One year ago.....

It had been one year ago today that I started my blog.  My two older kids had just started school and for the first time in a long time I was a stay at home mom of just one during the day.  To keep myself busy and to further my knowledge and love of food and nutrition I started this blog.  

For this one I wanted to share the school   lunches I have made for the first couple days of school.   I have been seeing all this fun stuff about bento boxes and had to dive in!  Such fun ideas!  

I have started simple and to get more creative as I go.  First I needed some cute bento boxes.  

I got them these cute reusable bags for snacks as well. The containers open with two levels. 

The bottom one is sectioned and the top is not. 

The first day of school lunch I played with some of my cutters and made shaped grilled cheese and turkey/ham sandwiches with some fresh fruit and veggies in the bottom. A flavored honey stick on top and a chocolate piece on the bottom with 2 quarters in each for milk at school.  They also have little refillable water bottles. 

Second day of school was fun. They asked for pancakes. ;).  So I have them pancakes, sausage, fruit, and one got fruit snacks and the other a little chocolate piece. ;)

Tonight I let them help me make their own.   My oldest chose Mexican rice and beans left over from tacos with a tortillas. Ten some carrot and broccoli.  She got a Swiss roll and fruit snacks. 

My other one had a pinwheel style sandwich with yogurt, veggies, Swiss roll and fruit snacks. 

So far it been fun.  Which I guess is the only way to survive a whole school year of making two lunches a day.  ;)

Happy lunch time!!   And thank you for one whole year!!!!

Dinner of necessity. ;)

As I stated in my last blog, our party this last weekend left y house with an abundance of chips, dips, and soda.  Normally things I do not stock my house with, but since I have it I refuse to waste it.  Dinner, of course, would just have to use what I could.  

First, I took a recipe floating around Facebook and ran with it.  

Potatoes. Diced and in an oven safe dish

Next, ranch dip

Add diced onions and some spices 

 

Mix, mix, mix.....

 

Add cheese, because that is essential. And mix more....

Add to potatoes.  

 Mix up, out on lid or cover it with foil, put in over

Set timer.   

Next, get your meat out. 

The stuff in the fridge! 

This is chicken with a little bit of BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and Whataburger creamy pepper sauce. (Don't ask, I just had some in my fridge)

Also I did some fish:

 

This is tilapia with spinach dip on it and Pablo tea crumbs.   Don't judge, it sounded great. ;)

By this time you should have the timer go off for your potatoes.  Take out of oven an toss them gently.  The sauce with melt and sink to the bottom. You want it mixed well. Re cover and put back in oven.  Add the meat on the top rack ad the potatoes in the bottom rack.  

Set the timer again.  Another 15 minutes.

Edit:  you should wait and not put your meat in when I did. My meat is done and the potatoes have at least another 15 minutes (they were still kinda crunchy). 

I took out the meat, covered it with foil, and left it on the warm stove top.  Moved the potatoes to the top rack (bottom was a bit too toasty) and started another 15 minute timer.  

Another note: cut your potatoes smaller then I did or allow an hour for this to cook!!!   Still not done after 3 fifteen minute timers set and the potatoes stirred.   Put it back in for another 15 minutes.  *sigh, I'm hungry.  

After another 20 minutes the potatoes were STILL crunchy.  What the snapple????   

So we ate anyway.  

Must find a way to fix the potatoes issue. They oven roast in less then 20 minutes on a sheet tray.  This was just plain crazy.  

Well, I hope you liked the ideas.  The fish turned out nice a creamy and the chicken had a good kick.  The potatoes tasted great and the green beans added a touch.

HAPPY EATING!!!

A dip. You know, the good kind of dip.

So, we had a party this last weekend after all was said and done, my fridge is stuffed with left over drinks and my pantry is stuffed with bag of chips.  Because I don't like to waste anything, some of my more strict diet rules are being ignored, but back to Fresh fruits and Veggies when I get space in my fridge again. ;)

Lunch came around today and all the girls wanted chips.  So I decided to whip up a layered dip. 

Can of black beans and some chopped onions in a small pot.  Boil.   Then mash. Layer one. ;)

Left over sticky rice, add chili powder, and cumin, and a little water sprinkles, microwave until hot, mix in diced tomatoes.  "Mexican style rice" is layer two. :D

Ground beef, about 1/3 pound, makes layer 3.  

No dip is good without cheese, so that was layer 4.  ;)

I diced up some more tomatoes and dices up one avocado and mixed that together with a little lime juice and salt.  Layer 5. 

It was so good and VERY filling.  Between me am 3 kids we did honest bit all. This has been voted as a bento lunch option. ;). Success!!  

Recap:  black beans and rice = complete protein. Beef, good protein. Cheese, always good. Avocado and tomato = healthy fat and vitamin C. Can't go wrong. ;)

HAPPY DIPPING!!!

Frozen romaine. Part two.

If any of you remember I vacuum sealed some chopped romaine lettuce and froze it to see if it would thaw out crispy so we could use it as chopped romaine, or if it would get droopy and I would cook it. 

Well, we are about to find out. 

Got out of the freezer at 1:30. 

By 3:30 it is obvious that it needs a hot wok and some garlic and peanut oil.  Sautéed greens goo really good with pork. Right, Grace?  ;)

Ok, it does not happen often, but this is proof that I can admit when I mess up.  

This.  Was.  Horrible.  :(

I have made fresh chopped romaine and and bok Choy with th same technique and spices I just used, but it became clear very soon that the water frozen in the lettuce Was just too much. It cooled down my wok and mushed it all out. The flavor was bad too.  

So, lesson learned.  

You CANNOT freeze romaine lettuce and use it afterwards.  

This learning experience brought to you by me, Chef Jaelanne, in hope that you won't waste your own romaine lettuce this way.  

I hate throwing away food. :'(

Quinoa Crab Salad

Trying a new recipe.  Sort of.  A twist on an old favorite. My mom used to make crab salad. It had shell noodles and imitation crab with cheese cubes mixed with mayo and season salt.  I wanted to make a healthier high protein version. 

Started with the quinoa. 

1:2 ratio for quinoa. (One cup quino to 2 cups water).

 Bring water to boil, add quinoa while stirring, stir constantly to avoid clumps while it returns to a boil reduce heat to maintain a boil and cover. Cook for 10-12 minutes or untold water is gone and quinoa is soft. 

Fluff with fork while its hot and then cool completely. I like to put it on a plate to cool faster. 

Then I started the other prep while it cooled.

1 pkg imitation crab meat. Diced up

Celery (2 stalks)

Mushroom (I only used one)

Onions diced. (About 1/2 cup)

Almonds chopped fine. (About 1/4 cup)

Mix in the quinoa.  Add a drizzle if olive oil. (Just enough to keep from sticking. You want it fluffy not moist)

Add seasonings. 

So simple.  And yet it got the kid seal of approval!

  I didn't even need to add cheese. It is great by itself!  So, high protein, low carb, no dairy, or eggs, just yumminess!  

HAPPY EATING!!!

Busy? Who you calling busy?? :)

I have had a couple comments like "you're a stay at home mom, you must have tons of time for your blog" and "it must be nice to get to relax all day."

So, we interrupt your regularly scheduled program of food and nutrition as I take you on a tour of a day in my life. ;)

Today I got to sleep in. (Meaning when I woke up my kids were still quiet so I stayed in bed) so I got started at 8. 

8am. Got up. Made bed.  Started the sprinkler in the back yard. 

8:10. Did dishes. Cleaned kitchen, and swept. Start load of laundry. Made two gallons of sweet tea for the day.  

(Disclaimer:  I went out with a friend last night so no one cleaned up dinner. See before picture.)

After with my cup of coffee. 

By this time the sprinkler was still running in its 30 minute timer. ;)

8:40 am.  Start breakfast. Little ones wanted cereal, So that was easy. Mine took more time. ;)

Yummy!!!!!   Left over oven roasted potatoes, spinach, onions, mushroom, sweet pepper, eggs, sausage, and a dab of some Colby jack cheese. ;).  Now for me to eat.  Started drinking my gallon of water with breakfast. ;) 

While eating breakfast I checked email and Facebook. Both my personal and my chef ones.  I followed up with a couple people about being references on my resume and orchestrated the girls getting up and putting all their bedding away. (They camped in the living room last night. Yay for summer.)

So. Much. Food.  Could not finish. ;)

9:30 am. Clean up breakfast and resweep the kitchen floor so I can mop. 

By that time the washing machine is done, so I hang the laundry on the line. 

Started another load of laundry.

Mopped the kitchen floor. 

10:30 am.  While the kitchen floor dries I clean the living room and the bathroom. 

11:30 am. 2 loads of Laundry folded and stacked.

Washing machine is done, so I move the load off the line and fold it. Put the other load on the line. 

Almost Half my gallon is gone. ;)

12:30. Started lunch. Quinoa Crab Salad. (Blog to follow). Made a few phone calls. 

Started food prep for the week as well. 

1:00. Continuing quinoa salad and food prep while kids eat PB&J sandwiches (they didn't want to wait for quinoa.). 

Start of my food prep. Meat slacking in the sink and veggies started. ;)

2:00. Done with veggie prep and roasting my garlic. Finished the quinoa crab salad!

Taking a break for food. ;)

Even while I did that I updated my blog, checked email and Facebook again, etc.

And as I watch the laundry blowing in the sunshine I realize I need to move laundry again.  I wish my breaks were more..... Break-y.   

2:45. Break over. 

Mix veggies and put in oven. 

Take laundry off the line and fold. Put other load on line. Start towels in the washing machine. (Clothes done, now towels and blankets)

3:00. Guy came by to buy my playpen I had on Craigslist.  (Yay for Ranger money!). Pulled out the veggies. 

 

3:30. Relined my pans and spread out my meat.  

Seasoned them and tossed them in the oven to cook. ;). 

Heat wok to cook romaine.  Learn that romaine cannot be frozen and then cooked. :(.  (Blog to follow)

4:00pm.  Meat is almost done. ;).  My whole house smells good.  And I do dishes. 

4:15. Done with dishes. Meat is done. :)

Looks so good!!  ;)

Oh, and I finished my gallon of water.  :D

Dishwasher going, washing machine going, meat cooling, I finally sit down and turn on my TV and watch some Dr Who. ;).  

4:30. Ok, I lied. Still haven't sat down. Packaged up the meat and put it in the fridge. Turned oven off. 

Isn't that a pretty sight??   

Ok, so the buzzer for the washing machine has gone off, so I guess I am moving one more load before I sit down with my Doctor.  

It's five o'clock some.....here.  

5:00. A glass of wine joins the Doctor and I while we watch the kids play with the ferrets. ;)

5:45. Ferrets away, except for Remy, He cuddles with me.  Kids playing in the game room and I move the last load of laundry out to the line. (Blankets)

After spending the day cooking I'm not sure what's for dinner. 

6:20. Bath started for the girls. Break time over and time to figure out what is for dinner. 

 

7:00. Girls got out of bath and one still had a crap ton of shampoo in her hair, so she got on the counter and a rinse in the kitchen sink. 

Hubby gets home and it time to get dinner on the table. 

7:30. Sit down to dinner with my hubby. Hopefully the kids leave me alone long enough so that I can eat my food. ;)

From here, it's clean up dinner, take blankets off the line and put line away, put kids to bed at 8:45-9 ish and go lay down in bed while hubby falls asleep.  

Whew.   That's a busy day.   

Granted I don't meal prep every day, but there is a day in my life.  I call that a down day since I didn't have to leave the house. When I have to leave he house and run errands it feels so much crazier. 

Well, Good night everyone! Thank you for joining us, and  I hope you enjoyed today's show.   We will return to your regularly schedule program tomorrow.