Challenge!!!

Home sweet home.  We're back from our rock concert and our challenge to stick to our non-processed diet while away from home.  We were all of 20 minutes out of town when we realized we were very hungry.  When we saw our options at the rest stop were Sbarros, McDonalds, or Panda Express, we realized we should never have publicly declared our goal were facing a true challenge!  We decided to go the good ole' gas station route, where luckily for us they sold bananas and mixed nuts.  Problem solved!

We got to the city and shopped until we were starving.  We went into the food court at Watertower mall and decided to get a bite to eat at Mity Nice.  What a pleasant surprise when we saw a menu that included several homemade dishes, including homemade whole wheat pitas with hummus and roasted red pepper dip.  Oh. My. Delish.  Meal #1, accomplished!

After some more shopping, we had got ready and headed to the rock concert.  Thanks to a taxi driver that drove like a bat out of hell, we got to the venue early, so Mr. McGhee suggested we find someplace to get a drink.  Since Mr. McGhee had spent the entire day shopping with me, I agreed to have a drink with him.  Because I can compromise like that.  We walked into this bar and I quickly realized this was not a "I'll have a margarita, fresh-squeezed organic lime juice, a teaspoon of agave nectar, and a shot and a half of tequila. And I want the good tequila, not that cheap crap" kind of place.  So, I had one of those "when in Rome" moments and ordered a beer.  And, then I got all worried about the processed rules of drinking beer...and I had no access to google to find my answer.  Then, Mr. McGhee reminded me that there is alcohol in beer and, surely, the alcohol will kill all the harmful effects of processing.  I choose to believe him.  Because Mr. McGhee is really smart and has one of those fancy jobs where he puts letters after his name in his signature.   So, drink up folks!  Plus, the beer I ordered came with a slice of orange.  Antioxidants, bonus!

The concert was way fun.  The real exciting part happened before the concert when started we saw a fight.  It was one of those girls-pointing-fingers-and-shouting sort of fights, but I was still a little nervous.  I kept saying to Mr. McGhee, "do you think I should go over there and talk to that girl and tell her she is way too pretty to be fighting and it does nothing for her cuteness to be acting like this?"  And Mr. McGhee said no, I should MYOB.  Thankfully, the music started and the fighting ended. 

We had a lot of fun and before we knew it, it was 11 o'clock.  We decided it was time to go and as we headed out we realized we hadn't eaten since lunch.  Not cool!  We found ourselves wandering around the streets of the windy city looking for something to eat.  At this point I was stressing because I was cold, hungry, and I knew there was an episode of House Hunters International on tv that I was missing out on.  We quickly realized that nothing was open, so we headed back to the hotel with the intention of ordering salads from room service.  At the hotel, we noticed that room service closed at 10:30 pm, and even though it was after 11, Mr. McGhee gave them a call.  I had no worries because people have a hard time saying no to Mr. McGhee, but, nope, I was wrong.  No room service, but they did send some carry out menus up to our room.  And then.....I am hanging my head here......we ordered pizza.  And, we missed House Hunters International and watched The First 48 instead.  Which means I had scary someone-is-trying-to-murder-me dreams all night rather than my usual we-are-moving-to-Ecuador dreams.

We started our morning with a clean slate and some coffee.  We did some more shopping.  Isn't Mr. McGhee a sport when it comes to shopping?  If only I could convince him to carry my purse, I'd be golden.  We found this cute little cafe that had fabulous salads and homemade soup for lunch.  Easy peasy and delish too!  We did a bit more shopping and walking around in the 12 degree weather with snow pelting us in the face, when Mr. McGhee declared it time for a coffee break.  So we stopped at the food court and then the clouds parted and the angels sang.  There was a fresh-squeezed juice bar.  I ran over there and was so excited I got caught up in the turnstile to get into the food court and this gentleman was all "ma'am, this is the exit turnstile, I'm going to have to ask you to go through the enter turnstile to get into the food court."  And, I was all like, "dude, I am about to hurdle this exit turnstile, because, clearly, you don't understand that is a fresh-squeezed juice bar right there."  I finally made it to the juice bar and ordered my drink....which involved 3 whole carrots, an apple, and fresh ginger.  Oh. My.  Delish.  Look at me, I am radiating from the turnstile incident happiness. 

We called it a day and headed home to pick up the minis from the grandparents' house.  I have got to tell you a story about my miniest mini. 

When asked to describe my miniest mini, 9 out of 10 people usually sum her up with one word, "spitfire".  I am not quite sure where she gets her spunk from, but I do know as a general rule of thumb, I stay out of her way.  She spent the night with the grandparents, which means they took her to the store to do some shopping.  They took her straight to *gasp* the cereal aisle and told her to pick out any cereal she wanted.  And my spunky little spitfire promptly informed them that nope, I can't eat cereal.  Bam!  So, off they take her to the ice cream aisle.  Nope, I can't have that either.  Bam!  And then, my dad lied and told her that mommy said chocolate pudding was okay.  Fail.  But, I am way impressed with her and choosing to forgive her for quitting tumbling, swim lessons, ballet and screaming throughout the entire Disney World Princess breakfast. 

So, I guess you can say we all failed our challenge.  Bummer.  We're back on the wagon starting tomorrow.  And I promise all of you that read this entire long and rambling blog post that I will be posting serious recipes all week, including a special Valentine's Day dinner!

Eat The Rainbow!!!

I was at my favorite local market this morning with my 2 youngest minis and I saw something that made my palms sweat and my heart race, and nope, it wasn't the grind-your-own peanut butter, it was these beauties.....

Come. To. Mama.  If you have never had organic rainbow carrots before, you need to run to the market and get some.  Do it.  Right now.  You will never eat another bag of baby carrots again.  Carrots are a great source of fiber and Vitamin A (they really do help you see in the dark!).  They also support healthy immune function, younger looking skin, and help repain sun-damaged skin.  So, for vanity's sake, eat your carrots!

So once I got my hands on these puppies, I had to totally change my dinner plans for tonight.  I was tempted to do a fancy schmancy carrot dish and then I realized my minis were as excited about these carrots as I was, so we will peel 'em and eat 'em raw.  We're hardcore like that!

Tonight's dinner is called lunch-for-dinner.  We are having wraps with tortillas, hummus, yellow grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and diced rainbow mini sweet bell peppers.  Our side dish will be rainbow carrots and roasted beets.  Dessert will be yogurt with mashed bananas and honey. 

Here's the beets.  Oh. My. Delish.  A few changes....I roasted mine for about an hour and I used balsamic vinegar instead of raspberry.  These were the best vegetable I have ever eaten.  If you love beets, try this.  If you hate beets, try this.

I just realized that we will be eating a boatload of rainbow veggies tonight.  That is excellent because it will guarantee two things.  One, our dinner conversation will revolve around how rainbow colored veggies lead to rainbow colored poop.  And, two, the McGhees will be getting a large dose of phytochemicals.  Phytochemicals are the compounds in fruits and veggies that give them the vibrant colors.  The deeper the color, the more phytochemicals in that fruit or veggie.  The crazy thing about phytochemicals is that there are thousands of them and scientists haven't really identified them or established what each phytochemical specifically does, but they do know they lower risk of cancer, chronic diseas and inflammation.  We do a rainbow challenge in our house, where the minis can make their own lunch and try to use as many colors on their plate that they can.  They love it, it's way fun and the resulting rainbow poop is oddly fascinating as well!

So, I am challenging all my readers to do a rainbow meal!  Let me know what you come up with!

I also thought I would share with you a little trick I just saw on pinterest.  You take a toothpick and etch a message or drawing on the skin on a banana.  Super fun.  Super easy.  Total guarantee your mini will be bragging on you at lunchtime, which hopefully will offset the "I am the only kid that doesn't get oreos" attitude.

Look at that face.  He clearly loves it.  He clearly never brushes his hair either, which is all part of his charm.

Tomorrow night, Mr. McGhee and I are going to a rock concert.  I know, I think it's a little shocking too, considering I've been known to say at 9:30 on a Saturday night, "Should we stay up for House Hunters International or just go to sleep?"  At which point, Mr. McGhee doesn't answer because he's already snoozing.  So, yep, a rock concert on a Thursday night should be interesting.  We're going to be staying overnight in the city and then spend Friday hanging out with the city folk.  Why am I telling you this?  Because, our goal is to not eat any processed food while we're gone!  (And, when I saw "our", I mean "my" goal for "us".)  I'll update you on how we do, and I am hoping to come back with a blog-worthy rock concert story!

Legumes

Remember the stuffed sweet mini peppers from the Super Bowl?

I have had a few leftover sitting in the fridge and this morning I decided to slice them up and toss them in some scrambled eggs.  Oh. My. Delish.  From now on, I think I will have a small stash of these in my fridge at all times.

Yesterday we started talking about heart-healthy foods.  One of the foods on the list is legumes.  Legumes is a food group that includes beans, peas, soybeans, peanuts, and lentils.  Legumes are good sources of protein and fiber.....yeah, they're like a 1-2 punch!  Also, diets rich in legumes have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes because legumes improve blood glucose control, decrease insulin secretion, and delay the return of hunger after a meal.  Basically, eating legumes can keep your blood sugar under control, which is important for all of us, but especially those on the verge of type 2 diabetes.  The high fiber of the legumes lower LDL (the "bad") cholesterol, while the folate in legumes lower homocysteine levels (high homocysteine levels are associated with cardiovascular disase).  Finally, the magnesium and potassium of legumes lower blood pressure levels. 

Too much information?  Eat your legumes, that's all you need to know.

I am dying to try this lentil soup, I need Mr. McGhee to hurry home with some carrots so I can get it started.

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups dry lentils
• 8 cups water (or chicken broth)
• 1 cup spinach, rinsed and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large soup pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and celery; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in garlic, bay leaf, oregano, and basil; cook for 2 minutes.
2. Stir in lentils, and add water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 1 hour. When ready to serve stir in spinach, and cook until it wilts. Stir in vinegar, and season to taste with salt and pepper, and more vinegar if desired.               

We are having roasted beets with our soup.

• 12 beets
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
• Juice of 1 large orange 

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2.  Remove the tops and the roots of the beets and peel each one with a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets in 1 1/2-inch chunks. (Small beets can be halved, medium ones cut in quarters, and large beets cut in eighths.)

3.  Place the cut beets on a baking sheet and toss with the olive oil, thyme leaves, salt, and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once or twice with a spatula, until the beets are tender. Remove from the oven and immediately toss with the vinegar and orange juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve warm.  

And, I am totally kicking myself for just finding this recipe now.  I am dying to try these crockpot lentils and rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked brown long grain rice
• 1 cup dried lentils
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) low sodium diced tomatoes
• 5 ounces fresh spinach, chopped or frozen, but thaw and drain first
• 5 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp sea salt or to taste
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper or to taste
• 1 package (8 ounces) non dairy cheese (optional)

Preparation:

1. Place the rice and lentils in a large bowl, cover with water and soak overnight or at least 6 hours.
2. Drain and place in the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients except the cheese if using.
3. Cover and cook on high 5-6 hours or low 8 hours depending on your specific slow cooker. It’s done when the rice is tender and most of the liquid has been cooked down.
4. If using the cheese add it individually to each serving.

I think this would be a great side dish to a hearty meat, like a sausage or something. 

 

Happy eating, enjoy your legumes!!!

 

 

A heart-to-heart with Heids McGhee

Before I start today's topic, I feel like I should publicly apologize to Madonna for suggesting that she should step aside and let Gaga take over.  Madge, you've still got it and since I know that you really take negative comments from blogging moms to heart, I apologize to you.  And, wow, what a game!  I am neither a Giants nor Patriots fan....truth is, I am not even a football fan, but I was a big ole' bundle of nerves that last minute of that game.  But then again, I was also pacing nervously watching The Voice....I mean, why can't everyone win?!?!?

Anyway, moving on.....


February is heart health awareness month.  And since I am the proud mama of 2 minis with a congenital heart defect and a 3rd mini with a heart that I am convinced is made of gold, I thought I would focus on heart healthy foods for the next days. 

There are several foods that doctors, homeopaths, personal trainers, dieticians, nutritionists, blogging moms and really  hot celebrities all agree should be a part of everyone's heart-healthy diet, and lucky you....I made a list!   

1. berries (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries)
2. brocolli
3. coconut
4. flaxseed
5. legumes
6. oats
7. oranges
8. pomegranate
9. pumpkin
10. salmon
11. green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, etc)
12. tea (green or black)
13. tomatoes
14. turkey
15. walnuts
16. yogurt

This list is really not difficult to encorporate into your daily diet.  Let's start with breakfast.  Who here drinks breakfast smoothies?  You should!  It's like starting your morning with a milkshake everyday!  My boyfriend has a recipe on his website for a heart-healthy smoothie "circulation smoothie". 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
• 1/2 banana (I freeze brown bananas and they are perfect for smoothies)
• 5 strawberries
• 1/2 cup yogurt (please use plain, I used my homemade yogurt)
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender, and blend until desired consistency is reached.

Now, I want everyone to raise their right hand and repeat after me, "Heids McGhee, for you, I will try this next smoothie recipe.  And then I will tell everyone to come to your blog and get the recipe because I agree that America should start its morning with raw spinach."

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tbsp peanut butter
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (again, I used homemade)
• 1 cup milk (I use skim, you can use soy, almond, whatever your choice is)
• 1 large handful of raw baby spinach
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed

Directions:
Put all ingredients in a blender and blend. 

This smoothie is so tasty, the minis and I love it.  And, honestly, how bad-ass is it to start your day out drinking raw spinach?  You will have serious swagger.  You will probably develop a "dude, I drink raw spinach for breakfast" look that you can shoot to random irritating people throughout the day.  Brilliant!

So, what it is about these foods that are so stellar?  Good question, and lucky for you, I know the answer!

Berries are a great source of antioxidants.  Antioxidants is one of those buzz-words that you are hearing everywhere, but do you really know what they are?  Your body is subjected to free radicals daily (from our environment, stress, medication, processed food).  When a free radical gets into your body, it will attack your body's organs and tissues in order to neutralize itself, and in doing that it causes damage to whatever it has attacked.  Free radical damage leads to chronic diseases and inflammation....one of the big ones being heart-disease.  So, eat your berries.

Pomegranates are also loaded with antioxidants.  One of these antioxidants prevents damage to your arteries caused by LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol), while raising the healthy HDL cholesterol.  Pomegranate juice also acts as a natural coagulent, which means that it prevents blood from forming clots.  And, recent study shows, that pomegranate juice improves the amount of oxygen that reaches your heart muscles and lowers blood pressure.  Pomegranates also have been shown to treat arthritis pain, lunch cancer, influenza, several cancers, Alzheimer's and control diabetes.  I like to drink pomegranate juice all day with my fizzy water and I love putting pomegranate seeds on my spinach salads.

Yogurt is good for your GI tract because it promotes the growth of good bacteria that keeps things running smoothly.  A recent study showed that 2-3 servings of dairy caused a 50% reduction in high blood pressure and now yogurt is part of the DASH diet that clinicians use to manage high blood pressure.  Stick with plain (and try greek for additional protein), the flavored yogurts have a scary amount of added sugar.  You can always sweeten up plain yogurt...my minis love theirs with frozen raspberries, and I love mine with mashed banana and honey.

Calorie for calorie, spinach is the most nutrient-dense food you can eat and is filled with powerful antioxidants.  These antioxidants prevent the free-radical damage of cholesterol.  When free radicals damage the cholesterol in your body, it becomes sticky and sticky cholesterol clogs your arteries.  Spinach is also contains magnesium which helps keep blood pressure healthy.  Spinach also contains folate, which helps convert stroke-inducing chemicals into harmless compounds in your body.  And, did you know that a salad size portion of spinach works to lower your blood pressure within hours.  Dude, that is way cool! 

Ground flaxseed is something I toss into smoothies, yogurt, granola bars, cookies, bread, etc.  Ground flax is rich in fiber, which we discussed weeks ago.  Flaxseed contains omega-3s, which your body uses to produce prostoglandins.  Prostoglandins are used to regulate metabolism, central nervous system, immune system, and inflammatory response.  Now remember, when your body's inflammatory response is inflammed you will get heart disease, so keeping this response tightly regulated is so important.  Flaxseed is the richest source of lignans, which give you anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-cancer health benefits. 

Alright, I think that's enough information for today.  I am speaking from the heart here (no pun intended, but that was just way too easy) when I ask you to please try these recipes or come up with your own ways to incorporate these foods into your diet.  Take care of your ticker and enjoy a lifetime of good health!

Super Bowl!

WOOT WOOT!  Tomorrow is the Super Bowl, and you know what that means.....MADONNA!!!!  I personally feel like this is Madge's last chance to prove she can do Madonna better than Gaga can do Madonna.  Tomorrow, like everyone else in America, I will be cooking up some snacks for the day.  Here's my line-up (haha, get it line-up).....

I found blue tortilla chips at Trader Joes that only have 5 ingredients, and even though I consider them 100% junk food, I am serving them tomorrow with guacamole and salsa.  I loosely follow this recipe when making guacamole, but I am a big fan of tasting as I go and adding what I think is needed.

• 3 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

If you don't want to make homemade salsa, look around in the deli section of your grocery store.  I found a salsa at Costco that is 100% fresh ingredients and nothing else added.  So, I cheated and bought some.  However, I LOVE making my own salsa.  It's simple....tomatoes, jalapenos, onions, lime juice, salt.  Mix, blend, taste and tweak.

I am serving veggies (cucumber, carrots, celery, and yellow grape tomatoes) with hummus. 

1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, half the liquid reserved

1 clove garlic

4 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons tahini

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a blender, chop the garlic. Pour garbanzo beans into blender, reserving about a tablespoon for garnish. Place lemon juice, tahini, chopped garlic and salt in blender. Blend until creamy and well mixed.
2. Transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl. Sprinkle with pepper and pour olive oil over the top. Garnish with reserved garbanzo beans.

My favorite appetizer is stuffed mini sweet peppers.  I will make stuffing tonight, I find that they are better that way.

• 15-20 mini sweet peppers
• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1/4 cup goat cheese (you can substitute mozzerella, but I don't know why you would want to)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 2 tbsp diced sundried tomatoes
• salt and pepper

1.  Cut the tops off the peppers and clean out the seeds.
2.  In a bowl, mix cream cheese and goat cheese.
3.  Add garlic, basil, sundried tomatoes, salt and pepper.
4.  Using a small spoon, fill the mini pepper with the mixture.
5.  OPTIONAL:  bake/broil for 5-10 minutes until pepper is soft

And, Mr. McGhee's absolute favorite bacon wrapped jalapenos.

20 whole Fresh Jalapenos, 2-3 Inches In Size

2 cubes Cream Cheese, softened

1 pound Thin(regular) Bacon, Sliced Into Thirds

1.  Put on latex gloves.
2.  Split jalapenos in half-lengthwise. 
3.  Remove seeds and little white membrane. 
4.  Smear cream cheese into pepper.
5.  Wrap with a piece of bacon.
6.  Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes.

No pictures right now, I will update tomorrow!  Enjoy the halftime show game.

One Month!!!

We did it!  One month processed-food free!  There's no looking back now, the month went so well I can't imagine going back to our old eating habits ever again. 

In the last few month, I've had several people ask me "aren't you afraid that by completely eliminating processed foods from your minis' lives, that someday when you're not around and the opportunity arises, they will go crazy and binge?"  Um, noooooo......

Someone help me with this, please, because I am really not seeing the reasoning in this.  In our house, our minis aren't allowed to swear, watch inappropriate movies, play violent video games, hit, steal, play in the street.....and nobody worries that someday, they will go crazy when I'm not around and do any of those things. 

Giving up processed foods is not a radical choice I am doing to my kids, I am doing it for them.  This is not a rule that I am forcing them to follow, this is our family's newly adopted standard.  News flash America, kids aren't going to die from not being allowed to eat chips and oreos!  And there's no quality of life issue either....kids can have a great, fun, and exciting childhood that doesn't include processed junk food snacks and HFCS at every meal. 

Without trying to get all "conspiracy theory" on you...am I the only one that does not trust the food industry at all?  Do people think that these large corporations value you and your children?  Do you think they really value the products that you put into your body more than they value their bottom line?  I put large food companies, distributors, and restaurants up there with pharmaceutical and insurance companies.  Let's be real, they are there to make a profit, not to give you high-quality nutritional products.  In fact, they'll put more money into marketing their products to look nutritious than to actually be nutritious.  And, for those that haven't heard, Whole Foods is a sellout.  So, think about where you shop and what you buy!!!

I did a little experiment this past few days to prove my point.  My oldest mini is 8 years old and was born with major birth defects throughout his body, a wicked sense of humor, and a fierce determination to let nothing stop him.  As if that isn't enough, he apparently is a genius as well, because last week he won his classroom's estimation contest by having the closest guess as to how many m&m's and candy hearts were in the jar.  And by closest guess, he was only off by 600 pieces.  Brilliant!  I know!  When I saw the jar of candy I internally groaned while saying, "wow, oldest mini...you are ah-may-zing."  And then I dumped the contents into a tupperware container and put it in the pantry, front and center on the 2nd shelf, which is eye-level to the minis.

And that tupperware has sat there, unopened, for nearly a week now.  So, my answer to all those of you wondering how the mini McGhees will react when they are exposed to junk food is this....I think they will be just fine. 

This morning the minis and I were watching the news, which is something I never do because I think mainstream media is bullshit pefer to live in blissful ignorance.  There was a story about sugar being as dangerous as alcohol.  They story included all the hidden sources of sugar...fruit, juice, cereal, soft drinks, baked goods, ketchup, sports drinks, etc.  My oldest mini turns to my middle mini and says, "well, the good news is we don't have to worry about any of that."   They're 6 and 8 and they get it. 

The reason I was watching the news is because today is Groundhog's Day!  My 6 year old mini was shocked to find out that he had school today because "mom, are you sure?  It's Groundhog's Day."  And the cutest.thing.ever.  My 6 year old mini truly believes that the groundhog is in control of what the weather will be like for the next 6 weeks.  And who am I to tell him otherwise?  So, to celebrate Groundhog's Day, I tried a recipe I found last week for homemade poptarts. 

Here's the recipe for the poptart pastry. 

• 2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pats
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) milk
• 1 additional large egg (to brush on pastry)

1.  Whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
2.  Work in the butter with your fingers, pastry blender or food processor until pea-sized lumps of butter are still visible, and the mixture holds together when you squeeze it. If you’ve used a food processor, transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
3.  Whisk the first egg and milk together and stir them into the dough, mixing just until everything is cohesive, kneading briefly on a well-floured counter if necessary.
4.  Divide the dough in half (approximately 8 1/4 ounces each), shape each half into a smooth rectangle, about 3×5 inches. You can roll this out immediately or wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days.



Assembly

1.  If the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to soften and become workable, about 15 to 30 minutes.
2.  Place one piece on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it into a rectangle about 1/8″ thick, large enough that you can trim it to an even 9″ x 12″. [You can use a 9" x 13" pan, laid on top, as guidance.] Repeat with the second piece of dough. Set trimmings aside. Cut each piece of dough into thirds – you’ll form nine 3″ x 4″ rectangles.
3.  Beat the additional egg and brush it over the entire surface of the first dough. This will be the “inside” of the tart; the egg is to help glue the lid on.
4.  Place a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of each rectangle, keeping a bare 1/2-inch perimeter around it. Place a second rectangle of dough atop the first, using your fingertips to press firmly around the pocket of filling, sealing the dough well on all sides. Press the tines of a fork all around the edge of the rectangle. Repeat with remaining tarts.
5.  Gently place the tarts on a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick the top of each tart multiple times with a fork; you want to make sure steam can escape, or the tarts will become billowy pillows rather than flat toaster pastries. Refrigerate the tarts (they don’t need to be covered) for 30 minutes, while you preheat your oven to 350°F.
6. Bake 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.

Rolled out

Filling (I used cinnamon-sugar)

Cinnamon Filling (enough for 9 tarts)

• 1/2 cup (3 3/4 ounces) brown sugar
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, to taste
• 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, to brush on pastry before filling

1.  Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour.

Jam Filling

• 3/4 cup (8 ounces) jam
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water

1.  Mix the jam with the cornstarch/water in a small saucepan.
2.  Bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer, stirring, for 2 minutes.
3.  Remove from the heat, and set aside to cool.

The poptarts are absolutely adorable.  Our plan was to eat them after dinner, which is chicken fried rice.  But, they were so cute, I couldn't wait and had to let the kids try them after school.  Oh my.  These are seriously delish.  We all LOVED them.  And, I feel the need to point out the obvious here....these are NOT healthy AT ALL!!!!

Fried rice works with rice that is cold, so yesterday I made a batch of brown rice, which I highly encourage you to switch to.  If you absolutely can not do brown rice, do a 50/50 mix of brown and white.  This morning, while making the poptarts, I also baked three boneless skinless chicken breasts, so tonight's dinner will be an easy assembly.

• egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon oil (I used sesame)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cups cooked rice, cold
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup cooked, chopped chicken meat

1. In a small bowl, beat egg with water. Cook on a large skillet over medium low heat. Add egg and leave flat for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and cut into shreds.
2. Heat oil in same skillet; add onion and saute until soft. Then add rice, soy sauce, pepper and chicken. Stir fry together for about 5 minutes, then stir in egg. Serve hot.               

I also added frozen carrots, peas, and corn.  Very easy and the minis love it.

And, for those of you following the bread saga, I made yet another substitution. 

• 1 1/8 cups water
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon dry milk powder
• 3/4 tablespoon shortening
• 3/4 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1.  Place ingredients in bread machine pan in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select whole wheat setting.  I put mine on light crust and 1.5 lb loaf.

Oh. My.  This bread is to die for.  So good and slices so easily for sandwiches.  Finally!!!  I found the perfect bread recipe.

And, finally, remember those $40 lunchboxes I wanted.  I found the cheap knock-off version at my favorite store, TJMaxx for $5 each! 

Holy Cow!!!  That's it for the day!  Think about the things I said and for those of you passing my blog on to others, thank you so much!  I started this for a few friends and have ended up getting more traffic than I ever thought I could! 

               

Soda Stream

Want to hear a cute story?  You do?  Good!  I told you guys that Mr. McGhee is gone working this week.  Even though he's working seven 24-hour shifts, he still comes home each day to catch a few hours of sleep and a shower.  The last two evenings, Mr. McGhee has called me in the middle of the night (now bear in mind, my minis are in bed at 7:30 and I am by 9, so anything after 8 pm is the middle of the night to me).  Anyway, Mr. McGhee has called me on his way home from work in the middle of the night to ask what he can stop and grab to eat on his way home.  Now, let me tell you about Mr. McGhee.....he's a guy's guy....a sports-loving, beer-drinking, throw a brat on the grill sort of guy.  When we got to fancy schmancy work function and the waiter says, "what can I get you to drink?  Wine?  Scotch?"  Mr. McGhee will ask, "whatcha got on tap?"  And I'm all like, "I'll take a margarita, fresh-squeezed organic lime juice, a teaspoon of agave nectar, and a shot and a half of tequila.  And I want the good tequila, not that cheap crap."  And then Mr. McGhee shoots the waiter a look that says try living with that, buddy you heard my lady, get her a drink.

So, anyway....Mr. McGhee, ordering a salad from the golden arches as he is tired, overworked, and hungry, is a way cute story. 

Speaking of Mr. McGhee, do we have any coke, soda, pop lovers here?  That's another thing Mr. McGhee loved that I yanked out of his life.  Listen, soda is gross.  The only thing you should buy coke for is to clean your toilet which apparently it does better than any toilet bowl cleaner you can buy.  I read that on the internet, so it must be true. 

I bought a soda stream for Mr. McGhee a few weeks ago and we are all loving it. 

Homemade soda!  The first thing you do when you buy the soda stream is throw out all the sample bottles that come with it.  Then you fill up that bottle with water, pull the lever 3 times...and you have fizzy bubbly water!  Mr. McGhee is hardcore and drinks his straight up (I told you he was a guy's guy).  The minis and I love ours with a splash of pomegranate juice and a lime wedge. 

For those of you that drink soda for caffeine, I recommend sticking with coffee or tea for your caffeine kick.  For those of you that drink soda for the fizzy flavor, SODA STREAM!  It's the best!  Take it from this guy, sporting the orange Crush shirt....