Salad Everyday

A couple of weeks ago, while I was whining to a friend about the limitations of my diet, she mentioned that she was going to challenge herself to a salad everyday. I was noncommittal. Then, providentially, the heat went out. It was several days before the part could be shipped and received. Suddenly, the idea of cold salad was pretty unappealing, but the idea of roasting something--anything --all day long and staying close to the warm oven was very appealing. 

I took a walk through Costco and essentially gathered up everything that could be roasted. At every vegetable, I thought about roasting potential. If there was even a glimmer of roasting potential, I put it in the cart. I cannot wait to use this approach at the farmer's market. Of course, I may not be so eager to roast in the heat of midsummer, but we'll cross that bridge later.

More or less, I followed the roasting instructions in An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace.  (short review here). Basically, I poured a little olive oil on everything and roasted each vegetable separately at 375 degrees in Pyrex baking dishes or on cookie sheets. I put the ones that take the longest in first and let them start as I prepped the ones that don't need long roasting times. With the broccoli, I roasted some garlic, too. With the beets, I sprinkled balsamic vinegar with the olive oil and roasted them wrapped tightly in foil. I added garlic to the peppers, as well.

To me, roasted vegetables have more appeal than raw ones. The flavors are richer and roasting actually makes some nutrients more available. For vegetables that are known to adversely affect the thyroid, roasting mitigates the goitrogenic quality. All around, roasting makes jars of jewels for the refrigerator.

After roasting, the broccoli got a few splashes of lemon juice and everything got a wee bit of salt. Once, I've sprinkled the cauliflower with balsamic vinegar. That's pretty awesome.

When the vegetables are cooled, I packed them into glass dishes with lids or Mason jars. Wide mouth Mason jars are easiest. If a veggie was roasted with garlic, the garlic went into the jar with it. It's all a fairly simple, streamilined operation that really takes under an hour (except for the beets--beets take forever to roast, but they are so worth it).

Then came a most interesting development. I was making "normal" dinners for my family and I adapted them for me, taking cues from the roasted veggies in the fridge. I began Instagramming them, mostly to see if my friend would join me in posting her salad pictures. #saladeveryday was born. So far, it's just me (and a few stray people I don't recognize using the same hashtag), but it's been great fun. Nicholas noticed that I was using bits and pieces of their meal to make my salad and wondered aloud if every meal could be so adapted. So far, so good. From my Instagram notes (you can find these @heartofmyhome):

::Roasted chicken, roasted peppers, roasted broccoli, roasted beets and spring mix. (The kids had roasted chicken and borccoli and potatoes. Mike was out of town the week this experiment began.)

::Mixed greens, baby spinach, roasted balsamic cauliflower, roasted beets, roasted peppers and cedar plank grilled salmon. 

::Romaine, spinach, roasted peppers, green apple, avocado, bacon, a wee bit of pepper-jack, and olive oil/lemon/southwest seasoning (The kids had a baked potato bar with most of those ingredients as topping choices)

::Romaine lettuce, beef, braised mushrooms and onions, roasted beets, shredded carrots. (The kids had beef stroganoff and I pulled off my meat and mushroom before making the cream sauce.)

::a salad at Chipotle on grocery shopping day;-)

::Wilted arugula, roasted peppers (two kinds), olives, roasted asparagus, a fried egg, topped with crumbled bacon (The kids had spaghetti carbonara. Nicholas was totally impressed with this salad solution. I think he thought there was no way to convert that meal. The egg idea is in An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace. I should have oached it but I was too lazy.)

::Romaine lettuce with chili (no beans) on top. (The kids had chili with beans.)

::My very favorite: Christian made grilled chicken, creamed spinach, and mashed potatoes for dinner. I had a salad with fresh spinach, the chicken, and the last little bit of veggies from all the jars. Then, I went grocery shopping the next day and began again.

For the chicken, mix equal parts orange juice, wheat free soy sauce, and honey. Add a little bit of chili sauce with garlic (in the Asian food aisle), to taste, and pour it over however many boneless, skinless chicken thighs you need to feed your family. Let marinate for an hour or more. Grill outside. Delish. They were fighting over the last piece. Sorry about the lack of "real" recipe; we made it up as we went.

I'm definitely on a roll, loving this way of looking at food and eating better than previously. One reason it's hard to cook differently for myself than my family and avoid those things that make me sick is that I often find myself at the hungry hour, without a real plan or provisions. This method assures that there is always a really good, hearty salad in the refrigerator. Works for me! 

The plan is to keep eating a #saladeveryday. You can find them on Instagram.

Snow Day (Well, sort of)

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Once upon a time, when there were just three little boys in my tiny little house, there were grand predictions of a big snow. I got those little boys all hyped up on the idea of snowballs and snow angels and snowmen. And then it snowed less than an inch. Those boys were so bummed. In an effort to make snowballs indoors, we popped some popcorn and introduced it to marshmallows. Very yummy fun. Like so many things, we did it once and it became a sort of tradition. I think there are children here who might just hope the forecast is wrong. They know the consolation prize for just a little snow.

Still, I'm wishing for a big snow. Really wishing.

Below is the recipe for popcorn snowballs and then a list of great books that will make even the most tropical among us hope for just a little "playable" snow.

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Popcorn Snowballs

2 sticks of butter, plus some to butter your hands

1 cup popcorn kernels 

1 bag mini marshmallows 

Pop 1 cup of popcorn kernels, set aside.

Melt both sticks of butter. Add marshmallows. Once marshmallows are melted, add the popcorn. Mix ingredients together. Butter your hands and then form the popcorn mixture into balls and set on a buttered baking sheet to cool. 

>>>

The Snowy Day. Everyone loves Peter and his dog Willy and the adventures they have on a sweet snowy day.

The Story of the Snow Children The snowflakes are snow children who are swept into the Snow Fairy's kingdom on a winter day. You'll never look at swirling snow the same way again.

Flannel Kisses This one reminds me a little of Peter's Snowy Day above, but warmer and softer, I think.

Owl Moon A little girl and her father venture into the stillness of a winter's night and experience a lyrical, almost magical (but real) adventure.

My Brother Loved Snowflakes This is the true story of Wilson Bentley told through the eyes of his older brother. It's a wonderful companion to Snowflake Bentley. We love the both. Together:-).

Winter Days in the Big Woods I just ordered a new copy of this one for our library. My children have all loved, loved, loved Laura's stories come to life in these picture books. This one is a keeper and one to replace when it gets loved to death. 

A Farmer Boy Birthday See above. Love, love, love. Almanzo gets a new sled for his birthday. 

The Mitten (and The Hat) Beautifully illustrated whimsical stories in snow. These feature handknits and, well, there is just so much inspiration to be had here;-)!

Snowsong Whistling. Well worth the hunt. 

Snow Cynthia Rylant. I'm a big fan of Cynthia Rylant. This book lives up to my high expectations. The text is brief, but lyrical, and the author wrings meaning out of every drop of word. A little girl, her friend, and her grandmother appreciate an incredibly beautiful snowfall. 

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening. Read through this bpicture book, lingering on lovely illustrations, just for a few days in a row and suddenly, you and your children will have memorized Frost, so that his poetry comes to mind every time it snows, forever.

Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image, and God

{This post is a part of the Cravings blog tour.}

Five years ago, I resolved not to diet. (Go ahead. Read it. I'll be here.) As I said then, I come from a long line of dieters, and an astonishing number of women with eating disorders. For the rest of that story, you'll have to click the link. For today, I want to tell you about the last five years and a most extraordinary book. 

Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image, and God was written by Mary deTurris Poust. 

Mary is an author, columnist, journalist, speaker, and blogger who has written for dozens of Catholic and secular publications. I think you will want to add her blog, Not Strictly Spiritual to your "read frequently" list. I first read Mary when I picked up Walking Together: Discovering the Catholic Tradition of Spiritual Friendship.

The funniest thing happened right after I read that book. Well, maybe not the funniest, but definitely worth smiling about. Linda, one of my dearest, closest friends in the whole world called to tell me that she was reading this awesome book that just reminded her of us and she wanted me to read it with her. Had I ever heard of Walking Together?

Um, yep. A little;-). I had blogged about it and had a delightful conversation with the author and Lisa Hendey for a Faith and Family podcast that very day.

Linda doesn't read my blog:-)

I love her any way. But I digress.

So when Mary asked me to review this book, I jumped at the chance. Honestly, I wasn't all that enthused about the subject matter, but Mary is an excellent writer and I really like to read her books because she thinks big thoughts and she thinks them thoroughly. In this rapid-fire internet world, those big thought, thorough books are becoming rare.

I wanted to read this book, not because I have an obsession with dieting or any kind of eating disorder, or even a poor body image. I wanted to read this book because, dang!, it's really, really hard to eat the way I have to in order to avoid setting off an autoimmune reaction. Between Hashimoto's and Celiac disease, I've learned to eliminate all grains, dairy, legumes,and sugar. Ideally, the meat in my life hasn't been fed grains, either. Think about that a minute. That's a whole bunch of food that's not in play. I feel like I think about food all the time, just to figure out what to eat next. And frankly, I'm tired of wreatling with food all the time. I don't diet, but sometimes I starve--not because I mean to, but because there truly isn't anything available to eat. Poor planning. 

So, I read this book with different eyes from most of the reviewers on the grand blog tour. Much of what Mary wrote about the voices we hear as women rang true, but for me, I was looking for something else. I had mostly quieted those voices; the taunting of different voices was ringing in my ears.

From the middle of July until last week, I stuck carefully to a very strict eating plan. And I felt well, really well. And then, all at once, the wheels fell off. I helped myself to spoonful of cream cheese frosting, then, two chocolate chips, and before I knew it, I was dipping bread in butter. That day, writhing with a stomachache, my mouth full of blisters, I tried to help my family see my son off to college. Emotional eating? No way! I had conquered that, remember?

Maybe not.

Walk with me a few minutes through Mary's book. I'll pull some quotes that spoke to me and hope they speak to you, too. They are a bit eclectic. Think of it as a buffet.

Make a list. Start to write down the tihngs you've always wanted to do, a Bucket List of sorts. I did this not long ago and was suprised by some of the things that made their way onto my list...Weight loss or  poor body image don't seem to have anything to do with those things, at least not on the surface. But when you dig a little deeper, you begin to see that a poor self-image makes us less likely to tackle something new, something that might call attention to us, when what we really want is to fade into the background.

Oh, yes. That fade into the background desire. I know it well.

I've often said the greatest weapon I have in the war against eating something that makes me sick is the Eucharist. If I can remember between times that I receive Communion that I won't even take the Lord in a form that contains gluten, it's hard to persuade msyelf that any other forbidden food is worthy.

Mary quotes Cathy Adamkievwicz, who says, 

Whenever I go to Mass, I'm offered Jesus himself in the Eucharist. It's become a profound reminder that he will feed me--repeatedly. He is always there, ready to give me exactly what I need.

And really, I don't need a grilled Brie sandwich on artisan sourdough.

Nurturing the connection between body and soul starts us down a road less traveled, one where we crave healthier foods, slower mealtimes, more physical and spiritual space. From this new perspective, we willingly choose fewer mindless high-calorie fillers [or fewer autoimmune triggers?] because we don't want to bog down our bodies and souls with things that wear us out, fatten us up, and lead to sluggishness and dissatisfaction and acedia, or inertia...We can find magic in the moments of chopping, stirring, baking, eating, savoring, and sitting around a table and enjoying our food rather than standing at a counter eating directly from the bag. But that shift in attitude takes work, so get out your shovel and let's start digging.

My college going-away-day binge?  I don't think it was deep-seated emotional muck that required a steam shovel. Instead, I think it was largely fatigue and about eight weeks worth of to-do lists that never once bulleted self-care moments. It was the royal crash my spiritual director had warned about the night before the wedding, when he gently chided, "Martha, Martha..." This book and a small spade, and I think I can shovel out of this one.

I loved Mary's reminiscing about Sunday afternoons in Brooklyn. They reminded me very much of my cousin Ellie's similar memories. I could smell the Bolognese gravy and hear the great-aunts arguing about the right way to make the perfect meatball. I don't think the value of Sunday dinners can be overstated.

In the chapter on balance, Brother Victor of The Gift of Simplicity and the wonderful Monastery Kitchen books, writes, 

Make preparing food an enjoyable time. People can get into it and learn the value of these different elements, how to balance a meal. It's not just a question of eating and filling ourselves up and then just forgetting. Making food is something that can really bring quality into your own personal life and your family, not only on feast days and special occasions. Do it as an everyday thing, even if it's in a simpler form, and then perhaps on weekends or feast days you do something more elaborate.

My kitchen time of late has not been enjoyable time. It's been crazy-busy, hard pressed, and utilitarian, even when feeding large crowds of loved ones for special occasions.

Brother Victor again:

The daily rhythm of a monastic life attaches great importance to the time spent in the kitchen and food preparation, to time in the refectory and the act of consuming food. Saint Benedict attached great importance to these matters, and throughout the whole of monastic tradition, food retained a sacred character because of the importance given to it by Christ himself. Anyone participating today in the life of a monastery notices the importance the monks and nuns give to their meals, their practical and healthy method of cooking, and their reverential way of serving food at the table and their equally reverent consumption of it.

I've been at war with food. A former foodie with an Italian passion for food and feeding my family, I've been fighting food this past year. It's truly too hard to feed an entire very large family with my food restrictions. After reading this book, I'm ready to fill myself with Christ, and--so filled--to cook with intention for my family, secure in knowing that I can forego some of the foods they are eating because food isn't bigger than the Spirit that fills me. 

I'll let you know how it goes. 

I highly recommend the book and I have a copy to give away. Leave a comment below; join the foodie conversation (I truly do love foodie conversations). I'm going to try to pop in frequently in the next couple days and follow up on comments.

You may leave separate comments if you share this post/giveaway on Twitter and Facebook (or even Instagram--I love Instagram. And foodie Instagram, all the better. I'm @heartofmyhome). The contest ends at 8 pm EST on January 25, 2013. 

Also, there's this giveaway. It's a biggie! Win a Williams-Sonoma gift card.

A Martinmas Spice Cake

It's the eve of Martinmas. The children's lanterns are glowing on the mantle and I still have one more pumpkin hat to decrease and bind off after bedtime. I did manage to get a little festal baking done after dinner and just pulled our spice cake out of the oven when I thought of you.

I thought how you might like to prepare a Martinmas cake for your family. (We're eating ours for breakfast. A feast is the perfect excuse to have cake for breakfast if I do say so myself. Anyhow, this recipe boasts a smidge of whole wheat pastry flour and a lot of pumpkin puree so I don't feel too guilty. Not at all in fact.)

This recipe is a simple one and most likely you have all the ingredients on hand, especially this time of year. And no. It's not even close to Paleo. 

Martinmas Spice Cake 

Dry Ingredients

• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves

First of all, don't forget to preheat that oven. 350 should do just fine.

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Some say it's best to sift them. I say just use a fork and mix away.

In another bowl...

Wet Ingredients

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 can pumpkin puree (That's probably about a cup and a half.)
• 2/3 cup canola or coconut oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat the wet ingredients well and then gradually add in the dry. Don't overmix or you'll have yourself a dense cake. 

I suppose you could add in dried fruit or nuts, but why mess with perfection?

Generously spray a bundt pan with canola spray. (Seriously, spray it generously.) Pour in the cake batter and bake for 40 minutes. (At least that's how long it takes in my oven. My oven tends to run slow, teaching me unwanted lessons in patience. So check it at 30 minutes just in case. If a toothpick comes out clean, you're set.) Allow your cake to cool in the pan for five minutes and then turn out on a rack to cool completely. (If you sprayed that bundt pan generously it should come out just fine.)

Dust with powdered sugar and enjoy with those you love.

Happy Martinmas to you!

xoxo,
Edith

C is for Cranberry Chicken with Cornbread Stuffing: Comfort Before the Crazy-rain

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts

1/3 c. flour

1t. salt

4T. butter

11/2c. fresh cranberries

3/4c. brown sugar

1t. orange peel

3/4c. orange juice

1/4t. each cinnamon and ginger

Coat chicken in flour and salt and brown in butter.  Combine remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Pour over chicken, cover and bake at 350F for 45 min. to an hour.  Great served with stuffing or rice! I substituted almond meal for the flour. It wasn't the same, but it was fine.