Easy Peasy Pasta Sauce - Two Ways

Please put up your hand if you have heard the following around your dinner table:

"What's the green stuff?"

"Why is it lumpy?"

"What's in this?"

"What is THAT?"

"Is this all there is for dinner?"

"It looks weird!"

"It smells weird!"

"It tastes weird!"

"I don't like it" (before they've even tried it)

....shall I go on?

"What are the black specks?"

"Why is it touching my meat"

"I don't like tomato sauce, don't we have any ketchup?"

"I'm not hungry anymore....what are we having for dessert?"

"EWWWWW!"

I've got the sweats just thinking about it.  We've all been there.  You find a recipe you know your family will like, you make a trip to the market to lovingly hand pick all the ingredients, sweep your hair into a pony-tail, put on an apron and get cracking in the kitchen until your back is sore and you've burned your hand twice...BUT...you call your be-loveds to the table in a sing-song-y voice and as you are gracefully carrying out your masterpiece with an excited and anticipatory smile you hear it...."I am NOT eating that!!!"  When this happens I imagine myself as a balloon that is flying around the room as the air is rushing out and making that noise...you know the one.

It's tough to take.  I would say that we eat pretty simply....I don't prepare exotic, gourmet meals that only someone with a truly refined palate could appreciate.  I believe fresh is best and a well balanced diet are pretty key in keeping us healthy and energized but that's about it.  However, there are times I have to take my cook hat off and slip into my salesman role, and failing that, I sometimes break out the fake nose and moustache disguise, put on a black body suit and dark glasses (not literally of course, that would be weird) and go into sneaky mode.... my sister calls this being "Sneaky-McSneakerson".  I'd have a T-shirt made but then I suppose that would defeat the point.  Oh well.  The following is a quick pasta sauce that I made but ate two ways.  One - the straight up way served with whole wheat, cheese filled tortellini, and two - pureed in my Vitamix blender and tossed with a whole wheat fusili pasta.  Same exact ingredients, but my boys seem to prefer it "blended", if you will - after all, they "don't like zucchini, onion and garlic".  (Cue music from Mission Impossible)  Sneaky-McSneakerson strikes again!

Straight Up!

Blended...

For me and Ryan...

For the boys...

Easy-Peasy Pasta Sauce

• 10 - 12 Roma Tomatoes, chopped
• 1-28oz Can Whole Tomatoes 
• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves Garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 ribs Celery, chopped
• 1-2 Yellow Zucchini, chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 Handful fresh Basil Leaves, chopped
• Sea Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 2 Tbsp Butter

1. In a large sauce pan, melt butter over med heat
2. Add chopped onion and celery, cook until the onions soften and begin to look translucent in colour, approx 6 - 7 min
3. Add sliced garlic and cook for additional minute
4. Stir in chopped tomatoes, can of whole tomatoes in their juice, zucchini, bell pepper, chopped basil leaves and a sprinkle of salt and pepper
5. Bring mixture to a boil and turn heat down to a simmer
6. Simmer, stirring and tasting often until sauce begins to thicken a bit and flavours are well blended
7. Season with salt and pepper
8. Serve over your favourite pasta straight up, or puree in a blender first and then toss with pasta

*the pureed sauce freezes well in ice cube trays for an easy individual portion - this is great to have on hand when sending noodles in a thermos for lunch

Enjoy!

xo

Jen

Yogurt Tubey-Things...

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been challenging myself to replace many of the store-bought lunch box goodies with treats that I can make at home and therefore control what my precious young'uns are eating.   My boys love frozen yogurt so in place of buying the pre-packed ones I discovered these amazing "Ice pop Makers" by Norpro.  (You can find them on Amazon)  We filled them this summer with yogurt, pureed summer fruits and even iced tea!  They are great for using up the last amount of smoothie in the bottom of my handy dandy Vitamix (providing everyone is smoothied-out and there is still some left, of course).  My oldest loves when I mix some of my home-made jam into plain or vanilla yogurt so this is an ideal way he can have this treat at school.  My baby (who is 6 and is not really a baby but I will likely call him my baby until he is 96 and maybe even after) is trickier to please - I find that once you freeze yogurt or smoothie or juice it tastes less sweet so I sometimes have to add a little honey to whatever I'm making for him so it appeals to his sweet tooth and I don't find a half eaten mess laying limply on the counter.  Not that he would ever forget to place the finished "tube" into the sink....no, no, no... my house is always immaculate and well organized....ahem.  

Empty tube.  Pretty colour.

That's some mighty fine yogurt you got there!

Colourful and fun and thankfully my boy's favourite colours are not the ones the other likes...that's the stuff wars are made from.

Now it's frozen, and looks kind of lonely......

I suppose in the name of photography I should open this one and "test it out".....YUM!

xo

Jen

Breakfast Smoothie

"Mom"..

"Mom"...

"Mom"...

"Yes?"

"Can we have a smoothie?"

Everyday it's the same question...and I am eternally grateful.  How else would I get a 6 and 8 year old to eat spinach before 8am?  (or 12pm..or 4pm..or 5:54pm).

So simple, so delicious, so healthy....this makes a momma happy!

My beloved Vitamix!  You have given me so much....  xoxoxoxoxo

Notice the loooonnnngg shadow of the early morning?  It's way too early for me but someone forgot to tell my little darlings...like...everyday for the last 8 years...   PS.  Shortly after taking this photo I walked into a chair and stepped on the cat.  Did I mention it was early?

Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie

• 2 cups frozen organic blueberries
• 1-2 ripe organic bananas (the more ripe, the sweeter and therefore you won't need additional sweeteners)
• 1 handful of organic spinach (sneak this in if you think anyone is looking - once it's blended, they'll never know...ha ha ha!)
• 3 TBSP organic plain or vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup water 

1. Throw everything in your blender, and blend until smooth.
2. Enjoy!

xo

Jen

Banana Oat Muffins

Sun-shiny muffin!  Yum!!

When I was pregnant with my first son, I bought something like 100 books....because I was a little excited.  Oh.  And a little crazy, too.  What?  You know - baby brain!  That's a 'thing', right?  Right? RIGHT?? Any-who, of the 100 books, I only found 2 to be remotely useful and one was the "Hospital for Sick Children's Better Baby Food" book.  And although both my boys no longer need all the purees and can successfully eat their "solids", I often refer to this book for some great recipes the whole family can still enjoy.  These muffins are one that I make and are both simple and tasty!  They can easily serve triple duty - as breakfast, as a great lunch-box addition or as a yummy after school snack!

Banana Oat Muffins

• 1 cup All purpose Flour (I use organic unbleached)
• 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour 
• 1/2 cup Rolled Oats
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 3/4 cup Buttermilk*
• 1/4 cup Vegetable Oil (I use Coconut Oil)
• 1 fresh Egg
• 1/3 cup liquid Honey
• 1 medium banana, mashed
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (this isn't in the original recipe but it "encourages" my youngest to eat these muffins...sigh)

*if you don't have buttermilk on hand, add 1.5 tsp of white vinegar to a measuring cup and add enough milk to measure 3/4 cup, let stand 5 minutes

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Lightly grease or add paper liners to a 12 cup muffin tin
3. Combine the flours, rolled oats, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a large bowl
4. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, egg, honey and banana
5. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until just moistened
6. Stir in chocolate chips if using
7. Fill each muffin cup with enough batter to fill about 3/4 full
8. Bake for 18 min or until firm to the touch

Enjoy!

Oh.  As for the other 98 baby books, my doctor told me that I wasted my money and that women were having babies at the sides of fields for thousands of years without books and were able to immediately go back to work...in the field...so I immediately wondered what women, in what field and how can I send them my books?....and then I asked to be referred to an OB/GYN.  The End.

xo

Jen

Freeze Corn!

Hurry!  Only a couple more weeks until the sweet corn is gone!  So easy to freeze!  Just do it!!  You'll be glad you did!

No fancy "freezing recipe" here, simply cut it off the cobs. 

Lay it on a tray, and pop it into the freezer....

Portion into baggies or freezer-safe containers and you've got corn, baby!

xo

Me

Turkey Breast for Best Lunch Box Sammy (Sandwich)

Now that school is back in and the nights are getting a bit cooler, we are back to roasting turkey or chicken for Sunday dinner.  This isn't exactly inspired by some childhood memory or tradition, but as a means to get a leg up on school lunches.  My least fussy eater, oddly enough, is very particular about his school "sammies".  He likes bacon (who doesn't, really) and "real turkey or chicken meat" (his words, not mine although I find it amusing that he puts it like this).  I have spent many dollars at the deli counter that I may have well just tossed in the garbage to save everyone the time and effort.  Apparently the taste and texture just doesn't appeal to him, and if the truth be told, I prefer the "real stuff" too.

So in my effort to be efficient in time and money spent, I began roasting enough delicious turkey or chicken on Sunday evenings to provide us with a hearty family dinner and yummy sandwich meat for the back-to-the-grind Monday and Tuesday lunches.  It's great because the kids love the taste, and I love that I know exactly what they're eating.  No mystery cuts, fillers or added preservatives here.

As an added bonus (if you are really wanting to stretch out your dollars - and who wouldn't?), you end up with some bones and bits of meat to make a quick turkey or chicken stock.  I have a great recipe for stock I will share in a later post, so stay tuned.  ;)

Oven Roasted Turkey Breast

• Turkey Breast, Skin On, Bone In
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 2 - 3 Carrots, washed, unpeeled and cut into 1" chunks (approx)
• 2 - 3 Ribs Celery, washed and cut into 1 " chunks
• 1 - 2 Onions, Skins removed, sliced in half and then into 1" slices
• Fresh Thyme

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
2. Add Carrot, Celery and Onion slices to a roasting pan
3. Drizzle a little olive oil over the vegetables
4. Add Turkey Breast on top of vegetables
5. Drizzle Breast with Olive Oil
6. Add a few sprinkles of Sea Salt, Fresh Pepper, and fresh Thyme
7. Place in oven, uncovered and turn temperature down to 400 degrees F
8. Let cook approx 20 min per pound +  extra 20 min, until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees F (Please note that I am super cautious about cooking any kind of poultry so I always use a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat to test the doneness)
9. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes
10. Enjoy!

xo

Jen

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Can you tell I've left the summer behind and have been inching my way into the Fall?  I guess I shouldn't be so quick to let go of the hot weather but I'm a sucker for the cool, crisp breezes Autumn brings.  The windows are open, you can hear the rustling of the brilliantly coloured trees, and there's always someone, somewhere burning a pile of leaves, filling the air with a smell that makes me want to carve a pumpkin and fill my kitchen with warm, spicy dishes.

This soup is so simple and yummy that it's almost too easy.  Enjoy with warm croutons and crisp-crumbly bacon, or like we did this night, with horseradish mustard, aged cheddar and fresh dill topped whole wheat bagels heated under the broiler.  Warm and hearty and so good!

The star of our show tonight!

Roasted with a little Olive Oil, S & P...

Onions

Add the roasted Squash

Enough Organic Chicken Broth to just cover..

Certainly not fancy, but tasty!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup - EASY!

• 1 Lrg Butternut Squash
• Olive Oil
• 1 Small Onion, chopped
• 3 cups Chicken Stock
• 1/2 - 1 Cup Whipping Cream (35%)
• Cinnamon, to taste (optional)
• 1/4 Cup Real Maple Syrup
• Sea Salt
• Fresh Ground Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Halve squash lengthwise and remove seeds 
3. Drizzle each half of squash with a bit of Olive Oil and season with Salt and Pepper
4. Place seasoned squash, cut side down, on a rimmed cookie sheet or roasting pan
5. Bake for 45 to 60 min until fork tender
6. Remove from oven and set aside
7. Heat a splash of olive oil in a med saucepan over med-high heat
8. Add onion and saute until they soften and begin to turn translucent in colour
9. Remove from heat
10. Scoop cooked squash from the skin and add to the saucepan with onions (discard the skin)
11. Add enough chicken stock to cover the squash by about 1 - 1.5 "
12. Return pot to heat and bring to a boil
13. Reduce heat and simmer approx 20 min
14. Remove from heat
15. Add maple syrup, a pinch of salt, pepper and cinnamon
16. Puree using an immersion blender
17. Add salt and pepper to taste
18. Just before serving, add cream and stir, or pour over individual bowls
19. Enjoy!

Ryan loves this soup and goes back for bowl after bowl.  Hope you enjoy!

xo

Jen

Lasagna with Brown Rice Noodle

On the weekend, we had the pleasure of going out to dinner with a large group of friends.  The night was filled with lively conversation, good food and a glass or two of wine.  By the end of the evening, we seemed to be re-living elementary school dances where all of the "boys" ended up at one end of the table and we "girls" were huddled around the opposite end.  What can I tell you? We laughed, we cried, we noticed our menu had a gluten-free section.  It turns out that a few of the girls and their significant others were trying to avoid gluten for one reason or another.  For this reason, I decided to switch up my classic wheat based pasta with ready to bake, brown rice lasagna noodles.  Let me assure you that no one here noticed or minded at all.  Yum!

The sauce! 

The cheese!

The layers!

The snack I made for my boys because they were "HUNGRY, MOMMY!"  (Sliced Ontario Apples with Honey and ground cinnamon to dip).  This tied them over until dinner was served.  Phew!

Still building........

....baking....

So good!

Delicious!

It turns out that this comfort food almost made up for the reduced number of hugs I had yesterday as my boys started back to school.  Layers of tender meat in a beefy but simple tomato sauce and gooey cheese made the grade in our home! 

Lasagna with Brown Rice Noodles

• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 2 Stalks Celery, chopped
• 2 Cloves Garlic, put through a garlic press or minced
• 1 lb Lean Ground Beef
• 1 lb Pork Sausage Meat ( I used 5 smallish Italian Sausages, casings removed)
• 1 28oz Can Diced Tomatoes, Puree a bit with an immersion blender or in a food processor (I use my Vitamix) so there are still some pieces in the tomato puree, you can probably also use about 4 cups of whole tomatoes, peeled and seeded or a can of crushed or pureed tomatoes
• 1 cup of Beef Broth ( I have also used Chicken Broth, Tomato Juice and Plain Water - but that's boring, ha!)
• 1/4 cup chopped Fresh Parsley
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

• 2 fresh Eggs, whisked
• 1 495g Container of Ricotta Cheese (Mom used to make it with Cottage Cheese but Ryan is strongly against this..lol!)
• 4 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/2 cup Whipping Cream (35%)
• 1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

• 1 Box Ready-to-Bake Brown Rice Lasagna Noodles
• 1 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

1. Heat Olive Oil in a large, deep saute pan over med to med-high heat
2. Add onions and celery and cook for approx 3 - 4 min until they begin to soften
3. Add garlic and continue cooking mixture for additional 1 - 2 minutes
4. Add ground beef and sausage meat, and continue cooking until browned, crumbly and cooked through
5. Add tomatoes, broth, parsley, bay leaves, salt and pepper
6. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for approx 10 min
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
8. Combine eggs, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, whipping cream and pepper in a med bowl and mix well
9. Lightly grease a 9" x 13 " baking pan
10. Remove Bay Leaves from sauce
11. Begin by adding approx 2 cups of tomato/meat mixture
12. Add layer of brown rice noodles
13. Add 1/3 of cheese mixture and gently smooth out evenly using back of spoon or spatula
14. Sprinkle on 1/3 of Parmesan
15. Add layer of brown rice noodles
16. Add approx 2 cups tomato/meat mixture
17. Add layer of brown rice noodles
18. Add another 1/3 of cheese mixture
19. Sprinkle on 1/3 of Parmesan
20. Add another layer of brown rice noodles
21. Ladle over the remaining tomato/meat mixture
22. Dot over the remaining cheese mixture
23. Sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella and remaining Parmesan
24. Cover pan with foil and bake for approx 1 hour 15 minutes
25. Remove the foil paper and continue baking for an additional 15 minutes, until cheese on top begins to brown and bubble
26. Let stand approx 15 min
27. Enjoy!

xo

Me

Nut free Granola Bar

Ho Hum...

The house is super quiet.  Not really sure what happened!  One minute we are hustling and bustling from one summer activity to another, packing picnic lunches, going from pajamas to bathing suits and right back into pajamas without ever looking at the T-shirt drawer, to me sitting alone in my kitchen on my 3rd cup of coffee, waiting for my 2nd load of laundry to finish and counting down the minutes to when I can go pick up my children and find out how their day was.  For me, the first day of school is a brutal one.  I am so happy that they are excited and I can't wait for them to learn and grow throughout each school year, but after a summer full of constant hugs and "mommy"'s, I can't help but miss them.

Of course we are back into packing lunches and my challenge this year will be how I can replace our common lunch box go-to's with tasty, healthier versions of my kids' favourites.  I decided to start with the granola bar.

'Nut free' Banana, Seed and Honey Granola Bar

• 2 cups Organic Rolled Oats
• 1/2 cup Organic Coconut Palm Sugar
• 1/4 cup Ground Flax Seed
• 1/3 cup Organic Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• 1 cup Organic Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/2 cup Organic raisins (or dried cranberries)
• 1/4 cup Chocolate Chips (or Carob)
• 1/4 cup Unsalted, Raw Pumpkin Seeds, hulled
• 1/4 cup, Unsalted, Raw Sunflower Seeds, hulled
• 3/4 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup Raw Honey
• 1/3 cup Melted Butter
• 1 Ripe Banana, mashed
• 2 tsp Real Vanilla Extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F
2. In a large bowl, combine oats, palm sugar, ground flax, coconut, flour, cinnamon, raisins, chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and salt
3. In a separate bowl, combine egg, honey, butter, banana and vanilla
4. Add wet mixture to dry and mix until well combined
5. Lightly grease a 9" x 13" cake pan
6. Add granola mixture into greased pan and press flat
7. Bake for approx 25 min (bars will still be slightly chewy)
8. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 5 min
9. While still warm, cut into desired size and let stand until completely cool
10. Store in air tight container
11. Enjoy!

 

 Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable first day back to class!

 

xo

 

Jen

Zucchini and Potato Pancakes

The last time my Aunt and Uncle were over for a visit, my Uncle was having a walk down memory lane about the amazing potato pancakes my Grandmother used to make.  They were absolutely to die for!  Crispy and golden on the outside, warm and tender on the inside.  Served with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled with fresh dill....I actually preferred them to her regular pancakes, and she could have won an award for those, so these were good, if you get my drift.  

As zucchini are plentiful this time of year, I love adding some shredded zucchini into the mix as it helps me forget that there are probably healthier ways to enjoy both zucchinis and potatoes in life but hey, who's counting?  I actually love zucchini and am constantly on the look-out for new ways to prepare it.

The key to getting these pancakes nice and crispy is to squeeze out most of the moisture.  When I started making these, the centers were mushy and I just couldn't seem to get my recipe right.  After a few failed attempts, I fessed up to my Grandmother that I was "adapting" her recipe and adding zucchini but clearly, I'm an idiot for trying to mess with perfection, and I was surely being punished.  She just laughed, said it was good to try new things and told me to squeeze 'em in a clean dish towel.  What?  That's it?  Oh.  Thanks.  The next thing I did was replace some of the flour with bread crumbs and that worked so I went with it.  I will admit that I do vary my recipe a bit, sometimes adding shredded onion into the batter and topping with dill (very similar to Grandma's) and sometimes, I add whatever bit of sharp tasting cheese I have left in the fridge, omit the onions in the batter, and top with sliced green onions.  This way my boys seem to like them better.  I think they are equally good variations.

Give 'em a whirl!

So these are good in a pancake?  Zu-cchini-me!  lol!  (Ryan didn't get my joke - "zu-cchini-me" - "You kidding me"....no?  Oh.  Sorry.)

Looks good, right?  Right!

Shredded potato with the skins!

Loooovvveee my Vitamix Dry blade!  Made easy work of fresh bread crumbs!!

Oh. Yeah.

(Cat-call whistle).  lol.  

Mmmm....

Zucchini and Potato Pancakes

• 3 Med Zucchini, shredded and water squeezed out (I use a couple of clean dish towels)
• 5 Large Potatoes, shredded and water squeezed out
• 1/2 Cup fresh bread crumbs
• 1 Cup Organic Unbleached Flour
• 2 Large Eggs
• 1 Cup Shredded Asiago cheese
• Salt and Pepper
• Oil for frying

1. Combine all ingredients together in large bowl and mix well
2. Coat bottom of pan with a thin layer of oil and heat over Med-High Heat
3. Drop spoonfuls of batter into hot pan and press gently with back of spatula or spoon to flatten so the "pancake" has an even thickness all over
4. Cook until browned and flip (the pancake, not you - that would be dangerous in the kitchen)
5. Continue cooking until the pancake is golden brown on both sides
6. Place on a paper towel to absorb any excess oil from 
7. Serve with Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt and Sliced Green Onion
8. Enjoy!

YUMMY!!

xo

Jen