Wow Waters

During the last semester of school, I became a two-pot-of-coffee-a-day kind of woman. I knew it wasn't healthy, but I didn't have the time to think about it. Now I've finally been spit out on the bank of Summer Vacation, and I must begin drinking more healthy options. At least after the morning pot is gone.

I also, thanks to The Produce Gathering, have a lot of citrus fruit hanging around my house. I love the idea of fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh lemonade, but the citrus likes my stomach less than coffee. However, instead of trading the beautiful grapefruit for someone else's broccoli, I've found a solution that also addresses my "what to drink?" problem.

I made homemade lemonade the other day for the family, and when I wandered thirsty into the kitchen about 1:00, I had an aha moment: add a bit of lemonade to a plain cup of water. Genius! It was lemony and refreshing without completely eroding the lining of my stomach! Two summers ago, I was wild about infused waters, and now I am brimming with ideas.

Ades. Why do we stop at lemonade and limeade? What about orangeade and grapefruitade (which I happen to be enjoying RIGHT NOW). Granted, this option has a small amount of sugar, but I guarantee it is better than any soda. Consider it a gateway option to healthier drinking.




My Grapefruitade

1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup very warm water
1 grapefruit
1 cup ice
3 cups water
3 sprigs of mint

Place the sugar in the bottom of your pitcher. Traditional lemonade has 1/2 cup of sugar, but I'm trying to cut down on it. Add very warm water and stir until sugar dissolves. I don't use boiling water because my pitcher is plastic, and that's just not recommended. Juice the grapefruit and dump in as much of the pulp as you like (for me, that means all of it). Add ice, water, and mint. The mint will take time to ooze out its flavor, but that makes it more fun for later.

I am now enjoying my second glass.

Infused water.

This is incredibly easy to make, and there are a thousand recipes online. Cut fruit, place it in the bottom of a pitcher, with maybe a few sprigs of something, and let it sit in the frig overnight. I bought a pitcher recently with a built-in infuser, which I would not recommend. It looks cool, but if the pitcher isn't full, it's not infusing. Fruit in the bottom will continue to add flavor.

In the photo, you can see my infused water with orange, strawberry, mint, and basil. I could only fit one berry and half an orange in the infuser; I would have used twice that amount in a plain pitcher. I will like take out the infuser in the future. Just wanted you to see the option (don't buy it!).

Infused water has no added sugar, no pulp swirling in the bottom of your glass.

The next time I make salsa, I'm going to save a slice of jalapeno to infuse. I'll let you know how that turns out.

Aqua fresca. This treat can be made two ways: mash ripe fruit and press through a sieve, or process in a blender and then strain. The fresh juice is added to water with sometimes a little sugar. The drink is often enjoyed in Mexico, where they will sometimes include edible flowers. Melons, papaya, and mangoes are all perfect for frescas. I have none of those on hand, but if the children stay out of them, I'm going to let the strawberries from last Saturday's basket ripen and have Strawberry Fresca later this week. If you garnish it with fresh fruit, it feels decadent and looks like a special event--a good replacement for afternoon coffee. Click here for six recipes with a Mexican flare, including one grain-based fresca. You can find plenty others through a quick on-line search!

Now I will pour myself a third glass of grapefruitade and fold some laundry.

Another week of menus

Alas, I did not photograph our basket this week, which contained red bell peppers, red potatos, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, carrots, celery, broccoli, yellow onions, bananas, gala apples, and oranges. These are all pretty standard produce items, but I still thought I'd share my menu plan in case you are looking for ideas.

I made refrigerator pickles with the cucumbers. I am not a fan of this green vegetable, but for some reason, I had a hankering for pickles. Thanks to having all this produce on hand, I've learned that refrigerator pickles are easy to make and stay on hand for a month, which is long enough for me to gobble them down.

I'm posting a picture, but I think something this unattractive qualifies me as running an "anti-food" blog. Eek. Anyway, to make refrigerator pickles, you heat 1/2 cup cider vinegar, 1/2 cup white vinegar, and 3/4 cup white sugar in a small saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Pack cucumber slices tightly into jars (adding herbs, onions, and peppers makes your jars much prettier) and cover with brine. You can add spices to the vinegar mixture after it's heated: 1-1/2 tsp. mustard seeds, some celery seed, some pepper. Enough with the cucumbers...

Sunday: I marinated Oven-roasted lime chicken from Crepes of Wrath (hands down, our favorite chicken recipe) the night before, and cooked it after church, along with a side of garlic mashed potatoes and cauliflower. I have found that love to mix cauliflower into mashed potatoes. Trust me, not only small children need their veggies "hidden." I would like to say we had applesauce with this meal, which sounds more balanced, but truthfully we munched on homemade rye bread to assuage our hunger while the chicken cooked. My youngest wants to learn to bake bread, so we made the rye on Saturday.

Monday: I also bought the stew pack from The Produce Gathering, which has all the ingredients for beef stew. Easy and satisfying, even though it shouldn't be 14 degrees in Oklahoma in March.

Tuesday: Most of the fruit from our basket will get used up just in lunches and snacks, but my family doesn't eat oranges very much. Instead of juicing them, I'm planning waffles and bacon. I slice oranges and put them on the table, and since the waffles come out one at a time, the waiting people munch on orange slices. You can make monkey mouths with them, which is an entertaining family activity. We offer waffles either plain, or baked with cheese, blueberries, or pecans.

Wednesday: I will likely saute onions and peppers for lunch some day, but I may save a few red peppers for sloppy joes. I now add a large amount of chopped bell pepper to my mom's recipe from college. Her recipe sautes onion (and bell pepper), then I add precooked ground beef (not quite a full pound, thanks to the copious bell pepper). The sauce: 3/4 c. ketchup, 2 T. sugar, 2 T. mustard, 1 T. Worshteshire, and 1 T. vinegar. I can serve this with oven roasted potatoes (cubed potatoes tossed with olive oil, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, a little cayenne, a little oregano, baked at 400 for 30 minutes or until soft) or broccoli. Yes, we eat steamed broccoli with both sandwiches and soups. It's easy, I like it, it's good for us.

Thursday: Glazed carrots and salad. My youngest loves both of these, and we'll probably have some kind of muffin or bread to go with it. If your family likes meat, you could add an entree. We have grown accustomed to simple vegetarian meals. Without the calories from a meat, you can make guilt-free brownies or chocolate snack cake.

Friday: Because my family is small and we're light eaters, I can probably fill out the rest of the week with leftovers. And most of my basket is relegated elsewhere at this point. There is a lot of celery remaining, however, and since the weekend allows me time to cook, I might whip up some homemade cream of celery soup. My middle child can't have processed foods, and the more I move away from them, the better the rest of us feel as well. Many recipes call for creamed soups, so when I have time, I make homemade versions and we enjoy a few casseroles. One of my favorites is Rotel Chicken Casserole. I actually have some homemade rotel in the freezer, left from last summer's tomatoes and peppers. Yum.

Saturday: I have a big project planned, so I won't cook. If we don't have leftovers, we'll order pizza or eat sandwiches. I could also make spaghetti sauce in the crock pot from some romas I have in the freezer, but we'll see.

I was thinking yesterday about my Facebook photos of yummy things I've made, accompanied by photos and recipes. Just to encourage you, my cooking doesn't always turn out. Yesterday, I overcooked the chicken I was making for the family; it was too dry. And the dressing I chose for our salad wasn't quite right. We'll eat it up, because I don't like to waste things, but trial-and-error isn't always satisfying. We are, however, nourished. And warm. And together.

And for that, I'm grateful.

A week of recipes

Sara Miller inspired me by posting her family's recipes for the week. I know she has a great schedule for planning each week by theming her evenings (chicken, beef, pasta, etc.). My plan revolves around our activities. I like leftovers Sunday after church, so I cook accordingly on Saturday. I teach Tuesday and Thursdays, so not only am I tired, I rarely get home in time to prep much of anything.

But largely, my food prep revolves around what produce we have on hand from The Produce Gathering.

I don't like to let anything from my $15 basket go to waste, and I never know what I'm going to get. So on Saturday, I see what is most fragile and try to use that first. I buy a basket every other week, so the more sturdy foods can wait until week two. Eating this way has revolutionized my kitchen. Cooking is still an adventure (produce days feel like Mission Impossible, "these vegetables, should you choose to accept them..."), but I plan based on what I have, not what I see on the internet when I'm imagining I have all the time in the world for new, potentially complicated, super-healthy recipes.

Sunday: Rotini with eggplant, adapted from Smitten Kitchen, Baked Orzo with Eggplant. I cooked my pasta in advance (needed to use up the rotini), fried the eggplant in coconut oil, and added 3/4 cup ricotta (also needing to be used up) in addition to the other cheeses. Served with salad.

Monday: Sausage, carmelized fennel, smashed potato skillet, found here. I will carmelize the rest of my fennel for lunches or snacks, because I want this exotic vegetable taken care of.

Tuesday: Mac & cheese, steamed broccoli. Several choices here: I can make a crockpot recipe for the mac and cheese, use the terrible blue box, or try this recipe from Smitten Kitchen. It takes an hour and a half before serving, but it's not complicated. I can either reserve energy, knowing I am making it for dinner, or do it Monday night and just reheat.

Wednesday: I am probably making Sara's UnStuffed Pepper Skillet, but I also have a very good recipe for sausage stuffed peppers. Probably won't chose sausage two days in a week, but it is my go-to stuffed pepper recipe, from Kalyn's Kitchen.

Thursday: Something leftover...easy dinner.

Friday: Burgers and salad (or Hot German potato salad, depending on what's left in the frig). I have several recipes for burgers in a new cookbook, or I might keep it simple and have my husband fire up the grill, should the weather still be spring-like.

Saturday: Enchiladas, using Mexican chicken from the freezer, some roasted green onions, and maybe spinach. I top mine with salsa, so they are very easy. I also have some leftover chipoltes in adobe sauce, from last week's burritos, which are way too hot for me. I'll sneak the remaining ones into my husband's enchiladas...and mark them with toothpicks, so I don't accidentally eat them! Too hot for me. The enchiladas will make leftovers for Sunday; I might need to buy the spinach. Sometime on Saturday, I'll also make chocolate zucchini cake.

If you feel intimidated, know that this menu plan is a little ambitious for me. I want to use the eggplant and fennel, so I will push myself early in the week, but then I fall back on recipes I know. I juiced all the citrus, except the tangerines, which will go into lunch boxes. The bananas will similarly get consumed or mashed into banana bread.

Bon appetit!

Cooking from the pantry

I saw a news story about the beginning of cold weather and winter storms, that we should have food on hand for 3-5 days. I have let my pantry get pretty lean the last few weeks, so I started thinking about what I keep on hand as "staple meals."

Chili - If I have a can of beans on hand, that almost guarantees that I can make chili. I usually have cooked ground beef in the freezer and canned tomatoes or sauce. The spices are available. Chili is good with a quick homemade bread; my favorite is to serve it on spaghetti. Once I make a pot of chili, I sometimes buy hot dogs & buns (not a staple at our home) for chili dogs.

Spaghetti - Who doesn't have this as a staple in their kitchen? I often have canned sauce, but I can mix up a quick recipe if I have fresh tomatoes or canned sauce on hand. Sometimes we just have noodles and sauce; sometimes I add beef or chicken. On rare occasions, there will be meatballs in the freezer that I can thaw. We have some stock vegetables for sides that I also keep on hand: fresh whatever, a few frozen ones that we like, canned green beans (don't turn up your nose--this is the real Ellis house, and we're just fine). You can also vary this meal with different noodles, even tortellini or frozen ravioli.

Tuna - Everyone has their go-to sandwich, for a quick weekend meal or an evening when you're particularly tired. I'm not sure if my husband really likes tuna sandwiches, but I do. For variety, I can make tuna melts: I always seem to have some kind of cheese slice on hand. And I have a favorite tuna casserole that I am usually stocked for.

Paninis - A friend gave me a panini maker, and now our lives are complete. I keep sourdough bread on hand (my girls' favorite). Any lunch meat (although I most often use Mexican chicken that I have frozen) and a slice of cheese makes a panini. Pair with an apple or grapes or and you have a guilt-free, popular meal. My youngest prefers Mexican chicken, apple slices, and Provolone on her panini. My middle child created the Italian Panini Marguerita: tomato slices, grilled onion, Italian seasoning (or fresh basil) and some kind of white cheese. I now do my grilled cheese in the panini maker--pretty gourmet, eh?

Soup - If I have stock, I can make soup. In the winter, I'll keep chicken broth either in the freezer or even store-bought. Some chicken from the freezer, any veggies that I have on hand (you can buy bags of frozen soup vegetables), and noodles or rice or dumplings. For beef soups, I keep 12 oz. cans of V8 juice on hand.

Quesadillas or enchiladas - I have three staple Mexican meals, all of which require tortillas, some kind of meat, onion, cheese, spices, and salsa. I keep red and green salsa stocked in my pantry. I cook Mexican chicken regularly and freeze it, as well as the handy cooked, frozen hamburger. (Today I have shredded pork in the freezer...so yummy.) The kids love quesadillas, and they are easy to prepare. Enchiladas can be as simple as onion, cheese, and meat rolled in a tortilla and smothered with salsa (bake at 350). I also have a Mexican skillet, which is torn tortillas cooked in oil, then add meat, salsa, and cheese. These meals are simple and a hit with the kids (and their friends).

The nice thing about stock cooking is that you don't have to think. It may be boring, but honestly, there are just times that boring is fine; there are higher priority things (like homework or a car crisis) that need our attention. What's your favorite stock meal?

Stuffed peppers with sausage

In all my cooking years, I have stuffed peppers with hamburger (etc.), and I've always eaten them with ketchup. Or basted them with some kind of Italian sauce. These peppers are yummy just the way they pop out of the oven. And I don't precook the peppers. Whoopee, simplicity!

1 c. cooked rice or quinoa
2 large green bell peppers
1 medium onion, diced
olive oil
8 oz. sausage, browned (I usually keep cooked sausage in the freezer, for just this kind of recipe)
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. crushed oregano
salt & pepper
1/4 c. shredded mozzarella

Cut off the tops of the peppers and clean out the seeds. Dice the pepper tops. Sauté onion and pepper tops in olive oil. I sometimes throw in some diced carrot. It's pretty, and I like carrot. Stir sausage and seasonings into skillet. Place peppers in a small casserole dish and stuff with skillet contents. I always have some filling leftover, so I scoop it into a ramekin or small oven-proof bowl and bake it along with the peppers. I like that kind of thing for a lunch when I'm home alone.

Bake peppers at 375 for 30 minutes. Top with mozzarella and bake an additional 10 minutes. Complete dinner in one dish!

Serves 2-ish.

Sweet potato fries

Sweet potato fries are just going to be softer than white potatoes. If I figure out some way to correct that, I'll let you know. But sweet potatoes are so healthy. Prepare yourself for a different experience than the word "fry" suggests, and make your body happy.

2 large sweet potatoes
olive oil

You can spice these any way you like, but I used: black pepper, a little thyme, a little cayenne, and paprika.

Cut the sweet potatoes into "steak fry" wedges. In a large bowl, toss gently with olive oil and spices. Spread on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Instead of mixing in salt with the spices, at this point I sprinkled the fries with pretzel salt.

Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes, turning once or twice. You can also broil them for the last 3-5 minutes, but watch them carefully. A little black is okay, but you don't want to blacken them entirely.

I eat them without ketchup. In fact, I can eat them leftover & cold straight from the refrigerator. But if you say "fries" to my husband, he's going to put ketchup or bbq sauce on them. Happy eating!

Stone Fruit Cobbler

I know we should just munch on the peaches and plums by themselves. But cobbler is so pretty and so good! I put 7-8 cups of fruit in this recipe, and I simply use whatever is on hand. This time it was stone fruit, but strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are also good. Frozen works as well as fresh.

7 cups stone fruit (plums, nectarines, peaches)
1 cup blueberries
juice of one lemon (or 2 T. bottled lemon juice)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup brown sugar

Stir together and then spread in a 11x7 pan, lightly greased.

I had a white plum, a red plum, a white peach, two regular peaches, and three nectarines. It's pretty.

1 cup oats
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
6 T. butter

In a medium bowl, mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter with a fork or pastry cutter. Sprinkle on top of fruit. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

I would include an "after" picture, but we ate it pretty quickly. I let my kids eat it for breakfast--it's not that different from a sugary cereal, right?

And it's so pretty!