Mushroom, Eggplant Pitas

Quick and easy lunch we threw together for an outdoor party.  They were delicious, and we enjoyed them fully while everyone else had hotdogs.



In a skillet, sauté portabellas sliced mushrooms, onion slices, and strips of eggplant.

Season well with garlic, pepper, and so on.

Drain and load into a whole wheat pita half.

Easy!






While they sautéed in the skillet, we made fruit cups for the party.

Multi-seed crackers

We wanted a healthier cracker option for our daughter's lunch on the go than boxed ones, so I set out to find a good, basic recipe.   As usual, we combined a few to come up with one for our needs.  The first batch was softer, delicious on their own but not firm enough to hold up to dipping into hummus. The second batch was firmer and crisp, perfect for the job at hand.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour (we used whole wheat but any will work)
1 cup whole oats
1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 c chia gel
5 Tablespoons water
Pinch of fresh rosemary, minced
1 large clove of roasted garlic
Dash of salt, optional
1/2 cup seeds (ground flax, pumpkin, sesame)

Mix together all ingredients except seeds in a food processor, pulsing until mixed well.  Then stir in the seeds.

Roll out very thin on a smooth surface to desired thickness and cut into desired shape with a pizza cutter.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes for softer crackers.  (They do crisp more as they cool).  For crisp ones, we baked for 20 minutes, shut off the oven, and left the crackers to cool inside the warm oven.

Other flavor variations we will try:

Pesto
Cheezy (nutritional yeast)
Roasted red pepper
Tomato and olive oil

The flavor possibilities are endless.

Peanut Butter Energy Balls

I made these for my daughter to eat on the go, but my son gobbled up half the batch in one day.  They are very calorie dense, so not ideal on a reglar basis for those looking to lose weight. For my purposes, feeding an active and thin teen on-the-go, they are great.




Ingredients:

1 cup oats
1/2 cup peanut butter or other nut butter
1/2 cup ground flax
Teaspoon of vanilla
1/2 cup raisins and/or other dried fruit
1/2 cup seeds, assorted (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower)

Mix all together well and form into ball or bar or cube shape.

Red Lentil Soup

Unfortunately, no creative name for this soup.  It's a no-nonsense, GBOMBS friendly workhorse in our house, getting lots of nutrients into us in a short time.  We make it on Monday and eat on it for a few days.




Ingredients:

Large onion, diced
Bell pepper, diced
3 -5 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound carrots, shredded
1/2 pound red cabbage, shredded
1 pound mushrooms, sliced or diced
1/2 - 1 pound kale or other green, chopped

Optional - other vegetables like snap peas, cauliflower, etc.

1 pound red lentils
1/2 pound organic corn kernels, frozen
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons cashew butter
1 pound frozen broccoli

Sauté the onions, garlic, peppers, in water or two teaspoons of olive oil in a soup pot for about ten minutes, chopping the other vegetables meanwhile.   Add carrots, cabbage, mushrooms, kale, etc. to the pot with 2 cups of water and continue to cook for 15 minutes.  Add lentils and 3 more cups of water, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.   Remove from heat, stir in the corn and yeast.   Remove a half cup of broth and whisk in the cashew butter, then return to the soup pot.   Serve individual servings over steamed / cooked broccoli. 

Miscellanea, Part Two

A few random things today ~


In my ongoing attempt to control the chaos, an organized refrigerator.  Post it notes show what foods go on what shelves.  I'm taking bets on how long it will stay this way....




Dogs who cannot stay out of the street do not get to help their 8 year old owner take out the trash.  Then, they pout...




My workout is done in front of an audience ....




Hubby's lunch, to go... He is easy to please...




A plant STRONG boy (checkout those calf muscles)...