The One Where I Buy School Lunch

THIS is a school lunch. From a real school. I pulled a Mrs. Q this week, and if you want to see how it went, drop by Notes From the Cookie Jar and continue reading.

Now wipe your chin.

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Real Food Finds: Week 4

If there is one thing I'm learning about looking for real food, it's that it takes time. Time to read the labels, scour the stores, and really pay attention to what's going in my shopping cart. Lately I've been trying out a store that I don't normally shop at, and I'm finding that they carry a lot of specialty items that I can't get elsewhere. Every time I go, I find something cool. What was it this week?

Chicken broth.

In the winter I make a lot of soups and stews to freeze and take for lunches. Ah, you scoff at me-chicken broth can't be that bad, right?

Yep. It can be. Normally I use Campbell's chicken broth, but I've never been happy with the sodium content and the added MSG. Even the 25% less sodium version has 420 mg per 150 ml serving. Yikes!

I don't have the time, or the space, to make my own (not to mention it can get expensive!). Every week when I have shopped, I've checked every single brand of chicken stock I could find, but they seemed all the same. Until this week, when I found...

Kitchen Basics unsalted Chicken Stock. Read these ingredients! Probably the closest I'll ever get to home made (although I wonder what "chicken flavor" is). The sodium listed on the site is even lower on the package in my cupboard, which says there's 90mg of sodium per 2/3 cup serving. Plus it tasted really good, and without all that sodium, I could just add a small amount to suit our tastes.

As I was checking out, the cashier noted that it's the most popular chicken stock that they sell, and commented that many people come to that particular store just to buy this brand.

You are probably thinking that it costs a fortune to buy, that's it's some specialty thing that is ridiculously expensive. Not so. I only paid $3.49, which is the same price as the Campbell's chicken stock. Buoyed by my find, I went home and made a kick ass broccoli cheese soup that Jake declared the most delicious ever.

Score!

Have you made any great finds this week?

(I was not contacted by the company, paid, given product, or even spoke to anyone to do with this product. Opinions are completely my own.)

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Emma Waverman and Eshun's One Pot Brownies

I love brownies. As you can tell from the amount of brownie recipes on this site, I don't think you can ever have too many ways to make them-and yes, every time I find a new recipe I try it. When I came across this recipe by Emma Waverman, resistance was futile! Emma is the coolest-we chat a lot on twitter, I read her blog, and I'm going to get to meet her in person at Blissdom! I'm so excited!

The brownies were amazing; while still warm, melty and gooey, Jake and I gobbled down big bites of them with cold glasses of milk. Even Hubs succumbed to the chocolatey goodness and had a piece. It was resolved then and there that I must make another pan for lunches, and take one to school for a co-worker. They are that yummy.

Emma and Eshun's One Pot Brownies

(adapted from Whining and Dining, found on Lucy Waverman's site)

1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa, sifted (preferably Dutch processed..in Canada, that would be Fry's)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup nuts (optional)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Pre-heat your oven to 35o F and line an 8x8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper. Parchment paper is the bomb. What I love about it is that you can just lift the brownies out of the pan when they are cool and they make for such easy clean up.

In double boiler over hot, but not boiling water, melt the butter and bittersweet chocolate until smooth, stirring. Let cool slightly. Whisk in the sugar and then the eggs, until the mixture is thick and glossy.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, and cocoa. Add to the chocolate mixture, stirring until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and the nuts, if using.

Spoon batter into your pan, spreading it evenly. Lick the knife. Obviously.

Bake for about 25 minutes, or until you test them with a cake tester and you still have a few moist crumbs clinging. Let them cool on a rack before slicing up and devouring greedily.

Makes 12 decent sized brownies, although the recipe says 32 (12 in our house) Hey, they're thin. Or we're pigs. You decide.

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Best Apple Crisp

(This post is re-posted from Notes From the Cookie Jar)

With a fridge full of apples from a friend with her own tree, I had been planning to make apple crisp for awhile. I've been using the same recipe for a long time and wasn't about to change.

That is, until I got my October issue of EveryDay Food. I had seen this recipe and it had piqued my interest, so tonight I took the plunge and whipped up the most buttery, delicious, BEST apple crisp that my family has EVER eaten.

So here it is!

3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (the 1/2 cup is to add to the apples-I used only a few tablespoons because I prefer my apples somewhat tart)
8 tbsps (1 stick) butter, cold, cut into small cubes (I actually used salted butter and then omitted the salt
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not the quick cooking ones)
3 lbs apples-peeled, cored, and sliced (the original recipe recommends Empire, Gala, or Braeburn)
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (I only used a sprinkle)
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, 2 tbsps of the granulated sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into this mixture using a pastry cutter, until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the oatmeal and then work it together. Use your hands even-get right in there, squeezing the oatmeal and working it right into the flour/butter mixture. Put it in the fridge to keep it cold while you get the apples ready. This is an important step, and it's great to have clumps of the oatmeal mixture so feel free to moosh it together like that.

Peel core, and slice up the apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent browning and toss with the cinnamon and as much sugar as you would like (up to 1/2 cup...I like far less, and the less sugar I use, the less lemon juice. You can judge!) Pour apples into a shallow 2 quart baking dish and sprinkle topping over top.

Bake for 55-65 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown. Let cool and do what we did....serve it up with big scoops of good quality vanilla ice cream.
I certainly won't be making the old recipe again!

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Stuffed Squash for Two

I've had this recipe kicking around forever, with the plans to make it, but I could never convince Jake and Hubs to try it. Both of them aren't fans of squash and so, for the longest time, I shelved it. Last week I finally just bought the acorn squash and without even asking anyone's opinion, I made these and announced that they were dinner.

Except for Hubs. I made him a chopped salad with chicken.

Jake wandered into the kitchen at different intervals, sniffing here, tasting there, and soon he was so intrigued that it didn't matter I was making squash, because it all just seemed so delicious. This is one of the many things I love so much about my teenager-he may be reluctant at first, but more often than not he becomes intrigued and then just has to try it.

The squash itself becomes creamy and melds right in with the stuffing, which has some great texture from the sunflower seeds. I would serve them as a wonderful vegetarian option to a Thanksgiving turkey because they are so filling and tasty.

adapted from Canadian Living

2 smallish sized acorn squash
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, minced
1/2 cup celery, chopped finely
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, minced
(the original recipe called for 2 tbsp tomato paste, but I forgot it and now, I'm not sure I'd add it. Without was delicious!)
1 cup fresh bread crumbs (I took a hunk of freshly baked French bread and whirred it up in my food processor)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1/2 tsp of salt (I used about 1/4 tsp)
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese

Carefully cut out a wedge in each squash, about 1/3 of it's size. This is a bit tricky because squash are hard and it's easy to cut yourself. Scoop out the seeds and cut a thin slice off each squash to level them out a bit, with the cut side up.

Put the squash in a microwave save dish and microwave on high for 12-15 minutes, until they are tender.

Peel and dice up the bits of squash that you had cut off, and set aside.

In a pan over medium heat, melt the butter and then fry up the diced squash, onion, and celery until they are soft and slightly browned. Add in the minced garlic and mushrooms, continuing to cook for about another 3 minutes. If you choose to add tomato paste, add it now and combine well. Allow the mixture to cool slightly.

In a bowl combine the bread crumbs, sunflower seeds, cheese, onion mixture, salt and pepper. Give it all a good stir and then stuff it all into the cooked squash wedges, mounding it up. I never thought I'd fit all that stuffing into the squash, but I did. Transfer the wedges to a baking sheet and sprinkle them with the Parmesan cheese.

Bake in a 450 F oven for about 7-10 minutes, until they are heated through and golden.

Serves 2

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Home made Pizza Pretzels

One of the things sold at Kevin's school that is sort of popular, next to those instant noodle cups, are pizza pretzels. Made with white flour, smeared with pizza sauce, and sprinkled with poppy seeds, lots of kids buy them to eat for lunch. I think they are kind of gross, to be honest.

Awhile ago I was reading over at A Peek Inside the Fishbowl, and I noticed that Andrea had a soft pretzel recipe, so it just seemed natural to take the on the pretzels this week. Can we do from scratch? Will they be any good? Jake watched as I rolled, then boiled, and baked these-the smell of bread filling the house, until he couldn't stand it any longer and descended on a newly baked pretzel for a snack.

"Oh my GOD, Mom!" His mouth full, his eyes shining, he plucked crispy bits of cheese off the edges. "This is the best pizza pretzel EVER. Make them for my lunch. PLEASE."

Baked ahead of time, wrapped and frozen, they would make a delicious addition to any lunchbox. You could even get the kids involved in rolling and make it a fun weekend activity!

Adapted from A Peek Inside the Fishbowl

1 Tbsp sugar
1 package of rapid rise yeast (or 2 1/4 tsp)
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups all purpose white flour
2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
coarse salt
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup pizza sauce

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, salt, and yeast. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of warm water, stirring until it forms a ragged dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for about 8 minutes. The dough will be a bit sticky still. I used my mixer with a dough hook for this step, which was great. You can do that too.

Coat the inside of a large, clean bowl with some olive oil and place in the dough, turning to coat all over. Cover and set aside to rise until double in size for 45 minutes.

Punch down the dough to get rid of some of the air bubbles. Cut (don't rip) the dough into 8 equal portions, and roll each out into a long, thin log about 24 inches long. Twist each into a pretzel shape. Set on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Let rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, get a big pot of water boiling on the stove and turn the oven on to 425 F.

Boil each pretzel for 3 minutes per side, flipping over after 1 1/2 minutes. Removed from the boiling water with a slotted spoon. They do puff up nicely, and I did 2 pretzels at a time. When all the pretzels are finished, brush them with the beaten egg. If you plan to make plain soft pretzels, sprinkle them lightly with coarse salt and bake for 30-35 minutes.

For pizza pretzels, brush lightly with the egg wash, omit the salt, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and smear the tops with pizza sauce, then sprinkle lightly with mozzarella cheese. Return the pretzels to the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Serve warm.

Now if you can't eat all 8 pretzels (and I'll bet that they are a lot), then wrap them in cling film, then tin foil and freeze for another day. Or you can store them in a ziplock baggie on the counter for a day or two. They are absolutely delicious fresh though, and totally beat out any store bought pizza pretzel I've ever had.

Makes 8

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Search for Real Food: Groceries Weeks 2 and 3

The search continues! What's going on these days?

Last week wasn't a very successful week in the search for real vs. processed.

First, I made Oreos. Would you believe that same week, Oreos were on sale at the grocery store for $1.75 a bag? Was it worth it to make them? Yes, and no. They took a lot of time to bake, ice, there was the dishes, etc. On the other hand, they were delicious AND they don't have high fructose corn syrup in them. Also, we're finding that with the home made ones, we eat only two and we're completely satisfied.

Have you ever been able to eat only two Oreos? I could probably eat half a bag if I wasn't paying attention. That was a very interesting thought to me.

Why is it that home made Oreos are far more satisfying than processed?

I also tried making home made granola bars. Processed granola bars at the store: $2.50. My home made ones? Around $7.00 to buy all the ingredients. Plus, they completely fell apart and now I have granola crumbles and no bars. FAIL.

I think I forgot the sugar-but after spending all that cash on the nuts, fruit, seeds, etc, I'm not letting them go to waste. We're eating granola crumbles in our lunches. Actually it wasn't a complete fail, because Hubs loved them and has been eating the crumbles up in bits every day.

Awhile ago in the staff room at work someone was talking about chickens. I was so excited, thinking I could actually buy a free range, happy chicken to eat, until they broke the news to me.

If I want this chicken I'd have to kill, gut, and pluck it MYSELF. Would I do it for this project?

NO freaking way, people.

On the other hand, he did agree to sell me fresh eggs, so that is a plus. Eggs are exactly what I've been looking at, lately. What kind of eggs do you buy? Free Range? Omega-3? Organic? Straight from the farm? Brown? The cheapest you can find? I decided to take a look at eggs and see what I could find.

Awhile ago I bought Island Gold Veggie Fed Eggs by Burnbrae Farms. Curious to know exactly what "Veggie Fed" meant, I e-mailed the farm to find out. Wow, did I learn a lot about eggs and chickens!

Firstly, what does veggie fed mean, anyway?

Did you know that most hens are fed a diet of soy, multi-grains, and meat by products? Chickens are omnivores and need the nutrients from meat. Burnbrae Farms developed Veggie eggs for people who are vegetarians and who are not comfortable with the idea of chickens eating meat by products.

So in reality the veggie eggs are no "better" than the regular eggs, just different. I paid more money just for vegetarian chickens! They were delicious and the yolks were deep yellow, but the taste was pretty much the same too.

How about those chickens? Are they free range, caged...?

Remember, I was looking for happy chickens and, knowing nothing about chicken farming, the animal welfare policy sent to me by Burnbrae farms was really interesting. Did you know that the use of hormones and steroids has been illegal in the Canadian Egg Industry for over 50 years?

"At Burnbrae Farms, we prefer prevention over treatment. Our hens are vaccinated when they are very young to build defenses against diseases during their adult lives. As a result, the use of antibiotics is very rare on our farms. Medication is provided only when the birds get sick and is administered under the supervision of a veterinarian. "

As for housing, the birds that laid those veggie eggs were in traditional, or caged housing. White hens are allotted 67 square inches and brown hens, which tend to be larger, are allotted 75 square inches. The cages are in barns, and the areas are designed so they all have equal access to water, food, are in small social groups, and helps to control aggression and disease.

Free run chickens are housed in barns where they can roam, roost, and have areas where they can "nest". Organic chickens are guaranteed access to outdoors and fed an organic feed. The thing is, even though the organic chickens have access to the outdoors, the weather in some parts of Canada pretty much make it a moot point, since it's too cold outside for the chickens anyway.

You can email Burnbrae to ask for the entire Animal welfare policy over at their website, if you like. This definitely helped clear up confusion for me around eggs, and what all the different labels on them actually mean.

Do you know where your eggs come from?

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South Dakota 4th of July Bison Baked Beans

These baked beans have a story to them. When we were on Food Revolution Road trip, we stopped in Custer, South Dakota and visited the Scotts at their Rock Shop. Last year we had gone on a tour with them, and were hoping to go again.

Only this year, they weren't doing tours. We were so disappointed, but then we were invited to join them for Custer's Fourth of July fireworks that evening. When we arrived, there was a BBQ in full swing, and we tasted some of the BEST baked beans we'd ever had. I managed to get a bit of the ingredients from the lovely lady who made them, and then I had to improvise on my own. The result? Delicious! I may tweak it more and add some molasses instead of all that brown sugar next time, but it was still yummy.

An original recipe by Karen Humphrey

1 lb ground bison
10 pieces of bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled
19 oz can kidney beans, drained
19 oz can chick peas, drained
19 oz can black beans, drained
19 oz can mixed beans, drained
19 oz can baked beans (like Hunts, or Heinz)
14 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 head of garlic, chopped
1 1/3 cups ketchup
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tbsp dijon mustard

Pre-heat oven to 350 F.

In a pan over medium heat, saute the garlic and onion in a bit of olive oil until they are translucent and soft. Add the bison meat and continue to saute away, cooking until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink.

Mix all the beans, the cooked buffalo meat mixture, bacon, and stewed tomatoes together in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the ketchup, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, and mustard. Pour over the beans and toss.

Pour it all into a large baking dish, cover with tin foil, and bake for 1 hour. Makes a LOT of baked beans-probably enough for 8 people as a side.

When you re-heat them, add a bit of water to loosen it all up again and make it 'saucy'.

Delicious!

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Home Made Oreos

They are dunkable little cookies that we take apart and lick the centers; sold by the bagful, they are also the only store bought cookie everyone in my house absolutely loves.

Oreos.

This recipe was found on Smitten Kitchen. They are delicious, but not quite exactly like Oreos. Jake felt the cookies needed to be a darker chocolate, although the icing was almost identical. That being said we did enjoy them immensely, and they quickly found their way into lunch boxes for the week. They are a bit fiddly, but absolutely worth it.

Chocolate wafers:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup dutch processed unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup, plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter (room temperature-this is important!)
1 egg

Icing:

1/4 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups sifted icing sugar
2 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat the oven to 375 F.

In the bowl of your electric mixer mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar until well blended. With your mixer set to low, add in the butter bit by bit, along with the egg and mix gently until it all comes together. At first I didn't think this would happen-it all looked so dry and crumbly, but eventually it did form a nice dough.

Using a rounded tsp, scoop out some dough, roll it in a ball, and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. I flattened them slightly too. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 9 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let them cool completely.

To make the icing, beat the butter and shortening together, gradually adding the icing sugar and the vanilla until they come together. Once they are mixed, turn the mixer to high for about 2-3 minutes to whip the icing.

On Smitten kitchen a pastry bag was recommended to pipe the filling in the sandwich cookies, but I preferred to just use a knife. Do whatever suits you best. I'm not going for perfection, but instead the more rustic, fun look. You can afford to use a good bit of icing between the cookies, because it goes a long way.

Makes 30-34 sandwich cookies. Store in an airtight container or freeze. They are really good dunked in a glass of milk.

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Spiced Honey Lemon Chicken with Mango Salsa

Quite awhile ago I found a recipe for Spiced Honey Lemon Chicken on Crepes of Wrath, paired up with some delicious Brussels Sprouts. The chicken is just as delicious on it's own, but the other day Jake and I spotted a mango sitting on the counter and both of us had the same idea at once.

Mango salsa. On the spicy chicken.

Oh, baby.

First, the chicken:

2 whole chicken breasts, pounded to an even thickness
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp melted butter
3 Tbsp honey
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika

Mix all the ingredients except the chicken in a bowl until it's well blended together. Pour over the chicken in a glass dish, making sure that it's coated evenly, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for about 3 hours at least, or overnight.

Take the chicken out of the marinade and cook on your BBQ, or on a foil lined pan at 400 F in your oven, for about 15-20 minutes or until the juices run clear and it's cooked through. Meanwhile, prepare the salsa.

Now, I don't have a recipe for mango salsa, but I don't think you need one. Just chop up the following and toss together in a bowl:

1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped
red onion (about 2 tsp, very finely chopped)
1/2 sweet red bell pepper ( I used a tiny bit of yellow pepper hanging out in the fridge-even orange would look pretty)
2 plum tomatoes, chopped finely
1/2 seeded jalapeno pepper, very finely minced (less if you don't want much heat)
2 tbsp finely minced fresh cilantro
sprinkle of sea salt
zest and juice of 1 lime

Set all this aside and allow the flavors to come together.

Serve together, spooning the salsa over the slices of chicken at your plate.

Makes 4 servings

Note: the salsa doesn't keep very well and is best eaten soon after it's made.

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Views from the Markets on Commercial Drive

Yesterday we met a friend for lunch in Vancouver on Commercial Drive. I hadn't really been to Commercial Drive much before, and so we decided to walk around. What blew me away were all the veggie markets-I swear we passed four or so in the little space we walked. They were all so CHEAP compared to home that I couldn't believe it.



Kevin loved seeing all the different foods. Fresh pasta in an Italian market, vanilla beans for ridiculously cheap compared to home, and ethnic restaurants everywhere. As we browsed in a market, a chef arrived and complained that his sous chef had messed up an order.

"See?" Kevin whispered, "The local chefs shop here. This must be good."

Just the smells were enough to entice him. We found a market with a huge selection of peppers in every shape, color and size. There were green, hot, fiery red, sweet, curled, squat and fat, long, skinny, heaped in bins ready to be taken home. We laughed that one would think we'd never seen a pepper before.

I struck up conversation with a fellow shopper, and went home with fresh figs and some baby eggplants, that she recommended stuffing with garlic and olive oil before roasting gently over the BBQ.



Even our coffee was artistic down at Blenz, on Commercial and Broadway. Jake was gracious enough to let me take a photo.

"Mom, we have to come back" he sighed as we got into the car and he pulled out a fresh fig to nibble on, "I had SO MUCH FUN."

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