Category Archives: Healthy Recipes

Watermelon, Mint and Feta Salad

Posted on August 15, 2012 | 2 comments

Here is another recipe we enjoyed camping last weekend. Our mint is abundant right now and there are only so many mint cocktails one can drink. I thought this simple little salad would be refreshing camping and easy to throw together.

Packing for the trip, I cut several stems of mint, washed them and then stored them damp, wrapped in a paper towel, in the fridge (and then the cooler). This, by the way, is my favorite way to store herbs and lettuces from the garden. Except at home I just as often use a clean kitchen towel instead of a disposable one. I also packed up the last of my homemade feta. (The feta is another recipe I plan to share, so feel free to subscribe to follow.)

This salad is great with figs, too. This year a little birdie we call Baby eats our figs as fast as they come off the tree. She has even full on shoplifted a fig! We were in Whole Foods and she was sitting in the cart. I turned my back for a second to pick out a peach and when I looked she had grabbed a fig out of a basket on the display and had started eating it! Baby also got into a shopping bag today, found an avocado and bit into it as though it were an apple.

Anyway, she loved this salad. It is a great way to showcase fruit at it’s peak. For babies, watermelon is a great first solid once they are ready to try venturing past purées since it is so easy to “bite into” with just gums.

Watermelon, Mint and Feta Salad Recipe

  • A large bowl of watermelon cut into large bite sized chunks, chilled
  • Mint, ripped or cut into smaller pieces
  • Crumbled feta
  • Balsamic vinegar glaze or reduction
  • Squeeze of lime juice (optional)
  • Salt and pepper (optional)

I don’t have measurements for this salad, so just eyeball it. Cut up the watermelon and chill, if it isn’t already cold. Then add the rest of the ingredients, mix and serve immediately.

2 Comments

Posted in Family Adventures, Food, Healthy Recipes, Homemade Baby Food, Recipes for the Whole Family, Recipes from the Garden, Urban Homesteading

Tagged , , , , , , ,

Family Traditions: Camping, Shooting Stars and Pancakes

Posted on August 12, 2012 | 3 comments

We just took Baby Bird camping for the first time! She did great and had fun getting dirty, playing outside and spending time with Mama and Dada. I kept thinking about camping with my parents when I was little.

Camping out east we got away from the big city light pollution and had the treat of seeing a sky full of stars and the Perseid meteor shower. My dad loved being outdoors and took my sisters and I on major backpacking trips in Yosemite. He always timed them for mid-August so we could see the shooting stars. I remember sleeping out in the open, all in a row in our sleeping bags and counting how many we could see as he pointed out constellations.

These days I am content to “car camp” instead of carrying a heavy pack up mountains at elevation. But when my dad was diagnosed with cancer and planned a victory backpack trip for when he would beat it, of course I agreed to go. We never ended up backpacking again, but I most easily connect with him outside in the beauty of nature, visiting the waterfall where we scattered his ashes or catching a shooting star.

I’m so glad we could introduce our lil’ one to the joys of living outside and being with friends. I know her grandpa would approve.

So, anyway, pancakes?

As we were preparing for this camping trip, I asked my husband what food he would like me to buy as he does most of the cooking when we camp. I was a dutiful wife with most of his list but balked at “pancake mix,” figuring I could do better. I recently made these super light and fluffy pancakes with some of the excess kefir I have been making and they were delicious. I pre-measured and packaged up the dry ingredients and added the vanilla to the kefir. Voila! Instant “instant mix.” More affordable and infinitely more tasty. I also packed some of my cajeta, a traditional Mexican syrup made from goat milk that is a cross between dulce de leche and sweetened condensed milk. (Update: the cajeta recipe is now up.) Papa Bird manned the camping griddle and they were a huge hit with our friends camping.

20120812-192821.jpg

I have to confess that making my own pancake mix was not my original idea but something I remember my mom doing when we used to camp. I clearly remember one camping trip when I was seven or eight. Before the campground we stopped to visit friends of my parents in Big Sur. I was petite and looked younger than my age, but I thought the lady was still a little out of touch when she said, in full on baby talk, “Maybe if you are lucky your mommy will make you pancakes.” I had to set the record straight and told her as a matter of fact, “No, but I will make crepes.”

Fluffy Kefir Pancakes

Recipe from Tammy’s Recipes

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups kefir (homemade if you have it)
  • 1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine kefir, milk, vanilla extract, and eggs. Add to dry mixture and mix just until moistened. Pre-heat griddle or skillet over medium heat (or just below). Lightly grease griddle or skillet, and spoon batter on. When many bubbles have risen to the top of the pancake (about 3-4 minutes), flip over and continue cooking until done (about 1-2 minutes). Serve immediately, or keep pancakes warm on a plate in the oven until all have been cooked. Serve with butter, fresh fruit, or syrup.

Notes:

Baby loves the pancakes, with or without syrup, and can eat them as is. This recipe is very basic and unsweetened. While it is awesome simple, it would also be a good “base” for adding anything you like. I have added a few tablespoons of flax meal. I’d like to try adding lemon zest in next time, inspired by lemon ricotta pancakes.

20120812-192948.jpg

3 Comments

Posted in Family Adventures, Healthy Recipes, Recipes for the Whole Family

Tagged

Instant Summer Dinner: Pesto Angel Hair with Tomatoes

Posted on August 9, 2012 | 4 comments

Baby Bird became hungry and cranky all of a sudden this evening so dinner needed to be made ASAP. We had a little leftover chicken, but not much else. I found some angel hair pasta in the cupboard and thought of pesto. The angel hair cooks in 2 minutes, so this dinner was actually as fast as making a microwave meal!

What goes better with tomatoes than basil? Nature must agree since they are both in season at the same time.

20120809-221128.jpg

I put on a pot of water and went out to the yard to pick basil and I found a ripe tomato. Our basil was a little neglected, so I trimmed off the flowers.

20120809-221146.jpg

By the time I came back in the water was boiling. Papa Bird helped cut up the tomato with his new ceramic knife. The rest just came together, perfect to have with a glass of white wine and a little of my truffled goat cheese and crackers.

Pesto Angel Hair with Tomatoes Recipe

  • 1 package of angel hair pasta
  • 2 handfuls of basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup of raw pine nuts
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1-2 cloves of fresh garlic
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 cup of cooked chicken (optional)
  • 1 large tomato
  • 1/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions. Rewarm chicken in a pan, covered, with a splash of water, if needed. In a small dry pan on medium heat carefully toast the pine nuts. Watch them carefully as they will go from raw to burnt quickly. Add the pine nuts to a blender with the basil, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. Blend, adding oil if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Place the drained pasta in a bowl. Grate parmesan with a microplane over the pasta. Add the pesto and mix well. Start with a little of the pesto, taste and go from there. A little goes a long way. Toss with chicken and tomatoes and serve. Or share out of the mixing bowl. :)

20120809-221156.jpg

Notes:

Nuts should never be toasted in oil, but in a dry pan. Walnuts are also traditional in pesto, but I prefer the taste with pine nuts. All nuts are expensive right now, but I’ve found that Trader Joe’s still has the best price for pine nuts. Oh! And protect your investment (~$8 for a 8 oz bag at Trader Joe’s and as much as $25-30/pound elsewhere) and store the nuts in the freezer. They will last you a long time.

I had two oz. of extra pesto that I put into a silicone tray meant for freezing baby food. I figure the one oz. cubes will defrost easily sometime in the future. I’ll let you know how it works!

20120809-221216.jpg

Tips for cooking for baby:

We haven’t given her pesto yet. Baby bird at 10 months loves feeding herself thin pastas, like angel hair, or orzo. We break it up a little and put it on her tray. Tonight she had the pasta, chicken, tomatoes and avocado. Plus she stole a little goat cheese.

 

4 Comments

Posted in Healthy Recipes, Recipes for the Whole Family, Recipes from the Garden, Urban Homesteading

Tagged , , , ,

Raw Energy Bites

Posted on August 8, 2012 | 9 comments

In the last year I’ve grown tired of packaged energy and cereal bars. Even the ones that have a short ingredient list of “real food” ingredients. So when a friend pinned this recipe on Pinterest, my interest was piqued.

20120808-230621.jpg

Usually I make a batch on the weekends and then keep them in the fridge. They are sweet with honey but have never given me a sugar crash as they are filled with protein and fiber. I also like to experiment with various superfoods, like chia seeds and cocoa nibs, in addition to the chocolate chips and dried cranberries or cherries. I use local honey when I can. As an added bonus for the milkers out there, the rolled oats are also a great galactagogue.

My husband munches on them, too, but I eat most of them. I grab three or so to eat in the car on the way to work in the morning with my coffee. They are substantial enough that I have plenty of energy to work out, too, before a full morning of work. I also find them very helpful to have on hand when I am home with baby and find myself all of a sudden starving. I can better focus on preparing food for her if I pop one in my mouth. Instant nourishment! :)

Raw Energy Bites Recipe

Recipe from gimmesomeoven

5.0 from 1 reviews
Save Print
Raw Energy Bites
Author: 
Recipe type: Healthy Snack or Breakfast
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 20-25 walnut-sized balls.
 
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. This will make it easier to work with.
  2. Once chilled, roll into two-bite sized balls or whatever size you would like. If it still isn't "sticking" together, add a little more honey or peanut butter. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Notes:

I don’t usually measure ingredients too closely, especially sticky messy nut butters and honey, but I highly recommend doing so for this recipe. The proportions definitely need to be right in order for the batter to stick together. The previous poster has some great ideas for substitutions, but recommends keeping the honey as it is the “glue.”

Captain Obvious points out that these are NOT a good snack for babies under one year!

captain obvious

9 Comments

Posted in Healthy Recipes, Natural Remedies

Tagged ,