What's for Dinner?

 

We went to a birthday party at a Gymnastics facility this weekend. It's the first time we have ever done anything like that and it was a blast! If that place wasn't so far from our house, I would be thinking about having Miss No-No's next birthday party there! The kids got to run on trampolines, on mats, jump on spring boards, and into a huge "pool" that was full of foam blocks! There was also this HUGE rope swing. If none of the other parents would have been around, I think I would have just dove right in and joined my little Miss No-No - - it looked like so much fun!!! She loved it and the birthday girl's parents did such a fantastic job (no, they don't read this blog - lol), but they did such a great job with the food and the goodie bags, the cake and cupcakes, and just getting the kids psyched. I loved it!!

So - on with the meals for the week. :)

Monday
Nori Rolls
Miso Soup

Tuesday
Spinach-Stuffed Tomatoes
Quinoa Salad

Wednesday
Healthy Dinner Bowls

Thursday
Homemade Black Bean (Veggie) Burgers
Salad with (homemade) Avocado and Cumin Dressing

Friday
Peanut "Noodles" with Veggies and Tofu

Saturday
Left over Bonanza / Beach Picnic

Sunday
Pasta Dinner / Salad / Garlic Bread

Notes:
1. Nori Rolls: Brown rice (made ahead of time), matchstick carrot and cucumbers, and sliced avocado. I will either roll these into a hand-held "wrap" using a nori sheet or will wrap them "roll-style" using a bamboo mat (from the Asian market) and then cut in 1" sections.
Miso Soup: I have a recipe for this, but to be honest, I haven't tested it yet; if it doesn't come out well, I have a packaged soup mix (just add hot water type of mix) as a back up.
2. Stuffed tomatoes: Mix spinach, scant onions, diced red bell peppers, salt, pepper, garlic, and some italian spices into cored out tomatoes.
Quinoa Salad: using pre-made quinoa, add in salt, pepper, fresh mint, diced cukes, and diced tomatoes; mix well; serve next to tomatoes
3. Healthy Bowls: Usually a mish-mash of what I have left over or around (!): brown rice on the bottom, beans (black, brown, or pinto work really well, but anything works here) layered on top, slightly steamed veggies over the beans (I usually add some kind of greens - like kale or spinach - and other veggies - carrots, broccoli, squash - basically, whatever I have on hand); pour a lite (homemade, if you have it) salad dressing over the top. Easy, quick and nutritious!
4. Black Bean Veggie Burgers: there are recipes allllll over the place for this - I'm substituting homemade burgers this week (but, lately I have been using pre-packaged garden burgers - both work well, although one is easier on a busy night!).
5. Peanut Noodles: Zucchini noodles dressed with peanut sauce (home-made or store bought works); add slightly steamed or sauteed veggies with either baked or pan-fried tofu cutlets.


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We've Been Featured

We are so excited to report that we have *once again* been featured!
Emily from Naptime Creations has featured Mrs. No-No Knows for the Zucchini Noodles recipe. Emily runs her Tasty Tuesday party weekly and we love being a part of it - being featured is just the cherry on top!
Come by and link up - what have you made this week?
Thanks Emily!! :)

More later! :)

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Zucchini Noodles

We have been on vacation for the last week and a half!! We went to visit my in-laws in Western NY. Thankfully, we made it out of there and back to the west coast before Irene came barreling through and made it hard for us to leave the NY airport. Whew!

My little brother lives in NYC with his family, though, and they are all alright. Double whew! Hope you and yours are safe and sound, too!

Here are some pictures from our trip - Miss No-No had a lot of fun!!

In my never-ending (it seems) quest to find something to do with all of my zucchini (zukes), I made zucchini "noodles"!!!

They are so easy and so good and crunchy, I just couldn't believe that they came out so well!

Zucchini Noodles

Noodles:
2 medium sized zukes, spiralized or cut into noodle-like strips using a vegetable peeler

Sauce:
1-1/2 T olive oil
1 T Braggs Aminos (or 1/2 T soy sauce)
1-1/2 T agave
1/2 T apple cider vinegar
1/2 T fresh ginger (or 1/2 t. dried ground ginger)
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

Toppings:
1 - 2 T of sesame seeds (white or black)
1/2 T minced basil, mint, and/or cilantro

Pre-heat oven at lowest setting (my oven is 170F).

Spread "noodles" out on a cookie sheet spread with parchment paper (you want to spread the noodles out as much as possible). Put in oven for approximately 1-1/2 to 2 hours, until "noodles" start to dry out around the edges of the cookie sheet. Move "noodles" from the oven and lay out on paper towels for approximately 15 - 30 minutes (to remove any residual liquid).

Make the sauce by mixing all ingredients.

To serve later, leave the sauce and noodles in separate containers and refrigerate.

When ready to serve, pour sauce on noodles and incorporate so that the noodles are covered with sauce. Sprinkle sesame seeds and other toppings over the top and serve!

This recipe was slightly adapted from Ani Phyo's Raw Foods Cookbook.
I will be linking up at some of these cool parties!!

More later! :)


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A Week Of Menus

It's Sunday and it's soooooo quiet in my house right now - - aaaaaahhhh! I LOVE quiet time :)

...and it's time for my meal planning "break"! I feel like I have been working with zucchinis and beets forever now!! I heard someone say one time that they could never wait for zucchinis to be ready in the summer and that they would eat so many of them that by the end of the summer they felt like they never wanted another zucchini again (....until next year). And boy, is that how I feel right now with my zucchinis AND beets!!!
The only person in our house who isn't sick of beets right now is little Miss No-No. She asks for beet soup on (nearly) a daily basis still!

Speaking of zucchinis, my parents came over this weekend with some beautiful zucchini blossoms / flowers that I will be grilling up this week!! These are a rare treat for us and since I messed up the WHOLE batch that I got this year, I am hoping to perfect the correct grilling method this time around....hahahhaha!

For dinner this week, my basic plan is to use up my leftovers and get rid of anything that might go bad before I can get to it!

Monday
Black bean and roasted corn salads
Bean burritos or tacos
(to use up extra corn on the cob we roasted over the weekend)

Tuesday
Grilled Tofu "Steaks"
Julienned Zucchini and Sliced Orange Salad (with roasted almonds)
Homemade orange vinaigrette salad dressing
Bulgur with Cilantro
(to use up extra tofu, bulgur, and, what else?, some zucchini)

Wednesday
Grilled Zucchini Blossoms on Big Salads
(Salad with: julienned veggies, garbanzo beans, sunflower seeds, and homemade dressing)
Grilled Pita Bread

Thursday
Veggie Hot Dogs
Small Side Salads

Friday
Left over Bonanza

Saturday
Dinner out

Sunday
Italian Pasta Dinner
Salads
Garlic Bread

And, while I won't be cooking with a lot of zucchini this week, I did find a picture of my zucchini boats!! I thought that I was too hungry and that I must have forgotten to snap the picture, but turns out that I did have it, but was too scatterbrained (I guess!) to find it when I wrote that post!!!

What's for dinner at your house this week?

Hope your weekend was great!
More later! :)

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Clean Out the Fridge Soup

I love making soup! :)

Soup is easy, and forgiving. It can be served hot, warm, or even cold. I can eat it for dinner, for lunch the next day, or freeze it and serve it a week or two later for a quick dinner when I don't have time to make something.

This Clean Out the Fridge Soup is one of my favorites - I just saute some onions and garlic, add some broth, some spices, and whatever else I have on hand. It's different all the time, but the method is the same, and that makes it great (and easy) for me to serve something filling and healthy!

Clean Out the Fridge Soup

1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
Dried spices (I always use approx. 1/2 tsp of thyme and then I will add in some bay leaves (only 1 or 2), and then maybe another 1/2 - 1 teaspoon (total) of oregano, parsley, basil, or rosemary - sometimes, I just add in italian seasoning so that I get it all in one!)
diced veggies (whatever is on hand; for this soup, I used yellow squash and one zucchini, but this method will work with mushrooms, leeks, beets, potatoes, and can be adapted to fit just about any other veggie you have on hand)
1 can of diced tomatoes
4 cups veggie broth (homemade or store bought)
1 can of beans, drained and rinsed
2 - 3 cups of fresh spinach or 1 cup of (defrosted) frozen spinach)
3/4 cup of frozen peas (or edamame, broccoli, or corn)
fresh ground pepper and salt, to taste

In a stockpot or 4 qt pan, saute diced onion in olive oil on medium heat until translucent, approximately 8 - 10 minutes. Add in garlic and cook, stirring, for approximately 30 seconds. Drop in spices and stir to combine. Add in diced veggies and stir for another few minutes (coating with spices). Add in tomatoes, stir to combine. Add broth, bring to a boil and then simmer for approximately 10 - 15 minutes (you can simmer this for up to 30 minutes, depending on how much time you have). Turn heat back up to medium and add beans, let the mix get warm again (approximately 3 - 5 minutes), and then add in spinach and peas. Let the soup cook for about 5 - 10 minutes. Add black pepper and taste. Add salt to taste.

I usually serve this with garlic bread and a small salad on the side.

What's one of your favorite go to dishes?

Find me at some of these cool linky parties this week!
More later! :)

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You are What You EAT

I was thinking today that if we are what we eat, then me and mine are now green (and skinny)...like zucchini. I have been talking A LOT about zukes lately (like here and here) because I have a ton of them. I have asked you guys what you make with them, how you cook them, and if you like them...and you have given me tons of ideas and then even more ideas. Lately, I have been making salads with julienned raw zucchini on top (like straws) and, amazingly, my family is eating them up. Something I realized is that thinly sliced raw zucchini doesn't actually have much taste and it just soaks up what you put on it (like salad dressing!).

So, with zucchini on my mind still (you should see my crisper drawer - - it's really about 1/2 full of just zucchini right now), I have decided not to kill you with *another* zucchini filled set of menus for the week....but, as you may guess, we WILL be having salads every night! hahhahahaa!

I first mentioned zucchini boats in a previous post. But, I thought I would do a step by step on how to make them. They really are fast (with a little prep), easy, and good for you. And, I think if you have a picky eater, adding a little faux sail on top (toothpicks, tape, construction paper, and markers), you could convince any little one to eat them up....or at least play with them - and maybe some would get on their fingers...and into their mouth!!! Well, you can hope, right?

Zucchini Boats

3 - 4 medium sized zucchinis, sliced in half long-ways
1/2 T. olive oil
1 clove of minced or shredded garlic
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 large carrot, shredded
1/2 cup ground round (or equivalent)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
egg replacer equivalent to one egg (optional)
grated vegan mozzarella (optional)
spices (dried oregano, basil, parsley)
salt
pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Take raw zucchini and slice long-ways. Scoop out inside of zucchini, leaving approx 1/4 - 1/2" around the skin (to serve as the "boat"; I used a metal 1/4 tsp that has a shape like a melon baller).

After removing zucchini pulp, place zucchini cut side up on a baking sheet. Spray zucchini with olive oil spray or other cooking spray. Place in oven and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until starting to bubble slightly and/or turn light brown. Remove from oven.

While zucchini boats are cooking, chop or mash zucchini pulp. Saute diced onions for a minute or two and then add shredded carrots in a skillet on the stove top with olive oil until translucent (approximately 7 minutes). Add in garlic and let cook for approximately 30 seconds. Top with zucchini pulp and stir to combine. Add in spices and continue to cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Add in ground round and cook for another 5 minutes (tasting until the mixture is cooked to taste).

(If using the egg replacer, let zucchini mixture cool slightly and mix in egg replacer, a little bit at a time, to help hold everything together. This is not necessary, but will help keep the mixture together a bit better).

Sprinkle mixture with breadcrumbs (to help absorb some moisture) and stir in, adding more when needed. Add enough that the mixture dries out, but be careful not to over-add bread crumbs.

Pile zucchini, onion, and ground round mixture into zucchini boats, place filled zucchini back on cooking sheet and return to the oven for approximately 10 minutes. Pull out from oven, add on cheese, if using, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or until the cheese is starting to melt.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. I usually serve this as a main dish with some rice or couscous on the side and another vegetable or a small salad, but it could also serve as a nice side for a more substantial meal. To make these ahead, you can cook the zucchini boats and the zucchini pulp mixture ahead of time (I usually do mine 1 - 2 days ahead), store them in separate containers in the fridge, and then compile and cook in the oven when you are getting ready for dinner. It's an easy way to put dinner on the table in 15 minutes!

(For some reason unknown, I didn't take a picture of the final "product"; however, I DID have it for lunch the next day, so I can tell you it's great....I guess I was too hungry forgot to take the picture.) Since I have since found said picture, I included it above!!! :)

What's for dinner at your house tonight?

More later! :)

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A Week of Menus

I took Miss No-No and my 3yo cousin to see Cars2 last weekend! They loved it! :) To get them "ready", I made these goodie bags for them:

I also added snacks and candy braclets, silly bands, and the key chains that I told them went to Lightning McQueen's car :) I made each thunderbolt out of construction paper and then tied an old key to each one. For the bags, I printed out the picture (from Family Fun Magazine) and then cut it out and put it on the front of each (lunch-sized) paper bag. I put their names on both the key chains and the bags.

I thought that the keys were a great idea - - unfortunately, my little ones didn't understand why they were getting the key to the car and they kept wanting to know where the car was!!! But, they liked everything else in the bags!!!

I really am over-run with zucchini! I think that when my mom planted her zucchini plants, she didn't realize how MUCH zucchini she was going to end up with... And, secretly (shhhhh!), I think that she is pawning it off on me because she doesn't have anyone else who will take it...

Thanks to all your comments last week about what YOU do with extra zucchini! :)

This is what we are eating this week:

Monday
Zuke Boats
Spinach Salad
Brown Rice (or Couscous)

Tuesday
Baked Tofu
Zucchini "pasta"
Garlic Bread

Wednesday
Cuke Rounds with "Tuna" salad topping
Couscous

Thursday
Garden Burgers
Zucchini Slaw

Friday
Left over Bonanza
Make-your-own Salad

Saturday
Out for dinner

Sunday
Pasta Dinner
Salad
Rosemary Foccacia

Notes:

1. Zucchini (Zuke) Boats were something that I was going to make last week, but never got around to....So we will be having it this week! I pre-cooked the zuke shells / boats and the filling. When it's time to make dinner, I will pull everything out of the fridge, stuff the shells, put breadcrumbs on top and toast in the oven for about 10 mins, take out add (vegan) cheese and cook for another 5 - 10 minutes - and - waalaaa! dinner's done!

2. Baked Tofu: easy recipe! I cooked the tofu right after I took the zukes out of the oven and let them go for about 45 minutes (while I got the dinner we were eating last night served up and eaten), so that's ready for dinner on Tuesday. When I am ready to make dinner, I will pull that out of the fridge, put it under the broiler on low to heat up while I make the couscous. For the zuke pasta: I will use a spiralizer (or you could use a mandolin or veggie peeler) to make long pasta-like shapes and will put that on a baking sheet in the oven (with the tofu) to dry it out a little bit. You can top with (vegan) butter and some salt and pepper and maybe a little (vegan) cheese - or you can hide the "noodles" with tomato sauce. After the pasta dries out in the oven, it has more of a chewy, pasta-like consistency.

3. Cuke Rounds are like little appetizers at a fancy party. Cut the cukes into slices about 1/4" - 1/2" thick and using a sharp knife, take out a little section around the seeds (just pull out a little to make a depression - or you could cut all the way through, but leave the round intact - it's like a plate for the "tuna" salad). For the "tuna" salad: Take garbanzo beans (if canned, remove from can and rinse), put beans in a microwave safe bowl, cover with water and heat on 70% power for approximately 90 seconds. The beans should be very soft. Using either a knife or food processor, finely chop beans until they resemble tuna flakes. Add in some diced celery, some (vegan) mayo, a little bit of mustard, some salt and pepper to taste, a pinch or two of dried dill, and (optional) some kelp or dulse flakes (sold at Whole Foods or another health food store; this will give the "tuna" a more fishy taste). Mix to desired consistency and, using a teaspoon, mound a bit on top of each cuke round. It's perfect finger food for little ones!!

Thanks to everyone who left comments last week about what they do with extra zucchini!! I had been thinking about using the zukes to make "fake apple" muffins (subbing in zukes for apples), however two people suggested that I use extra zucchini to make chocolate brownies or zucchini chocolate cake!!! What?!?!??! I never thought of that, but you know now I.have.to.try.it!!! It sounds like a delicious, HEALTHY indulgence. And, for the sake of my readers, I will happily be your guinea pig and try it out and let you know how it is. It will be hard for me to suffer through baking and TASTING chocolate muffins and chocolate cake, but I will do it for you all. :) Overall, this makes me glad that I didn't use a lot of the zukes this weekend to make zucchini bread - which was my original intention but I ran out of time to make them last night.
Someone else suggested grilling the zukes - which I ended up doing on Friday night and putting over salad. MMMMMmmmmmm.

Thanks guys for your comments, keep 'em coming!!

I am hoping to link up to some of these parties this week :)

Happy Eating!

More later! :)

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