A Veggie Dish You Will LOVE

Jane and my Mom have now challenged the family to increase our plant food intake. Eat a variety and larger proportion of veggies and fruits. That is all good but sometimes I can't come up with any more veggies to serve or a different way to cook them to make little people happy.

Until tonight. Thanks to Jane for pointing us to this recipe we had an amazing dinner. It will not disappoint. And it is a beautiful. Definitely one of the advantages to adding a variety of fruits and veggies is the color on the plate. It is much more appetizing. One thing we all love around here is roasted veggies. I would say that I roast our veggies 3 nights out of the week. So much more flavor. This recipe does just that.

Even Gavin (the pickiest of them all) said, "This is actually pretty good." Score.

(picture from Eat, Live, Run)


Here is the recipe but check out her blog here

*My notes - I added a can of rinsed black beans to the veggies after roasting. I think you could also add some zucchini but it wouldn't need to roast as long so maybe add them half way through? Not sure. I did use the bigger pan - 8x11.

Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

Serves 4-5

Print this recipe!

adapted from The Roasted Vegetable by Andrea Chesman

Ingredients:

1 poblano chile, cut into matchsticks

2 red bell peppers, cut into matchsticks

1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 medium onion, halved and slivered

1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen

3 T heat-safe oil like grapeseed or coconut

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, minced

salt and black pepper

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 cups homemade or store bought salsa/pico de gallo

2 ounces baby spinach leaves (about 2 big handfuls)

9-10 corn tortillas, halved (try making homemade tortillas!)

2 cups shredded cheese (I used a cheddar-Monterey Jack blend)

sour cream and thinly sliced scallions (green onions) for garnish, if desired

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a large shallow roasting pan or rimmed cookie sheet.

Place poblanos, red bell peppers, cauliflower, sweet potato, onion, and corn kernels onto cookie sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle the cumin and minced garlic over top. Add a generous pinch or two of salt and black pepper, then use your hands to mix everything together. After everything is coated well, spread the vegetables evenly in the pan. Roast for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are tender and begin to brown in spots. Stir or shake the pan every 10 minutes for even roasting.  Remove pan from oven and reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

Prepare a 9x9x2-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, stir the cilantro into the salsa. Spread 1/4 cup of salsa into the bottom of the baking pan. Add a layer of tortilla pieces, to completely cover the salsa. Top with 1/3 of the vegetables, a handful of spinach, and 1/3 of the cheese. Make a second layer of tortilla, salsa, vegetables, spinach, and cheese. Top with with a layer of tortillas, salsa, vegetables, and cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and everything is heated through.

Let it sit for 5 minutes and cut into squares. Serve with sour cream and a sprinkle of sliced scallions.

Nat’s Note: I’ve gotten a lot of comments about not being able to fit this into a 9x9x2 pan. If you find that you have a hard time as well, simply use a 9×13.

Sugar Free November - DONE.

S0...did you join me in 30 days of no treats (minus Thanksgiving)? How did you do?

My kids rocked it. Seriously. They did it without very little compliant and they did not cheat (that I am aware of). They even said no at birthday parties and friends homes when offered treats.  Life, your health, your self control - all better when you make a change like that to your eating. We will do it again.

I want to keep doing it for so many reasons but man I will be back to sugar for December (however we are going to try and be more careful and thoughtful about what and how much we put in our mouth. One of our families favorite holiday treats can be found at your local Chick-Fil-A. Oh my. And then there are the mint M&Ms. I better stop. 

A survival snack

Update: We are doing great around here without sugar. I am so impressed. But we can't wait for some Thanksgiving dessert.

Here is another really easy and yummy treat.

Pumpkin Seed and Dried Cherry Trail Mix

The recipe came from here.

Ingredients

• 2 cups baby pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 6 tablespoons pure Grade B maple syrup
• Coarse salt
• 1 cup dried cherries or cranberries (If you have a Harmons -best dried cherries are in their packaged bulk food section or WinCo or I hear Whole Foods).

Directions

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds, almonds, and sunflower seeds and the syrup until evenly coated. Spread the nuts and seeds out, in an even single layer, on the lined baking sheets and season with salt to taste. Bake the nuts, stirring several times with spatula or wooden spoon, until just golden, about 20 minutes.

Cool the nuts completely on the pan, then add the cherries and toss to combine. Store cooled trail mix in an airtight container at room temperature.

Afterschool Snack

Everyone was happy with our snack today.

picture from delightful delicacies

These Lara-like bars are so yummy. Super easy to make. And they satisfy the craving for a treat. Plus they are pretty good for you too. So nice to have something that is made of just a few real things. Nothing extra.

Check out the recipe here.

Healthy Snacking

picture from Word of Wisdom Living

One essential way to make it through this no sugar deal is to have snacks and options available. This is one of my favorites. And it really helps my kids. Prepare a snack plate. A plate full of good options and you will be surprised...you will eat it and so will your kids. Read about it here.

My sisters talked me into trying almond butter. I am not much of a peanut butter fan. Unless it is a peanut butter cup or a peanut butter cookie. But we all agreed that almond butter is pretty good and a good way to add some healthy fat and protein to a snack. Yesterday we liked it on celery and apples. Today we had almond butter and cooked apples on french toast (no syrup for me and a little pure maple syrup for the kids).

One of my most favorite snacks - Nova Granola. Jane makes it. You can read about it here. She has lots of good ideas about granola and healthy eating in general. You can even order some from her. It makes a yummy snack and an excellent gift.                    (picture from Jane)

Supernova Granola

Check out the new blog my sister started - and soon to be business. She will be selling her yummy, healthy granola. You might even be able to get some now if you ask.

I LOVE granola. And she has been working the recipe to perfection.

Her blog also has great ideas and info on being healthy. She knows and she practices what she preaches. Me on the other hand - I know stuff but I am not so good at implementing it. Especially when there are left over cupcakes on the counter. Danger.

My biggest problem - overcoming sugar addiction. Check out a very interesting article here at Goop. I thought I could do it today - no treats. But it was a totally insane day. And the candy corn and M &Ms were so easy to grab. LAME O!

Dinner Pretty Much Rocked

I love holiday meals. And this one - I must say - was pretty dang good. But I had some good help (thanks Jane, Kristine and Egan). And it came after a perfect day of General Conference. Weren't the talks (once again) great?

Easter Dinner Menu:

Citrus Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Asparagus

Bear Lake Raspberry Jello

Easter Bunny orange rolls (Metalf family tradition since 1980s? - my mom got the recipe from a Friend magazine. Easter just isn't OK without them.)

Pioneer Woman Scalloped Potatoes

Raspberry Barbequed Chicken (so easy and really good)

Strawberry Shortcake with Lemon Curd and Cream 

Seriously - I wish we had Easter Dinner every night.

OOH and Jane made homemade marshmallows topped with coconut. Yummy!

And I made these cute little Easter favors for each place setting. So easy and turned out perfect (except no one needed any more candy).

More Good Eats

Life is crazy. And it doesn't seem to be settling down anytime soon. I am thinking maybe by mid-March? But I did manage to have a fun bread making day with my sisters.

We made whole wheat (pictured here), mulitgrain, and good old white bread (which I used to make the best french toast we have ever had - well except the french toast I had at the Marriott Camelback Resort. Oh that was good.)

And last night I mad these yummy Bakerella Cake Pops for a girl who is turning EIGHT tomorrow. Good times to come. They are bite size perfection. Really really good.

Calories

Teague says that I am obsessed with counting calories. And lately, I have been. Thanks to this blog and this website that I use on my phone.

But I wasn't thinking about calories on Sunday. Cause we made these....

And OH MY GOSH! That is a treat. Never buy store made again. Forget Krispy Kreme. That is heaven.

Who Cares What your Gym Teacher says?

Being that it was just conference weekend (wasn't it EXCELLENT? so many good talks. That deserves another post.)...I was spiritually fed. But dang! I ate a lot of food too (between the Friday night BYU football game and Sunday night dinner). I don't think I was ever hungry but I just kept eating. Dip to die for, cinnamon rolls, Hawaiian haystacks, Cafe Rio, papa johns. Oh my this is embarrassing. Plus we had candy bingo to play during conference.

Obviously I needed my step class at the gym this morning. It kicked my booty. At the end of the class my teacher/good friend/neighbor explains that the reason we might not be seeing results is because we are eating junk when we get home from the gym. And she proceeded to give us a kind little lecture about changing our eating habits. She said that it is basically pointless to work this hard and then eat that bad. I turned to my friend next to me and said (semi-jokingly), "that's why I come to the gym. So that I can eat whatever I want." :) Ha ha ha. Not really. I am not giving up my junk. I like it! And I like working out.

So I made the most DIVINE dessert for our FHE treat. You really should make it. Who cares what your gym teacher says? (she doesn't read my blog anyway so she'll never know )

Caramel-Glazed Apple Cake(from the Costco magazine)

1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (eek!)
3 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
5 Granny Smith apples
1 1/4 cup chopped pecans and walnuts
2 1/4 tsp vanilla

Caramel Glaze
4 T butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325. Butter and flour and a 9x13 pan (I did 2- 8x8 pans and gave one away).
Beat sugars and oil until well blended. Add eggs one at a time. Sift dry ingredients together and add to egg mixture until just blended. Stir in apples, nuts, and vanilla. Pour in pan(s).
Bake for 50-75 minutes (mine was about 60). Let cool in pan while preparing glaze.
Glaze: Melt better over low heat. Stir in sugars over med-low and cook for 2 minutes. Add cream and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Stir constantly.
Poke holes in cake with skewer or toothpick. Pour glaze over the cake. Serve warm and top with whipped cream or ice cream. Yummers!

The last 3 days...

Life has been kind of crazy since we got back. But we have filled our time with some pretty good things. We got to go with Teague to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple dedication. That was a great experience. We could definitely feel the Spirit. Hopefully, Teague will always remember it and have the desire to go back as soon as he can. We are so excited to have this temple just up the street.
New FAVORITE family night treat (at least for the summer). Sorry Yogurt Vibe - we will be back to you but probably not on a Monday night. I know frozen yogurt is so much better for you but you can't beat the deal or the flavors. $3 for our whole family to have a snow cone. Seriously? It is buy 1 get 1 free on Mondays at the place on 90th and 1300 West (in the Stock parking lot).
Flavor Selections:
Teague and Elise: Sour Watermelon, Apple Pie and Toxic Waste (eww? but they loved it)
Gavin: Banana and Apricot
Annie and Kenyon: Tiger's Blood (strawberry and coconut)

and next time...Quinn needs her own. Or at least she thinks he does. She LOVED it (almost as much as she loves sand).

A little walk at Cascade Springs (it is way the heck up American Fork canyon). It is a beautiful drive and the springs are pretty. It is a paved, nature walk and just perfect for us. (Reminder to the brain dead moms like me: take food for the baby. It is way too far to go without being prepared.) **Courtney - thanks for the fun idea!!

Best Recipe EVER

I think it is my most favorite treat (thanks Jane and Kristine). By the way - my next new favorite recipe is homemade kettle corn (thanks Jane). Good thing my raspberry bushes aren't producing yet. Next summer could be dangerous.

It couldn't be easier. But, it requires a toaster oven. If you don't own one - you should. Microwave s'mores are not good. S'mores around the campfire are fun but not quite the same.

Raspberry S'mores
2 graham crackers
handful of marshmallows
handful of chocolate chips
a few fresh raspberries.

Toast with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Add raspberries and smash together.

Divine!!!

PS - Those raspberries came from my CSA order. Love it. If you don't know about CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) check it out here. We pick up our fresh produce once a week. I hope I get raspberries for a few more weeks. :)

Rhubarb

Do you like rhubarb? You should. I have too much rhubarb so I will give you some. I got my rhubarb starts from my grandma who got them from her mother-in-law (my great-grandmother). They have been moved many times and it just keeps going.

>

One of our favorite treats is rhubarb slush. Teague would drink that every night if I would let him.

But our newest favorite rhubarb treat is Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp. I got this recipes from my Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking cookbook.

For the Filling:

6 medium stalks of rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved lengthwise

1/2 cup sugar

For the Topping:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the filling: in a large bowl, stir together the rhubarb, strawberries, and sugar until will mixed. Pour into 2 1/2 quart glass or ceramic baking dish.

Make the topping: In a large bowl, stir together the flour, rolled oats, sugars, cinnamon, and salt.

Stir in the melted butter until evenly moistened. Spoon crumb mixture evenly over the filling.

Bake the crisp until the rhubarb is tender and the juices are bubbling. 35- 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes. Serve warm. Serve with ice cream, frozen yogurt, or whipped cream.

Seriously? This is so yummy. I have already made it twice in a week.

Do Lunch

The last two days I have had YUMMY lunch.

Here are a couple of good places to try....

Hagermann's Bakehouse Cafe - I had the California Turkey - grilled.

Flour Girls and Dough Boys - I had the Tarragon Chicken Salad sandwich. I wanted to try this place a long time ago. But somehow it never happened. Remember the offer? I should not have waited so long.

Really - it is worth the drive to get good food. And it is always fun to have good company as well (so call me if you want to do lunch). The sad thing is that preschool ended today. So the peaceful days of lunch with a friend and no chatty 5 year old are over. At least until fall... But then I will have a restless 10 month old.

Practically Perfect in Every Way

Elise turned 7! And it was a great day. It turned out great thanks to my sisters and friends who really helped me out! Elise was completely happy. My sister Kristine made this cute shirt for Elise. It was a free dress day at school and Elise couldn't wait to wear it. My sister Jane made the necklace.
These Bakerella cupcakes pops are so yummy. They are kind of a lot of work but they turn out so cute. Luckily I had some great help -thanks J&K. Warning: they are bite size and it tricks you. You end up eating more than you should.< My neighbor, Jen, took my kids to Jumpin' Jacks for a couple hours after school. I was able to make a visit up the hospital to check on Kenyon. I don't know if you can tell from the picture but they were playing very hard. Thank you Jen and Love boys!! We all thought it was great birthday activity.

My good friend, Aimee, saved the night. She invited us over for a little birthday party for Elise. It was so great. She had decorated her house and made it so fun for Elise. We ordered dinner and let the kids play. 8 kids and 2 adults. It was a great night. We went home tired and happy. The only thing that would have made it better is having Kenyon join in on all the fun.

Seven things I LOVE about Elise:

1. Her smile and laugh. She loves to giggle.
2. Elise is really easy to please. She is happy with just about anything.
3. She is a wonderful sister- especially to Quinn. Elise takes good care of her.
4. Elise is athletic and loves to try any sport. I love watching her play soccer in the backyard with Kenyon. She is also a great gymnast.
5. Elise loves learning. She also loves playing school.
6. Elise loves her friends. She really cares about them and hates to see people have hurt feelings.
7. Sometimes we butt heads - she can be very stubborn - but she can also be so helpful and cooperative. I love that.

And finally - a Kenyon update - he had a pretty good week. He is feeling his energy coming back and starting to eat. He is slowly adding food back into his diet - toast, rice, noodles, potatoes, etc. Not very exciting but he seems to be tolerating that well. He is also taking his meds orally. We are hoping he will be out of the hospital by Tuesday. The bad news is that it is a slow process to heal from GVHD. He will be back on a lot of meds for a while. The meds include steroids and immune-suppression so we are going to have to really protect our house from those icky winter germs.

We really appreciate the visits, help, and prayers. We feel blessed in so many ways.

Best Ever ?

I am not sure I have tasted enough cupcakes to say it is the "Best Ever" but really it is dang good. For sure better than the famous Magnolia Bakery in NYC. But that is worth a visit as well.

Billy's Bakery in Chelsea, NY. In my opinion, it is a must. When I traveled to NYC with my mom and sisters we stayed in Chelsea. Only two blocks away was the cutest little bakery and it was open late. So of course, we had stop by on our way home to pick out a delicious treat.

Thanks to Martha Stewart, we have Billy's recipes for his cupcakes and frosting. For Gavin's birthday, my sister tried out the Vanilla Butter Cream frosting. I'm sure the preschool class didn't appreciate the quality of the frosting the way we did, but they loved the bugs. The color and decor was Gavin's choice. Next time I hope to do something a little more beautiful.

No question in this house - it was the best frosting ever. Now I can't wait to try the Chocolate Buttercream. Oh baby! Or maybe I just need to take a trip back to NYC.

Our Fall Fun

A few favorite September activities... Harvesting seeds from our giant sunflower that mysteriously grew in our backyard.
Lovely Mt. Timp in the background and fun at the cabin in Sundance.
Kenyon and the kids on the Sundance slopes.
Yummy mini carmel apples for FHE. My friend linked me to this recipe on Family Fun.

Another recipe update

Once again my friend Amy has improved one of my recipes!! The Baked Four Cheese Pasta is super yummy but really not good for you. Turns out that the cup of cream in that recipe has 80 grams of fat and 800 calories. And that doesn't include the cheese or bacon. Yikes! So, she learned on the food network that you could replace the cream with evaporated milk. She said it turned out great and reduced the calories of the milk to 200 and no grams of fat. Gotta love it. I think I will give that a try this week.

Quinoa Salad

My friend Christina recently posted a Quinoa salad recipe that I tried out on the ladies that I visit teach. I think everyone liked it. I did so check it out!! It is also quite good for you which is always a plus.

Southwest Quinoa Chopped Salad with Chicken and Creamy Salsa Dressing
Total Time: 25 minutes Serves: 6 (6 REALLY hungry people, it makes a ton)
1 c. organic quinoa
1 tsp. sea salt
1 c. Wild Oats Medium Salsa (I used whatever kind I had)
1/4 c. organic sour cream or plain yogurt (I tried it both ways. There is so much flavor you don't miss the fat when you use yogurt.)
3 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
2 tsp. Wild Oats Extra Virgin Olive Oil
juice and zest of one lime
sea salt to taste
2 c. rotisserie chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 c. Wild Oats Organic Black Beans, rinsed (I used the whole can of store brand low sodium, what else are you going to do with the 20 beans left over after you measure out 1 cup?)
1/2 organic red or orange bell pepper, diced
2 ears corn or 1 c. Wild Oats Super Sweet Organic Corn, thawed
1 avocado, chopped
1 large, ripe organic tomato, chopped
1 large head organic romaine, chopped
chopped cilantro and lime wedges for garnish

Bring 1 1/2 cups of cold water to a boil. Place quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Place quinoa and salt in boiling water. Bring back to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit covered for about 5 minutes. Drain quinoa in fine mesh strainer and set aside to cool. (I skipped all of this, bought pre-rinsed quinoa and cooked it in the rice cooker exactly like I cook rice).
Place salsa, sour cream, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice and zest in a blender. Pulse until smooth. Season with salt. Place in refrigerator to chill.
Toss cooled quinoa with chicken, beans, pepper, corn, avocado and tomato. Add just enough dressing to coat evenly. Divide romaine on six plates and top with quinoa salad mixture. Garnish with wedges of fresh lime and cilantro.

Chicken Tarragon Recipe Update

I have an update thanks to my friend Amy. My Chicken Tarragon recipe listed somewhere on the side has been improved. Amy omitted the asparagus and added artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes and they loved it. Give it a try.

I love improvements to recipes so please share.

Also, I realized that I haven't shared any recipes in quite sometime and that is completely due the pregnancy factor. I will work on that. I need some good food in my life.