signs of fall

I have gone from lamenting the end of summer to relishing my favorite hallmarks of fall: fleece in any form, our down comforter, using my oven again, scarves, cooked apples and squash and turning my focus to the inside of my house instead of the outside (which if you must know is so severely neglected I feel like someone should report me to whatever agency monitors household chore abandonment).

 

The girls' transition to school has been unexpectedly uneventful (phew).  I'm feeling way too busy with my responsibilities at the school and still figuring out how to use all my time efficiently (especially when the house needs its first post children thorough cleaning out) and how to not over commit myself to things I don't want to do. 

 

Also, Maya got a bunny leash.  Pink camo.  Cinnamon is no ordinary bunny and she has no ordinary leash. 

 

Another random fall thing: the chill in the air means bundling up for bike rides and combating some serious wind.  For my birthday I asked for neoprene booties to cover my clip shoes and these little sleeves of brilliant innovation are my new best friend. I no longer have frigidly painful feet while I ride! This will make fall riding 100 times more enjoyable. And while, I admit, I do prefer shorts and bare arms for cycling, there is something equally nice about not getting over-heated and salt-depleted and the beauty of the fiery red maples this time of year is its own reward.

Fall also means apples! I bought a bag of "utility" apples (the ones that drop off the trees)- 1/2 bushel for $11- and this past Sunday was all about applesauce making.

Side note: this weekend was also about the Great Hamster Search of 2013.  Ella bought herself a dwarf hamster with some of her lobstering money (after an all out persuasion campaign) and has been doing a stellar job of caring for the critter herself.  From water changing to cage cleaning, Ella has been the model pet owner.  Except when she was cleaning the cage Saturday afternoon she didn't realize a hatch door had come loose (and actually fell in the trash necessitating three trash inspections between two mothers) and by Sunday morning the hamster was GONE. 

 

This is what I spent most of Sunday, when I wasn't making applesauce, looking for:

 

It's Thursday and, despite the awesome trap Sandi set, we have seen nary a beady eye or stubbed tail of the poor missing "Sugar." 

 

Maya's new favorite word is "thingamajig."  She loved my apple peeler, corer, slicer which L.L. Bean nicknamed the apple thingamajig.  Perfect for Maya.

The entire time she used it she was saying, "I can't wait to do this again!  This is so fun!  I love this!"  I said, "But we're doing it right now!  You don't have to wait for next time!"  and felt a kinship to Yoda.

Every now and a blue moon the girls work as a team and it makes my Momma heart beat proud.  (Opposed to the times when they compete and claim the inequality of their position and I want to go sit on the patio.)

A full pot of apples makes for about half a pot of applesauce.  All that goes in is a little water and some cinnamon and maple syrup.  I slowly boil it until the apples are soft (the time depends on the type of apple but typically about an hour).  I like my applesauce chunky so I don't blend it but just mash it with a potato masher.

 

 

 

Fall is also the time of the sunflower.  We like to grow the "mammoth" variety.  It is has been such  fun for Maya this year to watch the seeds morph into chunky stalks that grow bigger than her, bigger than us and soon tower over the car.  When the dinner plate-sized sunflowers exploded in all their cheerful glory, it nearly sent Maya over the edge with joy.

This morning I leave for my weekend retreat to Kripalu.  I've been feeling kind of anxious about going, a little guilty and a touch of lonely at the thought of going alone.  But as people have reminded me, going alone is sort of the point.  This has been an inward journey and, while support is great, it is one I have to travel on my own.  That being said, I had to remind myself why I want to go by watching the video about this amazing yoga center (you can watch it here) and was brought to tears by the relief of taking my exhausted heart and mind somewhere so wonderful for restoration.

So today I will go despite the pull of my heart strings telling me to stay.  I have my own continued awakening to behold.

quinoa- the new t-bone?

Is it just me or does it seem that even the things that are good for you, really and truly good for you, eventually end up being bad in some way?

 

Take water for example.  Drink plenty of it, more than you even want.  But make sure it isn't polluted.  Or you could just buy spring water and add to the global climate crisis by increasing the demand on fossil fuels to make the plastic and ship it all over creation.

 

Eat soy.  Soy is good for you.  The Japanese eat lots of soy and they have a very low rate of cancer.  So eat tofu and be the butt of every Thanksgiving meal because you are eating Toferky.  But wait! Don't eat too much tofu because it is highly processed and there is concern about the estrogen-like effects which might actually put women at greater risk for certain types of  breast cancer.  (In actuality, there isn't too much a debate here.  It is not soy itself, or even tofu, that might be nutritionally risky.  It is the very processed from of soy, soy isolate, that people might want to watch out for.  I found a great article that shed some light on the soy debate.)

 

It seems that anytime we actually have the opportunity for some light back-patting over a healthy, globally responsible choice as a citizen of the Earth, someone comes and rains on the parade.

 

Take quinoa for example.  Check out how much a 3 pound bag cost at the health food store.

 

 

Apparently, the touted superfood status of quinoa has had some damaging effects on the grain's place in the global market and has had some major ramifications for those who grow it.  Ange, always one to keep me informed since I basically live under a rock with no newspaper, news and a thin diet of social media, sent me  this article  about why the Bolivians who grow quinoa can no longer afford to eat it themselves. This one discusses the massive ecological strain of the vegetarian market, including threatening water resources, increasing deforestation and the fact that many of the countries that fulfill the demands of vegetable-based food now themselves subsist on cheaper, nutritionally devoid processed food. 

Sigh and double sigh.

Now, I share these things with great caution for there is no way that vegetarianism is as damaging to earth as the ecological demands of commercial meat production.  The acres and acres of earth devoted to raising cows (both for them to live on and the acres needed to grow the corn to feed them) opposed to vegetables is out of sight.   Cow flatulence (you heard me right) is a major contributor to greenhouse gases.  Seriously.

What these articles really highlight is the fact that wealthy, developed countries such as ours generally say what we want from the world and the world responds.  We have the money to pay for the superfoods grown in rural Bolivia and suddenly there is a market, a demand and a massive price climb. 

I have no idea how to fix such a thing and I don't even really grasp economics well.  But I do know that I just don't feel right creating my own nutritional bubble while other people, those who produce it, suffer. 

The whole thing leaves me wanting to whine to the sky, "Why can't we all just get along?"  and then go eat my quinoa in peace.

In an act of great irony, I am going to now share one of my favorite quinoa recipes with you because it also doesn't feel right to me to post a bumper sticker to my car with the word quinoa with a circle and an X through it.   My friend Heather shared it with me from Eating Well (November/December 2011).

Pear-Quinoa Salad

- 14 oz. vegetable broth (or water)
-1 cup quinoa
- 2 TBSP walnut or canola oil (I used only 1)
-1-2 TBSP fruity vinegar, such as pear, raspberry or pomegranate
-1/4 cup snipped fresh chives (can substitute scallions)
-1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper
-1/4 tsp salt
-2 ripe but firm pears, peeled and diced (I prefer bosc)
-1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted

Prep:
1. Boil the broth in a large saucepan.  Stir in the quinoa, reduce heat to maintain a simmer.  Cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed and the outer shell of the quinoa has opened, about 15 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl and cool.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, vinegar, chives, salt and pepper.  Add the pears to coat.  Add to the cooled quinoa.  Toss to combine.  Top with toasted nuts. May be served chilled or at room temperature.

 

 

 Say a prayer for the people of Bolivia and enjoy.

nutritionally responsible cake

Considering the degree to which I adore cake, it seems a long time since I posted anything cake related.  Aside from the fact that I may have been eating too much of it.

I want to reacquaint you with one of my favorite cakes that I feel has arrived at the juncture of delicious and healthy.  At least as much as a cake can and still consider itself cake.

Zucchini chocolate cake with white mountain frosting. 

(This frosting likely goes by other names- Ange found a similar one called "7 minute frosting"- but this is the recipe passed down by the good cooks of downeast Maine kitchens and I know it works and is sure to please.)

Light and airy, reminiscent of gooey marshmallow Fluff, this frosting scoffs at the oodles of butter and confectioner's sugar it takes for a conventional buttercream.  To make it you must have patience, a dry day (boiling sugar on the stove abhors a humid day) and, for ease of mind, a candy thermometer, although it is not necessary.

But first, take a look at what you will be making: 

(this was with Ella's spring flair decorating)

Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cake

sift together:
-1 1/4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
-1 c. whole wheat flour
-3/4 c. Hershey's dark cocoa powder
-2 tsp. baking powder
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1 tsp. salt
-1/2 tsp cinnamon

beat:
-2 c. brown sugar
-1/2 c. butter

then add:
-2 eggs (and beat well)

beat in:
-4 oz. dark baking chocolate (melted and cooled)
-1 tsp vanilla.

Add sifted flour mixture to the wet ingredients, alternating with 1/2 c. cooled coffee and beat until smooth. Fold in 4 cups of grated zucchini.

Place batter in a greased bundt pan and bake for 40-50 minutes at 350 until toothpick comes out clean. Cool.  

White Mountain Frosting

Beat: 2 egg whites (be very careful not to get any yolk) and 1 tsp baking powder until stiff peaks form.  This will take several minutes.

Heat: In a small saucepan heat 1 cup of sugar, 3 TBSP cold water and 1 tsp vinegar.  Boil until 235 degrees or until the liquid “hairs” (which means when you pour it off a spoon the last drop falls and a thin line that looks like hair hangs from the spoon.)  This will also take several minutes.

Beat the heated mixture into the egg whites, adding 1 tsp vanilla.  Spread onto cake.

For some this frosting recipe might seem a bit daunting and I can tell you that when I made it for the cake below it took me two tries because I didn't beat the egg whites long enough. I say no big deal. The rejected batch made a yummy fruit dip that made many members of our family happy.

cfc muscles

In an attempt to become less black and white and less all or nothing, I practiced an unprecedented act of moderation as I wrapped up the clean food challenge.

Yesterday was a road trip to watch Sandi's hometown win basketball gold- in the form on the coveted gold ball a team gets for winning the state championship.  The day started with a big bowl of oatmeal and spin class.  By 10:30 I was starving from my toes and ate the leftover tempeh and grilled veggies with pesto.  Eight of us packed into the Carver's Yukon and drove the hour to Augusta to watch the game. 

We stopped at Panera Bread for lunch and truthfully I was a bit scared to eat out on the CFC.  Having eaten 90 minutes ago, I decided to just eat the food I had packed. During the afternoon I made my way through my dried fruit, nuts, pear, apple, banana and water. 

I started to sweat it a little when the decision was made to go out to eat for supper.  I chose fish, salad and baked potato, deciding with just hours to go I would allow myself some salad dressing, croutons and sour cream.  There was a surprising amount of internal back and forth about ending the cleanse on the supper of the seventh night.  Could I really do that?  Would I allow myself to do that?

Awareness came over me.  My goals on the cfc were to reset, to feel clean and to cultivate mindfulness.  If mindfulness is achieved then I also have the responsibility to listen to what happens in the quiet spaces.  the truth was I was done.   I had fulfilled the cleanse and my goals and there was no need to do an extra day.  In actuality the want for the 8th day was just to delay the bumpy reentry to regular food.  And if I felt uncertain about my ability to be moderate with everyday food when the cleanse ended then what had I really gotten from the cleanse?

You get it?  It's a little messed up but it turns out I like food rules more than I'm comfortable admitting.  And that, while guidelines are infinitely helpful to me, rigid rules have a tendency to backfire.  I expect such strict adherence from myself that eventually I feel caged in and I revolt.

I decided to take two steps away from the rules.  I came home and made a cup of tea and had one of Sandi's grandmother's homemade molasses cookies.  I didn't eat it standing up or breaking off piece by piece, hoping the pieces didn't add up to a whole.  I sat down and ate it off a plate and enjoyed every bite. 

I gave myself the kindness I would to a friend.  You did a great job.  You did enough.  It doesn't have to perfect. 

This for me is progress.  This is moderation.  This is me existing somewhere between ALL or NOTHING. 

I'm finding there to be a fine line between self-disciplined and downright inflexible.  Last night's cookie wasn't me cheating. I don't even know how to cheat. I am the girl who has never hits snooze, who has to run the exact miles listed on her training plan, who doesn't know how to cut a corner and is normally way too attached to an idea to do a seven day cleanse for six and 3/4 days.

So I'm proud of myself for eating a cookie?  Is that what I'm saying?  I guess it is. 

On the cookie thread, I want to brag for a moment and flex my CFC muscles.  This past week we had a snow day and I always bake with the kids on snowdays. 

People, I made chocolate chip cookies and I didn't eat a single morsel. 

Maya, my ever present culinary assistant:

I adapted this recipe from one Ange found on the Chobani yogurt website.

 Chocolate Chip Cookies (made with greek yogurt)
Makes about 2 dozen large cookies

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 6 oz. greek yogurt
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 c. white whole wheat flour
 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• ½ cup oats, ground
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter, yogurt, and sugars with electric mixer until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat until smooth. Add baking soda and sea salt; mix until combined. Gradually add flours, alternating between the two, and beat until mixed well. Fold in chocolate; mix well.

Cook at 375 for 13-15 min.



I am happy to report that my first morning off the CFC has gone very well.  I have enjoyed two glorious cups of Tazo tea and I don't feel the need to make up for lost food.  I feel content and centered and I am certain this has to do with listening to my needs and responding in kind, rather than with rigid parameters of self-control.  Somehow, I feel like I just got the true spirit of the clean food cleanse.  It is more about how I eat rather than what I eat.

cfc: trucking through days 3 and 4

It turns out I can live without cake.

It's coffee that I seriously, achingly miss.

Today I was volunteering in Ella's first grade class room and the ed tech sitting next to me had a fresh coffee- some sort of English toffee deliciousness. I feared I might wrestle her to the floor for it.

All in all though I am doing well, eating well and proud to be taking such impeccable care of my body which does kind of a lot for me on a daily basis.

Here's some of what I've been eating and some recipes too!

CFC lunch: tangy basmati rice and Emilie's carrot miso soup.

(I humbly apologize I do not know the source of most of these recipes.  They have been collected through the cfc network Emilie has created and some I've collected over time.)

Tangy Basmati Rice

1 cup basmati rice (I use brown)
1 3/4 cups water
1 Tbsp oil or ghee
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp crushed coriander seeds
3 Tbsp grated coconut
1/4 cup chopped almonds or raw cashews
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a small pan, heat up oil and add mustard seeds, turmeric, coriander seeds and nuts. When
seeds begin to pop, add coconut and stir well to toast and blend spices. Set aside until rice is
ready, at which point stir into rice with lemon juice and chopped cilantro.


Carrot Soup with Miso and Sesame:
(given to me by Emilie and absolutely delicious)
Soup
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 regular or 6 small garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 tablespoon finely chopped or grated ginger, or more to taste (it could easily be doubled)
4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup white miso paste, or more to taste

To finish
Drizzle of toasted sesame oil
2 scallions, very thinly sliced

Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots, onion and garlic sauté until onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add broth and ginger. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender when pierced, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in blender, or all at once with an immersion blender. In a small bowl, whisk together the miso an a half-cup of the soup. Stir the mixture back into the pot of soup. Taste the soup and season with salt, pepper or additional miso to taste.

Ladle into bowls and garnish each with a drizzle of sesame oil and small mound of scallions.


I also made a giant batch of this quinoa edamame salad.

Quinoa Edamame Salad

Recipe adapted from Thermador Kitchens by Our Best Bites

1 c. black quinoa (if you can find it–try the bins at Whole Foods. But really, any type of quinoa will work)
2 c. water
1/2 c. rice wine vinegar
6 TBSP olive oil
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 limes, juiced
1 T. honey
3/4 tsp. salt (plus more to taste, if desired)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs. frozen, shelled edamame (green soybeans)
4 green onions, thinly sliced
½ c. chopped peanuts (optional)

Cook quinoa (click here to find out how!) While the quinoa is cooking, whisk together the vinegar, oil, lime juice, honey, salt, cilantro, and garlic. Allow it to stand while you prepare the rest of the salad.

For the edamame, you have a few options. You can steam it in a steamer or the microwave until the desired doneness is reached, you can rinse the beans under some hot water for about a minute or two, or you can briefly rinse the beans and then toss them with the hot quinoa when it is done cooking–it just depends on how done you prefer your edamame. Whichever option you choose, you’ll toss the beans with the green onions and the cooked quinoa. Toss with the dressing and then season to taste. Garnish with fresh peanuts and enjoy! Makes a lot–like 18-20 small servings.


I've really been loving the freedom to eat nuts.  Another version of morning oatmeal: oats and amaranth cooked with a banana, coconut and a spoonful of peanut butter. YUM.


For some reason I thought it would be a good reason to try to make a bunch of food before getting the kids off to school this morning.  I crave variety and when you are limiting your food families, it's cfc suicide to get bored with what you are eating.   Plus when you make big batches of nutritionally packed, super clean foods, you want to share it with your friends who just had two babies at the same time or the ones who drop food at your house randomly so you can be spared the chore of making dinner.

The makings for mango quinoa salad:
(if this cfc week had a theme it would have to be quinoa)

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups cold water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped
• OR: 1/2 cup dried mango slices, soaked overnight, then cut in 1/2 inch dice
• 1/4 cup blanched slivered or sliced almonds
• 2 Tbsp roasted pumpkin seeds
• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced

Dressing Ingredients:
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Wash quinoa and boil in water for 10 minutes
2. Cover and let quinoa sit until it absorbs all the water
3. Fluff quinoa with a fork and let it cool to room temperature
4. Peel the mango and cut into cubes
5. Peel and slice the cucumber thinly
6. Add cucumber to mango along with the almonds and pumpkin seeds
7. Heat 1 tsp oil in a small pan and fry with turmeric for 30 seconds, then let it cool
8. Add the lime juice
9. Mix in olive oil, cilantro, salt and pepper with a whisk or a fork
10. Add the cooled quinoa to the mango mixture, pour the dressing over the salad, and toss
11. Serve immediately, or cover and chill

And lastly, I made a lentil nut loaf:

Lentil Nut Loaf (or patties):
2 c. cooked lentils
1/2 c. chopped nuts or seeds
1 onion quartered
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. rolled oats
1/3 c. water
1/2 tsp. coriander

Blend oats until fine.  Empty into mixing bowl with nuts.  Blend smooth the rest of the ingredients then mix with oats and nuts.  Let mixture sit for 10 minutes then place in a greased loaf pan.  Bake 50 minutes at 350 degrees.  (For patties bake for 30 minutes, then flip and bake for an additional 10.)

Lunch yesterday was all compliments of Emilie: black bean burger with avocado and tomato and a bowl of pureed squash with maple syrup.

Perhaps the best part of my week so far was being granted a kitchen secret that might revolutionize my culinary life.  All mason jars are universal fits to blender bottoms.  You can make salad dressing right in the jar you want to store it in.  Or smoothies for the road.  Or ice coffee....but I digress.

Lastly for supper last night was salad with tahini balsalmic dressing and warm roasted sweet potatoes. 

I actually feel a bit like I'm eating for a queen.

Anyone else want to report in on how it is going this week?