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Winter salad.

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IMG_6332Confession: I feel like I’ve been holding out on you guys. 

It’s been a solid eight weeks or so that a new salad has been in serious rotation in our lives. Showing up at my dad’s birthday, dinner parties with friends, lunch on a random Tuesday. It’s made it’s way around. 

There’s nothing over the top about this salad, which is good. Salads aren’t typically the stars of these deep winter months. We’ll leave that to the chilis, soup, stews, and delicious braised meats in heavy bottomed pots. It’s their turn to shine.

Yet this salad does do something so brilliantly. It highlights all that comfort food oh so well. It’s on the sweeter side, which pairs so perfectly with the saltier main dishes. Cranberries, toasted walnuts, feta, and pomegranate arils give everything texture and color and crunch and the sliced pears hang out perfectly on top. Gotta go with what’s in season. Slim pickings right now but the tender pears absolutely nail it.

And hey. Let’s not forget to mention you’re eating and feeding your guests raw spinach. We all know the benefits, there are about a thousand, so it’s a wonderful choice. And I don’t know about you, but if I’m eating raw spinach, somehow eating the warmer and gooey comfort food along the side doesn’t seem as detrimental. Grab a heaping portion of this salad, pair it next to an appropriate portion of the comfort food, and all is in perfect balance(ish). 

Winter Salad
A healthy winter salad full of spinach, pears, cranberries, feta and more!
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Prep Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
For the salad
  1. 2/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
  2. 3/4 cup pomegranate arils
  3. 3 oz feta cheese, crumbled
  4. 1/2 cup dried cranberries
  5. 2 freshly riped pears cored and sliced
  6. 9 oz baby spinach
For the dressing
  1. 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  2. 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  3. 1 1/2 Tbsp honey
  4. 1 tsp dijon mustard
  5. Salt and pepper
Instructions
  1. Whisk all dressing ingredients in a bowl to blend.
  2. Place all salad ingredients in a large salad bowl, drizzle with desired amount of dressing then toss to evenly coat. Serve immediately.
Adapted from Williams Sonoma
Adapted from Williams Sonoma
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Sugar and spice and everything nice.

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Sugar and spice and everything nice….that’s what this crew is made of.

I first met Kelly and her precious littles six years ago. Six. I can’t even believe that now. Let me just pause for a completely ahhhhhhhhh moment.

SAMSUNG

Look at their little faces. I can’t even….. Ok. So, we met over six years ago. Our oldest, Olivia and Logan, were walking that fine line between toddler and preschooler as they sauntered into preschool. L, with the October birthday, was in the older 3’s class but that didn’t stop these two from forming an instant bond. Was it their shared height? Her ‘yellow’ hair as L so affectionately calls it? Her ability to keep up with the boys no problem? Who knows. But they met, instantly played, and happily never looked back.

I’ll never forget meeting Kelly. She is the tiniest thing you’ll ever meet. I know, with Olivia’s height it just doesn’t add up but she’s tiny. And kind, so kind. One of those instantly warm people. So warm to the point of you start to believe something is wrong with you. Most the time at drop off and pick up she would be wrestling her small but mighty baby, Lukey, up and down and in and out of her arms. All with his blankie AKA a legitimate fraying QUILT draped around him and/or her regardless of the temperature outside. Your heart would be drawn to her and you’d want to take that cute baby right out of her arms to cuddle. Sometimes it was a success, other times not, so goes the up an down life of an eleven month old.

These early years are where you make the bond though, right? We were all young, naive, moms walking into a preschool with our oldest not exactly knowing what was around the corner. And we slowly figured it out together via play dates and occasionally dinners out and, let’s be honest, a glass of wine. We were in the thick of it. Nightmares, awful viruses, happy reports at school, first hits at t-ball, do you nap them do you skip it, first dance recitals, literally learning to share, together, one play date at a time. It’s her turn, Logan. Include Lukey, always include Lukey, he looks up to you. And he still does.

Off to elementary school they went to tackle first grade together. Different teachers in second grade but back together now in third. Over the years the whole boy girl thing has never really phased them. Occasionally teasing here and there, ahem Mike, but L has remained consistent through it all: Olivia is my friend. (Shy smile on the side).

They are for sure in different worlds now. L is all baseball, football, boys boys boys while Olivia dances her way through. Different schedules can make it difficult to do what these kids still love best: just, play. Run in and out and up and down and be silly and hide and laugh. A break from school. A break from homework. A break from sports. Because as big as these two third graders are getting they are still eight and nine at the heart of it all. And running around with plastic swords on a random Monday was just the thing that was needed. Well, that and apple cinnamon spiced muffins. 

See, if there is a perfect post school homemade snack to sum up this crew it would be these muffins. A hint of spice, lots of sweet, and a whole lot of goodness. I’m talking minimal white sugar, whole wheat flour, coconut oil, finely chopped crisp apples. All good things.

So grab some dear friends, get these in your oven, and see what happens. I’m guessing it’s going to be your favorite part of the week. It sure was ours.

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Apple and Cinnamon Spiced (Healthy!) Muffins
Serves 12
A super filling and healthy snack - perfect for the kids post school!
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
For the apple muffins
  1. 1½ cups finely chopped apples (I used Pink Lady // with peel is great!)
  2. campaignIcon
  3. ⅓ cup coconut oil
  4. 1 cup buttermilk
  5. ⅓ cup brown sugar
  6. 1 large egg
  7. 1 teaspoon vanilla
  8. 1 cup all purpose flour
  9. 1½ cups whole wheat flour
  10. 1 teaspoon baking soda
  11. 1 teaspoon baking powder
  12. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  13. 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  14. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the crunchy topping
  1. 4 tablespoons butter
  2. 6 tablespoons white sugar
  3. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk the coconut oil, buttermilk, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Add the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and allspice. Stir until just combined. Fold in the apples. Scoop the mixture into a greased or lined muffin tin - mini, regular, or jumbo sizes will all work.
  2. For the topping: Melt the butter for the topping. Add the sugar and cinnamon; spoon over the tops of the muffins.
  3. Bake the muffins for 15 minutes, more or less by a few minutes depending on size. The muffins should be golden brown with big round tops that spring back when you press them.
Adapted from Pinch of Yum
Adapted from Pinch of Yum
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Take that, January.

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IMG_6221Anyone else feel it’s been a rough start to the year?

Let me back up a bit here. The last three months of 2015 were a little, well, rocky over here at the ol’ ALFS home. I always have a hard time figuring out exactly how to explain rough times on here. The blogging world can be completely deceitful. It’s not all brand new kitchens and homemade food and smiling happy well mannered kids 24/7 here, although that should be obvious to most. Yet there is also a sense of privacy I do want to maintain for myself and my immediate loved ones. It’s a balance I’m still struggling to find as I continue to grow as a writer: what to say, what not to say. Yet what I have learned about myself is that I’m much more prepared to write about it all once it’s in the past. 

When you’re in something things are hazy and confusing and tearful and why for some it may feel great to just blast away at the computer and get it all out I internalize. It feels safer that way. Even reaching out to friends can be difficult for me. For awhile the only one that truly knew what was going down is the one phone call I make each morning: mom. And I told her this.

Mike is sick.

Like, kind of scary they don’t know what is wrong sick.

Deep breath.

It’s a long story with many layers that can be summed up best like this: he is pretty darn allergic to ammoxicilian. Like, not in way where your throat closes up and you die, but a sneaky it’s shutting down your liver ever so slowly yet effectively kind of way. Obviously, he did not know. And over the course of the last three years many pieces of the puzzle have now been linked together and eventually solved.

So, October through December was spent getting him well. That involved a lot of rest, a lot of quiet, a lot of unknown, a lot of patience, and a lot of holding down the fort so to speak. Our lives were spent week to week with testing and waiting for the doctor to call with the results. Anticipating news, elated when it was good, tears and frustration when it was not.

Yet guess who got better just in time for Christmas? Heck yeah, M was on the upswing. 

It took a lot out of me though. Way more than I thought when I was living it. And then Christmas hit and obviously, was amazing, but it was not exactly the calmest of times. The 26th came and I just……crashed. Like, napped everyday for a few days really didn’t get out of pajamas crashed. No regrets there. 

Yet after a few days my OCD kicked in and it was time to get the house in order and the family packed up and off to Florida we flew. The sunshine felt great and the time with family was divine and M was on his feet, all good things.

And then January hit. To be honest, I was viewing January as sort of a recovery period for our little family. Coming off of three months with a sick husband, December crazy in general, and another trip I was so looking forward to the structure. The routine. The boring. 

Please be boring. I love boring.

It has not been boring.

L’ s best friend had a scary sledding accident. Another dear friend’s mother had a life threatening fall. Another friend’s mom is fighting breast cancer. Just when I thought enough is enough my iphone lights up with one of my dearest friends husbands name.

Uh oh.

Never a good sign when the husband who never ever calls you is calling you. And it wasn’t. Like hospital worthy news for multiple days.

This has meant a lot of unboring things. A lot of kids to be watched, a lot of meals to be made, a lot of phone calls and texts checking in, flowers to be delivered, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I thrive on these things. These things are what I truly desire to fill my days with and they are one of if not the most important reason I structure our family schedule in a way with room to breathe. We refuse to overbook because I want to fill my time with things such as these. These moments are what matter. 

As good as they are though, it’s a lot. The worry alone is enough to drain you. I want all my dear friends and family in one piece, please. And I can handle the bumps here and there but this sure was feeling like a lot all at once. Just when I was thinking about it all and pondering if I could possibly fit in a 10 minute nap I was hit with this text:IMG_6313

Tears, really. It didn’t even occur to me to make that connection. I can get so caught up in teaching my kids to say please and to be kind over and over when in reality the crazy days of rotating kids in and out of our home and delivering meals and phone calls to the florist with them in the car on the way to baseball, well, they were living it. No amount of boring or sleep would be worth giving that up. None.

So bring it on January. Hit me with all you’ve got because we are not backing down here. I’m not stopping until everyone is back together in one piece, safe, at home, and eating this roasted tomato and white bean soup. Hands down, best soup I’ve made in years. So good I almost, just almost, didn’t want to give it away.
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Be Well Soup
Serves 6
A super healthy and flavorful vegetarian soup!
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Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
55 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
45 min
Total Time
55 min
Ingredients
  1. 6 celery stalks, cut into 1 & 1/2 inch chunks
  2. 3 carrots, peeled, and cut into 1 & 1/2 inch chunks
  3. 1 large onion, cut into 1 inch chunks
  4. 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
  5. 1 TBS fresh rosemary, minced
  6. salt & pepper
  7. olive oil
  8. 6 roma tomatoes, cut in half vertically
  9. 1 TBS fresh thyme, minced
  10. 6 cups chicken stock
  11. 1 15 oz can cannelini beans, drained, rinsed, and smashed with a potato smasher or back of a spoon
  12. 1 15 oz can cannelini beans, drained, rinsed and left whole
  13. 3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
  14. fresh basil, roughly chopped
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
  2. On one baking sheet lined with foil, toss your celery, carrots, onion and garlic with salt, pepper, olive oil and the rosemary.
  3. On another baking sheet lined with foil, line up your tomatoes and sprinkle with salt, pepper, olive oil, and thyme.
  4. Roast both trays for 30-40 minutes until tender and slightly browned. Allow to cool.
  5. Process all vegetables in a blender or food processor and dump into a large soup pot. Add in your chicken stock, smashed beans and whole beans. Bring to a simmer.
  6. Stir in your fresh spinach and basil and continue to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Adapted from Kate Geagan
Adapted from Kate Geagan
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

 

 

 

Roasted & baked stuffed green peppers.

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IMG_5956Keeping in line with the whole healthy January theme we’ve got going on around here, I’ve got another beauty for you.

Stuffed bell peppers have a bit of an old fashioned nod to them, don’t you think? They don’t ring in as the most current of recipes but they have had some serious staying power lasting through the years. Rightfully so as these puppies are tasty. 

I’m not sure what your grandma or mom stuffed theirs with, but these are stuffed with nothing but goodness. And so versatile! I’ve made them a few times now (taste testing, people!) and they’ve seen different combos of lean ground beef, brown rice, black beans, tomatoes, zucchini, fire roasted corn, and spices. Your options are endless.

All of the above scooped up in a roasted green pepper shell and baked in a marinara sauce all topped with shredded sharp cheddar cheese? Come on. You just don’t get much better than that.

These are your answer as to what to make when it’s sleeting ice outside and you want some serious comfort for your family but you still want to be able to squeeze into your jeans. Ok wait, let’s be honest. Leggings. Black leggings. Because we’ve reached the month where if I put on actual real pants B asks me where I am going.

I know, I know. January is rough my friends. But these stuffed bell peppers help. I promise!

Roasted & Stuffed Bell Peppers
Serves 4
A healthy, delicious, and comforting mexican meal!
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
50 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
50 min
Ingredients
  1. 4 green bell peppers, sliced in half vertically and seeds and membranes removed
  2. olive oil
  3. salt & pepper
  4. 1 lbs lean ground beef
  5. 1 package taco seasoning
  6. 2 tsp chili powder
  7. 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  8. 1/2 cup water
  9. 1 28 ounce can tomato sauce, divided
  10. 1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
  11. 1 cup cooked rice (I used Trader Joes microwaved brown rice - life changing)
  12. shredded sharp cheddar and mozzarella, for topping
  13. freshly chopped cilantro, for topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Rub your peppers with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on a sheet in the hot oven for 10 minutes or so. Flip peppers and roast another 5 minutes or so, until slightly charred and soft.
  3. Meanwhile, heat a pot over medium heat. Add a tsp or so of olive oil and brown meat. Drain excess fat and stir in seasonings, chili pepper, garlic salt, water, half of the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and brown rice. Season with salt & pepper and let simmer while peppers are roasting.
  4. Once the peppers are done remove from the oven and drain any excess liquid. Turn the oven down to 350.
  5. Prepare a large baking dish by pouring the remaining tomato sauce along the bottom, spreading evenly with a spoon. Place the peppers in the dish on top of the sauce, 'boat' side up.
  6. Spoon the simmering meat/veggie mixture evenly among the peppers and top with the cheeses. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes or so, until warmed and bubbling.
  7. Garnish with cilantro and serve immediately.
Notes
  1. *feel free to swap out the brown rice for black beans. Add in a diced zucchini or fire roasted corn. Keep it vegetarian and leave out the meat and go heavier on the beans and rice. Anything goes!
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/

Healthy Tuscan Vegetable Soup

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Alright guys. Let’s have a heart to heart for a moment.

December can be rough on the waistline. I’m not sure what your family entails but I’m dealt four Christmases in a row. Yep. We start the 22nd and. power. through. So much joy, so much fun, so much festive and of course, so much food.

Oh the food.

We started off with lamb and fluffy mashed potatoes. Then we visited the whole prime rib/twice baked potato combo. Christmas Eve was spent munching on old fashioned (read: not exactly healthy) appetizers and ribbon sandwiches (layers of egg, olive and tuna salad AKA the epitome of health) and of course Christmas Day we woke up to this bubbling away and ended it all with a bang: Chinese take out.

I’m not making this up.

You want to know the worst part? Days later I was in FLORIDA. Expected to slither my post holiday bod into an actual swimsuit and wrangle the boys. Dear Lord, hold me.

I know, I know….I’m not exactly struggling with weight or anything but my goodness anyone that eats like that needs a bit of reprieve. A post holiday detox if you will. Hey, even a meal that doesn’t include red meat and butter filled potatoes will work at this point.

Enter this gem.

Gosh, I have so many good things to say. It’s super quick, but it tastes sloooow. It’s super healthy. M eats it. The boys dip the bread in the broth (baby steps here, man). It’s got a handful of vegetables and whole lot of health and all that stuff that has been lacking in your diet for the past 30+ days.

So here’s to January and to more meals like this because let’s be honest at this point? It is so needed. Trust me, step away from the holiday cookies…..

Tuscan Vegetable Soup
A healthy and satisfying soup - perfect to detox in the month of January
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
30 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 (15-ounce) can low-sodium canellini beans, drained and rinsed
  2. 1 tablespoon olive oil
  3. 1/2 large onion, diced
  4. 2 carrots, diced
  5. 2 stalks celery, diced,
  6. 1 small zucchini, diced
  7. 1 clove garlic, minced
  8. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  9. 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
  10. 1/2 teaspoon salt
  11. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  12. 32 ounces low-sodium chicken stock
  13. 1 (14.5-ounce) can no salt added diced tomatoes
  14. 2 cups chopped baby spinach leaves
  15. 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, garlic, thyme, sage, salt & pepper, and cook stirring occasionally until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes or so.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl mash half of the beans with a back of a spoon, and set aside.
  3. Add the broth and tomatoes with the juice and bring to a boil. Add the mashed and whole beans and the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes more. Serve in deep bowls with a sprinkle of parmesan on top. Hold the bread, if you can....
A Life From Scratch. http://a-life-from-scratch.com/
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