planning my peaceful pre-Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving: the food, the family, the crisp Fall day dedicated to nothing other than both. But somehow it snuck up this year, and I am finding myself feeling slightly overwhelmed by all I used to do in past years. Inspired by this post on Simple Mom (which, ironically, my dear friend Leslie forwarded me on... um, November 11th, and I didn't have a chance to read until this morning...), I have decided to pare back a bit this year. The good intentions are still there, but there's a need to be more practical this year. I will still cook the feast on Thanksgiving (despite our kitchen that is bordering on full collapse with now 1 or 2 working burners (depending upon the day), and a semi-functioning fridge and now single oven), but I am going to get organized this weekend and be realistic about what I can accomplish cooking-wise. And, I still want to continue our tradition of gifting dishes of Homemade Pumpkin Cannelloni with Sage Cream Sauce to the boys' teachers, but this year we are simplifying a bit.

Last year, we made pumpkin cannelloni for all of them. It started out simple enough. Some onions, shallots and garlic chopped in the Cuisinart...

...so many cans of organic pumpkin puree, marscapone, and bottles of sherry I lost count...

...Legos spread out all over the kitchen floor, the amazing smell of the pumpkin filling bubbling away on the (then fully functioning) range.

I'd thought nothing of a day trip to the Container Store, where I filled two shopping carts with glass containers,

excitedly filling them with this labor of love.

Our kitchen was transformed into a pumpkin cannelloni factory, of sorts.

A happily humming factory, where every surface was put to good use.

And at the end of the day, the fridge was filled with 28 dishes (yes, 28) of Pumpkin Cannelloni. The boys and I delivered each dish to one of their current or past teachers the next day, to be enjoyed with their families during the week of Thanksgiving. It was one of those times when 'tis way more fun to give than to receive. But this year, for a variety of reasons, I just can't swing this massive effort. It's been in the back on my mind, this guilt that we did something so special last year and we're not doing it again this year. But then I had to take a step back and think about how my children and I can still do this fabulous project together, but keep it manageable from a planning, time and cost perspective. It's not the majesty of last year, but I have to remind myself that it still means a very special, very well-deserved night "off" for each of my children's two current main teachers and their families.

unplug + recharge

Time for me to unplug. For. A. Whole. Week. (Always a challenge...) Back in a week, or so, hopefully refreshed, recharged and full of new, simple recipe ideas. Hope your week is full of delicious food, fresh air, and summer fun too.

p.s. There was no Friday lunchbox this week. The kids cut out of camp early!

we have a winner (finally)

The train is totally off the tracks over here. My little one is recovering from pneumonia, and despite being home bound for the bulk of the last two weeks, I have let too many things get in the way of taking care of myself. And it shows. As I tell my friends who ask "when are you going to post again?!!", if I don't have anything nice to say then I won't say anything at all. So, it's been almost a week without posts. Balance always seems to be my elusive goal. But, to start, I am going to announce the Sara Stover book winner and wrap up this post up quickly so I can go outside with the kids and enjoy this beautiful afternoon. Then I am going to make a quick, but delicious pot of bouillabaisse and put my feet up. I hope that all of you busy moms are doing the same (the putting your feet up part, not the bouillabaisse if you didn't also make a run to the fish market this afternoon...) this start to the Mother's Day weekend. Chances are I will not set aside time to post this weekend, so I want to wish each of you a relaxing day.

And now, without further babbling, is the winner [drum roll]. According to my trusty # picker Random.org, it is #5, Sarah, who wrote "I finally have given myself permission to say 'No.' It has made me SO happy!" I'll have what Sarah is having.

Sarah, please email me at mealsinasnap {at} gmail {dot} com and let me know where I should send your book! I hope you enjoy it!!

happy?

Spring is here! The sun is shining again, tulips and daffodils have popped up everywhere and the supermarkets have beautiful artichokes and asparagus. Those of you who have been reading my posts as of late know that I have done my own little reawakening. Finally, I don't feel so much like a frumpy mama bear. I have lost the baby weight (never mind that my youngest is now 4), have more energy, am happier, and [drum roll] a friend who came by for tea last week actually went so far as to say I am glowing. (I swear, I didn't pay her to say that.)

In the process of figuring out ways to jibe my needs with my family's needs I have done a bit of reading. Two books, in particular, really resonated and have helped me to be more calm and focused on what is truly important to me at this life stage. The first, I cracked in the New Year. Since reading Gretchen Rubin's Happiness Project, I have given it to several friends who agree that it's fabulous. The second, Sara Avant Stover's new book, The Way of the Happy Woman, is so thoughtful and calming. She is actually coming to New Canaan Library on May 9th and leading a mini retreat at Saraswati on May 14th. I know a lot of you reading this are my friends scattered across the U.S. and beyond so here are the other places you can catch her if you'd like to hear her speak or go to one of her workshops. I am excited to send a copy of Sara's book to one of you who might like to read it as well. Simply leave a comment below letting me know something you have done to bring more happiness into your busy life. I will choose a winner on Monday!

lighter on my feet + avocado salad and week 2-approved marinated chicken

I am totally hooked. 11 days in to my gift to myself I feel amazing. (The icing on the cake...or lime on the jicama as the case may be when we're talking treats these day... is that when I went to JCREW for some new white jeans, I had to go down 2 sizes. In 10 days. Really, who wouldn't be smitten with themselves?!) And the impact on my family is pretty darn fabulous too. You all know that we always ate relatively healthfully, but since I am following Tracy's Eating Plan as well, there are tons of fruits and veggies guaranteed at each meal. I know. I know. You all gave me so much flack for my uber-organized fridge in the Chicken Enchilada video, but I'm telling you: it's totally worth it to prep ahead. That pic above included some of my prepped ingredients for week 2's meals. Crunchy, colorful goodness. (Much appreciated after 7 days of purees and soups...)

As for the exercise portion, I love-- and now totally agree with-- what Tracy says: "People feel guilty about taking that time for themselves and don’t stop to realize that devoting some time each day to take care of yourself will help you in all other aspects of your life." Now, don't get me wrong. This hasn't been an easy 11 days. The "30 min" of cardio and "30 min" of toning that Tracy encourages me to do 6 days/week really takes me more like 45 minutes apiece because I have to stop to catch my breath or guzzle water. The first day I was clomping around so ridiculously ungracefully that my children came running up to see what the hell was going on above them. Nothing little ones, that's just mom trying to do some dance cardio. For someone who really hasn't danced since, oh, our wedding 10+ years ago, I am happy to report that 11 days in I am lighter on my feet. Still, no one is going to mistake my moves for Tracy's. Yet.

Then there's the food. And while I knew I would find a way to squeeze the exercise into my busy days (even if it means getting up at 5:30 am to do it before getting the kids ready for school), I wondered if I'd really be able to make her eating plan work? So far, so good. I find myself adding fresh herbs, lemon juice, and spices where I can to keep things interesting. But then there's something like these chunks of fresh kiwi and blueberries that are so perfect as is.

This week, I am having two hard boiled eggs and a cup of fresh fruit for breakfast each day. The kids are having some derivation of that too and digging it (like above with the half eaten egg). Prep is non-existent (unless you count chopping an apple and peel a banana for them) because I am boiling the eggs ahead of time.

Dinners have overlapped nicely too. I'm the only one who likes grilled tofu, so everyone else had a roasted veggie pizza at the meal pictured above. The only real difference is that I've been leaving the kid's salads "deconstructed" (as they do in some of the finest dining establishments).

Here's a "week 2-approved" recipe I came up with that was a hit with my family this weekend. Whether you are doing this 90-day gig along with me or not, I think you'll enjoy this simple meal idea:

Avocado Salad

Combine chunks of avocado, red pepper, English cucumbers, jicama and cherry tomatoes. Add the juice of a few limes (depending upon how much you're making). If you'd like, you can also add salt & pepper, to taste.

Lemon-Mustard Marinated Chicken

In a large zip-loc, combine chicken breasts or cutlets + lemon zest + lemon juice + grainy mustard + fresh rosemary + a few grinds of pepper + a few shakes of smoked paprika. Add enough water so the marinade turns to a "paste" consistency. Let chicken marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Grill over high heat so the chicken is seared. This will prevent it from sticking to the grill. Serve warm or cold.

juggling successfully

My inbox is full. But every so often I make an attempt to play catch up and I stay up late scrolling down and reading the various newsletters and emails that come my way. A recent one from GOOP hit a little too close to home. 40 is creeping up on me. It's sort of nice to have that self-imposed deadline/goal in my mind. Something to give me a kick in the pants...though I wouldn't feel it these days, there's so much padding back there. I want to make some changes, and feel better as a-- well, almost 40 year old. But as a busy mom, I have a hard time letting everyone's needs override my own. About this time, two years ago, I told you about my little mom crush on Tracy Anderson. So, when I saw Gwenyth touting this 90-day "metamorphosis" program, it wasn't too tough a sell.

I needed a framework to get back on track. Really, the biggest glitch is that the eating plan doesn't necessarily jibe with feeding a ravenous husband and two growing children. But I am going to make this work, and I know I am not alone in this effort, so this is going to be the main focus of posts here on Full Plate these next 90-days. For those who are rolling along happily without Tracy's gig, I think you'll still find plenty of inspiration. I mean, really, how can you go wrong with some new wholesome recipes that can do double-duty as healthful sides? And since my limited time to cook is shifting to the recipes in Tracy's eating plan, you'll also catch a glimpse of what prepared foods I am keeping on hand to round out everyone else's three meals a day!

I set aside some time last night to get the cooking done for the first seven days. I am not going to lie: it was a ton of prep. But when I was done, I had everything but the daily juice made for the next seven days and I made extra portions of each recipe so I could serve some to the rest of my family.

The kids and my husband had some of the Sweet Potato Corn Pudding as a side with carrot sticks, roasted pepitas, and Whole Food's brand baked chicken taquitos (found in the freezer section). The kids claimed it was "one of the best dinners ever" and "loved dessert!!" (That would be the sweet potato corn pudding little ones...but I'm not going to argue).

Sweet Potato Corn Pudding

(from Tracy Anderson's Metamorphosis Dynamic Eating Plan)

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

1 ear white corn*

Steam the sweet potato. Slice the corn off the cob. Combine ingredients in a food processor and puree.

*I quadrupled the recipe, using 4 large sweet potatoes, and a bag of frozen white corn (since you can't get it fresh around here yet). It reheats perfectly and will be a great starch side-- or dessert depending upon who you ask--for a few different meals this week.

undies...recipes...it's all the same

I am belly laughing right now. Maybe that's because I feel lighter having (finally) vacuumed up the Christmas tree needles and put away the last stray ornaments, or because I gave in and went back to a nice cup of fully caffeinated coffee this morning, or maybe it's because this post my friend sent me is just so spot on. If you're reading The Happiness Project along with me, then you know that in January, you want to try to "toss, restore, organize". Undies, sweaters, toys, recipes...isn't it so true that when you pare down, you actually feel like you have more to choose from?

In the spirit of freshening things up a bit, I also updated the "Sites that Inspire Me" column here on the right (scroll down a bit). If you have other sites I should check out and possibly add, please make a suggestion here in the comments section. As with anything, I find the best ideas through my friends!

first pages turned in 2011

Now that I have finished up the last batch of Christmas cards (yes, you read that right so don't be offended, just check your mailbox if you still haven't gotten ours...), I cannot wait to delve back into the book that's currently on my bedside table, the magazine I am always excited to find in my mailbox, and the cookbook I am currently reading cover to cover.

Baking on a Budget: The holiday project I filmed for Walmart

I get these Happiness Project quotes emailed to me each morning, which when combined with the Zen-y thought printed on my morning Yogi tea bag, usually get my day off to a good start. (Liz, maybe these nuggets are why I am able to stay sane this week, ha!) Anyway, today's quote was:

"The man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest."— Henry David Thoreau

which fits nicely with this morning's post. We all know tis better to give than to receive, but what do you do when your list is long and your wallet is thin? Instead of giving less, why not figure out a recipe that will thrill the recipients but is also reasonable. You may remember that last month, I was hired by Walmart* to come up with a homemade holiday gift idea that was under $5. I normally shop for ingredients at my local market, or Trader Joe's and Whole Foods so this was a fun challenge: to peruse their holiday offerings, think about some of my go-to recipes, and meld the two together. I ended up making my wildly popular cinnamon-chocolate brownies with chocolate ganache, which a month later is not what I ended up making for our teachers (since they had already gotten to enjoy a test run on these treats back in November!). But this is a fabulous recipe (no matter what time of year) to whip up if you have a cookie exchange, holiday party, or need for a reasonably priced hostess or holiday gift!! Here's that video, which is currently showing on Yahoo Shine:

*as in paid, which was nice! (But rest assured, I'll only take on paid gigs if they truly fit with what I am sharing with you all, and I'll always tell you.)

Cooking with Little Ones: Homemade Granola

I blew into town last night, just before the heavy snow. In case you hadn’t noticed, it was very quiet over here the past week, as I was enjoying a decadent week away with my mom where the only thing we had to worry about was which yoga class to take, whether to hike or take a breathing workshop, and whether to have dinner at 6:30, 7:30 or 8:00. Bliss I tell you.

Anyhow, local schools were cancelled today, which was nice because I hadn’t spent quality time with my children in a week. On my flights home, I had earmarked all sorts of recipes from Mark Bittman’s book, Food Matters, and jotted down this elaborate shopping list, excited to launch back into cooking after being cooked for for the past fifteen meals.

After the novelty of making Valentines wore off, my littlest one wanted to cook together. Truth be told, he wanted cookies, and I think he figured asking to cook together just might make a couple dozen appear. No such luck on Day 1 back from the spa. But close, since oats/butter/sugar/flour were some of the only things on hand. I’d left the home stocked with plentiful frozen meals and enough fruits and veggies to last the week, intending to do a major marketing run upon my return. But the snow was keeping us in, so I honed in on a recipe that we could whip up together with what we did have on hand…and this recipe happens to also be perfect for little hands because it involves dumping and stirring, that’s it. Today I tried Mark Bittman’s granola recipe, which is very similar to the one I posted a couple of months back, minus the olive oil and his has a higher proportion of oats to nuts/coconut.

Anything Goes Granola from Food Matters by Mark Bittman
Makes a lot of granola!

5 cups of rolled oats
3 cups of mixed nuts (we used walnuts, pecans, and slivered almonds)
1 cup of shredded, unsweetened coconut
Cinnamon, to taste
½ - 1 cup of agave or honey (we used half of each and probably put ¾ cup in)
Sea salt, dash of
Vanilla (but we didn’t have any on hand)
1 cup of raisins (which we also didn’t have, so we used cranberries)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix rolled oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon, honey, sea salt in a big bowl. Spread the mixture on a rimmed cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice during the cook time. Once it comes out of the oven, stir in the raisins (or cranberries). Cool and then store in an airtight container.

Mark says that it will “keep indefinitely in the fridge” but I think we’ll blow through this batch in the next few days. Excellent eaten plain for a snack (if you have a vacuum nearby), eaten like cereal, or made into yogurt parfaits.

"This is just a moment..."

Yesterday I came across an article I’d torn out. In the article, Julianna Marguilies tells a story about an ‘aha!’ moment in parenting. She’s exhausted from working all day, and her baby is up screaming in the middle of the night. She works herself into a lather wondering how she’s going to get her screaming baby to stop, compounded by the fact that she’ll be exhausted the next day. Then wisdom from her mother is remembered, “Honey, this is only a moment; it’s not the rest of your life.” Realizing this in the heat of the moment, she relaxed, the baby calmed down, and she felt grounded again. She went to work the next day, on three hours sleep, but she made it through the day (albeit with bags under her eyes) just fine. I can relate to her when she says, “I’m a doer, and I’m always thinking about what’s next on my list.” But this simple little phrase makes so much sense in keeping me living in the present too. And so, when I wake up to too many things on my to-do list and one child home from school sick, I ride the day thinking, “this is just a moment; it’s not the rest of my life.” Most things can wait until tomorrow, I can go to yoga next week, and there is a sniffly someone who wants to be read to right now.

Cleansing Mommy

Having felt sluggish and rather irritable for a while now, I decided it was time to cut back on the coffee and treats I consume throughout the day. I don’t have the will power to just cut it out of my life, so I decided to do one of those juice cleanses. My hope was that it was cleanse my sugar cravings, turn coffee back into a coffee house treat like it used to be for me, and that it would clear my head a bit. Here I am ½ a day into a 3-day cleanse and I am dying.

As a wife and mom, I prepared everyone else for my 3-day check-out of eating solid foods. I made suppers and lunches for my husband that he can easily heat up, and made sure I had plenty of yummy, healthy foods on hand for the kids. I knew I wouldn’t really be in the mood to grocery shop. But past that, I thought how hard could this really be?

Well, I like to eat. And most of the time I am a relatively healthy eater. But today as I was conscious of my eating for the first time, I found myself just heading to the fridge for a slice of cheese, or absent mindedly picking up a stray glob of peanut butter leftover from the ants on a log I’d made the kids for lunch. Ouch. No licking fingers? No popping their crusts into my mouth? This is much much harder than I thought….

If I have the willpower later on today, I will post the recipe for Chicken Marbella and the sides I made with it for my Wednesday Supper Exchange I do with my friends. It was pretty simple, and really good—and I am not just saying that since it was my last solid meal!

Mommy Needed a Little Pampering

I wish I could come up with some cool/adventurous story about why I am limping around this Memorial Day weekend…suffice it to say it involved carrying my little one on my hip all of my older one's “K Beach Day” and wiping out (yes, in front of everyone) while trying to make my way to the water. Who knew that a California born and bred mom could have offspring who do not want their feet to touch the sand?! Anyway, rather than throw myself a full-blown pity party I enlisted my husband to watch the kids, and booked a facial for this afternoon. I do very few things that are for me-- and me alone-- but this is one of my regular splurges. And a weekend when I am supposed to “take it easy” seems like a natural week to book another appointment, right?

The aesthetician/owner, Melissa, uses Jurlique products (or Skinceuticals if you request), so I can feel good about what’s going onto my skin…and I come out looking radiant after all that facial massage. If you feel like you need a little “me” time and want more info on Elysian Fields Facial Spa, click here. (Though keep in mind that clearly facials, and not web design, are her forte…in fact I think the prices are outdated on the website too, but at $90, her hour long facial is still worth every penny.)