September is my new January

I am writing this post with my kids at my feet, building intricate Lego contraptions. After many, many weeks of unstructured summertime out West where my kids bonded over hikes, forts, bike rides, recycled art projects, ice cream and their first "restaurant venture", my older son went back to school last week. This left my soon-to-be-Kindergartner looking for action until his school year starts (which will be Monday-- today, for many who are reading this post). And while I felt this pull to delve back into the "school routine" once we arrived back in CT, last week slipped by with giant piles of summer mail still teetering unpredictably on the floor, flip-flops kicked off in the entry way, a back-up on laundry, and several trips to playgrounds. It was hot and muggy, like summer. But it didn't feel carefree like summer. This slightly unsettled feeling had been building, like I was neither here, nor there.

This is not how I envisioned the school year starting out.

I had this pipe dream that the year my youngest started K would be the year I hit the ground running... Launch a wellness business for busy moms! Continue to volunteer! Plan our meals! Write a meal-planning e-book! Workout daily! Heck, I planned to get in amazing shape! Keep up with facials! Brows! Nails! Figure out "my look" and clean out my closet! Spend time at the Genius Bar! Go to bed at a reasonable hour! Learn to meditate! (That probably shouldn't have an exclamation point after it, should it?...) But what's really happening? I am muddled. I am in that super weird place so many moms find themselves after staying home to raise families: my youngest is heading off to Kindergarten today, and I. Have. No. Idea. What. I. Am. Supposed. To. Be. Doing. With. My. Life. Am I supposed to go back to work? Am I supposed to relax? Am I supposed to juggle more? Less? With this momentous day on the horizon, I even invested in a (ridiculously expensive) slick business coaching program that was supposed to catapult me into some sort of "Spotlight". Instead, the program made me question my professional and personal goals and priorities even more. If only I'd saved my pennies for those facials...

I could feel my lower back tightening with every back-to-school errand. What had happened to our carefree August? How had my vision for myself gone from crystal clear to needing an entire bottle of Windex? And then my little one dreamily asked from the backseat if I remembered "Pine Hills"?

Pine Hills. The "restaurant" my kids made up out in Idaho. I was still responsible for the cooking... but if you "put your food in the wood square it will be served"...

and, after entering through the homemade duct tape and branch trellis, a cute waiter (toting an ice cream cone) promised me I could "relax in a hammock with an awesome book after dinner". And so, instead of succumbing to my own pressure to "figure it all out" before the school bus rumbles off today I am trying really hard to channel Pine Hills-- the simplicity, joy, and creativity my kids offered me. A chance to just be. A rare gift in the chaotic pace of motherhood these days. I am celebrating the truly amazing children I am sending off to school today, taking a moment to relax, giving myself a pat on the back for a job well-done so far, and embracing this transition like a resolution. It's New Year's in September for me-- and many of you out there too. Cheers.

(veg) taco night

I've decided to coax my reluctant eater to the table by offering to let each person choose a dinner 1/week. Do the math, and this leaves me with 4 nights to plan what we've having...and 3 that are "audience choice". Because some days allow for cooking, and others need to be super quick, my older son got first dibs: taco night.

I did a major marketing run today, and either consciously or subconsciously forgot to buy meat. Oops. Must  have had that meatless resolution in the back of my mind as I loaded up on produce... I did forewarn my husband so there wouldn't be a "where's the beef?!!" comment at dinner. And bingo! Everyone loved tonight's veg tacos. Added bonus: I made enough (very consciously!) and froze half of the veggie taco filling for another up coming night when I am shorter on time. This filling would also be great in veggie quesadillas, which would require much less set-up/dishes...something to keep in mind, depending upon how busy my day is next go round.

Veggie Taco Bar

For the taco filling
Olive oil
Onion, chopped
Cauliflower, chopped
Zucchini, chopped
Frozen corn (no need to thaw, just cook from frozen..)
Dorot frozen garlic and cilantro (or fresh chopped)
chili powder
smoked paprika
salt & pepper, to taste

In a large saute pan, or pot, saute all of the above over medium-high heat until softened.

For the make-your-own taco bar
Veggie taco filling (above)
Taco shells, soft or hard
Shredded cheese
Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
Tomatoes, chopped
Cabbage or lettuce, chopped
Guac and/or Avocado

Oh, and in case you're wondering what my "reluctant eater" has requested for tomorrow's dinner: my go-to meatballs and ants-on-a-log.

exciting news to share!

I am thrilled to share some exciting news with you all... 

Three years ago, I started this blog (then called "mom-a-licious") with a goal of sharing my strategies for staying balanced as a wife, mother and friend. In that first post, I wrote:


"...a mom is “mom-a-licious” when she feels good about herself, and good about her skills as a wife and mother. Like you, I am trying to do it all: raise happy, kind, confident children…be an interesting and interested wife…get back into shape…see my friends…volunteer in my community and children’s schools…stay abreast of what’s going on in the world…have a homemade dinner on the table…and stay grounded. Believe me, I know it’s not easy to do it all, and do it well!" 


I called motherhood the most important job I'd ever had, and I still believe that it is. But like so many of my fellow moms, I haven't been able to strike the truly healthy balance I so desire. And while I'd love to say I'm feeling "40 and fabulous", the truth is: the fabulous part needs work. I have the cooking part down pat. I have a tremendous knowledge of nutrient-dense foods...and a knack for making them family-friendly. And, I love writing this blog for the creative outlet and the chance to share what is working here-- around our kitchen table, in particular.

But I also have come to appreciate that there is so much more to being "healthy" and feeling good as a wife, mother and friend. This year, I've decided to make this my focus, both personally and professionally. After eyeing and admiring the IIN program the past 10 years, I will become certified through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition as a holistic health coach. This is a grand step in my resolution to continue to learn, and I cannot begin tell you how excited I am to further my education in this holistic approach to health.

I will continue to share simple recipes and mealtime inspiration here on the full plate blog. My goal is to get into a regular posting schedule once I am in my school groove. I recommend subscribing via email, in the upper right hand corner of the blog, if you'd like to be in the loop. (Don't forget to confirm that you would like Feedburner to subscribe you, otherwise your subscription goes into some sort of black hole...). I also pop things on to the FB page for full plate / meals in a snap page, so you might like to "like" that as well so you get updates on recipes and articles I find inspiring.

I cannot imagine a better gift of health for myself, my husband, my children, and hopefully for my clients down the road. Here's to an amazing learning experience ahead
  

as I excel at the most important job I will ever have. 

family dinner: making it festive

My family dinner goal is going well, but there's always room for improvement (e.g. the kids could actually eat, and I could not feel like I am going to spontaneously combust when they don't...). But all in all, not to sound too tutti frutti, they have been nice daily times to reconnect, and really pay attention to one another. Since today was the Chinese/Lunar New Year, I tried to use that as a chance to make dinner a little special. It didn't take much, and the kids were totally wowed: homemade soup (our regular dinner) + some take-out dumplings (in honor of the holiday) + today's dragon artwork on display (those are dried beans in champagne glasses-- don't ask, it was hard to figure out how to get it to stand up above the food...) + alongside the handmade ceramic box our older son brought home from school today. I noticed how excited they were to have things they made on display. Placing something they've made as the centerpiece would be easy to continue doing, and if we ever do find ourselves in a conversation lull, it's the perfect thing to ask about.

resolution #4: continue to learn

When I think back on the myriad of work an educational experiences I've had to date, I am amazed. They make up who I am, and each of these experiences inspires to me continually expand my horizons. They run the gamut from a liberal arts B.A. to a top tier M.B.A. Being an Austrian exchange student in high school to circling the globe in college. Several years of a straight up learning curve while working for an investment bank, then heading to cooking classes at night. Throwing my first dinner party in a minuscule NYC apartment to running a wildly popular personal chef company. Learning the ins and outs of how a food product is marketed and promoted while working at a major food company to helping a smaller company understand their brand's perception and develop line extensions. Teaching healthy cooking classes to clients ages 6-60 to attending workshops myself and having 'a ha' moments.

And so, as my 4th resolution of this new year, I am making it a goal to attend an interesting speaker or workshop each month. Living in the tri-state area, this week alone the opportunities are plentiful. I'm going to share these upcoming events, in case you're local and you too get excited about continually learning and expanding your horizons in the food, cooking, nutrition and wellness arenas:

• Wednesday, January 18th 10-11:30am at Versailles Patisserie in Greenwich, CT: Adam Gopnik will be discussing his new book The Table Comes First: Family, France and the Meaning of Food.
• Also on Wednesday, January 18th at 12:30pm, Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy is hosting the Executive Director of the Congressional Hunger Center for a discussion of policy priorities for anti-hunger advocates. This is part of their ongoing speaker series, which you might want to bookmark.
• On Saturday, January 21st, Stone Barns will be hosting a TEDx "Changing the Way We Eat" viewing party from 10:30am-4:30pm, free of charge. I had hoped to score a ticket, but this might be the next best place to watch and discuss this game-changing event. Here's the schedule of speakers for TEDx (and a link to viewing parties near you, if Stone Barns isn't close by). This calendar of all upcoming events at Stone Barns might be worth bookmarking, particularly if you're interested in farming, gardening.

Then, looking forward to February, there's an exhibit called "Big Food: Health, Culture and the Evolution of Eating" at the Yale-Peabody Museum in New Haven, CT that I definitely want to visit. 

The school bus is going to rumble home any minute, so that's it for me for today. I'll let you know if I come across any other interesting sounding upcoming speakers/events!

a book to share

At the beginning of the year, I always do a little nesting. I clean out closets, purge the playroom, and generally try to start the year with some semblance of order around here. Never mind that our Christmas decorations are still up this year. [I can't believe I just admitted that.] Anyway, each year I also amass a stack of books I cannot wait to read. Last year, I started off with The Family Dinner and The Happiness Project. This year, I am hoping to expand my knowledge of plant-based nutrition even further, plus I feel like I need a gentle reminder (and some inspiration) when it comes to quality family time. Now, as you'll see from the happy haul that arrived on my doorstep today: I meant to order two different Amanda Soule books, but I accidentally ordered two copies of the same one. My mistake is one lucky readers good fortune. Instead of sending the book back to Amazon, I would like to send it to one reader who also "yearns for a slower and simpler life with our kids". If you would like a chance to receive this book from yours truly, please leave a comment on this post letting me know of any other fabulous books I should add to my 2012 reading list. One winner will be chosen at random tomorrow, Tuesday, January 24th, after dinner. So, get those comments to me before 6pm!  

so....how's that family dinner resolution going?

Wondering how that family dinner resolution is going? Let's see, so it's January 5th...and we've had four totally successful dinners and one colossal failure*. I'd say that's pretty darn fabulous, and I give myself a little pat on the back. I've got Pinterest boards cued up with recipes I want to try, and the big red pot I got for Christmas has been working overtime, churning out amazing meatless meals. I am definitely tiding the kids over with a platter of fruits or veggies between 4:30-6:00, but sitting down as a family has been really, really nice. I'll check back in with you again once the "resolution honeymoon" has passed and let you know how it's really going around here... in the meantime, I wanted to share a few family dinner resources with those of you who might also be trying to make a go of this happy habit:

• the family dinner book
• blog for family dinner
• eatdinner.org
• time at the table
• the family dinner pledge

* "Colossal failure" wasn't really that bad. I was just being dramatic. But, it was interesting to see the difference when I actually sit and participate in the family dinner, versus thinking that as long as I'm in the same room, it's sort of the same thing. It's really not even close. See, I was feeling all smitten that after four successful nights, I had it down. And, since we had friends coming to dinner and would be eating our dinner later, I attempted to keep cooking, assuming my husband could do the actual sitting at the table part and I could kind of check in from my position stove top...and then I thought, hey, he's got it handled so I'll also make a frittata for tomorrow's breakfast while I'm standing here....and shoot, our friends will be here in a little bit so I should also tidy up the kitchen.... and before I knew it, dinner was over. Sure, I had this fabulous African peanut stew made, and the frittata was doing its' thing in the oven, and the kitchen was cleaned up...but I'd missed the conversations and end-of-day connections. And after four nights of being a part of them, I really did miss them.

2012 resolution #3: make more grain, bean and vegetable-based family meals

I give myself a pat on the back when it comes to exposing my children to a variety of tastes, textures and ingredients. It's something I am good at, backed by my "rainbow plate" mantra (being mindful and trying to get several different colors on my children's plates). But one of my food resolutions for 2012 is to expand my repertoire of whole grain, vegetable and/or bean-based meals. I still plan to keep the meals simple, and ideally they'll be meals my whole family will enjoy (so I don't become a short-order cook). To keep me on track, I'm linking some of my tried-and-true, favorite vegetarian meals to this post for easy reference. And, I've updated my list of "sites that inspire me" to include blogs that have the meatless gig down pat, in addition to ones that make me smile, swoon or think. (To see my list of favorite sites simply scroll down the right hand column of full plate.) Hope this list list of my own tried-and-true veg recipes proves as helpful to you as it is to me....I look forward to adding on to it in this New Year!

Soups and Stews

• Vegetable Soup
• Fall Veggie Soup
• Comforting Barley Stew
• Beans & Greens Soup (leave out the pancetta and add in fresh herbs)
• Beans & Greens Soup II (smoother)

Tacos, Quesadillas, Pizza Night...things like that

• Vegetarian Taco Night
• Black Bean Cakes
• Citrus-Infused Black Beans (put with a topping bar of bell peppers, avocado chunks, sour cream, cheese, salsa, etc...)
• Make-Your-Own Pizza (leave out the pepperoni)

Pastas, Risotto and Comforting Casseroles

• Peanut Noodles with Shredded Veggies
• Lemony Pasta with Chickpeas and Feta
• Jingle Bell Pasta
• Spicy Soy Chorizo Sauce
• Rotini with Cilantro-Walnut Pesto
• Farro and Butternut Squash Risotto
• Spinach Risotto (semi-homemade)
• Polenta and Soy Chorizo Casserole
• Greens and Cheese Pie
• Spinach Lasagna
• Baked Rigatoni with Soy Sausage
• Savory Pumpkin-Sage Cannelloni (totally decadent; for special occasions...)

Make-Ahead Salads

• Quinoa Salad with Giada's Basil Sauce 
• Quinoa Salad with Roasted Veggie & Feta
• Quinoa Salad with Fresh Mint and Lentils
• Wheatberry Salad with Cranberries and Pecans
• Lentil-Cucumber Salad
• Black Bean-Corn-Jicama Salad
• Crunch Rainbow Salad with Yogurt Dressing
• Raw "Detox" Salad

Sauces and Dressings

• Walnut Sauce
• Homemade Pesto
• Orange-Yogurt Dressing

If any of you readers have other vegetarian sites that inspire you, I'd love for you to leave them in a comment, as I am always excited to discover other like-minded bloggers and new recipe ideas!

2012 resolution #2: family dinner (at a set time)

My resolutions this year focus on sustainability. By that, I mean new habits I hope I can form that I won't tire of by February 1st...and that are actually attainable for me, and for our family. Yesterday, I told you about my goal to eat breakfast daily. The next one is more family-oriented: to eat dinner together at 6:00pm.

Most nights, I make a homemade meal for my family. And most nights I sit with the kids around, oh, 4:30 while they stagger through their mealtime. Mealtimes here aren't pretty. (Yes, I did just admit that.) There's a lot of lolly gagging, and not a lot of fork to mouth. My kids aren't picky eaters (at all really), they just aren't into eating (figures, right?). Anyway, a result, it's pretty frustrating for me. So, here are the changes I hope to make in the new year so dinnertime goes more smoothly for all four of us:

• Dinner will be held (you like that-- it's like a special invitation) at 6:00pm. By setting a time (which the kids were in on deciding from two choices: 6:00 or 6:30), I hope to avoid the hunched over moan that accompanies "do I reaaaaalllllyyy neeeeeeeed to stooooooooop plaaaaaaaaying and come to eat noooooow?". Yes, it's 6:00pm, and you know that is when we have dinner.
• Ideally, by eating later than, um, mid-afternoon, my husband will also be able to join us. Or at least he can catch the tail end of the "fun". Having him there for mealtimes will make it more enjoyable for everyone, and less like I am "feeding the kids".
• Somewhere, I read that mealtimes should have an end time too, not to rush everyone, but rather so there's an expectation that this is when we're eating and once it's over it's over. No post-dinner/pre-bedtime snacking. So, we've got a 6:30 end time agreed upon by all four of us, which will mean the kids have a half hour to have dinner and then a half hour to play before bedtime.   
• Because dinner is going to be served about an hour to an hour and a half later than I have historically fed the kids, I plan to prep a bunch of fruits and veggies weekly to pull out and make a healthy platter to tide the kids over. This does not mean that the snack drawer will become a free for all. My goal is to place a platter of fresh fruits and veggies out on the kitchen table each day to be enjoyed between 4:30-6:00. This organization effort will no doubt carry over to healthier snack and lunch options for me as well if they're washed, chopped and ready to go...

I'm curious if your family has a set daily dinnertime, and if you have additional strategies that I should be trying, as we attempt to have more harmonious family dinners-- where the kids actually eat? I'll keep you posted on how this goes...

2012 resolution #1: eat breakfast

I make a healthy breakfast for my children each day...why don't I sit down and enjoy it too? Eating breakfast is my first resolution of 2012. And, since I am all about making resolutions that I can actually sustain, I am listing a few of my favorite make-ahead breakfasts here for easy reference for myself:

• protein pancakes (or you can watch the video here)
• toast with hummus and hard-boiled eggs (loaded with protein)
• veggie frittatas (you can watch the video here)
• Meme's steel cut oatmeal (shown above with a few fruit toppings: thawed peaches and strawberries and fresh grapefruit and oranges, in addition to agave and cinnamon)
• this homemade granola or this homemade granola
• baked oatmeal

And, on days when I have time, here are a few more simple breakfasts I can pull together before the school bus arrives or weekend activities start:

• yogurt parfaits (paring it down to 1-2 fruits + nuts, etc and let the kids assemble their own...)
• greens & eggs scramble
• egg toasts
• egg sandwiches with pesto (decadent)
• veggie hash (which I could make with any leftover vegetables too...)

This list gives me a good launchpad to following through on this healthy habit.