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An outdoor market in Monaco. If we had more markets like these here at home,
getting groceries wouldn't be such a chore.

My first trimeseter nausea is finally passing and it is time to get back with the menu program. I went from not being able to open a bag of mixed greens without my stomach turning to suddenly being able to plan a weeks dinners again. Here is what I have planned for this week. Send me your menus if you have them!

Sunday: Grilled Crostini with Tomato Relish and a hearty salad, possible left overs. Recipe for relish to be posted soon. Also making an egg salad up for Nico and I to have for lunch tomorrow.

Monday: AJ's Arugula, Avocado and Parmesan Sandwiches with Veggie Soup.

Tuesday: Mexican night: I'm thinking Whole Wheat Easy Black Bean Taco's with veggies.

Wednesday: Garden Burgers with Oven Veggies.

Thursday: Pasta Night. Cold Garlic and Broccoli Salad via Ina Garten. Small Arugula Salad.

Friday: Going Out Night. I hope to dine with friends once this week, so I'm making one day a FREE DAY. Not sure what night this will fall on, but here's to wishful thinking. Making plans with friends is so much harder with little ones isn't it?


Even though I have Gestational Diabetes this time again, I have noticed something interesting. If I eat at home I can eat almost anything. Even a small plate of pasta or a taco. If I eat out, it's a hazard to my health. I have to be super picky about where we go or I have to just get a salad with chicken (no dressing, or oil and vinegar on the side) Restaurants make food taste so good by adding sugar or fat to almost everything, and the portions are usually exaggerated. Making food at home is by far and away the healthiest thing you can do for yourself.

I also wanted to mention the benefits of a post dinner walk. The proof is in my numbers. The other night at a restaurant ( We were on vacation!) I ordered a salad and made the mistake of eating some bread with it. I should have known better, and I'm sure that the bread was sugar laden. It was pretty sweet and really good. I got home and went straight for a 30 minute walk and hiked uphill. 2 hours later my blood sugar was still high at 165. (Normal should be 90-120). God knows how high the original number was?! I decided to climb stairs for 10 minutes and when I tested immediately afterwards it was at 81. Amazing right? If you have a brisk walk after dinner your body will truly thank you.

A Week of Food

I was so pleased with last weeks food menu that I thought I would post it here for inspiration. I ended up not wasting a drop of food (therefore money) and all the ingredients worked out, measured up, and lasted till Sunday. We got leftovers from most and were able to reinvent ingredients for breakfast and lunch. It's sort of sick that it brings me so much pleasure. But I am about one year clean and sober from take out addiction. I haven't rushed to M Cafe with a hunger headache in a long time. It's been ages since I spent $30 on a square Cheebo Pizza. So this is my new high... a stocked pantry.

MONDAY: Corn Chowder Soup served with a Jicama slaw. I did this recipe without bacon or crab and it was delicious. You can choose your own adventure.

TUESDAY: Potato Tacos with black beans. These were inspired by Jason Callaway's tacos. But I did not fry them. I just cooked tortillas over the fire and stuffed them with my papa filling. Cream and fresh tomatoes and cilantro to top them off.

WEDNESDAY: Cauliflower Feta Penne Bake with a Spinach Salad. I posted this recipe in this blog earlier this year.

THURSDAY: Vegetable soup with crusty bread. I use this recipe as a base, but I throw in all vegetables I can find into this one. The more the merrier. I also use any pasta I may have in the pantry. If its long or too big I break it into smaller bits with my hands. Fresh parm to top it off.

FRIDAY: Pizza Night!Whole wheat pizza dough with tomatoes, onion,mushrooms and olives. Micro Greens with homemade dressing and avocado slices.

SATURDAY: Leftover Penne with Fresh Pesto added. Arugula and Endive Salad with fresh parm, lemon and olive oil. (Thanks Delfina SF for the salad inspo!) Plus a chicken sausage for Nico.

SUNDAY:
(cleaning out the pantry day, used anything I could get my hands on, but the combination was not that bad!) Curried Cous Cous, Broccoli with roasted garlic, half of a grilled cheese and spinach sandwich.

Beer Bread

I'm still new to baking, so got excited to see this post from the great blog Foodie Farm Girl.(Love her!) I thought I'd give it a try. Seemed easy enough. Some flour, a bottle of beer and some seasoning. It was a great toddler project too, Nico loved mixing the ingredients and pouring in the booze. It looked great in the oven and took on a lovely color and smell. Too bad it tasted horrible. There is a reason I don't drink: I hate the taste of alcohol. Even though it burned off in the oven I could distinctly taste the beer in this warm crusty loaf. So beer lovers, rejoice! Here is your new answer to your boring old sliced bread. As for me, I need to take the big plunge and learn to bake with real yeast. I'll keep you posted.

Set it and Forget it

This is one of my favorites for dinner. I love roasting any hardy veggies I have in the fridge. I usually do a medley of Potato( cut into fries), Brussel Sprouts (cut in half), Carrot (matchsticked), and thickly sliced Red Onion. Now in winter I can add Parsnips too! This week I'll add beets to the mix, but off to the side so as not to stain the entire meal. I toss it all in Olive Oil, salt and pepper and roast it uncovered on a sheet at 425 for about 1 hour. It can serve as a main dish or as a side to portobello burgers is a fave around here. The house smells divine and the work is minimal. Nico loves this mix and nothing gives me greater joy then seeing him eat his veg. Any veggies you would add?

Green Theme

Tonight's theme was green. Not on purpose, mostly by accident, and definitely in retrospect. Both of the men in my life were donning the lucky color. Here are some pictures of them after dinner, enjoying some fruit and music for dessert.


Tonight's supper also ended up being green. Nico and I went to the zoo late today. By the time we got home it was after 5 and I didn't have time to cook my pre-set meal. No need to panic! I made some healthy fast food.This stuff is amazing. I but it Whole Foods: Taste Adventure Split Pea Soup. $2-3 bucks a bag.It's super fast and super healthy. I recommend this in your pantry. It has absolutely no preservatives, not even salt, and contains only pure precooked vegetables. You just add water to the dry mix and you have a hearty soup. If I have time I like to dress it up a bit. You can add sauteed onions, or fresh vegetables. I suppose you could even add bacon. Garnish with cream or parm. We ate ours with sourdough and some green salad with mungbeans in it.

Thursday Supper

Tonight I made a soup we haven't had in a while. It is a pea spinach soup, an old recipe from Martha Stewart. I tore the recipe out of the magazine years ago and still keep it tucked into another cookbook. Because its best made with fresh English peas, I thought having a kid now would make cooking this soup impossible. I was so wrong. It was a great project to share with Nico. I brought the peas outside with the colander and Nico helped shell them. He was really into it and was intrigued by the whole process. It's a super easy soup to make and very healthy. It's creamy without the cream (skip steps 4 and 5 on this link that call for cream to decorate the soup... oh martha!) It's so green and bright that you feel instantly energized after eating it.We had some warm rustic bread with it. Nico ate the soup too, I'm sure it reminded him of his early days of purees.

Wednesday Night Supper

Last night we had broccoli raab bruschetta. It's a favorite around here. We have our bruschetta meal once a week. Its a recipe from our friend, superb chef Elizabeth Singelton Baldi. Toast sourdough boule slices brushed with olive oil on a grill or in your broiler. Rub a garlic clove over them while they are warm. Put mayo on them (I know it sounds gross, but its so good!) Slice tomato and sprinkle with thyme. Drizzle good olive oil and crack some salt on them. For the broccoli ones, I steam the raab with some red onion. I coarsely chop them and in a bowl mix them wit olive oil and lots of balsamic. Load that onto your mayoe'd bread. No thyme on these. We always eat these with a wild arugula salad or some "grains" from Trader Joes. These bags are a must have for me in my pantry. They are healthy and delicious! I added quinoa to mine last night. Make sure you use broth to cook them, not water. They are good with parm too!

Tuesday Night Supper

Tonight we ate al fresco in the Burbank heat. We had portobello burgers with Havarti cheese, and roasted brussel sprouts on the side. I love the sprouts! The recipe I use is Jaime Oliver's, and its oh so easy. Heat your oven to 400. Clean and halve your sprouts. Remove outer leaves. Pour olive oil over sprouts and make sure they are evenly coated, not soaking in oil. Crack black pepper and some sea salt on them. Put them in a baking dish and in the oven until they are golden brown and crunchy. They are better then fries! Nico loves the crunchy leaves I peel off for him.