Recipe Test: Quiche

I love quiche, so when I saw that my 'go to' blog on whole / real food eating had a recipe that claimed to be easy I knew I had to try it!  They were right - it was easy - and yummy ... yummy enough it is on the meal plan for this coming week again just with different add ins.

Credit:  100 Days Real Food Blog

Click Here to see full recipe.

INGREDIENTS: 

Crust:

• whole wheat flour
• butter
• salt
• whole milk

Filling: 

• milk
• eggs
• whatever add ins you want! 

I was shocked at how easy the crust was.  I'm not sure why but I just expected any crust to be out of my 'beginners' league tough.  It was simple and honestly I'm curious about using it for other things.  It is so basic I could easily use it for a pie crust ... yes my sweet tooth is still having some trouble but it's easing.  

I decided to add spinach, bacon and cheese. Here it is before cooking above and after cooking below. 

Just sliced up an apple as a side dish and dinner is served!  You'll notice there are actually two plates below ...

Yep - the hubby is full on board now!  The leftover pizza from my last entry was gone by morning and now the question "what are you making for dinner tonight?" has become a daily occurrence.  At first he acted like he would only have some if I tried it first and said it was good ... or if the recipe looked simple enough that I "couldn't f* it up because a monkey could cook this" (thanks honey I love you too...) but when I was making my meal plan for this week and asked which meals he'd want in on there were only 2 he didn't!   Now he's joking that I just need to work on making sure dinner is ready for him when he gets home from work.  (No granola for him this week!)

I swear it was better on day 2 as leftovers!

UPDATE:  Tried again with just plain addition of mozzarella cheese.  I stumbled across this great old glass pie pan in one of our "will never use it but keep it just in case" shelves.   Strange how excited one can get about a pie pan!   A little bland but still good & look how pretty!   Next time I'm going to do mushrooms!

Night saved by pizza!

So I decided that since my night was shot I was going to throw out my meal plan.  Okay, not throw it OUT but at least move comfort food to tonight instead of tomorrow.

RECIPE TEST:  Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza 

Credit:  100 Days of Real Food blog

Click here for full recipe

INGREDIENTS: 

• Water
• Active dry yeast
• Kosher salt
• Olive Oil
• Whole Wheat Flour
• Tomato sauce
• Mozzarella cheese
• Toppings as desired

I'm not sure if perhaps I didn't follow the directions correctly but it was tough to get it rolled out.  I think I may have left it a bit too thick - especially in the middle.  Either that or cooked it a bit longer.   I used a pizza sauce I found by doing some research.  I didn't want to make my own but wanted something that was organic with minimal ingredients.  Muir Glen was a good option and I found it easily at Whole Foods. 

I had leftover amazing real mozzarella from last week ... I clearly grabbed too big of a container but I have no regrets!  

It's amazing to me that something that can look like hard boiled eggs in nastiness can be soooooooo good!  I sliced up a fresh tomato.  Into the oven you go! 

I chopped up the rest of my fresh basil of course!  I love the smell of basil as you chop it. (a treat for my super powered nose - thank GOD!) 

As the timer went off I realized that with the cheese and the tomatoes that was a lot of moisture on top of the pizza.  So I flipped from bake to burner and waited until the cheese bubbled up a bit with a little gold color.  Isn't it beautiful?

Add a side salad and there's my dinner!  Homemade ranch dressing of course.  The crust is super dense and filling.  I do think it needs to be either in the oven longer or rolled out thinner - especially in the middle.  Either that or my choice of very moist toppings made it a bit doughy in the middle.  Still it was GOOD!  The rest is in the fridge as leftovers.  I have no doubt the hubby will partake when he gets home from watching football at the pub up the street.  Yes ... he took his nasty gassy tuchus out in public!  Though I feel sorry for the other patrons I must admit I'm thrilled to air out the basement.  Windows cracked, scented candles burning and every blanket / throw getting washed.   Smell be gone!   I do want my husband to eat healthy so onto my shopping list will go .. the ... 

UPDATE:  Crust is better if you use a hair more liquids & when letting it 'rise' in the fridge cover with a moist (wet & wrung out!) kitchen towel.   It turns out soft - not crispy, but still very good.  I found if I rolled it out I could make two smaller pizzas - one for me and one for hubby.   Tried just plain mozzarella (not fresh balls b/c too much moisture in them!) and then spinach and goat cheese. 

Decidedly NOT SWEET!

So after a morning of grocery shopping, some cleaning & cooking (pizza dough prep, home made whole wheat tortillas and power balls) I decided to treat myself and take a nap.  Sometimes nothing is better than a Saturday afternoon nap!  A lazy afternoon followed by a night in ... my plans included cooking dinner and then updating my new / old recipe book with those that I'm definitely making again.  (I say new / old because it was actually a wonderful wedding gift from an Aunt of my husband - she gathered recipes from both sides of family and friends and put them all together in book for us.  Even before I started this journey it was my favorite of all the gifts we'd gotten because I knew the effort involved.  Now I'm having great fun with it!)  Anyway ... so I throw in the first load of laundry and I've still got plenty of time before I'll be hungry for dinner so I go to sit on the couch with my pen and recipe book ...

That's when it hit me.  A smell so nasty I almost threw up.  Now I will preface that I have what my husband calls "super powers" in terms of smell.  I've always been highly in tune to any smell and I love the good ones - scented candles, perfumes, lotions, flowers ... but the bad ones?  If one of the dogs has gone in the house I know & can follow my nose to where it is.   If something has gone bad in the fridge - same thing.  Useful right?   Problem is that the bad smells can also hit me so hard that they literally make me nauseous.  This was one of THOSE smells.

What was it?  My husband.  

Now from almost 15 years together I know that what he eats is always responsible for these situations.   The main culprits: 

1. Bangers & Mash (Irish style dish that he was banned from eating ever again in 2001. 
2. Garlic (I ban him at least once a month from touching it but he loves it so sneaks it.  Thankfully because he knows if he partakes too much he'll reek it's snuck in moderation and therefore rarely a big problem anymore.)
3. Indian food (because he always orders something ridiculously spicy - who knows which spice is the one doing it though.) 

But he hasn't had any of these lately that I'm aware of ... 

"OH MY GOD WHAT DID YOU EAT?!"   ....   he laughs. 

"SERIOUSLY!  Are you sick or something?!" ...  "No ... but I have pooped several times today."  

"WHAT?!  Uh ... I've got to get out of here!" I grab my computer as I gag.  I've got to get it unplugged from behind the couch so this takes some effort and as I'm trying not to hurl he's giggling like a little boy at me.  

"It's your fault" he says ... as I run upstairs I realize what has happened.  Remember when I said that there weren't the naughty foods for him to get into because I'm not buying them anymore?   Well... turns out he has been eating anyway ...

1. Homemade granola - he had 1/3 container left yesterday and now = gone
2. Vegetable fajita leftovers & whole wheat tortillas from this last week = gone
3. The head of fresh garlic I'd bought that I've been using slowly in dishes that call for it = 3 cloves that I didn't use gone
4. Old fashioned rolled oats ... come to think of it I watched him do this but it didn't hit me ... oatmeal for dinner last night ... oatmeal for breakfast this morning and yep - a pan in the sink he had oatmeal AGAIN for lunch!  

The amount of fiber he has had in the last 48 hours has to be off the charts!   His body and GI system may be happy right now due to this fiber induced 'cleanse' but his wife is NOT happy!  

Well ... his laundry ain't getting done tonight because the laundry room is off the basement 'man room' where he's been all afternoon creating the hazard zone.  Come to think of it - I have a great idea for my next gift for him!  Wall art for his man room: 

The joys of marriage ...

SWEET!

That 2 week mark of tastes buds adjusting must have some truth to it because I took a sip of my tea to day (with very little honey) and it tasted SWEET! 

Figuring out Meal Planning

One big piece of this journey has been figuring out how to plan for my week.  Since it is just me I have to make sure that I use all of the food I buy and since it is now so perishable I have to make sure to use it before it goes bad!  So far I'm doing pretty well.  I've decided that 2 trips a week to the grocery is going to be needed to be sure the produce stays fresh.  (Had to throw out some items this week because I overestimated their 'shelf life')   My hubby has agreed - in exchange for his weekly Granola and Fajitas (that list is going to grow I have no doubt!) that he'll stop at Whole Foods on his way home from work on Wednesday nights.   This will really help!  

Tonight I made a list of everything I've got that needs to be eaten & made sure that I'm using these items in my meal planning soon!  Here's what I've come up with for the week: 

SATURDAY:

Breakfast: Banana pancake & fresh banana sliced on top (still have some frozen ones left from my first batch and 2 bananas that need to be eaten)

Lunch:  Chicken Bean & Greens Soup & an apple (still have left overs of soup and 2 apples that need to be eaten)

Dinner:  Cobb Salad with Ranch Dressing (I've got the lettuce I bought last week & everything I need except for an avocado & tomato - which I'd rather buy fresh anyway!) 

SUNDAY: 

Breakfast: Banana pancake & fresh banana on top (gotta use that last banana!)

Lunch:  ?  Hubby has mentioned sushi and I'm not passing that up!  Leaving this one open!

Dinner:  Homemade pizza & side salad (I've got a cucumber to use and will have left over tomato from Saturday's dinner so gotta add that salad ... plus I feel all grown up with actual sides!  Hubby claims he's not going to participate in this meal ... I have a feeling he'll change his mind - it's PIZZA!)

MONDAY:

Breakfast:  Homemade granola (still have quite a bit left from what I made last week)

Lunch: Chicken Bean & Greens Soup & an apple (all leftovers!)

Dinner: Spinach & cheese quiche (may add a small side salad if I've got any lettuce left.  Hubby claims he WILL try this!  We'll see ...)

TUESDAY: 

Breakfast:  Homemade granola 

Lunch:  Leftover quiche or pizza (depending on what hubby does eat!) 

Dinner:  Grilled cheese & tomato sandwich (kind of a caprese salad sandwich - good for using any leftover fresh mozzarella and the cheese from the quiche plus the loaf of whole wheat bread I've barely touched!) 

WEDNESDAY: 

Breakfast:  Homemade granola?  (I need to google how long it will last me ... It's a huge batch & I don't want it to go bad!) 

Lunch: PB&J (natural peanut butter, all fruit jam & whole wheat bread ... I bought this on my first week but loved the other meals so much I never went for it.  I need to use that bread!)

Dinner:  Whole grain pasta with Green Olive pesto (another way to use that leftover mozzarella if there is any left! Tomatoes too!)

(This is the night hubby will run to the grocery so the rest of the week's produce will be fresher)

THURSDAY:

Breakfast:  Homemade granola ?  (I doubt I'll be sick of it but if I find out it will last a couple of weeks I may do eggs or something else) 

Lunch:  Leaving this open - want to see what leftovers I have / need to use.

Dinner:  Vegetable Fajitas (3rd week in a row but I love it and my hubby requested it so I feel I must!  This means making more homemade tortillas this weekend too)

FRIDAY:

Breakfast:  Homemade granola ?

Lunch: Leftover Veggie Fajitas (if there are any left - if not I'll do PB&J or whatever I can figure out)

Dinner:  Sesame Fish Filet & Asian salad 

SATURDAY: 

Breakfast:  Homemade granola? 

Lunch:  Red Cabbage & Blueberry Smoothie (there is red cabbage in the Asian salad so I did a search for 'red cabbage recipe' and saw this ... gotta try!)

Dinner:  Open ... Friday night will be meal planning again & Saturday grocery so we'll see!  

So in terms of all of this - taking into account what is already in the house my grocery lists are: 

SATURDAY GROCERY: 

• Black olives - 2 cans of sliced
• Avocado - 1 ready, 1 harder
• Tomato - 1 ready
• Eggs - 1 doz
• Dry active yeast
• 9" pie pan (don't have one and need it for the quiche)
• Whole wheat pasta - 1 box
• Muir Glen Organic Pizza Sauce - 1 can (I searched for pizza sauce that had all ingredients I understood and found this one ... probably better to make my own but convenience wins this time!)
• Frozen edamame unshelled
• Onion x2 
• Bananas - 1 bunch
• Whole milk - 1 gallon
• Cheese - cheddar or other - 1 block
• Butter 
• Popcorn 

WEDNESDAY GROCERY: 

• Basil - fresh
• Parsley - fresh
• Cilantro - fresh
• Avocado - 1 ready, 1 harder
• Tomato
• Mushrooms - 1 pack
• Yellow pepper
• Lime
• Red cabbage
• Shallot
• Cucumber
• Carrot 

 Now if I don't BURN anything like last week I think my grocery bill will be reasonable.  I'm trying to watch closely how much I'm spending now vs. how much on average I spent at HyVee before.   

Oh no he didn't!

My husband came home today from a business trip and was clearly just pooped.  I let him know I was cooking Vegetable Fajitas again for dinner (yep - liked 'em so much last week I had to do it this week too!) and I had enough to share.  "No thanks ... I'll pass."  I know - so tired he didn't even do his 'your cooking will kill someone' wise cracks!  Poor baby.

I finished and came downstairs with a plate of 3 small ones and as he glanced over I said "are you sure you don't want to try one?" ... he was clearly hungry but not in the mood to cook for himself because he DID!  I waited on pins and needles thinking some critique would be coming - probably again that the home made tortillas were too thick and doughy.  "Are these the tortillas you made yourself?"  Oh crap here it comes ... he looks at me, pauses ... then says...

"I know I said I didn't want you to ... but would you still be willing to make me some of these?"

WHAT?!  Did he just ...  HOLY $#*%!  I of course kept my cool and did the whole "Oh come on!  I already put it all away!" excuse just to check and see if he was going to come back with some jab about how he was just kidding and they were awful.  But no joke followed!  Is he really too tired to use sarcasm?!  Wow.  So as soon as I finished I went upstairs and made him some of his own and brought them down.  Once he was done he turned to me and said ...

"Thank you.  So ... you can make me those once a week like the Granola."

Recipe Test: Vegetable Pancakes

Credit:  100 Days of Real Food Blog

Click Here for full recipe

INGREDIENTS: 

• Shredded Veggies (potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, carrots - whatever you choose!)
• Eggs
• Whole wheat flour
• Olive Oil
• Apple sauce and / or sour cream (optional)

Perfect timing as the carrots I bought were starting to be a little soft and I needed to use them - shredding them for this worked really well.   I was able to use my wonderful new toy again, my Cuisinart made quick work of shredding!  I chose a white potato, a small zucchini and carrots.  (Next time I'm definitely thinking sweet potato instead of white for that sweet factor with the apple sauce!)

I felt pretty confident on this one as latkes are one thing I actually have cooked for myself over the years ... not exactly what my diets called for because of the FRYING so I did not think I'd be using this skill in this adventure ... especially since I'm learning to cook so I can be healthier.   

Not so pretty while in the process.  My husband came in while I was at this point and he said "What kind of weird ass F*ing pasta is THAT?!"  and then of course mumbled about how me cooking was such a horrible idea and again about me killing someone or burning down the house ... I should start a ticker counting how many times I hear that! 

I know I used too much olive oil.  Even though fat is allowed there is no reason to deep fry!  I'll try less next time.  I made sure it was on low and took my time. The key I've found to not burning them is to flip them twice instead of just once.  I tend to flip to check the color - I'm looking for a crisp light to medium brown.  Because these have so much color to them I was careful to make sure they were truly done so they wouldn't be soft in the middle.  I do my first flip when I see the edges starting to have some golden brown.  

In the war between sour cream and apple sauce I've forever been an applesauce girl so I found an organic version (only ingredient apples!).  

They are confetti looking with the green and orange from the zucchini and carrots.  Pretty good.  The flavor of the other vegetables (in contrast to all potato latkes) made them kind of sweet so I think made with sweet potatoes would be AWESOME!  

Tried leftovers for lunch - not so good warmed up in the microwave because it of course loses the crispiness but hey ... a good way to get your veggies!