Saturday, November 22, 2008

momma's power oatmeal

Now that the weather is cold, my son and I have been enjoying warm bowls of power oatmeal to start our days. This delicious oatmeal is my own little creation. It's very nutritious and filling, and one of my son's favourite things to eat.

Momma's Power Oatmeal

You will need:

Almond milk
Organic quick-rolled oats
Organic Quinoa
Flax seeds
Hemp seed hearts
Premium 100% Maple syrup
Cinnamon
Fresh or frozen berries (we like strawberries, blueberries, black berries and raspberries)


Directions:

Bring a ratio of half water, half almond milk to a boil on the stove. How much you use will depend on how many people you are feeding with your oatmeal. I always just eyeball it and have never bothered measuring.

In a coffee grinder, grind several spoonfuls of quinoa to a fine powder. Stir the powder into your boiling water & almond milk.

After a minute or two, add your oats. Stir frequently.

In the coffee grinder, grind a spoonful or two of flax seeds to a meal. (Flax seed is best when freshly ground - it loses it's nutritional value the longer it sits after being ground.) Add the ground flax seed to the oatmeal. Again, how much you will use depends on how much oatmeal you want to make.

Add hemp seed hearts. Stir well.

Add as much or as little maple syrup and cinnamon as you would like. My son enjoys lots of each.

Add your fresh or frozen berries to the mix. We tend to use frozen berries, because they are cheaper and they keep for as long as they are in the freezer. I toss a few handfuls into the oatmeal, cook until completely thawed & nice and hot, and enjoy!

There you have it - Momma's power oatmeal! This is a favourite in our house when the weather is frosty cold.

slow-cooker chana masala (chick pea curry)

Last week I made all of our dinners in the slow-cooker. It worked out so well, I think I may make a habit of doing it. My particular favourite of the recipes I tried was the slow-cooker chana masala, or chick pea curry.

Slow-cooker Chana Masala

You will need:

1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated OR 1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
Salt to taste
1 cup dried chick peas (or 1 15 oz can)*
12 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp garam masala

* I recommend using dried chick peas whenever possible. They are much healthier than canned chick peas, which lose a lot of their nutritional value during processing and have an incredible amount of salt added to them.

Directions:

Soak dried chick peas overnight. Drain the soaking water and boil the chick peas in fresh water on the stove until they are soft. (I like to do a large amount at once, so that I have plenty of chick peas available throughout the week for other recipes, snacks, etc. You can put your extra chick peas in a container in the fridge.)

Sautee the onion, garlic, and ginger in the olive oil.

Add all ingredients to the slow-cooker. Cook for 6-9 hours on low.

Monday, November 10, 2008

time for a grocery trip

With this mama working evenings and Daddy working days, I've been trying to do most dinners in the slow-cooker so we can just sit down and eat when I get home without the hassle of meal prep. So far, so good! I'm in love with my slow-cooker - it only take me 15 mins or so to get all the ingredients ready and thrown in the pot, and voila! I come home to a hot meal.

This week's slow-cooker recipes are:
- Chickpea Curry
- Lemon Chickpea Bulgar Pilaf
- Eclectic Pasta Stew
- Quinoa Vegetable Pilaf

Recipes to come throughout the week!

My last grocery trip was not as well-thought as usual, and we ended up with quite a bit left at the end of the week. That's ok - it just means less to buy this week, and less time in the grocery store with two impatient little ones.

Now that winter is here and it's such as hassle getting the kids out the door with hats and mitts and thick coats, I'm considering renewing my service from the local organic delivery. They carry a lot more than you'd expect a delivery service to offer. http://naturalearthorganics.ca