Lemon pesto chicken

This is something Zach and I used to make a lot. You simply marinade some chicken breasts in fresh lemon juice and pesto for about 20 minutes, then throw those suckas on the grill! We served it on salad greens and topped it with parmesan. Yum!

Last night -- cheeseburger salad and grilled eggplant

Grilled up some burgers last night and served 'em up over greens. A side of grilled eggplant completed the meal! I thought the eggplant was super yummy, but poor Zach just can't bring himself to like it. C'est la vie!

More cooking for kiddos

In my frenzy last night I also made two recipes for the boys, rice balls (with sweet potato and spinach) and purple pancakes (with beets).

I had kind of a hard time with the balls -- the texture was way too gloppy, and I burned parts of them. (That's what I get for using my cheap nonstick pan. It always betrays me.) I took a small bite and knew Graham wouldn't eat them, but Dean sure did!



I'm not really sure how the purple pancakes went over. Graham ate a little bit this morning, but didn't gobble them with the enthusiasm he usually displays. On the other hand, he didn't complain, so we'll see.

I plan to make the balls again sometime and play with the texture issue. And pancakes are one of Graham's favorite foods, so I'll be experimenting with them for a long time to come!

Soups!

Last night I made two soups from the South Beach Quick & Easy Cookbook. As promised, both were easy and pretty quick to make.

Here's my lunchtime bowl of Asparagus Soup with Parmesan Sprinkle:

I ate it with a trifle more than a sprinkle. It's been a light caloric day, though! And please, whatever you do, don't ask me to give up cheese.

The second soup is the Vegetable and Bean soup, which I haven't tasted yet. Zach took some to work, so maybe he'll be generous enough to update us with how he liked it.

Mmmm, chard!

God bless you, Jessica Seinfeld

Oh, Jessica. Your cookbook is relentlessly cheesy. You seem a trifle smug with how well your children eat. You rely too heavily on mixes, cooking spray, and the like. And yet, Jessica, my son, who eats nothing but variations on bread and cheese if he can help it, has supped on vegetables since you entered our lives. Yes, vegetables.

Right now his bowl is empty. Empty because he gobbled up his macaroni and cheese to which, at your suggestion, I added pureed cauliflower. (By the way, Jessica, I also add some nutritional yeast. Try it!) And HOLY MOSES, he just asked for seconds.

Consider this my endorsement of your work, Ms. Seinfeld. I will be trying many more recipes from it, averting my eyes from the creepy cartoon drawings of your family offering cooking tips and comments, and really, truly enjoying the peace of mind that Graham is getting some nutritional diversity in his diet.



So far we have successfully fed Graham sweet potatoes (pancakes), carrots and spinach (brownies, which Dean actually like more than he did, probably since I messed up the mixing process), chickpeas (chocolate chip cookies), and the aforementioned cauliflower.

I also picked up this little number today, which looks extremely promising:


Expect an update soon!

Bittman’s Basic Meatloaf

Last night was basic meat loaf with Panorama grass-fed beef, and some organic green beans from the freezer aisle.

The meat loaf was plenty good (bacon on top!) but this old-fashioned recipe from Gourmet is better.

Also, not even Central Market can make frozen green beans that aren’t sad and floppy. Looking forward to Spring’s bounty so we can have the real thing!

Chicken and Shiitake Mushroom Stir-fry

Yummy! Wholesome! With Brown Rice!
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=recipe&dbid=120

P.S. World’s Healthiest Foods is a really great website about food.

Walnut-crusted tilapia, rice, and brussel sprouts

Last night we had jambalaya from a box. I'll spare you the details.

Tonight I made the yummiest brussel sprouts I've ever eaten. This being, perhaps, the second time I've eaten them, that may not impress you. Anyway, they were good, even though I left them in the oven a wee bit too long.

The rice was leftover from a stir fry a few nights ago. The fish was easy, too. Drench in flour, then egg, then ground walnuts mixed with a bit of sucanat. Bake at 400 next to your awesome brussel sprouts about 15 minutes.