Whiteley Creek Homestead

I was in the health food store a few days ago and orange color popped out at me from every corner… papaya puree, orange cauliflower, and red lentils. Why they are named "red" lentils I don't know, since they are orange .

 

I bought two bottles of the papaya puree and have been adding a bit to our glass of water. It doesn't add a sweet taste, but it does supply tons of nutrition. I ran across a recipe for Red Lentils with Cauliflower and Potatoes… how perfect for what I have on hand, so I guess that seals my decision about what to prepare for tonight's supper.

April 5, 2009

Today's mileage: 2-mile walk

Total mileage for April: 17.5 miles

Bible reading? Yes.

 

I purchased a Heartland brand ready-made granola crust and knew that I must make a banana cream pie with it. I found a recipe in an Eat Smart with Ellie Krieger Magazine that ended up being a keeper. The recipe's length deceptively makes it appear complicated and time-consuming, but it's really very simple and goes together quickly, especially if you use a tasty nutritious ready-made crust.  What makes it "cleaner" is using skim or 1% rather than whole milk, reduced eggs, and less sugar. Also, the traditional banana cream pie has a thick layer of filling with a few banana slices. This recipe uses many banana slices with just a thin layer of filling. The granola crust's subtle coconut flavor complements the vanilla pudding, so I say take a shortcut and use this granola crust. After I made Ellie's recipe, I found another on the Cooking Light web site from their June 1995 issue of Cooking Light Magazine that appears to be even "cleaner". Oh darn, we'll have to eat another banana cream pie. :)

 

Banana Cream Pie from Ellie Krieger

14 graham cracker squares (7 full sheets)

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1 tbsp water

1 ½ tsp unflavored gelatin (I used ¾ tsp *agar agar powder, but I would try ½ tsp for a less firm filling.)

3 tbsp boiling water (Omit if using agar agar.)

1/3 cup plus ½ tsp sugar

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups low-fat milk (I used skim.)

2 large egg  yolks

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups ¼-inch-thick banana slices (3 medium bananas)

¼ cup well-chilled heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray or oil. To make the crust, in a food processor, process the graham crackers until finely ground. Add the butter and water and process until the crumbs clump together. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pie plate and about 1 inch up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes then cool. Meanwhile make the filling. Put the gelatin in a small bowl; add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. (If using agar agar, add the powder or flakes directly into the hot milk mixture.) In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1/3 cup of the sugar and the flour.  In a medium bowl, lightly beat the milk and egg yolks together. Add the egg-and-milk mixture to the saucepan and whisk so the flour and sugar dissolve. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened. Stir in the vanilla and the gelatin slurry. Set aside to cool slightly. Arrange the sliced bananas in the crust and pour the pudding on top. Place in the refrigerator until the pudding has set, about 3 hours. Whip the cream in a medium bowl with an electric mixer. When it is about halfway to soft peaks, add the remaining ½ tsp sugar, then continue whipping until it barely holds a soft peak. Put a dollop of whipped cream on each pie slice and garnish with banana slices. The pie will keep in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.*Agar agar, which is a.k.a. kanten, is a derived from seaweed. It dissolves in hot liquids and thickens as it cools to room temperature or below.  

 

April 3, 2009

Today's mileage: 2-mile walk

Total mileage for April: 6 miles

Bible reading? Yes.

 

 

 

Today, I made a pot of "stormy day bean soup". To measure the water and chicken stock, I used this handy 4-cup measuring cup that I received through a free mail-in offer several months ago. The arched feature inside the cup eliminates the need to crouch to eye level to read the markings on the side of the cup, although they are provided, as well. I avoided its use until today, strictly because I was stuck in a rut… comfortable with the old way of doing things. I'm thrilled that I dug it out of my cupboard to give it a try. What a novel idea! It's a keeper. (I poured pomegranate juice up to the 2-cup line so you can see how easy it is to read from above.)   

 

In addition to the measuring cup, this is what I received free for sending in an Arrowhead Mills and a Hain Pure Foods label.

 

The cookbook includes a good variety of recipes. I have earmarked vegetable lasagna, turkey quinoa loaf, and peppermint chocolate cake made with pureed baby food prunes. 

Mar. 29, 2009

Today's mileage: 6-mile bike ride

Total monthly mileage for March: 77.25 miles

Bible reading? Yes. 

This morning, as I pedaled 9.5 miles, I stopped at yard sales along the route. Yes, I did… I carried this Betty Crocker toaster oven home on my bike. The minute I set my eyes on it, I was in love… the gushy kind like, "I can't believe how unbelievably adorable this is! Did people actually pass this one up?" There's a homeyness about a Betty Crocker brand of anything. Despite the iconic Betty Crocker not being a real person, "she" embodies the whole realm of homemaking.

 

Click on the photo above to enlarge it… to see why I gush.

 

Isn't the cooking guide and the dial just the cutest?!! …and the handles are reminiscent of old pots. I don't have a clue how old this model is, so I'm going to pretend that it is from the 1950s or 60s. I don't know if toaster ovens even existed during that era, but no matter. It makes no difference if it was manufactured 5 years ago. It has a retro look that hooked me immediately and the $5.00 price tag sealed the deal.   

Mar. 28, 2009

Today's mileage: 9.5-mile bike ride

Total monthly mileage for March: 71.25 miles (Feb. 28 my total miles logged was 64.5 miles, so I have surpassed last month's total and there are 3 more days left in March! Oh, yea… This is good… very good.) 

Bible reading? Yes. 

I knew that my day was going to be an unusually busy one, so I planned for it by having ingredients on hand to make a super easy throw-together, but very flavorful, nutritious soup. I used a combo of two recipes… a Kale and White Bean Soup from Bob Greene's The Best Life Diet and a Tuscan Style Bean Soup submitted by Robyn Webb on allrecipes.com plus I threw in a little of my own spin. My daughter, Jessica, stopped by for a wee visit and she gave it her stamp of approval. 

 

 Bean and Spinach Soup

2 tsp olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

½ tsp dried oregano (leaves not ground)

¾ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp pepper, freshly ground

¾ tsp Johnny’s seasoning salt or your own favorite

4 cups chicken broth or stock (I used 2 cups broth/stock + 2 cups fresh carrot juice.)

1 cup water

1 can stewed or diced tomatoes (I prefer the Italian herb variety.)

large handful spinach, chopped or kale sliced into thin ribbons (If using kale, remove the leaves from the stems and discard center ribs.)

2 cans cannellini, pinto, or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein) Bob’s Red Mill is one brand and it can be found at a food co-op or in your grocery’s health food section. TVP wasn't in either recipe, but it adds a nice texture like ground beef and it provides a burst of protein.

freshly grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Heat olive oil in a heavy stockpot and sauté the onion until it turns somewhat translucent but not mushy. Add garlic, seasonings, broth (or stock), water, and tomatoes. (Also add in the kale at this time, if using.) Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add spinach, beans, and TVP the final 5 minutes of cooking time. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

 

Mar. 27, 2009

Today's mileage: 2-mile walk

Total monthly mileage for March: 61.75 miles

Bible reading? Yes. 

 

I made these high fiber muffins this morning using a recipe from Bob Greene's The Best Life Diet copyright 2006 that I snagged at a yard sale for a song. You may recall that he has been Oprah Winfrey's personal fitness trainer and nutrition counselor for quite a number of years. He is the author of several books. This particular one is filled with nutritious recipes and loads of information on "claiming the life you deserve… a three-phase plan for losing weight and keeping it off". Maple syrup… the real deal… sweetens the muffins with a little help from grated pears and prunes. They are very moist with just the right amount of natural sweetness in each bite.

 

Bran Pear Prune Muffins

Makes 12 reg-size muffins or 6 jumbo. (I like to make jumbo-size then cut each into quarters.)

1 ¼ cups nonfat milk

1/3 cup maple syrup

¼ cup canola oil (expeller pressed… preferably organic)

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 cups All-Bran Cereal (I used Nature’s Path Organic Smart Bran with psyllium & oatbran.)

¾ cup whole wheat flour + ½ cup all-purpose flour (I used 1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour instead.)

1 tbsp baking powder

¾ tsp ground nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

1 large unpeeled pear, shredded (about 1 cup)

½ cup chopped prunes with orange essence (I used Newman’s Own Organic Prunes which doesn’t offer an “orange essence” variety.)

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat muffin pans with oil. In a medium bowl, mix the milk, maple syrup, oil, and egg. Stir in the All-Bran and let stand 5 minutes. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the bran mixture. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Don’t overmix. Fold in the pear and prunes. Divide the batter equally among the muffin pans. (They will be very full but rising is minimal so they won’t overflow when baking, or you can extend the batter to make 14 reg-size or 7 jumbo.) Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing them from the pan. Serve warm or cool. Per serving: Calories: 184, Protein: 5 g, Carbs: 32g, Dietary Fiber: 5g, Total Fat: 6g, Saturated fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 18 mg, Calcium: 155 mg, Sodium: 211mg.

 

Mar. 26, 2009

Today's mileage: 2-mile walk

Total monthly mileage for March: 59.75 miles

Bible reading? Yes.