Thursday, August 25, 2011

New Recipes


I just made a few new dishes and got a "thumbs up" from the family so I thought I'd share. I got these off Pinterest...where else??


Crunchy Peanut Slaw

1 big bowl of slaw, serves at least 8
1 medium head green cabbage, outer leaves removed
1 1/2 cups roasted, unsalted peanuts
1 bunch green onions
1 cup chopped cilantro (about two big handfuls unchopped)
Salt and pepper
Dressing:
1/2 cup light oil, like canola
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar (or more, to taste)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce (or more, to taste)
Shred the cabbage very finely. The fineness of the shredded cabbage is really what makes this salad; you want it in in threads, almost, and with the threads chopped into bite-size lengths. Toss with the peanuts in a large bowl. Chop the scallions, including the green and white parts. Toss the scallions and chopped cilantro with the cabbage, seasoning very lightly with salt and pepper.
Whisk the dressing until emulsified, then taste and adjust to your own preferences of sweetness and saltiness.
Toss with the cabbage. Garnish with a few more peanuts and serve.


Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:
1 (2 pound) boneless pork loin
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup water

Glaze
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions:
Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side.


Easy and Awesome! Enjoy!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Back To School



WOW! It's been almost 2 months since I've posted...Sorry! We've been so busy (I know, who hasn't?) Summer was crazy and fun! We took a trip to Germany and Denmark to visit family, attended a bazillion kid camps, bought a beach house (love it) and managed to fill up all the remaining minutes of our day with miscellaneous activities. Needless to say, the summer flew by!

My kids are now settled back into school so I've had a few days to breathe and get my routine down. Organizing and scheduling just makes me happy and helps me to relax. With football and cheerleading now up and running, I've had to get back into my weekly meal planning so I can make sure my family is eating properly. I came up with a list of lunch ideas so I'm not so overwhelmed in the mornings trying to decide what to make. As most of you know, my son is gluten-intolerant so making lunch is sometimes challenging. I know so many of you have lunch ideas already (there are a million ideas online) but I thought I'd share mine...

Lunch Ideas

Main Items
Peanut butter banana sandwich on raisin bread
Peanut butter and sliced banana on bread (roll up and then slice like sushi)
English muffin pizza (tomato sauce and cheese)
Hot dog
Annie’s Mac & Cheese
Wheat cracker peanut butter "sandwiches”
Soup
Wrap with Hummus, Turkey, Cheese & Lettuce
Applegate Chicken Nuggets & Ketchup
Homemade Lunchable (sliced meat, low fat cheese and whole grain crackers)

Fruits & Veggies
All cut fruit (can add peanut butter yogurt dip)
Carrots & Ranch
Celery & Peanut Butter
Edamame
Salad
Natural Applesauce

Additional
Popcorn
Pretzels
Yogurt
Cheese
Pita Chips & Hummus
Veggie Crisps
Sugar-free Pudding
Sugar-free Jello
Graham crackers with Nutella
Hard boiled eggs


So many of you have more ideas and I'd love for you to share them here with everyone! The best advice I can give you is to TRY to stay away from putting a lot of pre-packaged foods in your kids lunches. Read labels. Watch sodium and sugar. Most of all, pack them lots of water...keep them hydrated! Pinterest has tons of ideas too...BEWARE...it can become addicting! Proceed with caution!


Happy Back To School To Everyone!!