Sundae in the Park

Oooooooh, this looks beautiful and doable! How much flavor would you say comes from the brininess of the scallops? Would a sub for chicken be too bland? Over the weekend we made a vegetarian Thai red curry (cauliflower, eggplant, red peppers, and mushrooms) that didn't suffer at all from the lack of our usual chicken. Similarly, we made a vegetarian good things salad (sauteed corn and peppers, black beans, cherry tomatoes, avocados, with cilantro-cumin vinaigrette. I had run out of chix breasts in the freezer and didn't feel like running out to grab more, and these recipes weren't hurt a bit. A good reminder that meat isn't always necessary, especially when you already have such strong flavors going on. The good things salad is great as a hearty dip with tortilla chips or even Doritos!! Yesterday I made a batch of curried cauliflower soup, which was way too bland. I'd run out of broth/stock so used water and bullion instead and it was meh (also, I forgot to sweat the aromatics first and boiled onion does basically nothing). A potato thickened it up nicely but the flavor is begging More successfully, we made a batch of grilled gochujang chicken thighs, jap chae, brownies, roasted asparagus and squash, and pan de yuca ("cheesy bread"). We happened to have some friends over and the adults ate everything except the soup (that's gonna be all me, sigh) while the kids ate a few bites of cheesy breads, the contents of the fruit bowl (" Who wants a banana? Some apple? An orange? Avocados? The rest of the frozen blueberries?"), chips, yogurt, and many brownies.

Note that I haven't checked the sources of this content but the carb counts I was familiar with seemed to check out, so thought to share this visual representation of types of foods with more/less carbs from the Diet Doctor website that I found quite interesting and memorable. Darn it, cashews for being so delicious!!! Turns out almonds might really be a better choice. The alcohols, sauces, and different representations of various carb counts were particularly neat. Nothing earth-shattering, just good visuals.

The Big has been very picky about dinner lately (as in, refusing to eat anything we have on the table) but remains very focused on treat acquisition. So for the past few days he has been eating a small plate of cucumbers (the one true vegetable) and whatever sliced fruit we have lying around. All to get a piece of Halloween (yes, he's still working on his Halloween candy as we approach Easter, and he didn't Trick-Or-Treat all THAT much) candy. Eh, whatever, fine.

Turns out that I do not care for corned beef. My mom made a classic-sounding preparation by cooking it with cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. The veg and resulting soup were fine but the meat was too soft and weirdly salty yet not (I do NOT think this was the cook's fault!). For someone that grew up near Boston I can't believe this is my first time having it, but I think I would have remembered...perhaps I tried it when was young and then blocked it out? Eh, not for me. Earlier this week/weekend (missed the site while it was down!) we made various pizzas, still more chicken tenders, lentil soup, and turkey-spinach potstickers.

Worst-case, you could just freeze the stuff you can use in soup/stock. I used to have celery guilt because I could never use up a whole bunch before it went bad (heh, we don't really like celery except in soup). BUT!! I figured out that I can save it for later and alleviate all guilt! If I have a little time/the cutting board out already, I dice the stalks so they are ready to be dumped into any mirepoix. If I have no time/energy to deal with it, I just rinse and freeze and throw into a stockpot sometime later. Most of the things that don't freeze well probably roast well so could be made with minimal effort. Last night we had zucchini fritters with a sour cream sauce, since we were out of yogurt. So rich!

Similar! Over the weekend we made a lot of baked chicken tenders (that had been marinated with soy, wine, onion powder, and sesame oil), and then last night we had pretty much the same thing but pan-fried. Both were good but obviously the fried were better. We've also sauteed a couple heads of cabbage that were lingering after St. Patty's Day sales. The butter-sauteed-soft cabbage was better than the cabbage lightly cooked in some the leftover chicken-frying oil. Last night we also made a coconut-chicken curry with carrots, potatoes, and onions, eaten with rice or parathas.

I am intrigued - do you mind sharing details? How big was your tri-tip? Trimmed or untrimmed?

Siggi's Icelandic yogurt was on sale last week so I bought a whole fridge drawerful to forestall another literal fistfight that ensued when apportioning the last one and...yep, no one likes it anymore, apparently. And I am NOT eating triple-cream yogurt, no matter how delicious it is. Hahahaha, yeah. Sigh.

So, the great egg controversy continues: The NYT says Are Eggs Bad for Your Heart Health? Maybe U.S.A. Today and the WSJ(!) trumpet, respectively, Eggs, cholesterol tied to higher risk of heart disease, study says and Study Links Eggs to Higher Cholesterol and Risk of Heart Disease The NPR headline is more measured but their link text shows their initial slant Cholesterol Redux: As Eggs Make A Comeback, New Questions About Health Risks The Mayo Clinic (not updated for the recent study) asks Eggs: Are they good or bad for my cholesterol? and give simple, actionable advice about how many eggs to eat (1/day, skip the yolks for additional eggs if you're concerned about cholesterol) Since my cholesterol is a bit elevated, I think I'll cut back on eggs (being going strong w/ 3/day because it's just such an easy-breezy protein source when you're trying to avoid sugary/carby breakfasts!!), or at least the yolks. I did egg whites almost exclusively for a few years back when the earlier studies were sure that eggs would kill you, but added yolks back in when later studies said they were fine. I think, AGAIN, that moderation is going to end up being the answer. Surprise, surprise.

Oh, also, last night we all ate gochujang noodles (Korean rice cakes stir-fried with ground turkey and green beans) as a family, the end. AND I didn't have to cook it. Booyah!

Not at all! I had the same thought, but if I serve my boys a "ball meal," I'm not sure I'll be allowed to stop...

+1

Don't think y'all have Sprouts grocery stores nearby but I noticed in my circular that the bulk dried tart cherries will be on sale this week. No idea whether they are unsweetened, but it seems like they might show up in stores that have a good selection of dried fruit in the bulk bins. Perhaps Whole Foods might have them? I had thought that the TJs cherries would have been sweetened so it is good to know that they are an option.

Baked shells two ways - stuffed with ground turkey, spinach, and a little bit of cheese (ricotta, mozz, and parm mixed together), and stuffed with a whole lotta cheese (same mix) Green beans sauteed with garlic Roasted zucchini and carrots Many honey mangoes The next couple days we'll be eating leftovers of the above, with an option for tri-tip / guacamole sandwiches on bakery rolls.

Good to know for the nutritional toolbox! The Big understands what's in his food, as I don't generally try to hide it from him, and he enjoys eating vegetables that he likes to meet his nutritional quota (a serving of fruits and vegetables every day, eaten voluntarily, without whining) for unlocking treats. Hence he's eaten green sauce for most days of his life excepting year 2 (Ugh year 2). The Little, however, has a thing about colorful food most days, so blending in fruits and vegetables has become important. Because he likes beverages and to dip things, I can get away with some smoothies (pink / purple is acceptable) and vegetable purees if they are sufficiently dip-worthy.

I've been to Del Taco exactly once in Barstow, CA, recounted it in the Intrepid Traveler forum, and am re-posting as an FYI for Del Taco fans:

The other night we had Costco tamales (at least we steamed them instead of using the wet-paper-tower-in-the-microwave trick) and cheese quesadillas with guacamole. Last night we made sausages with peppers and eggplant - we (barely) crammed 5 sliced peppers and a whole cubed eggplant into a pan with the sausages and all the veg melted down into a jammy, delicious mess. I also had a random (really random - I've never made it before) craving for potato soup, so I tried out a lightened amalgamation of several recipes. I fried up some bacon, then sauteed an onion and some garlic in the rendered fat, and removed the alliums when they were done. Meanwhile, I boiled up half a head of cauliflower in some vegetable stock, then pureed it with the alliums. In the onion-bacon fat, I sprinkled some whole-wheat flour to make a roux, then added more veg stock, some milk, and a bunch of chopped potatoes. Simmered the concoction until the potatoes were soft, and then added in the puree, chopped bacon, some shredded cheddar, about a cup of plain yogurt, and salt and pepper. It's pretty good and ridiculously thick and creamy. Today so far we've made a blackberry cobbler and a batch of "green sauce" (pureed greens) for the kids to use as pasta sauce. Tonight we'll roast up a tri-tip and roast some carrots and zucchini.

My folks have puttered in our garden since they've come to visit and now we have some basic Chinese greens that, with very little effort, we probably won't have to buy ever again. Scallions, chives, Chinese cabbage, and the Japanese and Chinese varieties of mugwort (? we think, based on some translation sleuthing) grow well in our area, though note that we are in Southern California. The scallions, in particular, should work everywhere, and my mom started it in water from the bulb of a bunch we had laying around after cooking the tops. It seems to be super hardy and it's handy to have fresh stalks available whenever we need them. Also, our neighbors have a small grove of what we've always considered to be ornamental loquat trees. My folks have been greedily eating the fruit right off the trees from the overhang into our yard and they taste pretty good! A truly free find since we don't even have to pay to water the trees. Our orange tree produces really lovely tart yet sweet fruit that ends up being the most expensive "free" fruit ever when you add in irrigation costs.

It has taken my Big exactly 5 days of preschool to come to the same conclusion. His school includes hot lunch, so he is seeing and (sometimes) trying new/differently prepared things - yay! However, yesterday's lunch had green beans, which he found acceptable for the first time. I offered to make them at home and, "no thanks, the green beans at school are better than yours." (And yes, I can see how probably canned green beans are more palatable to a small person than the sauteed or stir-fried versions we have at home, but, conceptually? I just die a little. Also, I can pretty much guarantee that canned vegetables I open at home would be refused, but I am willing to test this.)

I found Vox's recent treatise on the importance of various dietary fibers to be interesting and informative, particularly in light of certain approaches to low-carb diets, which they reference but mostly refrain from bashing generally. The newer (less woo-woo) research on gut health has been eye-opening and seems to be leading us back to a more old-fashioned, common sense approach to nutrition, where moderation and lots of whole foods, with emphasis on fiber-filled plant foods, promote overall health and wellness. It's really tempting and easy (and often very tasty) to concentrate on meats and fats to maintain blood sugar control, but alas, we are not simply blood-sugar machines. So this article was a great reminder that avocados, beans, nuts, seeds, yogurt, pickles, BROWN rice, mushrooms, and All of the Cruciferous and Leafy Veg, not just eggs, cheese, and bacon (duh but 😂) need to be the building blocks of my (YMMV!!!) healthier, lower-carb diet. One spot of good news on the fiber front - dark chocolate has some. Yay!

Over the weekend, we made gochujang rice cakes with kale and ground turkey and "paratha burritos," which are curried ground beef, chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, and garlic yogurt sauce wrapped in parathas (bought frozen from Ranch 99). We'll probably make the paratha burritos again later this week since we still have all the ingredients. We also roasted up a tri-tip and a bunch of zucchinis and made a loaf of soda bread. Monday night I stir-fried some peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms with fajita-ish spices, made a pot of rice, and a big bowl of guacamole. Together with the leftover tri-tip and chopped tomatoes we've been having some rather excellent Mexican-style bowls for dinner/lunch. Yesterday we made a batch of cheesy tuna mac, roasted up a couple pans of asparagus, made a meaty tomato sauce to eat with spaghetti, and prepped a fruit salad of cantaloupe, honey mango, and blackberries.

Eek! Flowergeddon lives (though not at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park)!!! Better to see the superbloom from a plane or perhaps even from space.

Thanks guys! Hopefully things will only get better now that we have a diagnosis and some help. I was genuinely and somewhat pleasantly surprised that he qualified for feeding OT since I'd convinced myself that we were dealing with a normal picky kid. Actually, ktmoomau, green sauce tastes pretty decent (ooooh, and it's best when you have bacon fat to add in, yum) and I eat it sometimes as well (and not just when I'm finishing up my kids' trashed leftovers). I started making baby food for my 1st because commercial baby food generally tastes bland/awful (and then the joke was on me when my 2nd refused to eat any mushy food). I didn't add much or any salt at first but I didn't see why the kids couldn't have otherwise flavorful foods, so I mostly cooked low-sodium versions of the foods we were eating or wouldn't mind eating. Now, despite their other forms of pickiness, spiciness and strong flavors are not usually the problem - they both LOVE gochujang-flavored everything and pretty much all curries. This is our fundamental Costco dilemma so I hear / tear out my hair with you...

Hahahaha well I'm just glad y'all are enjoying the pics I posted for y'all. And I do think y'all should go and see/feel it all for yourselves if y'all can 😋

I couldn't agree more and would have visited already if it weren't for my two car-averse kids who would lose their ever-loving minds if I made them sit in a car for 9 hours (best case scenario) over the weekend. So until they are more car-amenable (i.e., when they have the attention span to watch movies while we drive), road tripping is out for us and I'll have to "smell the wildflowers" via video.