Zuccini Ribbons with Parmesan Sauce

The original recipe can be found here: http://www.halleethehomemaker.com/2011/02/zucchini-ribbons-with-parmesan-sauce/ . I've tweaked it a bit.

Summer is squash season in our neck of the woods. It's cheap and delicious, not to mention healthy. However, squash can get boring. Try this for something different.

4-5 good sized zucchini
3 cloves of garlic (more if you really like garlic)
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
S&P (salt and pepper)

1. Using a veggie peeler, peel zucchini into ribbons. Go all the way around the zucchini, down to the seeds. Mince garlic or use a garlic press.
2. In a medium pan, heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil and add the garlic.
3. When you can smell the cooked garlic, add the milk and S&P. Turn heat to high and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. While the sauce is simmering, heat the rest of the oil over medium heat in a medium pan (large enough to hold all of your zucchini ribbons). Add zucchini and sauté for a 2-3 minutes. Don't let it cook through or it will get soggy. Remove pan from the heat.
5. After the sauce done simmering, remove it from the heat and wisk in the cheese. Toss with the zucchini ribbons.

The first time I made this, we put the zucchini over couscous and it soaked up the sauce! Delicious! We had some left over, so I heated it up the next night and added sliced chicken breasts (also a left over) and poured it over fettucchini. It was even better than the night before! Hubby insisted that I add this into our rotation.

Happy 2 years to Hallee the Homemaker!

Hallee's celebrating her 2 year blogiversary! YAY! To celebrate, she is giving away a L’Equip NutriMill Grain Mill, plus most of the stuff you'd need to make her French Bread and Honey Oatmeal Bread. Click here to see how to enter. If you're not interested in it for yourself, enter anyway. If you win, give it to me. :)

5 Minute Breakfasts

So, I posted a mini-rant on Facebook about the evils of Pop-tarts. This sparked some thoughts. Why do parents give that crap to kids? Because it's quick. (And Kelloggs has expensive advertising companies brainwash kids and their parents, but that's another post.) So I though I'd come up with a list of alternatives to the pre-packaged nonsense that some people consider breakfast that take 5 minutes or fewer to make and provide good nurtition for growing children.

• Oatmeal, old fashioned or quick cooking: Cooks on the stove (5 minutes to cook) or in the microwave (1-2 minutes). Kids can add their own flavors with blueberries, cinnamon, honey, nutmeg, etc. High in fiber and vitamins. If you pour milk over it, you get bonus clacium!
• Cold cereal: Takes less than a minute. Get quality cereal (fewer than 6 grams of sugar per serving and made with whole grains) like Cheerios. Add a banana or some berries and milk and voila!
• Eggs and toast: Eggs cook quick. Put the bread in the toaster while the eggs are cooking. Add a few grapes (cut up for younger kids) or oranges on the side. Great for families with multiple kiddos.
• On the run? Try homemade breakfast sandwiches. Fry eggs, top with cheese and put on toast, an English muffin or bagel. Wrap it in a paper towel and grab a box of raisins, preferably organic. You're ready to head out the door, and there's no need to stop by a drive thru.
• Smoothies: Also great for on the go! I discovered the beauty of smoothies durring my crazy month of June. Green smoothies are great for sneaking veggies in. Berry smoothies are full of antioxidnets. There are a million combinations out there. There's bound to be one that works for your family. I love my Berry, Banana and Peanut Butter Smoothie! Make leftover smoothies into ...
• Breakfast popsicles: They take almost no time because they're already in the freezer, and the kids think they're getting a treat.
• Frozen waffles/ pancakes: I'm not talking about the ones you buy in the freezer section. They're full of hydrogenated oils and other gunk. When you have a pancake/ waffle morning on a Saturday, make a double batch and freeze them. A cup of fruit salad on the side or strawberries on top go great. Maybe an egg or some sausage (cooked when you make the pancakes, so they're heat-and-eat style) for protein? Another option for protein is to top the waffles/ pancakes with peanut butter. Yum!

Any other suggestions?

Cool Things Babyzilla Does: Month 6

Dear Babyzilla,
     Daddy and I are constantly amazed by you! We've decided to throw out the books since you've decided to ignore what they say. I find myself writing letters to you via my Facebook status:

• Dear Babyzilla,
  You are not even 6 months old. You CANNOT understand the concept of object permanence. Therefore, you aren't supposed to ask for your "Da-da-da-da-da" (Daddy) when he's not in the room. Same goes for "Mmmmm boo" (Mr. Blue, your blue elephant). Seriously kid, they don't exist to you unless you can see them. Read a child psychology book.
  Love,
  Mama

You've learned some new tricks this month:

• You roll onto your belly all the time. However, you hate to stay there.
• You can sit up by yourself for about 15 secinds.
• You climb (sort of) over Daddy's arm to get to a toy you want, even if it's partially hidden.
• Daddy and I decided it was time to introduce you to a sippy cup. We just wanted you to get aquainted with it so it wouldn't be weird when we transition from the bottle. You figured it out in 2 weeks! The thing I love about the sippies that Daddy found is that they're trainer cups that teach you to drink rather than being an extension of the bottle. If you suck like you would with a bottle, they don't work. Such a big kid!
• When the phone rings, you say "Ha-woe." (Hello)
• You tell Daddy "Hi" or "Hey" whenever he comes home. Do you know what you're saying? Probably not, but it's still really cool.

At your 6 month check-up you were 29 inches long and weighed 20 pounds 1 ounce. You're down to the 100th percentile on height. Yes, down to 100th percentile. Your head, however, is coming in dead center of normal. Weird.

Your 6 month birthday present was 4 Thirsties Duo Diapers for you to use at Mimi's house. You are finally a 100% cloth diaper baby. YAY!

Being super cute and super smart is a hard job. Keep up the good work.
Love,
Mama

Cranberry Pork Roast

When we got married, Hubby had a book called 101 Things to do with a Slow Cooker. Almost every page has casseroles made with cream soups or packets full of MSG. I try to avoid using preservative laden ingredients whenever possible, so I considered throwing the book out. Then I read through it. I found two recipes that I use fairly often. Cranberry Pork Roast is one of them.

Medium pork roast (2.5-3 pounds)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 can of natural whole berry cranberry sauce (NOT jellied)
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp grated orange peel
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1) Place roast in greased cooker. Season with salt and pepper.
2) Combine other ingredients and pour over roast.
3) Cover and cook on low heat 6-8 hours or until pork is fully cooked
4) Let stand 10 minutes before slicing

This should work with chicken as well, but I've never tried it.

Weekly Menu: 7/11- 7/16

Ack! I forgot to post yesterday. Oh well.

Monday: Tacos!
Tuesday: Working, so Hubby's on his own. Mimi will probably cook something.
Wednesday: I forgot that my class is cancled. Consequently, we didn't plan anything. There's a cloth diaper expo that night that we're going to, so we'll probably eat out.
Thursday: Hubby's been craving Hamburger Helper (YUCK!) so we're having that and salad
Friday: Brown rice, bean, and spinach bake with salad and French bread
Saturday: Cranberry pork roast, rice, spinach, applesauce and cornbread

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

When I was growing up, my family ate this at least 2 nights a week in the summer. My grandfather grew the best tomatoes ever! Lucky for me, I married a guy that grows awesome tomatoes AND cucumbers.

Cucumber and tomato salad

1 cucumber, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds or half-moons
2 plum tomatoes cut into 1/2 inch half-moons
1 & 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar ... add an extra tsp if you love vinegar like I do :)
1/8 tsp black pepper (fresh ground is best)
Pinch of salt

Stir together all ingredients and chill in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.

Salsa chicken and peppers

This is a great busy day dish. I'm a very busy lady, so my slow cooker is one of my best friends in the kitchen.

Salsa chicken and peppers

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch strips
Flour for coating chicken, about 1/4 cup
2-3 bell peppers, cut into 1 inch strips (any colors will do but red and green are a very good combination)
One yellow onion, sliced into 1/2 inch slices (half moon style)
1 & 1/2 cups of tomato salsa (Type depends on your family's tastes. We use medium.)
1 & 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup cheddar cheese (optional)

1. Coat chicken strips in flour and place in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Cover with peppers and onion.
3. Stir together salsa and spices. Pour over chicken and peppers. Cover with lid.
4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
5. Stir before serving and top with cheese, if using.

I usually serve this over brown rice, but it is also great in tortillas. Corn or black beans would be a great addition to this!

S&P Chicken

S&P (salt and pepper) chicken is a staple in our home. It's easy and delicious.

Ingredients:
1 boneless, skinless chicken breasts per person
Salt
Black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F

Cover a baking sheet with foil.
Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken breasts and place on foil.
Cook for 20-25 minutes or unti chicken is cooked through.

Variations:

• Add herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc
• You can squirt some lemon juice or top chicken breasts with a slice of lemon.

Tips:

• Make extra for chicken salad, chicken stir-fry or to go on homemade pizza.
• Forgot to thaw the chicken? Just cook it for an extra 20 minutes. Still tastes great.

Weekly Menu: 7/5-7/10/11

We were too busy on the 4th of July to post the weekly dinner menu, but here it is:

Tuesday: I'm working until 8:30. Hubby is on his own.
Wednesday: (School night for me) Spaghetti, salad and garlic bread
Thursday: S&P chicken, zucchini ribbons, green beans, steamed carrots, couscous
Friday: Salsa chicken and peppers, tomato and cucumber salad, brown rice
Saturday: Beef stir-fry noodle bowls
Sunday: Tacos!