smart...

I spotted this recipe book today on Oprah... it actually kind of excited me. I have been using pureed cauliflower and butternut squash for sauces on pasta, but I hadn't really thought to use it for anything else. This book sets my wheels turning for other ways to use pureed vegetables and sneak it into food whenever possible.... I'm off to Borders tomorrow to pick it up.... I'll let you know what tasty concoctions I come up with.....
The recipe for chicken nuggets has pureed spinach inside.... ha ha kids!

great cookbook

A WORLD OF WISDOM, by Amy Cox Jones is wonderful cookbook, for all of you health-conscious mommys. It definitely isn't your average cookbook as recipes are separated by season. Living in Las Vegas, where pretty much nothing is "home-grown" I find myself not even knowing when things are in season (which of course, is when we should be eating them). This book straightens it all out focusing on a grain based, low animal product, whole food diet. The recipes are super tasty, the author is a sweetheart, and I love having it as a reference as I try to feed my family what's best.

Go buy it at Amazon, cook up some nutritious grub, and you will feel like a domestic goddess.

Cake Pan

I got my Sur la Table catalog in the mail last week.... check out this Giant Cupcake-Cake Pan..... I can't wait to bake a cake using this!

This post was written before everyone used amazon for everything... here is an amazon link:)

Whole Wheat Cookies

We made some tasty whole wheat cookies last week. I stole the recipe from here.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 C Unsalted butter
1 C Sugar
1 C Light Brown Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Vanilla
2 eggs
2 Cups sifted Whole Wheat Flour
1 C Flour
3/4 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Salt
2 C Semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter & sugars in an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix in vanilla & eggs. Combine flours, baking soda & salt. Gradually blend flour mixture into butter mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and drop onto a cookie sheet that has been lined with silpat or that has been greased. Bake 8-10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets before placing on a wire rack.

Our Weekend

We had an eventful weekend...
1. Kate went "pee pee in da poddy," (in the picture you can see her listening for a tinkle :) )
2. Taylor and Jackson were entrepenuers, opening up their first lemonade stand to the public in our front yard. Seeing as there is no traffic by our house Chad and I spent $5 on our own food and drinks. But we loved seeing them so ambitious! They even drew a picture asking us if they could please do it and showing us what they wanted it to look like..

3. Taylor looked lovely for her dance pictures, dressed as snow white....
4. I finished my cousin E.J's invites for his water party...
5. I made some bread that I have been learning how to make from my cooking class...

6. Chad and I went to Kona Grill with some friends.... YUM! (I had the lemon crusted halibut with coconut curry sauce)
7. Amazing dinner at Mom's on Sunday.

Now that the crazy weekend is over, I am definitely not ready for Monday, but I am grateful for my life and all of its chaos....

How to Hard Boil an Egg

I am so excited! I finally figured out how to hard boil and egg! I have done it many times before, but the eggs always having a dark gray/green tint around the yolk and the whole thing is dry. But now.... you can call me the "Eggspert" (egg expert). I owe it all to my dear friend Martha, who has taught me this important necessity for Easter. And might I say, the eggs taste SO much better. Try it out for yourself and enjoy your eggs on Easter. And for those of you who think you already know how to make hard-boiled eggs.... hard-boiled eggs are never actually boiled..... So if you didn't know that tid bit of info, you better re-learn how to do it. Bon Apetit!

Happy April Fool's Day!

In honor of April Fool's Day, here is what my kids had for breakfast....

Z Pizza

Tonight for dinner, my family and I ordered food from a pizza place called, "Z Pizza".... It was so good! They make pizza from quality, healthy ingredients including organic tomatoes, fresh ground wheat, and all kinds of fresh vegetables. You can even order a vegan pizza with soy cheese and veggie sausage and whole wheat crust. They also have great salads and sandwiches. It always makes me excited to see health-concious restaurants with fresh ingredients. If they have a franchise in your area it is definitely worth a try!

Delightful Dwell

Dwell's baby bedding is so fresh and modern and they a have some new designs that are so adorable. I especially love the garden and cowboy bedding. Almost makes me want to have another baby.... almost.

Tasty Recipes

Last night I tried the Chicken Tetrazzini from the Martha Stewart FOOD magazine (I substituted whole wheat linguine, and olive oil to saute the mushrooms)... Super tasty and quite nutritious! Another one of my favorites from "FOOD" is the tortilla pie. Give them a try, they are pretty simple and really good!