The Official Announcement: It's Open Season

Just when I think we have had our last freeze, another late front passes through and kills something else in my backyard. It's looking bad out there. Even so, I'm backing myself up this time and making it official. As a non meteorologist I would like to say that the freezes are probably over (in Houston) and it's time to get back to grilling. Perhaps you missed my original ode to the grill post. The gist is that winners like to grill, and women are winners, so women should learn how to use a grill. Give me an ingredient and I will figure out how to make it on the grill. That is how much I hate washing pots and pans. 

Women who grill. Not the same as women who grillz.

 Kid Bonus: Although the grill is hot territory for kids, there is always prep that kids can help with. L is great at snapping asparagus stalks, mixing marinades & basting sauces, and adding salt and pepper. 

This week we grilled steak, chicken and shrimp. We had tons of veggies from our Farmhouse Delivery and we launched right into them. Our bundle is pictured below. A great mix of things to roast, saute, and eat raw. Want to know what we do with a bin full of fresh, local fruits and veggies? Here we go!

We got lots of greens, so not the best veggies for the grill, but great for serving alongside grilled items. I knew immediately what I wanted to do with the bag of mixed greens: Grilled Shrimp. I skewered the shrimp and brushed it with butter and lemon and that was it. To the grill and back again. I washed the greens and then tossed them in 1/3C Olive Oil, 1/4C Aged Balsamic Vinegar, salt & pepper. I am a light dressing person, so feel free to increase quantities to taste. Here is the end result:

We made an extra skewer for Landon and she ate hers with some tomatoes and avocado. She will eat salad, but prefers specific kinds of greens.

We felt a little steak hungry this week as well. Probably because it's Grilling Season (did I mention that already?) When I got home from work on Tuesday I took 5 minutes to wash, peel, and cut the carrots & beets from our delivery. Then I cut a large onion into a few chunks. I threw them all into a bowl and tossed them with just a touch of extra virgin olive oil, some salt flakes & fresh pepper. Then on to my overused baking dish and into a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes. At the 30 minute mark I usually toss the veggies around to spread some of the caramelization. After the full 40 minutes they came out looking delish.

These were done when bath time ended and everything else got put on hold while the kids got put in bed. After they were down I pulled out the mystery "braising greens" that came in our bundle, washed them and braised them. If they are called braising greens, you should braise them, right? S got home and took over the grill on this night. In no time at all, dinner was served.

I've had more artistic photos, but in the interest of showing you what we do with our bin... you get this.

Tonight we streamlined further. We grilled chicken breasts and did a big side of dinosaur kale sauteed with a bit of extra virgin olive oil and garlic. And that was it. I won't pretend that my trusty box of Amy's Organic 100% whole wheat mac n cheese wasn't mildly calling my name from the pantry, but the thought of cleaning out a pot of cheesy macaroni was enough to keep our dinner very half veg half protein. 

As far as the rest of our bundle, the grapefruits get sliced and eaten up for my breakfast or for a snack. The sugar snap peas are amazing raw and dipped in hummus. L loves avocados and she ate the one from our delivery with her lunch today. We have been using the red stem malabar spinach for lunchtime sandwiches. 

Landy's turkey, cheese, & spinach on Ezekiel Bread with hummus.

That just leaves the purple cabbage. The great thing about cabbage is it will hang tight for a while in my fridge until I decide just what I want to do with it. Love it when the bins are gone so quickly. It means we are eating really well.

Here is where we are on our Veg Out challenge:

Day 8: Mushrooms, raw w/ pita & hummus
Day 9: Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
Day 10: Carrots, both roasted & raw
Day 11: White Onion, roasted
Day 12: Sugar Snap Peas, raw w/ hummus
Day 13: Red Pepper, cooked in pasta sauce

Even though March is almost halfway done, you can still join us as we VegOut this month. Have a vegetable lasagna and you'll probably cover 7 vegetables at one meal! To register click here. 

We are on Instagram! For daily posts with quick recipes, kid food, or other random tidbits, follow @RaisingTexas. 

Coming up soon: one of my favorite fruit and veggie packed smoothies that you can make in your blender. And later, more of the same old inappropriate things you have come to know and love. I had a pull up thrown at my face 5 times last night. Evenings are really interesting in my house. 

Grilling Season is GO! 

- RT

Roasted Vegetables & Catch Up Salad

It's day four of our VegOut challenge and to be honest, it's been really fun. So far we aren't doing much differently than what we normally do, but we are talking more about what we are eating. I am getting more feedback on the way our family cooks things and we are simplifying life in the kitchen and at the table. Something that makes me feel like we are almost cheating is the Farmhouse Delivery that gets dropped on our doorstep every two weeks. We are expecting ours this Saturday. This past weekend we were at my parent's house when theirs arrived and I wanted a chance to show you what could be done with this amazing barrel of goodies! 

 

I love opening these boxes up. Even though you have some idea of what to expect, it's still a little like vegetable Christmas. Everything is always so beautiful and there is something I love about getting root vegetables that still have a bit of the earth they grew in stuck to the skin. Pictured above: lacinto (or dinosaur) kale, a bag of mixed greens, green onions, brussels sprouts, oranges, tomatoes, broccoli, beets and a sweet potato. How beautiful are these tomatoes?

 

My mother keeps an organic garden and had some cauliflower that was ready to be plucked. We grabbed that and some carrots from a previous delivery. We washed the sweet potato and cauliflower, peeled the carrots and beets, broke them into pieces and preheated the oven to 425. 

Forty five minutes later, this is what came out:

I love roasting vegetables. The browning on a cauliflower might be enough of a reason. Mostly though, I love roasting vegetables because I'm busy. I've got two young kids and even though I love to cook, I also love reading, and having a life outside of the kitchen. Roasting vegetables on Sunday night can get you all set for the week if you do it well enough. We have roasted vegetables and then run to the store for some items to throw on the grill. Dinner is done. Also, roasted vegetables are easy for the whole family. We sauteed the kale, my mom made chicken and dumplings & some meatball lasagna. Here is our almost three year old daughter's dinner plate:

Clockwise from the top: Chicken and Dumplings, Cauliflower, Carrots, Meatballs & Kale

 For our 8 month old, we diced up some of the carrots and sweet potatoes. If you wanted to adapt for a younger baby, take the carrots, sweet potatoes, cauliflower, or beets and chop them. Then toss them into a blender or food processor with some water, breast milk or formula. I usually use water and some seasoning from our spice rack. Process them until they are the desired consistency. You just roasted your own baby food. For less dishes to clean, you can use a hand blender to puree the veggies.

When we got home we continued our roasting with some sweet potato and beet rounds. Our whole family ate salmon with beets & sweet potatoes for dinner.

 

 Roasting comes pretty easily after you have been doing it a while, and again it's a great way to cook lots of vegetables and store them up for a week's worth of meals. You can start with them simply washed, season them with olive oil, salt, pepper, or spices. You can make it your own. For an even easier veggie prep, you could just go raw.

Raw is easy, raw is good.

Here is where we are in our challenge:
Day 1 - Kale, braised
Day 2 - Avocado, fresh
Day 3 - Cabbage, smothered
Day 4 - Beets, roasted

The great thing about VegOut is that you can still register and start. Even though we are only highlighting one veggie a day, all you need to do is eat 30 different vegetables in 30 days. I always thought that I was teaching my kids to love cooking by just the act of cooking. This challenge has made me realize how many ways I can involve them and get them interested in the kitchen. You can register HERE and to help you out, here is a fresh salad that will make up for missing the first four days.

Catch Up Salad (serves 1)

Ingredients:

1C Arugula

1C Spinach

1/2C Grape Tomatoes, sliced in half

1/2 an avocado, cubed

Fresh Feta to crumble on top

Dressing:

1/4C Grapeseed Oil (you can sub Extra Virgin Olive Oil)

1 Tbsp lime

1 tsp honey

Pinch of salt

Fresh Pepper to Taste 

Mix all of your dressing ingredients well with a fork or whisk. 

Washy and dry your greens and tomatoes. Slice the grape tomatoes in half, cut the avocado into cubes, and toss everything together with the dressing. Add feta on top or before tossing. 

See, now you're all caught up! 

Coming up next - I've got a great soup recipe that will knock out kale, onion, and acorn squash. 

Side note: Posting about vegetables on Fat Tuesday is only ok if you had pancakes for dinner.

Happy Mardi Gras, y'all!

- RT

Feeding Toddlers & My non scientific theories on Overweight Children

Hey there Internet! So we left mom world for a while. We've been liking things and loving Houston and having too much Sunday fun. So in honor of cranky toddlers who haven't been sleeping well, we're going to talk about more Ladybug food. The internet makes you think that blogging with a baby looks like this:

"Hey mom. I'm so happy! You finally figured out the difference between your and you're."

I can't show you what it really looks like to blog with a baby because I have yet to figure out that secret recipe. When Landon is awake I try to hang out with her or get out of the house. When I am blogging it is baby asleep time or daddy at home time. I can show you what it looks like to have a 15 month old who won't let you put her down on a day you have a lot to get done. That goes something like this:

 "WTF, mom?" love, Landon

Baby Bjorns that you borrow from your sister-in-law aren't just for babies anymore. They are for toddlers who won't leave you alone. And it works. Plus, an extra 23lbs of body weight when I'm getting chores done makes it count as a workout..... right?

I think I've said before that I had a really hard time trying to figure out what to feed Landon and when she was supposed to eat certain foods. Landon's doctor gave me lots of good info, I just always had more and more questions. I also didn't want to be that mother who called the pediatrician's nurse all the time asking non important or non emergency related questions. We are already on a first name basis (word to Justine), so I've taken learning about Landon's nutrition upon myself. I wanted to make sure she was getting healthy foods and also a variety of items to insure she got as many vitamins as possible directly from her food. I wanted to try my best to start good eating habits early. In my family picky eaters get chased from the dinner table and mocked. You are, quite simply, not allowed to dislike anything until you have tried it at least twice. You are also not allowed to put ketchup on your steak. Yes, people do that. I just didn't know because it wasn't allowed in our home.

That steak you just paid a decent sum for can taste just like ketchup too. And not at all like steak.

Back on task.... In the midst of all of these efforts, I came to a realization of sorts. Kids are fat. That was not my realization, that is just a fact. According to the CDC approximately 21 - 24% of American kids are overweight, and another 16 - 18% are obese. Before I had children I don't think I noticed most regular kids. I certainly didn't think about what children were eating. Here is my own personal realization - Parents now more than ever are focusing on how to keep their children happy. Of course you should want your children to be happy, but things like frustration and experiencing things like sadness and anger are a part of growing up and learning how to manage your emotions. This is what I learned when I became a parent: Your child experiences pain/sadness/anger/frustration and cries. In my non scientific study with one child, 95% of the time, you give this distressed child food and they stop crying. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only parent who has noticed this, but I also realized that I don't want Landon to view food as the thing that makes her feel better when she is upset. THAT is a trap I think many children, teenagers, and even adults fall into. I have fallen into it myself.

Ben & Jerry's: a neon sign for emotional distress

Why do you think breakups are followed with half gallons of ice cream and bags of potato chips? Oh, I mean pints of ice cream... maybe. It is part of our culture to feed people to make them happy. When someone experiences a loss, you bring them food. And I do bring them food. In my view, the food is not necessarily the enemy. I grew up eating McDonalds and Blue Bell among many other things. And I am not overweight or obese. It just seems like too many children and adolescents are turning to food for the wrong reasons. Food as a friend, food as a solution, food as a coping mechanism. They literally eat until they feel so full that they can't feel whatever emptiness was there before. It's comfort food taken to the extreme. People are no longer learning how to deal with their emotions, they are just filling themselves up so they feel something else. And parents who want their kids to be happy or stop crying or who just don't know any better are handing their children whatever is available to cope with their emotions. These parents don't realize what they are taking away from their children by doing this: The ability to cope and overcome and build emotional skills within themselves.

Of course, these are all just my opinions based on my own experiences and observations. I don't think the answer to the obesity epidemic is to close down fast food, outlaw soda, or limit the ability of restaurants to determine portion sizes. We shouldn't be threatening to take obese children away from parents. The money it would cost to foster those children and put them through the system should be used to educate their parents and the family on better ways to eat, exercise, and build their mental health. Sometimes we expect people to be perfect, but we are, after all, only human. Armed with knowledge, we can do so much more. When you grow up respecting food and having an education that teaches you about nutrition, it's hard to even imagine that someone wouldn't know that orange soda and a bag of doritos isn't a suitable meal. But the truth is, more often than not, people are uneducated about food. When I figure out the answer to all of the above, and how to pay for it, I'll meet with the president and let you all know how it goes. Then I'll come back here to let you know, once again:

I didn't really know I was going to go off on that big of a tangent, but what I was getting back around to are healthy food options for your toddler. Children do need more fat and fuel that adults, but you can find the balance by giving them good fats or fats that have other nutritional benefits. On a typical day, Landon has three meals and an afternoon snack. I look at each meal and make sure it has a veggie or two, most of the time a complex carb, a protein, and a little fruit for dessert. She is low on iron so we try to incorporate more iron rich items into her meals. Just keep your thoughts on that when you see that she has 2 egg yolks with one egg white for breakfast. Also, I say this a lot but I like to say it again and again, YOU know your child best as far as what they can handle in their ability to chew and swallow. Please adjust accordingly.

Healthy foods for Toddlers and Children 12 months and up:

Main Breakfast examples:

This is a shared breakfast for Landon and myself. She eats both egg yolks,
I get the whites and the leftover oatmeal and banana.

Eggs - scrambled, sunny side up, poached, or however your child prefers them. Landon likes her eggs over medium and cut up into bite size pieces. I know this because she told me once in full sentences.

Cereal - No, not Wheaties and skim milk with a spoon. The rice, barley, wheat, etc cereal made for babies is still a great way for your toddler to get healthy whole grains and iron. 

Porridge/Grits/Cream of Wheat - You can find 100% whole wheat cream of wheat at most grocery stores and it is more flavorful with more texture than the basics. 

Oatmeal - Basic oatmeal with a bit of whole milk & some cinnamon make a great start to the day and it's something the whole family can eat.

Yogurt - We like to use a basic 2% fat Greek with a little honey added mixed with sliced mango.

With any of the above we offer morning fruit. Usually something like: 1/3 of a banana (sliced), a few strawberries (sliced), mango chunks, raspberries cut in half, or blueberries, also cut in half. 

Lunch or Dinner examples:

Clockwise from top left, sweet potato, salmon, chopped spinach, & buffalo mozzarella in cubes.

Main Proteins/Items: 

Salmon or any other fish - grilled, baked, poached, or steamed - make sure it is deboned 

Shrimp - it is sweet and fresh and easy to chew

Chicken - L has recently started to prefer the dark meat to the breast, but she goes back and forth 

Pork - works for lots of kids chopped or braised, but sometimes can cause upset stomachs

Turkey - chopped, shredded or ground

Beef - because beef is a more chewy food, we are still doing mainly ground, but braised meats that are completely tender are wonderful

Lamb - Landon loves braised lamb and also ground lamb. It is a great source of iron and more flavorful than other ground meats and poultry

Tofu - Great if you are looking for a vegetarian alternative & takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with

Whole Wheat Pasta - perfect way to get whole grains and a filling complex carb with more flavor than plain white pasta. Pasta can be the main part of a meal or a side.

Legumes - Lentils, butter beans, black beans, pinto beans, soy beans, lima beans, etc. Beans are full of iron, great finger food, and easy to chew. They also help to develop a healthy digestive system and are full of fiber. They can serves as the main part of a meal or a side.

Sides:

It's a bird, it's a plane, no, wait.... it's a perfect side, snack, or dessert for toddlers.

 Think of a fruit or a vegetable. Got one? Ok, now thing of another one. Now another one. Now think of every vegetable or fruit you can imagine. Are you with me? I guarantee that 95% of what you are thinking of is good for your child to eat. You might have to adjust the way you prepare it, making sure it is soft enough to chew and cut into the right size, but too many people are focused on what babies can't eat the first year. It was hard for me at first to wrap my head around what they can eat. Basically, everything. Here are some of the favorites sides that we also eat and some that Landon likes best:

Avocado, chopped spinach, sweet potato, green peas, carrots, zucchini, butternut squash, snap peas, tomatoes,  kale, new potatoes, broccoli, peaches, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, mango, cherries, kiwi, banana, all berries, red pepper, grapes (cut in quarters), pears, pineapple, watermelon, cantaloupe, and corn.

Other Snacks:

It's snack time, y'all.

I try to make sure that Landon gets a calcium rich snack since we try to stay away from calcium during her meals. It blocks iron absorption, so this is just a her specific thing. Her snack always consists of some kind of cheese and either a fruit or a whole grain. For some fruit ideas, see above.

Cheese snacks:

Cottage cheese (2%), chevre goat cheese, 365 organic shredded white cheddar cheese, cheddar cheese stick cut up into small cubes, or misc cheese treat.

Unsweetened applesauce is awesome as a snack or a side to a meal. The unsweetened tastes great and you lose almost half the calories and all the added sugar. 

Her current favorite snack addition is Magic Pop. It is a puffed rice deal like a giant round, flat rice crispy. I know you can find different versions of them all around. Our HEB stores and Central Market make them in the store. She likes it because she can break it up on her own and eat it. I think it makes her feel fancy.

On the go snacks are also an essential item. There is a time and a place when you might need to feed a tantrum to keep it from happening. I do recognize that. I keep my diaper bag stocked with earth's best cereal bars, mum mums, tupperware with plain cheerios, more magic pop, and sometimes graham crackers.

It's easy for me to sit here with a healthy 15 month old and pretend to have all of the answers. I really don't. I am just doing the best that I can and trying to educate myself to make good decisions for myself and my family. The key there is education. We need to educate ourselves and work to educate others. There are options out there and ways to create a healthy relationship with food for yourself and for your children. I work at getting it right most of the time. Saying I would get it right all of the time just isn't realistic. Kids should be allowed their treats the same as adults should. But treats are treats and food should be respected as should your body, your emotions and most of all, yourself.

- RT

Beating up the weather While Bringing Fresh Farm Veggies to Your Front Door

It's Sunday guys... we made it! I've never been more excited to go to work and see other people and put on real clothes. Here's the summary and wrap up from last time when I was going crazy:

I did. Clouds have asses and I kicked one.

I took my shower and all was right with the world. Then something truly amazing happened, the rain stopped. We were supposed to have flash flooding and downpours and weather crazies. Friday morning there was nothing. We got to go out and do our walk and see the sunshine and then we got caught in the rain and instead of caring and running the Bob and baby back home, we just strolled and it just rained. We got home, and splashed in puddles and slipped and slid around and we kicked the rain and the cloud's asses. Then they left and decided not to ruin the rest of the night or Saturday or today (except for a brief shower) and you are welcome Houston. Landy and I made the rain go away. Then on Saturday our Farmhouse Delivery came. It's like food Christmas.

This Saturday's delivery included tomatoes, okra, zucchini, green beans, eggplant, peaches, butternut squash, yellow cherry tomatoes, and avocados.

I love going to farmer's markets, but it is really hard when you have a new baby. We had looked into farming co-ops in the past and the upfront cost and commitment always made us back off. Here are the amazing things about Farmhouse Delivery that make it so much better than a co-op:

1. You can do every week OR every other week. (we do every other week)

2. You pay week by week, not all at once. 

3. It is delivered to your front door, not a main pick up location. YOUR FRONT DOOR.

4. You get a list of what is in your bushel on Mondays and you can sub out items if you don't like them. 

5. You can put your order on hold if you will be out of town or if it's a bad week, and they don't charge you. 

6. They blog recipes with the ingredients and suggest ways to eat and cook them. 

7. You can cancel at ANY time. No additional charge. 

8. Did I tell you they deliver to your FRONT DOOR?!?!?!

Who is this good for?? I want to tell you it's good for everyone, but the truth is, it isn't. My amazing friend R ordered it for herself and her boyfriend and they didn't cook enough at home and ended up cancelling. If you cook at home, if you want to be inspired to cook at home, if you want to try new fruits and vegetables, if you are looking for more fresh ingredients in your kitchen... THIS is for you.

It has also been great for Landy because we have plenty of veggies on hand for her to try. It helps keep her diet and our diet in a great place all week long. The meal to follow is an example of what we do with a lot of our farmhouse veggies. We usually grill them or broil them or bake them when they aren't fresh lettuces or things we would throw in a salad.

In this bushel from a few weeks ago we got some amazing food. We were steak hungry and decided to use the carrots, green beans, and red potatoes. I preheated the oven to 400. This is how the carrots arrived:

Fresh from the farm.

 I peeled them and then cut off the stems, finally cutting them lengthwise and in half. The finished product looked like this:

Here are the green beans after I rinsed them. Then I snapped the ends off of them and did another rinse.

Then I started to prep the red potatoes. I decided to try something weird and new and on the fly because having fun in the kitchen is what makes cooking fun. I cut some rosemary from our bush and sliced some garlic cloves. Then I sliced an "X" in the top of a potato and stuffed them with the rosemary sprigs and garlic slices. Then drizzled olive oil over them.

Ingredients

 

Stuffed

Ready for the oven

I put the potatoes aside and took the carrots and green beans and mixed them together with and insane amount of dill, sea salt, and olive oil.

On the baking sheet ready for the oven

 I put the veggies and the potatoes in the oven for 30 minutes ready to check them and see how they are doing. Time to start on the steak. We took it out and let it come to room temp, then marinated it with olive oil and rubbed with salt and pepper.

Carrots and green beans are ready to go.

Potatoes and crispy rosemary needed more time. Probably 50 minutes total.

Steak is ready to go.

Here is the finished plate:

So there you go! Great farm fresh veggies that you can use in your meals every day. When we get our deliveries we just plan our proteins and our trip to the store is for those and breakfast fruits and extra snacks. We really love it and it's a great way to do more healthy and fresh eating at home.

Everyone have a great week!

-RT