This berry smoothie has a secret. I know that it looks innocent enough. Maybe it’s a standard mix of fruit, yogurt, milk etc., or maybe it’s something really cool you don’t even know about.
Sorry, I know Old School references stopped being cool circa 2005, but I watched it recently so I can’t control it.
When The Beast and I aren’t watching 10+ year-old comedies, we like to watch documentaries (although I’m very choosy about which ones). A few weekends ago we watched Hungry for Change, a documentary on processed food and, basically, how it will kill us all. Let’s not even get into the fact that we chose to watch this on a Saturday night. We’re apparently old cranky people.
I felt empowered throughout the video, thinking “I’m totally doing everything right! yes!” up until the final section, which covered the benefits of juicing. According to the documentary, juicing is the BEST thing you can do for your health, because the nutrients are so easily absorbed by your body. The very next day we bought the juicing attachment for our stand mixer, then went to the co-op and came home to juice our weight in organic vegetables. Yes, I do realize that we’re total suckers and easily persuaded.
For the next week, we juiced daily, and we felt SO HEALTHY. We would laugh at each other when we took our vitamins before bed, saying things like, “Ha! Who even NEEDS vitamins? We’re already full of so many nutrients!” I know, we’re annoying.
…aaaand then we burnt out. Juicing takes a long time for little payoff (1 bunch of kale only gives you a piddly little cup of juice), so after that first week we realized that taking out the juicer, cleaning the vegetables, and juicing each single leaf of kale and bunch of broccoli just became too much of a chore for daily living.
After a few days off from juicing, The Beast, who I often refer to as the “beacon of wisdom,” found a solution to make our nutrient intake way more efficient. I came home from work last week and he had juiced all of the vegetables in our refrigerator, plus some extras he picked up during the day. He poured all of the juice into 6 ice-cube trays, and stuck them in the freezer beside the frozen berries and bananas. Nearly every day since then, we have made what we call “vita-cube” smoothies, which take about 3 minutes start-to-finish, and are the perfect breakfast. We simply blend together 4 frozen juice cubes, yogurt, fruit, almond or peanut butter, sometimes a bit of sweetener, and voila – smooth, refreshing, and HEALTHY perfection.
I know many of you probably add handfuls of spinach and kale in your smoothies and just blend away, but my results have always been a bit…chunky. Perhaps it’s my dinky Magic Bullet blender, or maybe I’m just not patient enough, but I have never been able to get on board the leafs-in-blender train. With our frozen juice cube smoothies, I get the same “I AM BEING SO HEALTHY” satisfaction, but they’re smooth and don’t taste like vegetables…at all. It’s really incredible, and SO fast.
If you’re wondering what to put in your juice, we included the following: 1 bunch of kale, 1 bunch (heads and stalks) broccoli, 1 bunch of spinach, 2 cucumbers, 1 bunch celery, 1-inch piece ginger, 1 lemon, 1 pear, 1 apple, 3 cups strawberries…so you can really put anything you want in there, and it’ll be fine. Do it.
Oh 3pm, you’re so predictable. All other hours of my workday at least provide some variety to my thought processes, but not you, 3pm. You’re all about the antsy, boredom, will-this-day-ever-end cravings. No matter how much I stuff myself with a hearty and nutritious lunch, you’re going to make me twiddle my fingers until I find something delicious for them to grasp, aren’t you?
The form of these cravings changes day-to-day. I used to want chips, and then I went through a phase where I would just spoon peanut butter out of the jar (note: dangerous), but lately I’ve been all about sweets. Specifically, I want a baked good. At 3pm. Every damn day. Sure, a decadent midday baked good is fine every-so-often, but everyday? Get your head out of the sugary, cotton candy clouds, Katie.
I do, however, heartily believe in the power of an afternoon pick-me-up. Sometimes you just neeeed that boost to get through the final couple hours of the workday. Which brings me to these cookies. I made them on Monday night when I realized I shouldn’t deny myself the baked goodness, but perhaps I could make a healthier option than what’s in the cupboards at work (i.e. Famous Amos).
These have everything I love in a cookie: thick, chewy, and full of texture, plus they’re packed with maple syrup and almond butter, which are two of my favorite things. I’ve been eating them around 3pm at work this week and they definitely help me appease the late-afternoon ants in my pants.
I only recently began baking with spelt flour, and I think I’m in love. It’s a whole grain flour, but it’s high in protein, easy to digest, and packed with nutrients. The flavor is nutty and similar to whole wheat, but I find it slightly more mild, which can make a big difference in the taste of your baked goods.
To boost the benefits beyond spelt, I used a small amount of coconut oil for the fat, then added applesauce, almond butter, and maple syrup for extra moisture and flavor. The oats add fiber and texture, while the dried cherries bring some tartness to the mix.
These cookies are vegan, but if you’d rather use a regular egg than a chia/flax egg I’m sure that would be fine. The other ingredients can also be tweaked to your liking; swap out the almond butter for peanut butter (or any other nut butter), replace the cherries with other dried fruits, nuts, or chocolate chips (which I MUST try next). Obviously, if you try any different combinations, let me know!
I know, I know, I just posted about enchiladas last month, but in this case I’m okay with being a little redundant. The truth is that I want Mexican food ALL THE TIME lately. I apparently can’t get over it.
Last week when The Beast was out of town I decided to have a relaxing night of recipe experimenting. I went to the co-op, bought all the veggies and assorted other ingredients I needed, came home and poured myself a glass of wine, and got to work. I started by making my enchilada sauce, and as it was simmering I noticed that my eyes were a bit irritated, but I didn’t think much of it. I took out my large oven-safe skillet, sautéed the veggies, poured in the black beans, sliced tortillas, and enchilada sauce, then topped it with cheese and stuck it in the oven to broil for a few minutes.
Easy, right?
I took it out of the oven and it looked soooooo perfect that I couldn’t help myself from digging in with my fork for a teensy-tiny bite. When that morsel hit my tongue I knew something was terribly wrong. As a bit of sweat formed on my forehead and my throat burned, the truth came to me clear as day: there was a reason I could feel the enchilada sauce burning in my eyes. Our spices are all in bulk, so I took out the one labeled “chili powder” and tried a pinch. Again, FIRE. Mystery solved: I ended up putting 1/4 cup of cayenne, NOT chili powder, into my dinner.
It gets worse. Being a thrifty person who hates to waste food, I thought, “I like spicy stuff. I can handle this,” and doused it with sour cream and ate it as fast as possible. Three minutes after finishing the last bite I found myself shaking and sweating on my couch. I actually thought I might not make it. Eating that enchilada skillet was quite possibly the dumbest thing I’ve ever done, and that’s saying something. I didn’t die (WHEW), so let me share a couple hard-learned lessons with you: 1) Label your spices carefully, and 2) Sometimes you should just throw food away.
While we’re at it, I should share another important lesson with you: enchilada skillets that are made correctly will improve your life. A few days after the cayenne incident, once The Beast was back home to help supervise my spice choices, I made the enchilada skillet pictured here. Its flavor and easiness blew my mind. Despite my issues the first time around, this is one of the simplest and most delicious dinners I’ve ever made.
I chose zucchini, red and green bell peppers, and corn as the vegetable stars of this show, but this recipe is flexible and can accommodate whatever your favorite vegetables may be. You can also use canned enchilada sauce if you’d like, which makes it even simpler. No matter how you tweak it, this is a hearty and filling veggie-packed meal that can be on the table in a snap.
When label certain things as “off limits” you inevitably want them more. I know this is common knowledge, but I’ve learned it the hard way. When I gave up gluten, for example, I ended up “tweaking out” (my sister’s words) while watching others enjoy fresh, right-outta-the-oven pizza. For my own sanity, and the well-being of those around me, I ended up inhaling the chewy, gluten-filled dough that day, which was only 3 1/2 weeks after starting my gluten-free lifestyle. Whups.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been an on-and-off caffeine addict since college. I’ve given it up a few times for a month here and there because I liked the idea of being naturally awake without the need for caffeine. Caffeine-free Katie never stuck around for long, until a little over a year ago. I’ve had headache problems most of my life, but last year I was having upwards of 3 migraines every week. A coworker with similar migraine issues recommended I give up caffeine. At first I laughed and dismissed the idea; “Have you SEEN the thermos I bring with me everyday?” I thought of that caffeine-filled thermos as my friend…My morning friend that kick-started my day, and made me feel like I could deal with the ridiculousness that sometimes comes with my job.
Eventually I realized that friend could be a big pain in the head…literally. After reading up on the caffeine-migraine connection, I decided getting off “the sauce” might help my situation. Over the following months I celebrated my decrease in headaches, but another side of me mourned the loss of my morning friend. To ease the pain of my loss, I found decaf tea I enjoyed, drank more water, and optimistically waited for my “natural awakeness” to kick in.
It never did.
Fast forward to about a month ago, and my caffeine-free enthusiasm reached an all-time low. I’d walk into the kitchen at work and just sniiiiiiiff the coffee-scent from the pot that sits next to the water-heater I use for my stupid tea. My relapse started innocently enough; I’d grab a cup of black tea every few days, and maybe a really small cup of coffee, only when I absolutely “needed” it. Then, my mom and dad gave me a Caribou gift card for Easter, so I decided that meant I should probably pick up some coffee on my way to work. After all, it would be a waste to use such a kind gift on something like decaf tea.
You get where this is going. I’ve had caffeine every day for the past week and a half, and for the majority of those days my caffeine has been in coffee form. I’m so bad! I’m so screwed!…but the punishment migraine hasn’t come yet. I’ve told myself that as soon as I have to suffer the repurcussions I’ll need to stop, but until then? Stop and smell the roasted beans.
So anyway, these scones aren’t helping my problem. I always associate scones with comfortable mornings, acoustic music, and coffee, because whenever I wait in line at a coffee shop the pastry case just STARES ME IN THE FACE. Most of it I can talk myself out of buying, since I make a mean muffin, and I bet those ridiculously-large cookies are dry anyway, but oh-my-gaaaaawd the scones. Especially the Starbucks Maple Oat Pecan Scone. It’s just so buttery and delicious and covered in drizzle! Unfortunately, if I force myself out of my scone trance, I remember that it’s also full of gross things that I would never put into anything I bake at home.
Although there is nothing wrong with buying a scone at a coffee shop occasionally, I decided last week that I needed to learn how to make my own. After all, if I’m going to keep drinking coffee, and therefore continue to crave calorie-laden scones, I might as well make sure they’re not full of a bunch of chemicals. See? I can be logical sometimes.
These scones are just as buttery and satisfying as the Starbucks variety, but they’re 100% whole wheat, nearly free of refined sugar (except the tiny bit of glaze on top), and completely void of scary, long, unpronounceable ingredients. In other words, they are a GOOD decision, which I can only assume completely negates the delicious, warm, caffeinated BAD decision that they always must accompany.
When we go out to eat, I can usually look at the menu for 2 minutes and know exactly what The Beast will order. First question: Do they have anything involving buffalo chicken? Whether it’s a wrap, sandwich, pizza, or salad, I know that will be The Beast’s choice. If they have no buffalo chicken, we must do more digging. Second question: Does anything on the menu involve both meat and mashed potatoes? If the answer is yes, we have a winner. Usually these two questions bring us to an answer. If not, then we start looking at spicy burger options or pressed ham and cheese sandwiches.
While it takes me just a couple minutes to correctly guess The Beast’s food choice, it often takes me about 10-15 minutes to decide on my order. I guess when you eat with someone nearly every day for almost three years you start to understand their eating habits more than your own…or I’m just indecisive to a fault.
We’ve recently been to two restaurants that offer dishes with thick gravy, rich meat, and creamy potatoes broiled on top as a sort of crust. These establishments have no buffalo chicken to be found, so clearly we can deduce what The Beast orders. After I picked up some adorable (and on sale!) 16-ounce cast-iron bowls last weekend, I knew I had to make a variation of The Beast’s second-favorite restaurant meal. Since I wanted to be in on the action, my homemade version would need to be vegetarian.
Instead of meat, these pies are filled with hearty vegetables and mushroom gravy. The filling is baked until thick and bubbly, then the potatoes are swirled on top and broiled. You can make your favorite mashed potato recipe for the topping, but we filled ours with butter, garlic, and feta, and it was pretty fantastic.
These potato pies are the perfect comforting bowl for the ridiculous Minnesotan “spring” we’ve been having. Day-after-day has been grey with snow, followed-up by rain or a “wintery mix” – doesn’t the phrase “wintery mix” just give you the shivers? This weather makes me want to do nothing besides curl up in a blanket, drink wine, and eat warm comforting things. If you feel the same, this pie is for you.
