Bread, wine, and dinner at home

by Shauna Niequist

This is everything I look for in a book.  It's uplifting.  It's encouraging.  It's real.  There were moments of tears. I needed to read this book, at this time and in this place. There's so much I could talk about here, beginning with the fact that I read it in two days and then I was in the kitchen, hard at work.  Bread and Wine is a memoir of life-lessons and advice, based around recipes.  In my opinion, all recipes are based around life-lessons.  In fact, the best recipe sharing comes from not daily anecdotes, but from the story behind the recipe.  Especially those from our childhoods.  I need to share more like that.  Shauna's recipes are simple, classic, and straight-forward.  She's had me craving macaroni and cheese for a week…
I'm so glad I bought Bread and Wine and I plan on gifting it to others.

How I knew this book was for me:

Tell me you eat toast.  Tell me you love cheap candy or fake cheese. ...I know there are people who see food primarily as calories, nutrients, complex bundles of energy for the whirring machines of our bodies.  I know them, but they're not my people.  They're in the same category of people who wear sensible shoes and read manuals.  Good people, but entirely foreign to me. (page 16)

I firmly believe that food is a love language.  My response to helping people is to bake them cookies.  I would rather cook you dinner than buy you dinner because that's how I show that I care.  It's not a chore to me, and I do wake up each day thinking about what's for dinner.

A quote in Bread and Wine from Winnie the Pooh:
"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
"What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
"I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet. 
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
"It's the same thing, " he said.  (page 19)

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The best thing that has happened to us in the last 4 years is that I've learned how to cook.  Seriously.  Before we got married, I wasn't good at it.  I've always loved to bake.  Much to my mother's dismay, I held no interest in cutting up raw meat or eating vegetables regularly.  Things have changed for the better.  Since I really started compiling recipes a few years ago, dinner at home is the standard around here.  As long as we're not traveling, we rarely go out. When we do, it's usually for sushi, which is something I don't want to bother with at home.

These are some of the recipes that are regulars in my meal-planning.  I must say that they are all relatively healthy; no casseroles, no heavy sauces, just basic kitchen ingredients.

(I would go on and on about how I believe the key to a better, more balanced diet is cooking dinner at home, not eating out. But you've probably already heard that and I'm not certified to tell you such information anyway.)

I've shared my personal favorite dinner recipes a while back, but here's a collection of my favorites from my Pinterest boards.  
They all come highly recommended by us!

Crockpot Meatballs.  Perfect for a weekend and they freeze really well.

Thai Chicken Broccoli Slaw.  So easy and delicious.

Lettuce Wraps.  I have no words for how good these were.  We ate the whole pan in 20 minutes.

Crockpot Balsamic Chicken. Super tasty and smells amazing.

Cilantro Quinoa.  The best way to make quinoa.

Pesto Salad.  I love the barley.  

Gnocchi with Corn and Zucchini.  Very rich-tasting.  Incredibly easy because it's made with packaged gnocchi.

The Best Spanish Rice.  An easy side dish we make for company.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken.  Make a batch over the weekend.  Use it throughout the week.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos.  We eat these at least once a week.  Don't skip the cilantro and lime!

I spend more time than I'm willing to admit looking for new recipes on Pinterest.  This is just a sampling of what I've made more than once.

Someday I'll start posting more of my own recipes again…someday…I'm just looking to be inspired, I suppose.

Healthiness: Exercise

I do like reading exercise updates on blogs. I'd ask, at the end of this post, where you are at with fitness these days, but the truth is, I guess I'm not looking for new things to try right now.  I've got a whole lot of apathy (i.e. burnout) going on.  I do feel like I've talked about exercise an awful lot over the last 2 years, so this is just an update about where I'm at right now.  

It is becoming very apparent to me that there is a fine line when it comes to me and going to the gym.
Right now, I'm in the position where I can't tell if I don't want to go to the gym because I don't find it necessary to go to the gym…

Or, I can't tell if I slipped into a mid-winter lazy depressive state and I just don't WANT to go.  There's a difference between these two.

During the winter of 2011 I fell into lazy-don't-wanna-go depression.

During the winter of 2012, I forced myself to go so that wouldn't happen.

During the winter of 2013, it was me forcing myself because I knew I was just being a whiner.  Also, I had a community there, and knew I'd get an email the next day asking me where I was.  Accountability is always the key.

This winter, I have no idea what category I fall into.

This article about Happy Exercise vs. Stressed Exercise really struck a chord with me:

The moral of this story is not that exercise is bad.  But we need to look at the motivating forces that drive us to exercise.  Healthy habits driven by fear are not so healthy after all.  

So, lately, I've been doing Pilates everyday (10-15 minutes) and going to one 30 minute class a week.  On Monday nights I go to RPM Express or BodyPump Express, depending on my mood.  It's quite a turnaround from 7-8 months ago!  I'm okay with that though.  Somewhere along the line I realized I wasn't getting a whole lot of enjoyment out of the gym.

I do realize it's important to get your heart rate up and I like muscle tone; so I go when I can.  I've found I can commit to a Monday night class.  I could probably do Thursday night too, but there's that whole "I DON'T WANT TO" thing stopping me.

Again, I'll encourage you to try The Balanced Life if you even have the inkling of giving Pilates a try.  I'm a believer in it! For workouts at home (if I'm so inclined and sometimes I am), I like The Nike Training Club.  Also, I'm a fan of just taking the dog for a walk.

Lately, I've found myself stressed out by work, the impending move, and looking into future employment.  Also, since Scott isn't home for dinner every night, I like being home with him and the dog in the evenings when I can.  I usually do some kind of toning workout before bed and call it a day.

So that's where we are.  I have no sage advice or expertise to offer.  I'm kinda over the gym thing right now.   I'm the same weight as I've been for at least a year, my pants still fit the way they did 6 months ago, and I still have muscle tone.  Therefore, I must be doing something right, and I'm not too worried about this fitness dry spell.  Sometimes we just need a break, right?

Scott is, and always will be, a runner.  I went on what was supposed to be a 7 mile run/walk with him last week.  I made it a mile and started walking.  My legs were killing me.  He just looked at me and said, "I thought you ran a 10K a few months ago?"  I did, friends.  Motivation for me is the key.  Unless something is chasing me or there is a finish line up ahead, I have a hard time caring.  Needless to say, it became a 5 mile walk and even Scout was glaring at me.  Apparently I slow the dog down.

I would like to do another 5K.  Maybe this spring?  I can get behind 3.2 miles.  I'm also really excited about hiking in Colorado.  We used to hike in Alaska (mostly pre-blog, back when I would still go outside), and I think it'll be a fun hobby to get back into.  Sometimes authentic exercise is so much better than spinning away to nowhere in a class, right?

Other Healthiness posts:

Everyday Banana Bread

Green Smoothie with Flax

Lunch

Pilates

Dinner

Breakfast

Everyday Banana Bread

Continuing with the trend of posting something good-for-me (and you) each week, I present Everyday Banana Bread.

You see, my family's banana bread recipe uses Crisco and Bisquick.  It sure is tasty.  I especially liked the way my grandma always put vanilla frosting on the top of it.  I picked up that habit too once I started making it on my own. 

However, I wanted to start making a banana bread that I can eat for breakfast.  Something without a lot of sugar because most of us have learned the hard way that sugar for breakfast won't make us any peppier come Monday morning at 10am.

I topped this with a little natural peanut butter and a drizzle of honey.

Everyday Banana Bread

2 mashed bananas

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

2 T. unsweetened applesauce

2 T. apple butter

2 T. oil (I used canola)

1/3 cup brown sugar (You could use molasses…I just didn't have any.)

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 1/2 cups flour

With an electric mixer, combine the bananas, egg, vanilla, applesauce, apple butter, oil, and brown sugar.  In a separate bowl, stir together the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and flour.  Add to the wet ingredients.  

Pour into a greased 9x5 loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.

(Note: You could also do this in an 8x8 pan and just adjust the baking time.)

My other favorite breakfast breads:

Apple Butter Bread

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Bread

Healthy Cranberry and Orange Scones

Healthiness in 2014: Lunch

Eating lunch is a new thing for me.

I know that sounds strange, but here's the story…My first year teaching (2010-2011), I used to eat lunch at school when lunchtime was appropriate.

Two years ago, I had some stomach/anxiety issues, and I started eating a very small breakfast, taking the medication I was prescribed and it would kill my appetite.  So I was never hungry at 11:45, which was my class's lunchtime.  That year, I had my prep period at 2:30, so I would eat a late lunch around then and would feel okay, usually, to go to the gym after school.  My meds would wear off by that point and my stomach was generally okay after noon.

This completely messed me up.  By the next year, I never really got into the habit of lunch.  I'd eat a big breakfast (coffee, oatmeal, a smoothie), have a snack during my morning prep period, and then eat again right after school pre-gym, and then eat a late dinner with Scott (because he often worked late in Alaska).

This year, my prep period is 9:50-10:40.  I eat what I call "second-breakfast" during this time, because I love breakfast, and then try to eat something again at 11:00.  I say try, because after 11:25, I am with those kids until 3:30.  I don't get a break to even go to the bathroom (though, I often have the teacher from across the hall pop in so I can run out). Since it's winter and we're not outside for recess, I will often have a Larabar or something while they're watching The Magic School bus during what I call their "recess".  (I cannot deal with that indoor recess nonsense.)

It generally looks like this:

7am: Oatmeal/coffee

10am: Greek yogurt/apple/granola

11am: Whatever I packed for lunch (if I'm hungry)

2:30 or 3:30: Larabar, pretzels, carrots, or fruit

4:15pm: Smoothie

6pm: Dinner

8pm: Dessert, which is usually this marshmallow stuff (2 T. chocolate chips, 1 T pb, handful mini-marshallows) or a few pieces of chocolate

So what does fall into the "Whatever I packed for lunch" category?

Good question.

Sometimes it's more oatmeal.  Sometimes leftovers.  Sometimes I don't get around to "second breakfast" and just have it for lunch.  I am so, so bad at lunch.  When I do take leftovers, it's often a deconstructed quesadilla that I just heat up in the microwave or a homemade black bean burrito.  Sometimes it's leftover roasted sweet potatoes.  Sometimes pasta.

Something else I have working against me is that I generally don't like savory foods until way after noon.  My 11am lunch period is currently the bane of my school-day existence.  When I see the 10:30am lunch period teachers with school lunches of chicken, mashed potatoes, etc. at 10:30am, my stomach turns a bit.

I probably could eat the school lunch, but in my experience that's an easy way to throw money out the window.  It's like $4 a day for school-lunch-food.  That's not awesome food, you know?  I could go to Panera and spend $6 and get good food.  If I was allowed to leave the school grounds during lunch that is.  Or if I had enough time.  But no one really wants to get into the habit of eating out for lunch anyway, right?

Right.

So, what do I eat for lunch at home?  Usually a combination of these things.

+Hummus, carrots, tortilla chips is my favorite during the summer, with a blueberry smoothie. I eat this in the winter too, but of course, I don't have the luxury of a blender and frozen fruit in my classroom.

+Spinach flatbread sandwiches (or put it in a wrap)

+Quesadillas

+Leftover homemade pizza or a quick flatbread pizza thrown together

+Yogurt/granola/fruit

+Smoothies

……..

I told you I need help.

What do you eat for lunch?

Previous posts in the Healthiness series…
Quick Dinners
Breakfasts

Healthiness in 2014: #28daysofpilates

Going along with the Healthiness theme I have for the beginning of 2014, we have exercise.  Exercise is generally a slippery slope for me…an all or nothing mentality.  I'm working on changing that.

Pilates.  Have you tried it?

While I've never gotten into yoga, I've always had a soft spot for Pilates.  When I was 19, I wandered into the fitness dvd section of Wal-mart and picked up this.

I used it a few times a week for a couple of years.  I don't really know if it did much for me, but I liked it well enough.  In Alaska, I was able to take a Power Pilates class and, when my schedule allowed it, regular Pilates.  I always felt so good after those classes!  Kind of sore, very limber, and like I'd just done something truly beneficial for myself.

I'm a believer in it.

Part of my fitness resolution for the year is to take part in this kind of fitness.  Fitness that's good for the muscles, good for the soul, and good for the mind.

It's the best of both worlds:  you get the breathing and relaxation element of yoga and the toning you'd get from a fitness class.  Plus, you don't sweat a whole lot, if at all.  So there's not a "I need to get a shower after this" time commitment.  After taking Pilates classes, I can say that it works.  The small, focused movements tone muscles and, after a one hour class, I almost always feel it the next day.  Plus, it's dramatically increased my flexibility.  I spent my entire life being unable to reach down and touch my toes, even when I was a kid.  After 6 months of Pilates, I could put my hands almost flat on the floor!

I started February by taking part in #28daysofpilates.

Each day, Robin at The Balanced Life posts a new, quick Pilates workout. They're fun and effective to do.  Not to mention easy.  I set my phone alarm each day so I don't forget.

Also, so I remember to do a plank.  

Are you taking on any fitness challenges this year?  I have a friend who is running a half marathon and I had this nagging feeling that maybe I should do it too.  But then I remember how much I truly hate to run.  I don't think I should taking on a training plan is for me.

Have you missed any Healthiness posts?
I already talked about my favorites for Breakfast and Dinner.

(This post is purely my opinion.)

Healthiness in 2014: Quick Dinners

So last week, I talked about Breakfast.  I love breakfast.  It's probably my favorite part of the day. I'm good at breakfast.  I'm bad at lunch.  I'm going to skip lunch.  Well, not skip lunch.  Skip talking about lunch.  Let's talk about dinner.  I'm pretty good at dinner too.

Dinner, for me, is all about meal-planning.  Meal-planning will be addressed in a future post.  I can be really good at it when I want to be.  Here's examples from last spring when I was really on my game: beginning of April and middle of April.

We are all guilty of calling for pizza or stopping to pick something up on the way home.  In fact, just a few years ago, if Scott wasn't going to be home for dinner, I'd go to Subway on my way home from work.  This just tells you how often he was actually home for dinner though because, really, could you imagine if I'd employed that tactic while he was deployed?  That wouldn't have gone over very well for the wallet. These are my go-to dinner recipes…

+Quick easy soups, like tomato or this Chicken Orzo Soup.  It was wonderful when we were both feeling under the weather last weekend.  

Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup
1 cup orzo pasta
1/2 lb.-1 lb. of chicken cutlets, seasoned, cooked, and cut into bite-sized pieces (once again, the amount you use depends on how chicken-y you like things)
1 cup of sliced carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 ribs of celery (chopped into bite-sized pieces)
7 cups of chicken broth
3 T. of fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup of parsley

Cook the orzo for 8-10 minutes in salted boiling water.  Drain and set aside.
Cook the chicken in a soup pot, then add the vegetables and cook until tender.
Stir in the orzo, broth, lemon juice, and season to taste.  Let it simmer together until heated through, then stir in the parsley.

Also on the list…

+Thai Peanut Noodles.  I love spicy peanut sauces.  The best noodles ever were at a Japanese steakhouse in Great Falls, Montana.  These aren't anything like that.  But they're delicious in their own way.  I make them a lot!

+Spinach Pesto.  Before I started my smoothie kick, this was a great way to use up leftover spinach.  It also freezes really well in tupperware containers.  I like to add in chopped chicken to the pasta dish once it's all tossed together with the pesto.

+Veggie Quesadillas.  Lately, I've just been doing onions and peppers.  You cannot go wrong with a quesadilla.  I love the whole wheat tortillas just because of the flavor.  I don't like corn ones, or the big white flour ones.  That's a personal preference though.  Feel free to use what you like for a quick, filling dinner!

+Stove-top Mac and Cheese.  This stuff is quick.  It comes together in about 30 minutes.  All you need is a can of evaporated milk in the cupboard (one can will make 2 batches, so you can freeze half of it) and a good block of cheddar in the fridge.  

+Veggie Burritos/Enchiladas/whatever.  They don't have a sauce on them, so they're healthier (the sour cream sauce is what gets you!), and you can also add chicken.  We eat these once a week.

+Cheesesteak Pizzas.  On flatbread.  Or on french bread.  So tasty.  This is comfort food to the extreme.  Thinking about this kind of dinner would get me through a long day.

More pizza: 

+This Biscuit Puff Pizza is not healthy.  But I couldn't leave it out.  I love it. I spent many an Alaskan night eating this pizza.  Sometimes I shared with Scott.

+Tomato Basil Pizza.  Slightly healthier.  We survived on this our first year of marriage.  

+My favorite Pizza Dough Recipe.  To make all of your pizzas with.  I also like to flip it in half, make it into a giant pizza sandwich and call it a calzone.  Usually, I freeze a ball of dough, or make it on a Sunday and leave it in the fridge for a few days until I need a quick dinner.  Often, we also eat pizza on Sundays, when the dough is nice and fresh. (When I say "we", I mean I love pizza so, so much.  Scott is a good sport and goes along with it.)

+And, if you're really pressed for time, Tortilla Pizzas.  We had these just last week, but we put them on the pizza stone instead of in a frying pan.  

+We also do lots of steak salads and chicken salads.  I like to cube up boneless skinless chicken tenders, cook them in a pan, drizzle on some BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's) and caramelize them a bit.  Put them on a bed of spinach with tomatoes, french fried onions, and peppers.  Yum.

I'd like to say I use the crockpot during the week, but I usually don't.  I use it on the weekends to cook meatballs, tortilla soup, salsa chicken, etc.  I like to be around to check on the progress.  I get that the purpose of the appliance is being defeated in this way, but oh well.  

Alright, your turn:  What do YOU have for dinner on busy nights?  

As an attempt to write about lunch next week, who wants to send me ideas?  I'd love to feature them!

Healthiness in 2014: Breakfast

Chances are that if you've written a blog post at anytime in the last 2 weeks, I read it yesterday.  I'm slowly climbing out of my Robitussin stupor, just in time for school tomorrow.  That's figures, right?  I'm recovering from 36 hours on the couch and now Scott is sick.  As soon as I feel a sore throat creeping in, I immediately think the worst: strep.  Because I've never felt pain like that before.  Then I thought: flu.  Because I was stubborn enough not to get a flu shot.  

Anyway, several hours of blog reading and 1 1/2 seasons of Damages later…

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We've all read those healthy living blogs that make us believe everything we're doing is wrong, right?  You see, for me, it goes in a cycle: read blog about workouts/healthy food consumption, roll eyes and go eat marshmallows.  Next time, I read, roll my eyes and go eat ice cream.  Soon, I start to think that maybe those bloggers are onto something and soon I'm eating vegetables for dinner and only eating ice cream a couple of times a week.  Eventually, coupled with workouts I was already doing (because the gym has been a steady part of my routine for a few years now), I start to feel and look good.  Then, I get bored, get a job, get a life, etc, and I stop caring.  I start to feel bad.  Like I'm not doing all that I can for myself.  Then, the whole cycle starts all over again.  

However, I think a lot of us are truly doing the best we can with what we've been dealt.  For some, it may be squeezing in a 5am run before work/kids get up.  For others, weekend Zumba classes because the work week is too busy.  For me, it's the motivation to attend group fitness classes after work and eat real food for lunch and dinner when all I really want is to lay on the couch while eating quesadillas.  

So I'm going to address some of the things that I think are important when it comes to health.  Because, I admit, I DO feel better about myself when I know I'm eating well and exercising.  You know you do too…

So I'm going to show you what I truly believe has made a difference in the way I feel over the last few years. 

I'm going to start with an easy one for me:  Breakfast.  I'm notorious for starting the day really, really well and then pulling out the chips and hummus for lunch.  It's a flaw.  

I don't know what gets you out of bed in the morning but, for me, it's breakfast.  Or coffee.  …How about both? I was never a breakfast-eater until maybe 3 or so years ago.  It's depressing how many years I spent not enjoying what is now my favorite meal of the day.

I also am trying Lemon Water as soon as I get up in the morning.  This website talks about the benefits of you can get from this.  Have you ever tried it?

Green Smoothies.  I really put in as much green as my blender will allow.  I stick with spinach, but you can use whatever greens you prefer. Scott has recently gotten himself into smoothies too, and the amount of spinach and almond milk we go through each week is kind of obscene.  If I don't have one for breakfast, I often have one right after school.  It's not about the energy, it's about the greens.  It just makes me feel better, after I often snack my way through a school day.  Scott likes adding celery to his smoothies.  While this initially didn't appeal to me, celery gives it the best texture and makes it more of a meal replacement.  I'm a fan of it now.
Frozen Monkey Smoothie.  These are more like milkshakes for breakfast.  You won't regret it.
Oatmeal.  I have oatmeal 5 out of 7 days a week.  Sometimes it's in the form of oat bran or regular oatmeal, but my heart is with the steel cut oats.  I love them with a little bit of almond milk and a spoonful of apricot preserves.  Yum.
Yogurt.  We've been doing a lot of parfaits lately too.  Plain greek yogurt, drizzle of honey, diced apple,  and then some granola.

Fun fact: I only like my apples diced.  I don't like to eat them whole. (This is a smaller serving in a small bowl that I used yesterday because I wasn't feeling well…usually I use a cereal bowl.)

Baked oatmeal.  This stuff is way too easy to make.  Perfect for a weekend breakfast that you can easily portion out for the work week.  I like to put a little maple syrup on top of the pumpkin baked oatmeal.
Overnight Oats.  This was more of a summertime breakfast for me, but regardless, you can't go wrong!

Also, I'm a big fan of almond butter, any form of trail mix, or granola as I'm sipping my morning coffee.

What do you eat for breakfast?  I used to be a breakfast-skipper because I hated eating early in the day.  Now I plan what I'm going to have for breakfast before I go to bed.

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Is there any topic you'd like to see me mention on this Healthiness series?  I was thinking lunch, quick dinners, workouts, skincare (something I'm really working on!), etc.  Any preference?