Wednesday, September 22, 2010

School lunches

I've jumped on the band wagon of being concerned about kid's school lunches. It started with Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution tv show (http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution) and continues when I read blogs like The Lunch Tray http://www.thelunchtray.com/. How can we solve the obesity problem in our children if school is serving them garbage and filling their stomachs with sugar? In a few days, our government will vote on the Child Nutrition Act which would finally be a step in the right direction for our kids. Won't you join me in reading up on this cause and writing to our officials for a change?!

Find out more here: http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5986/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4198

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Menu Monday

It was a very long week in our house. 4 play dates, 1 allergy infested kid, 1 sick baby and now 1 very tired Mommy. What shall this new week bring? At least good food :)

Monday - chicken tikka masala, brown rice and naan courtesy of Trader Joes
Tuesday - baked potato soup (my mouth waters just thinking of it!)
Wednesday - Trader Joes apple chicken sausage & whole wheat penne pasta
Thursday - honey mustard chicken and peas (not made last week since I forgot to buy chicken, whoops)
Friday - pizza and sweet potato fries

A lot of chicken this week but it seems to be clean out freezer week here.

Hope you have a delicious week ahead of you too!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

A new name for sugar?

The Corn Refiners Association is petitioning the FDA to rename their product (high fructose corn syrup) - corn sugar. Seriously? Dear Corn people, we are not stupid anymore. We do not need your junk in our system killing us and we will know it is killing junk no matter what you call it. Sincerely, the not stupid anymore consumer.

Read more from the New York Times blog
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/a-new-name-for-high-fructose-corn-syrup/?hpw

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Menu Monday

New menu for this week, no need to judge for what is actually being served on Monday. I'm working late so Tim has to make dinner. He unfortunately can't do much, but at least Abby is happy with the choice.

Monday - whole wheat mac-n-cheese; leftovers for Mommy, but that's okay I will have gone to Whole Foods (aka My Happy Place) salad bar

Crockpot Tuesday - turkey chili

Wednesday - lasagna roll-ups found on the Whole Foods website http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2561

Thursday - baked honey mustard chicken

Friday - whole wheat crust pizza and salad

Saturday - I had bought some chicken sausage at Trader Joes and low in behold they posted a recipe for it today

Chicken Sausage and Roasted Veggie Pasta

FROM: The Unofficial Guide to Trader Joe's

• 3 chicken sausages (any flavor), thinly sliced
• 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 20 grape tomatoes
• 10 button mushrooms, stems removed
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 12 oz pasta (bowtie, elbows etc)
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh basil for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Arrange the onions, peppers and mushrooms on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and toss with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes.
2. Turn baking sheet around and add tomatoes. Season with more salt and pepper and toss with the remaining olive oil. Bake another 15 minutes, until vegetables are caramelized.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, add the sausage and saute until heated through. Turn up the heat and add the milk. Stir until thickened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the vegetables and any pan juices to the skillet. Toss in the cooked pasta and Mozzarella. Top with basil before serving. Serves 4.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Whole Foods = Happy Place

I love Whole Foods. It makes me happy. Seeing the true color of produce, fresh foods and the salad bar...oh I desperately wish there was one closer to us.

I just discovered that Whole Foods not only has a blog but shares recipes on their website. Check out http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes for some great fresh ways to get into the healthy cooking mode.

I think I'll be making this next week:

CHEESY LASAGNA ROLLS WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

Salt
1/2 pound (8 to 10) uncooked lasagna noodles
Nonstick cooking spray
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups prepared marinara sauce
1 1/2 cups packed baby spinach
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

Method

Preheat oven to 400°F. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add noodles and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and gently transfer to a clean work surface.

Grease a small roasting pan or casserole dish with cooking spray; set aside. Working with one noodle at a time, spread with about 2 tablespoons of the ricotta and 2 tablespoons of the marinara then top with spinach. Starting at one end, roll up noodle snugly then arrange in pan either seam-side down or with the rolls close enough together to hold each other closed. Pour remaining marinara over assembled rolls then sprinkle with mozzarella and bake until golden and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 7oz/189g-wt.): 350 calories (100 from fat), 11g total fat, 6g saturated fat, 35mg cholesterol, 670mg sodium, 47g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 16g protein


Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Free Printable Boo Sign from TomKat Studios

My hubby gets cranky with me every time Abby's birthday comes around because I read blogs like TomKat Studio (http://tomkatstudio.blogspot.com/). Right now TomKat is filling my blog box with ideas for Halloween. I don't even like Halloween (okay I love candy, but I love candy any time of year), but I love looking at blogs about Halloween decorations. Here is the latest free printable from TomKat. Get this Booed sign over at http://www.scribd.com/doc/37054670/Printable-Halloween-BOO-FLYER-The-Tomkat-Studio.

And yes my house will have been Booed this Halloween - friends watch out!

Amazon Mom

Just saw this on momsbyheart.net (great blog if your not already reading it!).



Stop over HERE to sign up with Amazon Mom if you're expecting or if you have a child from age infant to toddler. Sign up is free, and you'll get FREE Amazon Prime for 3 months!!! Amazon Prime gives you free 2-day shipping on orders of any size, large or small. Plus, every time you spend $25+ in the Baby Store (in a single order) they'll extend your free Amazon Prime for another month! This is a totally free offer with no strings designed to encourage new moms to order baby/toddler items.

If you already have Amazon Prime, you'll be asked if you'd like to switch to Mom. If you do, you'll get a prorated refund for the months you have left on your subscription!


Read more: http://www.momsbyheart.net/2010/09/sign-up-with-amazon-mom-and-get-free.html#ixzz0yyBy9XWo

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Menu for this week

This week at the Gibson house:

Monday - BBQ at my parent's house and we brought this awesome Greek salad http://foodformyfamily.com/recipes/greek-orzo-pasta-salad

Tuesday - Italian beef in the slow cooker with green beans
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Italian-Beef-for-Sandwiches/Detail.aspx?src=etaf

Wednesday - Grilled chicken, salad and some awesome veggie rice from Trader Joes

Thursday - Chicken tikka masala (sauce from Trader Joes and so good!), naan and brown rice

Friday - Chorizo goat cheese pizza and sweet potato fries

Let's get it started...

I was thinking of starting up this blog again and now have that Black Eye Pea song in my head. I'm an avid blog reader and love sharing what I find out there in blogger world as well as the many fun healthy recipes I've been in search for. So here is goes: let's get it started in here....