good intentions . . .

I started the day well and healthy, and then I didn't eat the lunch that I had packed. Alas. Sometimes good intentions are all one has going, eh?

BREAKFAST:
black coffee, my multivitamin, and

Breakfast couscous! I haven't made this in a LONG time. Contains: whole-wheat couscous, almond milk, dash of cinnamon, squirt of agave, sliced almonds, raisins, craisins, dried apricots, and flax. Easy and tasty!

LUNCH:
Mac and cheese with the kids, and my spinach, cucumber, and tomato salad that I had brought from home. Also, two raspberry Milano cookies.

3:00 SNACK:
A peach, and later, a pear and another Milano cookie.

DINNER:

Tempeh tarragon salad (from the co-op deli case,) and red grapes.

BEDTIME SNACK:
A few crumbly nibbles of the evening's baking project. More on that tomorrow!

~~~~~~~~~~

Co-op haul this week:


BULK:
a third-pound of organic, small red beans
a half-pound of local, organic, sliced raw almonds
black sesame seeds
a third-pound of local, organic soy flour
.15 pounds organic, raw wheat germ
a pound of local, organic, fair-trade coffee
a pound of organic, fair-trade, dark chocolate chips
organic dried apple rings
organc flame raisins

CHEESE:
local, organic feta

DELI:
tempeh tarragon salad (see above)

FROZEN:
local, organic green peas

HERBS & SPICES:
local, organic, whole coriander
local, organic, ground cumin

PACKAGED GROCERY:
peanut oil
organic lite coconut milk
1 roll Seventh Generation TP

PRODUCE:
two organic carrots
one local, organic cucumber
local, organic apples
local, organic melon
two organic lemons
two plantains
four organic pluots
one local, organic eggplant
organic ginger root
two bunches local, organic dinosaur kale
bulk organic baby spinach
organic cilantro
local, organic sweet yellow onions
local, organic green bell pepper
four local, organic russet potatoes
one jalapeno
carton local, organic cherry tomatoes
one local, organic tomato
package local, organic thyme

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
Naked Juice "Blue Machine" smoothie (for work Saturday!)

I'm proud of myself -- 57% of my purchases tonight were from local companies! Woo!

I can't believe it's 8:00 already . . . I have a TON to do tonight! Better get cracking.

agave info

My friend Lauren asked me a question in a comment regarding agave, and I thought I'd answer! (Shout out to Lauren! Did they choose your jelly bean flavor, or what?)

So, what do I think about agave nectar??

I like it! It has a sweet, syrupy, mostly neutral taste.
It dissolves well, even in cold liquids. (Which is why I put a tablespoon in each batch of my homemade almond milk.)
It has a lower glycemic index than all other natural sweeteners.
It measures more easily than honey, since it is "runnier."
It comes from a cactus! How cool is that?

For more information, go check out this article on wikipedia.

Enjoy!

a light, snacky FLOG

BREAKFAST:
a cup of black coffee, my multivitamin, and

a mess of two-potato hashbrowns, garnished with sour cream, and a side of sauteed spinach.

LUNCH:

leftover curry I made last Friday, over brown rice.

MIDAFTERNOON:
a cup of unsweetened red tea

3:00 SNACK:
a few chips with salsa with the kids, a piece of cinnamon hard candy, and

plain yogurt with granola, and a very fuzzy peach!

DINNER:

I just wasn't feeling like "real food," so I made myself a bunch of snacks: ants on a log, banana bread, cottage cheese, a pear, and two cookies. Sometimes snacky dinners are just what one needs after a long day that's not quite over yet!

LATE EVENING:
a cup of red tea sweetened with honey (my throat/voice was tired after my two-hour choir rehearsal!)

Question of the evening:
What's the last book you've finished?

Me? I stayed up WAY too late last night finishing The Kite Runner. I realize I'm probably the last person on the planet that's read this book, but it was still really spectacular!

FLOG for today

BREAKFAST:
cup of coffee with agave and half and half, my multivitamin, and

plain yogurt topped with a diced peach, a little agave, and some granola

LUNCH:

leftover black bean soup garnished with cilantro, avocado, and sour cream, with tortilla chips for dipping

MIDAFTERNOON:
unsweetened red tea

3:00 SNACK:

banana bread and a pear

DINNER:

paraati chana (from my freezer) over brown rice, garnished with plain yogurt

DESSERT:
two cookies!

a Monday FLOG

BREAKFAST:
cup of coffee with agave and half and half, my multivitamin, and

peanut butter toast and a peach.

LUNCH & SNACK:

leftover pasta
salad
cottage cheese
a pear
not pictured: four pieces of black licorice, four Lorna Doone cookies (I was HUNGRY this afternoon!)

MIDAFTERNOON:
unsweetened blueberry herbal tea

DINNER:

leftover black bean soup with sour cream, and

chips and homemade guacamole!!

LATER THIS EVENING:
unsweetened ginger tea
two cookies

creative cookies!

I have had chocolate and cherries on the brain lately. (Last week's ice cream, for example?) I had thought about making a double-chocolate, double-cherry cookie tonight, until the bag of crystalized ginger in the cupboard caught my eye . . . then I remembered I had some fresh ginger leftover in the fridge . . . and then I went a completely different direction with my cookies! Final product:

I described these to my friend Ann over the phone earlier, and she said, "sounds very chocolatey and very gingery!" So, I think that will be the title . . .

Very Chocolatey, Very Gingery Cookies
(recipe loosely based on "Chocolate Chip Mint Cookies" from Joy of Vegan Baking)

INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup Earth Balance
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon Ener-G whipped with 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup finely chopped crystalized ginger

DIRECTIONS:
1. Beat the margarine with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in the sugars, then the egg replacer mixture, fresh ginger, and vanilla.
2. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a seperate bowl. Beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and crystalized ginger.
3. Drop by level tablespoon-fulls onto parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Note that the ginger flavor develops more as the cookies cool to room temperature.

Hooray for creative cookies!

~~~~~~~~~~

QUESTION:
What has been your favorite creative baking adventure?

Mine? It would have to be a tie between the vegan, wholegrain, chocolate chip pecan cookie recipe I developed a long time ago, (BEST COOKIES EVER!), and the vegan eclairs I adapted for my August Daring Baker's Challenge!

lazy Sunday's FLOG

As of 3:30 pm today, I still haven't left the house!!! Ha. That's what I call one helluva lazy Sunday!

BREAKFAST:

A cup of black coffee and a watermelon Naked juice. Dan went out to buy the New York Times this morning, and brought this back for me as a treat. Yum! A fluid-rich breakfast, for certain. :)

LUNCH:

I made Black Bean & Chipotle Soup, the recipe for which I found here. This was some damn tasty soup! I followed the recipe pretty much as written, using dried beans cooked from scratch, a can of crushed fire-roasted tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon salt as my "salt to taste" addition. Garnished the soup with some chopped cilantro, diced avocado, and a dollop of local, organic, low-fat sour cream, with blue corn tortilla chips on the side. Mmmmmmmm.......!!! Perfect early fall food!

MIDAFTERNOON SNACK:
a cup of red tea, my multivitamin, and

The rest of the figs! They ripen SO quickly! I'm a little bummed that they are gone already. Sad face :(

DINNER:

I made Sweet Potato & Red Pepper Pasta, from a recent issue of Eating Well magazine. This recipe is definitely a keeper -- slightly sweet, slightly creamy, and extremely delicious! Dan helped quite a bit with the prep for this dish by peeling and shredding sweet potato, washing spinach, crumbling goat cheese, lots of stirring, etc. He is definitely my favorite prep cook! (And my favorite trash-taker-outer, and my favorite floor sweeper, and my favorite stove scrubber . . . he's been a helpful guy this weekend!)

EARLY EVENING:
a cup of red tea sweetened with honey

LATER:
approximately three cookies (two baked, plus a few bites of dough snuck from the bowl)

~~~~~~~~~~

I think I'm going to bake yet tonight. I have an experimental cookie idea forming in my head as I type . . . more later!

yesterday's flog, new cookbook!

BREAKFAST:
a cup of black coffee, my multivitamin, and

peanut butter toast and a pluot.

WORK SNACK:

love the Naked juices -- they hold me until my shift is over at 2:00 without a break!

LATE LUNCH:
gigantic piece of summer vegetable lasagna, slice of bread, and sea salt caramel at Lucia's Bakery. SOOOOOOO delicious! It was so delicious, in fact, that I forgot to snap a picture. I promise I took my camera with me, having very good intentions, though!

LATE AFTERNOON:
cup of red tea sweetened with honey

DINNER:
Dan's Dad came up for the CD release party last night, and took us to the Modern Cafe for dinner. I had never been there -- what a treasure, hidden away in the depths of northeast Minneapolis! They try to focus on local, sustainable food as much as they can, and you get beautiful plates of delicious food for less than twenty bucks a head. (Pricier than I'd usually like, but heck, Pat was treating!!) I ordered the fattoush salad, which was full of romaine lettuce, barley, local tomatoes, cucumber, and feta, all topped with a hard-boiled egg. Me and eggs haven't been getting along so well lately, and this night was no exception, but damn was it tasty!

~~~~~~~~~~

I bought myself a new cookbook yesterday:

When we were visiting Dan's parents last weekend, I had a chance to flip through the abbreviated version of this cookbook, which I found on the shelves of their kitchen. I was hooked! Most of the recipes, save for the chapters on meat and seafood, are vegan, (or easily veganized,) focusing on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans! I treated myself to a copy yesterday, and I can't WAIT to start cooking out of this cookbook!

~~~~~~~~~~

Expect today's FLOG later this evening -- until then!

a bit of a junky FLOG

It has been a junkier than usual day today . . .

BREAKFAST:
a cup of black coffee

wholegrain peanut butter toast and figs!

LUNCH:
taco salad with the kids (don't ask . . . just know that it's junky, but good! Our cook makes a special bowl just for me with soy ground!)
most of a banana (the bottom was badly bruised)
four pieces of black licorice

MIDAFTERNOON:
small soy latte

3:00 SNACK:
two small cinnamon rolls with the kids

DINNER:

Okra, potato, and chickpea curry over brown rice, and,

ice cream.

BEDTIME:
cup of red tea

in order to FLOG . . .

. . . one must grocery shop! But more on that in a bit.

Today . . .

BREAKFAST:
a cup of black coffee, and

oatmeal made with almond milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, flax, sliced almonds, dried apricots, and a squirt of agave.

LUNCH:

leftover half-burrito from last night
three pieces of black licorice

MIDAFTERNOON:
cup of red tea sweetened with honey

3:00 SNACK:
banana bread (I didn't get to the watermelon . . . those kids are BUSY!)

DINNER:

a pluot, and some "tempeh tarragon" salad from the co-op deli case. Yum!
(and one fig snuck from the carton . . . not quite ripe, though! Bah.)

BEDTIME:
another cup of red tea with honey

~~~~~~~~~~

A different sort of grocery picture this evening:

Check out my new shopping cart! I wasn't thrilled with this at first, but I broke my old shopping cart a few months ago, and have been missing it ever since. The old cart was definitely more stylish, while the new cart has more grannie-like tendencies. However, after using the new one for the first time tonight, I'm hooked! Why? First, it holds a ton more than the old cart did -- I always ended up carrying a bag and pulling the cart, which is hard on my wonky back. Second, this shopping cart is set up to be pushed sort of like a stroller. Woo! Also much easier on the back (and shoulders) than dragging heavy groceries behind.

What's contained in all of those bags, you ask? Well . . .

BULK:
1/2 pound organic chickpeas
3/4 pound raw organic almonds
1/2 pound organic walnuts
almost 3 pounds organic, local, whole wheat pastry flour
1 3/4 pounds organic, local rolled oats
3/4 pound organic quinoa
3 pounds organic, fair-trade sugar
dried cherries

CHEESE:
local goat cheese

DELI:
tempeh tarragon salad (see above)

FROZEN:
organic orange juice concentrate

HERBS & SPICES:
organic, local, ground coriander
organic, local brown mustard seeds

PACKAGED GROCERY:
organic light brown sugar
sesame blues tortilla chips
organic millet puffs
organic light agave nectar
organic extra-virgin olive oil
2 cans organic, fire-roasted, crushed tomatoes
Republic of Tea "Get Relaxed" red tea
organic balsamic vinegar
organic, whole-wheat spaghettini
7th Generation kleenex
7th Generation TP (2 rolls)
recycled aluminum foil

PRODUCE:
organic celery
two organic carrots
organic, local cucumber
organic avocado
organic red grapes
two organic lemons
four organic crimson pears
two organic pluots
four organic Colorado peaches
organic ginger root
organic, local garlic
organic bulk spinach
oganic cilantro
organic, local parsley
two organic, local onions
organic, local green bell pepper
organic, local red bell pepper
organic red new potatoes
one organic sweet potato
organic, local tarragon
organic black mission figs

REFRIGERATED GROCERY:
Earth Balance buttery sticks
organic, local low fat cottage cheese
organic, local low fat sour cream
organic, local plain yogurt

Not a ton of cooking planned this weekend, but I do have a few new recipes to try!

today's food . . .

BREAKFAST:
cup of black coffee (not pictured)

banana bread
watermelon

LUNCH:

leftover pasta with parmesan
salad with oil and vinegar
three pieces of black licorice

3:00 SNACK:
granola (see above) with soymilk (to be added at work)
one additional piece of black licorice

DINNER:

half a Chipotle burrito containing cilantro-lime rice, black beans, fajita veggies, pico de gallo, corn salsa, guacamole, and lettuce. Color me stuffed!

Question of the evening . . .

What's your favorite quick-grab dinner option? (A convenience food and/or dining out/to go option?)

Mine? Definitely Chipotle. I get two full meals out of one less than six dollar burrito!

FLOG and kids

BREAKFAST:
cup of coffee with agave and half and half (not pictured)
slice of banana bread

SECOND BREAKFAST:
bowl of granola at work with the kids (soymilk added there)

LUNCH:
leftover spinach pie
leftover tabouli
3 pieces of black licorice (not pictured)

MIDAFTERNOON:
small hazelnut soy latte (not pictured)

3:00 SNACK:
cheese and crackers
watermelon

DINNER:

tomato salad (with lemon juice this time, since I'm fresh out of balsamic vinegar!) with bread on the side.

~~~~~~~~~~

And, here's today's "kids say the darndest . . . "

One of my kids, we'll call him Bob, (even though that's not his name,) was being silly this afternoon, saying "hello, Miss Catherine," over and over again in a silly voice. He paused, and I said, "Hello, Miss Bob!" He laughed like crazy and said, "Hello, Miss Pirate!" How did I respond??

"AAARRRRRRRRRR!"

And then we played pirates. :)

flogging and weekend in review

First, catching up with the flogging:

Yesterday, 8/31/08:

BREAKFAST:
two cups of black coffee
slice of zucchini bread, toasted, with fat-free cream cheese
canteloupe

SECOND BREAKFAST:
another slice of zucchini bread

LUNCH:
tabouli in a pita
a plum
terra vegetable chips
two slices of havarti cheese
a piece of baklava

DINNER:
Dan and I went to the Namaste Cafe, which I have visited before, but Dan has not. I ordered their coconut curry with eggplant, mushrooms, and tofu -- SOOOOO delicious! Served with white basmati rice, of course. I also ordered their "Spicy Masala Chai" -- excellent chai with a hit of black pepper. Deeeeeeeelicious! I do really love that restaurant -- the food is excellent, the servers are polite and helpful, and the ambiance is clean, hip, and interesting! (The restaurant has orange walls, for example.)

Today, 9/1/08:

BREAKFAST:
coffee with agave and half-and-half, and

granola with almond milk

LUNCH:
picnic at Fort Snelling State Park:

Salad of tomatoes, avocado, fresh mozzarella, basil, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, with bread on the side to sop up the juices. Also, some watermelon! (More about the state park below.)

MIDAFTERNOON SNACK:
ice cream! (see below)

DINNER:

Whole-wheat pasta with sauce made last weekend from Dan's garden veggies, topped with parmesan, and a salad on the side.

BEDTIME SNACK:
slice of banana bread (see below)
more ice cream (only one scoop this time!)

~~~~~~~~~~

And now begins the weekend review . . .

~~~~~~~~~~

Yesterday afternoon, we went canoeing with Dan's parents. I had meant to bring my camera along to take some pictures during our trip, but . . . it's a good thing I didn't. Why? Because, well, Dan and I had a major canoeing mishap, resulting in everything in our canoe ending up in the river, including us. Hm. What happened, you ask? Well, simply, we hit a rock -- and the current tipped the canoe sideways, and then buckled the canoe around the rock, creating a giant dent and two holes in the sides of the canoe. All this, only about ten minutes into our canoe trip! So, I spent the rest of the trip sitting in Dan's parents' canoe, as did Dan's mom, while Dan and his dad paddled like crazy to steer around all of the remaining rocks and many, many tubers. I didn't realize tubing was such a big thing in Minnesota . . . and frankly, I don't like tubers very much. Why? Because Dan and I hit the rock because we were trying to get around a bunch of tubers who were NOT paying ANY attention to where they were going or what they were doing, and we just didn't see it. BAH. So, moral of the story: I was really wet all afternoon yesterday, but at least my camera's not toast.

~~~~~~~~~~

I stopped at Kowalski's on my way home from the restaurant last night to pick up just a few groceries:

Dan brought over more garden tomatoes, so we, of course, needed more basil and bread with which to enjoy them! I still have plenty of balsamic vinegar, mozzarella, and olive oil. Yum.

~~~~~~~~~~

I also made homemade ice cream last night! I used my basic vanilla recipe, edited to include a hefty amount of fruit preserves to turn it into cherry ice cream. And then I added some chopped chocolate to make a homemade "Cherry Garcia!" Yum:

This is the easiest and tastiest fruit ice cream I have made to date . . . who knew that the secret was preserves? Just make sure you choose as natural a product as possible, with as few ingredients as possible. :) (Bonne Maman is my favorite jam of late . . . good amount of sweetness, great flavor!)
Recipe for Fruit Ice Cream:
Whisk together 3 cups half and half, 3/4 cup fruit preserves of your choice, and 1/4 cup agave nectar until smooth. Chill the ice cream base until it is very cold. Proces in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. During the last five minutes of processing, add any extras you would like: coconut, chopped chocolate, nuts, etc. Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~

Believe it or not, there is a State Park in the Twin Cities metro area! Dan and I decided to enjoy our extra day off today by enjoying a picnic, and then taking a 3 1/2 mile hike around the park. We hiked out onto Pike Island, at the tip of which the Minnesota River joins the Mississippi River! Pictures from our hike:









~~~~~~~~~~

I also made banana bread today:

I can't follow a recipe. Can anybody? Anyhow, here's what I did tonight:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup barley flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup agave
3 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup yogurt (I had dairy on hand, but soy would work just as well)
2 flax "eggs"
1 cup mashed ripe banana

350 for about an hour. Not the best banana bread ever, not the worst.

~~~~~~~~~~

And last, my silly Oliver:

Loving the catnip inside the grocery bag.

~~~~~~~~~~

Question of the evening:
What's your worst nature mishap?

Me? I think the canoeing adventure Sunday takes the cake!