Gluten Free Chocolate Chips Cookies

The fricassee was a major fail tonight.  But, I am happy to report that my relatively healthy, gluten free chocolate chip cookies are DELICIOUS!!  Steve has eaten 5 of them already.  He says they are just plain good cookies - i.e., they don't taste "healthy."

I based the recipe off one that I found on one of my new favorite blogs Chocolate Covered Katie.

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (make sure to use gluten free if you want to make sure they are gluten-less)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 TBSP brown sugar
1-2 TBSP honey (I used 2 and they are pretty sweet)
2 TBSP oil of your choice (I used olive oil since I always have it on hand)
2-3 TBSP of milk or milk substitute (I used almond milk)
Small handful chocolate chips

Blend first 4 ingredients in food processor.  Mix in other ingredients.  Put spoonfuls onto baking sheet and bake for 6 minutes at 375.  Makes a dozen.

I also forgot to show you what Wm is eating this week!  Here is Wm's bento:

Back left: blue tortilla chips that Wm picked out

Back right: broccoli

Front left: black beans, cookie (recipe above)

Front right: strawberries

After this week, we will have eaten up the GIANT pot of black beans I made.  Now I have to think of something for next week!  I think I am going with sardines. Wm loves sardines!!  What a weirdo.

Meal Plan

I am late posting my meal plan...but it's not my fault.  Steve worked all weekend, so I was on Munchkin Duty solo.  Then, we were all tired yesterday and Steve's boss gave him $100 gift card to Carrabba's, so we decided to go out to dinner on the spur of the moment.  Steve got a lemon bread pudding for dessert and ate himself into a coma.  Meanwhile, I had salmon.  Because I'm awesome.  And I don't like lemon.  Without further ado, here's what we're eating this week...

Monday: Tempeh Fricassee
Tuesday: Spaghetti with Jess's quinoa meatballs
Wednesday: Brown butter and Sage Chicken (this is a Steve favorite!)
Thursday: out!
Friday: Mini pizzas made on tortillas with black beans, a bit of cheddar cheese, a drizzle of Ranch dressing, lettuce, and shredded tortilla ships (Wm will be having a cheese quesadilla)
Saturday: Some sort of salmon.  Last week, I ended up making a yummy salmon skewers.  I just put pineapple with salmon and marinated in soy sauce.  I wanted to add mushroom and red peppers, but had none on hand.   Next time!

eating better and a meal plan (a Jess post)

A few weeks ago I was diagnosed with PCOS, which is essentially a hormone imbalance. I was actually thrilled because it meant that years of various symptoms and issues now had an explanation. I went back to see a specialist last week and I got some more information and advice. Because the hormone imbalance is largely caused by an insulin resistance, I am on some corrective medication and herbal supplements and I also need to change my diet. The doctor suggested cutting out juice, soda, milk, and "white" foods (i.e. processed pastas, breads, sugar, white rice, russet potatoes etc). He also wants me to increase vegetables and whole grains, weaving in lean meats and fruit. This echoes the anti inflammatory diet Cory has been doing in many ways- so at least she can give me some pointers! I have high hopes for this making me feel a lot more normal.

That being said, here is my meal plan for the week:

Monday: pizzas on brown rice flour crust with cheddar cheese (mine will be veggie, Drew will have bison pepperoni!)
Tuesday: Asian marinated pork tenderloin with roasted sweet potatoes and carrots
Wednesday: whole grain pasta with collard green pesto & salad
Thursday: leftover pork and pineapple fried rice (with brown rice) & edamame
Friday: tostadas on corn tortillas (Griffin & I will have bean and avocado, Drew will have ground bison) with spicy quinoa salad
Saturday: Drew and I will be out celebrating our SEVEN YEAR wedding anniversary! Griffin will be partying with grandma & grandpa. Diet may be flying out the window just this one night...

Excited to see how it pans out!

Whole Grain Granola Bars

Granola bar success!

William often has a Clif bar and some fruit for breakfast.  And Clif bars are pretty good for you.  But, as with all store bough processed foods...who knows what's in there.  "Natural flavor" is pretty ambiguous.  So I decided to make my own granola bars that were lower in white sugar, and heavier in the grains.  They have just been taste-tested by William, who declared them "better than the ones you buy at the store."  And they weren't too hard to throw together, either!  Here's how I did it:

2 cups oats

1/2 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup oat flour (just whir some oats in the food processor until they're flour-like)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp salt

4T brown sugar

3/4 tsp cinnamon (I decided at that last minute not to add this, because William is not a fan, usually.  But, I think it would add some yumminess if you like cinnamon!)

1/2 cup honey

1 egg

1/2 cup peanut butter

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup almonds (or other nut, but this is William's favorite)

1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and grease 13X9 inch pan.

In a large bowl, mix oats, wheat germ, flours, salt, sugar, and cinnamon (if using).  Make a well in the center and add honey, egg, peanut butter, vanilla, and applesauce.  Mix well.  Fold in nuts and chocolate chips.  Bake for 30 minutes.  

Tomorrow I am making Wm's healthy, flour-free (gluten-free if you get gluten-free oats!) chocolate chip cookies. Yummmmm!

Bento

I thought I'd update with how the bento for William's lunch is working out.  He loves it, he says the kids at his table think it's awesome, and the lunch monitor even came over to comment on how nice William's lunch looked.  But he ate virtually none of it!  When I asked why not, he said, "my belly just was not hungry at lunch - it's hungry now.  Can I eat it?"  So he sat down after school yesterday and plowed through the entire thing!  I packed him the same thing again today and he says he will definitely eat it all up at lunch time.

Front left: rice topped with black beans, raw sugar-free "cookie" bar

Back left: whole grain tortilla chips

Back right: baby carrots

Front right: trail mix of dried cherries and sesame sticks

I know it's not fancy like those people who mold their rice into Mickey Mouse - but I don't have time for that jazz.  And William seems fine with it, as is.  Every scrap of it went into his belly yesterday!  His favorite things, of course, are the sesame sticks, chips, and bar. 

As I have mentioned earlier, William complains A LOT that his tummy hurts.  He said it hurt really bad on Sunday and I couldn't figure out why.  Then, I realized...it was the chocolate mint pie.  William has a very mild soy allergy that has never manifested, but the doctor told us it shows up in his blood work.  Well, I guess eating a bunch of dessert with tofu as the main ingredient did not sit well!  Once I stopped giving him that (to his chagrin), his belly is all better!  He said it felt "two thumbs up" all day yesterday.  Keeping him off the milk, giving him a probiotic every day, and making sure he has yummy and good foods (like his bento lunch) keep him in good working order.  I've added a DHA supplement to his routine, so the kid is on supplements galore.  Daily, he gets: a multi, probiotic, calcium, and now fish oil.

I've already figured out the treat that will go in his lunches next week: whole grain chocolate chip peanut butter cookies.  I need to test the recipe first since I am winging it -  but I will update with how they turn out and the final recipe!

Lemon Parsley Chicken (a Jess post)

I had written out a whole clever back story about how I have no idea where this recipe card came from. That I've had it in every kitchen I've ever occupied since I moved away from home a billion or so years ago and yet I've never actually MADE it and so I finally felt compelled when I ran across it this weekend! But blogger lost my post. STUPID BLOGGER. And I don't have the energy or desire to re-create. Just know that it was wrought with hilarity and wit and would probably have been the best thing you have EVER read. I'm sorry for your loss. So here is the recipe (and honestly- you should try it before it hangs out in your kitchen for 15 years. It's GOOD.)

Ingredients:
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lemon, divided into squeezed juice and grated rind
3 T flour
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 2" pieces
3 T olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh grated ginger
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
2 T fresh or freeze dried parsley
salt & pepper

Combine flour, lemon rind & garlic in large bowl. Add chicken and toss until coated. Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat and add chicken, reserving remaining flour mixture. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned- about 10 minutes. Whisk together the reserved flour mixture, broth, sugar, and ginger. Add to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through and sauce reduces, about 5 minutes. Combine mustard and lemon juice. Add to skillet and stir until heated through. Add parsley, salt & pepper. Serve over hot rice or egg noodles.

Everyone loved it. The lemon flavor was bright and not at all overpowering. And since it didn't contain a single vegetable, Drew was beside himself with glee. I'll have to start working through the rest of my old and forgotten recipes. This vintage thing was a gem didn't

quinoa "meatballs" & meal plan (a Jess post)

Have I mentioned that I LOVE Pinterest? So much inspiration in one concentrated space. I've found so many amazing looking recipes which then leads me to incredible food blogs... there is so much I have to try! Quinoa "meatballs"was another Pinterest find. I am trying to eat less meat overall and this seemed like  one of those meals where I wouldn't miss it at all. I tweaked my recipe from this one at The Small Boston Kitchen.

Ingredients:
1/2 c quinoa
1 c chicken broth
drizzle of olive oil
5-6 baby bella mushrooms, cleaned & diced
1/4 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 c onion, diced
about 3/4 oz (1/2 a bag) of fresh mixed greens such as spinach, kale and arugula, chopped. I used this one.
2 T pine nuts
2 eggs (one for recipe, one for egg wash)
splash of water
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp rosemary
salt & pepper

Cook quinoa according to package directions using chicken broth & set aside to cool. Preheat oven to 400. Saute mushrooms, bell pepper & onion in olive oil until veggies are soft and mushrooms start to brown slightly. Put cooked veggies into a large bowl. In the same frying pan, cook greens over medium low heat until wilted. Add greens and cooled quinoa to bowl with the other veggies. Add pine nuts, spices, and one egg. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. Roll mixture into 1 1/2" balls and place on cooking sheet. Mix egg and water together in a small bowl and brush each "meatball" with the egg wash.

Bake for approximately 20 minutes or until "meatballs" are cooked through and slightly crispy on the outside.

I served these with tomato sauce and a side of whole wheat pasta. They were wonderful! Dew loved them, although he said "I don't think there is much meat in these..." actually, there's none! And I didn't miss it AT ALL!

And now for my meal plan:

Sunday: quinoa meatballs (obviously)

Monday: lemon chicken over rice

Tuesday: spinach & cheese noodle casserole & salad

Wednesday: soy bourbon pork tenderloin and sweet potatoes

Thursday: tempeh "wings" with veggies and dip

Friday: pork fried rice

Saturday: friends over for enchilada casserole