Before I get to this…
I have to show you what I threw together the pervious day.
People always love the quickie meal ideas I give more than the elaborate recipes (okay, I never have elaborate per se, but more involved). So here’s another one that is highly adaptable and took under 5 minutes.
Thai sweet potato rice casserole with black beans. Sounds like it took a lot of effort, when really, it was all thanks to a box, a can, and an appliance.
Pacific’s thai sweet potato soup may have been “new” back when I bought it, but it’s been in the pantry long enough now that I can assure you it’s in your local conventional grocery store.
All I did was add it to two cups of cooked brown rice (and using the rice cooker means no effort on my part) and a half a can of black beans.
From there you can either eat it as is (which is what Kyle did). Or you can bake it in the oven to get a crispy bronzed top like a casserole. Or you can mix in cheese and eggs and bake it to make a quiche.
This works with any soup. Any grain. And any protein. I’ve mentioned the technique (can’t call it a recipe) several times before. If you have a crock pot you can use dried beans and uncooked grains and simply add extra liquid like this (in addition to the soup). Even easier!
So now back to this. Proof that I’m a nice wife don’t suck as a human? I gave Kyle the last one of these cinnamon rolls.
It’s been tempting me from the freezer for months, and yet I decided Kyle should get it after my train wreck of a hormonal day. I had zero hormone issues during pregnancy, but post-partum is another story. Or maybe it’s the combo of that and not getting a solid night’s sleep. Whatever. I’m not complaining because I have an adorable kiddo, but then again, I thik Kyle may be suffering more than I. Or maybe I’m just building it up to be worse than it is in my head. Either way, I’m trying to compensate by cooking for him, packing up his on-the-go meals, and giving him the leftovers that we both want. Small tokens.
It’s delish on it’s own, but with PB & J… BOOM! Before and after pics make me happy.
He dug in while I made myself a nice big bowl of oatmeal, topped with trail mix (most of which sunk below view) and Reginald’s Homemade cashew butter.
After breakfast, we packed things up and shipped off to Larchmont Village.
Kyle had a business meeting (slash coffee date) and I decided to join him in the off chance Lynn was in town (which she was – yay!). I got a decaf coffee at Bungalow, which was disappointingly watery and way overpriced (>$3 for a regular!?!). I didn’t realize how expensive it was until after though because Kyle paid, and by the time I found out I was over it.
While Kyle talked about synergy and RFPs (kidding, I totally know what he really does), I took P out for a stroll around the neighborhood.
Larchmont is really cute.
I had big plans to go here for lunch, seeing as the Nor Cal locations are no longer open (sad), but by the time Kyle finished up I was ready to go home. It may sound lame, but it’s hard being out and about for very long these days. I’m still a rookie mom and one public diaper change and breast feeding session is about all I can handle in a single outing.
Too bad since Cafe Gratitude was really the only place I was planning to go to on my bucket list. I guess it will have to wait until we make a return visit to LA.
I ended up making a salad once I got home. I had raw goodness on the brain since I’d already browsed the CG menu (as I do when I’m excited about dining out).
The spinach was the base, followed by home-made dried cranberries (yup, I really did that), and home-made candied walnuts, and kaia foods chili lime kale chips. All topped with Follow Your Heart’s vegan honey mustard dressing.
In case you’re thinking I’m crazy for making my own dried cranberries when I have a 2 month old, let me reassure you that the only reason I did so was because I had a bag of fresh cranberries in the freezer that needed to be used up. And since I still have coconut cranberry banana bread in the freezer too, I thought making MORE bread would be overkill. So dried cranberries it was!
It’s surprisingly easy, despite the length of time it took. Most of that time (99%) is hands off anyway.
Can you even believe the color of these? They were so insanely bright and beautiful I took a million photos and now I’m considering making it my desktop background. They make me happy.
Ok, so here’s what you do (or at least what I did).
Home-made Baked / Dried Cranberries
Ingredients:
- 1 12 oz. bag of fresh cranberries
- 1 tbsp honey (or agave or maple syrup)
- boiling water
Directions:
Cut berries in half and place in a large mixing bowl. Boil water and pour over berries so they are entirely submerged (they float, so what I mean is make sure there is more water than berries). Stir in sweetener of choice.
I used lemon flavored honey, but I also have ginger honey that I almost used. I am pretty sure plain sugar will work too since it’s purely for soaking purposes. I think the acid in the citrus enhances the flavor so add a bit of lemon juice if you want.
Once the berries have soaked for a few hours (any amount longer than 2 is fine), use a slotted spoon to scoop them out of the water and onto a baking sheet that’s lined with nonstick or parchment paper.
Bake for 3 hours on 225 degrees F. Then turn off the oven and leave for another few hours (until the oven has cooled all the way). FYI, I left mine overnight because that’s how the timing worked out.
Cutting these in half was soooo tedious.
For the record, I don’t see why anyone would do this. Buying dried cranberries is probably more economical so unless you’re about to move and you’ve been hoarding holiday ingredients in your freezer for months like I have been, then you can basically disregard the aforementioned process.
But I do have a nice stash of dried berries now!
After lunch Kyle and I went on a walk to the bank. Exciting stuff.
Post-walk, I popped these guys open…aaaand couldn’t stop. At all.
Lesser Evil makes amazing products and the black & white kettle corn are no exception. Gluten free, sweet and savory. Chocolate-y but not too chocolate-y. In other words, easy to stuff into your face. I didn’t mean to but I ate the whole bag. And although I didn’t actually look, I can pretty much guarantee the bag is way more than one serving. Oops!
For dinner I used up the last of the vital wheat gluten in the pantry and made some seitan.
I then combined it with spinach and brown rice for a (plated) hippie bowl. With nooch and Bragg’s.
Dessert was Kombucha and oranges.
I have a sh!t ton of oranges (from my parents’ back yard) but for some reason I never think to eat them. In an effort to reduce the trail mix, granola, and chocolate I’m snacking on, I decided to pre-slice a ton of oranges to keep in the fridge. That way they are easy to grab (and my fingers don’t get sticky from peeling them). No excuses! So far it has worked out really well and I’m citrus-ing it up all day long.
omg, flavored/candied popcorn is so addictive. Actually all popcorn is so addictive in my book…
Ha, “small tokens”. You are so sweet – and I’m sure you are just thinking it is worse than it really is! so impressed by your creative, wholesome meals on zero sleep!
how do you make your oats? they always look so creamy and delicious!!
I miss you already! Don’t worry – the salad you threw together was probably just as good (and about 1/3 of the price) of the Cafe Gratitude ones…
Popcorn is so easy to just eat and eat and eat! I can never resist the chocolate and marshmallow kind at my local farmer’s market.
And don’t be too bummed- I think the Cafe Gratitude in Berkeley is still open!
I think you should allow yourself to feel hormonal or emotional after pregnancy, and don’t beat yourself up about it. Our bodies/hormones do go through a lot of work during that process! I didn’t have PPD, per se, but I do think I’ve had more emotional ups/downs (ie, downs) since my kid was born. I think denying that I had some issues has kept me from really working on them (though I’m taking SAMe lately and actually find that something has changed for the better in my mood!).
Aw… too bad about CG! I just went there for the first time recently, and can’t wait to get back. It will be here when you visit… 🙁
http://thevalleyvegan.com/2013/02/20/cafe-gratitude/
Are you really able to eat seitan? I’m under the impression that I absolutely cannot handle vital wheat gluten anymore. Started noticing trouble about a year ago (used it in my favorite bean burger patty recipe…), cut it out of my diet for about 6 weeks, then tried it again and shablammo. Nothing good came of that. I’ve been avoiding vital wheat gluten ever since. But now, I’m wondering if it was the chickpeas in the burger???? Thoughts?
Great eats, the salad looks amazing! The Cafe Gratitude is still open in Berkeley, not too far of a drive from Davis and a great location.
You are kind of amazing for making your own dried cranberries. I don’t think I’m patient enough for that 😉
I’m pretty sure Kyle thinks you’re pretty darn awesome for making meals while taking care of a newborn! That deserves a lot of kuddos to you!
I’m exhausted after getting a new puppy, so can’t imagine a little baby in my life. Your meals are more interesting than mine too ha.
Hopefully you can return to Cafe Gratitude next time around! It sounds pretty darn wonderful!
Hope you have an excellent weekend Elise!
I love the dried cranberry tutorial! I, too, have several bags of cranberries in the freezer, and I’ll be moving this summer, so I need to use them, pronto.
There is a cafe gratitude way closer to you in Venice on rose just west of the whole foods and east of rose cafe on the south side of the street. You have to go before you leave!!!!
You’re doing a great job, mama! I have a 7 month old and I’m exhausted after a diaper change and nursing session. Go easy on yourself. Not only has your daily routine been turned upside down with a baby, your hormones are haywire, too. It sounds like you have an incredibly supportive husband! Take care.
Too funny—I too have a sh!t ton of oranges (generous connections at the farmers’ market and co-workers with prolific trees), and just yesterday I discovered the cut-them-up-and-stick-them-in-the-fridge trick. I had to laugh when I saw you had the same idea at the same time, and it’s been effective for you too!
Here’s to the citrus glow!
The kettle corn is delicious. Thanks for posting!
heyooo…great minds!
thanks penny 🙂 i appreciate it mucho. i do have a fab husband!
i know…thats the one i initially planned to go to…since it first opened actually! times running out though 🙁
so exciting for your new match! just out of curiosity what was it that you didnt like about your last place? im always interested in the reasons people choose hospitals/clinics but if you dont want to share or its personal, feel free to ignore.
what a sweet comment lisa. ill try not to let it go to my head…
i didnt realize that one was still open!! yay!! and thanks for the other recs too 🙂
up until yesterday i would have said yes, but ive been having weird issues lately. it could just be the stress from moving causing my ibs to get more sensitive. im not sure but im going back to the basics. blah.
usually though, my home-made seitan is fine. i dont think gluten bothers me, i think its wheat only. who knows…the kitchen is bare, i just wanna get up north and re-stock so i can have more control over my meals again.
oh but i def think the chickpeas could be to blame as well. do you make your own seitan? bc most recipes use wheat in addition to gluten, but i make mine without wheat. just the vwg. hmmm…
Since I highly doubt that anyone from that first program will ever see this, I don’t mind sharing.
Basically, when I signed on for the internship, they told us interns that all of our rotation sites would be within 70 miles of Raleigh. Then I get my list of rotations, and they had placed me at a hospital that was 120 miles away, for 16 weeks (including the week of my wedding, by the way). I just couldn’t swing that much gas money and commute time. I tried to find my own replacement site, at which time the program reprimanded me and just handled the whole thing terribly.
So I just said forget it. I can do better. And I did 🙂
120 miles!!!! are you kidding me!?!? geez, thats ridiculous. good for you for standing firm. this will be a much better fit im sure 🙂
and great skin—thanks to the Copious amounts of Vitamin C!
hi sarah. thanks for the comment. ppd is serious so i dont want to diminish it. i am fortunately not dealing with blues or depression. what i am is moody. i feel like the stereotype of a teenager who has her period. one second im fine and the next an annoyed and moody for no reason. its frustrating for me bc even though i know im being unreasonable, i cant stop myself from feeling the emotions i feel. but you are probably right. in the end i should just allow myself to feel how i feel. i just wish kyle didnt have to deal with it 🙁
really?!? im hoping thats true!
ummm, the normal way. stove top. water and oats in a 2:1 ratio. then i stir in lots of nut butter.
thank you meg. you are probably (hopefully!) right. i do tend to be way hard on myself.
agreed. at least its not terribly caloric to eat in bulk like i do 🙂
Yeah, that’s more or less my experience too. Never real PPD, just an increase in feeling low-energy and tired and kind of mood swings. It’s rough when our beloved partners and kids have to feel the brunt (and as kids get older they get more uh, energetic? My kid is three and she’s a whirlwind – it can be exhausting sometimes!). My advice (for what it’s worth) is to make sure that you get some dedicated time to yourself to take care of yourself in whatever way works best. Go to a coffee shop sometimes or something, just to get some time away just for yourself. I know I didn’t have true PPD, but I do wish someone had encouraged me to go get a massage or take time to read a novel in a coffee shop, and not to feel like I had to do everything all the time. It’s taken me three years to really recognize that I didn’t have the good mood all the time that I wish I had had, and that a bit more alone time (and the SAMe!) might have been nice. And maybe the lesson is that there’s a range of hormonal responses post-pregnancy, and that we shouldn’t just read the PPD checklist and say “yes” or “no” but to recognize that we can have our grey days. Ok, enough hypothesizing. Just take care of yourself and good luck!
Cafe Gratitude is still open in Santa Cruz, too!