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.

lucky green foods

If you're Irish, or really like to drink green beer, then tomorrow's a big day. I briefly considered taking my boys into the city for the St. Patrick's Day parade... until I was told by numerous sources that was a ridiculously bad idea. So much for being festive, hmm? And so, we'll be giving a nod to the holiday by eating three green meals. (I guarantee this is more exciting for me than for them.) At some point this afternoon, the plan was to bake Irish Soda bread. But it's almost 6pm and I was letting the Legos entertain so I could write this post. Now I think we have missed our baking window. Good thing my kids get up at 6am so we've got plenty of time to bake in the morning. (Someone's trying really hard to see the bright side of things.) Anyway, I wanted to share our favorite green-themed recipes to hopefully provide some delicious inspiration:

We'll be having a spinach and zucchini frittata for breakfast. For lunch, I think I'll make open-faced pesto & goat cheese sandwiches with a side of edamame and grapes, if I can find organic ones. (If you are so inspired, here's my favorite pesto recipe...though I plan to just buy a tub of it.) And for dinner, I've got spinach thawing on the counters now so I can whip up a big batch of my absolute favorite greens & cheese pie.

I love this dish, and find it can stand alone as dinner with the hearty filling.

But, I have a little one that exclaimed that he "hates spinach!!!" while we were marketing today, so I'll be serving chicken with Giada's Basil Sauce for dinner too, if I'm inspired to keep on cooking tomorrow. If not, then I'll just toss some chicken on the grill and drizzle it with the pesto from lunch. Realistically, that's the way I'll go. (But yes, to those who wonder...he will still get a nice child-size serving of the greens & cheese pie because I am fairly certain that proclamation was just to get a rise out of me. It seems to be a theme this week.)

For those looking for something equally comforting, but pasta-based, you could always whip up a batch of baked spinach-macaroni & cheese. I never wrote a recipe up for the batch above, but here's a good one I found online.

My spinach lasagna freezes beautifully, so you can make a meal for tomorrow and tuck another dish or two away in the freezer for busy school nights.

Making the meal festive could be as simple as swapping out your regular pasta for spinach noodles (found at just about every market these days). Top with an Alfredo, a homemade basil pesto, my cilantro-walnut pesto, a store bought pesto, or your favorite sauce.

Way back when I gave Trader Joe's risotto a spin, and it wasn't half bad for risotto in a hurry. You may remember, we called it "Monster Mush" to get it down the hatches around here. For tomorrow you can call it "Lucky Green Risotto" or "Leprechaun's Favorite"...whatever you've got to do...

For pizza fans, how about picking some of these crusts up and putting out a selection of green toppings: pesto or cream sauce, zucchini, broccoli, spinach, green pepper slices, arugula, green olives, artichoke hearts, capers, peas, snow peas, fresh oregano...you get the gist...

If it's cold and rainy by you tomorrow (like it was here today) then maybe my Simple Beans & Greens Soup would be your thing with a hunk of Irish Dubliner or Coolea cheese and some crusty bread on the side for dipping.

Roasted brussel sprouts are super simple, and green.

If you can get asparagus by you already, then you'll like this vegetarian idea: Asparagus Gratins. We served it as a side last Easter, but it could also be the highlight of a meatless meal, served alongside a nice salad.

Now, I know that many of you are hitting the town, so maybe a quick dip idea is more your speed. If so, I'd recommend one of my edamame hummus recipes like this one or this one.

And last but not least, there's that reminder it's spring in the bright green color of my super simple pea dip. It's not often that you get a holiday that encourages green foods, so here's to both a healthful and delicious day of meals!

unplugging

I was going to draft a post this afternoon on the topic of family meals (my strategies for making mealtimes "fun" and getting a variety of foods down my little one's hatches-- including the roasted root veggies pictured above) but a friend sent me this link about a "sabbath" from the online world and I thought how brilliant. In fact, I just might unplug as soon as the school bus rumbles around the bend this afternoon. As someone who has a hard time not checking my own email during family meal times (when I hear the distant ding of an email coming in), I am trying hard not to let my computer get the best of me. And so, from sundown tonight through sundown Saturday, I am going to unplug. I am looking forward to it.

But, before logging off, I thought those of you who joined in the FB discussion about making something separate for your kids would get a kick out of this post from After Words. You are not alone in feeling frustrated at times about making food and then having little noses turned up at it! I'll post my ideas on this topic soon...

getting back into a groove

What a fabulous week away. Re-entry to full-time motherhood was a little bumpy so new posts were put on the back burner an extra week. I'm still muddling through a posting schedule that makes sense for me in terms of balance, and for you in terms of new ideas and inspiration. I'd bookmarked this post before I left. Those thoughts combined with a week away with my mom where we talked about what I remember from my own childhood really hit home. I realize that I need to take a step back and prioritize. Not to sound too serious about all of this...but the truth is, my kids aren't going to remember if I had some rockstar blog ratings. I like having this project to keep me focused on something other than "mom drama" but I need to think long and hard about what I miss out when I hole up in my office writing. I know there's a happy balance. I just need to strike it.

Many friends have asked about my week away. It was amazing. It's hard to put into words though, so here are a few photos. Just a few, because I didn't have my camera at yoga, chi gong, meditation, aqua zen (and even if I did have it that day, I would post a shot in my bikini doing tai chi in the water, thank you very much). Anyway.

I dined outside whenever possible.

I ate very, very well.

I let a horse whisper to me.

And I pushed my limits.

Really pushed them.

I did not necessarily go out of my comfort zone gracefully, or quietly.

I hiked to the top of mountains, and took lots of deep breaths.

Then I came home, and everyone was sick. Everyone needed me at once. Meals needed to be made again. Laundry needed to be washed. A tornado had ripped through the playroom. A birthday was to be celebrated. I jumped right back in and that week away was a distant memory. But having given myself a week to get back into the rhythms of home, I appreciate the time away immensely. And I am thankful for all I have back here as well. I look forward to getting back into a groove, and finding a little-- but not too much-- time to write up some simple recipes and meal ideas to share with you.

valentines ideas + i'm off!

While making your friends and family homemade meals shows your love any day of the year, with Valentine's Day on Monday, I wanted to share a few of our family's favorite treats and meal ideas that could make the day even more festive. Making the meal special can be as simple as adding something red to the plate, like strawberries on some protein pancakes, or strawberry jam on toast.

Or, if you have the time (which is unlikely, since Valentines is on a Monday this year!) you can get a little fancier and make heart shaped egg in toasts.

If you have a little one coming home for lunch, why not surprise them with a heart-shaped meal, like this one of mine that was featured on The Daily Meal.

Even just cutting that sandwich into the shape of a heart might bring a smile to your little one when they open their lunchbox.

When it comes to dinner, the recipe I just posted for mini turkey meatloaves can be zig-zagged with ketchup to make them festive and red for Monday. If you want to get all Martha, you could even shape them into hearts and serve them up for dinner on Monday. A little over-the-top, I know. My family will be enjoying them just as you see above.

If you do whip up a batch of these meatloaves, they're great with roasted sweet potato wedges-- just cut the sweet potatoes into spears versus rounds, carrot & parsnip fries or mashed potatoes. Someone told me they tint their mashed potatoes pink on Valentine's Day (with beet juice or India Tree red food coloring). I'm not so sure how that would go over here and I'd hate to waste a batch of fabulous mashed potatoes? But it's another idea!

For an after school snack (or a really simple lunch or dinner), you could let your kids create their own yogurt parfaits with yogurt + their favorite granola + strawberries (I add a little sugar to frozen ones this time of year which gives them a syrup-y consistency my kids like).

Or, if you're feeling really inspired (and a little crazy), you could get up at the crack of dawn and bake a batch of my family's favorite scones right before you jump on a plane. While these are amazing, I'd recommend you don't try to make them before the school bus arrives. Instead, give the kids a hug, get them off to school and then make a cup of coffee and relax while making these. Having them ready when everyone gets home from school will be an extra special treat.

Anyway, back to the jumping on a plane thing... this is actually going to be the only post this week because I am going to do a one-week self-imposed media freeze. (This should be interesting, and mildly alarming to my system.) Next week, after baking those scones, I am going to be relishing lots of yoga, thoughtful talks, hiking, amazing meals and time with my mom.

While I am being ever-so-quiet, don't forget that you can still search for old recipes here in the upper right hand corner (though I find that to be an imperfect science, often not being able to locate a particular recipe by keyword even though I know it is there because I posted the darn thing!!) or you can scroll a bit further down and look at the recipes by category. Either way, I hope you have a wonderful week of cooking and enjoying simple, healthful meals with those you love.

mini turkey meatloaves (filled with shredded veggies)

These mini turkey meatloaves are filled with a few cups of shredded veggies, which keep them moist (and healthful). They are easy to make and freeze beautifully, so make a big batch and you'll have a family-friendly meal at the ready on busy nights! Oh, and as far as the veggies poking out go, if you've got a kid questioning the contents, try calling them "confetti meatloaf"...tell them there's a party in there and those are the streamers.

Mini Turkey Meatloaves (a.k.a. "Confetti Meatloaf")

(makes about 8 individual meatloaves)

1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/2 cup shredded onion
2 large eggs
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
3/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs OR Quaker oats
hearty pinch of dried basil (or fresh if you have it)
hearty pinch of dried oregano
hearty shake of garlic powder
1 lb ground white meat turkey
ketchup (optional, to swirl on top before baking)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If not already shredded, simply pulse the carrots, zucchini and onions through the shredder attachment of a Cuisinart. Then, in a large bowl, combine all ingredients with your hands. Form turkey mixture into 4" balls and place on a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle some ketchup on top, if you'd like. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°.

Once cooled, you can freeze cooked meatloaves in an airtight container. Simply reheat them in the microwave.

For those who like to see the recipe in action, here are a few photos...you'll notice that I doubled this recipe, because I was doing a major re-stock of our meals in the freezer!

mix all of the ingredients together with your hands

then form them into equal-sized mini meatloaves (whatever size you want, just make them uniform so they cook evenly...I tend to make them about 4" or so)

a squiggle of ketchup to liven things up

my batch, out of the oven and ready for the freezer

and as far as my kids go, they split one between them. This week they were a hit with a side of parsnip & carrot "fries".

parsnip & carrot "fries"

Looking for a veggie side your kids can pick up? Or, achem, even dip in ketchup (pick your battles, right?)...

Parsnip & Carrot "Fries"
4 servings

1 lb. parsnips and carrots
about 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
garlic powder
ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel parsnips and carrots, then slice each in half crosswise to separate the thick end and the narrow end. Cut the narrow piece in half or quarters lengthwise and the thick piece in quarters or eighths, depending on the thickness. (Each "fry" should be about 2"to 3" long and 1/2"- to 3/4" thick.) Place the parsnips and carrots on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle with salt, garlic powder and pepper. Shake so they are all covered in a bit of oil and spices. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn each "fry" with togs, and bake again until golden brown and tender, about an additional 10 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper, to taste.

simple spinach lasagna

Lasagnas freeze perfectly. Since my freezer is stocked with so many chicken and turkey entrees right now, I decided to make a veggie lasagna this week. I was using what I had on hand, so it wasn't a traditional lasagna prep (with ricotta or bechamel), but the result was delicious and if you're a fan of spinach, then this is a simple recipe to add you your repertoire.

Simple Spinach Lasagna

(makes 2 6-serving lasagnas, one for now and one to freeze)

2 lbs frozen spinach
1 brick cream cheese
garlic
basil
salt & pepper, to taste
mozzarella (or your favorite cheese), sliced
oven-ready lasagna sheets
2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce
shredded Parmesan/mozzarella blend (or your favorite shredded cheese)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a Cuisinart (using the metal chopping blade), combine the frozen spinach (no need to thaw it), cream cheese, fresh or dried basil, a few cloves of garlic and a sprinkle of salt & pepper. Pulse until a puree. Set aside. Then, in your two baking dishes, you'll alternate pasta sauce, pasta sheets, the spinach mixture and slices of cheese, ending with pasta sauce and a layer of shredded cheese on top. Wrap one dish tightly for the freezer. Bake the other for 45 minutes, or until pasta sheets are cooked through. (You test this by inserting a butter knife into the center...if is cuts in easily, the lasagna is ready. If not, let it cook for another few minutes.)

The frozen lasagna can either be thawed in the fridge and then baked as above, or you can cook it from frozen. If cooking from frozen, put the baking dish into the oven as it is heating (to avoid shocking the dish with a temp change) and then double the cook time. Check if it's done the same way as above.

I know some of you like pics, so here's the prep in photos:

2 lbs of spinach, 1 block of cream cheese a few cloves of garlic, a handful of basil (or a few teaspoons of dried basil), and a sprinkle of kosher salt and freshly ground pepper are pulsed until they turn into a puree. I used frozen spinach and did not thaw or drain the spinach, because I wanted that extra moisture in the lasagna to help cook the noodles. This is the crux of the filling, so make sure it has enough basil and garlic for your taste!

I always start with a layer of sauce on the bottom of my baking dish, as it prevents the lasagna from sticking...

Then you'll alternate pasta sheets, spinach filling, slices of cheese and more sauce.

Ending with a layer of pasta sauce and shredded cheese.

This is not the most appetizing "after" photo, as I'd already scooped out our dinner. But, it'll do!