Baked Cauliflower and a Princess
Baby E woke up screaming after a 10-minute nap earlier today, but she finally fell asleep sometime after 4:30 and took a real nap.
At that point, I was able to gather myself together, help the kids start their new math books (which they are very excited about--the second volumes in the Singapore Math books they're using this year), and start dinner. AJ and M&M were in much better moods, and it was so nice to have some relative quiet (with no whining or crying from Baby E) in which to work.
The suggestions for vegetable-containing meals in reply to my earlier post were so helpful. I happened to have a cauliflower in the refrigerator, so I could hardly wait to try the baked cauliflower Beth recommended. I never would have thought of baking it and getting it all carmelized with oil and garlic.
I'll look forward to trying some of the other suggestions later, too. It's so nice to have some new ideas; thanks everyone (and please do keep them coming)! I need ideas and/or recipes with no legumes (that includes soy, beans, peanuts, peas, chickpeas, etc.), no dairy, no avocado (I'm allergic to it), no nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers [black pepper is ok, but no hot peppers or paprika], pimientos, and, yes, eggplant), and of course no corn derivatives (which means nothing bleached, enriched, or prepackaged, for the most part).
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For dinner tonight my centerpiece was the baked cauliflower. I used a combination of this recipe (great photo illustrations), this one, and this one. Basically I cut the cauliflower into 1" chunks and put it into a zippered bag with 2-3 cloves of minced garlic, a little squeeze of lemon, and about 1/8-1/4 cup olive oil (I didn't measure) and shook it to coat the cauliflower. Then I spread it in a pan, sprinkled it with sea salt and black pepper and baked it at 475 for 30 minutes, stirring after the first 15 minutes and every 5 minutes after that.
We had some steamed broccoli also, in case the family didn't like the cauliflower. But we liked the cauliflower. It was delicious enough that I want to go and buy another head as soon as possible, so I can make it again. Even DH, who hates cauliflower, found it edible. M&M ate hers dipped in ketchup. She loves ketchup.
I thawed out some frozen ground beef and mixed it with some chopped onions to fry for the meat portion of the meal. With some ketchup for those who could have it (everyone except me and Baby E), the bunless hamburgers were a big hit. Add some whole-wheat couscous (I found some at Trader Joe's with no additives) and fresh=picked apples for dessert, and everyone was happy. M&M and AJ declared it "a really yummy dinner".
I even managed to get the kitchen floor swept and spot-mop a few of the worst spots. DH stopped at the store on the way home, and then took Baby E so I could clean out the refrigerator before putting groceries away. I did a bit of lesson planning for the rest of the week, caught up on dishes and did a couple of loads of laundry, and even made a batch of pumpkin muffins for breakfast in the morning. They are delicious--I'll post the recipe tomorrow.
It's late now, and Baby E is finally asleep. DH sat in her room with her while she screamed tonight, and it was so nice to be able to just relax and not worry about the screaming for a while. Finally they both fell asleep in the rocking chair.
I really hope Baby E is in a better mood tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow will contain fewer meltdowns on everyone's part (especially--ahem--mine), but in the end today worked out all right.
As I was cooking dinner and enjoying the relative quiet between helping the girls with math, M&M said to me:
"Mommy, when you hum like that you sound like a beautiful pwincess. I like that a lot. You always sound like a beautiful pwincess when you hum."
At that point, I was able to gather myself together, help the kids start their new math books (which they are very excited about--the second volumes in the Singapore Math books they're using this year), and start dinner. AJ and M&M were in much better moods, and it was so nice to have some relative quiet (with no whining or crying from Baby E) in which to work.
The suggestions for vegetable-containing meals in reply to my earlier post were so helpful. I happened to have a cauliflower in the refrigerator, so I could hardly wait to try the baked cauliflower Beth recommended. I never would have thought of baking it and getting it all carmelized with oil and garlic.
I'll look forward to trying some of the other suggestions later, too. It's so nice to have some new ideas; thanks everyone (and please do keep them coming)! I need ideas and/or recipes with no legumes (that includes soy, beans, peanuts, peas, chickpeas, etc.), no dairy, no avocado (I'm allergic to it), no nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers [black pepper is ok, but no hot peppers or paprika], pimientos, and, yes, eggplant), and of course no corn derivatives (which means nothing bleached, enriched, or prepackaged, for the most part).
########################
For dinner tonight my centerpiece was the baked cauliflower. I used a combination of this recipe (great photo illustrations), this one, and this one. Basically I cut the cauliflower into 1" chunks and put it into a zippered bag with 2-3 cloves of minced garlic, a little squeeze of lemon, and about 1/8-1/4 cup olive oil (I didn't measure) and shook it to coat the cauliflower. Then I spread it in a pan, sprinkled it with sea salt and black pepper and baked it at 475 for 30 minutes, stirring after the first 15 minutes and every 5 minutes after that.
We had some steamed broccoli also, in case the family didn't like the cauliflower. But we liked the cauliflower. It was delicious enough that I want to go and buy another head as soon as possible, so I can make it again. Even DH, who hates cauliflower, found it edible. M&M ate hers dipped in ketchup. She loves ketchup.
I thawed out some frozen ground beef and mixed it with some chopped onions to fry for the meat portion of the meal. With some ketchup for those who could have it (everyone except me and Baby E), the bunless hamburgers were a big hit. Add some whole-wheat couscous (I found some at Trader Joe's with no additives) and fresh=picked apples for dessert, and everyone was happy. M&M and AJ declared it "a really yummy dinner".
I even managed to get the kitchen floor swept and spot-mop a few of the worst spots. DH stopped at the store on the way home, and then took Baby E so I could clean out the refrigerator before putting groceries away. I did a bit of lesson planning for the rest of the week, caught up on dishes and did a couple of loads of laundry, and even made a batch of pumpkin muffins for breakfast in the morning. They are delicious--I'll post the recipe tomorrow.
It's late now, and Baby E is finally asleep. DH sat in her room with her while she screamed tonight, and it was so nice to be able to just relax and not worry about the screaming for a while. Finally they both fell asleep in the rocking chair.
I really hope Baby E is in a better mood tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow will contain fewer meltdowns on everyone's part (especially--ahem--mine), but in the end today worked out all right.
As I was cooking dinner and enjoying the relative quiet between helping the girls with math, M&M said to me:
"Mommy, when you hum like that you sound like a beautiful pwincess. I like that a lot. You always sound like a beautiful pwincess when you hum."
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 12:50 AM[Permanent link]
7 Comments:
aww...see just when you make your life sounds like a crazy nightmare, then you tell us about making a delicious dinner, cleaning the floor, making muffins, and being called a princess.
see how a game of settlers can turn things around? sorry i didn't see the invite until it was too late!
Well, and you are a princess according to LMNOB - who says that b/c Jesus was a Prince [of Peace], and b/c the bible says we are God's children = we're all Princes and Princesses. Even if with household chores we feel more like the Cinderella version, lol.
So glad to hear about the yummy dinner turning out for you! I'm going to have to try the roasted Cauliflower idea. We don't eat much cauliflower here unless it's raw. I used to do a california mix (cauli/broccoli/carrots) that had the same olive oil and garlic, but also called for italian herbs (basil/oregano/marjoram) and then roast - mmmm.
I liked the green smoothie idea,in the comments, that actually sounds doable with my kids.
You are definitely a beautiful princess. Sorry about the high levels of cheese in my suggestions, I forgot about the no dairy rule.
A few recipe ideas - a favorite around here is roast vegetables: whatever root veggies are around (rutabaga, carrots, a few beets for colour, onions, etc), possibly parboiled first to hasten cooking time - especially important for rutabaga and beets, really - tossed in some olive oil (to coat), herbs (rosemary works wonderfully), and a dash or two of salt. Roast 'til done, serve on rice. Voila!
Frittata is a favorite of mine; it's a spanish recipe, actually, and can look fantastic - fry up a few veggies in an oven-safe frying pan (I use potato and onion, you could try onion and carrot, or ... just about anything really) (corn cut right off the cob works beautifully actually) until the veggies are mostly cooked, add a few herbs/salt/etc, then add 6-8 eggs that have been mixed together (omelet-style). Poke around, lifting the egg that has set to allow the uncooked egg to seep under, until the frying pan contains no obviously liquid egg. Then stick the whole pan into a 350F oven for 15-20 min, until it puffs up beautifully and the center is no longer wobbly. Ta-da! Frittata also keeps quite well in the fridge and is delicious as a left-over - the older girls might like it with ketchup. :)
Ooo - an easy/lazy favorite here: rice and eggs! Cook rice. While rice is still very hot, add 2 eggs (or more, depending on how much rice you cooked!) and stir - the heat in the rice will cook the egg. Now you can add whatever you want to make it more interesting: tomato + pesto + feta (delicious), shredded gruyere (deliciously simple), ... etc.
This is what I cook when the pantry looks bare and I am exhausted and am uninspired. :) Certainly not fancy. But oh-so-simple.
I'll keep thinking, but perhaps these will help!
LOL I am laughing at your last post b/c the same thing happens to me every time I try to write an entry. Hence the once a week writing as of late. We need to reschedule dinner now that everyone seems to be well.
I had another thought - have you considered squash? Squash soup, muffins, breads, etc? Even spaghetti squash (serve like spaghetti, with cheese or sauce etc). Squash is very nutriously dense, and pretty simple to prepare.
Thanks so much for all the great comments and suggestions, everyone. That's so helpful!
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