Tag Archives: food

What is Eco Kosher and Why Does it Matter?

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I get a regular amount of guest post requests from various blogs/companies, and usually it’s pretty “meh.”  Form emails and spammy and all that.  Robots, maybe (not the cool kind, though).  

But the other week, I got a very pleasant email from Anabelle Harari, and I took notice.  She proposed a guest post on food and mesorah.  Sounded good to me!  After I checked out her fabulous blog, Local Belle, I knew I wanted to collaborate with her.  Her guest post is on a topic that I’ve become much more interested in lately – Eco-kosher.  Enjoy!   Continue reading →

Menu Plan for November 2-12

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I’ve been doing some thinking about my menu planning.  While I do love the monthly planning concept, I found that I usually didn’t make at least one meal from the plan per week.  That resulted in a lot of leftover ingredients.  Also, I didn’t feel like I was utilizing the ingredients I have on hand (or in pantry), or using coupons, since I was planning so far in advance, and with such specific recipes.  Since I’m menu planning to save money, this was kind of a fail.

So this month I’m going to do it a little bit differently.  How, you ask?  Well, let me tell you.

Plan in smaller increments

I’m going to try to plan one week at a time.  This way I can assess what’s in my pantry, freezer, etc., and utilize what I have already.  Also, I’ll look for coupons and try to plan my meals around what I can get for less.

Include at least one freezer meal per week

Not only does this make dinnertime prep easier, but if I have unexpected leftovers, I’m not out any fresh ingredients.  That soup/chili/whatever can probably stay in the freezer another week.

Double up

This is kind of in line with the whole freezing thing.  It makes it easier in the future.  It’s not hard to double a kugel or a soup, so why not do it?  Exactly.  Also, I’m going to make a BIG NOTE on the recipes I plan on doubling, since last time I kept forgetting which ones I meant to double, and that got pretty frustrating.

Be more flexible

Instead of planning around the yummy, delicious recipes that I have been, I’m going to try to leave a little more wiggle room for whatever may arise that week.  The downside of being more vague is that I’m worried that I won’t pick up all the items I need at the store, but I’ll try to find a solution to that.  Probably I’ll just have to put more thought into the shopping list.

And now…

The Menu Plan for the rest of this week

  • Wednesday, the 2nd~ Black Bean Chili  (from the freezer – oh yeah), cornbread, salad
  • Thursday, the 3rd~ Date night!!
  • Friday, the 4th~ Tuna Croquettes (from Kosher by Design Short on Time); Salad; Chicken Soup (from freezer); Curry Chicken (Kosher by Design Lightens Up); Broccoli Kugel (from freezer); Apple-Blueberry Cake (KBDLU).
  • Shabbos, the 5th~ all of that, minus the soup and the chicken, plus cholent

and for the 6th-12th

  • Sunday, the 6th~ leftovers
  • Monday, the 7th~ Cauliflower Soup, salad, potatoes
  • Tuesday, the 8th~ Meat lasagne with veggies
  • Wednesday, the 9th~ Salmon Burgers (from freezer); sweet potato fries
  • Thursday, the 10th~ Homemade Pizza
  • Friday, the 11th~ Gefilte fish; Salad; Chicken soup (from freezer); potato kugel (make double); Duck Sauce Chicken (Quick and Kosher); Fudge Brownie Torte (KBDLU)
  • Shabbos, the 12th ~ ditto what I said about last Shabbos day meal

There are always the staples for lunch, namely, the cheese and bread for sandwiches and the nosh.  Also breakfast food, which I sometimes forget to think about (oops).

I also want to make these carrot kugel muffins from Miriyummy, since I would like my boys to ingest some vegetables, and coating them in carbs seems the most promising strategy.

And there you have it.

Does a long or short plan work best for you?  Why?

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Nature v. Nuture, in parents?

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It occurred to me recently that the Nature v. Nurture question is not exclusive to children.  It can also apply to parenting.

My boys are very different.  It’s been apparent since early on.  Where my oldest has always been quite stoic, my second son has a quick smile for (nearly) everyone.  My oldest despised bathtime (and still does, on occasion), but my second acts like he’s at a spa (you may remember the picture post illustrating this).  My oldest has always had a big independent streak, and my second craves more attention.

The biggest difference that I’ve noticed so far, though, has been in eating habits.  My oldest has never been a big eater, and my second, well, let’s just say he’s never refused a meal.  I just stop feeding him when I think he must be done, because I still can’t tell when he wants to stop.  His little mouth keeps opening.  And then he can eat or nurse or whatever, like, two hours after a major meal.  It’s phenomenal.

Moshe (our oldest) eating

Son #1 eating. Note the expression on his face. It is not one of pleasure.

With my oldest, though, it was a struggle.  It didn’t help that whenever I found a food that he seemed to really like, I would stock up, only to be rebuffed as soon as I had a ridiculous amount of whatever the food was (fruit cups, crackers, waffles, you name it, I’ve bought it).  Or, even worse, as soon as the food was made (rice, pasta, etc), he would no longer be interested.  Ugh.  It was very discouraging.

Eventually, I got into a groove and figured out what he mainly likes to eat (carbs, carbs, carbs!), and he started to eat a little more as well.  Now we have a fairly good agreement where he eats somewhat well (for a toddler, that is), and I don’t stress out about making him his food.

However, there was a long period when our eating arrangement made me feel incredibly inadequate.  I thought, well, what kind of Jewish mother can I be if I can’t devote endless hours to trying to get my child to eat?  Both my mother and mother-in-law seemed to enjoy attempting to feed him, so what was “wrong” with me?  Why didn’t I want to invest more effort into the endeavor?  Was I somehow defective as a mother (ah, that’s always a lovely fear, isn’t it?)?!?!l

It got me thinking that it was because my oldest was never a big eater that I found feeding him less than enjoyable.    Though at first I was willing to put time and effort into getting food into the little guy, after so many failed meal attempts, I just didn’t have the desire to continue to make specific foods (read: getting more pots and dishes dirty) that he wasn’t going to eat anyways.  So it’s not that I didn’t like feeding my child, or whatever, it was just a lot of frustration all the time, so I started to not enjoy it.

At some point I stopped worrying so much about feeding him, and just accepted the fact that I was only willing to go so far to get a picky toddler to eat.  And that I was okay with that.  He was growing fine, albeit on the small side, but the pediatrician was never concerned, so I decided not to be, either.

David Eliezer (our second) eating

See the happiness? That is a baby who loves to eat!

Then came son #2′s foray into solid food, and the kid eats everything.  Seriously.  Everything.  All the time.  Constantly.  Frankly, after the experience with my oldest, I was nervous about feeding the baby.  I had seriously negative associations with mealtime, and, as a result, dragged my feet when it came to feeding him.  Thankfully, we spent Pesach at my in-laws, and my MIL spent many happy hours feeding him all sorts of things, and when I saw how easy he was it gave me courage to start.

And you know what?  It’s not so bad.  The hardest part is figuring out when to stop feeding him!  Now, we still have to see what happens when he gets to toddlerhood, when appetites notoriously taper off, but as of right now, he’s going strong.  Also, by the time he’s a toddler, I’ll be more experience and less likely to be so hard on myself (I hope).

So it turns out that even mommies are affected by the nature v. nurture question.  Who knew?

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Summer Veggies

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Original caption from the USDA: "ARS rese...

Aren't they purdy?

Over at Kosher on a Budget (one of my favorite blogs), Mara shares an amazing recipe for Potato Kale Gratin.  It looks really, really good.  She mentioned that she’s using summer vegetables, since she belongs to a CSA  (lucky her!).

That got me thinking about seasonal foods.  I’m clueless as to what’s in season when.  Someday, when I’ll belong to a CSA, then I ‘spose I’ll know.  Until then, I have to do a Google search.  In doing so, I came up with this great resource.  Check it out!

With the following in-season foods, I could make a kickin’ salad.  While chopping the veggies and putting them into the salad raw probably offers more nutrients, I like to spice things up a bit and add sautéed and/or roasted foods to my salads.

Yummy Summer Veggie Salad:

  • Romaine Lettuce (quantity depending on how many you want to feed)
  • Spinach (ditto that)
  • 2 Carrots, sliced
  • 1 head Garlic
  • 2 Parsnips, sliced
  • bunch of Radishes, chopped
  • Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 350.  Sliced bottom off of garlic, wrap in foil and roast for about an hour (I learned this from my friend MB).  Put some olive oil in a skillet and sautée the carrots and parsnips.  I like to add some fun spices like cardamom, turmeric or cumin, depending on my mood.  Or, if you want to keep it simple, plain old salt and pepper are great.  Place all ingredients in a bowl and dress with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder.  Enjoy!

Eggplant Parmesan, or something like it

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I’ve been married for nearly three years (our anniversary is next month!), and it’s only in recent months that I’ve mustered up the courage to, wait for it, make food without following a recipe.  My cookbooks were my lifeline to making edible food.  Without guidelines to follow, I felt all panicky and insecure.  How long should I sauté the zucchini?  What temperature should the chicken be cooked at?  How much salt am I supposed to add?  Cookbooks provided soothing answers:  15 minutes.  375 degrees.  One teaspoon.

Relief.  Success.  Full stomachs.

At some point in the last half-year, I realized that I had gained enough experience and confidence to tentatively strike out on my own.  No longer was I bound to an ingredient list.  The only limitations were the supplies in my kitchen and the food in my cabinets.  It’s been kinda fun.

Yesterday I remembered that there was an eggplant in the crisper which I had intended to use for Shabbos, and hadn’t.  There was also a half-full jar of marinara sauce waiting to be finished, and thus, tonight’s dinner was born.

Eggplant Parmesan à la Rivki

serves 3

Ingredients:

  • olive oil
  • one large Eggplant
  • 3/4 jar Kalamata olives
  • one pint cherry tomatoes
  • one onion
  • crushed garlic
  • 1/2 jar marinara sauce
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • basil, oregano, marjoram, kosher salt, pepper

I don’t know how Eggplant Parmesan is really made, but this is what I did:

First, I cut the eggplant into slices and then quarters, so it looked like this:

pretty little wedges

Then I seasoned them with s kosher salt and pepper and sautéed them in olive oil.  After they became nice and tender, I added the olives and cherry tomatoes (as a side-note, I have been looking ALL OVER for a kosher container of Kalamata olives for well over a year, and had finally given up.  Of course, that was when I actually found some.  I was ecstatic):

bright and colorful

Meanwhile, I sautéed the onions in a separate skillet before adding them to the other veggies.  Then I added the crushed garlic, marinara sauce, spices and cheese.  I simmered over a low flame for a few minutes, and voilà!  We added a loaf of garlic bread and some white zinfandel and it was a nice dinner.

dinner is served

 

 

Grilled Cheese and Jalapeno Sandwich

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This sandwich came about because I didn’t have any tomatoes in the house.  You see, normally I enjoy my grilled cheese sandwiches with some sliced tomatoes and mayo.  Mmmmmm.  So, not that day.  No tomatoes to be had.  I did have jalapenos, though, since I still haven’t given them to Nikki Flores.  I was a little nervous because the jar said that the peppers were HOT.  HOT!! Was I ruining my sandwich because of a desire for a little pizzaz?

Thankfully, no.  It was a delicious sandwich, with a nice kick.  A meal with a little attitude.  It seems like unassuming grub, but when you bite into a pepper – Whammo!  I was quite pleased.

open face

it may not look super appetizing, but do not be deceived!

meal, grilled cheese sandwich, sandwish

After the taste test...success!

multi-grain bread

cheddar cheese

mayonnaise

sliced jalapenos

taco seasoning

sweet paprika

pepper

garlic powder

Picture of the Week: Getting it done, double-time

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super efficient

 

Sometimes we have to resort to having a back-up spoon when feeding Little Man.  He’s a little bit independent (understatement!), and of late has not been a fan of us feeding him.  He wants to do it himself, classic toddler style.  Here, Little Man grabbed the back-up spoon and is attempting to feed himself with both his spoons, with moderate success and a bit of frustration.

Bag credit v. Donation

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Example of an American grocery store aisle.

Image via Wikipedia

One of the grocery stores (a local store, not a national chain) I frequent recently decided to forgo giving bag credits for those of us who bring in our own bags.  I found this when the cashier told me that instead of giving me the credit, the store had decided to donate money annually to an environmental charity.  That’s all.  I don’t know which charity.  I don’t know how much money.

Now, I’m not bringing my own bags for the measly 15-25 cents I would be getting off my grocery bill.  When presented with a choice (like at Whole Foods), sometimes I choose to donate, sometimes I choose to keep.  But the idea that I don’t even get a choice miffed me a bit.   I mean, I am saving them a bit of money, since I’m not using their  bags that they paid to have their logo printed on.  Although, come to think of it, I’m sure the 5 cent bag credit I get is actually worth much more than the flimsy little plastic bag which would have carried my groceries.

In any case, I guess since the green movement has taken off so dramatically, the store realized that they were losing money on account of shoppers bringing their own bags.  Or something.  I don’t know why they did it.  But I don’t really like it, and I don’t really like just being told like that.  What if I don’t want to support that particular environmental charity?  What if I don’t agree with their philosophy?  Tough cookies for me.

Anyways, it’s not such a big deal.  I just thought it was interesting, and slightly grating.

What’s your take?

 

Warning: Do not lead with the cheese puffs

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at Grandma and Grandpa's

I had a plan for Little Man’s dinner the other day.  I was warming up a very yummy (I thought) cheese sandwich in the toaster oven, but he was hungry right now.  So I put him in his high chair and gave him some of the cheese puff things that I usually reserve for bribery to get him in and out of the car seat after many errands or in case of lack of nap.  And now I gave him those delicious, and of dubious nutritional value, snacks before I actually gave him any real food.  Big mistake.

After munching on these processed and addictive snacks (to be fair, they are made by a respected baby/children’s food corporation, but I still don’t trust them), there was no way that Little Man was going to touch actual food.  Uh-uh.  Don’t think so.  No way.

This led me to think about my lack of strategic planning at feeding time.  I’ve lost a certain level of commitment to crafting a scheme to feed my toddler.  It’s not that I support mommies being short-order cooks (not that Little Man can make requests, he can merely voice his displeasure or whine for some hopefully discernible item), but I do believe in having a plan of attack.

When did I lose my motivation for getting him to eat?  It used to be that I looked at meal time like a challenge.  Let’s see how much I can get him to eat, you know?  But now, I’m just halfheartedly putting food on his tray, hoping that he will actually consume it instead of playing elaborate toddler games (like see-how-far-the-cereal-will-fly-when-thrown game and the how-loud-of-a-noise-will-the-spoon-make game).  I think that because of his waning interest in eating, I have a waning desire to sit there and continually try different options.

For instance, Little Man likes a certain amount of variety.  Just because those frozen mini waffles were a hit the past three breakfasts does not mean that he is going to want them today.  No, in fact, it probably means that he won’t want them.  Even with maple syrup.  And the Cheerios with milk that he was crazy about?  Give it a rest for a few days.  Bring back some of the old favorites, like scrambled eggs, or maybe toast with jam.  Also, pay attention to his cues.  He grabbed a banana off of the table?  That might mean that his banana strike is over and he once more wants some potassium-filled yumminess.

But leading with the cheese puffs?  Bad move, mommy.  Nothing really follows junk food.  Like I said at the top, I had a plan, but it just wasn’t a good one.

Ah, but it could be a fun challenge.  I need to reframe this particular parental duty in a more appealing light.  I need to be prepared.  Be crafty.  Be innovative.

I’m starting with lunchtime today.  Assuming he actually wants to eat, that is.  This time, it’s business.  I will have a variety of carbs, fruits, and veggies.  They will be ready, on call, eager to serve in the quest to feed Little Man a respectable meal.  I even got some creamy peanut butter (the crunchy was a flop).

Operation Feed the Toddler commences in t-minus 15 minutes.

Wish me luck.