Quick, Easy, Healthy Breakfasts

A good start is half the battle!  I have my favorite breakfasts down to a science.
I typically leave the house at 5:30 a.m. so I make my breakfasts the night before and I have a different healthy quick breakfast for every day of the week.

Monday, I start out with home-made granola.  My friend Kristie Weber shared this recipe with me this summer, and I started making it in the Fall once I did not have access to fresh berries for breakfast daily.  This granola is soooo delicious and I stores well in glass canning jars.   We all love it.

Kristie's Granola and Me

Look at my messy kitchen.  Gus picked home-made pizza for supper that night and I was still working on the mess.  Then there's the homework on the table, iPad, camera.  Oh well!! 

Kristie Weber's Granola Recipe
3 1/2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup nuts (I use walnuts)
1 cup shredded coconut (I skip this)
1/2 cup flax
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
2 tsp. cinnamon

Bake at 325 in a jelly roll pan for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
On Tuesdays I make smoothies.  Sometimes if I'm too busy Monday night, I'll throw the ingredients for the smoothies into a glass Pyrex bowl and eat it with the spoon.  But either way, this smoothie is a great way to start off with the right amount of protein and fiber.  Yumm-o!

Fruit Smoothies

To make the smoothies, I blend 1 cup of kefir, 1 cup of berries, 1 tablespoon of flax seed, and 1 tablespoon of wheat germ.  Again, another hit in our house.


Wednesdays, I make steel cut oats in the crock pot.  I can purchase bulk organic steel cut oats at the Hayward Northern Lake Co-op.  I add 1/4 cup of steel cut oats to the crock pot and one cup of water.  I cook overnight and have some awesome steel cut oats.  It's so nice to wake up to a warm breakfast.  Some days I add an ounce of walnuts or craisins, but most of the time I just add a little milk and cinnamon.  This is one of my favorites. 

Steel Cut Oats Set before bed

Here I am in my pajama's, make-up off, getting ready for bed and making my breakfast for the morning.

Perfect Oats - Too bad I ended up dropping them

This morning my oats turned out PERFECT!  Too bad I was balancing it on my computer on the way out the door and dropped it breaking my favorite Pyrex and losing my perfect breakfast.  Oh well, thank goodness my day got better after that.

On Thursday, I will have my citrus fix for the week.  I cut up grapefruit, oranges, add some blueberries from this summers harvest along with 1 tablespoon of flax seed, and 1 tablespoon of wheat germ.  Again, delicious and I always feel great when I start out with a fruit based breakfast with some healthy omega 3 fats to boot.  If you live in the area, organic grapefruits are on sale at the Northern Lakes Co-op this week.

Citrus Blend

Fridays, I do not leave the house until a little bit later, so I make the perfect egg sandwich for the kids and me.  I poach some eggs, add cheese, to an English Muffin.  This breakfast is about 300 calories and starts one out with about 20 grams of protein.  And, it's delicious!

Egg Sandwich

Saturdays and Sundays our breakfasts vary depending on what we have going on.  But, the family loves my biscuits and gravy (which I won't eat), pancakes, omelets, eggs benedict, or nothing if we have morning plans.  My favorite breakfast cereal is Kashi Crunch.  It's one of the few cereals that is not full of processed crap. 

There you have it, my easy healthy breakfast meal plan.  Now if the rest of the meals were as simple as breakfasts!

Happy Cooking,

Kristin

The Surprise Party

One fateful night in early October, some of my friends and I got together and decided to throw a surprise 40th birthday party for my dear friend Tali (the last one to turn 40).   The key to the successful party was that everyone would make a firm commitment to show up and they all came through with their promise.  We decided to have everyone come up to Hayward where Tali would be visiting the weekend of her birthday.  We also rented a Famous Dave's Villa, because Tali mentioned how much she loved staying at the Famous Dave's Villa.

October, the planning begins!

The afternoon of the party, we frantically labeled all the beer, wine, set-up the food and decorated.  Here's the wine labels:

Personalized Wine Bottles

Personalized Beer Labels

The hardest part was waiting for the birthday girl to arrive.  We rented Famous Dave's Villa #1, so we were 4 houses down from the Famous Dave's restaraunt, but it seemed like forever for them to arrive.  Here we are waiting:

Patiently Waiting

We hid in the bedroom and did a practice Skype run with Susanne from NY before they arrived.

I left Tali, Jodi Gullucksrud, and my old college roommate Val Pederstuden at my house while I was supposedly delivering boy scout popcorn.  I asked them to meet me at Famous Dave's at 4 p.m.  When they got their, my friend Angie Beckman who manages Famous Dave's gave Tali and the girls a beer with a "Happy 40th Birthday" label on it along with a red balloon.  Tali and the girls were told to follow the trail of red and orange balloons (her favorite colors).

The Balloon Trail from Famous Dave's to the Villa

Did I mention there was a mini-blizzard outside?  Eventually, they found the path of balloons and we were able to surprise our long-time friend Tali.

Angie reads her letter to Tali

When she arrived and the shock and excitement wore off, we played "Tali, this is your life".  Before the party, we made a photo book with pictures and letters written to Tali.  We each read what we wrote, and each one of us cried as we recounted our Tali memories.  We've been friends for a super long time (27 years?), so sometimes we get sentimental.

And then, it was time for some bevies and food.

The Beverage Table

Let the festivities begin!

Let's Eat!!

We had an awesome pot-luck of chili, hot beefs, cranberry salsa, veggies and dip, and oatmeal chocolate bars.  My favorite treat of the night was Angie's oatmeal chocolate chip bars.  They were so moist and delicious, and I'm just sorry I didn't take a picture.  Here's the recipe:  Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars

After we ate, Tamara lead us in a game of sculpting soft fruit with our teeth. Needless to say, we all enjoyed it and shared in a good many laughs.  I'm afraid the pictures might look a little too x-rated for a food blog, so I'm keeping them locked in the vault.

Let the Scavenger Hunt Begin

Next, the 40th Birthday Scavenger Hunt began.  Here's what the girls were looking or:

• Have your picture taken with someone with a mullet
• Play the tambourine on stage
• Get a phone number from a stranger
• Have a picture taken with an outrageous belt buckle
• Collect a business card from someone
• Get a kiss that leaves lipstick on your cheek
• Find a coin with the year 1971 on it
• Find a lettered tattoo with your initials in it
• Get your picture taken with someone dressed in all blaze orange
• Drink a shot with a stranger
• Find a person with a concert tee
• Request a Motley Crue song
• Find someone with a piercing (not ear)

Tamara Performing with Westlake

 

Here's Tamara checking the "tambourine on stage" off her Scavenger Hunt.  Let me tell you something about this woman.  Number 1, we spent a LOT of time traveling because the roads were horrible, but Tamara had us rolling with laughter for hours.  Ask her to do her Norwegian accent sometime, OMG, hilarious!  She's also a gifted psychic / hypno chick who found my lost phone in a snow bank in Stone Lake.  Wow, I was so grateful. But, I digress.

The only picture with the whole crew

The sober mini-van driver (me) drove us to Anglers, Wild River, Stone Lake, and then to the LCO Casino to hear the most amazing band (Westgate) perform.   If you get a chance, I'd recommend checking them out.  Wow!

Here's the band singing Happy Birthday to Tali.  She went to bed early, so poor ol' Tammy had to stand in.

So, I pulled off my first surprise party.  I've been planning this for so long, that I almost feel a sense of disappointment that it's over.  Have you over thrown a surprise party?  OMG, I had so much fun and hope everyone else did too!  After I finish putting everything away, I'm going to bed.

Kristin

Farm Fresh Eggs Here

I believe every one should be eating eggs from happy, healthy chickens.  I mean everyone.  The taste difference between a store-bought egg and a farm fresh egg is unbelievable.  A farm fresh egg has a bright, thick, delicious yoke, and a store bought egg has a runny pale yellow yoke.  Eggs straight from a real farm have more omega-3 fatty acids and are lower in cholesterol.  In my community, I can get eggs from farmers anywhere between $2 and $4, and if I buy them in the store they are around $1.79.

Eggs from Debi Defoe-Greene

These eggs I got from Debi Defoe-Greene (thanks Debi!).  One day I ran out of eggs and my usual chicken farmers were out, so I was brainstorming on where to get my next batch.  The kids listed off about 4 farmers for me to contact, but they never said, "mom, why don't you just go to the store?"  They know that eggs come from real chickens and real farmers, and I'm grateful for that!!    And by the way, I'd rather starve than eat eggs from a chicken factory, and I'm a hungry girl.  That's how strongly I feel about buying eggs from a local farmer.

I make egg sandwiches for breakfast for the family about once a week.  An egg sandwich has 300 calories and gives you a great start on your protein for the day (17 grams).

Egg Sandwich - a staple in our house

My family LOVES this next quiche recipe that I received from my mother-in-law about 20 years ago.  I'm such a good wife and mom (not really...lol), that I got up at 5 a.m. today and made it for everyone for breakfast.

Bonnie's Cheese Sausage Quiche

Greta loves quiche too

Cheese Sausage Quiche

9 inch baked pie shell

3/4 lb sausage

1/2 cup onion

1 1/2 cup shredded cheese

2 eggs

2 T four

1 T parsley flakes

2 t. seasoning salt

1/2 garlic salt and pepper

1 cup evaporated milk

Brown sausage and onion.  Place in bottom of pie shell.  Top with cheese.  Mix remaining ingredients and pour over meat.  Bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes.

And last but not least, I must admit that I make a killer omelet.  The ONLY reason I can make a killer omelet is because of this antique omelet maker I found at a thrift shop.  I'm serious.  Perfect every time.  Until I got this thing.......well, let's just say I didn't make them.

My antique omelet maker

Simple Ingredients for omelets

To make omelets, I stir eggs with a little bit of milk.  I let them cook a bit, stir, add in the cheese, and then flip the lid of the omelet pan.  They look so beautiful when they are done!!  Too bad I don't have a good picture to show you!

Kerry Rothgeb's Chicken - picture by Kerry

I LOVE chickens!  This is a picture of Kerry Rothgeb's chicken TAKEN by her too.  I just think it's an amazing picture.  I experimented with chicken farming once, but I was not successful.  Between the full-time job and the 3 kids, I had a full plate.  Then Chad was deployed to Iraq and the chickens had to go.  I learned a lot though.  Mostly, that I'm not a skilled farmer.

If you don't already, I hope you will consider buying your eggs from a local farmer.

Peace,

Kristin

P.S.  The picture of the eggs on the side of my blog this week were taken by Kerry too.  She's a great photographer!

My Weekend of Upcycling and the G Project

Instead of cooking this weekend I did some upcycling.  My son Gus is the king of upcycling.  He is always digging in the recycling and creating ships, cars, missile's, you name it.  Here is one of  his three creations from just today:

Gus - king of recyclable building

My Grandma and Grandpa Lundberg had an awesome sun porch at their house on the farm.  They moved and didn't have a use for the furniture, so I somewhat inherited it (ok, I actually begged and pleaded).  My Grandma told me her parents had this furniture, so I'm guessing it's a good 100 years old .  She's 83 and still plays organ in church every Sunday, how awesome is that?   I digress.  I spray painted the furniture tan, but it still looks rustic.  I looked online for new cushions but they were $250....a piece!   My friend Debi and I picked up $26 worth of tablecloths, and she sewed cushion covers for me within 24 hours (now, that's a true friend).  Thanks Debi!  Doesn't it look great?

Upcycled Screened In Porch

It looks a little Christmass-y right now, so I'm going to add some different throw pillows, but I struck out in Hayward so I need to go shopping.  The table I found a thrift shop and I just repainted.  The kids helped me with the pine cone centerpiece. 

More of the porch

The table in the middle also came from a thrift shop.  It's o-l-d and it matches the wicker PERFECTLY.  My interior-designer-friend-extraordinare Angie placed it there and instructed me not to paint.  Great advice, because I'm really happy with it.  The glass decorative items are also old and also came from a thrift shop!

Upcycled Porch

Here I have an old shelf from a thrift shop, the chair from the Grandma and Grandpa Lundberg, and I found the retro chair on the side of the road marked free.  Oh, I just love it too!

Grandpa Johnson's Rocker

This chair I inherited from my Grandpa Johnson (need an updated cushion) and the bench I had the kids repaint this weekend (another thrift shop find).

Grandma Evelyn's Jelly Cupboard, Grandpa's Coat rack

This jelly jar cupboard I inherited from my Grandma Evelyn.  I so love it.   It's right by our front door, so I keep all the kids sports gear in there.  Baseball game, soccer, you name it and you'll find their stuff ready to go. 

Now for the outside, I added some tractor wheels (again from a thrift shop). 

Wagon Wheel and Gus with another project

The kids paint



The Upcycled Step Stool

This step stool I found in our woods (I know, right?) and I painted and added some decorative "stuff" to it and it ties in with our window boxes which are also full of pine boughs now too!

Chair outside garage

This chair was in my Grandma Johnson's basement.  We painted it red today and added some pines.  The chair ties together the space between the garage and the house.

G-PROJECT

I have an idea, and I'm calling it the G-Project.   The focus of the G-Project is to promote the use of cloth bags at the grocery store versus plastic bags.  Today at the grocery store I looked around and I was the only one with cloth bags.  No judgement here, because I honestly forget 50% of the time.  What would happen if we made plastic bags in the Town of Hayward illegal?  From there, Wisconsin could be the first state to go plastic-bag-free.  I believe this way of life is on our future, and since the idea popped in my head I feel that I need to move forward.  More on this on a future blog.  In the meantime, I hope you were able to enjoy the AWESOME fall weather.

Kristin :) 

Planning the Family Meals

Six months of the year our menu is completely driven by what's in season, but the remaining 6 months I've found a planning method that works like a charm with our family.  Every Sunday I ask the family to give me an idea for one meal.  Two nights a week we plan on leftovers or frozen pizza because chances are that we are not all together a few nights.  The beauty of the planning is that I stopped hearing so many complaints about the meals I cooked, and my trips to the grocery store have been reduced (always a good thing).

One Big Happy Family

Here's a sample of our meals from last week:

Chad:  Miako's Hot Dish (Frane family big-time-glorified Tuna Casserole recipe)
Graham:  Lasagne (he picks this EVERY week, but it makes great leftovers).
Gus:  Pancakes, Sausage, Eggs and Applesauce
Greta:  Brats, Corn, and Pears
Me:  Stuffed Meat or Tofu Jumbo Shells

Of course, my favorite recipe in this list is the stuffed shells, so I must share!

Meat Stuffed Shells / Tofu Stuffed Shells

Mega Meat-Stuffed Shells
Adapted from Rachel Ray

1/2 box frozen chopped spinach
8 jumbo pasta shells
3/4 lb lean ground beef (RR calls for meatloaf mix)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed and halved
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 15oz can tomato sauce
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425.

Defrost Frozen spinach in microwave or in colander with hot running water. Wring dry in paper towel. Set aside.

Boil water for shells and cook according to package directions (6-7 minutes). Drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.

Brown meat with chopped garlic and onions. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook 5 minutes more.

Mix meat and spinach in a bowl. Add bread crumbs, egg and half the cheese (sometimes I add a handful of grated mozzarella too).

Fill the shells with the meat mixture and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 11-12 minutes.

While the shells bake, heat halved garlic in one tbsp olive oil in small pot over low heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then remove garlic. Add red pepper flakes and cook one minute more. Stir in tomato sauce and let simmer until shells are done. (I typically add another dash of garlic powder, and normally some extra red pepper since Ryan really likes it.)

Place shells on plate and pour desired amount of sauce on top. Sprinkle with a little more cheese if you like.

This is a repeat offender in our house, because everyone loves it and it's sooooooo good!!!

Happy Cooking!

Kristin

Potatoes, Garlic and Cranberries

Thank goodness we still have lots of cranberries, potatoes and garlic around from the end of the growing season.  I'm going to start with a Cranberry Calfouti.  OMG.  This is soooooo good -  lick the bowl good (thanks for the inspiration Brian).  I looked at the recipe and had everything in the house except almonds so I swapped them out for walnuts.

Greta enjoys Calfouti, pictured in my Grandma's dishes

Yum, mom (Greta has my Grandma's blue eyes)

Calfouti

*Oh, I wish I had a better picture!  It's pretty too, but I didn't take my time with the pictures.  I was too anxious to eat!!

Here's the recipe:  Cranberry Calfouti

Wow, that's all I can say about it.  I hope you try it.  I did not have Ramekin dishes (I want some), so I just used a regular casserole dish.

I've been making this Potato Olive Soup for years.  Sounds weird right?  But, it's actually a favorite of ours.

Potato Olive Soup

Potato Olive Soup

Dredge chicken in flour or veggies if making vegetarian
Brown chicken for 5 minutes and then add garlic, onions and potatoes.
Add 1 cup of cooking white wine.  Stir for 1 minute
Add 1 quart of vegetable stock.  Bring to a bowl and simmer for 20 minutes until potatoes are tender.
Add a cup of green olives.
Add a 1/2 cup of 2% milk (or whole) and stir
I serve the kids and then add crushed red pepper to the soup for the adults. 

Yes, it's an odd recipe but I guarantee it's good! 

Last but not least, I've been wanting to try Roasted Garlic since I enjoyed it at the American Club 3 years ago..... something that I could spread on bread, potatoes, or whatever.  I'm crazy about garlic!  If you would walk in our house right now you would be blown away with the garlic smell.  I actually love it.  And, we are keeping the vampires away.

Roasted Garlic pictured in my Grandma's dish

To roast garlic, cut of the tips of the garlic, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in aluminum foil, and back for an hour.  The garlic caramelizes and you can spread it on bread just like it's butter (only it's waaaaaaay better).

Happy Cooking,

Kristin

All Hummus!!!

If you ask me, hummus is the B-E-S-T snack on the planet.  Healthy, a good source of protein, a great dip for veggies and chips, and ooooooh so yummy, you will always find this snack in the Frane fridge.

One thing I've learned this year is that hummus is always made with chick peas, cumin and tahini, but you can throw in ANY in-season vegetable to change it up.  My friend Susan Buchman gave me this delicious pumpkin hummus recipe at our Ski and Tea workout this morning, and it's super GOOD!

Pumpkin Hummus

Susan Buchman's Pumpkin Hummus

2 T Tahini (ground sesame seeds, most stores carry)
2 T fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tsp olive oi
salt and red pepper
1 1/2 cup pumpkin
1 garlic clove
2 tsp. parsley

Add to a blender and walllaaaah, you have an awesome, healthy snack!!


And, this week I made some broccoli hummus with some late season broccoli.

Broccoli Hummus

And, I still dream of the happy days of the purple cauliflower and zucchini hummus from this summer.Mmmmmmmm, good.




Zucchini Hummus

Click on the colored link for the recipe

What a busy week.  In the first 3 days of the week, I worked 45 hours and top if off with Trick or Treating and the play Hairspray at Chanhassan, and I'm still spinning.  But, I have lots of ideas buzzing for my next blog (in fact I was dreaming of ideas).  So, more to come......

Happy Halloween

Happy Cooking,

Kristin :)