Easter

Our Resurrection Sunday this year was different, but in a good way. Adam had to work the night before, so we decided to just have a quiet day at home. It turned out to be the best "Easter" I think I've ever had. A couple of years ago, we had come to the conclusion that we preferred spending the day with some of our church family, anyway, and started inviting the pastor's family over (especially convenient, since they live across the street). After all, Resurrection Sunday is really the basis of our entire faith, and it just seems appropriate to keep the focus on the meaning of the day, rather than another big meal with extended family. This year, we all made it to the breakfast at church served by the men, and then Adam wennt home to bed while the girls and I stayed for church. Then we went home to a cold lunch of ham, jello salad, rolls, and pickles. It was a beautiful day, so we went outside to play hide and seek with colored eggs. All in all, it was a wonderful, simple day of rememberance and celebration - just as it should be.

New Foods, New Recipes!

I'm still having fun with my "More With Less" crusade, and tried some more new stuff. For supper tonight, we had Mock Lobster, which was really quite good. I found Cod on sale yesterday, so for about 3.50, we all enjoyed "lobster" for supper. It's all in the texture and the butter, really. It might be worth mentioning that I use Old Bay Seasoning for seafood seasoning. I stumbled across it awhile ago, and really like it on fish. On another MWL note; we have been eating a lot of hummus lately, so I decided to try to make my own. I researched it a bit first, because I did not enjoy the homemade hummus I had the first time I ever ate the stuff; and I discovered that an ingredient called Tahini is the second most important ingredient, apart from the chickpeas. It also turned out that Tahini is deceptively easy and inexpensive to make on your own; it is a sesame seed paste, made with toasted sesame seeds and olive oil, pureed. It just so happened that I recently bought sesame seeds from Azure, so I went ahead and experiemented. Amazingly, it worked! And, since I get beans free through WIC, my chickpeas were free. The recipe I like best calls for garlic and cumin (but I used quite a bit more cumin, and think it really helped). Hummus is a great dip to use on fresh veggies, and now I know how to make it for almost nothing! It is a Mediteranean food. One last tidbit; during my research, I discovered a couple interesting things. First, hummus is considered a natural alternative to Prozac in treating moderate to mild depression, on top of being highly nutricious. It has to do with creating more seratonin in our bodies. Second, an interesting snack I discovered is simply cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans), seasoned with salt and cracked pepper. I tried it with my leftover beans, and discovered it is really pretty good! Not necessarily what most Americans would think of in terms of a snack, but something I could probably learn to really enjoy. Now, if I can just teach my girls to love it!

Beans, The Cheapest Protein

I failed to mention that I made refried beans from the Set for Life book. NO side effects whatsoever! I did not puree a whole onion as the recipe said; I used dehydrated onion. Also, I did an over night soak, which helps eliminate gas (as well as simply eating more beans, more often). We made the 7-layer dip for supper last night. I do love using beans when I cook; they are a truly wholesome, nutricious food that are packed with flavor. I made the refried beans and froze them a few days ago; something I should do more often, so I have them on hand. I'm hoping to even make my own hummus soon (made with pureed garbanzo beans) - even Adam likes it, and it is a great way to get him to eat more raw veggies. I do love my Canadian relatives and the few new foods they've introduced me to!

Hinkelsteins!

I need some "more-with-less" snacks for the girls, so today I made Hinkelsteins (oat sticks, p.311) from MWL. They are delicious! They are actually just baked granola,or homemade granola bars. They would be expensive if you had to buy the ingredients, but I buy them in bulk and keep most of them on hand, so they worked well for me. Very good, and healthy, too!

"More With Less"

For my "More With Less" post; a few days ago, I boiled one chicken, deboned it, added some seasonings and one batch of home made noodles, and have a HUGE pot of chicken and noodles. I froze it in 2-3 batches, so have 2-3 meals out of one chicken, 2 cups of flour, and 4 eggs. So, more-with-less is definitely working at my house! Last night, I made the Chop Suey with my home made bean sprouts. I used chicken instead of beef. The girls didn't like it, but I thought it was pretty good (LOVED the bean sprouts!)and made quite a lot, really. I would probably like it best with tofu; as it was, I doubled the mushrooms. I used brown rice, but would probably recommend white for better flavor; brown was fine, though, and certainly healthier. All in all, a very cheap meal that goes quite a ways, served over rice.

The Blessing of "Less"....

It seems like my entire life is revolving around the concept of "less is more" lately. Since last year, I have been on a crusade to "lessen" my surroundings, and as a matter of fact, it has actually worked. I may always want "less" than I have, in terms of posessions; but part of the blessing of having a husband and children means that there will always be more clutter than I really want. However, I am gradually learning to see that as a blessing, also, and will always strike to find a balance between what is "less" and what is "more" (i.e. too much).

As to diet, however; I have decided, for fun and a challenge to myself, to try to limit our diet/menu for one month to recipes from the "More With Less" cookbook, and possibly some from the "Set for Life" cookbook, as well. Given the increasing global crisis over oil and the impact it continues to have on fuel costs, as well as groceries, along with the nuclear crisis in Japan, I have experienced a continued growing concern over food costs and availability. Rather than wait until we are forced into a true crisis mode, I though it would be fun and educational to try this venture, along with extended family members who want to try experiment with me and swap ideas and recipe ratings. My personal goals for this month are to learn how to further appreciate and implement a more simplified diet, cheaper sources of protein, and even some smart planning and advance preparation (such as making my own frozen, pre-baked pie crusts and bread dough!).Freezing pre-baked items should help considerably on freezer space, of which I have "less."

At any rate, tonight we will dine on baked chicken and something else.....not sure what yet. I will raid MWL for a good side dish idea.