I have been very sporadic in
my posting and I apologize. All my
responsibilities have me pulled in different directions and so some things fall
to the wayside, and lately my blog has taken the brunt of that. I am trying to do better, please be patient,
and thank you for your understanding.
Being
so behind, I am going to cram a lot into today's post.....
Friday lunch....
Friday my husband worked from
home. When he stays at home I try to
make him a good (healthy) lunch. I was
worried though because I wasn't really prepared, I hadn't gone to the grocery
yet that week and didn't know what I would fix come lunch time.
Freezer Meal Workshop to the
rescue....they are not just for dinner!
I was able to grab a FMW bag
out of the freezer that morning and by lunch it had defrosted enough to toss it
in the pan and cook. Doesn't it look yummy?
This is dinner #10 from the
Comfort Foods Workshop....Smoked Mozzarella and Tomato Chicken Pasta. You might notice, there was no pasta in what
I cooked. I try and cook with as little
carbs as possible, so I served the chicken over a bed of fresh, organic, baby
spinach. The hot food wilts the spinach
perfectly.
Friday Dinner:
After the great lunch I
prepared, I finally got to go to the grocery.
Before I did, I grabbed a couple steaks from the freezer in hopes to
grill that night. It would be a late
dinner because it was way to hot to start the grill before dark.
It was a Wildtree dinner with
steaks, marinated in Garlic Grapeseed Oil and Rancher's Steak Rub, with Smoky
Espresso BBQ Sauce (see recipe below) on the side, Steamed veggies with
California Style Garlic Pepper Blend, corn on the cob with butter Flavored
Grapeseed oil and sea salt, and Kid Cheez Mac and Cheese. Everything was fabulous. I was especially impressed with how the corn
turned out. I rubbed each ear down with
GSO and sprinkled a bit of salt on them, and then wrapped them in foil to be
put on the grill. The only problem was that
they didn't get put on the grill in time, so I had to unwrap them and steam
them in the microwave. Not the way I had
planned, but they still turn out delicious.
Now anyone who knows me knows
I love to cook. Cleaning up, on the hand,
is looked at as a horrible side effect of cooking. I will run hot, soapy water in the sink and
try to wash as I get stuff dirty, but when I am trying to orchestrate so many
dishes being done at the same time, it usually doesn't work. I am ashamed to admit, there are nights when
we eat late that the dishes don't get done until the next morning ( my mother
is rolling over in her grave...).
Brag
As I was finishing the
wonderful dinner on Friday night I was starting to dread the chore of cleaning
up the kitchen. Much to my surprise my
husband and children hopped up (totally unsolicited) and cleaned up. Emptied
the dishwasher, reloaded it, washed, dried and put away all the hand washables
and put all the leftovers in the fridge.
I got to sit back and listen to some great music and enjoy my wine. What a major surprise that was. Now in my husband's defense, he HAS been
known to do that before, but I couldn't tell you when.
Apology
I have to send an apology to
all the Central Virginia residents who lost power Friday night, many of which
are still without it. It seems having my
husband AND children voluntarily clean up after dinner sent the universe into
some chaotic fit which then caused severe, damaging, weather. I promise to make them do it more often so
the universe won't have such a drastic response.
Lunch
My daughter loves mac and
cheese. In fact, even at age 15 she would
eat nothing BUT mac and cheese if I would let her. Sunday she was babysitting a friends son so I
made Wildtree's Kids Cheez for them, with some ham slices and fresh
oranges for lunch. As usual it was a big hit and so much
healthier than Mac and cheese from a box.
Some time soon I will do a comparison of Kraft mac and cheese against
Wildtree's Kid Cheez just so you can see how much healthier Wildtree is.
Dinner
I just got finished with
Sunday's dinner. I love Wildtree for so
many reasons, one of which is the fact it is so quick to prepare. I made shrimp scampi for dinner and set the timer
when I took the pan out of the cabinet to start dinner. In 35 minutes I had dinner on the table, the longest
part of the dinner prep was waiting for the water to boil to cook the Gluten
free pasta.
Here are a few recipe's and hints
from the meals listed above:
--Smoky Espresso BBQ
Sauce (from Wildtree's website)
Smoky Espresso BBQ Sauce
|
Provided by Wildtree
from Warwick, RI
|
SERVINGS: 25
|
INGREDIENTS:
|
2 tablespoons mashed and minced garlic
2 tablespoons Wildtree Natural Grapeseed Oil
½ cup cider vinegar
½ cup soy sauce, low sodium
1 cup ketchup
1 cup honey
2 tablespoons Wildtree Java Rub
|
|
|
PREPARATION:
Mash garlic with the
side of a knife and then mince finely. Add Grapeseed Oil to a preheated sauté
pan. Add the garlic and sauté until it gets light brown, about 1 minute. Add
cider vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, and Java Rub; whisk to combine.
Bring to a simmer and simmer for 25 minutes. Let cool and store in
refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Calories 70; Fat 1 g;
Saturated Fat 0 g; Carbohydrate 14 g; Fiber 0 g; Protein 1 g; Cholesterol 0
mg; Sodium 310 mg
|
--Wildtree's Mac and Cheese
**note (Hannah likes
her Mac and cheese very creamy so I add 2 tablespoons of butter to the sauce to make it creamier)
Kids Mac & Cheez (package recipe)
|
Provided by Wildtree
from Warwick, RI
|
SERVINGS:3
|
INGREDIENTS:
|
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup Wildtree Kids Cheez
Blend
- 5 ounces pasta
|
|
|
PREPARATION:
Cook pasta according
to package directions. While pasta is cooking, whisk together milk and cheez
blend in a saucepan and heat. Drain pasta. Return pasta to pan, add cheez
sauce, and stir to combine.
Calories 250;
Fat 7g; Saturated Fat 2.5g; Carbohydrate 37g; Fiber 2g; Protein 12g;
Cholesterol 20mg; Sodium 170mg
|
