Hungry, hungry hippos

It's not time for breakfast. Nor breakfast for dinner. Nope, sometimes breakfast also applies to successful kid's after school snack time. They require a recharge and the bridge to dinner needs to be built. I try to keep stocked up on several options that are healthy and easily accessible for little fingers. Snack size veggie sticks and a creamy dip are available at all times. The same applies to a variety of bite size fruit, although I rarely serve dip with this already sweet treat. I also keep a fridge drawer with a variety of cheeses, and am hoping to add homemade crackers (dough perfectly flattened with the pasta machine and sprinkled with good-for-you seeds) to these. I often bake zucchini or carrot bread, and a good old banana bread is made about twice a month. Today, however, when my browned bananas cried out to me, USE ME BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE, I cringed at the thought of more banana bread. And since I know my kids' love for waffles, I combined the two and made banana waffles, instead. I usually whip up a big batch, since they store wonderfully in the freezer and heat easily with a quick dip in the toaster. I don't mind topping these with maple syrup, much to the delight of the juniors, since it's a good source of calcium, iron and thiamine.

Banana Waffles

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl:
1 cup cake and pastry flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup ground flax seed or wheat bran
4 tbsp white sugar
3 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Combine wet ingredients and then gently stir into dry:
3 cups milk
1/4 butter, melted
4 large eggs
1 tsp real vanilla extract

Fold in:
3 medium or 2 large very ripe bananas

Rest on kitchen counter for half hour, to relax glutens and allow the whole grains to be fully moisturized.
Preheat waffle iron, and if necessary, brush with a little vegetable oil. Spoon a ladleful of batter onto the hot waffle iron, spreading batter to the edges.
Cook until waffle iron indicates doneness, repeat with remaining batter.

Flips and Flops

Let's begin with the flop: I hoped to create a fun, light and still interesting Valentines dessert. And while it was 100% yummy, it was not at all pretty or easy to bite into and it toppled over more than I'd like to admit. Having said that, the chocolate meringue was so delicious, I now want to make some sort of meringue every time I need a fancy dessert, the Nutella tasted a whole heck of a lot better than any chocolate frosting I can make, and who doesn't love chocolate covered strawberries. They are a valentines staple around our home. That and snow. We have far too much snow.


Now to the flip...

The back splash needs grout and paint touch ups, then we are D-O-N-E. Minus the personal touches. But I believe these come with time, and that's what makes them great.




I prefer visual art to be part art, part practical, so I have gone and done just that. Cereal for the kids, wine for moi.

When I build my chicken coop (And yes, I know chickens stink, but so do kids and I've not yet returned them. Oh, wait...) I would like it to look a little (or a lot) like this:

Change up pizza night

OK, die hard fast food pizza fans...

This one's not for you. Unless you also appreciate the goodness of healthy foods. Since you are reading this blog, I am going to assume you do. You also need to love thin crust pizza. Again, I am going to make assumptions since a thick crust is often accompanied by too much cheese and three varieties of mystery meat.

Still here?

Hummus Vegetable Pizza

1 cup hummus (homemade or store-bought)
1 cup creamy Ricotta cheese, divided
1 head broccoli, split into small florets and very lightly steamed
1 red pepper, ribs removed and sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb whole wheat pizza dough (homemade or store-bought)
olive oil
flat leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 425 F and chop the veggies.

Stretch out the pizza dough to completely cover a greased or parchment lined large cookie sheet. (The less you play with the dough, the better the texture will be play. Overworking it will result in a chewy crust.)
Combine 1 cup hummus and 1/3 cup ricotta. Spread evenly over the pizza dough and scatter onion, red pepper and broccoli over top. Sprinkle with salt and a good grind of fresh pepper. Drop the remaining ricotta by the teaspoon over the pizza. Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until crust is golden and baked through in the centre.
Garnish with roughly chopped flat leaf parsley and a little drizzle of olive oil.

It's all part of the reno life, I suppose

Life's full of surprises, isn't it? How surprised this little guy must have been when he found his way into one of our kitchen electrical sockets, never to find his way out again? I certainly was not happy to find him there, but it sure makes for an interesting addition to our kitchen renovations.

A much better addition, in my opinion, is the glass and stone back splash making it's way onto our walls! Every room needs a little sparkle, wouldn't you say?




Interesting also, is cooking in a semi-construction sight. Though it's something I've been getting much better at over the past couple of years. Today I decided it was a good day for a big batch of Chicken and Cheese Quesadillas, since I had leftover slow cooker chicken, loads of Pepper Jack cheese and a jar of all natural salsa. I prefer my cast iron skillet to whip these babies up, as it's toasting abilities are even and quick to achieve.
First, add about 1 tsp olive oil to the pan, heated to just under medium heat. Add a tortilla, spread some shredded cheese over it and dollop with a little salsa. Not too much though, or the end result will be soggy. Continue with pulled chicken and a little more shredded cheese. Add a second tortilla on top, flip the whole thing when golden. Allow the flipped tortilla to brown, remove from pan and continue to make as many quesadillas as needed. Cool, slice and serve.

Simplify

Time budget, solved!

Whole chickens go on sale every few weeks around here. I've discovered buying the whole bird not only is better for my wallet, but also for flavour since bones add the best of it. But as days get busier, there is not always time to carefully roast and baste a perfect chick. So if you don't care much for crunchy skin in the first place, here's a great busy-person-friendly version which never lets me down.

Rinse and thoroughly dry a 2 pound chicken. Toss some fresh pepper and kosher salt into the cavity, then stuff it with both sides of a halved lemon, a few garlic cloves also cut in half (don't even waste your time taking the skins off) and a handful of fresh herbs, my favourites are thyme and sage. Place in a slow cooker, season with a little more salt and pepper, close the lid, turn to high, and walk away. Four hours later, when all your running around is done, and you've spent quality time with the kiddies, carefully take this baby out of the slow cooker (it will probably fall apart on you), take it off the bone and serve with a quick baby greens salad. Or, use in tacos, on grilled sandwiches with roasted red pepper and feta, or stir into a creamy sauce for pasta.

If you have a little extra time in the late morning hour (should this chicken be for a 6 o'clock dinner, take the chicken out at about noon), rest the whole bird and lemon on the kitchen counter and allow them to come to room temperature before cooking. This shortens the cooking time, and more moisture is retained. In fact, you should always, with the exception of fish and ground meats, cook any cuts at room temperature. Less time in the oven is a very good thing.

See you in four hours, Mrs. Chicken, when your internal temperature reaches 180 F.

Munchies!

I struggle with snacks. When I read ingredient lists for packaged snacks, even ones claiming health benefits, I never hesitate to put them back on the grocery store shelf (although I would so love to take over the entire aisle and put an enormous "WARNING - what you are about to indulge in contains harmful substances" banner across it). It saddens me to think about the overwhelming amount of kids growing up on nutrition-void and chemical-pumped foods, and also the parents who don't seem to catch on to the connection between food and behaviour, health and defenseless immune systems.
And while my kids won't yet touch some foods, like goats cheese, I am setting a good example by choosing it over fake cheese spread (you know which one I'm talking about). Creamy brie or sharp cheddar is their first choice, thank goodness.




My sister-in-law, Lauren, and I enjoy long chats about our society's food and therefore health issues, together we dig deeper and try to come up with better solutions for our families. There are plenty out there, let me tell you, and most are much simpler than you'd think. I laughed (and cheered!) as she told me about offering her boys a quick dinner of fast food one busy, busy day (it takes much busyness to get to that point), resulting only in big tears from boys who'd much rather eat their mom's home cooked dinners than a meal in a box. Who says kids need processed chicken to be kids? Allow them to learn about the good stuff, get them involved in cooking, and be surprised with the results. It's simply amazing, and yet makes so much sense.
So try these sweet and salty, nutrition packed nuts... with goats cheese on apple slices at home or pack a yogurt and sprinkle these on if you're on the go, or simply enjoy right out of the jar. I know you, and your offspring, are going to love them.




Maple Glazed Almonds with Sunflower Seeds and Pepitas

1 1/2 cups raw, whole almonds
1/2 cup raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 cups raw, unsalted pepitas
1/3 cup real maple syrup
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch kosher salt

Place a 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds and seeds, pour over the maple syrup, stirring constantly to coat thoroughly. Continue until nuts being to caramelize and become glossy, about 4 - 6 minutes. Quickly add in cinnamon and kosher salt, then remove from heat, and spread on a sheet of parchment paper. Cool and store in an air-tight container.