I’ve been working hard in my quest to eat more veggies and whole foods. This resolution comes at a time when higher food costs are forcing us to eat less meat anyway. This has made for an unhappy J. Every night he looks at his plate expectantly and asks, “Where’s the meat?” 4 nights a week, he doesn’t get the answer he wants.

Cooking with fresh, whole foods has been a great challenge to me. Three years ago I didn’t know a recipe that didn’t get its flavor from ingredients out of a can, a box, or a packet. I only knew of two kinds of potatoes: the large brown ones which you use for everything, and the small red ones, which you cook with green beans. I was familiar with two kinds of corn: regular and cream-style. I didn’t know what fresh garlic looked like; I’d only ever used powdered garlic. Fast-forward to three years later…Wait. No. It wasn’t fast. It was slow and tedious and just plain hard!

It has taken a lot of work to familiarize myself with fresh ingredients, but I am finally comfortable with cooking meals sans recipe. I’ve also given up cans condensed or dried soups, or packaged seasonings– although I’m still a novice when it comes to more exotic (in my book) seasonings, like caraway seeds, marjoram, even rosemary. But I’m getting there. And it has been such a rewarding process. Now I would rather cook than go out to eat.

I think that it is a mistake to think that you “can’t” cook. People aren’t born with some innate talent for cooking. Good cooks are simply more educated about cooking. It is a lot like learning to read music. Just as you have to know notes and rhythms first, cooks must first know ingredients. Only then can they make sense of recipes. And just as competent musicians can look at a sheet of music and know in their head how it will sound, I believe that an accomplished cook can look at a recipe and imagine how it will taste.

And the first step is to recognize your favorite flavors. Mine are red or green onion, fresh garlic, sea salt, and fresh black pepper. If a recipe doesn’t contain at least three of those ingredients, I don’t want to eat it (of course, I’m not talking about deserts!). Red bell peppers are also a new staple in my kitchen. Who knew I liked peppers? Certainly I didn’t! I also LOVE cilantro, but don’t care much for dishes with a strong parsley flavor.

The next step is to just work with things that you are familiar with, and branch out from there. I only use one or two new ingredients in anything I try. If most of the flavors are familiar favorites, then I’m all more likely to enjoy the dish.

Remember that LESS IS MORE!!! I cannot tell you how many dishes I have ruined from over-zealous seasoning. You can ALWAYS ad more, but if you add too much, it can be nigh-impossible to correct.

I still have plenty of flops, but I’m becoming more confident with my cooking, and more creative. The key is to really know the flavors of the ingredients you use. Once you get more confident with flavors, cooking won’t be such a mystery. You’ll also become more adventurous is how you combine those flavors. And one day, cooking won’t be a chore anymore. It will be fun!

Here is my latest experiment. I’m on a real curry-kick lately! I’m also trying to use the crockpot more. I believe this is an under-appreciated form of cooking. It is magnificent for busy households with small children. Tantrums and melt-downs always seem to fall right around 5:00, right when you need to start getting supper ready. But with a crockpot, you do all your prep early in the day while the kids are still happy (or still asleep!). Genius!

(Curious to learn more about the crockpot? Check out this website: one woman vows to make a different meal in the crockpot every day for one year)

Crockpot Curry Chicken
(I chopped everything into fairly large pieces so they don’t turn to mush during cooking)

One bunch chopped chard stems- reserve leaves for salad or other favorite recipe

3-4 carrots, chopped

1 red bell pepper, cord and chopped

¼ of a red onion, chopped

3 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups chicken stock

4 chicken legs and thighs—or your favorite cut. (I used legs because they are so much cheaper!)

2 ½ tsp curry powder

Combine all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on high for an hour, then on low for 4 hours.

Serve over rice

I just threw together a recipe that was such a big hit with J that I have to share!

I’ve recently been harvesting my first round of Japanese eggplant and jalapeno peppers, but what to do with them?

The eggplant has gone fairly quickly. I love its mild flavor. Eggplant parmesan and veggie stir-fry are both favorites of mine. I also made a delicious tomato-eggplant soup with basil. Eggplant also hides well in tomato sauce. But the jalapenos were a tougher call.

Rae can’t eat spicy things, and I don’t much care for them. I love salsa, but my new diet restricts eating chips. So today I decided I would try to create one of my favorite dishes from an Indian restraurant: Curry Eggplant.

Luckily, I had both red and yellow curry powder in my pantry (I don’t know why, as I’ve never used them before) and decided that red curry would best complement the eggplant.

The results came out very spicy, but it would be easy to adapt a mild version: simply omit the jalapeno altogether! While I didn’t have any on hand, I would suggest adding some sweet green peas after you blend the veggies. You could use less broth and thicken it up (more like a pate), or use more stock and make it a soup. This would be delicious with some flank steak or lamb added to it. And I wonder what it would taste like with less chicken stock and a little half and half? Or coconut milk? Lots of possibilities! Anything would be delicious!

Rae will have to miss out on the spicy version, but I will definitely be making this again in a milder form. And remember, how you slice the veggies doesn’t matter, as you will be blending this anyway. Just keep them roughly the same size so they will cook evenly.

3-4 med. Japanese eggplants, sliced

1 lg sweet red pepper (I had bell pepper on hand) cored and chopped

¼ of an onion (more if you like), chopped. I had red onion on hand (my favorite) but any variety would suite, depending on your taste

3-4 small cloves garlic, more or less to you taste (I’m a big garlic fan), chopped

3 small fresh jalapenos (VERY spicy. Use whatever amount you think you can handle), sliced

2 tsp red curry powder

2 c chicken stock

2-3 tbsp olive oil

Heat olive oil in a pot over med. heat. Add onions and sautee until tender. Add garlic and stir well so it doesn’t brown. After a couple of minutes, add eggplant and peppers. Sautee until tender, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and curry powder. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer on low for 20 minutes. Blend with either an immersion blender or a stand mixer. Serve with rice or nan (or both!)

Why must everything have Hight Frutcose Corn Syrup in it? I understand that it is cheaper than sugar, due to both high tariffs on sugar cane and sugar beets and government subsidies of corn. But I have been reading labels lately, and I am shocked to discover that it is IN EVERYTHING, even things that are not supposed to be sweet. I just recently went to my local grocery store and did some label reading. I was surprised to learn that HFCS is even used in whole grain breads. Some further research showed me that it is used in Miracle Whip and Corn Flakes (which also contains sugar). I’ve seen it in lunch meat as well. Really? Lunchmeat? It is like they go around trying to find new ways to incorporate it, even if it isn’t needed. Those “healthy” cereals and yogurts? You guessed it: high fructose corn syrup.

It’s not just that HFCS hits your bloodstream more quickly than other foods, such as the sugar found in fruit. Research is indicating that consuming HFCS in the morning will affect how your body will digest food throughout the rest of the day: if you consume HFCS for breakfast, your body will likely store what you eat for lunch as fat, rather than burn it. No problem, you think. You don’t drink soda before lunch anyway. Well, you might be surprised to learn that HFCS is present in the following breakfast foods:

Most fruit yogurts (unless made with artificial sweeteners). Even Activia contains a less-processed form, simply called “Fructose corn syrup.”

Corn flakes

All-Bran

Raisin Bran

Special K

Rice Krispies

Most sliced breads

Most jellies and jams

Any sugar cereal

Most name-brand syrups, which are not maple syrup based, but rather corn syrup based.

In addition, most instant pancake and muffin mixes contain partially hydrogenated oils. These are the oils typically used in fast food, as well as to make shortening, such as Crisco.

Things that I was pleased to find did not have HFCS were Quaker brand cereals, bars, and instant oatmeal, although other brands of flavored instant oatmeal contained HFCS. Also Kashi and Nature’s Valley were HFCS-free.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with eating a bowl of Raisin Bran. But I think that it is astonishing that HFCS can be found in so many things that are marketed as healthy.

I’m not convinced that HFCS is any worse for you than ultra-processed sugar as far as how it hits your bloodstream and how your body processes it. However, nearly all HFCS is made from genetically modified corn, which is now classified as a pesticide because when bugs eat it, they die. It erodes their stomachs. And this is what we feed our children?

Nearly everything marketed towards kids in the grocery store either contained HFCS or an artificial sweetener. Not to mention an abundance of dyes. Did you know that there is artificial coloring in lunchmeat? Start reading labels, and you will be astounded at what is put into our food. And don’t even get me started on so-called “kid” cereals. Other products you might not suspect are prepared pasta sauces, such as Ragu Old World Style, and apple sauces, such as Motts Original Apple Sauce.

With diet-based diseases, such as diabetes, on the rise, we have to be on the ball about what kinds of foods we choose to put into our bodies- especially our children’s bodies. I’m learning that knowledge is a powerful tool when I enter the grocery store and plan my meals. Like any parent, I want to give my children the best possible start that I can. And that includes teaching them a healthy diet and proper nutrition. It’s not that I want to ban all-things artificial. But when we unknowingly consume so many artificial ingredients, it makes sense to wise-up about what goes into our food so that we can make better choices about the food that we eat.

Our Pantry:
Annie’s Homegrown Bunny Grahams
Nana Mae’s Apple Juice
Straus Family Low-Fat Yogurt
Solana Gold Seedless Blackberry Applesauce

Last week we had a heat wave here that sent temperatures skyrocketing to the triple digits. The increase demand on power led to an energy crunch. Basically, everyone was asked to keep the AC as high as possible (at least 78 degrees F), turn off all unnecessary lights and electronics, and to not run our appliances until after 7 p.m.

It was so hot that even in the evening I couldn’t stand to turn on my oven or stand at the stove to cook. This led me to come up with meals that could be prepared using an alternate method. And because I was cooking, simple was the basic ingredient. Here are a few meals that we enjoyed while staying cool.

Mexican Stack-Ups- In this recipe, every thing is optional
1 lb ground beef

tortilla chips

shredded lettuce
guacamole

chopped onion

grated cheese

salsa

fresh cilantro

Mexican rice

1 can refried beans
Brown the ground beef. Heat up the refried beans, and cook the rice, if using those ingredients. Place all ingredients on the table, and let each family member create their own ’stack-up.’

Cottage Cheese and Fruit

Whatever fresh fruit you have on hand, chopped to desired size.

Strawberries and grapes work especially well. But peaches and apricots are equally delicious. Choose your favorites.

Mix with 1/2 cup lowfat cottage cheese and enjoy!

Spaghetti

Choose your favorite shape pasta and your favorite ready-made sauce. Top with some freshly grated pecorino romano or parmigiano reggiano and enjoy! Ten minutes, tops, and it is one of our favorite meals.

Use the crock-pot. I just came across this website. It has some great crock-pot recipes. I didn’t think to use mine last week, but I will definitely pull it out soon. Crock-pot meals are great for busy moms!

Fruit Smoothies

I’ve been making Rae and myself fruit smoothies using frozen fruit and plain yogurt. They are very filling, and the yogurt provides some protein and calcium. Rae’s favorite is strawberry-banana. What’s your favorite?

Salads

We’ve been eating a lot of tuna salad, chicken salad, and egg salad sandwiches lately. Jay loves a good tuna melt, and Rae likes both egg salad and chicken salad. I’ve been messing around with the recipes, and haven’t found a distinct favorite yet, but I’m working on it. We just pop some bread in the toaster, mix up the salad, slap a slice of pepper-jack cheese on the bread, and voila! Great with Triscuits or fresh fruit.

What are some of your favorite summer dishes?

About two weeks ago, some mysterious bulbs popped up in my flowerbeds. I was pretty sure that they were some kind of lily, judging from the leaves. But today I noticed that one of the bulbs has bloomed!

It definitely looks like a lily, but what kind? Does anyone know? They are certainly beautiful. I had seven bulbs pop up that the previous residents must have planted.

Summer is in full swing, and we’ve got the heat to prove it! It is so important to protect our skin from the sun’s damaging rays. Of course, we musn’t forget that a good dose of sunshine is actually good for you. From the sunshine our bodies make vitamin D, which helps us absorb vitamin C. But with that good stuff comes that bad stuff: UVA/UVB rays.

For a little lesson on how these rays affect our skin, click here.

Basically, the rays come down and hit our skin, and our cells try to protect themselves by releasing melanin. Melanin is what gives our skin color. This is why we tan in the sun. But when a cell becomes damaged, it cannot stop releasing melanin. This is why we get sun spots, or age spots.

The UVB rays are the ones that burn the surface of our skin. This is what most sunscreens protect against, and what the SPF in sunscreen guards against. But we must not forget about the UVA rays! Those are the rays that pass through our our epidermis and damage the skin cells themselves. And most sunscreens do not guard against these UVA rays! So it is important to double check before you buy.

Unfortunately, once a cell is damaged, there is no going back. That is why it is so very, very important to protect our children’s skin. Here are a few links that will give you the run-down sun protection and reviews of kid-safe sunscreens.

Ask Dr Sears

Z Recommends: Affordable Options in Safer Kids Sunscreens

Safe Mama: The Thing About Sunscreens

Healthy Child, Healthy World: Choosing the Safest Sunscreen

The Environmental Working Group: Sunscreen Summary

Some things to consider:

- Do not put sunscreen on an infant under 6 months old

- Make sure that sunscreens protect against both UVA AND UVB Rays

- Be sure to re-apply sunscreen ever hour or so

-Keep kids extra protected between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m This is in the sun’s rays are most harmful.

-sunscreen is not approved for use in the eye area, so make sure your little ones wear sunglasses, too!

-make sure to wear at least SPF 30

I’ve added a new site to my blogroll. Jumping Monkeys is a website, a blog, and a podcast about all things parenting. There are lots of good reviews, especially of books. I listened to the podcast episode about carseat safety and found it very interesting. I had heard that the majority of parents install their child’s carseat incorrectly, but I had no idea that the statistic is actually 90%! Whew!

I had my carseat inspected by a licensed technician through hospital. The service was free and I learned SOOOO much. If you have not had your carseat inspected, please do!