Another Mama Masterpiece

Last night, I made some of Mama Pea's chewy bars for Billbo to take for breakfast and for breakfast on the go when I am in a hurry. Umm..YUMMO.

I had all of the ingredients at my house (miracle) and they were so easy to make.

Delicious and healthy ingredients

Sweet and salty

Delivered just as MP promised

They turned out just a little bit crumbly, but I think that is because I don't have a grinder for the flax seeds and had to improvise with a plastic baggie and a hammer for my "ground flax seeds." Seriously.

Don't you wish you had that for breakfast? You do.
Buy the book already!

Tofu Tuesday

Last night, I braved the land of tofu again. Mama Pea said that if I didn't like tofu, it was because I didn't know how to cook it. I tried again and she was right...as usual.

I made tofu tacos based on her recipe.

First, I pressed the tofu in between two cutting boards and underneath some cookbooks.

Then, I made the marinade.
I had Mama Pea with me at all times so I wouldn't have a subpar tofu experience like the last time I tried it. Billbo was skeptical that I could make tofu that we would both enjoy. I was skeptical, too, but my desire to be like MP drove me to give it another shot. I'm glad I did.

After slicing the tofu unto pieces, I marinated it overnight and then broiled it. My slices are not as pretty as the pro's, but I bet they tasted just as good.

My ugly tofu slices.

While the tofu cooked, I made some guacamole. I left my camera at work so I had to use my old one and the pictures are all blurry. Lame. The guacamole was pretty basic (avocado, lime juice, onions, cumin & salt), and despite my inability to choose a ripe avocado, it tasted pretty good.

I didn't make my own salsa...I figured these folks did it better anyway.

Much like my pancake flipping skills, my tofu flipping skills could use a little work.

Here's the spread: Whole grain, whole wheat tortillas (toasted in a dry pan to crisp a bit), guacamole, shredded lettuce, salsa, cheddar cheese (hey...I'm not vegan) and tofu. I also saved a bit of ground beef from the whole grain wheat spaghetti I made on Monday night in case Billbo boycotted the tofu.


Here is Billy's plate...one beef soft taco and one tofu soft taco. He liked them both. Success!
Served with a side of whole grain Santa Fe style rice, courtesy of Uncle Ben. It was delicious! I fully intend on exploring more meatless options. While I have no intentions of becoming a vegetarian (who are we kidding...I don't have that kind of discipline), I do think that having some meatless meals each week is a healthy choice for the family.

Yum.

Stay tuned for more meatless options to come!

Holy Peas-An homage to Mama Pea

Most of you know about my total obsession with Mama Pea. I love her and think we would be friends if we weren't separated by thousands of miles. Because I want her to be successful (because it gives me hope that I, too, could be a successful ex-lawyer), I purchased her book. I even pre-ordered it in hopes that my purchase could increase her chances of reaching bestseller status.

I was so excited when this arrived yesterday...

I couldn't wait to try out some of her recipeas and it just so happened that I signed up today to bring food to my sweet friends who just had an adorable little boy. Perfect timing.

I was worried I would be disappointed because I love her so much that I didn't think it possible for her to live up to my expectations. I shouldn't have worried. I flipped through the book and found exactly what I wanted to make to accompany my casserole and salad for the new parents...Mama Pea's cookie dough balls.

I went to the grocery store and came home loaded up with MP's baking necessities.

She said I would want to eat the dough right out of the mixing bowl. She was right. Luckily for my friends and my waistline, I didn't, but only because I made this batch for my friends. Anyway, they miraculously made it to the oven...
And cooled off...
And packed up...
And labeled, giving credit to their originator...

I did eat one, though. Actually, two...one while they were piping hot and ready to go, and one when we got back from dinner. Holy cookieballs these things are DELICIOUS! I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I am going to toot Mama Pea's. She is a genius. Vegan schmegan, this is one of the most delicious treats I've ever had.

Mama Pea should've put me on her blog book tour!

Green with Envy

I haven't done a food post in a while so I decided I'd share this morning's breakfast with you all.

Feast your eyes on the Green Monster. (I certainly cannot claim credit for this delicious smoothie. I first learned of them through Morgan and Anna's former blog, and my favorite food blogger makes them on the reg).

Mine this morning was delicious.

A handful of frozen, fresh organic strawberries

1/2 of a banana, sliced

A generous, heaping handful of organic baby spinach (don't be a wus...you can't even taste it)

A dash of sweetener (I used blue agave but you can use whatever suits your fancy)

Add a few ice cubes, a splash of milk or almond milk and blend!

Enjoy
Aren't you green with envy? (Obviously not of my less than stellar photography skills)

I am SO glad summer is here and we finally have fresh fruit to add to the mix! I spent a small fortune yesterday getting fresh fruit and produce for the week.

Copycat Breakfast

I haven't been doing a lot of cooking lately, as I've been eating by myself and cooking for one is no fun. Sunday, I decided to borrow a recipe from one of my favorite foodie bloggers and make a breakfast treat for the week.

I made muffins based on this recipe.

Here are the ingredients I used (not pictured: sea salt and all purpose flower)

As always, my trusty kitchen sidekick was there to laugh at me watch me make a mess support my cooking adventures.


Layer a bit of batter into a muffin pan. I probably could have used a bit more on the bottom than I used. I was afraid of running out of the mixture but the surprise filling seeped out of the bottom of a few of my muffins.

Add filling. I used Smuckers Simply Fruit Strawberry Jelly. Yummo.
Add remaining batter to muffin pan.
Wait for them to cook.
Voila. They were good!

Not exactly "Clean Eating" as they contain sugar and flour, but I used mostly organic products, so they weren't complete rubbish. For muffins, they were relatively healthy, I think.

Check out this blog and enjoy some of her other delicious vegetarian recipes!

No Walk in the Park

C went to work with me today and got some loving from my coworkers while I got a few things done. I had planned on taking C-Money to the baseball field today after work since he spent the day with me and it was so nice outside, but Billbowski had to go out to another baseball field, so we went to the grocery store instead.

CB surveyed the produce to pick out what he wanted me to make for him.

"Mom, are you seriously taking my picture in the grocery store?!? You are ridiculous. I hope no one I know sees us."

After I publicly shamed finished shopping with C-Note, I got right to work. I bought a LOT of food because I didn't want to run out any time soon. I am a big fan of freezing his food after cooking in bulk.

Now, he has a choice of green beans

Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash

And apples

While cooking all evening was no walk in the park, I still got to spend the whole day with Carter-man, so today was definitely a treat.

Speaking of treat...I am finally getting my hair done tomorrow after nine whole months. I have been channeling Rapunzel with bad roots, but after tomorrow, I'll be back to my normal self again! CB informed me today that he was growing ashamed to accompany me in public with this mop I've been sporting. Perhaps a haircut and highlights can help get me out of this funk I've been in lately!