Cream cheese hemp seed sandwich

"I'm late!
 I'm late! 
 For a very important date!
 No time to say hello, goodbye!
 I'm late!
 I'm late!
 I'm late!"                    
                            White Rabbit's song, from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll

Sometimes this is how I feel. Many parents, working and not working may relate. But do I really have to be pressed with time in order to prepare easy lunch? Making something quick will allow me to spend time on other things that really matter - reading, taking a walk or playing one more chess game.

Sprouted whole grain bread with cream cheese and hemp seeds, cherry tomatoes and cucumbers

Really, there is no recipe.
My 6 years old daughter asked to make it for her dinner today.
It was entirely her idea.

Cream cheese sandwich with hemp seeds and vegetables can be excellent speedy lunch.

Take good sandwich bread. I have used sprouted whole grain bread from Trader Joe's.
Spread cream cheese you like - I prefer whole milk to reduced fat.
Wash and cut some vegetables.
Sprinkle hulled hemp seeds on top for added taste and nutrition. Hemp plant has many uses and using hemp seeds for food surprised me first time I have heard about it. And hemp seeds considered to be super food. They are rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin E and minerals. Hemp seeds have pleasant nutty taste that can enhance many dishes, especially fresh salads. 

To pack lunch for yourself or your child, fold the sandwich over, cut it to fit into lunch box, add fresh vegetables and it is ready.

Simply best baked potato "fries". Skins on.

In my search for perfect potato chips, I came to try this technique. The result is crispy, delicious potato fries with very little oil.

Baked organic potatoes skins on with olive oil and sea salt

There are few steps, but the result worth it.

Simply best baked potato "fries"

Ingredients

Potatoes, organic - 2 pounds, skins on, cut to wedges (half and then half each piece again)
Olive oil - 2 table spoons
Sea salt - to taste
Spices - to taste

Method

Begin by heating the oven to 400F. In a large pot, boil about 5 quarts of water, adding salt as for cooking pasta, about 2 tea spoons. Prepare a cookie sheet or baking dish, lined with parchment paper. Brush the paper with olive oil. When the water is boiling, add the potatoes and cook for 5-10 minutes, just till they start to soften. Drain the water. The potatoes will dry out, since they are so hot. Place the potatoes in one layer onto the cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt. Add spices of your choice, if desired. Good match might be rosemary, oregano, chili flakes. Bake for about 20 minutes until golden. Serve immediately. 

How to steam asparagus?

Steamed asparagus and broccoli

Steamed asparagus is perfect just as it is and asparagus leftovers are such a great addition to lunchbox and to any other dish. I cut them to pieces and add to scrambled eggs. I use them as pizza topping. I add them to chicken soup.

Steamed asparagus

Ingredients

asparagus - about 1 pound
water

Tools

Steaming basket
Large pot or wok

Asparagus before steaming

Method

Wash asparagus. One by one bend the bottom part till it breaks and discard hard chewy ends. Place asparagus in the steaming basket. Fill water in pot or wok almost to the bottom of the steaming basket. Cover and bring to boiling. Steam for about 3-4 minutes depending on thickness, till asparagus softens a little. The asparagus will change it color from raw green to bright green.  Run under cold water to stop cooking. Serve with or without dressing of your choice or refrigerate for future use.



I

Packed for lunch - asparagus, beets and pineapple

Easy finger food - just hold and bite.

Baked whole cauliflower with sea salt

    Amazing look and taste. I saw those cauliflowers heads on the shelf of Israeli restaurant in Tel Aviv. It looked extraordinary. Heads of cauliflower lay one next to each other. Those cauliflower heads are what got my attention and brought me to this place at dinner time. I have enjoyed every bite and every moment. The atmosphere was fun and very unusual. Did it catch your interest? Here is the place - haMiznon. Try it. Trust me. If you are lucky - you might get a run of complimentary aromatic tea or spiced coffee, brewed for the crew and shared with everyone. Not in Tel-Aviv?  Here is how to make at home.

Baked cauliflower with sea salt and olive oil

 

Baked whole cauliflower

Ingredients
Whole fresh cauliflower
Olive oil, about 1 tablespoon
Sea salt, 1 teaspoon or to taste


Method
Preheat oven to 400F. In a large pot boil water enough to immerse cauliflower whole. Cut the bottom of the cauliflower so it will sit steady when placed on flat surface. You may choose to salt the water. When the water is boiling add cauliflower, cover and let it cook for 6-10 minutes, until it can be pierced with fork. Remove from water. Let the cauliflower sit on the counter for about 10 minutes, in order to cool down and dry out. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place on ovenproof dish or skillet and bake the cauliflower until golden brown, for about 10 minutes. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

     Cauliflower prepared this way is a kids favorite. My kids tear cauliflower florets apart and soon the whole thing disappears. I rarely have anything left to put in lunchboxes the next day. 

Meatball soup for couscous.

Another variation on meatball soup. Same meatballs, different vegetables - new soup. Easy and convenient to serve over couscous or quinoa.

Turkey meatballs soup with butternut squash, green beans, carrots, zucchini and cabbage

Turkey Meatballs Soup with butternut squash, carrots, cabbage, zucchini and green beans
(суп с фрикадельками)

Ingredients

For the meatballs
- ground turkey, dark meat, 1 pound (or other meat of your choice)
- onion, 1 medium chopped
- carrot, 1 grated
- parsley, 2 tables spoons chopped
- egg, 1
- sea salt, 1/2 tablespoon or to taste
- black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
- turmeric, to taste 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
- paprika, to taste 1/2 teaspoon or to taste

For the rest of the soup
- carrots, 2 small, peeled
- parsnip, 1, peeled (optional)
- butternut squash, 1/2, peeled and cut to bite size pieces
- cabbage, about half a pound, chopped
- green beans, 1/4 a pound, cut to bite size pieces
- zucchini, 1 medium, cut to bite size pieces
- sea salt, to taste
- tamari or soy sauce, 1 tablespoon (optional)
- bay leave, 1-2
- parsley strings (optional)
- oregano, dry, 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
- chilli flakes, to taste (optional)
- sea salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- turmeric, to taste

Method

In a large pot, boil water. Put in carrots, butternut squash and parsnip. Place all the ingredients for the meatballs in large mixing bowl and mix well with your hands. Wet your hands and form small meatballs. As you form them, gently drop each meatball into boiling water. Lower the heat to low. Add the spices - bay leaves, oregano and parsley strings and let the soup simmer to 15 minutes. Add rest of the vegetables, salt and salt and cook for another 15 minutes. The vegetables can be easily pierced with fork.


Enjoy over couscous, white or wholewheat or cooked quinoa for gluten free version.

Quick picnic lunch. With sprouted bread.

The school days are over. The summer vacation is here. Time for picnics!

Sandwiches made with sprouted bread and oven roasted turkey; broccoli, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, radishes and beets

What to pack for picnic with kids?
Sandwiches are easy and quick alternative for picnic. They are easy to plan, to make and to eat. To make a tasty and healthy sandwich, be sure to select best quality ingredients. Choose nitrates free meats (ask to read an ingredients list at the deli counter), natural cheeses, good quality bread. Serve with fresh and cooked vegetables and fruit.

I like to use Ezekiel 4:9 100% sprouted whole grain bread to make sandwiches. Bread made with sprouted grains has complete protein and low glycemic index. The bread is soft and delicious.

We went to do strawberry picking today. I have packed sandwiches with roasted turkey, avocado and other vegetables I had on hand. Cucumbers, tomatoes, cooked beets, red peppers, olives, steamed broccoli and local radishes (those are for me, the kids try them from time to time, but radishes are still too spicy to their palates). Pack in insulated lunch bag with ice to ensure food safety. More on lunch packing gear is here.

We were covered for snack - plenty of juicy, fresh, red, sun filled strawberries. Straight from the field at Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, MA. Yum!

David is picking strawberries

What do you like to take to picnic with you? What is your kids favorite?

Easy Indian style spinach with rice. In 20 minutes.

When I first tried Indian spinach and cheese dish (Palak Paneer) I was just amazed with the flavors. They were bright, bold and delicious. I immediately decided to learn how to make this spinach dish at home. It took me years of experimenting before I was able to make this dish super quick. It is not a traditional recipe, but tasty, quick and nutrient dense.

Looking to make healthy spinach meal at no time? See the shortcuts below.

Indian style spinach - before blending

There are few shortcuts to make the preparation super quick.

1.  Frozen spinach. While fresh spinach is the best in flavor and nutrition, I usually prefer frozen for cooked dishes. Frozen spinach saves a lot of time -  no washing, no cooking in batches to reduce volume. It is very convenient to have frozen spinach in freezer, as opposite to fresh, that should be used within few days. I buy organic and make sure there is always some in freezer.

2. Precooked onions. I make caramelized onions and refrigerate them for different uses. The upgrade any dish, from soup to fried egg.

3. Tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes. Instead of blended fresh tomato, I use few spoons of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes. Depends what I have on hand.

4. Paneer cheese. I don't usually have paneer cheese on hand. I have found that this spinach recipe works well with no added cheese or with any other cheese. I tried feta cubes, grated Parmesan or mozzarella cubes. Some kinds of mozzarella melt really well in hot dish. My son enjoys the strings it creates when scooped.

5. Immersion blender. I can't recommend it enough. The reason I got it was Palak Paneer. Why? Immersion blender saves the following steps: cooling cooked spinach, transferring it to food processor and washing food processor. How long do all those steps take? 

Easy and quick Indian style spinach and cheese over rice (inspired by Palak Paneer)

Ingredients
spinach, frozen, 1 package (preferably organic)
onion, 1 carmelized or sauted
tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes, 3 table spoons
garlic, 1 glove, finely minced (yo may use garlic press)
ginger, 1/8 inch slice, finely minced (you may use garlic press)
lemon juice, 1 tablespoon
cumin, groun 1/4 teaspoon
coriander, ground, 1/4 teaspoon
turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon
olive oil, 1-2 tablespoons or ghee (clarified butter, preferable grass fed)
asafoetida, pinch (optional)
chili flakes - to taste
salt

For serving - rice (basmati, brown), cheese (feta, mozzarella, parmesan).
Note: to make creamy, add about 1/2 cup of whole milk yogurt or sour cream.

Method
Put rice to cook, so it will be ready to serve with spinach. In large pot, boil 3 cups of water. When boiling, add spinach, garlic and ginger and cook on high heat for 2 minutes. Add rest of the ingredients. Using immersion blender, blend with few pulses to make rustic puree. Cook for 2 more minutes on low heat to let the flavors blend.

Serve hot over rice with cheese of your choice.  
You might want to garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

It was gone before I was ready with the camera to take the picture. What left? 

Indian style spinach and rice - eaten

For school lunch - I mix spinach and rice, add cheese and pack in thermoses. 

What shortcuts do you use in your cooking?

Pizza lunch. With ease.

Do you like pizza? Does your child like pizza?

For today's lunch I have packed dinner leftovers. The boxes were ready when I was cleaning the table. Having lunches ready in the evening gives me more time in the morning to enjoy my tea.

pizza triangles with asparagus and cucumber

We had homemade whole grain pizza with caramelized onions, garlic pizza sauce and whole milk mozzarella for dinner. I have served cut cucumbers, red peppers and steamed asparagus as a side dish.

Are you having pizza for dinner? Keep in mind next day lunch.  Any good quality pizza, that you would eat cold, can be packed in a lunch box.

Do you want to make pizza meal healthier? Serve your pizza with fresh or steamed vegetables.

Set a slice or a few aside for tomorrow lunch. Cut it to small pieces for more fun, pack with vegetables and the lunch is ready.

What do you do with dinner leftovers? Leave a comment.

Zucchini pancakes. With millet and barley.

Our weekend breakfast treat are pancakes. My family likes warm pancakes served with good chocolate spread or maple syrup. I like mine with sour cream, the way my grandmother used to serve.

I feel like I am repeating someone else here. So many times I came across of another "grandmother recipe" and another "weekend treat". So what is different?

The ingredients. Millet flour, barley flour and grated zucchini. I have to admit that this is one of very few ways my kids will eat zucchini. Or millet. Or barley.

millet barley zucchini pancakes

Millet is a small gluten free grain with nice yellow color. Barley is a low gluten grain with nutty flavor. Different grains provide different sets of nutrients. Using something other than traditional wheat flour is a good way to ensure variety in the menu.

Zucchini millet barley pancakes
adapted from Wild Yeast blog by Susan


Ingredients
sourdough starter, 2 table spoons
water, 250 gram (I use tap water)
millet flour, 125 gr
barley flour, 125 gr
zucchini, 1-2 grated on fine side of grater
maple syrup, 2 table spoons
olive oil, 2 table spoons
eggs, 2
sea salt, 1/2 teaspoons
baking soda, 1 teaspoon
cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon (optional)


Method

Start night before your morning pancake breakfast - mix together sourdough starter, flours and water in a glass container. Leave on counter in room temperature till morning, covered, but not completely closed.  The mixture will be full of bubbles in the morning. Add all rest of ingredients and whisk them together. Cook on a hot buttered skillet. I like to use clarified butter since it burns less.

Submitted to weekly yeast spotting on Wild Yeast blog.

Almost no cooking lunch. With avocado.

Would you like to add more vegetables to your menu? Green vegetables?

Buckwheat with green peas, avocado, broccoli, snow pea, red peppers, blue corn chips

Here is an idea for healthy lunch, made with minimum preparations. Half of avocado, organic blue corn chips, sliced peppers, steamed broccoli and snow peas. To prevent browning, dunk avocado cut side down into lemon water for a few seconds. To make lemon water, squeeze few drops of lemon juice into 1/4 cup of cold water.

I had cooked buckwheat, so I quickly reheated it with frozen green peas, added unrefined sunflower oil and packed in thermos. Any other cooked grains work well too - quinoa, brown rice, barley or couscous. Or pasta.

Questions? Comments?

Whole meal meatballs. With vegetables inside.

The meatballs for yesterday dinner were made with rice and packed with vegetables. It is a whole balanced meal in one dish.  My parents used to make those meatballs for me and my brother when we were children.  Now I make this dish for my children. Also for my Yemeni husband.

This is actually a speedy version of Russian stuffed cabbage, called "tefteli". It is packed with vegetables and herbs - carrot, tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley. I have added half cup of butternut squash. None of my picky eaters noticed it. Unlike other versions, this version made without breadcrumbs and without cheese - dairy free and gluten free. Light and satisfying.

Rice meatballs with beet salad, zucchini and arugula, ingredients in a bowl, meatballs simmering in tomato sauce

Rice meatballs with vegetables

Ingredients

meatballs
onion, 1 small, cut to 4 pieces
garlic, 2 gloves
parsley, leaves from few strings
water, cold, 1/3 cup
beef, ground 1 pound (I have used 85% fat free, grass fed)
rice, basmati 1/3 cup (or regular rice)
egg, 1
sea salt, 1 teaspoon or to taste
black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
cumin ground, 1/4 teaspoon or to taste
chilli powder,  1/4 teaspoon or to taste

sauce
spices you like, to taste (1/4 garam masala adds a great aroma)
tomatos, crushed or pureed, 14 ounches
carrots, 1-2 peeled, cut to few pieces
butternut squash, cooked and pureed, 1/2 cup (optional)
sea salt, 1 teaspoon
bay leave (optional)

Method 

In small food processor, place onion, garlic, parsley and water. Pulse until pureed. In a large bowl, place beef, rice, onion garlic parsley puree, egg and spices. Start heating large skillet, that will include meatballs in one layer, with 1 inch of cold water on medium low heat. With your hands, mix meatballs ingredients. Gently, with your hands, form ping pong size meatballs and fill the skillet.
In the same food processor, no need to wash, pulse carrot until chopped. Cover the water with tomato sauce, put in carrot and squash puree. Season the sauce. Stick in bay leaves. Lower the heat to let the dish simmer, cover and cook for 50 minutes. The rice will stick out.

Note
brown rice can be used, half cooked.

Meatballs in skillet

Those meatballs keep well. Excellent solution for speed lunch packing and enjoying over few days. Reheat and put in a lunch thermos. Pack another box with fruits and vegetables as a side.

Questions? Comments? I will be glad to start the conversation. This is the best part.

Easy green beans. With soy sauce, garlic and curry.

How would you trim your green beans? With scissors! There is something meditative in taking one string at the time and cutting its tail. Green beans make fast and healthy Asian flavored side dish. 

Green beans, cooking; garlic and oil, getting ready with scissors

Curried green beans with soy and garlic


Ingredients

garlic, 2 gloves, minced
olive oil, 1/2 table spoon

chili flakes - 1/4 tables spoon or to taste (optional)

green beans, 1 pound, washed and trimmed

curry powder, 1/2 tea spoon or to taste
soy sauce, 1 tablespoon or to taste (tamari sauce can be substituted)
water, 1/4 cup or more
rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon or to taste (umeboshi or other vinegar can be substituted)
roasted sesame oil, 1/2 teaspoon or to taste (optional)
no salt

Note: for gluten free, check labels

Method

Place garlic, oil and chili flakes on medium skillet and turn heat on low medium heat. Cook for about 30 seconds till fragrant. Add beans, curry powder, soy cause, water, vinegar and stir. Cover and let cook for about 5 minutes covered. Steam will cook the beans.

It is your choice to make beans crisp or soft. My family likes them on a softer side. If you prefer them softer, add splash of water, cover and cook for few more minutes. When done to your liking, turn off the heat, add sesame oil and mix.

Note, that if the beans remain in hot skillet, they are subject to heat and get softer.

Cooked!

Those green beans are great addition to lunch box, either cold, by themselves or warm, mixed with rice in a thermos.

Mixing cheese casserole. With broccoli.

Making casseroles was in my list of things to do for a long time. It has always appealed to me. One dish meal, loaded with vegetables and easy. Yes, easy. I was thinking - just mix it all, bake and the meal is ready. Finally I made it. And it was easy. 

broccoli ricotta cheese casserole

There were ricotta cheese, sour cream, grated parmesan and broccoli in my fridge. I have mixed it and the result over performed any expectations. The result was record amount of broccoli my daughter ate. Ever. She gobbled the casserole with the broccoli and asked for more and more.


Broccoli Cheese Casserole
Ingredients
ricotta, whole milk - 10 ounces or 300 gram 
sour cream - 5 ounces 150 gram
eggs, 2
semolina flour - 2 tablespoons (or other flour) 
broccoli, steamed - 1.5 pound or 700 gram
parmesan cheese - 3.5 ounces or 100 gram cheddar cheese - 2 ounces or 60 gram 
mozzarella cheese - 2 ounces or 60 gram
salt, 1/2 tea spoon or to taste
black pepper, to taste
thyme, dried - 1/2 tea spoon or to taste

Method

Mix everything besides broccoli. Add broccoli and mix.
Butter baking container. Spoon everything in. Grate some mozzarella over.
Bake for 1 hour at 390F uncovered until golden and set.
Serve with salad and fresh vegetables. Pack cold or warm for lunch.


I have made this recipe using steamed cauliflower. Delicious. Another record amount of cauliflower for my daughter.  Spinach is next. 


This is a great solution to help picky children to eat more vegetables. With cheese vegetables taste better. 

Preheat or pack cold for lunch.

Nourish. With chicken soup and carrots.

Chicken soup is a staple in our house during colder months of the year. It keeps well and makes lunch preparation a breeze. It nourishing, warming and healing.

Served for lunch at home - chicken noodle soup with carrots and chicken meat

I like it with pasta, rice, quinoa or other grain and leafy green vegetables - kale, bock choy, chard. The kids prefer it with pasta or rice. Good thing they like carrots. From my mom point of view I use way too much carrots. "Carrots make the soup so sweet! I can't eat it" she said. But the kids love it.

This chicken soup is a like my marriage - pairing of Russian and Yemeni. With a lot of carrots, onion and parsnip (Russian side) and hawaij spice mix made of turmeric, pepper, cumin, coriander (Yemeni side). Being multinational has a huge advantage. It allows me to adopt healthy practices from various cultures. Like in this chicken soup. Carrots for vitamins and fiber,  turmeric for its anti inflammation properties.

Chicken carrot soup

Serves 4 with enough leftovers to pack few lunches

Ingredients:
chicken, 1/2 whole natural, preferable organic (see note)

carrots , 5-6 cut to bite pieces

onion, 1 peeled whole
black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon or to taste

sea salt, 1/2 table spoon or to taste
parsley leaves, chopped, 1 table spoon or to taste (optional)

healthy extras (optional)

bone gelatin powder, 2 teaspoons 

1 teaspoons turmeric or 1 teaspoons of hawaii

cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp

bay leaves, 2 

vinegar or lemon juice, 1 tea spoon (acid helps to extract minerals from the bones to the broth)

parsley steams, 4-5 tied using tea bag string

Method
Wash chicken pieces under cold water. Place them in big, preferably heavy pot and cover with cold water. Bring close to boiling on medium high heat. Turn the heat to low. As foam is forming,  discard it using large spoon (slotted works the best). Repeat as needed. Add carrots, onion and any of healthy extras. Simmer for 4 hours to ensure the bird will release minerals, gelatin and other good nutrients into the stock. Add salt and black pepper and simmer for 10 more minutes. Turn off.  Get the cooked meat out and strain the stock. Remove meat from the bones and cut to bite pieces. Return the carrots and the clean meat back into the broth. Discard the bones. Boil the broth for 3 minutes. Serve the broth over cooked regular or whole grain pasta garnished with chopped parsley.

Chicken noodle carrot soup in thermos for school lunch

Serve leftover stock with rice, pasta or whole grain of your choice. My childhood favorite is to boil the stock with potato chunks. Heavenly.

Note

You can get whole chicken and use breast and tight meat for stir fry or other dish and take bones, wings, drumsticks and this little package it has inside for soup.

Questions? Comments? I invite you to discuss.

Keeping it simple. With hummus.

How often do you ask yourself - does all this effort worth it?

Do I spend my time enjoying what I do or am I just making it complicated and myself overwhelmed?

This question is applicable to many ares of life, from choosing a daycare or a family vacation to selecting a recipe for weekday dinner or making a meal plan for a week. 

Some of the best meals are the simplest to prepare. Keeping it simple and pure can be quick and relaxing leaving more time for what is really important. Fresh vegetables are delicious and beautiful on their own. I often cut a variety of vegetables up in patterns - wedges, sticks, bites or wheels. My family loves them simply arranged on a plate. With hummus.

Hummus with cucumbers and carrots; gather it all together; ready to blend

There are many cut and serve vegetables. All of them will benefit your body and energize you.
Here are the most common ones that children and adults will enjoy in their lunchbox:

- cucumbers
- carrots
- bell peppers
- celery
- cabbage
- broccoli 
- beets
- radishes
- cauliflower
- lettuce
- tomatoes
- continue the list with whatever you like or want to try (jicama?)

A look in the fridge...  Moment of quick choice...  Sharp knife comes to action...
Half of the meal (or may be more) is ready in minutes.
How simple is that?

Hummus (Mediterranean chickpeas dip)

Ingredients
chickpeas, 1 can cooked - or you can choose to cook your own by soaking 3/4 cup dry chickpea beans overnight, boiling them for about 1 hour until soft, then straining them
1/4 cup of tahini (sesame paste)
1-2 cloves of fresh garlic
lemon juice of 1/2 lemon
water, 1-2 table spoons
spices to taste: salt, turmeric, cumin, coriander, chilies, paprika, etc
small bunch of parsley (optional)


Method
If using canned chickpeas - wash them in colander under running cold water.
Place all the ingredients in a food processor or a blender and puree them to a thick paste.
Taste the hummus to see if the consistency and spices are to your liking. If too thick add more water or lemon juice. Correct the seasoning if needed.

Eat!

To make it even simpler grab prepared hummus in the store. To make it all a nourishing vegan meal, you might add sprouted whole grain tortillas from a freezer section of your supermarket.

Only, but ONLY if you enjoy it and find that additional nutrition value will make your heart sing and your spirit elevate: 

Sprout chick peas for 24-72 hours. Small tails will show up. Sprouted chickpeas should be cooked for 1 hour. Add 2 inch square of kombu (dried sea weed) while cooking the chickpeas.
Blend cooked kombu into hummus together with other ingredients.

Great packed for lunch. 

Homemade baked chicken nuggets with potato and carrot

My husband said: "What is THAT?"

I replied: "My friend, Hila, has shared a baked chicken nuggets recipe when we had tea in Crema cafe today. I have noted to myself - it is time to do something different and new. So here it is".

My husband: "It is really good. Can you make it again?".

I am taking risks from time to time making new recipes. I am calling it risk because my family is not shy in letting me when I "ruin" their meal. So sometimes it is a success, sometimes it is a failure, but how will I know if I don't try? Even though I can have an idea for what my family might like, but I can get too excited with a new recipe. Like a little boy with a new fire truck toy. And it is OK.

David and Mai both loved the nuggets. I know it, they were dipping the chicken nuggets in organic ketchup and licking their fingers. The kids had those healthy baked chicken bites for lunch 2 days in the row, with great enthusiasm.

Baked chicken nuggets served with curry basmati rice, zucchini and shiitake mushrooms and cucumber, chicken nuggets before baking, mixture and bread crumbs in background

Healthy, filling and easy recipe.

Ingredients
ground chicken breast or dark meat, 1 pound
bread crumbs, 3 table spoons (I used homemade whole wheat sourdough breadcrumbs)
potatoes, 2 small
carrots, 2 small
1 table spoon olive oil (optional)
sea salt
black pepper
paprika (optional)

To coat - more bread crumbs

Method
Peel or scrab potatoes and carrots, cut to 8 pieces.
Put in small pot, cover with cold water.
Boil for 10-15 minutes, until soft when pierced with fork.
Remove from the heat, pour out the liquid.
Mash the vegetables to puree using masher or fork. Although it is tempting to use food processor to achieve homogeneous mass, don't. Potatoes contain a lot of starch and using food processor will make them into thick glue.
Let cool.
Add all the rest of the ingredients and mix through.
In a shallow plate, put bread crumbs.
Prepare large baking sheet with parchment paper. Turn oven to 395F.
With a real table spoon, scoop chicken-potato-carrot mixture.
Form nugget and coat it in bread crumbs. Place on the baking sheet. Repeat till all the mixture is done.
Bake for 10 minutes in 395 F on each side, for total 20 minutes.
You might need to adjust the time according to nuggets size. Safe internal temperature for chicken is 165F. When in doubt, use cook thermometer.

Note
To pack for lunch, I have reheated the nuggets in toaster and packed them in thermoses. 3 nuggets for Mai, 5 nuggets for David. Zero came back. Success!

Questions? Comments? Let me know what you think. 

Organic or conventional? Pareto principle

Do you ever wonder if organic produce is always better choice? Does it worth it?

Let's explore.
Organic fruit and vegetables are clean from pesticides. They are flavorful. Growing organic is friendly to people who work on farms and fields. It is friendly to Earth. Genetically modified produce can't carry organic label.


From above follows the conclusion - buy organic when you can. But then life comes in the way. Confusion arose every time I needed to decide if today's shopping cart would include organic and how much. Should I put those organic strawberries in? Let's face it. Organic produce is less available. It's price tag is higher. And it not always attractive, especially in supermarkets with lower turnout. Instead of struggling - decide where is the line between conventional and organic for you and revisit it from time to time.

Do you remember what is the Pareto principle?

The Pareto principle (also known as the 80–20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes (from Wikipedia).

It is applicable to all areas of life! And it includes choosing organic over conventional.

Eat fruits and vegetables! Any fresh produce is beneficial. And you can lower the expose to pesticides substantially by avoiding conventionally grown fruits and vegetables from the list for most contaminated produce and by getting more from the clean list.

Buying small percentage of fresh produce organic reduces large percent of pesticide expose.

To get the lists , visit Environmental Working Group website.

Choosing local produce is another way to be good to yourself and to the planet. More about this in another post.

One step at the time. With beets.

Would you like to make your child lunch healthier?

Simple and easy. Add one. Really, even one counts. One more fruit or vegetable. Simple as putting into lunch bag one extra box with cucumbers.

sliced cucumbers

What I really like to use is beets. Deep purple, they are warehouse of vitamins and antioxidants. Cooked beets keep well in the refrigerator. They are great addition to children lunchbox and to dinner. In this post I will share with you how I cook the beets, use them for kids lunch and prepare side salad for dinner. I will share my all times favorite recipe I learned from my parents, who in their turn learned it from their Georgian friend, Vahtang.

Cooked beets

Ingredients

beets, 4-6 medium or small (similar size to ensure equal cooking)

Method
Wash beets in cold water. Do not peal or cut.
Cover beets with water and boil for 40-60 minutes.
When you can pierce the beets easily with fork, the beets are ready.
Cooking longer makes beets softer.
I prefer them on harder side.
Cooked beets will keep will in refrigerator for 5 days.

To peel the beets, with your hands, squeeze the peel out. It will come out easily, similar to how hard cooked eggs are peeled.

peeling beet

To use for lunchbox, peel one at the time and cut to bite pieces.

Georgian garlicky beets salad with walnuts


Ingredients

beets, 4-6 cooked and grated
onion, 1 medium, fine diced
tomato puree, 1/2 cup
garlic, 3 gloves minced
olive oil, 2 tablespoons
salt, 1 teaspoon or to taste
black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon or to taste
chili flakes, 1/2 teaspoon or to taste
bay leaf, 1
walnuts, 1/2 cup, finely chopped (optional)

 Method

In a large skillet heat olive oil with chili flakes on medium heat for 30 seconds.
Add onion to the skillet and sauté for 5-8 minutes, until soft and slightly golden.
Turn the heat to medium low.
Add grated beets, tomato puree, bay leaf and sauté for 15 minutes more.
Add salt, black pepper, garlic and walnuts, if using and cook for 5 minutes for flavors to blend.
Chill and enjoy cold.

Georgian style cooked beet salad

What are your favorite fruits and vegetables?
What are unfamiliar ones you would like to try?

Serve cold or pack cold for lunch.

I invite you to share in comments.

Light Bolognese Sauce - Cooking once, eating twice

Tomorrow and day after tomorrow there is no school. Anyway I have cooked Bolognese sauce with whole wheat spaghetti for lunch today.  It is a time saver - I will use the sauce again this week. During school days, I pack it with whole grain pasta or brown rice. You can adopt it and serve any way you like - with couscous or rice noodles, with basmati rice or polenta. Everything works.

My version of the sauce is lighter than traditional with carrots and zucchini. 

Light Bolognese sauce with zucchini added, cooked sauce

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon of olive oil
1 medium onion - diced
1 glove of garlic - diced
1/4 teaspoon of chili flax
1 pound ground beef (grass fed)
1 (24 ounce) bottle tomato puree or can of crushed tomatoes
2 medium carrots, peeled and cubed
1 zucchini, cubed
1/2 cup wine
cumin
turmeric
black pepper
salt
bay leaf

Method:

In big skillet heat the oil on medium heat for a minute. Add garlic and chili flakes. When fragrant, add onion and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened and golden. Add ground beef and saute until cooked through. Add tomatoes and spices and let simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Add everything else and let simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water or broth, if needed.  

The longer this sauce cooks, the better. If using frozen peas, add them 10 minutes before turning off the heat. You may choose to garnish with parsley for added minerals and vitamins.

Bolognese sauce served with whole grain pasta and vegetables side

For lunch, reheat in the morning and pack in thermos with pasta (or gluten free pasta) or your favorite grains.