Braised Barley and Vegetables (LS)

I had never made barley in my life before trying this recipe, so this was definitely an experiment for my family. In fact, I don't recall ever EATING barley in my life. I'm sure I've had it in a soup or something, but I'd never really had it to where I remembered it. I had no idea what it would be like, or how well I would make it. Still, it sounded tasty, looked simple, and easily could be a low sodium dish.

I don't have a kitchen scale, so I just eye-balled it. I also had no idea how much 8 ounces of cut rutabaga and 8 ounces of cut potatoes would look like. In fact, I'm most certain that I didn't have the "correct" amounts of them in there. This dish claiming to serve 4 people should fit in my 3QT pan, so I had a rough idea. The pan was to the brim, so I definitely went with the larger pan the second time around.

The meal turned out well. Inexpensive, easy prep (just chopping a few things), super easy to make, and hubby even said, "...this isn't what I expected. It's DELICIOUS, just not what I expected!" before I even had one bite.

It was delicious, actually. Very delicious. I was surprised, as there wasn't really any spice in it to flavour it, but it was a good flavour. It would be good with cut up mushrooms in there, too. If you like mushrooms, that is. It was so delicious, actually, that both children LOVED it!

Pre-cooked Bacon (optional!)

This is a FABULOUS cold-weather meal.It would be great accompanying a variety of meats, though the second time around I put in 4 slices of (finely crumbled, cooked) bacon. I used the Aldi uncured bacon brand "Simply Truth", which has 65mg/slice. This is the lowest sodium bacon I have found anywhere. There was no salt added to the veggie stock since I make my own, so the overall sodium for this entire dish was roughly 300mg, 560mg with the added bacon. Keep in mind that the sodium content will be altered by using store-bought stock, and by how much of particular vegetables you add. I googled the nutritional information for each veggie I used to get a rough idea of the sodium content they added. 

* NOTES *

• I only had a 2 cup pyrex cup, so I guesstimated the additional 1/2 cup of water, covered with plastic wrap (and a rubberband to secure it), and left over night in the fridge
• Lacking a kitchen scale, I added half of a rutabaga and only 2 (red) potatoes. I also added 3 ribs of celery and 3 carrots.
• I sprinkled in a tiny bit of some pink Himalayan sea salt and ground some fresh pepper into the pan (it was a peppercorn medley and not just black pepper), brought it to a boil, then set the stove to 3 for a simmer.
• I seriously had no idea how to tell if barley was done, so I just set the timer and hoped for the best. Worked out great. Timer went off, turned off the burner and moved the pan from the heat (like I do for other things that need to lose their liquid or absorb/thicken).
• I expected this, originally, to feed all 4 of us with a bit left over for someone for lunch since youngest isn't going to eat a full serving.... we have enough for ALL Of us to have left overs, and then even one or two more servings after that.It goes a long way!
• For extra flavour, you can soak your barley in stock instead (all the water the barley is with gets dumped into the dish anyway)

This is another recipe out of my Russian, German & Polish Food & Cookingcookbook.

Braised Barley and Vegetables 
Serves 4
Ingredients

• 1 cup pearl or barley
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 2 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 8 ounces rutabaga or turnip, cut into 3/4" cubes
• 8 ounces potatoes, cut into 3/4" cubes
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• celery leaves, to garnish

Instructions:
1) Put the barley in a measuring cup and add water to reach the 2 1/2 cup mark. Let soak in a cool place for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight. (Below is when I first put it in to soak that morning, and when I took it out to use that afternoon)

2) Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the onion for 5 minutes. Add the sliced celery and carrots and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion is starting to brown.

3) Add the barley and its soaking liquid to the pan. Then add the rutabaga or turnip, potato and stock to the barley. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pan.

4) Simmer for 40 minutes, or until most of the stock has been absorbed and the barley is tender. Stir occasionally towards the end of cooking to prevent the barley from sticking to the base of the pan. Serve, garnished with celery leaves.

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from your own. Post contains affiliate links.

How to make Spaghetti Squash

 
How to make a spaghetti squash:

1) Wash squash off!
(You should wash all fruits and veggies off before cutting into them, as the knife will bring bacteria from the outside of the veggie into the flesh. This is especially important if you're eating the fruit or veggie raw, and one of the reasons Cantaloupe can be such a big cause of illness like e. coli.)

2) Slice squash in half long-ways and scoop out the seeds.

3) Place squash in a wax-paper lined dish, cut-side down, and bake for about 45 minutes at 350F, or until inside is tender enough for a fork to easily slice through to the peel.

4) When cooled, take a fork and scrape/rake the inside of the squash. This will release the squash in long strands, much like spaghetti.

Voila! You've made a spaghetti squash!

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post contains affiliate links.

Lifestyle Changes

Many of you saw that Bobble was admitted to a local Children's Hospital last month. First, I'd like to thank you all for understanding my lack of posts during this time. I had a couple each week scheduled through most of October, but when we ended up in Children's, the continuation of blogging halted and no new posts got scheduled.

 

Thankfully, Bobble is home and doing well now. What had happened, in the most basic way of describing it, were his kidneys were acting up. He was retaining all his fluid instead of peeing, and the poor child gained 8 pounds of water weight. That's an awful lot of weight for a 3 year old to gain. He was admitted at 46lbs. He was 38lbs a few days after discharge.

8 Days before admittance to Children's

We are very thankful that everything seems to be going well, and they said this could easily have been a fluke and will never happen again. We still need to monitor him for a while, testing urine for protein and watching his weight for subtle gaining that might not be visible right away.

Day after coming home from Children's

What this also means is that we must limit his sodium. I'm going to be sharing some of our recipes that are low sodium as we make them or try them out, and also what brands I find (of various foods) that contain the lowest amount of sodium. We've found that watching sodium is much harder than watching something like sugar, artificial ingredients, etc. Thankfully, we rarely eat processed foods in our house, and we don't really eat fast food (though the occasional Chipotle stop does happen, I have trouble calling Chipotle fast food). The dietician said we should be fine, then. Still, I'm having a hard time adjusting his meals to keep it below 1500mg/day because he is on a strong dose of steroids to send this (Nephrotic Syndrome) into remission and get everything functioning well on its own. This means he wants to eat. ALL. DAY. LONG.

Thank you all for your kind words while he was in the hospital, and for understanding in the lull in blogging. I hope you will continue to follow us on our clean eating journey (now gone low-sodium!), and I welcome any tips you have, including brand suggestions for foods!

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own.

Canning

Many of you realize that hard times fell on our family a little over a year ago when I lost my job. We have been trying to find ways to stretch our dollar, but to still maintain our "green" lifestyle. Being eco-conscious is great, but sometimes it can be pricy in some aspects. Usually only when starting being green in an area, like the initial cost of cloth diapering. Despite it saving you significant amounts of money down the road, sometimes it's hard to get that initial bit of money.

Well, our biggest problem since our income change has been food. I am not willing to sacrifice certain things like avoiding artificial flavours, artificial colours, artificial sweeteners, or HFCS. Whenever possible, we want to avoid GE/GMO goods, and would prefer local and organic. Obviously, this isn't always possible. We try, though.

That being said, there is one thing we could be doing that we don't: CANNING.

I have never canned. Husband has never canned. Our (immediate) families have never canned. We simply don't know where to start. We have a garden and it has a good yield, particularly for beans and squash. We tried freezing some squash last year, but lost it all to horrible freezer burn. 3 whole gallons of squash, gone. That's makes us even more hesitant to try canning. Freezing seemed so fool-proof!

We have zero canning supplies (well, wait, I do have some mason jars...), zero idea how to do it, and zero funds to start doing it. Still, we feel this would be an option for us and want to learn. I have looked up a few things that might be useful, but there seem to be a few ways to can. One seems to use an ordinary pot, the other a pressure canner pot (like shown below).

We already have some mason jars (below):

Any tips? Brands? Advice?

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from your own. Post contains affiliate links.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

My children love chocolate. Okay, that's an understatement. They are OBSESSED with chocolate. If they can have it they eat as much as humanly possible (...or at least what is allowed). When I found the MOMables Chocolate Avocado Pudding recipe, I had to try this out. At least they would get some fruit and veggies with their chocolate!

The recipe is super simple and the kids devoured it. If your bananas are not super ripe (thus, not super sweet), you might have to add in some stevia, powdered sugar, or whatever you use to sweeten items in your house.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Author: MOMables.com

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 avocados
• 6 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Instructions

1. Place avocados (peeled and pitted) and peeled bananas into the food processor or blend.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. Add unsweetened cocoa powder & vanilla, Blend until thoroughly combined.
4. Divide pudding into 4 single serve cups.
5. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

See? Super easy! Also super delicious....

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff is responsible for all content in this post and was not reimbursed in any way. These opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post contains affiliate links.

Pea and Barley Soup

I mentioned that I made bread bowls the other day, but I didn't share what was IN them! With our unseasonably cool weather, I opted to try a Pea and Barley Soup recipe based off of one out of my favourite cookbook (Russian, German & Polish Food & Cooking), but altered to suit our taste and our product availability.

Pea and Barley Soup
Ingredients:

• 1 1/4c yellow split peas
• 1/4c pearl barley
• 7 1/2c vegetable stock or ham stock
• 6oz. bacon, cubed (or just cut the strips width-wise)
• 2T butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1c. chopped celery
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Bread to serve

Directions:

1. Rinse the peas and barley in a sieve under cold running water. Put in a large pan (the one you are going to cook it in -- I used my 6qt. sauce pot from Cuisinart) and cover with plenty of water. Place lid on pan and set on the stove (stove off) to soak overnight.
   
2. The next day, drain and rinse the peas and barley. Put them back in the large pan, pour in stock, and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
3. Dry-fry the bacon cubes in a frying pan for 5 minutes or until well browned and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind, and set bacon aside.
4. Add the butter to the frying pan with the bacon grease, then the onion, celery, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is just starting to colour.
   
5. Add the softened vegetables and bacon to the pan of stock, peas, and barley. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until soup is thick. Add extra black pepper to taste and serve with bread.
   

The original recipe called for celeriac instead of celery. Since I didn't have celeriac available, I opted for celery for taste, though I'm sure it would have thickened up more with cooked celeriac (in cubes). Either way, it tasted great, and it didn't matter that it was a bit more soupy than thick because the bread bowls I served them in absorbed the little bit of extra liquid and made them that much more delicious!

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post contains affiliate links.

Homemade Bread Bowls

The weather has been unseasonably cool lately, and I've been loving it! (Autumn is my favourite season, though!) I decided to make a soup and bread bowls for dinner the other night. I have never made any sort of yeast bread/rolls in my life, so this was a completely new experience for me. I had a lot of questions, because I had no idea what I was doing, but my friend (remotely) walked me through the process. It was not as hard as I thought it would be!

I temped the water before adding the yeast/sugar, and then took pictures to document (almost) every step of the way!

My dough didn't rise again after I deflated it and broke it into balls, but that's okay because it turned out great anyway. I think it didn't rise again because I kept breaking it apart and resizing everything (thus, technically kneading the bread again which could have over-done it). I also didn't have any flour sack towels (despite hearing how awesome they are for using as cloth diapers!), so I used the smooth side of my unpaper towel to cover my bread for it to rise.

These turned out great, too! Everyone loved it, though hubby (who has been cutting back on refined sugar and grains like this) only ate half of his bowl. The recipe was from allrecipes.com :

French Bread Rolls to Die For
Original recipe yields 16 rolls

Ingredients :

1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups bread flour

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, stir together warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.
2. To the yeast mixture, add the oil, salt, and 2 cups flour. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Deflate the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 16 equal pieces, and form into round balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Cover the rolls with a damp cloth, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

The only thing(s) I did differently were I used sunflower oil instead of vegetable oil, and I only baked the bread bowls for 8 minutes. It didn't need 18-20 minutes.

Below is the walk-through of my first time making bread. It was not as difficult as I feared it would be.

The Yeast/sugar/water mixture is ready!

Stirring in the flour mixture to the yeast/water

As you mix, it gets so thick you have to use your hands

My dough ball! Time to knead!

It rose!!!

Covered with a damp (unpaper) towel. Use a smooth material, not the terry side! (oil top of dough well so it doesn't stick to the towel!)

Cut into size desired (and let rise again)

Deflate!

Baked until done! (They aren't golden as I didn't coat with butter or an egg wash before baking)

Bottom is lightly browned

Cut the top off the bread at an angle, using fingers to hollow out the rest

 

Toddler-sized bread bowl with fresh, hot soup!

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post contains affiliate links.

Mashed No-tatoes (Original Recipe)

I'm a huge fan of mashed potatoes. I always have loved them, and likely will always pile them way too high on my plate when they are around me. However, I don't always have potatoes on hand. Other veggies can bring the same result, albeit with slightly different flavour.

Rutabaga is one such veggie. You can make it the same way you would mashed potatoes. Some people prefer to add a tiny bit of sugar at the end (instead of salt, if you add salt), but I like it just how it is.

To use up some more items in the fridge, and also to add more flavour to the dinner, I made some Mashed No-tatoes, instead. As you might guess from the title, there are no potatoes in it.

Mashed No-tatoes

I apologize for the lack of great pictures as of late, but my phone really doesn't take the best quality photos. That aside, I didn't think to take pictures of this until it was already done.

Mashed No-tatoes (a naturally sweet root-veggie mash)

·         1 lb. carrots  (about 6 good-sized carrots)

·         1 lb. parsnips (about 3 parsnips, peeled and cored)

·         1/3 - 1/2 of a rutabaga

·         1/2 c. Milk, half & half, or cream (whichever you prefer when you make mashed potatoes)

·         3 T. butter

·         cinnamon

·         nutmeg

1) Peel and chop/slice carrots, parsnips, and rutabaga. (Store peels from the carrot and parsnips in a bag & freeze to use in a veggie stock later if desired.)

2) Boil veggies until cooked.

3) Drain veggies and place back in pan, a mixing bowl, or food processor along with butter. Once butter has melted, add milk, cream, or half & half and mash (or blend) to desired consistency.

4) Add in cinnamon and nutmeg to taste, and mix well. (I used 1/4t. - 1/2t. Cinnamon and about 1/8t. - 1/4t. nutmeg… I honestly just eyeballed it.)

5) Serve hot.

 

Disclaimer: Thoughts of Fluff is responsible for the contents of this post. All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post contains affiliate links.

Rutabaga

It's come to my attention that not many people know what a rutabaga is, and even fewer have tasted it. I'm not sure if this is because it looks like it might be difficult to prepare (it isn't) or what, but this very delicious, nutritious vegetable has been neglected for a long time.

This post will be short, but will hopefully help you learn a wee bit about the rutabaga.

A rutabaga I took a third off of for a recipe

For starters, it's a root veggie. Just like turnips, beets, potatoes, and carrots, the rutabaga grows below ground. It generally has a waxy coating put on when sold commercially to help slow spoilage.

The rutabaga can be used just like a potato can. You can mash it, fry it, bake it, etc. It can be used in lieu of potatoes in recipes, too. It is firmer than a potato, so it takes a little bit longer to cook. It is also slightly sweet. Very slightly. Think of the slight sweetness a carrot can have. That's about how it is.

To prepare a rutabaga, you just wash it to remove any grossness before cutting into it (don't want to spread grossness through the veggie via the knife!), peel the waxy layer off with a veggie peeler, and cut as desired for whatever recipe you are making and cook accordingly. Seriously, that's it. Nothing fancy.

This is another time my Farberware Vegetable Peeler comes in handy. That peeler has been used for years and is still just as sharp as ever. That's especially important when you're trying to peel through the waxy skin of a rutabaga!

I tend to cut the rutabaga in half (or even just take 1/3 of it at a time) and only peel the piece I cut off. One rutabaga generally gives me 2 or 3 meals.

Disclaimer: All opinions are my own and may differ from those of your own. Post contains affiliate links.

Easy Vegetable Stock (how-to)

In an effort to save money and reduce waste, I have been making my own version of things that are often bought ready-to-use. Cream of Chicken Soup is one example. Today, while making something for dinner, I decided to make a vegetable stock.

I had a package of mushrooms that were nearing the end of their window for consumption, so I through those in with the scraps from my meal prep. I also added a small onion and a few cloves of fresh garlic.

Making a vegetable stock is really simple. Seriously, very simple. You take the veggie peels and bits that you were going to throw away (or compost), and you throw them in a pot instead. Cover them with water for a regular stock, or cover them 1/2 way up for concentrated stock.

Bring to a boil, cover, then turn down to a simmer for an hour.

Strain the veggies/scraps out, and store your broth for a week in the fridge, or you can store them in the freezer.

We like to let our stock cool, then pour it into ice cube trays. Each "cube" is about 2 tablespoons.

For a great guide to what veggies to use, avoid, and more, check out this super helpful page over at In Sonnet's Kitchen.

Thoughts Of Fluff was not compensated in any way for this post. All opinions are my own and my differ from those of your own.