soups, stews & considering normality.

i've been attempting to get back to living my life. it's been harder than i thought. 

however, all this time spent resting has given me opportunity to think and reflect on what i want my life to look like and consist of. what things are important to me, and what i want to achieve. in light of this and the new year, i feel i have another chance to start fresh. to have purpose, to achieve, to grow, to be thankful. and one of the things i want my life to include is writing. and blogging. 

this may be an odd introduction to a post about stew, but this is an effort to do something, instead of putting things off and hoping for a later date, a calmer season to do. isn't it odd how often we put off the things we really want to do, and never do? instead, we get swept up in the busyness of life without stopping to catch our breath, reorient ourselves to remember what is really matters to us. i don't want this to be my normal.

and now ends the theoretical, and starts the practical. thanks for bearing with me. 

there are a few recipes that i've been wanting to share for awhile, so here i am, sharing them. with the cold weather periodically making an appearance, we've been in a soup/stew mood. if you like kale, this bean and chicken sausage stew (adapted from real simple) is a keeper:

this stew is ridiculously fast (only 15 minutes!) and easy. and so good. and good for you.

ingredients
1 tablespoon evoo
1 package fully cooked chicken sausage (links or ground, your choice)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 19-ounce can cannelloni beans, rinsed
1/2 box chicken broth (~14.5 oz)
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 big bunch kale leaves, torn into pieces
sea salt & fresh ground pepper

directions:

heat evoo in dutch oven over medium heat. add garlic. after 2 or so minutes, add & brown sausage. add beans, chicken broth and tomatoes (with liquid). bring to a boil. add the kale and salt & pepper. reduce heat and simmer until kale is wilted (no more than 5 minutes).

serve with french bread, and enjoy!

next up is a new staple in our home--crockpot loaded baked potato soup. in the meantime, i'd love to hear about some of your favorite soup & stew recipes. my menu plans have been lacking lately.

love. a.

happy granola.

it's been too long since i've posted a recipe. and i have, in fact, been having quite a few successes lately despite my terrible luck with yogurt.

so here is one for you. i should have made this a long time ago--it's really as quick and easy (and yummy!) as it appears to be.

i call it happy granola. because it makes my belly happy.

happy granola
(adapted from the lovely mindy's recipe, that was adapted from somewhere else)
makes 2 mason jars full

ingredients
4 cups of organic old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup of pecans (whole or pieces)
1/2 cup of agave nectar (or you can substitute local honey. though i'd add a little less than 1/2 cup?)
2 tbsp of coconut oil
1/2 tsp of salt

3/4 tsp of ground cinnamon

3/4 cup of cranberries (or other dried fruits)

directions

heat oven to 350 degrees. in a mixing bowl, toss oats, nuts, nectar, oil, salt and cinnamon only. spread mixture evenly onto a baking sheet and pop into the oven. bake for 7 minutes, pull out of the oven and toss. bake for another 7 minutes, toss. bake just until it appears to be turning golden (be sure to not burn it. it happens fast!). add dried fruit, mix and let cool.

serve with milk, yogurt, kefir, orrr eat it by the handfuls.

be sure to store in airtight containers, and it should last up to three weeks. though, i doubt there will be any left by then.

and don't be like me and wait months and months to make it--do it today.

you'll thank me.

love.

A bit of our life, and a shameless plea for attention.

good afternoon, world [wide web]. is that even a term anymore?

i thought i'd take a moment to update on our lives. well, specifically the life of one little boy and his struggle with a tooth. two teeth, really. he's already got these:

and now, he's working on the top two. actually, maybe top four. the poor little man has had a rough time. but, he's still smiling, like always. i'll post a picture of his successes whenever they actually happen.

also, thank you for all the advice regarding my yogurt failures and other random food thoughts. i'm just about done with my third attempt at homemade yogurt. yes, third. the second try went even worse. in my head, i know how simple it is. and i follow the instructions to the letter, so i'm not sure what's going wrong. except, i think the second time around it wasn't insulated enough. oh well, we'll see how this goes. and if it doesn't, i think i'm going to have to just throw in the towel (yogurt-making pun intended) and splurge on organic store-bought yogurt.

on another note, cooking healthier and repurposing food has been going very well. i made chicken stock all by myself (yes, i know how simple this is, but i'm still excited that i actually planned it and followed through), and have been feeding my family wholesome foods. hurray! i made this for dinner last night (not one of the healthiest meals we've had, but still not bad. haha):

and my menu planning and follow through has been going well, too! so, overall win in this department, though i still have a long way to go to transition over to all whole and raw foods. speaking of that, i so very want this:

happy birthday to me?

and now for my shameless plea. i know i'm not the most faithful blogger, but i would like to think someone reads my blog. and there have been many of you friends that have posted at one time or another. but recently, i've been getting super excited when i receive notifications that someone posted on my blog, only to find post after post of sad, ridiculous and sometimes slightly offensive spammers. :(

so, would you send me a little love? :)

love, a.

ps. here's a link to my first article as the Durham Neighborhoods Writer for Examiner.com!

humility. (help!)

in an effort to help heal n's colitis (while keeping his belly happy), i'm trying to go about it a bit holistically, and work on cooking more nutritiously rich foods. on a budget.

this week, i tried making yogurt. i failed.

it looks pretty, doesn't it? well, while it smelled good, the consistency turned out to be not much more than lumpy milk. ew.

i know a lot of you out there are much more experienced and knowledgeable when it comes to whole foods, raw foods and healthy foods. so, this is my official call for help.

this appeal is not only for a good home made yogurt recipe, but for any recipes that you might be willing to share.

much love + appreciation, dear friends! a.

Stir-fry success!

Last week I made the best stir-fry I've ever made.

The point of this post isn't to brag (though I am pretty excited), but to share it with you!

Stir-fry is one of Nick's favorite meals, and much to my chagrin, I hardly ever make it. I've had it stuck in my mind that it's expensive and time consuming. Well, last week it finally clicked--it's not!

Between planning ahead and using whatever veggies we had in the house (and you can do the same, though I think I'll stick with what I used this time), I was able to make the best stir-fry I've ever made. And, to Nick's excitement, plan to have it a regular on our menu. I had cooked the chicken beforehand in a skillet with ginger powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, which made it even quicker. Enjoy!

Simple Stir-Fry

Ingredients
• 3 cups rice (any type you want)
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into thin strips
• 8 0z. sliced mushrooms• 1/2 red pepper, cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1/2 green pepper, cut into 1/2 inch strips
• 1/2 red onion, sliced into rings (yellow will work too, though they should be chopped)
• 8-10 oz. fresh baby spinach
• 1-2 whole carrots, cut into matchsticks
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp. canola oil
• 3 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• salt and pepper to taste

Sauce
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp. ginger powder
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation InstructionsCook rice according to directions. Set aside.

Stir sauce ingredients together in small bowl. Set aside.

In a large wok or skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of the oil on medium heat, add mushrooms and a bit of ginger powder and sauté until browned. Set aside.

In the same skillet, heat remaining oil and add garlic. When garlic is sautéed well, add vegetables in stages, in order 0f cooking time (onions, carrots, peppers, then spinach) as well as remaining spices and soy sauce. When everything is cooked through, add in the cooked chicken, mushrooms and the sauce. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 5-10 minutes. Serve immediately, with rice.

Serves 4.