Still cooking...

Seriously, I am. I'm simply revisiting recipes made in the past. SEE (It's at the bottom of the post).

Oh and HAPPY 2013!

Sweet Potato and Egg Burritos

Sweet Potato and Egg Burritos, page 55

 I peel, chop and boil potatoes to make smashed potatoes. How do you do it? Boil whole w/ peel, then cool, peel and smash? Every Thanksgiving it's the question. Apparently, I do it wrong.

 Have you had Chardonnay and cantaloupe this summer? If not, you should. Yummy on a hot afternoon and great snack as you cook. Oh and I met the owner of this vineyard. He was in Arkansas, no wait just across the border in Missouri. Did you know that "dry" counties still exist? Well they do. I live in one. Back to the owner, he was pleasant. He shared the story of his family and their years of wine making. I purchased nearly a case and he signed the bottles.

I'm quite distracted today as I share this recipe; tangent here, tangent there. Not only did I eat and drink as I cooked, I watched Julie and Julia. It took me much longer than 20 minutes to make this meal. I was also making page 70. I make those weekly.

You know I've never watched the film in its entirety. Gasp, but I have seen Julia's kitchen at the Smithsonian. I took my picture with my phone standing in front of it. I'd probably do the same in Biju's kitchen.

 I added my favorite spice to the meat. It goes so well with sweet potatoes, I just had do.

 Dang, he's cute. That's my husband, after a long day at triathlons, sitting down to breakfast for dinner.


Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: I had it all + some
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: I used ground turkey sausage, because it has less fat and is more breakfast-y, which is good for a breakfast for dinner meal. I added some mixed baking spices to the meat, left out the cheese and used tamari instead of liquid amino acids. To make it GF I prepared a side of quinoa and made mine into a little bowl, not a burrito.
What I'll try next time: Have some corn tortillas to enjoy mine.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: 5
Elliott:4
Chas: 3 (meat in tortilla only)
Ian, our guest: I didn't ask him for a number, but he had seconds, so I'm guessing at least a 4
'becca: 5, loved it!



Not a FZ recipe, but it looked like one. Sticking to my randomness today I thought I'd share it.

Chicken and Bacon Hash

Chicken and Bacon Hash, page 67

Another peek into my kitchen...tools. I recently purchased a few new ceramic knives and really like them. We have been eyeballing them for months and on a recent trip to TJ Maxx Jonathan noticed them on the shelf. We need knives. Good knives are something we have not purchased, but tend to buy inexpensive and replace too often. We are hoping this will end the repurchase for quite awhile. Not ceramic, but also from TJ Maxx...my peeler. Why use a black gripped stainless peeler, when you can have one shaped like a bird?  Are you kitchen tools consistent? A mix? Ancient? What is your favorite?

It should come as no surprise, we have another near perfect dish from Dr. Lim and Chef Biju. I didn't have much time to prepare dinner, as we were headed downtown for First Friday in Bentonville. I knew there were funnel cakes and corn dogs, turkey legs, kettle corn and cupcakes ready to be purchased, but if my boys had full bellies when we arrived they would be bit less tempted. 

As I thumbed through TFZ & read the ingredients for Chicken and Bacon Hash, I had what I needed and just enough time to prepare. As a whole, we are not fans of white potatoes and I rarely have them on hand, but sweet potatoes are a different story. We love 'em. I had 3 pans going at one time, then placed them all together at the end. Quick, delicious & we had full bellies as we headed downtown. I did however give into warm kettle corn. Somethings I simply can't resist.

Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: white potatoes
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: Sweet potatoes for white, red onion for yellow or white
What I'll try next time: I will make the romesco. I didn't have time and also was lacking too many ingredients. I'll make this again and when I do, I'll plan ahead.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: 4
Elliott: 4
Chas: 4 (the bacon & chicken were his favorite)
'becca: 4.5

Tomorrow breakfast from my FF's home and hopefully soon a post from my friend Kathy's Kitchen too. She received The Feed Zone in the mail today, but made this recipe last night. I shared it with her. Her family loved it as much as we did, but her only question was if the recipe amount fed my family. I told her I doubled it, at least doubled it. Maybe I tripled the bacon part.

Oh and you must check THIS out from @swimbikerunguy's Instagram photos. I don't know what he calls them, but I'm calling them Skratchsicles. I think from the conversation credit needs to possibly be given to @TeamCrankAddict. Fellas? And while I have your attention, @swimbikerunguy, when are you going to be a guest here?

Quinoa and Vegetable hash with Eggs

Quinoa and Vegetable hash with Eggs, page 64

I followed this recipe...almost. I didn't measure the olive oil exactly. Who does? And maybe I used a little more than 2 cups of sweet potatoes. I like 'em. BUT, the rest of it I followed. I lied. I didn't measure the parsley either. 

 It took me longer than 10 minutes to prepare this, because I didn't have pre-cooked sweet potatoes. I peeled, cubed and cooked them in the morning as I was making the dish. Taking longer in the kitchen, simply meant I had more time for coffee. Speaking of coffee, check THIS out. Cool? I'm pretty pumped about it and can't wait to have some in my possession tonight.

 Once the potatoes and onions were finished, I mixed in the remaining ingredients and finally the quinoa. As it finished cooking, I cooked the eggs in a separate pan. I served it to Jonathan and the boys. Jonathan said it was "an African" breakfast. One you could eat, then go work all day, knowing you would have dinner when you returned. It's a meal which will carry you though the entire day. Quite a compliment, but I still sent him to work with a packed lunch.

Two mornings later, my time in the kitchen was limited, probably because I hit snooze, so I made left over quinoa & veg hash breakfast burritos. I left out the eggs. I just reheat the left overs, put it inside a wheat tortilla, warmed it on both sides and served them with a side of blackberries. Quick, easy and filling.

Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: nothing
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: I didn't switch any, but didn't measure either.
What I'll try next time: I'll keep it the same.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: 5
Elliott: 3.5
Chas: turned up his nose
'becca: 4.5, I also ate it after a bike ride one day chilled and it was yummy then too.

Brown Rice Muffins

Brown Rice Muffins, page 106

I made two batches of these, one as muffins and the other as a thin cake. The cake is easier to freeze and also easier to wrap similar to a rice cake for a ride. 

Did you ever read the magazine Highlights as a child? Remember the hidden picture page and the puzzles where you compared the two pictures finding the differences? I realize I didn't do a very fantastic taking the two photos from the same spot in my kitchen. Differences? Leave a comment and let me know what you notice. 

I followed the recipe, making sure to only use 1/4 cup of milk to begin. I am thankful I did, because the batter would have been too runny, had I used 1/2 cup. I only had 5 eggs, using 3 in the first batch and 2 in the second. It didn't seem to make much of a difference in the thickness of the batter, but that could be, because I used a bit of extra apple sauce to make up for the missing egg.

I do not always have on hand, potato flour, usually rice flour. So, that's what I used. I placed the ingredients in the Blentec & chose the batter setting. It took 2 cycles to make it smooth, allowing it to pour with ease into the muffin cups.

I am not sure if I filed them too high, but they sank in the middle. Not a big deal, because the little indention fills well with a rhubarb strawberry compote I made over the weekend. They just are not very pretty.

I have eaten them warm, chilled, in the car and on my bike, shared some, but mostly eaten them myself. Each time, especially on the bike, they hit the spot.


Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: 1 egg
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: Brown rice flour & almond milk were used, vanilla, cinnamon and fresh nutmeg were additions.
What I'll try next time: I'm not sure how to make them not sink in the center. Boo! Any suggestions?
How it Scored: 4.5 for taste and 5 for ease. I'm the only one in this family who has eaten them.

Ham and Cheese Burrito, Redux

Remember THIS? Yesterday I woke at 4 to make sure Jonathan had breakfast before he left for the airport and get the boys to the pool before school. The rest of my day consisted of field trip chaperon until 12:30, LT test on my bike, a little work on the Memory Maker triathlon, pick the boys up from school, typical after school activities around the house, soccer tryouts for Elliott 5:10-8:00 and a run workout with Chas while Elliott was on the pitch. We made it home in time to catch the last half of Modern Family and I had a glass of wine.

Dinner? Not a drive thru or pizza, but pulled from the freezer Ham and Cheese Burritos!

Today will be a repeat of yesterday, but with different activities and dinner just may be Jim's. Oh, one more thing before I run out the door, I am excited to share that I will have some guest posting here soon. There are a number of homes eating from The Feed Zone in the area and if all goes well, they will be sharing some of the action happening in their kitchens.

Are you cooking from The Feed Zone? Are you willing to share? Leave a comment and let me know. I'll get in touch. Have a great day. Off to school, then a quick swim and then to the track for a day of fun.

Kitchen Action: Not really any, rather microwave action.
How it Scored:
Elliott said it was  OK, not as good as the first time.
'becca: Made in flour tortillas, I didn't eat one, but I gave it a 5 for convenience.

Simple Biryani

Simple Biryani, page 224

This was the first recipe my FF* made when he received The Feed Zone in the mail. A big thank you to him for supporting TTR with his purchase. FF, I sure hope you enjoy the book as much as our family.

This was far more delicious than I expected. I did make a few changes due to lacking ingredients and 3 very hungry boys and 1 very hungry momma. The biggest change was the addition of chicken. I used 2 of my favorite spices I pick up while in Rwanda, along with a bit of kosher salt and diced onion to flavor the chicken. I allowed it to cook as I chopped and cooked the veggies and the rice cooked in the rice cooker.

Have I told you how thankful I am I have a rice cooker? Well, I am. I do however wish I'd purchased the smaller version. I have yet to cook 10 cups of rice.

I chopped more veggies than the recipe called for, but kept the amount of rice the same. With the addition of chicken it was a little less rice-y than the picture on page 225. Here are a few pictures from my kitchen...

Do you have reusable produce bags? Are they this cute? I picked these up at a friend's Etsy shop, but it's no longer in business. It should be, because these bags are darling and imaging how many fewer plastic bags people would use if they also used darling reusable produce bags. Just in case you are wondering, cuteness does play a factor in bag purchase, be it a handbag or grocery bag.

 Chicken, seasoning and onions, ohmi!

Maybe I used more than 1/4 cup of raisins. I like them. 

Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: Cashews & Peanuts
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: I used sliced almonds and only 1/2 an onion; grape seed oil, not olive; extra curry powder and a bit of chicken masala spice. Oh, and fresh grated ginger and chicken.
What I'll try next time: cashews or peanuts.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: 4.5
Elliott: 4.5
Chas: 3 (he only had 1 bite, but still gave it a 3)
'becca: 5 warm and 4.5 cold the following day

*FF = First Friend
Richard was the first person I met when we were relocating to AR. We were waiting to go into a yoga class and were both wearing Newton running shoes. Newtons are gaining popularity, especially among triathletes, but this time last year I noticed far less on feet. I shared I had just run my first (and probably only) marathon and was going to make the leap to triathlon. He invited me to the kick off for F5 the very next day. I joined and the rest is history. He has been an encourage-er, support and is a great friend to me and my family.

Ham and Cheese Burritos

Ham and Cheese Burritos, page 135

I had very high hopes for this recipe. As you are already aware, we are a family on the go, but we are also a family who tries to sit around the table for dinner as often as possible. Jonathan and I have it down to a science on soccer nights. I take boys to soccer pitch and either watch for a bit or go for a run, Jonathan shows up, we visit a few minutes, I leave to go home and prepare dinner, they arrive after practice and if dinner is finished we eat right away, if not, I finish cooking, boys clean up and prep for the next day, then we gather around the table, give thanks for our many blessings, share a meal and talk about our day. Phew, that sounds like much, but really, it flows well. 

OK, it flows well when Jonathan is in town. When he is out of town, it does not. (Enter: high hopes) Recipes like this, which are able to be prepared, wrapped and frozen would be great on nights when I'm doing my best to keep it together. Soccer is almost finished for the spring season, but triathlon is picking up. I know these will come in handy.

I did not change the recipe much, but did adapt it for myself and other GF folks.

I used an extra egg, because, well just because we like eggs.

I made the salsa fresh: grape tomatoes, jalapeno, red onion, lots of cilantro, the juice of a lime and salt. It was a nice addition to the top of the burritos.

I soaked white beans during the day with large slices of onion and salt and finished cooking them in the evening. Our family prefers rice to potatoes, so I prepared brown rice in the rice cooker to add to the ham and bean mix. I was unable to find burrito size wheat tortillas at the grocery where I shop, so I used soft taco size, yielding 10 wheat and 3 corn.

 Elliott with 2 of the 3 burritos he ate after swim & soccer practice. He also requested that he take one in his lunch the next day.

The GF version: ham & bean mixture stuffed into warmed corn tortillas, topped with fresh salsa & sides of plain Greek yogurt & a favorite snack - Chip'ins.

I love chip'ins(exclamation point) My great pal, Amy, text me a picture of them weeks ago. She knows I'm always on the hunt for new GF snacks. I bought a bag. And I bought another and another. There has been no turning back. I love 'em. And I love Amy. And it's an extra special moment when I get to visit with her AND eat chip'ins at the same time.

Kitchen Action

Lacking in Pantry: not-a-thing.
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: Brown rice, not potatoes. A Mexican blend of cheese for straight cheddar, white beans, an extra egg and squirts of Sriacha for some.
What I'll try next time: not-a-thing.
How it Scored:
Elliott: 4
Chas: 3
Jonathan: 4
'becca: 4.5 (for taste, ease and hopefully helping on nights when I'm not keeping it all together and want to feed my boys well.)

Muesli (sorta. kinda. ok, not really)

I'm feeling left out! I am unable to eat any of the recipes my boys have created. I am unable to eat oats. Yes, I know there are Certified Gluten Free Oats, but oats, GF or not, cause a very similar reaction inside my belly as wheat. This has been a fairly recent discovery for me and was unfortunately confirmed when I sampled every flavor of Bonk Breaker at the Galveston Half Ironman expo. I should have known better, but I have a serious weakness for almond butter and honey. From now on I will stick to rice cakes and ride waffles, which offer me no tummy troubles.

I thought I'd try to make a recipe similar to the ones my boys are making, but using cooked, chilled rice in place of old fashioned rolled oats.

Not really Muesli, Chocolate, Cherry
by a feeling left out mom, 'becca

 Above are the ingredients I used: plain Greek yogurt, chocolate almond milk, cooked & cooled rice, dried cherries.

It was delicious and will be something I make again in the future. I know it will be refreshing this summer after a workout in the heat and humidity of the Ozark Mountains.

Recipe
Ingredients ~
1 cup cooked & cooled rice
1/2 cup chocolate almond milk
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup dried, tart cherries

Method ~
Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. If you forget to make it the night before, you can combine the ingredients and enjoy it after, but it it best after an overnight soak.

Review:
I'll stick to unsweetened vanilla almond milk, my favorite and maybe sticky rice. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't outstanding. It will be refreshing after a hot and humid ride or even as an end of the day sweet treat. If you, like me, are unable to oats and are also GF let me know what you think about this recipe. It is not from The Feed Zone and it is not something which Dr. Lim or Chef Biju make or use. It is purely the result of a mom who watched her kids make recipes she was unable to eat and her husband enjoy.

Muesli (Mango-Mango)

Today is Elliott's birthday, he's 11. Happy Birthday to the person who made me a mom.

 I love you more than you can imagine and pray that you discover for the very purpose you were created and upon that discovery, pursue it without abandon. I pray that in the world you live, play & work, you are a leader and changer, loving God and people. I pray you achieve the goals you have set with hard work, grace and kindness. May year 11 bring great moments...I love you, kiddo. ~ momma

As we cook and eat our way through The Feed Zone, many of the recipes have become meals we prepare with regularity. Last night Elliott had 5 of his pals sleep over. Yes, it was brilliant, birthday chaos. Yes, they were wide awake playing Xbox at 2 am. Yes, they played a combo game of hide & seek and tag around 3am. No, Jonathan and I didn't sleep well. Yes, they are still sound asleep in various corners of the boys & guest room, under makeshift tents. And yes, they had Feed Zone pizza crust as the building block of make-your-own-pizza for dinner. This morning they will have Buttermilk Pancakes when they wake.

The Muesli recipe we are sharing this morning was from our lover of mangoes, Chas. Last week the boys were talking about memories they will always have with their daddy. They both said, "We will always remember eating mangoes with daddy. The ways he peels them, slices them and shares them with us." Chas, our picky eater is a huge fan of mango. Here is his Muesli recipe...

Muesli, Mango-Mango
by Chas

 oats + milk

 oats + milk + yogurt

 oats + milk + yogurt + frozen mango

 oats + milk + yogurt + frozen mango + dried mango

now STIR!


Recipe
Ingredients
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup frozen mango chunks
1/4 cup dried mango,cut into pieces

Method
Mix ingredients above, stir, refrigerate overnight, enjoy the next morning for breakfast or as a snack.

With the boys still sound asleep, Jonathan enjoyed open face egg and greens sandwich, coffee and a bowl of muesli, mango-mango. I also packed a bowl for him to have as his mid-morning snack at the office.

Quiche

Quiche, page 63

As much as I dream of sleeping in until late in the morning on Saturday, most of the time I'm bright-eyed by no later than 6:30. This is sleeping in. Sad, but true and I know I'm not the only one. This morning, as the Nimrod boys rolled over for another 30 minutes of sleep, I cleaned the kitchen did 2 loads of laundry, folded 3, packed swim bags and made quiche.

Because I'm such a kind early riser, (insert a bit of sarcasm) I went to the garage to make the crust. No, I really did. Our blender is crazy loud and our house is small, I didn't want to disrupt their sleep-in, so I blended in the garage. Dear ones, cookers of The Feed Zone, this is the easiest crust you will ever make.

I used Italian bread, chilled butter, smashed it into a pie pan and baked it. The result -- Perfect! I'll use this method from now on when making quiche. It is not flaky like the crust I usually make, but it's most certainly less time consuming and Jonathan said it was very tasty.

I didn't check to see what ingredients I had to add to the filling until the crust was in the oven. I was out of spinach and didn't have broccoli. I used what I had, yellow, red and orange bell peppers, zima tomatoes and grilled chicken.

I pulled it from the oven just minutes before Elliott, Chas and I headed to the pool for TTR practice & my T3 workout. When we returned, half of the pan was empty. DandyDog? Nope, Jonathan.

Yesterday we received a request from Chef Biju. He would like the kids of TTR who are being fueled by The Feed Zone to play with the recipe on page 33, Muesli. Starting Monday, look for the recipes our family tries. I'll give you a hint, the first one involves flavored milk, not regular.

Happy Weekend, Feed Zone cookers and eaters. Enjoy your bike or run or swim or all of the above. We certainly will.


Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: I mixed and matched, making the filling from the veggies and meat I had in the fridge.
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: I did not include the optional nutmeg, added salt and pepper & I used almond milk
What I'll try next time: I'll try feta or goat cheese and probably do as I did today, use a mix of the veg and meat I have on hand.
How it Scored:
Jonathan: 4
(I baked a pan of Savory Bread Cakes for TTR kids to have after swim practice. The boys had this, instead of quiche, it still scores 4's & 5's.)
'becca: I made it w/ FG bread...maybe next time I'll make it GF.

Niçoise with Pasta

Niçoise with Pasta, page 125

I've not had a traditional Niçoise salad before and butcher the name when I try to speak it, making this salad a little intimidating. I am not a fan of anchovies and was thankful this salad excluded them, using tuna. One of the great things about this salad is that it is quick and easily made with items I typically have on hand. It isn't all veg and didn't require me to grill chicken or another meat for protein.

Our family has been fortunate to have the opportunity to work and stay in Africa for different periods of time. When we were there for a 3 month stay, we had the most amazing garden and an even more amazing gardener, Dama. He is a dear friend to our family, a hard worker, the vegetables he grew were the best we have ever eaten and all from seed. The heads of lettuce he grew were beautiful and the salads we made were too. The beauty of being in the part of Rwanda where we stay is this: Life is easier and slower, more difficult and time moves fast...a living oxymoron.

(Dama in the bottom left holding seed packets I brought to him as a gift.)

There is a point to this story ~ Salad Dressing. There is none at the market nor at the 5 & 5 grocery. If by some random act, salad dressing makes it to the shelf, is often old and crazy, crazy expensive, so we go without. We use lemon, salt and pepper, sometimes mustard. We are able to enjoy the flavors of the vegetables mixed and their crispness. Much better than soggy, drippy veggies. Yes?

On my first trip to the salad dressing aisle in the States I was overwhelmed and maybe I even cried. (When I'm exhausted  (jet lag) and (+) overwhelmed (500 varieties of dressing), (=)  I cry.) I wanted Dama's lettuce, a lemon, salt and pepper. I walked away, nothing from the shelf in my cart and walked to to the produce section, picked up some lemons. That has been our dressing ever since -- until last week when I made this salad.

I admit, I was a little hesitant to pour it over the top and I stuck my finger in the dressing for a taste test before the poured, delicious.


Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry: green beans
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes: I swapped peas for green beans, spinach for romaine, corn pasta for wheat pasta and rice vinegar for white
What I'll try next time: I will make 2 different pastas, one GF and one FG for my boys. I also think it would be great with a mix of spinach and romaine.
How it Scored:
Elliott: 3.5, he was not a fan of the corn pasta
'becca: 4.5, I ate it warm and chilled, for dinner as lunch the following day
Jonathan: 4

Spanish Tortilla

Spanish Tortilla, page 60

The introduction to this recipe speaks of riding through Spain, about it being a favorite meal and that is where I stopped reading. Bad idea. Had I read a bit further I'd have read these words, "...it's a simple and filling frittata..." and saved myself a flop.

I've not made a Spanish Tortilla before, but a frittata, I know. In trying to stick to the recipe, I cooked the ingredients as instructed, noticing the similarities to a frittata, but my head was half way between a bike ride in Spain and reality*, Thursday night reality, with a dose of husband away on business for the week.

When I make a frittata, I cook it almost all the way through on the cook-top, then pop it in the oven to finish. I do not invert to a plate, transferring it back to the pan, making the top golden. This is where I had the trouble and where reading the entire 2 sentence introduction would have been to my advantage.

I flipped it. It spilled, because I'd not cooked it long enough. I could clean the counter later, but I was hungry and about to be on the sidelines of the soccer pitch for 2 hours. So, I quickly pulled out a larger skillet making a Spanish Tortilla Scramble.

When it had finished cooking, I scooped some in a bowl with a squirt of Sriacha. Between tossing laundry from the washer to the dryer and hustling boys to the car, I took a bite and another. It may have been chaos all around, but I knew what it must taste like riding bikes in Spain.



Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry:
Nothing, the beauty of this recipe is that it has many ingredients many people have on hand.
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes:
I used less olive oil when cooking the potatoes, just enough to make them crisp.
What I'll try next time:
I think it would be delicious with sweet potatoes and a little extra nutmeg, maybe topped with a sprinkle of goat cheese.
How it Scored:
Elliott: 4, had 2 bowls
'becca: Sad it wasn't pretty like the picture, it did taste great. 4.5.

Chas: Would not even try it, because he heard me say to Elliott that it was a flop. He made himself dinner, cheese quesadilla.

*evening chaos when the flop occurred was a combination of the following:
10 minutes before we needed to be in the car
laundry in the washer which needed to get to the dryer
boys finishing homework
DandyDog needed to be walked
Soccer bags double checked for gear and water bottles
tortilla mess all over the counter and cook-top

Honey Ginger Chicken Wraps

Honey Ginger Chicken Wraps, page 136
delicious, easy, quick dinner at the end of a long day

I picked up a large package of chicken breasts early in the week. I boiled them, shredded most of it, placing it in the refrigerator to use during the week. This works well, especially for nights then my time is limited due to school and practice. It's on nights like this, when it would be so much easier* to drive through, grab a burger and call it dinner, having the chicken and an easy recipe such as this helps. Oh and with the addition of a rice cooker to my life, a quick, healthy, dinner can be "easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy" as my friend Chandi says.

I served this warm, inside tortillas & with a squirt of chili sauce for dinner. There was enough left over to send in Elliott & Jonathan's lunches the following day and for me to enjoy chilled later in the week.

Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry:
Ingredients = All Present
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes:
I used chopped spinach and for mine I used corn tortilla, but for the fellas in my family I used wheat.
What I'll try next time:
The picture in the book shows fresh spouts in the wrap and that sounds great. I'd like to try that inside. I'd also like to grill or bake the chicken. When boiling the chicken as I did, the risk of it tasting dry higher than if baked or grilled. If you have the time to bake or grill chicken, do.

How it Scored:

Jonathan, lover of ginger: 4.5
Elliott: 3.5
Chas: 2.5, after I picked out the spinach.
'becca: 4.5 (also ate it later in the week as an after workout snack, sans tortilla & with a fork)

*Don't think for a moment that I don't choose this option...I do. Not so often, but it happens. I do not want to appear as something I am not. I try my best to cook breakfast, pack lunches and make dinner for my family, but weeks when Jonathan travels M-F and my time is stretched as far as it can be, our fall back meal: quesadilla and the occasional burger and fries. The positive to the burger and fries, is obviously the ease, but also how my boys have begun to recognize how this kind of food makes them feel. Bleh.

Leftover Rice Pudding

Leftover Rice Pudding, page 259

Confession 1: I make extra rice, so I can make this pudding.

Confession 2: I eat it as a snack. I eat it for breakfast. I eat it for dessert. I'd eat it on a boat and in a moat, with a mouse and in a house...you get the picture.

This is so yummy and super easy. Next time you make rice, make extra just so you can have this for dessert and for breakfast and for a snack.

Happy Friday Feed Zone Eaters! What does this weekend have in store for you? It's soccer and more soccer, hill repeats and long bike rides, but first we will kick it off brainstorming ways to help make our kids first year with Triple Threat Racing the best ever. Off to a parent board meeting...

Kitchen Action
Lacking in Pantry:
The ingredients for this recipe are items I most always have on hand.
Additions, Subtractions or Method Changes:
I used light vanilla soy milk and extra vanilla. I added in cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg and when I served it I added a little extra cinnamon and brown sugar for the boys and honey for me.
What I'll try next time:
I'll top it with nuts and fruit. And the time after that, coconut and maybe mango. And the time after that...What's your favorite topping?

How it Scored:
Jonathan: 3.5
Elliott: 3
Chas: 2.5
'becca: 5


Do you like the rice pudding's ears? We love our food face plates.