Food Crawl

My Dear Hubby and I had date night today. He let me plan the whole date. I took him on a Food Crawl to two Sustainable Restaurants. (Maybe, just maybe.. I watch a little too much Top Chef, Food Network or Rachael Ray.. hence the idea of the Food Crawl). I thought that choosing food and restaurants that used local organic ingredients, produce and meats would be fun and adventurous for our taste pallets.

First stop was Lunch at the Laughing Planet Cafe at 760 Blair Blvd in Eugene, Oregon. We dressed casual, but felt a bit out of place with the hippie granola crowd, but they were laid back and didn't mind our company. Dear hubby and I shared a cup of their famous Vegan Chili (beans, tomatoes, zuchinni, carrots, onions, peppers and spices), a Farmboy-Tim Smoothie (canteloupe, honeydew, blueberries, kiwi, peaches and apple juice) and split a Burrito (organic chicken, pinto beans, organic brown rice, cabbage, picco de gallo and their homemade mild green tomatilla salsa). Tasty, healthy and satisfying meal.

Dear hubby and I spent a few hours digesting our meal by meandering around the Eugene Library and borrowed books on our next family vacation destination which will be to The Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park.

Next stop on the Food Crawl was to Dinner at Adam's Sustainable Table at 30 E. Broadway in Eugene. Great atmosphere, fine dining and very attentive staff. They are a Dinner House and we got there just as they opened at 4:30 PM. We had the place to ourselves at first as we were earlybirds. I fibbed/joked and told dear hubby that I reserved the Restaurant just for us. Okay enough joking, on with the food. First course was a cup of the French Onion Soup (carmelized onions with a floating crustini topped with bubbling cheese). The beef broth and onions were rich and sweet, but it lacked seasoning. Second course was the Roasted Beet Salad (roasted yellow beets, shaved apple, shaved fennel, toasted candied walnuts and Artisian Alsea Acres goat cheese and vinaigrette). Gorgeous presentation and was so fresh and delicious. Next course was the Entrees, we each ordered an entree and split them. My Dear Hubby is a meat and potatoes kind of man, so what did he order? The Smoked Prime Rib Sandwich with organic potatoe wedges. (Prime rib was from a local farm and the beef was steroid and antibiotic free). It was so tender, as if you were eating a filet mignon, and melted in your mouth like butter. We've never had a Prime Rib taste so wonderul. Next entree was the Savory Chicken Crock Pie (Chicken pot pie in a terra cotta crock with root vegetables, organic pasture raised chicken with a fresh baked buttermilk & herb biscuit pastry top). Couldn't eat it all so we brought home a doggie bag. Dinner was fabulous and we had a great Food Crawl together... but what about dessert?

We were a bit stuffed, so we spent a couple of hours digesting our meal walking around the mall, picked up some spring outifts for the kids and enjoyed hanging out at Barnes and Noble and picked up an audio book. Ahhh grown up time and shopping without kids is a nice treat. Speaking of treats... we ended the night with ice cream at Coldstone Creamery, we were both in the mood for chocolate and peanut butter. It was pretty crazy in there as a youth group was having a scavenger hunt and had competitions eating icecream and singing Coldstone's jingles. They looked like they were having a blast.

Food Crawl was a success, we tried some vegan dishes, sampled new dishes and new ingredients for the first time. Maybe next month we will do it again and pick a different food fare and new restaurants that we haven't experienced yet. One thing we learned is that with local sustainable ingredients the menu's change frequently due to the availability of what is in season.

Cornflake Chews

Corn Flake Chewies

2 cups of sugar

1/4 cup butter

2 cups light corn syrup

2 cups creamy peanut butter

12 cups of corn flakes

In a large nonstick pot heat sugar, butter and corn syrup to boiling, stirring constantly.

Take off heat and add peanut butter, stir until melted.

Add cornflakes to hot mixture and stir.

Spread in greased pan or cookie sheet.

Cut when cool.

(You can drop by round spoonfuls too, but I find it much easier to spread on a cookie sheet and cut into squares).

From Angie's Kitchen

Enjoy!

Homemade Granola Bars

Granola Bars

4 cups of Quick Oats

1 cup of Old Fashioned Oats

1 cup of sliced Almonds

1 cup of Pepita's (pumpkin seeds) (no salt)

1/2 cup of Sunflower Kernels (no salt)

1 cup of shredded Coconut

1/2 cup chopped dried Cranberries

1/2 cup chopped dried Apricots

1 cup of dry Powdered Milk

1 1/2 cups of Honey

3/4 cup of Olive Oil

2 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp. Salt

Mix all ingredients together, press into a cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes. Cut into square bar shapes while still warm, let cool on sheet for a few hours. Store them in a airtight container.

From my kitchen to yours, Enjoy!

Angie

Health and Healing

I just wanted to apologize to my followers for not posting on my blog for a very long time. I have been quite overwhelmed with life and some health issues and had to put things on hold or give up for a duration and take care of me. Sometimes taking care of your own needs is hard to do and we get sidetracked and lose ourselves. I am seeing a little light at the end of the tunnel and will try to post every now and again. Thanks for checking in on me.

Grab and Go Breakfast Burrito's

Today I made a bunch of grab and go breakfast burritos for my teenage son to take with him on the way to school. I filled them with scrambled eggs, ham, cheese and salsa. Then wrapped them in plastic wrap and placed them in Ziploc bags. All he has to do is microwave them in the plastic wrap for a minute or so. I hope he knows how much his Mama loves him.

Homemade Honey Lemon Brew for Sore and Scratchy Throats

1/3 cup of boiling water
1 T Raw Honey
1 T Lemon Juice

Add honey to boiling water and dissolve. Add Lemon Juice. While it is still nice and hot, take a Tablespoon at a time, tilt head back and gargle for 10 to 15 seconds then swallow to coat back of your throat.

Make your own Brown Sugar

Brown Sugar

Ingredients:

2 Pounds of Sugar

6 ounces of Molasses

Put Sugar and Molasses in food processor and pulse a few times until incorporated. Store in airtight container for 30 days.

Homemade Tartar Sauce

1 cup of mayo (Best Foods)

1/8 cup of dill pickle relish (Steinfields)

1/8 cup of minced onion

2 tsp of dried dill (or 1 tsp of fresh baby dill)

Mix all ingredients together and let flavors meld together in the refrigerator for at least one hour before using. The flavor is awesome.

My favorite things to use this tartar sauce on is steamed fish, salmon cakes or fish tacos.

Cherry Almond Granola

Cherry Almond Granola

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup nonfat dry milk

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup unsweetened apple juice concentrate

2 T of canola oil

3 tsp almond extract

6 cups Old-Fashioned Oats

1 1/2 cups of dried cherries or cranberries

1 cup slivered almonds or pecans

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, milk powder, honey, apple juice concentrate and oil. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Stir in extract. In a large bowl, combine the oats, cherries and almonds. Drizzle with the sugar mixture and mix well.

Spread in a thin layer in two 15x10 baking pans coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. Store in airtight container.

Uses or serving suggestions: Serve with skim milk for breakfast, top with vanilla yogurt or frozen yogurt for dessert.

Pre-planning helps with Chaos and Routines.

If I can find a way to save time or nonsense in my day I am willing to try it. The evenings and bedtime for our little toddlers can get quite hectic in our household. Our mornings can be crazy too, if we have appointments or errands to run with the kids. So I try to find ways to save time, be better organized with routines, and eliminate chaos in our lives.

Here are a few things that keep me sane.

1) Set out Pajamas in the morning for the night time.

2) Before bath time, put PJ's and fresh diapers on the bed.

3) Before bedtime, select clothes for the next morning.

4) Fill sippy cups after bedtime, put in fridge for the morning.

5) Have a basket of snacks in Ziploc snack bags to grab and go.

6) Keep a few snack bags of crackers or cereal in van or diaper bag for hunger or meltdowns.

7) Have a few books, learning or activity toys in the van for quiet time or crankiness.

8) Have the kids help pick up their rooms and/or family room before nap time and bedtime.

9) Have my teenager do the dinner dishes to give me a break in the evenings.

10) Keep a family calendar in site to help keep us all on schedule with events or appointments.

11)I have a dry erase board on my fridge for items that I have run out of and need to replace.

12) Meal plan- On my fridge I have a weekly meal plan to help me stay organized and stay with in a budget.

13) I am the only one that administers medicine or vitamins. So we don't double medicate.

14) I hire a helper/teenager (once or twice a month) to help with the deep cleaning or yard work.

15) Make ahead meals and freeze for quick and easy dinners, for those hectic days.

Some of these things saves us time, eliminates chaos, saves us money or keeps us organized. Pre-planning creates good habits and routines and we have more time to spend as a family.

If you have any other ideas or advice please do share.