Choices

The other day on our ride home from snow-venture, Mr. King told me that there was no food in the house. Challenge accepted. I didn't see an empty fridge, I saw options.

In the past few days with nothing, I have made 

Kermit the frog tortellini with Fozzie the Bear Meatballs aka Pesto Tortellini with homemade sausage and veggie sauce, and Turkey meat balls. She's on a wicked Muppets fix. And if calling pesto filled pasta Kermit. So be it, she ate two bowls. 

Banana-apple pumpkin waffles with Maple Brown sugar Sausage and chopped pears and oranges 

Cold curing smoothies - recipe in previous post

Raw Veggie, Black Bean Breakfast Burrito

And a toddler Dinner Plate for Hadley

Smoothie- round 2 -this time I added two carrots, tumeric, honey, an apple and orange

Turkeyball Crescent Rollups and Hearty dipping soup

These were just the hands on, prep-needed eats. H also had cereal, fruit, yogurt and snacks in between. 

I had all intention on making it to the grocery store today, but I woke up feeling pretty crappy. And it was snowing again. No thank you. Hopefully we feel a little better tomorrow.

Here's to snuggling the rest of the night with my mini me watching James and the Giant Peach. 

I love when she wants to be all snuggly. 

Stay warm

-K

Fighting Colds, One Meal at a Thyme

I love cooking from scratch but sometimes I just don't have time to whip up waffles on the spot. So Trader Joes does it again. I love TJS everything. But their waffle/pancake mix is my favorite. The recipe calls for 1 cup of mix, two Tbl butter, 3/4 cup water and an egg. Instead I like to mix it up, I use two Tbl of melted coconut oil, 3/4 cup coconut milk, 1 banana and a grated apple. No egg, no butter. It makes me feel just a little bit better indulging in waffles. Now H has no problem eating two full Belgian waffles, something Mr. King and I can't even do. I like to eat healthy, but also believe in moderation. Moderation as in eating two sausage links, not five. I love food, and trying a little bit of everything. I don't exclude things from my diet, I just try to eat a lot of the 'good-for-you' foods, and only a few nibbles of the delicious 'bad-for-you' foods. 

Every meal I feed my little lady, I try to incorporate a lot of fruit and veggies.  What's even more important right now is feeding the right foods to help our immune systems. With the mass amounts of snow, cold weather and germs everywhere it's so beneficial to fill up on superfoods to help us not get sick. 

Eating one orange a day gives you your daily intake of vitamin C, as well as a being a great source of Fiber. Bananas are loaded with potassium, and boosts your metabolism. And honey (which we put on almost everything), improves sleep, soothes sore throats, eases stress, helps skin and so much more. Just remember use Raw Honey for all health benefits.

Banana not shown, he was an after picture thought.

After nap time we decided to enjoy a little smoothie. I love smoothies, it's just another great way to incorporate all the delicious, nutritious health benefitting fruits and/or veggies. Pineapple, mango and banana are my favorites, so they obviously showed up today. I'm really working on fighting this oncoming cold so I snuck in some ingredients I don't usually add like, cayenne pepper and apple cider vinegar. Ever since my first Chai Fresca I have been completely obsessed with those little guys, so I through about four tablespoons in. I also added, maple syrup, 1/4 cup strongly steeped lemon-lime tea, grated ginger, cinnamon, coconut milk, orange-pineapple juice and a tangerine. It was delicious. A little on the tarter side of things, I would have put maybe a tablespoon more maple syrup or some honey if I tasted it before dispersing between glasses. Also thinking about it now I could have used up a few yellow and orange carrots. But I didn't, and it was still so good. H finished her smoothie first, no compaints of tartness coming from her way. After her first sip she told me "my belly and nose feel better already" so there you go. Miracle cold fighting smoothie. 

H had quite the cinnamon-chai mustache. Love her. 

Don't mind the mid-day jammies, it was our first day home and we are being lazy and comfortable all day long. 

Enjoy

-K

Snow Daze

Here in little ol' Rhody we are experiencing quite the snowstorm.  Juno. So little H and I decided to camp out over our Grammie Annie's house. Framily first.

I hate knowing I won't be able to see Mr. King for a few days, but the safety and well being of my little lady is what's important.

I never had a sister but I have some of the most amazing ladies as my best friends. I moved to a new house in the middle of fifth grade, and was allowed to finish up the year in the school I was attending. The first day of sixth grade was terrifying for me. I was going into a middle school where I knew no one. On that bus ride on day one of my new school, I met my very first, very best friend. In the next four years I would meet the rest of my forever friends. We got into a lot of trouble together. They were my partners in crime, a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen to, literally my everything. We have been on the highest of highs together, and the lowest of lows. They are the people who I can call at the drop of a dime and I know that they would be there. It's funny the things you realize as you grow up. I have had a lot of in-and-out friends but the ones who have stayed, they have my heart. (Quality over quantity) 

Grammy A's is the one home that has stayed the same over the years. We have had cheerleading sleepovers, sailing  meetings, graduation parties, prom parties and so much more in this home. 

When Mr. King went back to work, H was a little over a year old. Child care is so expensive and she went 3-4 days a week. My dear friend Hanna stepped up and helped out so much. She would take H for a day or two at a time. Hanna, Grammie A, and H would have sleepovers and adventures. They are two of the people I trust my little lady's life with. And that is saying a lot. Mr. King and I are pretty strict on who watches H and we both trust them more than anyone. 

So when the talk of this three day long snowstorm came up, I knew we weren't going to be able to stay at our home. The one place I feel comfortable in, besides my own home is Grammie A's. To me she's, mamma. She loves more than anyone I know. And I love how much H loves her. Literally warms my heart. So I sit here with the wind blowing, snow adding up, snuggled with grammie A and my little H. Couldn't think of a better way to wait out this storm.

Before we left for our snow-venture yesterday, I attempted to make Mr. King some breakfast in bed. He is pretty amazing in every way. Even when things seem to fall apart, he stays strong for us. So I wanted to treat him and let him rest. But he woke up so breakfast in bed, turned into breakfast. 

I tried to use up all the veggies in case we lost power, didn't want good veggies to go to waste. So another brunchbowl it is. Literally my new favorite meal. You can throw whatever you have on hand, add scrambies, sriracha and bam you havea delicious  nutritious meal.  

In this bowl I added, 

Leeks, garlic, broccoli, carrots, squash, bell peppers, corn, edamame, kale, sundried and fresh tomatoes, basil, chicken sausage, and of course cheesy, sriracha scrambled eggs. To top it off I made crispy red bliss tomato hash browns. Yum on yum. 

Buying purple carrots, has really turned H into a carrot lover

Can you spot the sriracha heart? 

Stay safe and warm

-K

Tea Party for 2

Happiest days are those filled with cooking, and eating.

I love breakfast, but not first thing in the morning. H on the other hand is complaining of being starved before we even go potty. Thismorning for her it was a big bowl of Kashi, the good cereal, mixed with some Cheerios. She enjoys it best with coconut milk, cinnamon, and honey. She loves her cereal. After cereal is usually an apple, pear or banana- today Fuji apple, my favorite. Around ten is when my belly starts thinking about what concoction I'm going to mix up next. Today was Brunch bowls. I love a good bowl of potatoes, veggies and eggs. Topped with Trader Joes Sriracha BBQ (Heaven in a bottle) and goat cheese.

I know, your mouth is watering right now. Deliciousness in a bowl.

Sundried tomato breakfast bowl

Start with the potatoes. I like mine super crispy

1/2 Tbl coconut oil

1/2 Tbl butter

2 shakes of 21 seasoning salute

2 cups frozen hash brown potatoes from trader joes  (they cook down a lot) 

Heat oils in the pan, add seasoning and potatoes. Shake the oil all over the potatoes and cook until crispy. Shake the pan every few minutes while you cook the rest of your breakfast

Sundried tomato hash

1/2 Red onion chopped

1/4 c Thinly sliced broccoli

3 button Mushrooms chopped

1/2 cup chopped bell peppers (red and green)

1/2 zucchini shredded

1/2 squash shredded

1 purple carrot shredded

2 Tbl sundried tomatoes chopped

2 cups chopped kale

2 Tbl pesto

2 links of Trader Joes Sundried tomato chicken sausage chopped

Heat 1 Tbl coconut oil in a large skillet. Add onions and sauté for a minute. Add broccoli, peppers and mushrooms. You can cook longer depending on how tough or mushy you like your veggies. With eggs, I like them tougher. Add shredded veggies to the mix along with sausage, sundried tomatoes and pesto. Cook on med- low while you cook the scrambies.

1 Tbl cold butter chopped

4 whole eggs

1/4 cup egg whites

1 Tbl Sriracha 

Scramble egg, egg whites and Sriracha with a fork until just combined. Do not over mix. Spray a small cold skillet with non stick oil. Add eggs and chopped cold butter. Cook eggs on med low. Scramble until fluffy perfection. 

Layer eggs, hash and scrambies in a bowl. Top with honey goat cheese and Sriracha BBQ.

I made a nice little fruit salad to go with the brunch bowls. Grapes, blueberries, mandarins and segmented oranges. 

This was the perfect filling brunch for Mr. King, H and I. 

I made sure Hadley was nice and full so she would finally take a nap. I think we had two no-nap days this week, and those suck. Big time. I promised her a tea party, we were supposed to do it yesterday. Yesterday ended up being one of those terrible napless days. But today, today she napped and I went to town. I had a lot of fun doing this for her. 

When it's cold I don't really find much motivation to get out of the house, unless it is food driven. Breakfast, lunch I'm there. Grocery shopping is my favorite. Anything else, not so much. It's too damn cold and I'm a baby. Plus it takes twenty minutes just to put layers on and when your finally ready to leave, "mommy I have to pee". Every time. So I have been finding fun, in-home things to do with my little lady. 

After watching Alice and Wonderland the other day she's been talking about a tea party. And we love a good cup of tea after dinner. Sooo I give you 

Our little tea party dinner. All of her buddies we invited. I made some super tasty treats, and of course tunes were playing. There was a lot of singing, twirling, snacking and "cheersing"

But before we could have a tea party, I would have to prep for a tea party.

fairy toast

I made a bowl of the dip, I only used about three tablespoons of the heaven spread for the toast. We will find some way to eat the leftovers tomorrow. 

1/4 cup room temperature cream cheese (regular or low fat) 

1/4 cup Honey goat cheese ( I use trader joes brand it's delicious and budget friendly)

1/4 cup raspberry preserves

Honey, cinnamon and sprinkles 

Whisk the cream cheese until smooth, add the goat cheese and raspberry preserves. Add cinnamon and honey, adjust until you find the sweetness and consistency you like. My favorite dessert is cheesecake so I love anything that sort of resembles it, and this was a winner.

Take three slices of cinnamon Rasin bread and flatten out with a rolling pin. I made two fairy toasts and one PB&J roll. Roll them up and slice into thirds

The rest of our tea party consisted of a veggie bowl and hummus dip. We shared grape tomatoes, raw broccoli and some of those amazing purple carrots. When you cut into these gems they are yellow on the inside. H loves them. We had sliced pear with sprinkled cinnamon and ginger. Grapes and Butterfly Pizzas. Yes, pizza again. 

1 English muffin cut in half

1 Tbl pesto

1 Tbl sauce (I used the left over sauce from eggplant pizzas)

1 Tbl cheese

Spread half of each sauce on the muffin. Pesto, red sauce and then cheese. Toast 375 for 10-12 minutes. I actually turned the oven up to 450 when I started cooking. When I had everything prepped and ready for our tea party I turned off the oven, put the pizzas in the oven and went to wake up H. 

We took showers and I let her pick out whatever special outfit she wanted. By the time we came downstairs the pizzas were perfectly cooked. I took them out, cut them in 1/4 and called them butterflies.

For our tea I boiled about 4 cups of water added 1 apple cinnamon tea bag, and 2 Honey vanilla chamomile bags. So yummy. H really loves after dinner tea, and this whole setup truly made her evening. I love how happy our in-home date made her. Now I just hope she will sleep in for me tomorrow morning. 

Have a great weekend!

Tea party got a little crazy, snuggling with the whole gang of buddies to finish this night out

-K

Pizza pizza.

I know I've said it before, but if I call it pizza H will eat it. 

Just so happends eggplant Parm is one of Mr. Kings favorite dishes. Mine not so much, so eggplant Parm pizzas is a nice little compromise. I feel like if you cover the whole dish in sauce it makes it too soggy and I don't like soggy.

 (If I'm gonna eat cereal it's gotta be dry, as soon as it becomes a little soggy it skeeves me out)

With that face you gotta believe these are good.

So I started making this dish and realized I was out of eggs. So while my amazing husband ran to find my missing ingredient I prepped my eggplant.

1 medium eggplant

I like to find one that is long and skinny, or equal widths. Pear shaped ones will end up cooked unevenly

Peel and slice 1/4" thick

Lay out all the eggplant disks on paper towels and sprinkle with sea salt, cover with additional paper towels, and put some pressure on it to extract the water. Flip over, salt the other side and cover with dry paper towels (or hand towels) 

Let the water extract from the eggplant while you get the rest of your supplies ready. 

Mise en place 

Bread crumbs

1 cup Panko

1/2 cup grated Parm

1/4 cup shredded Italian cheeses

1tbl 21 seasoning salute (trader joes)

Crushed red pepper

Sprinkle of flour

1 tbl whole wheat flour

Egg mixture

1 egg, 1 egg white

Sriracha

21 seasoning salute

Basil

1 tsp flour 

Milk

Scramble those ingredients together.

 I use two forks during the breading process. Nothing worse than a clumpy egg and Panko mess attached to your fork and fingers. 

Line a baking sheet with Aluminum foil and cooling rack, spray with coconut oil. 

Dunk your dried out eggplant into the egg mixture, then into the Panko mix. 

Place all your breaded eggplant on the lined sheet.

Bake 375 for 30-40 minutes 

So I took a container out of the freezer that I thought was tomato sauce. It wasn't, instead My Italian Sausage, veggie and bean tomato soup. 

So I went with it, and chopped up some red and green bell peppers, zucchini, squash and garlic. I threw all the veggies in a pot with some coconut oil, let them sweat out. I added about a cup of yellow and red  grape tomatoes to the pot. Put the cover on it, and cook until the tomatoes pop. 

Once the veggies were nice and tender I added my unintentional Italian soup. To thicken it up a bit I threw in 1/4 cup tomato paste and 1 tbl basil. Put the cover on and simmer while the pizzas are still cooking. 

Once the Eggplants are tender, but not mushy put 1-2 tbl of sauce in the center of each and sprinkle with shredded Italian cheese. Bake for another 5-10 minutes until bubbly and beautiful

Serve alone or with whole grain pasta. 

Enjoy! 

-k

Smoothies and Quesadillas

I was going to write about my final Roll-over meal (I made it days ago, just have been super busy with life), but we had an amazing before bedtime snack.

So we will start with the most outstanding smoothie I have ever made.

Drumroll please....

The Pineapple Mango Tension Tamer Tea Smoothie (I think the name needs some working on) 

This was the perfect amount for my little lady and I have a full cup

Start a pot of boiling water. I throw two tea bags into a cup. (I like to make it strong - you only need about a cup of steeped tea but I like a lot of the tea taste)

1 small pear peeled

1 frozen banana 

1 cup frozen Pineapple

2 cups frozen mango

1 cup coconut milk 

3/4 - 1 Cup steeped tea

1/2" Peeled Ginger (add to steeping tea)

1 Tbl honey (melt into the tea)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

If it was for Mr. King and I, I would have thrown a cucumber into the mix, but H is on a No Cukes kick.

Also, when I make a smoothie with H I don't put the ginger in the blender because, forget it if she gets a stringy ginger piece, so I cut it up and steep in the tea for a few minutes while I get everything else ready)

Blend to perfection. 

I've been Lacotse intolerant for as long as I remember. When I was little everyone just though I was trying to get out of drinking my nightly glass of milk, but no, my belly really did hurt all those times. 

I'm telling you this, because I have also loved smoothies as long as I can remember. Every time you walk into an ice cream joint, it's either yogurt smoothies or some kind of powdered mix with milk added into it. Yuck and yuck. I'm not reall a juice type of person either, so I'm always trying to come up with new and fun ways to make an amazing smoothie. Lately it's been to add tea to it. It's such a great substitute for sugar loaded juices or yogurt choices. There is such a wide variety of teas that are filled with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. 

So back to that last roll-over meal. It is super easy, super quick and most of all, absolutely delicious. 

Chicken Pesto Quesadillas 

1 large tortilla

1 tsp coconut oil

1 cup chopped chicken (beer can chicken)

2 Tbl pesto

1/4 cup shredded zucchini 

1 tsp basil (I like the squeeze bottle kind)

2 Tbl chopped sundried tomatoes

Mix chicken with the rest of ingredients-

1/2 cup shredded cheese (mozzarella, provolone, white cheddar)

Grab a large skillet, big enough to fit your tortilla. Melt the oil and throw the tortilla on until it bubbles. Flip the tortilla and put about half the cheese mixture onto half the dilla. Top with the chicken pesto and rest of the cheese. Fold over, flip and finish grilling. 

I liked mine with a little salsa. H had hers with ketchup and called it pizza. Sure pizza.

Enjoy the dillas, and Tension tamer smoothies. 

Tomorrow I will share another "pizza": Eggplant Parm Pizzas.

-K

Chicken dish

I don't do the drive-thru fast food with my little lady, ever. But I do have a secret obsession, my one food vice. All around hang-over, bad day cure.

Subway. I friggen love it. I order the same Sammy every time. 

Sweet onion chicken teriyaki on honey oat, toasted with provolone. All veggies except olives and jalapeños. Sweet onion sauce AND ranch. Don't knock it till you try it. Then you won't stop getting it.

What's even better, I shop so frequently at stop and shop that I have never ending buy one get one 6" Sammies. (Coupons on the back of shopping receipt.) 

It's perfect for those days when it's raining, cold and you want nothing to do with cooking. Aka Sunday afternoons. So for dinner tonight H and I had subway. 2 sandwiches, a drink and two cookies for under $9. Now that's a bargain. I don't always splurge for cookies but today they were perfectly cooked I couldn't say no. We don't treat ourselves often with fast food, but I love that H can pick her own healthy options there. Today was meatball with cheese and extra "pittles" (pickles).

We had a very lazy, rainy snuggle kind of day today. My favorite 

Last night though, we cooked. 

We made daddy's favorite meal. Well almost, daddy likes using processed cream of soups, but I made my own. I know he would have preferred the can, but compromises. :)

So I give you.... Chicken dish

Roll over meal number four for beercan chicken. The key to this is simple.

Cook chicken rice-a-roni by directions the box. Instead of using water I used the homemade chicken stock. 

Next start the Roux (fat and flour to make a thickening sauce- traditional bechemels are started this way.)

About two tbl of butter a splash of oil 

Simmer chopped mushrooms and celery

Add thyme and chives (or omit)

Add two tbl of flour

Wisk until the flour browns (not burns) it will give off a nutty aroma

Slowly stir in 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and 1/2 cup milk

I add a little Parmesan cheese at this point

I added 1 cup chopped beercan chicken

Once rice is cooked, stir in homemade cream of soup

Add about a 1 cup mixed cheese of your choice. Cheddar is always a good start

Sprinkle with more cheese 

Bake 350 for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

We eat ours with apple sauce and cranberry sauce. 

Enjoy! Happy Sunday :)

Chicken dish brought to you by this little lady. She picked out her whole atire. I love her

Stretch a buck

I love coupons and a good bargain. Who doesn't? 

Let's see prime example. At any point you walk in my house there's a pot of orange peels, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla on the stove. It's not always simmering but it's there. We love oranges, like big juicy oranges and we eat a ton of them. I love when I wake up in the morning and there's a big box of produce for me. Best husband ever. Way better than flowers (I do like those too though). I can't see throwing away the peels of four oranges daily, that's the good stuff.  So I save some peels in the fridge for zest recipes, and the rest go right in the pot on the stove. You wouldn't believe how good it smells. It's perfect for the day you have to boil down a ham to make pulled pork. Though the BBQ pig taste divine, the smell is something I could do without. This is when my orange friends really shine. Turn on low for ten, maybe fifteen minutes and your house smells like you have put some serious bake time into your day. It actually makes my mouth water from smell but i would never actually taste my boiled down orange pot. Mr. King dared me, but I'm not falling for that shit. 

So what I'm really here to talk about is my wonderful Beer can chicken- rollover meal. Then I rolled it over again and hey I'm using the rest of that damn delicious bird tomorrow. When roaster chickens are on sale for .99/lb or even 1.19, it's such a good deal. I already can see three maybe four meals from that one $5-$8 bird. Serious score. 

I save the neck and rest the rest if the innards for stock day. I took the chicken from last night and shredded it. I put about 1- 1 1/2 of the chicken breast for lunch and dinner today and the rest went into a bowl for tommorrows dinner, chicken dish. (Mr. Kings favorite, not mine but that's love hah). So once you have all the chicken shredded, and separated I throw some celery, carrots, onions, thyme, sage, rosemary, garlic, and peppercorns into the pot. The whole carcass goes into the pot, with all the flavor good that roasted in it yesterday.

I let that simmer all day. 

 I got the stock simmering, the house smelt so delicious and I knew I wasn't making soup for hours, So next..

Chicken Pesto Crescent Rolls 

About 1 cup chopped white meat chicken 

2 good tbl of pesto (I've learned trial and error, don't make anything in a crescent roll too wet. The crispy rolls just get soggy, and your disappointed.) 

1 tbl basil- I like the squeeze tube kind cus I can't keep it alive otherwise, and it lasts way longer - convenience is key

1 tbl chopped sundried tomatoes

1 tbl baby Bella's chopped

2 tbl cheese - I used mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, Parm mix

Mix all ingredients in a bowl

Get your crescent rolls ready

Spread 2 tbl of mixture onto each crescent roll, sprinkle each with more cheese, roll up and bake 10-11 mins at 375

*try keeping the tomato pieces inside the crescent. If they poke out the side they tend to burn. I like a little crisp but be aware. 

I wish I got a picture of them cooked to perfection but Hadley asked for her second before I could even put one on my plate 

They were so delicous and so easy to make. I'll definetly make these again, and I'm not much of a recipe- repeater, unless of course it's BBQ chicken pizza.

I feel as soon as I am done washing dishes, and cleaning up the kitchen, Hadley is hungry for something else. We had a big bowl of black berries, blue berries and mandarin oranges in between for snack. Not long after said berry bowl, H was starving. Yes I starve my child. I have yet to figure out how to keep her full. She eats really well and more than Mr. King and I eat in a day. Growing toddler I guess. And I have to give it to her today. There was no nap today and, she has a little cold, with the boogs dripping out of her nose. 

What does she need to get better, a little soup for the soul. So I got to making a little pot of soup. I'm not making my soup for a freezer meal or to have left overs. Just a Soup for Two kinda night. H likes my simpler concoctions anyway. 

I just estimate most ingredients but when all said and done it was a full soup pot, with just enough for Mr. King to have dinner when he gets home. 

Garlic

Leeks white part

Broccoli stems chopped

Celery

Corn

Peas

Edamame 

Zucchini

Squash

Baby Bella's 

Carrots (i took out the ones in the stock pot and chopped them because I had none left and boogie nose baby wanted carrots how could I say no)

The rest of the chopped chicken breast

From Beer can chicken 

Sautée all the veg, add chicken dump into side bowl - I used my chipped mug.

I like to cook my pasta separate from my soup and dump the ingredients back into the pot. You could also do this in another pot but I was lazy and didn't want to wash two pots.

I used egg "doodles" tonight 

Cook about 7 minutes in a pot of chicken stock, then stir in the veg and chicken 

Divide into bowls and top with a little Parmesan cheese

Easy peasy and delicious 

$7 chicken- I have already made three meals and I have one on the menu for tomorrow and I will probably be able to stretch it even more, maybe sandwiches. $7 for five separate meals and a gallon of chicken stock. Definetly worth the work. Love me some good roasted chicken. Enjoy!

Oh I even had time to get a little fresh ink with boogie baby today 

I love my little mini me so much! :)

*goodnight all

Beer can Roasted Chicken

Tonight's dinner was, easy, nutritious, and delicious. 

Start making your flavor butter

Small saucepan 

1 stick butter

2 tbl coconut oil 

3-4 cloves of garlic

Butt of an onion

Sprig or two of each

Thyme, Rosemary, Sage

1/2 can beer (I used pumpkin head)

Stand chicken up and shove the can into the cavity, holding the chicken upright

Pour the flavor butter all over the chicken 

- I rub a little 21 seasoning salute all over chicken before basting with butter. Rub under skin, into cavity all inside crevices. Get all that delicous butter all over your chicken. Saving maybe 2-3 tbl of butter to put on potatoes and carrots. 

I also like to keep a little pile of goodies to stuff into the chicken cavity ontop of the beer can (or beer poured into an empty bean can)

So today I put garlic, orange peels, more sprigs, onions and the apple core into the cavity

Chop onions, carrots, potatoes and one apple, toss in a little of the flavor butter. Throw in the back of the roasting pan. Usually this is under the chicken but today my chicky is standing up.

Roast 30 minutes at 450

Turn down 350 roast for about 45 more minutes checking after 30. Always cook to 165 internal temp.

Let rest 

Make the maple honey dijon dressing

2 tbl maple syrup

2 tbl honey

1 tbl orange marmalade

1 tbl yellow must

2 tbl grainey mustard

2 tsp sriracha 

1 tsp OJ 

Serve with dark greens/ tomato drizzle dijon over as a salad

So delicous. Try beer can roasted chicken tonight!! I'll probably never cook a chicken without beer again 

Creating a Foodie

Feeding a Toddler.

I have such a love for food. Seriously. Almost obsessed with it. As soon as I'm done eating I'm thinking about the next meal. I used to have issues with it, and thought eating anything would make you fat. I would go a few days on one can of tuna. Then I found the wonderful world of eating the rainbow, and flavor combinations that help better your body.

Nitrients, proteins, good fats. There are so many amazing things to eat, I don't know how peoe can eat that cardboard garbage under the Golden Arches.

Shortly after finding out I was pregnant I started the most amazing experience of my life. A 14 week culinary training program at the RI Community Food Bank. It is a truly amazing opportunity where we spent 40 hours a week at the food bank. Daily preparing 500 meals for the underprivileged children throughout the Providence area. We not only learned about food safety, sanitation, and nutrition but learned about ourselves. I feel like I grew as a person more in that program than I did at any point in my adult life. I ate healthier, for myself and my growing baby, and I really understood the importance of it. Walking across that stage at graduation was probably the proudest moment for me. I finally knew what I was good at, my true passion in life. Cooking and helping others.

I always loved cooking for Mr. King and I.  Once my little H could eat solid foods I was so excited to start expanding her pallet. My goal was to get her to eat deliciously, nutritiously and not out of those little glass jars you find in the supermarket. All the food is some sort of grayish/ brown and is seriously lacking flavor. 

 

Nothing made me happier than preparing all the food for my little lady. I knew exactly what was going into her little growing body. 

I'm not sure of the exact recipes as this was two years ago. Some combinations were:

Roasted banana with cinnamon and nutmeg

Apple, pear and cinnamon 

Pea, greenbean and mint

Carrot, sweet potato, ginger and cinnamon

Berry trio with peaches

Cauliflower, potato, parsnip and thyme

Broccoli, avocado and pear.

I always used organic for the baby and made sure to wash all fruits and vegetables first. It's important to make sure the baby isn't allergic to a single ingredient before mixing. I also love adding a little bit of herbs and spices to the mixes. They add flavor and help in a developing body. Now little H won't eat a Pbj without honey and cinnamon. 

Starting to expand the pallet young, helps them make smarter decisions in the long run. I have totally created a mini foodie. But it's so fun. I love that she's not fearful to try new foods. 

Preparing her food now is just as fun as it was when she was a baby. I have also learned, using the words princess, rainbow or unicorn will get H to pretty much eat anything. Unicorn pizza, princess soup, or rainbow pasta. Gone, gone, and gone. I also like giving her options. That's why I love the compartment plates. She feels like she is picking what she wants to eat. She also needs to eat a little bit of everything before getting seconds of anything. 

Banana, apple, pumpkin pancakes make with coconut oil and coconut milk. Mandarin oranges, blackberries and sausage links

Sausage and kale hash with scrambies, goat cheese and blackberries

 Baked Panko eggplant Parm pizza with mozzarella, pesto and homemade sauce 

Cheesy garlic roasted broccoli

Apple pumpkin waffles with cinnamon apple- bacon compote

Sweet and smokey crispy bacon and mandarine oranges  

This was such a delicious snack. I chopped cocoa almonds, coconut cashews, banana chips and pistachios and the them in coconut yogurt from my favorite spot.  H really enjoyed dunking the grams into the yogurt

I told you we were a big fan of breakfast

I love that she loves food just as much as me. I am so proud of her fresh fruit and veggie choices over potato chips and processed foods. 

I'll let you in on a little secret, if you don't buy crappy food from the grocery store you can't eat crappy food. I use the scan it while grocery shopping so I have a constant tally of my bill. I shop the outter perimeter first and once I hit that $100 mark, I stop shopping. No cookies, no junk. There's never enough money to make it to those isles. If I have $2-$3, I'd rather get a container of sour cream or an extra bag of cheese. If you shop smarter you need to eat smarter. I load the fridge with easy accessible fruits and veggies for H to eat. 

Remember, have fun with your food!

Framily

There are so many things that I want to teach my little lady. And so many more that I don't even know about yet. But one thing is for certain besides having manors and being humble, I want her to know how important it is to have friends. 

Like solid, good hearted, call any time friends.

I've had the other kind too. The kind when you think you can trust them and they decide to screw you over, or the kind that walk out and never call again. 

Not those kinds. Those are the shitty kind of 'friends' and, unfortunately you will have a lot more of the shitty in- and out kind of friends. There is nothing wrong with trying to make new friends either. New friends can turn into those best kinds of friends but, always be careful of who you trust and let in. Shitty friends suck. 

But I'm not here to talk about the crappy things in life I'm trying to take positive steps forward. Sometimes you gotta cha-cha a little bit, but always facing forward. 

I'm here to talk about my amazing best friends. The ladies that have so much to do with me growing into the mature, loving, whole-hearted woman that I have become. Besides Mr. King there are not a lot of people that I let inside this crazy mind of mine. But these ladies have had my heart and mind long before I fell in love. 

They knew me when I was that weird new girl in the awkward pre-teen years. They stuck by me through some of the hardest moments in my life. Boys, booze, lies and alibis. Proms, cheerleading camps, sleep overs and long nights. Bus rides, lost drives, beaches and campgrounds. Graduation, college, roommates, glitter and golds 

They are the kinds of friends that when you are having an incredibly shitty day. Like the kind when your one car you share with your husband blows up. Dies. 100 miles after factory warranty kinda dead.  

Well without asking that friend shows up while I was balling my eyes out sitting on my front step. But not only does she show up. She shows up with a big bottle of wine. And drinks it with me while I cry. Until past midnight when she has to work in the morning. And knows just what to say to make everything just a little bit better. 

Those are the kinds of friends you want to keep.

There is also the best kind of friend, where life happends and you don't get to see them as often as you want, but when you do it's like time stopped and there was never a two year gap between visits. I have an amazing friend who is so dear to my heart. I met her in college and we are like soul friends. She has such an old soul, and is so fun loving. When we are together, I don't need to say anything - to say everything. Oh just thinking about her makes me so happy. 

I'm sure you have heard the saying that you find your true friends when you start having kids. My golly that is true. These are the ladies that have stuck by me long before I was a mommy, and have helped me learn to be one. They are the ones I trust with the life of my little lady. I can call on a moments notice and they can always be there. I couldn't say enough about them. Literally love them with my whole heart. It's funny, the things that you realize as you get older. The importance of friends is definetly one of them. 

Friends are the Family you choose and I couldn't be more proud of my fun- loving amazing little- family. 

    

Eat your Greens

Yesterday was grocery shopping day. My favorite. I was a coupon queen yesterday and saved over $90 on my bill. Somehow that number always gets me more excited than the price of the actual groceries.

Breakfast has become my favorite meal of the day. I hated everything breakfast, always. Until one day, that day happend to be the day I conceived H. She changed my body in so many ways (most not for the better), but my favorite was the new love of eggs. Eggs with Sriracha. I don't mean to brag but I do make the best scrambled eggs. I read the whole Racheal Ray breakfast edition magazine cover to cover to get all the right tips and techniques. I'll give the short version but you should go find a copy and read it over- life changing. So now with my new found love for eggs I will find any excuse to have breakfast for dinner, or to make brunch on a Wednesday. 

Today happend to be that brunch on a Wednesday kinda thing. I wanted sausage and eggs all morning but Hadley  choose cereal, yogurt, and fruit instead. Fine no delicious maple brown sugar sausage for you. So when Mr. King woke up, before he had to head to work I forced eggs upon him. I had to pull an arm for that one. 

So I give you Green Hash, sausage, Hashbrowns, scrambies and goat cheese 

1/3 bag Trader Joes Hash Brown potatoes (these are grate, pre- grated potatoes)

1tbl coconut oil

2tbl butter

2 shakes or Trader Joes '21 seasoning salute' (I put this on everything)

Heat the oil and butter in a med size skillet, shake the seasoning and heat

Throw the potatoes in and heat and crisp until they are as crispy as you like them. I love a crispy potato

Once you get your taters started throw on you favorite sausage in another skillet. 

I like to cook the whole package for easy use the rest of the week. (I like the johnsinville links- uncooked- but use your favorite)

So now you have your potatoes and sausage going start chopping

1tbl coconut oil

1 shallot chopped

1 celery stalk chopped

1 small head broccoli chopped

1/2 pint baby Bella's

1/2 cup shelled edamame 

1/2 small zucchini chopped

1/2 summer squash chopped

5 Brussel sprouts shredded

Heat oil in a large skillet, toss in ingredients one at a time sautée for about 5-10 mins. I like my veggies a little crunchy

Chop up cooked sausage and throw it in with the veggies

Fluffy scrambies 

4 eggs 

2 tsp Sriracha

1tbl cold butter chopped

With a fork quickly scramble sriracha into eggs- don't over mix 

Pour into a *cold non stick small skillet 

Put 1/2 the cold butter in the eggs 

Cook on low 

Slow cooked eggs starting in a cold pan, with cold butter is the key to perfectly fluffy scrambies

When eggs are almost done throw the rest of the cold butter in, fluff up and turn the pan off to finish cooking

Add hashbrowns to a deep bowl, next add green veg hash, top with fluffy scrambies, honey goat cheese and a nice swirl of Sriracha 

Eat yo greens!

Winter Chopped Salad

I used to make salad every night with dinner for the King and I. Then we had a baby and now I'm lucky if I get to sit for ten minutes during dinner time. "Mom napkin please" ::sit down:: " more milk please" :: sit down:: "I'm done, wash my hands with soap please" ::: first bite:::

So now when I have salad it's a dinner salad, and this was the cream of the crop of dinner salads. 

Start with making Orange Marmalade Caramalized Onions

1 medium sized red onion

2 tbl coconut oil

Heat the oil and start caramalizing

Throw a dash of cinnamon and allspice

Pinch of salt

Cook down for about ten- fifteen minutes

2 tbls of fresh squeezed orange juice

1 tbl balsamic vinegar 

Cook for ten more minutes 

Add 2Tbl orange marmalade and cook down while we prepare the rest of the salad

2 small heads of sweet gem lettuce (found at trader joes)

1 stalk celery chopped

1 carrot chopped

1 small head broccoli chopped

1 small pear chopped

1 green onion chopped 

1/2 cucumber chopped

1 small beet roasted with cinnamon and coconut oil- chopped

1/2 cup blueberries

6each- yellow and red tomatoes

Rip apart lettuce and disperse between two bowls

Chop all Ingredients (except blueberries and tomatoes) and throw in a bowl

Toss orange marmalade onions in with chopped veg

Seperate between two bowls

Top with blueberries and tomatoes

Top each bowl with a heaping tbl of sweet honey goat cheese and a drizzle or Trader Joes Sriracha BBQ sauce 

A must try 

New You

2015. New year, new you. I don't like resolutions, I don't usually keep them. However, I feel this is going to be the year that makes a difference. 2014 was hard, really hard. There were a lot of changes, changes that happend out of my control. Every knock down just brings the King and I closer together. The amount of stress that has been handed to us just makes us grow. It's been so difficult but I always know that no matter our struggles, I will always have my man by my side and the amazing little lady we have raised. We have a roof over our head and choices in the refrigerator. Through all of our tough times those are the only things I need.
Back to 2015. I promise to make this the year about me. I've been given the greatest gift of being promoted to Full time Mommy. It's been truly amazing. Since September we have gone on more adventures, became 'regulars' at an amazing local breakfast spot, weekly trips to the library, let our creativity flow with mass amounts of craft time, and have spent so much time learning in the kitchen. We really have just explored ourselves. I didn't realize how much I was missing out on until I was able to be with her every day. So instead of giving 100% to someone else and only get a fraction in return, in 2015- I will give 110% of me to myself and my family. Everything I do is to better our lives.
I was at a Friends house Sunday night for the Game, and my Full-time mommy friend told me she has gotten back to the gym. Ahh Gym that's such a lost word for me. When was the last time I went to one of those places? I tried to come up with all the excuses in the book as to why I don't go to said gym. Mommy friend called any bluff I had, $20 a month unlimited classes and baby sitting. What?! $20/month to get out of the house twice or three times a week so the little lady can go to gym school, and mommy can do some yoga or Zumba. So as I commit to this blog, I am going to commit to getting back to that scary three letter word.

My favorite goal, go on more adventures. Basically any time we leave the house it is an adventure, but come the warmer months I want to explore more with my lady. We have a sixteen year old station wagon Wally the Wagon. She is amazing. She growls so you just need to give her a little love tap to start, but she's our adventure mobile. "Comeon Wally."

Speaking of adventure, weekly trips to the grocery store are my favorite. I try to keep a list but I always shop what's freshest. More than half of my bill is from the produce department, and it's where we spend he most time. We chat about every item going into the cart, and options on what to cook for breakfast or dinner. I let H pick out at least one ingredient, whatever she wants- and then we will cook something with that ingredient. Except when she wants a $9/lb dragon fruit. I went to weigh and and told her nicely we had to choose a different food. I could buy steak for that price. But the point is to have fun with it. Starting at the grocery store, talking about raw products gets the little lady excited to eat and try something new. 

To bettering ourselves in 2015, let's see how long this sticks :)