The Zoe and Silas Show

I made this for dinner tonight after returning later than expected from a fun afternoon at the park. I love it because a) it can be ready in 30 minutes, b) it is made with pantry ingredients, and c) it is full of bold flavors, which Silas in particular loves! Curried Chickpeas and Cauliflower Adapted from Budget Bytes 2   Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil 1/2  head cauliflower, chopped into florets 1  med yellow onion (or frozen chopped onion, which is one of my favorite shortcuts) 2  cloves garlic (or pre-minced garlic, another go-to shortcut) 1  Tbsp curry powder 1/2  tsp cumin seeds 1  (15 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1  (8 oz.) can "no-salt added" tomato sauce 1 (14.5 oz.) Ro-tel tomatoes with mild green chiles 1  cup water Handful of frozen peas, optional Chopped cilantro or parsley to garnish, optional Salt, as needed Jasmine rice 1. While prepping other ingredients, get the jasmine rice cooking in rice co...

We recently bought a house and moved about 20 miles outside of Boston. One of the changes that came along with a new commute and work schedule is that I have started making dinner for the kids every night, instead of just Friday-Sunday (Julia, our wonderful long-time nanny, historically fed them dinner Monday-Thursday). Derek and I still have opposite work schedules, which means that I have the kids without him 5-6 nights/week. In order to make healthy meals AND pack lunches while flying solo, at a minimum I need to have a well-stocked fridge and basic menu plan for the week. Even better is when I can get some cooking and/or food prep done on Sunday. Before I go to the gym on Sunday mornings I usually peruse some recipes in search of culinary inspiration. Today I came across a recipe that caught my eye on Budget Bytes . I was planning on hitting Trader Joe's after the gym, so I picked up the frozen roasted corn that is the cornerstone of this recipe. The first part of my foo...

2/8/14: Silas has been wearing half 4T and half 5T clothes for a few months now. Zoe's drawer is populated by 4T but she often pulls from Silas' drawer and has some things that don't fit very well. I finally made it to Old Navy on Friday and decided to just buy a bunch of "gender neutral" (i.e., boys) 5T clothes from which they both can pull from. There were a few "girls only" purchases (see pants below), but for the most part I bought a pile of clothes they can share. Excited about all the new clothes, Zoe put together a fabulous outfit. We are taking a family trip to Portland, Maine for one night during School Vacation Week, so we headed out to look for pool flotation devices on Saturday. We didn't find what we were looking for, but S&Z found kid-size lanterns and fishing poles for camping this summer (which we didn't buy), and Derek found a new sleeping bag (which we did buy). We also found a $2100+ tent with a built...

1/19/14: Silas the sous chef helping us cook for the week. This week's menu included Lal Dal, Roasted Spaghetti Squash, Turkey Sloppy Joes with Lentils, Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, Baked Lavash Crackers, and Moroccan Chickpea Soup.

1/12/14: Silas was continuing to feel much better on Sunday after a couple of doses of antibiotics. The sun was shining bright so I got out for a 3.5 mile walk to catch a dose of some much-needed Vitamin D. After quiet time the kids (and Derek) needed to get out of the house as well. We headed over to Legacy Place where everyone got some fresh air and I made a couple of returns. I cooked for most of the day otherwise:  Crockpot Chicken Verde , a big batch of brown rice, lavash crackers for the week,  Lal Dal ,  Roasted Spaghetti Squash  to eat with  leftover marinara  (recipe below), and  Mushroom Barley Stew . What a great way to start the week! Marinara Sauce CATEGORIES   sauce INGREDIENTS 1  onion, chopped 2  cloves garlic, minced 1  28 oz. crushed tomatoes or tomato puree 1  14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes 1  T. tomato paste Salt and freshly ground pepper, italian seasoning, s...

A friend of mine recently purchased a crockpot and is looking for some good recipes. As usual, I am posting my favorites with links here! Slow Cooker Pulled Pork - this is best served with cole slaw on top or on the side. Our favorite is Mann's Rainbow Salad mix, to which we add sliced red onion and diced granny smith apple, dressed with a good store-bought cole slaw dressing. It really takes the pork to another level! Crockpot Refried Beans - I prefer to use black beans instead of pinto beans. You can do a lot with a pot of beans - one of my favorites is quesadillas or baked tostadas with caramelized red onion and cheese of choice. Chicken Verde - so simple, use a jar of Trader Joe's salsa verde and serve over rice. Spaghetti Squash Curry - a great side dish to use in place of rice. Chickpeas in Curried Coconut Broth - need I say more? The last one is delicious but I have no idea where I got the recipe - I don't have a direct link in Pepperplate, so I'm pas...

A friend of mine is starting to do Meatless Monday's and is looking for some recipes to serve as a jumping-off point. I recommend liking the Vegetarian Times and Eating Well Facebook pages to get inspiration delivered straight to your news feed. In the meantime, here are a few of my favorites- INDIAN- We have a rice cooker, so these indian meals are very easy to serve over brown rice- Lal Dal (Red Lentils)- substitute a can of Ro-tel tomatoes for the fresh tomato and green chili to make this an easy, weeknight meal. Quick Curried Chickpeas ASIAN- Mongolian Stir-Fry - use the fried tofu technique for any of the following recipes. Singapore-Style Rice Noodles - you can use any vegetables you like if the peppers don't sound good to you. I recently used asparagus and bok choy instead of cabbage and peppers and it was delicious! Thai Red Curry - but substitute crispy fried tofu for the meat protein. I recently discovered the Thai Kitchen website - there are lots of easy...

A friend recently asked for some pointers on how to "cook meals for the week on the weekend", so I'm going to jot a few ideas down here for future reference. You can also click on the 'Cook's Notes' or 'Recipes' keywords in the left hand panel to find more posts about food & cooking. PREPARATION : 1) Make a menu plan and grocery list by Friday (I do mine on Thursday night), so that food shopping can be done after work on Friday night or first thing on Saturday morning. The menu plan should be based on the assumption that there will NOT be time to cook on the weekend. If 1-2 meals get cooked ahead of time then it's an extra bonus, but you don't want to set yourself up with meals that are impossible to make at 6pm when you get home from work. 2) Select meals that will have leftovers - and make sure it's something that no one will complain about eating at least twice. 3) Try to select streamlined menus. The days of 3-component meals a...

12/9/13: The first snowfall of the season fell on Monday and Tuesday of this week. Monday was more of a "wintry mix", but it was enough to get S&Z very excited first thing in the morning! The first snow of the season calls for one thing: hot chocolate! And marshmallows! Mmm mmm mmm!! ***** I took the day off from work on Monday in order to do some Christmas shopping. While the kids were at school Derek and I ended up getting ourselves a Christmas present. Behold the Technivorm Moccamaster ! Derek did a bunch of research until he found this, the Cadillac of all coffee makers. It brews the best cup of coffee either of us has ever tasted! In < 8 minutes! ***** Cook's Notes: The issue for me with cooking during the week is that because I'm a single parent most nights I can't really start making dinner until the kids go to bed. By the time dinner is ready it's between 8:30 and 9:00 and I'm absolutely starvin...

11/24/13: We went to the gym on Sunday morning. On our way out to the car S&Z decided to trade sunglasses... After nap we ran to LL Bean to find a solution to my power walking outerwear dilemma. It was so cold outside that we had to pull out S&Z's [new-to-us] winter coats. No one was too happy about this weather development! *****  Cook's Notes : Looking ahead to a shortened work week, cooking was again dispersed throughout the weekend. On Friday I made fried rice, which is an old standby. You can use any vegetables that you have on hand. This time around I included red pepper, carrot, and broccoli. Easy Fried Rice CATEGORIES   asian, vegetarian, rice INGREDIENTS 1  T. vegetable oil 2  scallions, chopped 2  eggs, beaten 1/2  c. frozen chopped spinach* 1/2  c. frozen peas 1  c. leftover brown rice Low sodium soy sauce or tamari, to taste INSTRUCTIONS In a wok or saute pan, heat ...

11/17/13: This weekend has been pretty busy so I had to spread the cooking love out over 3 days. Next weekend will be the same because I have to work on Saturday. It worked out pretty well this time around, and depending what we have scheduled on a given weekend this may be the way things usually go! On Friday I baked up some lavash crackers , and made two pans of what is still referred to in our house as Eliza's Baked Pasta . Yesterday afternoon I roasted a head of broccoli, tried some  Baked Kale Chips , and cooked up a big batch of brown rice for the week. Last night after the kids went to bed I put together Spicy Ethiopian Lentil Stew (recipe below, not for the faint of heart!). Today Derek made Roasted Red Pepper Hummus, and tonight I did  Mongolian Stir-Fry with Broccoli and Crispy Tofu, as well as Thai Curry Spaghetti Squash in the crock pot. The lentil stew, kale chips, and spaghetti squash were all new recipes. I'd make the stew again but use less Berbere spice...

11/10/13: This is the 2nd week in a row that Derek and I have gotten a bunch of cooking done on Sunday morning. The weather is turning cooler and we're in the full swing of fall. Our fun summer outings on weekend mornings have naturally come to a close the last few weeks, and now we're focusing our energy on getting organized for the coming week. The weekday grind is hectic for many reasons - opposite work schedules, off-the-clock work demands, and trying to maintain exercise routines to name a few. Considering I have lost nearly 20 pounds in the last 4 months, healthy eating is also a priority on top of everything else! The last few weeks I've managed to get the menu planning done on Thursday night, and then Derek does the grocery shopping on Friday. We still squeeze in two trips to the gym every weekend, and now we've got ambitious plans in the kitchen on Sunday mornings before Derek leaves for work at 2:00. This week's make-ahead menu included: - Yellow dal ...

11/2/13: We had a great time having the Pritchard's over for dinner on Saturday night! We made Asian BBQ Chicken , roasted delicata squash , and salads. Derek got some jiffy pop to make on the stovetop after dinner - the kids (and Derek!) loved it! Then it was movie time for the kids and chill out time for the adults! It was a fantastic Saturday night spent with good friends!