I should probably have bed sores. Seriously. I have been attached to the same spot on the couch since Friday afternoon. I guess you’re supposed to cut yourself some slack and make out with your couch on occasion and do things like watch entire seasons of The West Wing and 30 Rock. Where’s the job that allows me to do things like that all week, huh? Where? Whatever. I guess I can dream.
Speaking of dreams…in my dreams, I’m one of those people who does things like make their own ketchup and mustard. I wouldn’t worry with things like how many plastic bottles, boxes and bags I’m throwing out each week. Why? Because I’d have everything stored in cute little glass containers I bought from some cute little store in my neighborhood. I wouldn’t think about the amount of corn syrup in anything I’m eating because I wouldn’t make anything with corn syrup. Sigh. In reality? I’m too lazy for that.
But I have moments. This weekend I was looking through one of my favorite cookbooks for inspiration and came across a recipe for granola. I had a tiny little dream that I’d start making my own and stop buying bags of the stuff at the grocery store. I mean, you guys, it’s really expensive to buy bags and bags of granola each week. If I made my own each week it’d be totally cheaper, right? Well, maybe. Either way? The granola recipe pulled me away from my TV and got me inspired…at least until the Grammys come on later.
WHAT?
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1 large egg white
1 1/2 cups dried cherries or other dried fruit of your choice
How?
Preheat oven to 300. Mix all ingredients except for egg white until mixed well. Beat egg white until frothy, then combine with dry ingredients until well distributed. Spread single layer over baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 45-55 minutes. Half way through the baking take the baking sheet out and stir granola around a bit to make sure it’s cooking evenly. Once the granola is finished baking let cool completely and store in an air tight container.
Y’all? This is real delicious. I forgot to add the egg in to the recipe, so just know that if you don’t have an egg or if you’re vegan…it’s all good. Leave it out. We’ll see if I continue doing this in my effort to save the world…
**Recipe is being revised. Please check back soon! 10/26/13***
Something is happening to me in my old age. I’m loving colors I never really responded to before. Has that ever happened to you? I once asked my husband, the scientist, if there was any correlation that he is aware of between mood-levels and color-affinity. For example, I used to loathe the color red. I mean really and truly hate. I’m not sure if it was the excessive use of red, black and white in 80s home decor (please don’t even try to lie to yourself right now. You know you were a part of that ‘situation’). Maybe it was the excess of red leather jackets, also occurring in the 80s, that rubbed me the wrong way? Maybe it was just the 80s in general and what they did to color? Who knows but what I can tell you is that immediately after our wedding I started L-O-V-I-N-G loving the color red. Someone got us a set of red Fiesta ware plates for our wedding and I couldn’t stop using the mug. I was so drawn to the color. It just made me so happy so I figured, well, I am so happy in life so maybe red is the color of happiness? From there I started wearing red shoes and started the search for the perfect red lipstick (I am still, in fact, on that search) and my red obsession hasn’t stopped.
Just me and my red leather jacket circa 1983
This brings us to pink. When my daughter was born, I felt very strongly about the color pink. Actually, let me correct myself. Before my daughter was born I felt very strongly about the color pink. In fact, I enlisted my bestie, Jackie, to send a message, not literally but rather to be a point person if need be, to let folks know that should they be looking to get us a gift, please please please, do. not. get. anything. pink. Incidentally, I also asked that there should be nothing with the words, “princess”, “queen”, “cutie”, or “sweetie” on it. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m somewhat opinionated. Anywho, the point is, no pink. Of course, the inevitable happened and it was like a pink parade. I mean seriously, there was pink coming out of our ears at her Simchat Bat. You can’t fight it. People love giving little girls pink stuff. We’ve been conditioned to do it. And I tried fighting it. I really, really did. When she was really tiny, I would dress her in as much gender-neutral color as possible while strolling her in her gender-neutral colored stroller or carrying her in her gender-neutral colored Baby K’tan and I would always get comments when we were out. “How old is your little boy?”, asked well-meaning Bubbie from across the hall. “What an adorable little boy. What’s his name?”, asked well-meaning Bubbie at Target. “Oh, your little boy sure is bald”, said well-meaning Bubbie at Winn-Dixie. For the record, little boys do not have the market cornered on bald and the color orange. Regardless, the point is. I fought it and Bubbies all across South Florida were pissed. So it came to pass that on the random occasion I dressed her in something pink. Maybe a hand-me-down from a dear friend at work (my fancy friend. Y’all have a ‘fancy’ friend, right? That one friend who wears designer clothing, drives a luxury car, goes on fancy vacations but can still hang.) who gave us a bunch of clothing from her baby girl and you know, even I had to admit that it looked cute but I was still worried about the ‘gender box’ so nothing was too frilly. But then it happened. Oh dear. It happened. My sister-in-law, Caitlin, gave us a hand-me-down of a pink polka-dot dress with matching leggings that her dad’s neighbor made and oh sweet Lord when it was on, that was it. The pink flood gates opened. Now, OK, I’m not fully embracing pink and you can tell the day care ladies are desperate for me to dress her in more pink since every time I pick her up she’s conveniently wearing all of the extra clothing I brought throughout the week that just happens to be pink but still, I love it. In fact, I’m typing this while wearing my new pink and white stripped pajamas that I got from scientist husband for Chanukah this year. Hmmm . . . I wonder if they have this in baby sizes?
Embracing our pink
So all this talk of red and pink has me excited for Valentine’s Day. And yes, we’re Jews, observant-y Jews at that so we don’t really “do” Valentine’s Day. But, I can still oggle all the pink and red hearts all over Pinterest these days and I will possibly pick up a super cute Valentine’s Day mug at Target just for myself because hey, besides my mom, I was my original Valentine. And, of course, with Valentine’s Day comes cookies. The following cookie recipe is a healthy one because I care about your heart too!
Getting There
I recently made Paleo cookies for my friend and customer, Dana, and she actually liked them. I want to use the term “cookie” loosely here because I think they’re better described as ‘treat’. A breakfast treat at that. I used coconut flour for this recipe but I had made these a while back with almond flour and much preferred the taste and texture of the almond flour versus the coconut flour. I scoured the internet for recipes but eventually took bits and pieces of several recipes and created my own. I hope you enjoy! They’re best enjoyed in the morning with a hot cup of coffee . . . .possibly in a red mug.
Recipe Updated! — Happy Heart Chocolate Chip Cookies
What’s That!?
1 cup of almond flour
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup of coconut oil
3 tbs of maple syrup
4 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1/8 tsp of sea salt
1/2 cup of chocolate chips
A place for everyone and everyone in it’s place.
How’s That Now?!
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Melt the coconut oil on the stove for until runny
In a large bowl mix together the coconut oil, syrup, eggs, vanilla extract and sea salt.
Stir in the coconut flour and chocolate chips.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and roll out little tbs size balls of cookie dough. Place on the baking sheet and gently press down so they look pretty once baked 🙂
Bake for 12-15 or until golden brown.
LET THEM COOL — they’ll harden up after a few minutes of cooling.
***Scalloped hearts photo taken from youngheartslove etsy shop. Check them out here.
It’s no surprise that as a new mom, or really, a mom, I don’t really get a lot of free time. Between work and spending time with Siona there’s not a lot of ‘me’ time. This thought kept running over and over in my head the first couple months of my daughter’s life. I know it’s not really talked about but the first three months as a mother were some of the most difficult months of my life. Yes, I felt excited but mostly I felt terrified. I was terrified of all the change. I was terrified of not being able to cut it in my new role as a mom/wife/friend/sister/employee. How would I balance it all? Would I ever watch a movie again? Cook? Read a book? It was so overwhelming at times I felt like I was drowning in a sea of anxiety until one day I had a realization that all that fear and anxiety was getting in the way of actually connecting with my child. My husband, who just happens to be an incredibly fun and light-hearted individual, had this amazing relationship with her but I wasn’t getting smiles or giggles. I was the overly concerned, constantly worried mom in the corner just trying to catch my breath and catch up with my life. So of course, one shabbat evening, as my husband and I sat across from each other over dinner, I had my little meltdown. We talked, I cried a little and then the next morning we woke up and I felt lifted. Since then, about 3 months ago, things have gotten a lot better. I still battle with the occasional bout of anxiety (hey, I’m a Jewish mother. I mean, I can’t shake that) but it’s nothing compared to all those months ago and the result of this self-realization is a happier, more connected relationship with not only my daughter but with myself as well.
It’s easy to connect when you force your child to hang out on you. P.S. Awesome drool shot, no?
Since then, not only have I seen more movies than I can keep track of, I’ve even found a little ‘me’ time (this blog can attest to that). Before I became a mommy, I would spend my shabbat mornings on our balcony, sipping iced coffee and reading for hours. I was never one for schul after leaving Jerusalem and not connecting with a schul since living in Ann Arbor. Instead, I would find my solace on the balcony; coffee in hand and book in lap. Nowadays, I feel blessed to get 45 minutes to an hour on a shabbat to read and drink coffee and dang it if that’s not all I need. I don’t even need a marathon nap, though, I do miss those. Just a little quiet time to escape in a book, a cup of coffee and maybe, if I felt ambitious that week, a sweet little chocolate treat.
New book, new love
Now that there has been a little balance restored to my life, and clearly cooking is back, I decided to take on the task of cooking for a colleague (as mentioned in the previous post). I’m doing a ‘trial’ run with another potential client for this week who was intrigued with the idea of someone else cooking for them, especially more healthy, clean food. I’ve been asked to prepare as much Paleo or vegan-friendly meals as possible. My kitchen being a kosher kitchen, they’re also getting kosher food but of course, kosher being flexible (it’s true! I promise!), all that Paleo/vegan cooking isn’t as scary as I thought.
Veggies–so perrrdy
They actually put ‘cheese’ on the label
I decided to try out a recipe I found on Oh She Glows. It was easy and pretty delicious. I don’t usually cook with fake cheese but luckily, my ‘client’ (and dear friend) puts a lot of trust in me and let’s me be adventurous and I’m SO grateful for that. I followed the recipe pretty word for word so have to admit, I wasn’t super adventurous this time around and didn’t make up my own recipe but hey, it was a busy weekend. Can’t a girl catch a break 😉
Oh She Glows’ “Naughty & Nice Vegan Enchilada”
What?
8-ounces dry fusilli pasta (3.5 cups dry noodles or half a 16-oz package)*
(I used brown rice noodles to keep it closer to Paleo-friendly. Make sure to cook for no more than 10 minutes if going brown rice noodle or else they will get mushy).
1 tsp olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 medium jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped*
3 bell peppers (I used 1 red, 1 orange, and 1 yellow), chopped
1-3 tbsp taco seasoning mix (I made my own with a dash or two of cinnamon, cumin, ground coriander and sea salt)
1 can black beans (or 2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed
1.5-2 cups homemade enchilada sauce (see above, or use store-bought)
1/3-1/2 cup Daiya cheese (or other non-dairy cheese)
1 cup chopped green onions
salt & pepper, to taste
20 tortilla chips (about 2 handfuls), crushed
Avocado, salsa, sour cream, etc, to garnish
How’s That Now?
1. Preheat oven to 350F and grab a 2-quart casserole dish. Add dry pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook for 7-8 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the pasta or it will get mushy in the casserole. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
2. In a large skillet, sauté the chopped onion, jalapeno, and peppers in the olive oil over medium heat for about 7-8 mins.
3. Add the taco seasoning, drained and rinsed black beans, and 1 cup of the enchilada sauce. Stir well and cook for another 5 mins.
4. Stir in the cheese, pasta, and chopped green onion. Season with salt and pepper to taste and adjust seasonings if necessary.
5. Spread 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce over the bottom of the casserole dish. Scoop on the skillet mixture and spread out evenly. Spoon on the rest of the sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese.
6. Bake for 15-20 mins at 350F until heated through. Sprinkle with crushed nacho chips, chopped avocado, salsa, and sour cream if desired just before serving. Serve with a big green salad and nacho chips.
Note 1: Be sure not to handle the jalapeno seeds as they can make your fingers (and anything you touch) sting badly. You can also wear plastic gloves too.
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I should probably have bed sores. Seriously. I have been attached to the same spot on the couch since Friday afternoon. I guess you’re supposed to cut yourself some slack and make out with your couch on occasion and do things like watch entire seasons of The West Wing and 30 Rock. Where’s the job that allows me to do things like that all week, huh? Where? Whatever. I guess I can dream. 
