It's a No-Go for the Tofu and my Teenager

(Krista)

Well, you probably guessed it, she didn't like it. Actually she wouldn't even try it. She knows me to well. I'm always trying to get her to eat "weird" food and she has caught on. She did try a noodle and said "it's ok." My 6 year old niece tried the tofu and liked it. She actually had seconds, way to go Krista.

So there you have it, give your kids "weird" food when they're young so they will eat it when they are teenagers.

Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry

This recipe is so yummy I had to share it with you. I wanted to make something with tofu that I thought my daughter would eat. So here goes:

Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry:

8 oz. tofu, drained
13 oz. of teriyaki sauce (I bought a bottle from grocery store)
8 mushrooms, halved
1/2 large white onion, chopped
1 cup cooked broccoli
1/2 pkg. spaghetti noodles
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

First you need to marinate your tofu. Drain your tofu and slice into 1/2" thick pieces. Place your tofu into a dish. Mix garlic powder with teriyaki sauce and pour over tofu. Just enough to cover. Probably about 1/4 of a cup, I didn't measure. Place in refrigerator while your prepping everything else.

Boil a large pot of water and add your spaghetti noodles. Cook until tender, drain. In medium skillet add 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Saute onions, mushrooms and minced garlic with 2 Tbsp. soy sauce. Cook until onions are tender. (I could eat just this for my meal, YUM)

Take your tofu out of refrigerator and fry in skillet, you can use the same skillet that you used to cook the onions and mushrooms in. Cook 4-5 mins. on each side. I used my cast iron skillet because it had ridges. I thought the lines in the tofu would help trick my daughter into thinking it was meat. :)

In large bowl pour in spaghetti noodles, broccoli, mushroom and onions. Add tofu and remaining teriyaki sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

It's so yummy. Alexis (my daughter) isn't home from school yet, but I'll let you know if she likes it or not. Keep your fingers crossed.

Homemade Bagels with Pesto Cream Cheese

Why? Why? Why? Have I never tried making homemade bagels before, I have no idea. They are so yummy. Crispy on the outside and warm and fluffy on the inside.

I got out my bread machine this morning and was going to make some focaccia bread but ran across a bagel recipe and thought I'd give it a try. Ahhh, I'm glad I did. I just used the recipe from the bread machine book.

Bagels need cream cheese right? How about pesto cream cheese. Here's how I made my pesto.

1 bunch of fresh parsley
1 bunch of fresh basil
1 sprig of rosemary
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup olive oil
1 pkg. 8 oz. cream cheese- softened

Put all ingredients, except cream cheese, in food chopper and blend until nice and smooth. Add more olive oil if it's to pasty. In large bowl pour your pesto in and add cream cheese. Stir well until all is mixed and creamy. Spread cream cheese on your delicious bagels and enjoy.

Also try drizzling on some honey and sprinkle with cinnamon, on the other half of course. Yummy!!

Quick and Healthy Breakfast Ideas

Everyone needs a healthy breakfast to start their morning right. Well, at least I do. No, coffee and a donut don't count. Our favorite quick breakfast ideas are yogurt parfaits and warm oatmeal.

Yogurt parfait can be made many many different ways. I usually use granola, yogurt and what ever fresh fruit I have on hand. Layer it in a pretty glass and wow, breakfast is beautiful. It's also very yummy and healthy. You can substitute granola for oats or nuts. The kids love it :)

Warm oatmeal is my favorite breakfast. I use to eat cream of wheat all the time. I only cooked with oats, you know, oatmeal raisin cookies. One day I decided to try them for breakfast, no not the cookies. I heated up some water, added it to my oats. Threw in some raisins, honey and some cinnamon= WOW. What a awesome breakfast! I have been hooked ever since. So yummy!

What are your favorite quick and healthy breakfast ideas?

Cleaning out my Pantry: Part 2

(Before)

No, your not looking at the same pictures. There is a little difference. I got rid of some "junk". For the most part my pantry is pretty healthy. I try to can a lot of my food from my garden in the summer so I don't have to buy processed vegetables that are loaded with salt and other preservatives. I eat a lot of beans and honey is my favorite sweetener. But I still needed to give the cabinets a "cleaning".

(After)

This year I have decided to teach my 17 year old how to grocery shop. I want her to learn how to check the item to see what price she is paying per ounce. You know, the little sign on the shelf that tells you "29.1 cents per oz". This way she can compare different items with coupons to see which is her best offer. She has also started clipping coupons.

Our agreement was that I would buy the main food to make meals and such. Any "junk" food that she wanted she would have to shop for. I'm hoping this will show her also how expensive junk food is. I hear people say that it is so expensive to eat healthy, I think it's expensive not to. If you can grow some of your food, you can cut back on your grocery bill significantly. That's a whole other post.

The left side of the cabinet is my side and the right side is hers. We'll have to see what gets put on her side. Betcha is won't be much....

Cleaning out my Pantry and Getting Real

Once a Month mom has a "Get Real 2012" challenge. It's a year long series of helping you change to "whole foods". I did the "100 days of real food" challenge back in the fall. I only did the "mini" challenge of 10 days. But let me tell you, I never felt better. I'm not going to lie and tell you it was easy, it's hard to come up with recipes your whole family can eat. And cooking goodies, that's another challenge. Love the re-fried bean recipe.

One of my new years resolutions was to try and eat vegan. That has only lasted for 4 days. I miss my cheese and eggs. I'm defiantly stopping the meat though. This series from Once A Month Mom will help me to get back on track with healthy whole food eating. They have every month planned out with different topics each month. Jump over and check it out.

January is Pantry cleaning with Lisa from "100 days of Real Food".
I'm headed to the kitchen for a little cabinet cleaning. Join me and clean out your cabinets.

Happy New Year 2012

Welcome 2012! A new year and new goals.

Last year I meet a lot of my goals:

-replaced back door
-removed skylights
-paid off two credit cards
-got 4 more chickens
-got rid of bamboo

Still working on:

-paying off last credit card (only 2 payments left)
-saving up 3 months worth of monthly bills

Goals for 2012:

-Give More (give more of God's money back to him)
-eat more meals at home
-try to eat as much of a vegan diet as possible (I love my cheese)
-expand my garden to be more fruitful this year
-finish master gardener class and get certified (starts Jan. 11)

All in all, I'm very blessed to have what I need. God is good. Let's see what He has in store for 2012.

Growing Shiitake Mushrooms

Has anyone every grown shiitake mushrooms? A local farmer told me that you can make pretty good money growing these and selling them to local restaurants. I have done a little research and am thinking about growing some. They don't seem to hard to grow, just need time. Any suggestions would be GREAT!!