whole wheat mini bagel with Trader Joe's pumpkin cream cheese + cherry tomatoes + carrots + ants on a log (and "beetles on a log" - aka cranberries in lieu of raisins) + a juice box as a treat
ham & cheese + fruit salad + assorted crackers + cookies and a fruit leather as treats (must not have had enough coffee when I packed this one)
Hmmm, so on Tuesday two weeks ago, that was my bicycle resting at the top of a hill in Sicily...
....and that afternoon I'd gone to an agriturismo olive oil tasting, before hopping back on my bike and riding to a castle. What a difference two weeks makes!! I haven't had time to write a post about the trip, or the simple meals I've been whipping up back here, because I'm still playing nurse until both of my children are healthy again.Guests will have the opportunity to attend full cooking demonstrations and sample several dishes, while also getting a first-hand look at Buick’s 2012 line-up. Guests may attend the event one of five different time slots: Saturday, November 12 from 11:00am – 2:00pm; 2:30pm – 5:30pm; or 6:00pm – 9:00pm. Or, Sunday, November 13 from 12:00pm – 3:00pm or 3:30pm – 6:30pm.
Guests will experience the following discovery sessions:
our (truly fabulous) 10-day gataway is a distant memory after coming home to several days without power...and then both kids tag-teaming with illness. the blog will continue to be quiet until we've got color back on all of our plates! hopefully soon...
I have an action-packed week ahead, so this week I made a bunch of meals to stock in the freezer. Here are a few of the meals I made, that all freeze perfectly. These are good ones to whip up if you're in the mood to do some cooking ahead too:
My Favorite Beef Meatballs. The night I made them, we ate them simply as is, with a bunch of veggie sides. They are also great on top of spaghetti. I freeze them in heavy duty freezer bags, each one filled with enough for one dinner for the four of us.
Sun-Dried Tomato Beef Stew. I haven't had a chance to type this recipe up, but it is loosely based upon this recipe. I will type mine up and share it the week after next.
And of course, my go-to chicken enchiladas. Or, if you're a visual person you can watch the recipe in action here. The video's here.
Because there is nothing better than ending the day with a homemade dinner...that was already made.
dried cranberries + homemade applesauce (but you can certainly use store bought if you didn't go apple picking and cook with apples for a week straight!) + cream cheese & jam sandwich + carrots and cucumbers + a Chobani Greek yogurt cup
cream cheese and jam on a mini whole wheat bagel + a banana that I thought I'd get all cute with (which he then wouldn't eat b/c he thought the ink was on the actual banana...oh well, so much for being all crafty) + Earth's Best Kidz Pear Raspberry granola bar as a treat + an organic yogurt cup + cut up fruit (leftover from when I made fruit skewers for class school snack that week)
Back-to-Nature Crispy Wheat crackers + lemonade as a treat + a carrot + provolone cheese cut into the shape of ghosts (I didn't give up on being cute apparently...but if you really want to see over the top ideas, check out this link that a friend sent me this week. whoa. crazy, hmm?!) + a slice of homemade apple pie (remember all of those apples?) + Greek yogurt cup
If you've made homemade apple sauce, then apple-cinnamon oatmeal is a must try. Nothing like the packaged stuff. This make-ahead breakfast is the perfect start to a crisp, Fall morning.
By now, you know my family went apple picking because there have been apples in just about everything I have made this week. Here's my latest savory apple recipe, which is similar to the Balsamic Braised Red Cabbage I told you about a while back. As with any weeknight meal I'm going to make, this side dish is so easy. Paired it with brats, chicken sausages or pork tenderloin and you have dinner made in a few minutes.
I've made apple sauce twice this week, which is more than I think I've ever made it. In fact, this might be the first time I've ever whipped it up? Now that I see how easy it is, I might have to make it more often as a healthy snack to have on hand, or as a special addition to our breakfast oatmeal.
so far, I have posted recipes for apple pie, savory roasted apples...and there will be more to come!
A few years back, I shared a simple fall side with you all, roasted acorn squash. That recipe, was a sweeter version of what I made last night.
After seeing his ideas in the New York Times' magazine, I couldn't wait to try Mark Bittman's ideas for savory apple sides with our bounty from apple picking this weekend. Of course, when I actually went to make the first recipe, I realized that I didn't have all of the ingredients. Still, they were delicious, and super simple. 
I gave a hearty serving of these apples, along with roasted acorn squash and cider vinegar-braised onions to a friend. The combination of these flavors and textures was incredible, if I might say so myself!
