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Monday Meal Plan Oct 15

Happy Monday!  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  We spent some time with friends processing apples.  We made my homemade no-sugar applesauce recipe to start with about 15 apples. It made six pints that we then canned.  Then we started some apple butter in the slow cooker.  We processed it in the morning and it was delicious. The house smelled awesome. Today I made a second batch of applesauce, plus some dehydrated apple rings.  The kids love these for snacks and now we have a full stock of apple (and pineapple!) rings for the lunch box this week.

Cinnamon apple rings

On the menu this week:
Sunday~ Lemon Orange Rosemary Chicken in the Ninja Cooking System.  I didn’t have lemon so I swapped it out for orange. The chicken came out awesome. Madison asked for fourths!  I also roasted the last of our cherry tomatoes, along with some honey roasted carrots.
Monday~ L/O Chicken used in a pasta bake.  Steamed green beans on the side.
Tuesday~ Apricot Pork chops from the Everyday Food Cookbook. Note~ I use boneless pork chops so the time increases to about 20 minutes.  The recipe is also a great way to use up the heels of bread.  Maybe some squash on the side, plus polenta in the slow cooker.
Wednesday~ Orange Hoisin Chicken (slow cooker). Recipe from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker CookbookBrown rice and sautéed snow peas on the side.
Thursday~ Last night my sister and family are here from Hawaii. Cozy fall dinner of homemade chili and corn bread planned. Maybe a yummy apple dessert.
Friday~ Pizza!

Are you trying any new recipes this week?  Feel free to leave your menu plan in the comments below.

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Ford Escape Drive Event

Do you have a car that you love?  For me, it’s our Ford Escape.  It was the first car my husband I bought together after our wedding.  We got it in 2005 and thought it would be the perfect car for us as newlyweds, but also carry us through the days when our family grew. I recently got to check out the new 2013 Ford Escape and there were a lot of cool new updates.

The new 2013 Ford Escape 

Now you may be saying, hey, isn’t she a green blogger?  What is she doing talking about an SUV?  Yes, I have to admit, it may not be the greenest choice I make.  However, after MUCH debate with my husband, we decided that we are an SUV family.  It provides us flexibility for bringing all of our beach gear with us each summer, trash runs to the local “recycling transfer station”, and room for kids and friends.  We live close to town and walk to do lots of errands, coordinate trips so we don’t drive too much, plus we don’t use a car to commute.  All of these things drastically cut down on our car use so I am comfortable saying I drive an SUV.

Luckily, the Ford Escape has something really cool called EcoBoost engines. The new Escape has two EcoBoost engines, which essentially allows the engine to squeeze the most out of every drop of gasoline used in the car.  The engines improve efficiency, leading to better fuel economy and power delivery. It has the fuel economy of a mid-size sedan.

Opened the back without any keys in hand.

There are also some awesome bells and whistles in the new Escape.  Hands free driving anyone?  Yes, the car can parallel park itself.  Check out this video my friend Charlene from Charlene Chronicles took here of me driving.  Then there is the Intelligent Access hands-free lift gate. No more fumbling for the keys while you carry a baby and a shopping bag.  Just a swift kick under the bumper and voila, the back opens!  Here is the video of Charlene in action demonstrating the ease of use.

We are in the market for a new car when our lease is up on our mid-size sedan.  I have the opportunity to test drive the Escape, Flex and Explorer in a little more detail to see which one may be right for our family.  I’ll be sharing all the pros and cons of each car, from a busy mom point of view.  I can’t wait to share the experiences with you. Hopefully it will help answer some questions you have when it comes to deciding on your next family car.

What is your favorite feature in your car?

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Disclosure: I attended a Ford media event. All opinions shared here are my own.
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International Babywearing Week Boston 2012

When I had my daughter over three years ago, baby wearing was just starting to be a trendy thing. Now a baby carrier is one of the must have’s on every baby registry list.  Did you know this is International Babywearing Week?  October 8-14th is a time to celebrate babywearing and all the wonderful benefits it brings.

Boston Babywearers is a local non profit group who works to teach parents how to use baby carriers.  I learned from them that there are over 60 different carrier options. Even cooler is they have a library of all of these carrier options so you really can get the opportunity to find the perfect fit for you and and your infant, and then for toddler sized children.

Our Baby Bjorn has been well loved

Nearly everyone I knew had a Baby Bjorn so I started with one too.  We loved ours, and I say we because my husband was also a proud babywearer.  When I asked on Facebook, I got many responses on which type of baby carrier people used.

Ring sling for the first one, with some occasional Bjorn and later Ergo. Moby wrap and Ergo for the second. -Julia M.  
We got the most use out of our Hotsling, but also used bjorn, Moby and backpack. -Cerissa L. 
Ergo! So sad my kids don’t fit in it anymore- they loved it as much as me! -Kate
Baby Bjorn – loved the “clicks” and straps. I tried a sling, but I needed the structure of the Bjorn. -Ceci F.
Ergo and bjorn -Katie S.
Moby wrap, ring sling, Ergo, Bjorn -Lane R. 

This week in celebration of International Babywearing Week, Boston Babywearers is hosting events throughout the week.  Find the schedule here. There is also a big Bash on October 13th from 1-3pm at Old South Church in Copley Square, downtown Boston.  There will be a variety of carriers to try, a local chiropractor on hand to discuss hip development and displays from Diaper Lab, Mama Ballroom, Tiny Signs and Happy Family.  There will be over $3000 worth of raffle prizes too!

If you used a baby carrier, what did you use?

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The Skinny on UNREAL Candy

A few months ago, I started reading about a new candy line from Unreal.  It’s basically your favorite candy, without all the questionable ingredients added in. That means no high fructose corn syrup, no food dyes, no GMOs, no preservatives and no trans fats.  Sounds good right?  Now, do they taste good?

I got the opportunity to host a party and share samples of the Unreal candy line with moms and kids from my playgroup.  So the question about whether or not the candy tastes good…the answer is yes.  It’s really candy.  Good candy.  Chocolate-craving-need-something-sweet good.  I think the winner was the chocolate candy covered peanuts.  Also know as the alternative to peanut M&M;’s.  This little guy was ready for more after trying a few.

There are so many “yucky” ingredients in the majority of candy sold these days.  One that is very concerning to me is the artificial food dyes. As I’ve written in a prior post, the affect on children is potentially harmful.  A number of countries have banned the use of synthetic food dyes so I was really happy to see that the Unreal candy not only ditched them, but was able to find healthy alternatives to offer fun colors.

We had about 20 people taste test the full assortment of Unreal candy.  My favorite story is a friend’s mother was visiting and she was totally into the message behind the candy.  It tasted good and it’s less toxic than traditional candy. She wants to pick it up and offer it to her neighborhood kids at Halloween.  I learned that the mini versions will be arriving in local stores soon for parents to make a healthier choice when it comes to Halloween candy.

Have you tried Unreal candy yet?  If you haven’t seen the video yet with Tom Brady and the candy story, check it out here. I love when Matt Damon says “it’s just real food.”  You can find it at over 30,000 stores.  It will be in Target very soon, but already in CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, BJ’s, Kroger, etc.  I really appreciate that the company is offering it in mass market shopping areas, not just for the Whole Foods crowd.

My little guy kept trying to get more!

Let me know if you try it and what your favorite candy is?!

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Disclosure: I hosted a sponsored party with Unreal candy. This in no way influenced my opinions, or the young children asking for more at the party. 🙂

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Monday Meal Plan Oct 8

We spent the weekend celebrating birthdays, a baptism and enjoyed some beautiful fall weather.  Even when you are a stay at home mom, those long weekends are lovely.

Picked up a bushel of apples at the farmers market this weekend

I’m a little tired from all of our party planning this weekend and needed some menu planning reminders.  Last year my playgroup did an awesome recipe exchange.  I went back to my Recipe email folder to dig out some favorites for our week ahead.

Monday~ C.O.R.N
Tuesday~ Chicken Pierre (thanks Susan!) Green Beans and whole wheat couscous
Wednesday~ Slow Cooker Ribs, Local Corn on the Cob, Cornbread
Thursday~ Hamburgers and Homemade Mac n Cheese with butternut squash hiding inside. (Thanks Cathy!)  See recipe below.
Friday~ American Flatbread Pizza (freebie from Springboard Conference)
Saturday~ potluck dinner with friends, menu still tbd.  We are going to process a bushel of apples though…I see lots of applesauce in our future.

Easy Veggie Mac n Cheese (from Cathy M.)
1 cup uncooked macaroni (I do 1/2 cup whole wheat, 1/2 cup regular)
1 cup (or more) shredded sharp cheddar
1 cup milk (you could use skim but whole tastes much better)
pepper and paprika
1/2 cup cauliflower puree or butternut squash puree (optional, make in advance, I prefer cauliflower)
 
Preheat oven to 350
Drop macaroni in boiling water, boil 3 minutes
Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes then drain
Toss macaroni in a bowl with vegetable puree to evenly distribute puree
 
Layer in a large casserole dish coated with cooking spray:
1/3 macaroni mixture
1/3 cheese
sprinkle pepper and paprika
1/3, 1/3 again until done
 
Pour milk over layers and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown on top and milk absorbed so not too runny. Let cool a few minutes before serving.

What’s on deck for you this week?

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Our Garden: Year in Review 2012

The original layout of the largest raised bed

I started some notes last week about our gardens this year and decided to create a post about it.  This is partly for selfish reason so I have a copy of what we did online.  Second, I thought it might encourage you to review what you did in your garden and start thinking about next year.

We live outside Boston so we have a fairly short growing season.  Winter was a bit of an anomaly in 2012. Super warm temps in March thawed the ground and allowed us to plant very early. My guess is we won’t see the same trend next year and plantings won’t start until May.  We had three raised beds to use and I think we will make do with the same amount next year.  Next year, we will dedicate one of them as an herb garden.

Garden mid June

In reviewing what we did and whether or not it worked for us, I asked these questions.

  1. Did it grow well?
  2. Did we eat it?
  3. Did we have too much/too little?
  4. What was missing?
  5. Was it planted in the right place?

Here are the results of my notes and discussions with my husband who manages more than his fair share of the work.

Trailing plum tomatoes

Tomatoes
-Plum: Favorite this season, need 3 plants vs 2 for next year.
-Cherry: Need only 1 plant vs 2, prefer larger size vs smaller.
-Heirloom: Our 1 plant got dwarfed by the cherry tomato plants. Need to space out better.
-Patio: Not stellar.  Taste was good, but would rather add more heirloom.
Notes: need tallest cages for tomatoes, add in a beefsteak tomato plant

Cucumbers
-Did not grow well from seed.  Only 1 plant survived. Use seedlings instead.
-Increase to 4 plants vs 2.

Peas

Second pea planting

-Sugar Snap Peas were planted twice.  Summer crop arrived in July while we are away. Plant later next year. Repeat location.

Broccoli
-Produced small heads and giant leaves.  Reduce to 4 plants vs 8 next year.

Spinach
-Terrible year, did not do well in any garden (containers and raised bed). Planted both baby and regular spinach (organic) from seed and it did not take.  Will try again next year in the large raised bed.

Lettuce Greens
-Started 1/2 from seeds and balance 1/2 from seedlings.  This was great because it created a longer harvest season.
-Trout was great (and pretty) and also the butter lettuce.

Eggplant
-Grew very well in the raised bed from a seeding.  Would skip next year as we don’t eat enough of it.

Garden harvest mid August

Celery
-Did well despite being dwarfed by the tomato plants.  Need to change placement to allow for more light. Taste was amazing. Need 3 vs 5 plants.

Peppers
-Sweet green peppers did amazingly well, must have them for next year for Madison to eat right off the vine!  Need cages for them next year.
-Hungarian hot wax peppers also grew well, but we don’t want something that spicy in the garden that the kids might eat.  We also didn’t cook enough with them.

Carrots
-Remains to be seen…not sure if they got enough light as the pepper plants grew over them.

Herbs
-Basil: produced best in the hanging Topsy Turvy planter.  Still could have used more.
-Rosemary: doing well in both raised bed and in the ground (from last year). Need to cut and dry more during the summer.
-Parsley: got dwarfed by the pepper plants. Did curly this year, prefer flat leaf italian parsley instead.
-Cilantro: grew well…too well.  Bolted at the end of June.  Would love to have it all season long so I can use it for homemade salsa when the tomatoes are ripe.
-Thyme: going strong in the ground
-Oregano: a transplant from my stepmother’s garden, I’m hoping this takes and grows back next year.

Thank you to Soil and Seed for installing our large raised bed.  Everything in the garden grew well and the soil was amazing.  I would recommend this for anyone in the local area looking to increase their gardening space next year.

How did your garden grow?  Any tips for planning next year?

All my favorite garden helpers
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Ask Disney to clean up their lunch boxes

Do you have kids toting lunch boxes to school, or even preschool?  I do, and I recently learned a startling fact about some of the lunch boxes on the market today.  Many of them contain phthalates, which is a chemical now linked to hormonal disruptions, reduced sperm counts and some cancers.  Disney’s lunch boxes were rated to have 30 times the amount of phthalates deemed safe for toys by the federal government.  The toy industry is phasing out phthalates to protect our children.  Three of the chemicals have been permanently restricted, while others are banned during further research.

Here is the crazy thing.  Lunch boxes are not considered toys.  Despite the item being marketed and used by children, they are not regulated as such.  Here is where the power of Mom comes in.  My friend Lori from Groovy Green Livin started a petition to challenge Disney to make their lunch boxes safe.  There are over 57,000 signatures at this time and it’s increasing by the hour.  

This is one of my favorite quotes from Lori,

“Their lunch boxes are covered with beloved characters – like iconic princesses and Spiderman, a character my boys love – but could be shedding toxic chemicals that put my kids at risk,” Alper said. “While Congress works on long-term solutions like the Safe Chemicals Act, corporations like Disney have a responsibility to keep our kids safe now.”

Here is what I ask of you. Please take a moment to sign this petition. Disney has come back saying they follow all safety standards required.  Clearly they are relying on a loophole in the industry standard to back their claims.  As a major children’s retailer, I hope Disney will listen to the many moms, and dads, who want to send their kids to school with a chemical-free lunch box. (If you need some options check out my back to school lunch box post.)  Thank you for your support of this petition.

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Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies

Next to apples, pumpkins are my second favorite fall flavor.  Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice lattes from Starbucks and pumpkin candy corn are some of my seasonal must-haves. This year I loved seeing all the many pumpkin spiced desserts around the web.  I decided to test out a Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookie recipe and give it a healthier twist.

Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies

Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies

Delicious fall cookie for pumpkin lovers!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course: Dessert
Author: Emily

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 1/4 cup applesauce my substitution for the second stick of butter
  • 1 cup granulated sugar white plus another 1/4 cup for rolling the cookies
  • 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree not tge pie mix, but canned is fine
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour my 2nd substitution for the other cup of white flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • In a stand mixer, beat butter, applesauce and sugar together until creamy. Add pumpkin, molasses, egg and vanilla. Mix well.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours, otherwise it’s very difficult to roll the cookies into balls.
  • Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place sugar in a small bowl. Roll tablespoon sized balls of dough in sugar and then place on baking sheets. I fit about 15 per tray.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges are set and cookies look cracked. Let cookies sit for 2-3 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Let cool completely.
Tried this recipe?Mention @emilyroachwellness or tag #erwellness!

 

Delicious pumpkin gingersnap cookies made the house smell amazing!

Yield: 3 dozen cookies.

Adapted from Two Peas and their Pod
Enjoy!

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Monday Menu Plan Sept 30

Rain, rain, go away.  I hope the rain is done for us here. It was a bit gloomy for my taste this weekend. At least we got our neighborhood block party squeezed into the few hours without rain.  I made chili and my new favorite apple dish, No Crust Apple Pie.

We started the week off with a delicious pot roast in the slow cooker.  Four generations sat at the table together to talk and laugh at the kid’s silliness.  Don’t you agree the company is always more important than the food on the table.

Sunday ~ Skye’s Braised Pot roast with vegetables (carrots and potatoes) from Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook

Monday~ Leftovers…pot roast was not a huge hit with the kids but the egg noodles were.  Need to supplement with some additional protein for them, maybe beans. Peppers from the garden on the side.
Tuesday~ Tacos with lettuce greens and tomatoes from our garden. Spanish rice on the side.
Wednesday~ Chicken nuggets, roasted asparagus and some pasta side.
Thursday~ Apple/Rosemary Pork Roulade (new recipe) and butternut squash on the side.
Friday~ Testing out the Rustic Crust pizza crust I received at the Springboard conference. My friend Nikki already tested it out and it was a winner.
We also had these delicious Pumpkin Gingersnap cookies tonight. Yummy! Plus I made them healthier than the original recipe. I’ll share the revisions in a recipe post later this week.
Have you heard about the October Unprocessed challenge?  Head over to Eating Rules to learn a little bit more about it.  We are trying to be more mindful of our eating choices when it comes to processed foods.  I think the big debate about getting GMO’s labelled on our foods is making me more conscious  of when I grab a box of macaroni and cheese or cereal.  What’s really inside? Regardless of whether a boxed good is organic or not, it is still processed.  I know we can’t commit to 100% processed free, but I am going to focus on breakfast and snacks.
Think you could go processed free?  What would be the hardest thing to give up?

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Sponsors~ Minawear  and Kiwi Crate

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My Earth’s Best Interview with Kate Geagan

When I went to Blogher last August, I had the pleasure of meeting Kate Geagan America’s Green Nutritionist. I did an interview with her on camera, which is typically something I would run from. However, I got some good advice to try something new and different at the conference.  This would be it.

Our family is a fan of Earth’s Best.  See the interview to learn more about why we choose organic for our family.  Leave a note in the comments if you use Earth’s Best too!


(seriously, what a crazy face! That isn’t even the start of the video!)

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