stories and recipes from a young mom who is still just trying to figure it all out!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Very Quick Lasagna

My lasagna definitely does the job on the days I don't feel like cooking. I have also discovered that it freezes exceptionally well and the ingredients are so cheap, why not make 2 or 3 for future dinners?

You will need...

a box of lasagna noodles (sometimes I like whole wheat, but the man doesn't, so it is up to you)

crushed tomatoes or canned tomato sauce

1 zucchini, diced

1 package mushrooms, sliced

2 red bell peppers, sliced

1 onion, diced

mozzarella cheese, shredded

grated Parmesan cheese

ricotta cheese (oddly, Beau hates this cheese! So i leave it out of mine)

fresh basil and oregano, chopped

butter or olive oil for cooking

in a large pot, boil your noodles, stirring to keep from sticking and then strain. Toss with butter or olive oil to keep them from sticking together and set aside.

Saute the mushrooms and onions with butter in a saute pan until just, soft. Set aside and saute the zucchini and red bell pepper until just soft. Now the fun part...

in a pan spread some tomato sauce so the noodles do not stick, and lay down your cooked noodles. On top of this add ricotta if you are using it, but if you do not like ricotta then layer some moz. cheese and lay another layer of noodles on top of it. Top this with some sauce, and then the veggies. Add one more layer of noodles, top with more sauce and then layer both cheeses on the top. Sprinkle with the herbs.

At this point you can either cover with saran wrap and freeze or bake in a 350 degree oven until the cheese is melted and everything looks delicious.

This is just my quick lasagna, but the great thing about this particular dish is its versatility! Swap out veggies for other veggies, add meat, or even use a white bechemal sauce instead of the red. The noodles are your canvas! and luckily, it is very hard to go wrong with layers of sauce, noodle and veggie.

"Chaos is a friend of mine"

Becoming a mother has been one of the most challenging things I have done in my life thus far. Becoming a mother with a huge young dog is proving to be impossibly chaotic.

Beau and I had had "puppy fever" for quite some time now and we kept talking about getting a puppy. We wanted a Bernese Mountain Dog or a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog. Huge gentle giants known for their calm, family orientated nature. And what beautiful dogs they are! But unfortunately, living in the desert makes breeders of these dogs very rare, and the few that do breed them take full advantage of their growing popularity by charging $2000 and up! Ya, right...

So when my mom told us about a program that lets you adopt breeder dogs for free and all you have to do is let the program take them and pimp them off twice a year, we jumped at the chance! The dogs are very well trained, beautifully bred to look their best, and you get to use the program's vet, boarding and training. Then as an added bonus, the program is a place that provides guide dogs to the blind free of charge, so in a way we are helping a wonderful cause. We visited the dogs twice and met Bob Dylan, a beautiful chocolate lab. As soon as I saw his perfect face I knew it was over for me. We brought him home that weekend.

When we brought Dylan home, he immediately found the toys we had bought for him, ran around the yard and snuggled up in his very large crate that came with him. This was going to be the start of a beautiful friendship...


Fast forward about a week. I have now learned that Dylan must be briskly walked twice a day, no matter that it is absolutely freezing a windy outside, or he gets bored and destroys the house. So my mornings are spent bundling up the baby, pulling Dylan off the furniture and shoving us all outside where we then walk all over town until he is tired enough to just sit nice and eat his toys. He has so far desroyed my only black bra, a huge body pillow that left fluff all over the house, a baby toy and so many dog toys I can't even remember the number. He has also eaten a pumpkin pie and a stick of butter. As I write this I am puppy-sitting my mom's dog (from the same program. She raises them to be guide dogs someday) and Dylan is outside. He has destroyed our screen door which I am sure my landlord is going to love, and he is now standing on top of the washing machine, looking into the kitchen window.

That is the funny thing about labs. They are such beautiful, happy looking dogs and you bring them home expecting to have photos of that perfect, all-American family with your dog sitting nice in the center... and then you realize you are now living out pages from the book Marley and Me. And yet you still love them! There is something about a smiling Labrador retriever face that you cannot help but forgive which is probably why we are all still breeding them and claiming they are perfect family dogs.

Add all this puppy chaos to a screaming colic-y baby and you have a petty clear picture of my life right now. Which is why I absolutely relish those couple of hours after Beau gets home and we walk the dog, then bathe the baby and put her to bed and we can snuggle up on the couch and talk about our days or just quietly watch Bitchin' Kitchen on the cooking channel (my new obsession). Those few hours are my favorite of the day and looking forward to it helps me look past the destroyed baby toys and just laugh when Dylan pulls out my box of Christmas decorations and litters them all over the floor. It's all good, because in only 3 more hours, Beau will be home... And yesterday he just happened to come home with a beautiful bouquet of flowers that are now sitting in front of me and they smell amazing. Maybe I do live in that perfect all-American family portrait.


"A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do." - Bob Dylan


Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Gravy Me


"mmm biscuits and gravy," I mused out loud. I had wonderful memories of sitting around campfires with my family, thick buttery biscuits smothered in creamy country gravy on my paper plate. We never got very fancy with them, it was all mostly pop-out-of-a-tube biscuits and some simple gravy from a packet, but it is truly one of my favorite meals.

"I've never had 'em," Beau said. I stared at him in disbelief and bought some biscuits the very next day. How on earth could anyone have lived for 25 years and never have had biscuits and gravy??

So this morning while I was lying in bed waiting for Beau to get the baby without realizing he was gone taking the dog for a walk, I decided this chilly morning was the perfect day to enlighten Beau with the beautiful thing that is, yes I will say it again, Biscuits and la Gravy!

I use the basic pop-out biscuits with a little black pepper sprinkled on top and melted butter painted over the top after they get out of the oven. Nothing fancy! And then, you can buy the Jimmy Deen sausage in the little tube and either make it into patties or brown it in a pan in crumbles that will later get mixed into the gravy. Mixing in some seasonings makes it that much more special. It sort of depends on what you like, but some garlic salt, fennel, or thyme are all yummy. And then the best part... gravy.

Some people seem to be letting their lives pass them by without ever knowing how to make homemade gravy. Shame on you! It is so easy and so so delicious! You will only need a few things:

a couple Tbsp of butter
a small handful of flour
about 2 or 3 cups of milk (this is country gravy, not brown)
salt and pepper
the drippings from the sausage you were cooking, or any other yummy drippings
a whisk

Heat the milk in a pot or the microwave. In a pan (it does not have to be a pot. I use a saute pan with sides) melt the butter. Once melted, sprinkle the flour in the pan and whisk it around until incorporated. Without letting it brown, slowly pour in the milk while whisking. Let it simmer at a medium heat while whisking until it begins to thicken. This can take about 5 minutes. If it never thickens, sprinkle in a little more flour and whisk. Once it is thick and has cooked for a while (you want to cook out the flour flavor) season with salt and pepper, then pour in the drippings (and sausage if that is how you roll) and stir. Ta da! That's it! Be sure to taste it for the correct seasoning. It may take more salt than you realize.

Then you can pour the gravy over your sausage and biscuits and savor. Mmmm... Best when enjoyed by a campfire, but when this is not possible, it is just as good when sitting across the table from your man.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair...

Beau is working late tonight, and in an effort to relax I decided to listen to a podcast I had downloaded a year ago from Yoga to the People and do yoga for an hour. I had no idea it would make me miss Berkeley so much!

Not just Berkeley as a place, but also who I was when I first began my journey to the city. It brought back feelings and memories of the beautiful smells, the damp air and soggy streets, and most of all, the exciting feeling that everything was brand new. It was a time when I was not only exploring a new and strange city, I was also exploring myself. I couldn't soak in enough of the people, the crazy random shops and the thousands of restaurants. I would never be in want of a coffee shop. For the first few months it rained and rained but I didn't mind at all. There was not a day gone by when I didn't cuddle up in my warmest Southern California garb and discover something new- be it a cupcake like I had never dreamed existed, or a scary ghetto neighborhood where there happened to be a fantastic farmers market. I didn't pass up any invitation for a party, an art opening or to go out and meet new friends. I met people who have taught me those sorts of important things only strangers can teach you, and I have also met people who I couldn't wait to get away from. All in all, those damp days were something I will cherish forever. The simple joy of starting every day walking next to the bay; soaking it all in, as if I new my time was limited. I have never been so happy.



And even more than those beautiful mornings and eventful days, oh those San Fransisco nights! The night I went to an art opening on a whim and met some of the most entertaining people I could ever hope to mingle with. That art is still some of my favorite I have ever seen. And outside the gallery, on a cold dark street, stood a band consisting of a tuba, drums, trombone, and other odd instruments. As they played, a chubby girl wearing a beanie sold homemade cupcakes for a dollar. I was delighted!

And then there was the jazz band that played once a week at the cafe down the street. Every evening I would walk to the cafe, buy a cup of tea and sit by myself listening to jazz... but I never felt alone. I believe the word I am looking for is content. Completely content.

I wouldn't trade all of those yoga classes in the city, eccentric artists' openings and BART rides for anything in this world.

Here is to you Bay Area! Thank you for being my home for the short couple of years I was lucky enough to live there. I miss your random beauty among the yuck and that excited feeling I would get in my belly when I found something new I had never seen before. *Muah!*

Monday, November 15, 2010

when life hands you Lentils

This past week has been one of those weeks that flies by and all I can really remember of it is little blurs of exhausting events. You know that kind of week...

swoosh! There goes me getting scammed with a fraudulent check! Vroom! There's my doctor prescribing me the wrong birth control and it causing my breast milk to dry up and my baby to scream at me with hunger pains! Smash! I've just been hit with wedding to-do's and Christmas plans and a super tight budget! ...sigh...

Along with the bad, there has also been good but it was the kind of good that brings along its buddy, emotional exhaustion. Trying on wedding dresses, talking about the invitations and flowers and center pieces and Ahhh!!! With a really tight budget and only 7 months until the wedding date, I feel like I have been hit with a truck (a truck with cans tied to the back and "Just Married" written on the back windshield.) And along with everything else, as my baby gets bigger and cuter and more fun, she also gets more opinionated, fussy and she is starting to teeth. Needless to say, cooking fabulous meals and then writing about them has been way down on my to do list. And I mean waaay down. But I decided to sit at the computer today and blog anyway because I needed a little quiet mommy time. A little place where I can let it all hang out and complain.

Because today, as visions of Christmas to-do lists danced in my head and images of white dresses clouded my eyes, I did the classic Jasmine California stop a little ways up the street from my house and was immediately pulled over and ticketed. She said it was because my registration was expired, but no where is that mentioned on the ticket, just that I ran a stop sign (which I think is a little dramatic. "Ran" is not the right work for a really quick little stop-and-go-right-away). So there it is. A whole new week and already I have to show up in court and pay a fine for goodness only knows how much.

And now I am looking around and I can see that my flowers need to be watered, the wedding magazines need to be picked up and dinner needs to be started before my man gets home. The baby needs a nap, the floor needs to be vacuumed, the bills need to be paid, and the sink is full of dishes. I think of all of these people who give me strange looks or make snide comments because I stay at home to take care of my baby instead of working a "real" job and I wonder what their lives must be like where they can get away from it all for 8 hours a day and then come home to their family life. I think of it as a break! Don't try to tell me your life is harder because you have a real job. I never get a break from this! I don't get vacations or lunch breaks, and most of all, I don't get a paycheck! I am up at the butt crack of dawn with a boss who greets me by crying and sucking all of the nutrients out of my body and then poops. I spend my day making my man's house a place he is happy to come home to and I make sure his "kingdom" is running smoothly. Sometimes I forget to eat and I will dance around having to pee for hours before I get a chance to go. My hair looks like crap and the only make up I have time for is concealer to hide the dark circles and some mascara to make me look awake.

But the thing is, I wouldn't trade this last hard week for anything in the world. I do this job for free, but what I get out of it is more than I could have ever asked for. I have a man who loves me and tells me so when he comes home to me every night. And that screaming, pooping little bundle of spit up makes me more happy than I ever thought possible. So when my washing machine breaks, and the the car won't pass smog and I get a ticket, a fraudulent check, and the wrong birth control all in one week, well that's okay. Because I also get the toothless smiles, the hugs and all of the love I need to keep me pushing through.

So thank you to my little family! I love you guys and I am so happy that you love me enough to put up with the very simple dinner I will be serving you tonight; and I know you will not make a single complaint even if you really want to. =)

After a Hard Week Lentil Soup

4 or 5 strips of bacon
1 16 oz pack of lentils
1 large onion
2 ribs celery
3 small carrots
1 large beef (or pork) stock bone with marrow

in a saute pan, cook the bacon and render out all of the fat. Set the bacon aside and keep the fat. Dice all of the veggies and saute in the bacon grease. Add the lentils and saute for 1-2 minutes to soak up the bacon flavor. Pour the whole mixture in a crock pot, add filtered water a couple inches over the lentils and add in the beef bone. Cook on low until lentils are soft. Add more water if you need it. Season with salt and pepper and some dried herbs if you want them. Thyme, oregano, or sage are all good in this soup.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

a control freak like me

It's that time of the week again, where I bust out my notepad and cookbooks and come up with the menu for the coming week. I take this task very seriously which is how I manage to spend very little at the grocery store and never repeat the same dinners two weeks in a row. I try my best to make sure the dinners I come up with will share ingredients in order to save me money, give me leftovers, and maybe even be able to be packed into Beau's lunch. And did I mention I am trying to spend as little money as possible?

This week was especially exciting because my baby girl slept through the whole night for the very first time last night, and it seems that someone stuffed some of my brains back into my head. It is amazing what some sleep can do for you (and how lack of sleep can turn you into a clutz!). I feel like I can think clearly again, so the idea of making dinners while I have a little more energy was a very enticing idea indeed. I turned to my old faithfuls for ideas, Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and a small book called No-Fuss Dinners that never fails to send light bulbs hovering over my head. I very rarely actually use the recipes in the books, but if I see a soup or a roast then it starts my creative juices flowing and I start creating menu ideas.

I always lay out my grocery list with unnecessary detail that turns out to be quite necessary as I run through my week. I think of myself as just being very organized... Beau calls me a control freak.

First, I write out each day of the week and proceed to fill in the spaces with my dinner ideas. There is actually a thought process to this, I always try to line them up so I can use my leftovers at appropriate times or use certain vegetables before they will be past their prime. Then in blank spaces I start to brainstorm snacks I will want for the week, things I can make with the leftovers, and ideas of things to pack in Beau's lunch. Then underneath I create my grocery list and I even have a specific order for that. Although it would make sense to create it to go in the order of the store so I can be in and out quicker, instead I line it up to go with the day's dinner. For example, if on Monday I am having a roast and on Tuesday chicken, I will put my list in the week's order: chuck roast, onions, bones for stock, chicken, rice, etc. This way, if I happen to make a change on one day of the week, I can look at my list and get rid of the things I don't need. Yes, it is very OCD but it works for me. I learned this when I was buying large amounts of food for big groups of people that I was working for. For some reason this is just what worked and i carried it over even when I am only cooking for a family of 2 1/2.

Somewhat out of boredom and also because tonight is a "leftover" night and I have no recipes to share with you, I am going to share my grocery list. This is a sacred and beautiful thing... use it wisely. :)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Monday- sandwiches (on the go. we will be driving to my uncle's house)
Tuesday- roasted chicken thighs, Julia Child's rice and onions
Wednesday- slow cooked beef stew, braised collard greens
Thursday- stuffed bell peppers, green salad
Friday- spicy quesadillas, black beans
Saturday- lentil soup, baguette
Sunday- Leftovers

snacks: homemade yogurt, nuts/trail mix, Fiber one bars, cheese cubes, ants on a log

lunches: sandwiches (tuna, meat and cheese, pb&j), soups, penne and spinach salad, large green salad

...

bread
cheese (swiss and cheddar)
lunch meat
lettuce
tomato
chicken
onions
rice
butter
heavy cream
beef bones
bacon
dried thyme
dried orange peel
pork knuckles
chuck roast
collards
bell peppers
boxed spanish rice
bagged salad
whole wheat tortillas
lentils
baguette
penne pasta (whole wheat)
spinach
goat cheese
balsamic vinegar
fiber bars
crackers
starter yogurt
flour
sugar
herbal tea
fruit

And there you have it! That is literally my grocery list for the next week. I am anticipating spending a little more money than normal because I am out of some of my staples, but it looks to me like it will fit right into my weekly budget. Job well done!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

I like my buns toasty!

What to do, what to do... I almost always have a plan for my dinners because my life is hectic enough and I like to plan everything down to a T. Call me OCD but at least my life runs smoothly and I'm not running around like a crazy person looking for lost keys or forgetting to make my hubby's lunch. I am the queen of lists and I am proud of it!

But sometimes the lists need a little revising at the last minute, like on a night when you have spaghetti planned and that is the last thing you feel like eating. So what to do... well lucky for me, I had a house warming party a while back and there are still frozen Costco hamburgers in the freezer! So "what to do" turns into cheap-o meal #4- burgers!

Now burgers are all fine and dandy but don't we all get a little sick of the patty, lettuce, tomato, ho hum blah? I will raise my hand to that! So this meal cost me the price of buns, 1 red onion and a can of sliced pineapple. That plus a little trick to make the buns extra yummy and the burgers were gone so fast I didn't even have time to snap a picture of the deliciousness.

here is what to do...

I used a cast iron indoor grill but burgers can become a social gathering by lighting up the barby, so have at it if you have the time and a few cold beers. Cook the burgers like normal, adding a little seasoning salt for flavor. Slice some cheese and red onion and set aside. Layer a thin layer of mayo on some hamburger buns and set aside. Once the burgers are about halfway done throw some pineapple slices down and let them get dark grill marks on each side (yum!). after you flip the burgers and they are almost done, melt some cheese on top of them, then put the mayo-ed buns on the grill and grill them until they have crispy edges and have grill marks. And there you have it! Put a burger on a bun, top with grilled pineapple and onion and some bbq sauce and enjoy! Sounds simple because it is, and it is absolutely delicious! I love the sweetness of the pineapple with the burger and for some reason it just works with the cheese and bbq sauce. And um, hello? Who can say no to toasty buns!

So there it is. In a pinch, grilled pineapple burgers are a yummy way to get dinner in your man's belly without breaking the bank. Be sure to make lots of extra pineapple because it tastes amazing and I always eat at least half the can to myself!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

You say veggies, I say Pie!

All day I have been absolutely convinced it was Tuesday. Maybe if I do not cook dinner myself then the day is not a real day to me or something, but it got to be about 4pm before I finally realized it is Wednesday. Then I did a little dance because it is hump day and Beau gets paid on Monday. Woo hoo!

It was another one of those hectic type days where Ally is fussy in a doctor's office, but this time it was her doctor and she was getting her shots. I hate hate hate taking her to get her shots! I know it hurts me more than it hurts her, but oh does it kill me! Thankfully the nurses who give her the shots are all very sweet and always try their best to make me feel better. I would love everything about the doctor's office if it wasn't for some very odd murals on the walls. When you first walk into the building there is a painting of a tree and a couple fictional story book characters. You think "aww, a little kid friendly painting. how sweet." But then you look at it again and notice, oh my God is that a vagina??!! I swear the center of the tree, where the painter was trying to make a tree-like face I am assuming, there is a huge tree vagina. It looks so lifelike and pornographic I can't believe I seem to be the only person (besides my mom) who notices! It could be my dirty mind, but I sort of doubt it. And that's not all. When you go inside the office, in the hallway directly behind the waiting room, there is more to the painting. The artist painted the back of the vagina tree and made it look as though you were looking at the same scene from the waiting room, but from the back. Neat, right? Wrong. Behind the tree, in the dark shadows is the tin man wielding his ax very threateningly and looking like he is ready to hack the little storybook girls to pieces who are standing innocently in front of the tree... and did I mention this is my pediatricians office?

But anyway, Ally got her shots and she is now sleeping soundly in her crib and Beau and I are full and on the couch, both on our separate laptops. (technology sure gets in the way of bonding doesn't it?) After my emotionally exhausting trip to the doctor, i wanted an easy dinner to make and I am so lucky that this one was! I have never attempted anything like it and it just happened to be very simple and completely fantastic! What was it? Mushroom Pot Pie! And if you already have the ingredients to make a crust, as I do, then all you need to buy is a couple different types of veggies and boom badda boom, there it is! Super cheap, super easy, super healthy and yummy. I have been working on this crust for some time and I think I have it perfect! It is flaky and buttery and the exact kind of crust that I cannot stop eating.

VEGETABLE PIE

for the crust:
1 1/3 cups AP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 stick (8 tbsp) butter (I used a butter margarine blend for money saving sakes), chilled
3 Tbsp vegetable shortening
1/4 cup cold water

for the filling:
2 small onions, diced
2 small packs mushrooms, sliced
1 cup diced green beans
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
3 ribs celery, diced
3 carrots, diced
1 1/2 cups broth
3 heaping tsp flour
large pinch dried sage
salt to taste (make sure to taste! It uses a lot)

to make the crust: mix together the flour, salt and oregano. Add in the butter in chunks and the shortening. Use your fingers to mix and crumble together the mixture until it is incorporated. Slowly add in water, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Form into 2 balls, wrap in plastic wrap and chill. It will be a little soft, but it rolls out fine with a lot of flour on top and on the rolling pin. Roll it out and place in a pie tin. Cook in a 350 degree oven until golden; about 20 minutes.

for the filling: saute the onions and mushrooms until soft. add the rest of the vegetables and saute for a few minutes. Add stock then flour. Bring to a boil and then simmer until potatoes are soft and sauce is thickened. Pour into pie pan. Top with the other half of the dough (the raw half) and bake for 30 minutes or until golden. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving to set up.

I really enjoyed this dinner! The filling is very versatile though, you can add whatever veggies you want, meat, herbs or anything else you can dream up.


Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Cheap-o Dinner #2

Cheap meal #2 is turning into a take-out night! I can count the number of times I let us eat take-out for dinner on one hand, but it was one of those crazy days where you sit in a doctor's office for 2 hours with a screaming baby and cooking sounds completely lame-o. So when I came home all bedraggled Beau quickly suggested we get burritos from a little Mexican place down the street. I think he really wanted a burrito and dinner was going to be late if I tried to cook so I caved and we headed out to El Mariachi.

When I was in high school, El Mariachi was the place to be! But what can you expect from a little town with 3 fast food places and not much else in the way of quick food? The truth is, the burritos are huge and they aren't bad tasting so guys tend to love it. It is not my favorite place in the world but if you really feel like being a fatty then the carne asada fries are exactly what you are looking for. It is this massive pile of fries topped with cheese and meat and all the fixins. Yum!

I was planning on all of these healthy meals this week so the fast food sort of threw me off a little bit, but I made up for it with my favorite good-for-you breakfast, homemade yogurt! So instead of a cheap-o dinner recipe, I will give you my recipe for my breakfast this morning. If you do not make your own yogurt, hop to it! Yogurt is fantastic for you and if you buy the stuff in the store it has so many odd ingredients in it who knows if it is really yogurt or just a little plastic tub of chemicals and preservatives? Plus, I like plain yogurt and for some reason that is terribly hard to find. I eat a lot of yogurt, so I invested in a yogurt maker from Bed Bath and Beyond. The best $30 I ever spent!

I used to make my yogurt with exactly 2 ingredients: raw whole milk and 1/4 cup of a good yogurt that I would use as a starter. Then I moved to So Cal where I could not find raw milk in the regular grocery store and my yogurt would never set up! It always came out runny and I hate runny yogurt. And then I discovered (insert heavenly music) The Yogurt Bible by Pat Crocker! And ta-da! The secret ingredient as it turns out to thicken runny yogurt is powdered milk! So for those of us who sadly do not have access to raw whole milk, here is a recipe for plain yogurt.

PLAIN YOGURT
(from the Yogurt Bible)

4 cups fresh whole milk (this recipe can easily be doubled. I double it for my yogurt maker that makes 7 little glass jars full)
1/3 cup instant skim milk powder
1/4 cup organic live-culture yogurt (I use Fage. It's not organic but it is plain and I get 2 batches worth out of it)

In a stainless-steel saucepan, heat the milk to 170 degrees over a medium-low heat, stirring often. Add the skim milk powder and stir until incorporated. Remove from heat and let it cool to 110 degrees, stirring often. in a bowl, combine the starter yogurt and add 1/2 cup of the cooled milk. stir to combine and add to the rest of the cooled milk. pour into the clean cups and place in the yogurt maker *or* a temperature controlled environment. I have heard of people wrapping the yogurt jars in a warm towel, leaving them in a warm oven (100 degrees) or all sorts of things. You will have to continue to check the temperature of the yogurt so it doesn't get too warm or too cold. Leaving it in the warm (but turned off!) oven overnight should do the trick! If you like Greek style yogurt like I do, strain it in some cheesecloth before eating and drizzle with honey.

Veggie Me

To veggie or not to veggie... that is the question of the week. In an attempt to save some money this week, a lot of my dinners are meat-free, and I find myself wondering if vegetarianism might be something I want to commit to again.

I think just about everybody these days knows what it is to be a vegetarian. It just means you do not eat meat. There are plenty of other delicious ways to get your protein and in some ways it is cheaper. However, I have been a vegetarian off and on for 8 years and I find it is not so cut and dry as "do I want to eat meat or not". I could go on and on with reasons to not eat meat and I can be pretty convincing too! I can use the human body to prove to you that our bodies are not designed to eat meat, or I can tell you about how much energy you will have, the health benefits and all of the diseases you will prevent by cutting out animals. But the truth is, if I am true to my body and my experiences, I don't know if being a vegetarian is really the cure-all that I once believed it was.

The main four things that I always hear as reasons to go veggie are 1. your skin will be clear, 2. you will be thinner, 3. you will have more energy and 4. it is better for the environment. Sounds good right? But here is what I found happened to my body when I cut meat out of my diet.

First of all, it is important to note that vegetarian or not, you must eat a good diet to see good results. Junk food is junk food regardless of whether or not it contains animal products, and you should always eat lots of fruits and veggies.

Your skin will be clear...
My skin was terrible when I did not eat meat. I cannot explain it, maybe it was just a period of time in my life, but I had to wear so much make up as a vegetarian, and now as a meat eater I literally wear as little make up as possible and my skin is amazing! Is it because I am older? Or am I getting some sort of skin clearing nutrient that I was lacking in my meat free diet?

You will be thinner...
I have always been somewhat thin, but I did not like how I looked when I was a vegetarian. I seemed to gain weight in all the wrong places (read: Buddha belly anyone?) and I felt like my body shape was strange. However, when I took it a step further and cut out all animal products as a vegan, I was thin and I had trouble putting weight on! So maybe the secret of a thin body is no animal products at all. But I do know, that now with meat in my diet it is easier for me to lose weight and easier for me to build lean muscle that looks much better on my body. I am thin both ways, but there is no doubt that I like my body better now.

You will have more energy...
yes this one was true. I felt cleaner in a way, like I was less heavy and I had a lot more energy. But it could be argued that it is because as a veggie you eat a lot more vegetables in place of meat and vegetables do give you more energy. But whatever the reason, I would always pop up first thing in the morning, go for a jog and be full of beans all day! I loved it and I do miss that extra energy.

It is better for the environment...
this is also true. Mass production of cows has really been terrible on our land and the air, plus not to mention horrible for the way the cows are being raised now. So sometimes the choice to not eat meat is solely a moral one. I believe it was Ghandi who said "you can know a country by how they treat their food". Unfortunately for us, we do not treat our food very well. (just watch Food Inc!)

So there it is... good reasons and bad reasons to not eat meat (for my body anyway). So what to do? Regardless of what I decide to do in the long run, for now there was no meat in my soup last night. And the price of the soup? Literally zilch! I already had all of the ingredients, and although I would add more flavors in the way of spices or herbs next time, it was filling and Beau and I ate it up with some yummy bread that cost me $2.50 from Wal Mart.

Soup that Cost me Zilch

3 small onions
6 small carrots
3 celery ribs
4 small potatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 head cabbage
filtered water
salt and pepper to taste
a pinch cayenne and paprika

dice all of the veggies to bite sized pieces. saute the onion first, then add the carrots and celery and saute for a little while. Then add the rest of the ingredients and fill the pot with water until the veggies are covered plus some. Salt well and serve with bread.


This one pot will feed us for days and even if I would have bought everything it is very very cheap. But like I said, a little flavoring will go a long way. I liked it with sour cream in it!