Fall Mediterranean Main dishes

Jordanian Mansf recipe: (lamb and rice dish): http://faizaali.blogspot.com/2009/10/walima-cooking-club-septemberjordanian.html





Lemon oregano chicken and grilled zucchini: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/recipefinder/lemon-oregano-chicken-mint-zucchini-ghk




Chicken tabbouli: http://homemade-recipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/chicken-tabbouleh.html







Chicken braised in olive oil and peppers: http://www.kerasma.gr/default.asp?entryID=435&pageID=99&langid=2&pageCode=&tablePageID=15&pageNo=4&direction=asc&orderby=&f_meal_subcategory=&pages=4

Fall Mediterranean recipes... soups

Lebanese lentil soup: http://umami1.wordpress.com/2010/01/03/lebanese-lentil-soup/

Greek tomato soup: http://www.kerasma.gr/default.asp?entryID=512&pageID=99&langid=2&pageCode=&tablePageID=15&pageNo=9&direction=asc&orderby=&f_meal_subcategory=&pages=9

Fall mediterranean recipes...appetizers

Stuffed grape leaves: http://arabic-food.blogspot.com/2009/12/warak-enab-warak-enab-recipe.html






Fresh figs with peppered honey: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Fresh-Figs-with-Goat-Cheese-and-Peppered-Honey-235549









Badenjen Dip recipe: http://homemade-recipes.blogspot.com/2009/12/badenjan-dip-badenjan-dip-recipe.html










Baba ganoush on pita: http://homemade-recipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/baba-ganoush-on-pita.html

Grilled Haloumi cheese with lemon: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Haloumi-Cheese-and-Lemon-238665

Mediterannean diet

Deemed the most healthy of all food plans. I am currently learning more on this subject, and trying to incorporate more of these ideas into our family diet. Pulses, olive oil for butter, honey for sugar (occasionally), more avocados, and less red meat, more fish and chicken, and lamb, and fresh, in season fruits and veggies.... Recipes of my favorites to come!

Eat clean sweet potato chips

This is actually a clean eating food! How much better can it get? Get the recipe here:http://eatcleandiet.com/the_kitchen_table/recipe/recipe.aspx?id=490

Spicy sweet potato soup and raw dessert

This is from a favorite mostly raw site called Melomeals. Look her up, she's AMAZING!http://melomeals.blogspot.com/2008/11/spicy-sweet-potato-soup-and-raw-dessert.html

Butternut squash muffins

These are SO pretty! the vanilla bean flecks can be seen even this far away! Find this here: http://www.roostblog.com/roost/2009/11/8/butternut-squash-muffins-with-a-frosty-top.html

Apple spice muffins

I can almost smell the spices here folks! Get the recipe at: http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/04/whole-wheat-apple-muffins/

Pumpkin butter

This has to be my fave of the day for sure! Oh the COLOR! You can find the recipe here:http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/10/pumpkin-butter-and-pepita-granola/

Pumpkin smoothies

What a gorgeous color this fall superfood gem is! This lovely is from:http://www.domestifluff.com/category/food/smoothies-and-shakes/

Pumpkin pepita muffins

Here in our little corner of NW. Ohio, we get lots of squash from our CSA, and need to find yummy ways to use it up! Here are some of the most beautiful I've found today! This one of the pumpkin pepita muffins are from http://bowlofmush.blogspot.com/2009/10/maple-pumpkin-muffins.html

What the heck is a CSA?

I asked that question at one point too. Its community supported agriculture. Ie: you pay a set price, a certain price for half share, and a certain price for whole share, and pay upfront. The CSA uses the money to start and tend veggies/fruits, and every week when done, you pick them up! Everyone gets the same amount of whats ready that week. Most are organic, or use no pesticides, and some grow heirloom varieties of veggies. Ours is at http://www.earthliteracy.org/, you can also google it and find one near you. This is a great way to have your kids know where their food comes from, and most encourage you to bring them along...

Food journals

Today, I started keeping a food journal. I found a great, free, printable one from http://www.webmd.com/ I like that you can save favorite meal items, and it calculates everything for you. I've just started yoga at the Y, and also signed up for resistance ball classes. I am adding spinning in between days. I have a goal of losing 20 lbs before I go on our vacation with my mom, which is July 28th. I have really not done a serious food journal before, but cannot seem to lose ANY weight. So, I think I have just not been eating close to 1200 calories. The program even estimates your BMI and how many calories you should eat based on how fast you wanna gain/lose weight. I might even do this for our larger girl to see where she should be eating calorie wise. She eats more than me... I did such a hard class last week, I am still sore(this was Thursday, and its Sunday!)

Current breads I've done

Amish Honey wheat rhubarb muffins with the first rhubarb of the season!



Eating Well's Honey wheat bread




My basic first loaf of boule from Artisian Bread in 5 min a day.






Following the Artisian Bread in 5 min a day... But also did a few others this week as well. I'm baking the Artisian free form rye today thats ready to go in the fridge.

Vita-cost wholesale pricing

I found a new website to buy from that saves mucho time for us with lots o' kids! Vita-cost! Their prices are below store pricing, and its a fixed price to ship. That = must buy! They have everything from hemp oil to grocery items. And hard to find Nuvita items cheap as can be....

http://www.vitacost.com/productResults.aspx?Ns=P_SoldQuantity%7c1&previousText=hemp&Ntk=products&Ntt=hemp&No=100

Ani Phyo's new book!!!!!

Her new essentials book is due out April 1st! You can follow this link to preorder!

http://www.amazon.com/Anis-Raw-Food-Essentials-Techniques/dp/0738213772/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265169121&sr=8-1

Raw carob/cacao bark

Well, I've been satistying some sweets cravings with this bark, and its a great way to "sneak" in some healthy coconut butter to kids tummies! and some cranberries, coconut shreds, or whatever! Here's the recipe I used.

1 cup raw coconut butter/oil

3/4 cup raw cacao, or carob

2t vanilla extract

1 cup raisins, coconut shreds,cranberries,almonds, whatever...

melt coconut butter and cacao and vanilla over double boiler, or as I used, a bowl over a saucepan filled 1/4 way up with water. Boil water gently, and stir with a whisk till incorperated. Take off heat, add items you like, and put on plate lined with a piece of wax paper that has been Pam'd. Put in freezer for about 2o min till hard.

Book bake along!

Joining the bake along w/ Food snob. Just got this book "Artisian bread in 5 minutes a day". I'll be starting the master dough tonite and making items through out the week.

More of the menu plan for this week...

Greek quinoa and avocado's




Black bean burgers




Middle Eastern wraps





Mexican pizzas






Vegetable Biryani

This weeks menu plan

Cajun "chicken" and rice dinner



Sesame tofu stir fry




Hazelnut cranberry crackers




Homemade chai concentrate

Falafel dinner

Juices: beet/carrot/apple, orange/strawberry, carrot/apple/ginger

Silicone chocolate molds!

I found these simple effective chocolate molds in different shapes. They will be my next new kitchen item! The silicone makes unmolding of such things as chocolates much, much easier. These can be found at most kitchen stores now days.

Come to me new cookbooks!

All can be found on Amazon.com and I will be saving for these asap!

Grow my little sprouts!

This is a awesome new sprouter and seeds from www.amazon.com for $13. I am just finding out how awesome Amazon can be! I did'nt even know they had all this organic/raw food! And if you click on free ship only, you only see items that can be shipped for free! I think spouting is a nice way to add some raw nutrition.

Got my dehydrator and Vita mix blender and juicer

Almond milk

Juiceman juicer

Carrot juice

Hemp flax dehydrator crackers w/ guac

Both just came this week, and I've been already looking up yummy raw and vegan recipes to fill them! So far I've done,

-Banana ice cream sundaes (Green and crunchy blog)

-Buckwheat raw crispies (Ani Phyo.com)

-Raw ginger Asian dressing

-Apple/carrot/ginger juice

-Apple/nectarine juice

-Almond milk

This weeks menu plan

Roasted poblano corn chowder

Apple oatmeal

Lentil soup

Dal and Chappati

Back and forth I go, lots of raw meals for me, vegan meals for us all, and healthy meat added meals for Jay (DH). So, heres the weeks plan:

Homemade pizza and dough

Grilled cheese and roasted tomato basil soup

Veggie lasagna

Falafel w/ home made pita

Roasted poblano Corn chowder and cheddar bread

Lentil sloppy Jane's on home made ww buns w/ coleslaw

Stir fry over brown rice

Root beer floats over Toft's (local) vanilla bean ice cream

Pumpkin chip muffins

Honey oat bread (cooking light)

Coconut-lime cupcakes (vegan)

almond milk butterscotch pudding