic in a large crock pot. Fill with water to cover the loin and cook on low overnight. In the morning remove everything from the crock pot, and shred the pork to small pieces, getting rid of the fat and bones. Save 3 cups of broth.

Make the sauce: In a sauce pot add strained tomatoes, chili powder, garlic powder, cocoa, salt, oregano and simmer for 2 minuutes. Add water and continue to simmer for a minute or two. When finished pour half of the sauce into the shredded pork and stir to coat. It should not be drippy. Save the rest of the sauce.

Grease 2 casserole dishes. I used a 2.5 quart Corningware dish and a 1.5 quart Corningware dish.

Masa: In a medium bowl, mix together masa and 2 cups of broth with a fork. It will look like a bunch of little balls (like pie crust). If it is dry add more of the broth or warm water. Press together in a big ball and divide in four. Between two pieces of plastic wrap roll out each piece to 1/8 of an inch thick. Spread one in the bottom of two well greased casserole pans. Save the other two. (Make sure you get the right Masa - it must say it is used for tamales and tortillas on the bag and can be found in the authentic Mexican section of your store - see the image at the bottom of the post).

Now comes the layering of the casseroles. After the layer of masa, spread 1/4 of the pork mixture, the 1/4 of the cheese. Repeat with a layer masa, pork, and cheese. Do this for both casseroles. Bake in a 350 oven for 20-30 minutes without the lid or until the cheese just barely starts to brown. Remove from oven, let cool and slice into 15 mealpods. Save the extra enchilada sauce in the refrigerator for the week or freeze some individually. Use to top the tamale pie when you are ready to eat it.

If you are worried about the acid in canned tomatoes leeching the aluminum in the can - I use Pomi tomato products that come in cardboard boxes. For this recipe I used the strained tomatoes below. There are no preservatives and are 100% tomatoes.

Pumpkin Sausage Soup Recipe

2012-01-12T16:23:00.000-08:00

Sunday Cooking with Sis (Part 2)

I am eating this soup RIGHT NOW as I type this blog post and it is soooooo good. If you only try one of my recipes, try this one. It's not the prettiest soup, but it tastes amazing and freezes well! I <3 this soup.

I have made this soup quite a few times and with all kinds of different sausages. This incarnation is with a hot and spicy Italian sausage which gives it a really nice kick. (Can you tell sausage was on sale this week?) It's also good with turkey and chicken sausage and even breakfast sausage.

INGREDIENTS:

20 oz turkey Italian sausage

½ cup onions, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp Italian seasoning

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

15 oz canned pumpkin

4 cups chicken broth

½ cup heavy whipping cream

½ cup water

DIRECTIONS:

Brown sausage, drain, then add the onion, garlic, Italian seasoning and mushrooms and sauté until done

Add pumpkin to this mixture and mix well.

Stir in the broth and mix well, simmer 20-30 minutes

Stir in the heavy cream and water and simmer on low another 10-15 minute.

Portion into 6 containers, let cool, then freeze.

I use just the cheap disposable plasticware to store the soup and freeze it. If you are not a fan of the plastic, mason jars work well too, just be sure not to fill it all the way so it has room to expand when it freezes.

My soup is all gone and my blog post is done. \o/

Sis

Sweet Potato Sausage & Apple Casserole

2012-01-09T13:25:00.000-08:00

Sunday Cooking with Sis (Part One)

Wow. I'm back. The holidays always make me disappear. I was super excited to get back to my normal routine this week. I always feel so much better when everything is prepped for the week the way I like it.

I wanted easy, yummy food this week, nothing complicated, to get me back in the swing of things. While I was going through recipes I saved I decided I really wanted to make something with the delicious homemade apple sausage that my local grocery store makes. Plus, my mom sent me home with a bag of apples that needed a recipe before they went bad. My Googlefu presented me with a couple of options which I rearranged to fit my needs.

Sweet Potato Sausage & Apple Casserole Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

3 large sweet potatoes

4 chicken apple sausage links

3 apples

1 tsp maple sugar (or sweetener of choice)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp butter

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350°
Cook sausages and reserve drippings
Bake sweet potatoes until completely soft. Remove skin and mash with butter, maple syrup/sugar (or sweetener of choice) and cinnamon. Spread in bottom of 9 x 13 glass casserole dish.
Slice cooked sausages into circles and place in single layer on top of sweet potatoes.
Thinly slice apples and place on top of the sausage layer.
Take sausage drippings and drizzle on top of apple slices. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Bake until apples are soft.

Portion into 8 foil pods, let cool, then freeze.

It smells almost as good as it tastes! I wish my pictures could convey my end food product better. My sister bought me a bag of accessories to present my food and take better pictures. Hopefully, you will see my skills improve as the year goes on.

Sis

Muffin Sized Quiche

2012-01-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that I am not a skilled cook. I can read and do a recipe if I find them, but that is about it. Part of the reason I started this site with my sister was to keep me motivated on eating right, share our Mealpod system, and to get ideas from other people on what to make!

So when I needed to bring some food to a party this weekend I asked Sis what I should bring and she said quiche! I have NEVER made quiche before so I searched the internet and tried to learn what goes behind making them and tried a couple of methods. I found out that you can use any fillings you want really and that you can do them in pastry or naked and that you can make them virtually any size. Most recipes I found also boasted that you could make them ahead of time, freeze them, and then have them ready for guests, so they seemed perfect to make for the banquet as well as extras to save as Mealpods. If you are going to cook, might as well get some Mealpods out of it.

I opted to use my mini muffin pan for the ones I brought with to the banquet, pretty much using this recipe I found on the internet that uses puff pastry for a shell: Tracey's Culinary Adventures bacon leak and cheddar mini muffins. I used store bought puff pastry for the banquet destined quiche because I didn't have to worry about it being gluten-free and I didn't want to stray from the recipe the first time around. The tiny size of the mini muffin pan worked really well for the buffet table when everyone was trying to fill up their plates with a little of everything. Tracey's directions are really clear and made the process go smooth for a first timer.

For my Mealpods I wanted larger servings however, so I wanted to do them in a regular sized cupcake or muffin pan. I had trouble finding a recipe for that size so I sort of improvised. Plus it was my second attempt and I was now an internet quiche expert from all the recipes I read, so I was feeling more brave. I wanted to try making my first ever gluten-free pie crust for half and no crust for the other half. I used a standard recipe for the gluten-free crust:

Gluten-free Pie Crust

1/2 cup salted butter (I used Kate's Homemade Butter which is sooo yummy)
2-4 tbs ice water
1 1/4 cup King Arthur Gluten-free multipurpose flour blend
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tbs sugar (optional)

Cut your butter into large pads and place in freezer for 15 minutes. Get a bowl of icewater ready at this time as well.

In a large food processor I measured the flour, salt and sugar, and pulsed to mix. You can also do this by hand in a large bowl. If using a food processor add the frozen butter and pulse about 8-10 times just until the pieces of butter are about pea sized. If doing by hand use a pie cutter (I love the old fashioned ones that resemble blades on a handle instead of the new wire ones) until the butter is the same size. Add ice water 1 tbs spoon at a time, pulsing or cutting in until you get a crumbly mixture that holds together well when pressed between your fingers. Add more water if you need to.

Shape the dough into a disk and store in a ziploc bag or wrapped in the refrigerator for at least an hour.

Roll the chilled dough out (not as easy as it sounds) and using a 4 inch cookie cutter make 10-12 disks of thin dough. Press the disks into a well-buttered regular sized muffin pan making sure there are no tears. You can use scraps of dough to patch any holes. The dough should be cut off at the brim of the muffin cups. If you don't get at least ten cups filled, roll them thinner next time. Bake in a 350 oven for eighteen - twenty minutes empty to set them before making quiche - just until barely browning. I did the shells the night before and then the quiche in the morning so we could have them for Sunday breakfast with the rest going in the freezer.

The Quiche Recipe w/ Zucchini and Cheddar
3 zucchinis peeled and julienned
1 cup medium cheddar cheese
2 large leeks chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 tbs olive oil

1/2 cup cornstarch
2 1/2 cups milk (whole)
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp thyme

Get the pan of 10-12 pie crusts cooked and ready. This recipe is for 1/2 crusted and 1/2 crustless so butter another muffin pan generously. Preheat the oven to 425.

Peel and Julienne the zucchini and chop your leeks pretty small (just the white and light green arts). Place 1 tbs olive oil in a medium - medium high pan and sautee the garlic, zucchini and onions just until slightly soft. Remove from heat.

Pinch a bit of cheddar cheese into the bottom of all the muffin cups (both pastried ones and nude ones - it will create a shell in the bottom of the ones without pastry). Top that off with a big pinch of zucchini mixture. To make sure I didn't get too much zucchini juice in there I placed it in with a fork allowing it to drain first.

In a large bowl whisk together the milk and cornstarch, add the eggs and yolks and continue whisking. Add in the rest of the ingredients: cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg and thyme and whisk some more. Pour the mixture over the zucchini so it fills up the cups to the brim. I found that they took a while to sink and I had to come back and pour more. You may have extra egg mixture or cups. If you have extra zucchini and cheddar mixture consider yourself luck and scoop them out and have a snack like I did. If you have extra egg, refrigerate it and make some plain quiches with the mixture when these are finished.

Bake for about 20 minutes at 425. Just before they seem finished (almost all the way firm in the middle) sprinkle just a little extra cheddar on top. You should have 24 muffin-quiche from this recipe- half crustless and half with gf pie crust.

They pop right out of then when they are finished just using a fork on the side. We ate some for breakfast, put some in the refrigerator to eat for a couple of days, and froze the rest. To freeze I am still experimenting. I froze the whole pan with foil on top because they were fragile with the crust, and then after an hour I popped them out and put them in a ziploc bag which takes up less space in the freezer. I guess I could have put the frozen muffins in foil at that point instead too. I'd love to hear how you store yours.

Edit 1/12/11 - I froze the little quiches right in the muffin pan after it cooled and then after they were frozen overnight I popped them out and wrapped them individually so they wouldn't take up as much room in the freezer and so we could grab 1 or 2 for lunch!

Mealpods makes life easier

2012-01-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

Mealpod
Infographic

You may have noticed we haven't posted as much over the Christmas holiday. My kids and I traveled back home to the Chicago suburbs for our annual Christmas trip. We actually even traveled to Illinois on Christmas Day (luckily Santa came to our house the day before). My husband stayed home in New Hampshire while Sis and I were visiting.

This post isn't about our visit though or the awesome presents she got me. Its about our Mealpods. I left my husband home for a full week and a full freezer full of Mealpods. Surprisingly he didn't cook while I was away but when I got home there were still plenty left, so while I was jetlagged, catching up on work, unpacking our 6 suitcases and putting away Christmas decorations I didn't have to cook dinner - just heat up Mealpods. I actually came home Monday and didn't cook until Thursday, cooked 1 meal, and another meal on Friday. The key is every time you cook, you make a larger batch than usual and split it up into individual portions. If you freeze them you can accumulate quite a variety of food by cooking 2-3 meals a week because they last for a month in the freezer. So in my freezer right now I have the two new pods: Curry Honey Chicken and another batch of Sweet Potato Sausage Burrito filling (my husband and my faves) and still have some Alfredo Chicken, Spaghetti, and Mushroom Risotto left as well. Even if you refer refrigerator pods and weekly cooking you can still put some in the freezer for "emergency meals" keeping most of your meals for the week in the refrigerator.

I know for me while I am trying to maintain my weight loss I don't want to feel like I am on a diet. Portioning my food and not having to cook every night really helps me forget that I am still managing my food. In essence I don't feel like I am dieting. Since I am not having to cook every night Mealpods also help prevent me from eating out or getting takeout because I have meals on hand and ready to go. Plus because they are a full meal without preservatives I know they are healthy as well.

So if you are starting the new year with a resolution to eat better, keep Mealpods in mind!

Homemade Corn Tortillas

2011-12-19T16:36:00.000-08:00

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Have you ever looked at the ingredients label on a package of flour tortillas? How about gluten-free flour tortillas? I don't honestly know if the long named items on the ingredient list are bad or not, but I certainly can't pronounce them. Corn tortillas have much fewer ingredients, but the store bought ones are pricey and a bit rubbery.

If you are like us and eat tortillas as an infrequent treat, you might want to try to make your own corn tortillas. If you are just making a few it literally takes 20 minutes start to finish and contains such simple and few ingredients: corn flour, warm water and salt. Since we eat Mealpods most nights, spending 20 minutes to make fresh tortillas (while the Sweet and Spicy Sweet Potato Burrito Filling Mealpods are warming up in the oven) is painless.

I buy Maseca Corn Flour at the grocery store in the Mexican Foods aisle. You know you have the right one if it has the instructions for making tortillas on the back of the bag. You don't want to use corn flour that is not made for tortillas so make sure those instructions are on there.

Here's my kids pressing them in the tortilla press! The kids like doing them so much, that I've done it in art class for a Cinco de Mayo celebration.

& here are the tools you need which are actually very cheap. You can get the tortilla press at a local Mexican grocer or here at Amazon. Same with the masa - if you can't find any local.

Sweet Potato Burrito filling Recipe

2011-12-18T11:54:00.000-08:00

Sweet Potato Burrito Filling Mealpod Recipe

3 sweet potatoes
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
2 small onions
3 tbs olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 tsp minced garlic
2 pkgs Italian chicken sausage (24 oz)

This is one of my favorite Mealpod recipes that is already in our archive on the website. It admittedly is one of my husband's creations that we fiddle with all the time. Today's version is different from the website and you can adjust it to your tastes as well. It's base is smashed (not to be confused with mashed) sweet potatoes, peppers, Mexican spices, and Italian sausage. You can use chorizo instead but I find it a bit strong for this recipe and the mild Italian sausage works so well with the mexi flavours. Eat as is or as a filling in homemade corn tortillas.

Boil the sweet potatoes with the skin on until soft. While it is boiling do your chopping. Dice the peppers and onions pretty large and cube the sausages.

When the sweet potatoes are finished cooking, the peels should come off very easily. Peel them and place in a large bowl. Use a potato smasher or electric beater and smash the potatoes just slightly. You want them still a little chunky, but no big pieces. You don't want them creamy either.

In a nonstick skillet add your olive oil and garlic and simmer on medium for 1 minute. Add your peppers and onions and cook for a couple of minutes. Add your spices: cumin seed, salt, chilli powder and cayenne pepper. Add in the sausage and cook until slightly browned and the veggies are starting to get soft.

Remove from the heat and mix into the smashed potatoes.

Some variations that we have tried is using regular pork sausage instead of chicken sausage (and less olive oil), adding black or other beans, and adding in frozen corn.

This version of the recipe made 8 Mealpods, I think, I'm not really sure because I was eating it as I was going. Oops!

Don't forget to label your bag of individually portioned Mealpods and date it too!

I love this recipe in a homemade corn tortilla. I meant to make some today to add into this post, but I got sucked up by other duties. Corn tortillas are so easy to make though, so I will post the recipe and instructions soon. They are fun to make too - I've even done them with my students at school on Cinco de Mayo and of course with my kids.

- Nicole

Two Easy Gluten-free Cheesecakes & Sugar Talk

2011-12-17T13:23:00.001-08:00

I feel a bit guilty about making another sweet post, but it is almost Christmas and I wanted to bring a gluten-free dessert with me to a party tonight so I could have some while I was there. I don't exclude sugar in my diet anyway, whereas my paleo eating sister does. Hi Sis! <3

Sugar is an interesting topic. I find that eating sugary foods does not effect me like eating gluten does. I get no perceptible spikes and lows in my energy, and no extra hunger. For some people, however, sugar in every form can effect their body and they need to lower their intake if not eliminate it from their diet. Lowering the amount of sugar we eat should also lower the amount of overall calories consumed as well because sugar is a dense calorie food.

If you want to limit your sugar, you could start during the holidays not by taking out the dessert you want at a party but by being more aware of the added sugars in your food. I don't mean the sugar you add into your food - you are aware of that. I'm talking about the sugars hidden in things like tomato sauce, bagels, health food bars, yogurt and more. These hidden sugars according to the Emory University School of Medicine and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) account for 16% of the sugars we eat.

If we become mindful of our labels and choose the canned tomatoes that don't have added sugar, our intake of sugar and the amount of calories we eat will be lower. Manufacturers get tricky about their added sugars though. Sugar could be added to your foods under any of these names: dextrose, fructose, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, sorbitol, fruit juice concentrate, galactose, lactose, polydextrose, mannitol, sorbitol, xylitol, maltodextrin and turbinado sugar. So look at your labels and just choose the product that has no added sugars or the least or opt for fresh ingredients. I still can't find a canned sweet potato without corn syrup for instance, so in my recipes I use fresh sweet potatoes instead.

Okay now for the dessert recipe. :-) As I said way at the beginning I wanted to make an EASY gluten-free dessert to bring with to a party, so I made a simple gelatin based cheesecake 2 ways: one with a gluten-free crust and one with no crust.

Easy GF Cheesecake 2 Ways

Ingredients:
(double the top ingredients if you are making 2 cakes)
1 envelope KNOX unflavored gelatin
2 8oz pkgs of cream cheese
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup boiling water
1.5 tsp vanilla

1 box gluten-free graham crackers
3/4 stick of butter
Pint of Strawberries

The first one had a graham cracker crust. I bought a box of gluten-free graham crackers. Admittedly my first gluten-free processed food purchase, but I didn't have time to make cookies, and then crush them into a crust, but if you have some you made you can substitute any dry buttery or spicy cookie for the graham crackers. Take your graham crackers (about 12-16) and crush them up in a food processor until they are fine (or crush by hand) and add the 3/4 cup of melted butter and mix until dough-like. You can adjust the amount of butter or crackers until you get a pliable dough. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9" round pie dish.

In your mixer cream the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Boil your water and add the gelatin, stirring until it dissolves. Add the gelatin a little at a time and blending well. When finished pour into the pie mold and refrigerate for 3 hours. I added my strawberries after it set.

The other cheesecake was a NO-CRUST cheesecake. I mean why do you even need a crust? So it can be easily removed from the pan? I decided to slice my strawberries and layer them into a faux crust at the bottom and sides of the pan. Make sure you layer a second layer of strawberries where there are gaps. Make the same mixture of cheesecake as above and pour into your faux crust. Refrigerate for 3 hours. This worked really well and would be even better with some homemade whipped cream at the top. The strawberries get a bit wet though in the fridge, so I would suggest doing this method if it will be served right away.

Exercise in Moderation As Well - & the Biggest Loser

2011-12-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

I have to admit a guilty pleasure. I love watching competition shows: the X Factor, Top Chef, Expedition Impossible... and yes, The Biggest Loser. The producers must know what they are doing, because I can't get enough of them. I particularly like watching the Biggest Loser on my treadmill days: I feel like Bob is yelling at me sometimes - yay. I'm a bit upset that this morning at the YMCA, the news was on and they showed who the recent winner was when I have not watched the episode, but that is not the subject of this post. (Please don't tell me who was last booted off the X Factor either as I am behind on that show too!)

I have conflicted feelings about the Biggest Loser however. I know they do cover eating healthy on the show, but I can't help but think that the show sends the message that crazy work outs is the best way to lose weight. I am no nutritionist or personal trainer, but I have found that for myself when I've relied too heavily on working out to keep my weight at a healthy level, it backfires.

When I tried to get really serious with my running and was upping my miles and adding hills, etc. I was just plain ole hungry all the time: it was really hard not to overdo it with the calories. I wasn't trying to lose weight at the time, but I was frantic not to have the 40 pounds I lost come back. So I was working out almost every day (usually 1 day off), making sure my sit down time was minimal, and getting extra exercise by doing activities with my kids. I was a bit obsessed about exercising admittedly and I was eating a lot, and since I was eating a lot I'd exercise again. Now this wouldn't be the same for everyone I am sure, I am just talking about myself. I also was not eating gluten-free and processed free at the time, which probably was part of the large appetite.

Me ice skating with
Gryffindor scarf

What broke me out of the over exercising cycle was an injury. No, not a running injury.... a family fun day injury: I fell hard on my knee while ice skating with my kids. I woke up the next day and could not bend my knee a centimeter without horrible pain. I had fluid under my kneecap which is easy to fix: stay off your legs and wait for it to go away. It took a month before I could try and run again, and many months before the pain went away. The problem is I had been maintaining my weight through exercise and had a terribly large appetite. When I couldn't run, I still wanted to eat the same amount. Not good! I gained 15 pounds when all was said and done and when you are only 5' 2" that is quite a bit of cellulite. Sigh. Its off now, I went back to eating gluten-free which really helps with my appetite, and don't exercise quite as much as I had been. I try to exercise 5-6 days a week but for only 30-50 minutes depending on the time I have.

So like everyone says moderation is key and that does not only mean for eating... it is also for exercising. Relying too much on exercise could backfire in the long run if the exercise is not sustainable. That is my non-professional opinion, lol, which is completely based on personal anecdotes.

- Nicole

Beef Mushroom Risotto Recipe

2011-12-12T08:04:00.000-08:00

I had a very busy weekend this weekend. My oldest daughter turned 13 last week so we had her teenage initiation party. Saturday was a wash, but I did get to make one Mealpod recipe Sunday. We still have peppers, alfredo, and spaghetti Mealpods in the freezer so we are doing well. I ate all the lasagna from last week though. I didn't even freeze it as I knew it would be gone by the end of the week.

This week I had my husband pick what to make and he picked a mushroom risotto from a magazine. It didn't have a protein though so I altered it to make it into a full meal. Now it is Beef Mushroom Risotto with a touch of red wine and baby arugula.

I photographed it as a Mealpod because this is the way I eat it. We had some fresh last night after it was made, but I froze the rest and reheated one in the oven today at 350 right in the foil pack for 25 minutes. I have to say it tastes even better today... the Parmesan cheese mellowed and the mushroom flavor came out more after reheating. If you are a risotto snob I am sure freezing and reheating it is a no no but I think it is delicious. The rice will soften when reheating, but you can always undercook it from the start so when it is reheated it is cooked right.
-Nicole
Click read ore below for the recipe.
Beef Mushroom Risotto

2 lbs Sirloin (or better grade)
3 tbs olive oil (or butter)
salt & pepper
2 med/small onions
1 lb mushrooms (your choice on type - i used portobello and white button)
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 cups Arborio Rice
4-6 cups beef broth
5 oz Baby Arugula
1 bunch of green onions
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Get all of your ingredients chopped and ready. Cut the sirloin into 1/4 inch strips and then cut the strips into 1/2" pieces. Add salt and pepper and set aside. Finely dice the onions, chop the mushrooms into small pieces, chop the green part of the green onions as well as the ends, and wash your arugula.

In a medium pot warm your broth and keep on low until needed.
In a large pot, add 3 tbs olive oil and set on medium high heat. When heated, add your Sirloin and salt and pepper and cook for 4 minutes until slightly browned. Add the onions and cook until slightly soft about 2 minutes. Add the rice, mushrooms and wine. Turn down the heat to medium and cook stirring occasionally until the wine is almost all the way reduced.

Add 4 cups of the warmed broth and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to simmer and allow to simmer until the rice absorbs the broth, looks creamy and the rice is cooked el dente. If you need to add more broth to cook all the way through, go ahead and add more broth.

When finished, add the arugula and parmesan cheese while it is still hot, stirring until the parmesan is completed melted and incorporated. Salt and pepper to taste.

This made me about 13 Mealpods wrapped in foil. Well except that we ate 3 of them right away. We packed the other 10 as frozen Mealpods into pretty small servings so they reheat well, but you can always have 2 for a meal. Please go to the freezing page on our website to find out how to wrap these for great reheating and freshness. http://www.mealpod.us/freezing-tips

I highly recommend reheating this dish in the oven rather than the microwave. Just pop the oven onto 350, change from your work clothes, and then get the Mealpod from the freezer. Heat it for 25 minutes and it tuns out steamy and creamy.

Meringue Spice Cookies - gluten-free cookie

2011-12-09T16:21:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't go so far as saying these cookies are good for you, they are packed with sugar, but they are gluten-free and are really yummy. If you need to bring some treats for a holiday party these are a great alternative. They also make a great almost guilt-free dessert present.

I came up with the recipe for these cookies by accident. I was trying to make organic cookies, so I used fresh organic eggs and organic turbinado sugar (raw sugar). Turbinado sugar tastes like molasses similar to brown sugar, but brown sugar is made by adding molasses to refined sugar. Turbinado sugar is (according to wikipedia):

produced by extracting the juice from sugar cane, heating it to evaporate water and crystallise the sugar, then spinning in a centrifuge to remove some impurities and further dry the sugar.

Needless to say the cookie batter turned out smelling very molasses-y so I added some pumpkin pie spice that I had around (we put it on our squash) to make them into a quick spice cookie. Now they are my favorite meringue cookie! -- Nicole

Meringue Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

3 egg whites
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
dash of salt
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Preheat your oven to 225 degrees.

You need to grind the sugar smaller

Turbinado sugar comes in large crystals so you will need to grind it smaller so it will dissolve in the egg whites and not make a grainy cookie. I use my little Cuisineart 1 cup food processor. If you don't have one but have a coffee bean grinder you can use that. Just grind it until the grain is about 1/4 the size. Add 1/2 ts of pumpkin pie spice to the sugar, and mix well. Set aside until the last step.

Now that all your ingredients are ready, put the wisk attachment on your mixer. In the bowl you should have your 3 egg whites and then add 1 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar, and a dash of salt and wisk on medium until stiff peaks form.

Start adding your sugar and spice mixture one tablespoon at a time on high speed. Wisk until it gets very stiff and has a very glossy sheen.

the batter wet

You can either spoon or squirt out your batter to make the meringue forms. I use a pastry bag with a standard circle opening. You can also use a ziploc bag with a corner cut off. Squirt you mix onto a parchment or foil lined baking sheet in 1.5" button shapes. I like to go around in a spiral and then leave a little peak at the top. You may not like this form though - my daughter informs me it looks like a pile of P**P so you may have a better idea.

Bake at 225" for about 45 minutes. It should be perfectly stiff when finished but not browned. Allow to cool for a few minutes and then it will peel right off the liner. If you do it too soon it will stick.

Here are some products that I used to make these cookies:

I have both a large and this small one cup food processor.

Its great for small tasks like grinding the sugar or small batches of pesto or other sauces.

I love using my cookie press instead of a pastry bag. I just seem to make less of a mess.

This one is like mine with both the cookie press attachments and the icing ones.

Microwave Popcorn without the Chemicals

2011-12-06T17:03:00.001-08:00

There is an article going around social media right now entitled "7 Foods You Should Never Eat" by Prevention Magazine that lists foods that specialists in different jobs won't eat. The farmer won't eat corn fed beef, the Endocrinologist Won't Eat: Canned Tomatoes etc. One of the foods listed that has some lingering chemicals I didn't know about was microwave popcorn.

3. The Toxicologist Won't Eat: Microwave PopcornOlga Naidenko, is a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group.
The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize--and migrate into your popcorn. "They stay in your body for years and accumulate there," says Naidenko, which is why researchers worry that levels in humans could approach the amounts causing cancers in laboratory animals. DuPont and other manufacturers have promised to phase out PFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags of popcorn will be sold between now and then.
The solution: Pop natural kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings, such as dillweed, vegetable flakes, or soup mix.
Budget tip: Popping your own popcorn is dirt cheap
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/12/01/7-foods-should-never-eat/#ixzz1fo4wbEE3

I didn't know about the chemicals, but I don't eat microwave popcorn because of the salt and added calories from oil. Basically if I pop it myself without oil I can eat a whole bowl for a couple hundred calories instead of part of a bag of packaged micro popcorn for the same calories.

I know microwave popcorn is easy but there are easy ways to do it without prepackaged versions with "movie style butter."

Method 1: I use one of these bowls made specifically for popping popcorn kernels. Its a bowl... with a lid... that doesn't get too hot in the microwave and is shaped correctly to pop the popcorn. No oil needed. I find that I like to put the salt in the bowl with the kernels instead of putting it on later. It pops great and then if you want you can add real melted butter on to it or have it plain.

I have the cheap Nordic Ware one below but there are fancier ones. I may have to get the red one as mine is probably 5 years old and is getting discolored.

Method 2: You can also try popping your kernels in a paper lunch bag. Put 2 tbs popcorn in a lunch bag, roll up the end and pop in the microwave for about 2 minutes or until you stop hearing the popping. You can also add a tsp or more of oil into the bag if you like. The bag will get messy, but if you prefer it made with oil its worth it.

Method 3: Another option is an electric airpopper although not technically a microwave popper, it is a fast and healthy method. I can remember as a kid in the 70's eagerly waiting for the popcorn to spit out of the machine before the Muppet Show started (Pigs in Space were my favorite). They haven't changed much since the 70's, but every year they have a cute new model. This year I spotted the one below that mimics movie theater poppers. --Nicole

Italian 3 Ways - Nicole - Noodle-Free Eggplant Lasagna, Spicy Stuffed Peppers & Meaty Sauce

2011-12-05T13:17:00.001-08:00

I don't know what was with me this weekend. I usually cook a couple of double batches twice a week and my sister does the giant cook off on Sunday. I think I was just really craving Italian... and decided to do Italian 3 ways (or make one big batch of meat sauce and use it 3 ways).

First I made a noodle free lasagna using eggplant slices instead of noodles. It was beyond yummy with the thick meaty sauce and ricotta. The recipe for the meat sauce is at the bottom of the post. Next I made stuffed peppers and last I used up the last of the meat sauce by simply combining it with whole wheat noodles for my family who eats wheat. -- Nicole

All the recipes are in a giant post below: Noodle-Free Eggplant Lasagna, Spicy Stuffed Peppers, and Meaty Spaghetti Sauce.

Noodle-Free Eggplant Lasagna

2 small eggplants
2 cups thick meat sauce (recipe below)
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 tbs basil
pinch salt & pepper to taste
mozzarella cheese

Peel and cut eggplant into very thin disks. You may want to sharpen your knife first (as I did) or use a mandolin (which Sis warned me it may be too hazardous for me) so your eggplant is nice and thin.

In a small bowl mix the ricotta cheese with one egg, 1 tbs basil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside.

Line an 8" x 11” glass pan with heavy duty foil. Grease the foil if you like and spread a thin layer of meat sauce covering the bottom of the pan. Don't put too much – it is really just for removing pieces easily later.

Layer the Eggplant Slices Overlapping

Over the sauce, layer in your eggplant slices, overlapping them so they create a strong layer.

Spread ½ of the cheese mixture next, all the way to the edges.

Spread 1/3 of the remaining meat sauce over the cheese.

& start over with eggplant, sauce, and ricotta cheese again.

Do 1 more layer of eggplant, skip the ricotta, add the rest of the sauce and top with sprinkled mozzarella cheese.

To sum that up it went: foil, oil, sauce, eggplant, ricotta, sauce, eggplant, ricotta, sauce, eggplant, sauce, mozzarella.

Bake 30 minutes if you are not going to eat it today, so when you reheat it will be cooked properly. Bake for 40 minutes (or until you see it getting bubbly hot on the edges) if you are going to have some today. I actually let mine cool, then wrapped the whole dish in foil and put it in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning I lifted the whole lasagna out using the foil and cut it into pieces while it was cold. I also ate a slice for breakfast - shhh! I sliced mine not in squares but 1/2 squares so they were not too thick for reheating - remember pods the width of a toothpaste tube is the best for reheating in the microwave. They may turn out as small servings, just reheat 2. It made 14 slices or 16 half servings.

Spicy Stuffed Peppers
3/4 lb no casings Mild Italian Sausage

¾ cup uncooked rice

3 tbs olive oil

½ bell pepper diced (orange, red or green)

1 yellow onion chopped

½ bag baby spinach cut into small pieces.

2 cloves garlic minced

2 tbs oregano

¼ tsp ground red pepper

¼ tsp salt

pepper to taste

5 bell peppers

Start by cooking the rice in a rice cooker while you get everything else ready.

Brown the sausage in a pan, scoop out and set aside.

Cut off the tops of 5 bell peppers and carefully scoop out the insides. Rinse and then place in a big pot of water and boil for 3 minutes so the peppers get very slightly tender.

In the pan you made your sausage in add olive oil and garlic, then add yellow onion, diced peppers, and baby spinach cut into small strips. Cook on medium for a few minutes and add oregano, red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in rice at the end and cook for another minute. This is a good time to give it a taste. You can add extra red pepper if it doesn't taste spicy enough.

Fill up the peppers evenly and top with a spoonful of meat sauce and a slice of mozzarella (optional). Place in a baking dish with 1/4 tsp of water in the bottom of the pan (to keep things moist) and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350. Take them out early if they are starting to get brown. Let them cool for a little bit. Serve whole right away. For Mealpods, I let them cool for 10 minutes, then cut them in half length-wise and wrapped them up in foil. Makes 10 Mealpods if you cut them in half.

Meaty Sauce for use with the other recipes

3 Cans/Bottles Sugar-free pasta tomato sauce

3 cans Tomato Paste

1 tbs garlic powder (I like my garlic - you may want less)

1 tbs basil

1 tbs oregano

1 1/2 lbs Italian Sausage Mild (Spicy if you like it that way)

2lbs Ground Beef

& Yes, Big post/Big cook-off means
VERY MESSY KITCHEN! UGH!
but no more cooking this week!

Brown your ground beef and sausage, drain and add to a very large pot with everything else. Mix, and let simmer for as long as you can stand it. :-) Keep tasting it to get the spices just right to your taste. You can also add salt and pepper if you like.

If you have leftover meat sauce, as I did, just boil up some noodles and make some Mealpods with the extra sauce. Or bag it up and freeze as is. You might also want to keep a cup extra in the fridge for the week to have with your lasagna and peppers.

Crockpot Pork Verde

2011-12-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

Crockpot Pork Verde

I took it easy this week and just made one thing. That doesn't mean I don't prep my breakfast too, it just means I make something easy like hard boiled eggs to eat all week.

I was baking my holiday goodies to give away and my kitchen didn't have much room for extra cooking, so I took it easy and used the crockpot this week.

This is super simple and delicious and pretty cheap to make too! With the recipe yielding 8 servings, I will take 5 for lunch this week and freeze the extra 3. That way on a week I don't have time to cook, I build up some reserves.
Crockpot Pork Verde

INGREDIENTS:

16 oz pork tenderloin, cubed

16 oz canned diced tomatoes, no salt added

4 oz diced green chilis

4 small potatoes, cubed

3 small zucchini, cubed

1 small onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

Directions:

Cut pork into bite sized cubes

Chop potatoes and zucchini into bite size cubes

Dice onion

Place in crockpot, cover with tomatoes, chilis and garlic and mix well

Cook for 4-5 hours on medium/high until potatoes are soft

Portion into 8 foil pods, let cool, then freeze

Jamaican Chicken Stew

2011-12-01T17:04:00.000-08:00

Jamaican Chicken Stew

This hearty Jamaican Stew's main ingredients are chicken, sweet potatoes, red pepper and curry powder.

This is one I have trouble stopping at two Mealpods! Yum Yum Yum.

I even love the look of all the orange ingredients - that must be the still-life artist in me!

--Nicole

click read more for recipe and more photos.

Ingredients

2 cans 15 oz fire roasted diced tomatoes (drain and keep juice for marinade)

2 garlic cloves minced

½ tsp thyme

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tbs olive oil for marinade

1 tbs coconut oil

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1” cubes

2 cups sliced carrots the size of baby carrots

1 medium red onion chopped large

1 red bell pepper cut into chunks or short strips

2 ½ pounds chicken breast cubed

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

½ tsp allspice

4 tsp curry powder

1 cup chicken broth

1 can (14 oz) coconut milk (I use light unsweetened)

salt and pepper to taste

Chop chicken into mouth-sized bites

Make marinade by pouring the drained juice from the canned diced tomatoes. Add 1 tbs olive oil, ¼ tsp thyme, 1 tsp minced garlic and 1/8 tsp black pepper. Marinate the chicken in the fridge while you get everything else ready.

Put your crock pot on high and add 1 tbs coconut oil and the other 1/2 of the garlic. Cover and let sit while you get your other ingredients ready.

Peel and chop the sweet potatoes and carrots. Chop the red onions and red peppers. Put them in the crockpot. Also add tomatoes, coconut milk, chicken broth, curry powder, allspice, red pepper flakes. Drain chicken from marinade and add to the crock pot. Mix it well. Cook on high for 5 hours or until sweet potatoes are soft. When there is about 30 minutes left add the red bell peppers so they stay a little crisp.

The result is soupy so you may want to freeze your servings in plastic containers or you can take a cup of the potatoes, carrots onions (anything but the chicken) and puree it in a food processor. When added back in the stew it will thicken the stew some.

Makes 12 Mealpods.

Asian Chicken With Veggies and Rice Recipe

2011-11-29T16:07:00.000-08:00

Asian Chicken With Veggies and Rice Recipe

I have to admit that this recipe started as an attempt to make a crockpot Teriyaki chicken but it did not thicken. It is really tasty though with a great sweet ginger taste.

It also is packed full of vegetables with 3-4 colors reresented: orange, red, green and beige if you count the mushrooms. Aren't they beautiful all diced up!? Make sure to dice your veggies small in this so they don't overpower the star of the dish: the chicken! Recipe is below after you hit the read more link.

So I started with marinating the chicken. I added water, soy sauce, brown sugar and molasses into a ziploc bag then cut the chicken into thin small strips. Next I added the chicken to the bag, sealed it and made sure all the chicken was covered with sauce and let it sit in the fridge for at least an hour (or really until after I got back from the post office). To save time I also put the rice cooker on for the fried rice (below) before I left for my errands. I <3 my rice cooker.

Marinade (Optional)
2 ½ lbs chicken (boneless skinless breasts or thighs)
1 cup water
4 tbs Soy sauce
4 tbs brown sugar
2 tbs molasses

After it was finished marinating (or after getting back from the post office) I got the crock pot ready. I made a new sauce for the slow cooker because if you don't boil the marinade it may not be safe to use it in the rest of the recipe so I discarded it.. I added all the ingredients below into the cooker and mixed it well then removed the chicken from the marinade with a slotted spoon and put it in the cooker as well. Then I threw away the ziploc bag and marinade. I cooked it on high for 3 hours. Just keep checking it though and when the chicken is finished you can turn it off.

Ingredients for the slow cooker:

6 oz pineapple juice
½ cup soy sauce
3 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbs minced garlic
2 tbs vegetable oil
2 tbs molasses

Tip: I didn't want to mince my ginger by hand so

I used my fine cheese grater (above). Just don't forget to peel it!

Now for the fried rice!

I chopped my carrots, mushrooms, peppers, onions, celery (small) and put them to the side. Next I heated 1 tbs cooking oil on medium heat in a nonstick pan and added in ginger and garlic for about 15 seconds. Then I turned my pan to med high and added in all my vegetables one at a time (with the one that takes the longest to cook going first and so on) until they were almost cooked fully. When finished I added in the rice, soy sauce, mirin and cooked it until it was hot.

Fried Rice Ingredients

med red pepper
¾ cup chopped mushrooms
¾ cup shredded and chopped carrots
1/4 cup celery
1 cup frozen small peas
1 tbs cooking oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbs sesame oil
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs mirin
4 cups leftover rice

You can switch out whatever veggies you want to go with what you have on hand or that you like the best - its your call! If you want to make it completely gluten-free be sure to buy gluten-free soy sauce.

The last thing I did was take the chicken out of the crock pot with a slotted spoon to drain it and added it to the rice. Then I took about a 1/2 cup of the juice from the crock pot and mixed it in as well. Once it was all mixed up it made 10-12 Mealpods.

When we put this recipe in livestrong it has both the marinades in the nutritional information, but as you can see only a half cu of it goes into the actual rice mix. So the calories etc will actually be lower than on the .pdf.

Here's the pdf for easy printing!
Asian Chicken With Veggies and Rice Recipe

-- Nicole

Fitness Lives - Keep Straight in December

2011-11-29T13:17:00.000-08:00

I love this motivational post entitled Is Fitness Dead by - Adam Bornstein on Livestrong

In short he is challenging everyone to not let December and the holidays mean a halt to fitness and nutrition. Here are some excerpts:

But the end of the year is also bittersweet. When you look beyond the holiday cheer and time away from work, December oftentimes equals doom for your health. Diets go crashing, activity disappears, and the hard work that people put in for an entire year goes on life support—waiting for resurrection in January.

This year, I want to try something different. I want to bring fitness back to life in December and start preparing some pre-resolutions. Consider it a test for the real thing in January. I want you to increase your activity, focus on your diet, and still enjoy the holidays, all while finding time for your health. It’s time to raise the bar. After all, recent research shows that by the year 2020, it’s estimated that 83 percent of men and 72 percent of women will be either overweight or obese. Translation: We need to fight for our health and set a standard for others to follow.

After all: It’s not always how you start, but where you finish.
Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/blog/is-fitness-dead/#ixzz1f8AyO4D3

I plan to take his challenge and not only try to keep up with my routine but also to add in something new. I have been good for years jogging almost every day, but I never last very long doing strength training so I pledge to start strength training in December as part of his plea. I have to admit I was planning this anyway - a brand spankin new YMCA will be opening next week a 1/2 mile from my house and I already got my membership, but his challenge is making me more excited to go.

As far as keeping to eating healthy over the holidays here are some tips from me"

eat something healthy like a Mealpod before going to a party
Don't get two of anything!
Eat half of everything you put on your plate (feed the other half to the host's dog)
If you don't eat flour or carbs it is always possible at parties to stay on track - don't make excuses
Get dessert but eat 1/2
Bring something healthy and load up on that

Sunday cooking with Sis!

2011-11-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

So, I'm the big sister on this blog. My whole family calls me Sis, rather than Melissa. I owe y'all an introduction post telling you how I ended up here, as a dedicated ancestral eater and lover of planning and cooking my meals. We'll save that for a day when I have more time.

Most weeks I cook my food for the week every Sunday. It's become a ritual and when life interferes and I have to do it on Saturday night or (gasp) not at all, it is not a pretty sight. I am spoiled with eating my own home-cooked meals for breakfast and luch at work.

This week I made two recipes, Sausage and Potato Hash with Eggs and Italian Beef and Squash with Mashed Potatoes.

Let's start with Breakfast. I bought a cheap package of Country Style Pork Sausage and decided to cook a very cheap, easy meal around it. I love my electric skillet, probably more than I should. It's so versatile!

Ingredients:
12 oz pork sausage2 medium potatoes1 medium onion
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
12 eggs
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
3 tsp butter

Directions:

Chop potato into bite size chunks

Chop onion

In an electric skillet or frying pan, brown sausage and 1/2 of onions then remove and set aside

Add potatoes and remaining onions to skillet, cover and cook until almost done, then turn up heat and allow to brown

Add sausage and onion mixture back to skillet and heat through, then put aside, wipe the skillet clean

In a mixing bowl, whip eggs and heavy whipping cream together creating scrambled egg mixture

Add butter to skillet, allowing it to just barely melt, then add egg mixture

Use your spatula to cook the eggs and create scrambled egg patty

When eggs are almost completely done, split into two patties and flip with spatula, then remove from heat

Cut each egg patty into 3 pieces

Place 1 cup of hash mixture into bottom of foil, then place egg patty on top,allow to cool, then freeze

My second recipe this week was the Italian Beef and Squash with Mashed Potatoes. I actually based this on our Paleo Reloaded Sweet Potato Beef Stew recipe, but didn't have sweet potatoes, so I started with a zucchini and acorn squash I found in the pantry and just kind of went from there.

32 oz beef stew meat
2 medium zucchini, cubed
1 whole acorn squash, cubed
12 oz tomato paste

12 oz tomato sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp garlic powder
6 average potatoes, quartered
1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp butter

Stew:

Chop zucchini and acorn squash into bite size chunks

Chop onion

Put all ingredients (thru potatoes) into crock pot, stir well

Cook on low for 4-6 hours

Mashed Potatoes:

Peel potatoes and cut into chunks

Boil in salted water until soft

Drain and return to pot

Add butter and heavy whipping cream, mix well

Set aside

Once stew is done, place 1/2 cup mashed potatoes in the bottom of your foil, top with 1 cup of stew mixture. Cool and freeze.

See you next week!

-- Melissa

Should We All Go Gluten-free Article Rant

2011-11-28T14:17:00.000-08:00

There was a recent article in the New York Times Magazine entitled: Should We All Go Gluten-Free? It discusses a Gluten-free Expo in Utah, the prevalence of Celiac disease & gluten intolerance, and how the market has responded with gluten-free products.

If you haven't read the article pop on over to the link and give it a read. I think it is great that there are gluten-free products on the market for people suffering from serious celiac disease. I am a bit concerned about how people without celiac have gone gung-ho about gluten-free prepackaged food.

I have done so many diets in my lifetime: low fat in the 80's, Atkins at the millennium, pescatarian more recently, and now gluten-free. I should be on board with this trend and all the products then - right? Ugh. The thing that I have learned from the different diets that I've done is that the key to healthy eating is about eating the right amount of calories (and because for a 5' 2" person those calories are few) - to have those calories count by using them for healthy REAL food. Whether its been low fat or high fat that I've eaten - if I start

eating the so-called healthy prepackaged products (like low fat or gluten-free crackers etc.) I start gaining weight. Why? Probably because there are plenty of calories, salt, sugar, and preservatives or even addictive chemical flavors added in to them and when they are marked as being a healthy alternative people tend to eat them without worrying about how much they have eaten. Its all about mindful eating. I remember when low fat Teddy Grahams came on the market and my coworker and I would down a whole box (of 12 servings) thinking they were lowfat so it was okay. That doesn't mean I only eat good for you foods, its just I know that a half a cup of icecream is about 250 calories.

Plus prepackaged snack foods have been manufactured to be tasty and addictive. If you haven't seen the 60 minutes piece on how the food industry tweaks flavors to make them more addictive watch it now!

So if you are going to be gluten-free - do it by eating Real Whole foods like veggies, meats, rice, potatoes, etc. and not by eating a manufactured product saying its healthy for you! Eat your good foods and bad foods mindfully as well. Or if you buy gluten-free products don't over do it!

-- Nicole

Mini Bowls

2011-11-26T15:09:00.001-08:00

Mini Bowls from Huset Shop

I am a sucker for kitchen items; vintage, modern or just plain weird. I have a collection of mini bowls in varying shapes and patterns that I initially bought for my still-life art, but I am always finding them useful in the kitchen. I use them often when baking and cooking to separate measured or chopped ingredients waiting for their turn in the queue. They are great for single servings of chilli, stews and rice as well as for dips and salsa.

You can find plain ones that stack, adorable patterned ones, and ones that can even go in the oven.

Here are some I liked from around the web.

-Nicole

This adorable one from Huset Shop is melamine so it won't break! There are more just as sweet designs on their site.

These classic stripes stack also from Huset Shop.

This modern patterned one from Crate and Barrel might have to come home with me for a still-life.

They call this a salsa dish from Crate and Barrel but I think it could look Mediterranean.

These white stacking bowls from Cost Plus World Market come on a rack to keep them neat and at hand!

Go vintage with Pyrex mini bowls that come with lids from Amazon Marketplace! Refrigerator Pods anyone?

Not vintage enough? Here are some Fiestaware replicas. I have one of these in red. I NEED more. Here they are at Amazon Marketplace.

Some more great modern ones from Scandinavian Design Center.

Happy Thanksgiving - Leftover Mealpod Recipes!

2011-11-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

On a holiday all about eating I tend to go overboard. It is a day I let myself off of my healthy eating regime and have fun with friends and family. That might mean diving into the stuffing even though I usually don't eat wheat or maybe sampling every dessert, and then going back to the stuffing. Did I say I love stuffing?

The important thing is getting back to healthy eating habits first thing Friday. Since I lost 30 pounds, I've still had some ups and downs with my weight. Whenever I gained some weight back, it was always because I let myself get off of my new healthy eating lifestyle. I'm not saying I'm always dieting, but if you've lost a significant amount of weight most likely the bad habits that got you to be heavy in the first place have the possibility of creeping back up on you. Thanksgiving is a day of fun and (let's face it) overeating but don't let that one day throw you off course.

To help you get back into eating right, Melissa and I want to share a couple of great Mealpod recipes that make use of Thanksgiving leftover turkey!

Bacon Turkey Salad Recipe (refrigerator pod)
This is a great fresh recipe with avocado and bacon to make and portion out for delicious lunches for the week.

Turkey Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
This classic alfredo recipe makes very frugal use of your roasted turkey leftovers making 14 Mealpods to store in the freezer!

--- Nicole

Vintage Posters

2011-11-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

I love these vintage posters from the Food Administration that are posted on Flickr Creative Commons!