Southwestern Egg Rolls

I've been MIA on this blog since Titus was born. My diet hasn't followed our usual program too closely either. Lately we've been eating meals that other people have provided and when I cook, convenience and ease has now moved up on my priority list. I'ms still trying to do the best I can Mon through Thursday though. Tonight we had Southwestern Egg Rolls. I kinda just throw these together- but here's a basic recipe to share:

1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of corn, drained
1-2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed to release most juices
3 green onions, diced
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
a little chopped cilantro
garlic salt
maybe some diced tomatoes or peppers if I have them
Either wonton wrappers or tortillas for rolling*

preheat oven to 425*
Mix all but the last together in a bowl.
Spoon into wrappers or tortillas and roll. Place on a baking sheet and spray with baking spray. Slide in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until desired crispiness.

*I prefer the tortillas because they crisp up better. If I didn't hate to fry, maybe I'd opt for the wrappers, but they get a little chewy when baked instead.

Then I make a dipping sauce which usually includes:

1 avocado
plain greek yogurt
lime juice juice
green onion
cilantro
s&p to taste
cumin

Whip together in a mini chopper- and serve

Tilapia Parmesan

Taken directly from Favorite Recipes The Costco Way

This was perhaps the best Tilapia I've ever had!

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 Tbsp mayonnaise (I only used 2)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/8 tsp ground black pepper (I used 1/4)
1/8 tsp onion powder (I used 1/4)
2 pounds tilapia fillets

1. Preheat the oven broiler. grease a broiling pan or line with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together Parmesan, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange tilapia fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes. Flip fillets oever and broil for a couple more minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and spread parmesan mixture over the fillets. Broil 2-3 more minutes, or until the topping is browned and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to overcook.

Jake and I both LOVED this. Kids liked it too!

Some nights at the dinner table go better than others...

Last night was a bad night at the dinner table. Dekker (my 5 year old) is my pickiest eater. Lately it's gotten really bad. For a while I thought it was a contro thing (and maybe it is), so I would just ask that he try a bite of whatever I ate, and then he could have a PB&Honey instead. But then the other two would want to do the same. So then he had to wait till we were done eating- but I still found the other two eating less at dinner and requesting a PB sandwich and I felt my efforts to make a real meal unimportant. Lately I've decided he's not going to starve himself, so he can eat what I make, or not eat at all.

Last night I made wild rice, a mushroom sauce, roasted broccoli, and applesauce. While I was making dinner Dekker kept saying how good it smelled, but when it was on his plate in front of him he refused to eat it. He took one bite of rice (no sauce) and one bite of broccoli so he could have a helping of applesauce and then after much whining and complaining, chose to go to his room for the night instead. Am I a bad mom?

Tonight was a better night. Tonight I made pan-fried tilapia, Rhodes Rolls with a rub of garlic butter and herbs, and roasted brussel sprouts. Dekker came to the table with a smile and said he'd try a bit of everything. He gobbled his fish and roll, and tasted the brussel sprouts! Josh had two rolls, an adult size serving of fish and tried his brussel sprouts. Naomi had a little fish, two rolls, and also tasted the brussel sprouts. Jake, who "doesn't much care for brussel sprouts" loved them, ate seconds, and said they were the best he ever had. I actually like roasted brussel sprouts, and so also enjoyed them along with the fish and rolls. Serving bowls were empty. I was so happy I pulled out a new recipe I'd found for single serving cakes in mugs (cooked in the microwave) and we all made our own little desserts later!

Monday night was kid-friendly and successful as well. Jake was the last to catch our weekend stomach bug, and so didn't have an appetite. I kept it simple and made tuna melts, mac and cheese, sliced oranges, and peas. I served it all in their little lunch plates Nana gave them for Christmas with each thing in its own little pocket, and they all were good eaters.

You win some, you lose some. But I've learned that making the effort to sit down as a family, and trying to make good choices about what we eat eventually pays off. Josh has become a pretty good eater, and is generally very grateful for the meals I prepare. Jake NEVER complains, usually enjoys, and ALWAYS thanks me for my efforts. And so we keep plugging along.

Other breakfast smoothies

Now that I'm not as close to the wonderful Costco, I find myself running out of spinach and other green smoothie ingredients more often. So I get a little creative:

Healthy Orange Julius
ice
water
banana
honey flavored greek yogurt
carrot juice
orange juice
frozen pineapple & mango

Breakfast Milkshake
Ice
water
Vanilla Coconut milk
Frozen fruit
Honey flavored greek yogurt
two handfuls rolled oats

Both tasted really good, and were actually kinda nice to change things up a bit.

African/Indian Sweet Potatoes

Indian Sweet Potatoes

My husband and I LOVED this. I adapted it from what I think was actually and African recipe- but it reminded us of some of our favorite Indian flavors. The kids ate it okay. Sorry there's no picture, we gobbled it up to fast.

2 Tbsp Peanut oil
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 large onion
2 carrots
3 celery ribs
2 tsp minced garlic
2 lbs sweet potatoes
2 cups veg broth
28 oz crushed tomatoes (I used half canned, half diced fresh)
1 tsp salt, divided
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 almond butter
1/2 cup light coconut milk

1. Peel and chop sweet potatoes into chunks. Dice carrots, celery and onion.
2. Heat peanut oil in large skillet. Add curry powder, onions, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2 min. Add garlic and 1/2 tsp salt cook for 1 more minute. Stire in sweet potatoes, broth and tomatoes and bring soup to a boil. simmer covered 20-30 min.
3. Season with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, nut butters and coconut milk stirring to combine. Let simmer 20 minutes. Serve as soup or over rice.

Shrimp Tostadas

Made these last night and they were a huge hit. Everyone had seconds (except for Naomi, who just ate one).

I just heated black refried beans in a pot.

Threw a taco rice mix in the rice maker.

Then sauteed shrimp in some lime juice with smoked paprika, garlic and fresh cilantro.

Also made a "salsa" topping of avocado, tomato, cilantro, red onion with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and salt.

Other toppings included shredded cheese, plain greek yogurt, and lettuce.

Stack em on home made or pre-made tostada shells and enjoy!

Substitutes

What healthy substitutes do you use on a regular basis?

One of my new favorites is using plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream. For a while now I've been sneaking it into my sour cream container so my husband wouldn't know. He finally found out the other day, and said to just keep putting it in the sour cream container so he didn't have to THINK about the fact that he was eating yogurt instead of sour cream! You really cannot tell the difference though. I've used it when cooking, baking, as a topping, etc and it always works great.

I also recently saw Flaxseed Milk in the store and thought I'd give it ago. My body doesn't handle milk very well, and there are all kinds of recent studies that show that the cow's milk isn't good for you. Especially with calcium being available in other sources- like the Flaxseed Milk. Well, it was my favorite milk substitute so far- especially as far as consistency goes. Unfortunately, its a newer product, and I've been back to the store that I bought it at and unable to find it again. I'm hoping it grows in popularity so I can find and buy it more often.