Make-ahead Monday and January's Challenge

Happy New Year to all! I hope that you had a great Christmas and New Year, and that you are ready to get back into the swing of things. We've had, for the most part, a relaxing holiday. I've been off of work, and Dennis has had a few days off, too. The best part is, he's been out of school, so he hasn't been driving back and forth to New Orleans or having to fool with much homework. He'll go back a week from today, so Izzy and I are enjoying these last few days of more Daddy around to hang out and help out.

I did get pretty awful sick for about a week and a half, but Izzy and Dennis managed to escape it, and I'm feeling all better now.



Make Ahead Mondays

As I promised all the way back in 2011 (really, only about 2 weeks ago), I'm trading in "Meal Plan Mondays" for "Make Ahead Mondays". It's much easier to eat healthy when there are plenty of meals and snacks waiting in the freezer to be whipped out and heated up/baked/thrown in the crock pot on a busy day.

My plan is to share recipes, and get you to (pretty please) share some recipes, too, so we can have our freezers ready for what may come. For me, I've got a baby coming in May, so I want to be good and ready for those first few crazy months.

I also learned over the past few weeks how invaluable cooking ahead can be in case Mama gets sick. My husband is a very helpful and thoughtful man, but he doesn't know a thing about making dinner. He can, though, thaw out a casserole or throw a bag of prechopped veggies and meat into a slow cooker.

Today, I've had my bread machine and my oven going making up some pizza crusts. Pizza from the freezer section at the grocery store is usually pricey, unhealthy, and/or not so tasty. It's easy to take a crust from the freezer and spread some toppings on it. Ten minutes later, you've got a tasty, healthy dinner!

Here's What You Do:
Make up a batch of sourdough sandwich dough (I used 100% wheat flour this time)
Divide into 6 or so equal parts
Roll out to desired thickness
Bake at 375 for 5-8 minutes, or until just starting to brown

This makes 6 individual sized pizzas. Divide the dough however you like.

I let them cool, stick them in a plastic bag, and pop them into the freezer until I'm ready to use them.

Here they are, being rolled out, and the finished product. I know they don't look all that round...I call it "artisan baking" whenever what I'm making doesn't turn out "picture perfect". I promise they still taste good!

Here are some topping suggestions:
-leftover veggies
-leftover taco meat
-refried beans and mozzarella cheese



One of my favorite, simple ways to top a pizza is with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and generous dose of italian seasoning. It tastes gourmet, and is super easy.

This is a great way to use up leftovers. Invent your own kind of pizza, or get the kids involved and let them each make their own!

January's Challenge


I know we're already a couple of days in, but I want to let you guys in on a personal little goal-setting routine I fell into last year. I don't make resolutions for a long or indefinite period of time. That is too daunting, and I have found that I'm easily overwhelmed. I can easily commit to making a change or continuing a habit for a month, though. Each month, I pick one thing to work on, and try not to compromise for that first month. By the end of the month, it's usually worked into my routine and I can easily keep it up.

Are you ready for this month's challenge?

Read your food ingredient labels.


That's it. We're not giving anything up or adding anything complicated into our daily routines. When you start reading what's in your food, you just may end up being a little more careful what goes in your mouth.

I've kept you long enough for one day, so I'll elaborate more on this point on Wednesday.

Until then, work on getting into the habit or reading the ingredient labels on all of the foods you eat.

See you then!

*update: I've just added a link-up, so you can link up directly to your blog, where you've shared a great make-ahead recipe!

The opposite of a low fat dinner (A delicious recipe involving eggs, cheese, heavy cream and lots of buttah!)

Many of you are probably regretting that second, third and fourth helping of pie, dressing or whatever else was on the Thanksgiving table last week. Maybe you're thinking that it's time to cut back a little and lose those few extra pounds you put on.

You can stop reading now and go Google something low fat, 'cause this recipe is no kind of diet food. As I mentioned before, my family is not afraid of a little fat and cholesterol, and I'm convinced that they're not the real culprits behind America's current epidemic of obesity and rise in diabetes and many other illnesses. If you want to read more about that, click here.

Now, on to the cheesy, creamy yumminess we had for dinner. I got this recipe from my Rachel Ray cookbook that I'm cooking through, Express Lane Meals. I lack about 5 recipes from finishing this cookbook, and it's been a lot of fun. This is the one recipe that I've remade a few times, and I think it's becoming a classic at our house. It's not difficult and it can be made quickly with ingredients you probably already have on hand. It is really hands on, though, so once you start, you're committed. There's not really a time you can just walk off and let things simmer.


Canadian Benny's

Here's what you need:
-4 slices bread (I use my homemade sourdough bread)
-8 slices lunch meat, such at ham or turkey (I use Hormel Natural choice, as it has a short, easy to understand ingredient list)
-about 1 cup of cheese
-1 cup of heavy cream
-about 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (canned or chopped and seeded)
-salt and pepper
-4 eggs
-lots of butter
-coconut oil or other oil for frying

Here's what you do:


The Sauce
-melt one tablespoon butter over medium heat in a small pan
-add tomatoes and cook for about 2 minutes
-add the 1 cup cream, salt and pepper to taste
-let cream sauce reduce for 10 minutes, or until desired consistency

The Rest(while your cream sauce is reducing)
-slather up that bread with lots of tasty butter and toast it
-while the bread is toasting, put about 1 Tablespoon of oil in a pan and fry up your slices of lunch meat
DON'T FORGET TO CHECK YOUR TOAST AND YOUR SAUCE!
-fry up your four eggs

Put it all together in this order
1st - 1 piece (slice?) of toast
2nd - 2 slices lunch meat
3rd - 1 egg
4th - 1 small handful of cheese
Finally - 1/4-ish of the sauce

Now, Mrs. Rachel Ray says that this recipe is supposed to feed 4...but Dennis and I polish off the whole thing just the two of us. Then we sit around and talk about how full we are.

I say that, but we just ate this 2 1/2 hours ago and I hear Dennis rumbling around in the kitchen as I type this...

I think I'll go join him.

This post was shared at Monday Mania.

Cooking and freezing dried beans

Not too long ago, I shared with you a yummy recipe for black bean burgers that contains 2 cans of drained black beans.

Now, I have to be honest, I almost never buy canned beans. They usually contain added salt and 2 cans of beans cost the same amount as a whole pot of beans cooked the old fashioned way.

Now, beans are cheap either way, but if you're looking to cut your grocery bill (and aren't we all?), you might want to consider soaking, cooking and freezing dried beans for yourself.

It's really easy, but I have had several people tell me they didn't know how to cook beans, and I only recently learned that they freeze well. (The texture isn't quite the same as canned, but it's really close, especially if you don't overcook them and you reheat them slowly.)

Here's what you need:

1 big bowl or pot (it needs to hold at least twice the volume of your dried beans, they're going to swell as they soak)
1 pound of dried beans of choice
Water

Note: It's best not to salt your beans until after they're cooked, it makes for a better texture. Also, I save seasoning for later when I know for sure what recipe I'll be using my beans for.

Here's what you do:

1. Put your beans in your  bowl or pot
2. Fill with water 3-4 inches deeper than your beans
3. Let sit 8 hours or overnight (this is not an exact science, you can go shorter or longer if needed)

"Why am I soaking my beans?" you ask. Well, you see, beans contain phytates, and phytates make for upset tummies and um...smelly problems. By soaking your beans, you're helping break down the phytates. The longer the soak, the fewer phytates you're tummy will have to deal with. Soaking also helps the beans cook faster and more evenly.

Ok, now that your bean are soaked, you're ready to cook them!

     4. Drain and rinse the soaked beans, put them in a pot (Slow cookers are good for this)

     5. Fill with water 2-3 inches deeper than the beans

     6. Cook on low for about 7 hours or until tender

Now, you could have read that on your bean bag (not the kind you toss at carnivals, but the actual bag your beans come in). I just wanted you to see how easy it is. Soak. Drain. Rinse. Cook. If you have a slow cooker, you can soak your beans in it while you sleep, cook them while you're at work, and have dinner ready when you get home. 

Or, you can let them cool during the evening and freeze them for later.

That's what I really wanted to tell you. You can freeze your beans. It's also easy. Just put them in a container and stick 'em in the freezer. I let mine thaw on the counter over the afternoon so they're ready for me at dinner time. You do want to reheat them slowly, so they don't turn all mushy on you.

Sandwich size ziptop bags will hold about the same amount as your standard 16 oz can. Also, you can let the air out and lie them flat to freeze so they will take up almost no space in your freezer.

Now, the hard part is deciding what recipe to use your beans for...

Beans, beans, they're good for your heart...

Sorry for that last line, couldn't resist!

Yummy black bean burgers

Here's a great recipe to use with your homemade sourdough hamburger buns!

I tried this recipe on a whim last year, and it has turned out to be a favorite at our house. I know, "black bean burger" doesn't sound delicious, but we love them at our house! Also, it's super easy to make a big batch and freeze the leftover patties for a quick dinner later!

Here's what you need:

• Hamburger buns (try my homemade sourdough ones)
• 2 15 oz. cans of black beans
• 1 1/2 cups frozen "seasoning blend" (mixture of celery, onion, and pepper) you could also use one chopped onion and one chopped pepper instead
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 eggs
• 2 Tablespoons chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon thai chili sauce (if you don't have some of this lying around, you want to get some, trust me - good stuff!)
• 1 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs (or regular bread crumbs, whatever you have on hand)
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 Tablespoons chipotle sauce
• 1 ripe avocado

Here's what you do:

• Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
• In a large bowl, mash black beans with a fork until almost smooth, but still chunky (we like to use our immersion blender for this)
• Add garlic and seasoning blend
• In a small bowl, stir together the egg, chili powder, and thai chili sauce
• Stir the egg mixture into the black beans
• Stir the bread crumbs into the bean mixture
• Form into eight patties
• Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes on each side

What really makes these burgers is the chipotle mayo and sliced avocado on top. You can prepare it while the burgers are baking.

The chipotle mayo is easy, just mix about 2 tablespoons (more or less, depending on how spicy you like it) of chipotle sauce with 1 cup mayonnaise.

This recipe makes 8 burgers, and like I said, they freeze really well for a quick lunch or dinner down the road. 

Very healthy and economical!

Enjoy!

Have you ever tried a black bean burger? If not, you're missing out!

We like to do a vegetarian dinner every Tuesday night. It can be healthier, it's cheaper, and our animal friends thank us for the break!

Next week, I'll share an easy tip for making recipes like this one even easier on the pocketbook.

Homemade hamburger buns with your sourdough starter

I'm still exploring what all I can do with my sourdough starter, and here's a quick, easy recipe you can do with the sourdough sandwich bread recipe I shared recently.

• Make a batch of sourdough sandwich bread dough.
• Instead of putting the dough into a breadpan, divide into eight equal sized balls and flatten slightly.
• Take a knife and slice an "X" on each bun.
• Allow to rise in the oven (turned OFF) until doubled in size (about 35-40 minutes)
• it helps to have the dough close together so the buns will bump into each other and rise up instead of flatten out.

Turn the oven onto 375 and bake for 25-30 minutes, until baked through

These hamburger buns are delicious, and they freeze really well so you can make them any day you have some free time. Just thaw them in the fridge the day before you plan to use them (or stick them in the oven to thaw right away if you forget!)

Super easy, cheap, and way healthier than the buns at the store. Have you ever tried to buy hamburger buns without high fructose corn syrup? I couldn't find any at Winn-Dixie the last time I looked.

Enjoy your healthy buns! :)

Have you tried making a sourdough starter yet?