Seattle Mom Blogs

I really really love wheat like only a Mormon can love wheat. Were supposed to gather a years supply of food which for many people ends up being several barrels of wheat stored but never used. I have hundreds of pounds of it in my garage along with other food items, working towards a year supply of everything in case of disaster or unexpected need. A few years ago I decided to actually do something with this wheat rather than storing it indefinitely, although it can store for quite some time without a problem and the 50 lb. buckets make a beautiful addition to any home dcor.

With a lot of trial and error, Ive learned to grind it to make my own fresh bread, pancakes and cereal. I even sprout it and add it to salads and cereal for a little healthy boost. Sometime soon Ill write a detailed post on the art of lovely bread (It’s lovely most of the time except when it flops, but even thats a daring adventure).

For now I want to tell you about a great little cookbook sent to me from the Wheat Foods Council. Apparently 2008 is a big fat anniversary year for wheat (who knew?) and theyre celebrating with the release of a cute little cookbook full of great wheat recipes.

Food for Thought is a fun propaganda piece for my favorite grain and comes complete with 35 recipes that use wheat to make everything from muffins to main dishes. Many of the recipes are simple and can be made with or by kids so get it for them and watch your Mothers Day breakfasts improve. Its a fun book with some fresh ideas and definitely worth the $3.50 asking price. Proceeds from the sale of the cookbooks will go towards their non-profit educational organization Spoons Across America.

Spoons Across America works to influence the eating habits of children through hands-on-education that celebrates the connection to local farmers and the important tradition of sharing meals around the family table. www.wheatfoods.org

**By The Book is a series within a series where I will highlight some of my old favorite cookbooks as well as some new and interesting ones that are currently on the market. Hopefully one or two will appeal to you and well all get a little more daring around the kitchen. **

A co-founder of Seattle Mom Blogs, professional blogger Kathryn Thompson writes too much at Daring Young Mom, The Parenting Post, and anywhere else people are willing to read. She enjoys eating cheese and playing high stakes Uno with 4-year-olds. If youre cute enough, she will probably blow on your tummy unmercifully. You can contact Kathryn by email – kathryn [at] seattlemomblogs.com.

And we have a winner! JenniferB is our winner. I guess we’re not supposed to say winner anymore because it implies that the rest of you are losers. So I’ll simply say that THE GREEN PANS GO TO JenniferB.

I’m hoping to have many more fantastic food-related product giveaways coming up so check in periodically. The writing is always free.

Today I want to share a great new idea for cooking for your family in greener way. Im not talking about leprechauns or even organic vegetables. Im talking about GreenPans, pans that use 50% less energy in manufacturing than other non-stick pans.

They are also the first line of cookware using a non-stick coating thats free of toxic chemicals that can be released into your food and into the air. They can cook at temperatures up to 800F without releasing anything harmful. I find this awesome because not only do they meet my criteria for healthier cooking, but theyre also dishwasher safe, something that drives me nuts about my current non-stick cookware.

I read about these pans in a magazine this month and was really impressed by them. My naturopath has been trying to get me to stop cooking with Teflon but I was having a hard time finding a solid alternative. At this point I think Ive found it and as soon as I have enough budget money set aside, Ill snag a set. Its not that theyre expensive. In fact, theyre quite reasonably priced. Ive just been spending too much money buying Cadbury MiniEggs lately. Tis the season.

Good news for you though. This week Im giving away one 6-piece set of cookware from the good folks at GreenPan. You can get the pans for free and keep your money to buy as many chocolate eggs as you like.

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment on this post and Ill randomly pick a winner at midnight on Saturday night PST. Good luck and if you win I expect you to let me borrow them!

A co-founder of Seattle Mom Blogs, professional blogger Kathryn Thompson writes too much at Daring Young Mom, The Parenting Post, and anywhere else people are willing to read. She enjoys eating cheese and playing high stakes Uno with 4-year-olds. If youre cute enough, she will probably blow on your tummy unmercifully. You can contact Kathryn by email – kathryn [at] seattlemomblogs.com.

I love me some peanut butter, yo. Lately we’ve been opting for natural organic peanut butter to cut out on trans fat and unnecessary sugar (I know you’re asking yourself, “Is there such a thing as unnecessary sugar?”)

Our favorite brand ever (meaning the one that tastes the most like Jif) is Maranatha. It’s smooth, creamy, delicious and way too expensive considering the amount we mange every day. When they stopped carrying it at Costco, I decided it was time to part ways.

In its place, Costco started carrying a Kirkland brand of creamy natural peanut butter that’s actually not too bad. The one problem we have is the same problem we have with all natural peanut butter. We hate to stir it. It separates and you have to mix it up and the oil glops all over the place. You never really get the bottom chunks to mix in properly and it’s just annoying.

So I have come up with a plan and I will share it with you now.

Whenever I open a new jar of PB, I dump the entire container into my food processor and mix it well. Once it’s all smooth and creamy, I scoop it back into the jar and refrigerate it. It never separates again and life is a dream. Try it. I know you’ll like it.

A co-founder of Seattle Mom Blogs, professional blogger Kathryn Thompson writes too much at Daring Young Mom, The Parenting Post, and anywhere else people are willing to read. She enjoys eating cheese and playing high stakes Uno with 4-year-olds. If youre cute enough, she will probably blow on your tummy unmercifully. You can contact Kathryn by email – kathryn [at] seattlemomblogs.com.

I have become completely enamored with Quinoa. Have you tried it? Its a whole grain that can be cooked up as a side dish to be served with that ever-boring chicken breast or grilled salmon that so many of us are eating a lot of at this resolute time of year.

Personally I get a little sick of rice, mashed potatoes and salads. I get a little creative with my meats but I like to keep side dishes simple. The problem is there are only so many simple grains you can eat before you go NUTS and switch back to mac and cheese.

Anywho. Quinoa is a magical food. Its a whole grain and a complete protein and its really simple to cook. It tastes delicious but not as delicious as it feels on your tongue. The texture is amazing.

It was actually easier to cook it the first time than to find it at the grocery store. I was able to locate it in the bulk foods section of Fred Meyer.

An easy preparation:

Rinse and drain well 1 cup of quinoa.
Sautee half a small onion in 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat.
Add the quinoa and sautee for 3-5 minutes until the quinoa is lightly browned.
Add 1.5 cups of chicken broth and tsp dry thyme.
Bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until quinoa is soft.
Fluff with a fork and serve.

What fabulous side dishes do you eat with your low-fat chicken breast?

A co-founder of Seattle Mom Blogs, professional blogger Kathryn Thompson writes too much at Daring Young Mom, The Parenting Post, and anywhere else people are willing to read. She enjoys eating cheese and playing high stakes Uno with 4-year-olds. If youre cute enough, she will probably blow on your tummy unmercifully. You can contact Kathryn by email – kathryn [at] seattlemomblogs.com.

So its time for me to come out of the closet and admit it. I LOVE FOOD! Love. It. I love to cook it, eat it, buy it, create with it. I love it madly. My favorite appliances are the ones that chop, mix, grate and cook. If I had to choose one room to live in for the rest of my life, Id pick the kitchen, hands down.

My neighbors often see me wandering the yard in my large floral apron because if Im not currently cooking, Im probably thinking about cooking or just finishing up my latest project.

My specialties are authentic Indian food and a wide variety of baked goods. I also enjoy finding new ways to eat vegetables and I do a lot of light cooking. Its not really light anymore if I eat as much as I want to eat of it, but its the thought that counts.

Variety is the key to my kitchen joy, sometimes to a fault. Any given week I prepare foods from several different countries, including Japan, Italy, and New Jersey. Im always experimenting and sometimes have trouble remembering what Ive made in the past. If I make something good, Dan had better enjoy it at the time because I may never make it again.

As much as I love creating in the kitchen, Im also a big fan of eating out. I try to restrain myself due to budget constraints but I love me a good restaurant. With the kids, with friends, on a date with Dan or alone, I am happy to sample the cooking of others without the task of dishwashing afterwards.

In Daring Dining, Ill talk about food, food in the Seattle area, food in my kitchen, getting food into kids tummies and food in my dreams. Join me here for a feast of culinary expression.

A co-founder of Seattle Mom Blogs, professional blogger Kathryn Thompson writes too much at Daring Young Mom, The Parenting Post, and anywhere else people are willing to read. She enjoys eating cheese and playing high stakes Uno with 4-year-olds. If youre cute enough, she will probably blow on your tummy unmercifully. You can contact Kathryn by email – kathryn [at] seattlemomblogs.com.