Moms' Cafe

When our children were very young we lived in a suburb of Washington DC in Northern Virginia. Often we would meet Daddy after work and stop at a fast food place for supper. Our children became VERY familiar with them. However, as our family grew to five children we decided that eating out was too expensive. The first time we chose to eat at home the children asked, "Where are we going to eat tonight?" And we answered, "At Mom's Cafe!" They were so excited to try a new place. Ha ha! We pulled into the driveway and they were totally puzzled. It only worked a few times before they caught on and didn't want to go to "Mom's Cafe". But we didn't care, we went anyway.

Hence, my kitchen became known as Mom's Cafe.

Fast forward many years and all the children are leaving home. They asked me to put together a cookbook with all the family favorites. I promised, worked on it a bit, procrastinated and promised some more. 

This summer I decided to get it done. 

Tah-Dah! (And yes, I'm inadvertently revealing my true identity, but hey, we're among friends here.)

Each child got a different colored book.

Each Section is labeled and on the other side (sorry no photo) is a list of recipes in the section.

On a few recipes I included photos.

The Housekeeping section is to remind them of what I taught them, plus a few things for grownups

such as defrosting a chest freezer and cleaning an oven.

That's a huge project completed and crossed off my list. Now on to some T-shirt quilts and photo albums. 

Oh my. I'm tired already!

Not Your Grandma's Oatmeal

Oats are so versatile! I like to dress them up with all sorts of fruits, nuts, spices, etc. This one is Peaches and Cream. (Center is chopped walnuts and a teaspoon of brown sugar, and heavy cream over all)

I use old-fashioned thick oats for a better texture.

2 parts water to one part oats, plus a dash of salt is the ratio I always use.

Bring water and salt to a boil, add oats and reduce heat to simmer for approximately 7 minutes. Stir occasionally. Oats are done when most (99%) of the water is absorbed. Spoon into bowls and top with whatever your heart desires.

I often cook chopped apples or dried fruit with the oats. 

Last week we had Caramel Apple Oatmeal; made with a chopped Granny Smith apple cooked with the oats, then drizzled with caramel sauce (the kind you put on ice cream). Oh my was that yummy!

NaNoWriMo - Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

At one of the last meetings of TOPS that I attended one of the other ladies was totally discouraged. Each week she either lost or gained one quarter of a pound. TOPS counts in quarter pound increments. Well, a quarter pound can be a trip to the bathroom or a big drink, depending on which way the scale goes. No wonder she was discouraged. She really was not losing weight, just a little water back and forth.

Let’s look at a day in the life of a loser. No, not that kind of loser, the kind that puts knowledge to use through action and loses excess fat, builds muscle and ends up with a trim, fit body. We will begin with breakfast.

Your alarm goes off, and you roll out of bed. The first thing (after prayer if that’s your first, first thing) is to visit the bathroom and pee. Then walk to the kitchen and drink a full glass (at least eight ounces) or water. Next, if you take any pills or supplements take them with another glass of water. All of this water is to rehydrate you after a night of exhaling. Water gets your digestive system up and running, provides lubrication for your brain and joints and just generally helps you feel good all over.

Now, you can either fix and eat breakfast at this point, or you can shower, get dressed and then fix breakfast. It is up to you the order of things, but breakfast is a must. The reason some people do not eat breakfast is they claim they are not hungry. What time did you eat before sleep? If it was after seven o’clock in the evening, you are eating too late and yes, you probably won’t be hungry in the morning. But if you stop eating at seven, by the time you get up ten to twelve hours later, you probably will be hungry.

What do you normally eat for breakfast? (When you eat it, of course.) Cold cereal? Hot cereal? Bacon and eggs? Pancakes, waffles, muffins, bagels? Whatever your normal breakfast is you can most likely keep eating it. We will just tweak it a little and use proper portions to make the most of the first meal of the day.

Read the label on your cold cereal, if one of the first ingredients is sugar, put that cereal aside and use it as a treat. Cereal should be made with whole grains, little to no sugar (and we won’t be adding any) and have lots of good fiber. Next read the portion size. Get out your measuring cups and only eat one serving size with the usually recommended one half cup of milk. Add a piece of fruit, either with the cereal, or on the side, and a nice boiled egg for protein and you will have a great breakfast.

Hot cereal is similar. Use the old fashioned cooking kind; it really takes just a few minutes to prepare and cook and it is easy to control the ingredients. Measure the portion, add a tablespoon of dried fruit, or chopped fresh apple, a teaspoon of brown sugar or honey and you have a nutritious, filling breakfast. I eat oats, cracked wheat, creamy brown rice, and regular brown rice for breakfast. All yummy. And for goodness sakes, do not call it “mush.” How unappealing can you get. This is hot cereal. Mush is what is in the gutters at the end of winter.

If your normal breakfast (or one that you eat at restaurants) consists of bacon, eggs, and toast simply cut your portions in half, unless you already eat only one of each thing. Many people don’t, so I just wanted to remind you. One egg, one strip of bacon (or sausage patty, link or small piece of ham) and one piece of toast, without butter or whatever spread you use, but with a little bit (measure a tablespoonful) of jam or jelly or honey. Again, add a piece of fruit and you’ve got a great breakfast. Remember, there is nothing we are totally cutting out, just cutting down to begin with. It is a starting place. We have to eat fewer calories than we use during the day, so unless we are a long distance runners we must cut in half the amount of calorie dense foods we eat.

Most restaurants are amenable to adjusting their servings. I was at a diner in Utah where the smallest plate was two of each thing, bacon, eggs, and toast. I asked if I could have a plate with just one of each. Of course, the waitress said. She served our breakfasts and it was just the right amount, no waste, and easier for my waist. You won’t know until you ask. The alternatives are eating more and expanding your waistline; leaving half on the plate to be thrown away, wasting food and money; or taking home a “doggy-bag” for later, which never tastes as good heated the second time. So just ask and go with the smaller portions.

Perhaps you think you do not have time for pancakes, especially homemade ones. Well, the other morning I got up and was in the kitchen at about 18 minutes after the hour and had homemade, from scratch, pancakes and syrup on the table at 32 minutes after the hour. Beat that! Practice makes it easy to do. Having a jug of homemade syrup already in the fridge helps too. I just put some in a pan, on low to heat while I am whipping up the pancakes. Everything is ready at once.

Here are the recipes I use for the syrup and pancakes.

Homemade Syrup

Ratio = 2 parts sugar to 1 part water

To make a large quantity:

4 cups sugar

2 cups water

1 – 2 tablespoons molasses (more or less depending on how dark you like it)

Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  When just beginning to boil, turn off heat and remove pan, stir well, then serve. Store the remainder in a container (glass or plastic) in the fridge and just heat what you need each time. (I tried storing it in a squeeze bottle in the cupboard, but eventually it got moldy, so the next batch went back in the fridge. We like our syrup hot anyway.)

Whole Wheat Pancakes

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

Mix dry ingredients then add:

1 egg, beaten

2 tablespoons oil

1 cup milk (you can use dry milk here, add the powdered milk, the amount to make one cup, to the dry ingredients, and then add one cup of water with the wet ingredients.)

Mix all together and pour or ladle onto hot griddle (325° - 350°), turning when the bubbles closed and the edges are done.

Recipe can be doubled, tripled or “fourpled” (a family term)

I mix it all up in an eight cup measuring pitcher and simply pour the batter onto the griddle from the pitcher.

If you want to save time in the morning prepare the ingredients the night before. Mix up the dry stuff and cover; mix up the wet stuff and put it in an air tight container in the fridge. In the morning, start the syrup heating, turn on the griddle and mix the batter. Instant pancakes for breakfast. Add some fruit and you have a wonderful breakfast. Just remember to limit your portions, three or four 2 ½ inch pancakes with 1 tablespoon of syrup and you will be good to go.

Waffles take longer to cook so we do not have those on work/school mornings, but they make a good choice on weekends or holidays. I use the same pancake recipe for the waffles.

 If whole wheat is too much for you, try half and half. Half whole wheat flour and half white flour. Whole wheat, especially if you have ground it fresh yourself, (ask a Mormon friend about it) is the best nutritionally. But the kind you buy at the store works too. My husband did not like pancakes until he tasted my whole wheat ones. Our children too have become partial to the whole wheat pancakes and consider the doughy store bought mix ones often served at fund raiser breakfasts or church events, to be totally nasty. It is all a matter of what you are used to.

Store bought muffins have too much sugar in them and taste more like cake, plus they are usually huge, enough for four servings. Try these homemade ones for a better option.

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins

Mix together in bowl:

2 cups flour (half whole wheat and half white)

¾ cup rolled oats

1/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cloves

Add:

2/3 cup raisins (stir in to coat with flour)

Add:

1 slightly beaten egg

1 cup milk (same thing as the pancakes, you can use dry milk and water)

¼ cup oil

Mix gently until it’s all moistened, then spoon into greased muffin tins.  Makes 12.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Just like the pancakes these can be mixed (dry and wet separate) the night before, prepare the pan and then fix in the morning. Turn on the oven to preheat while you mix them up and spoon them into the pan. Voila. Fresh, hot muffins. These with some scrambled eggs and some fruit make a great breakfast.

I have been serving bagels to my family for years. They are filling and that is good for growing boys with hollow legs. However, recently I read that bagels are nutritionally empty calories and therefore should have a limited place in our meals. Okay then. Instead of a whole bagel, let’s just eat a half, share the other half with another family member, with just a skim of cream cheese on it (instead of a quarter inch thick spread) and we will be okay. It is all about portion size, remember?

English muffins are a good alternative to toast with a meal, or use them for breakfast sandwiches. Toast the muffin, add a thin slice of cheese, half a slice of bacon, and part of an egg; the egg is beaten and cooked thin in an omelet pan. I can get three or four portions out of one egg this way.

Speaking of eggs, when fixing scrambled eggs I plan on one egg per person, with an extra one thrown in for good measure. So if I am feeding my whole family of seven, I use just eight eggs. One blogger I read says she rarely serves scrambled eggs to her family of nine because it takes eighteen eggs to feed them. What? All of the children are under 12. That’s way too many eggs. She could get by with under a dozen. Or rather I could.

Another egg saving breakfast is French Toast.

Mom’s Café Recipe for French Toast

Beat together:

4 large eggs

1 cup milk

Dip slices of white bread in mixture and cook on a medium-hot (325) griddle greased with butter.  Turn slices and brown other side.

Makes about 14-16 slices depending on the size and kind of bread.

For making larger or smaller batches the ratio is ¼ cup milk to 1 egg.

If you want to make it special, add ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon.

For warm weather breakfasts I like homemade granola with either milk or yogurt. Here is my simple recipe.

6 cups rolled oats (old-fashioned oatmeal)

½ cup honey (or maple syrup, but who has that?)

1/3 cup canola oil

2 tablespoons orange juice (the kind from concentrate, unless you have an orange tree and want to squeeze some fresh)

1 cup chopped walnuts or other favorite such as almond, pecan, sunflower, etc.

Preheat oven to 325° F.

Combine the honey, oil and juice in a saucepan; heat until just warm.

In a large bowl combine the oats and nuts, then pour wet mixture over the oats and stir until well combined. Spread the mixture evenly in a shallow roasting or baking pan. Bake for about 20 – 30 minutes, stirring and re-spreading every 10 minutes until a pretty golden brown. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Dried fruits such as raisins, craisins, or berries can be added (one cup) after it is cooled. Portion size is one third cup. (Or a half cup, if you are a teenage boy with hollow legs.) At one third cup this has 235 calories per serving. I can almost guarantee that it is filling and you won’t get hungry soon after eating.

Have you ever heard of Breakfast Salad? No? It is quite popular at our house. I think our son Joseph put the first one together. Take some leftover boiled potatoes from dinner the night before, peel and cut them into bite sized pieces, and set aside. Chop up a little bit of onion, and some bell pepper (any color, the more the merrier) and set them aside with the potatoes. Take some bulk sausage, not more than half a pound for six people and cook it until it is no longer pink, add the potatoes, onions and peppers to fry. In another skillet (or small omelet pan) scramble a couple of eggs. When they are done, the other should be done and you can add it all together. Voila! Breakfast salad. Hearty, and filling for teenage boys. For yourself, go ahead and eat some, just limit your portion to about  one cup worth. See, you can have everything as long as you measure the portion.

Whew. I think we are done with breakfast. Oh, one more thing. How about a humorous anecdote? This summer our youngest son went on a little trip with some other youth and leaders from our church. In the morning the leaders quickly figured out that the hotel no longer served breakfast, so one of them went out to buy some food. When our son was presented with donuts and Sunny D he said, as politely as he could, “I don’t eat fake food.” When questioned about his preferences for breakfast he said, “My mom fixes me a hot breakfast every morning.” The women leaders were in awe. I promise, with practice it takes just a few minutes to serve a hot, nutritious breakfast to yourself and others.

NaNoWriMo-Chapter Ten

Once again, a reminder that this is a very rough draft of the book I'm writing for National Novel Writing Month. To up my word count I don't generally use contractions, after all I'm trying to write 50,000 words in thirty days. Not easy, but lots of fun.

Chapter Ten

Speaking of Books

In the preceding chapters I have referenced a few of the books I have read and use for reference. I would like to formally introduce you to all of my favorite books for this subject.

Change One – The diet & fitness plan, Lose Weight Simply, Safely, and Forever

The Official Diet of Reader’s Digest

Set for Life; Eat More…Weigh Less…Feel Terrific

Jane P. Merrill and Karen M. Sunderland

Low-Fat Lies, High Fat Frauds and the healthiest diet in the world

Kevin Vigilante, MD MPH and Mary Flynn, PhD

Flip the Switch, Proven Strategies to Fuel Your Metabolism & Burn Fat 24 Hours a Day

Robert K. Cooper, PhD, Recipes by Leslie L. Cooper

How to Help Your Man Lose Weight, A Guide for the Concerned Woman

Jerry C. Sutkamp, M.D. & Ted Mason

Healing through Exercise, Scientifically-proven ways to prevent and overcome illness and lengthen your life

Jörg Blech

The Sneaky Chef, Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids’ Favorite Meals

Missy Chase Lapine

The Volumetrics Eating Plan, Techniques and Recipes for Feeling Full on Fewer Calories

Barbara Rolls, Ph.D

8 Minutes in the Morning for Extra-Easy Weight Loss

Jorge Cruise

You would think that with having read all of these books I would be slim and fit already. Well, surely you understand the problem: knowledge is not the same as action. I will defend myself in that I have adopted some of the knowledge that I have gained, I have resisted some temptation, otherwise, I would probably weigh three hundred pounds, like many other women who are stress eaters with no self discipline. I am just grateful that I have had only a 2.6 pound average weight gain over the years. I could have done much, much worse.

What I have learned from each book.

Change One, The Official Diet of Reader’s Digest

The Diet and Fitness Plan – Lose Weight Simply, Safely and Forever

The best thing about this book is all the success stories of real people who have used the diet. It is encouraging to see the before and after pictures of real people, male and female, and read their stories. I want to be one of those successes. I like the plan because it takes things slow and steady, changing one thing at a time, and addresses all the things that can derail a change of eating and exercising habits. There are meal plans and recipes and lots of great pictures. The exercises are basic and simple to begin with, increasing in complexity as the weeks go by.

Set for Life, Eat More, Weight Less, Feel Terrific

Jane P. Merrill, Karen M. Sunderland

The authors of Set for Life lay out three points for balancing life to bring success; those points are 1) Positive Living, 2) Regular Exercise, and 3) Good Nutrition. Much of the book is given to recipes for healthful foods. When I first got the book I tried many of the recipes and some have become family favorites and traditions. Others, well, let’s just say that our tastes differ from the author’s tastes and leave it at that. Some of the recipes my husband didn’t like while I did, but since I am not interested in fixing two meals I opted to fix things my husband will eat. I found early on that if he didn’t like something he would politely eat a little bit and later find an excuse to go somewhere, and while out he would stop of a fast food joint and fill up. Fast food is bad for the wallet as well as the body, so I try to fix things he likes.

I have struggled with positive living, having a happy attitude, since I went to Junior High. I do not remember being unhappy during childhood. I liked going to school, I had friends, and I felt good about myself. When it was time to go to seventh grade my parents made the decision to transfer me from the local school where we lived to the school where my father taught. I went to orientation on the Friday before school was to begin and was immediately plunged into despair. I do not even remember looking at the boys, but the girls were all well dressed in the latest mini-skirts (This was 1969), already knew each other from elementary school and wore nylons! I was dressed in a homemade dress (not that that was bad, my mother was an excellent seamstress) with bobby socks and lace up suede oxfords. I was a first class dork and totally embarrassed. Plus, I had curly red hair, freckles and fair skin (and still do, well except the freckles are much less now), and did not fit in, in any way shape or form. I became despondent and during ninth grade had stress headaches so often and bad that my parents decided to take me to the doctor. I believe those years were the cause of my continuous struggle with feeling inferior and unhappy. Even now, it is difficult to be optimistic and hopeful. But I keep trying. The authors are both slim and energetic so that says something, especially since they are both mothers of more children than me.

Low-Fat Lies, High-Fat Fraud and the healthiest diet in the world

Kevin Vigilante, MD, MPH and Mary Flynn, PhD

This book exposes the propaganda of the collusion of science and government, as well as teaching about a truly healthful way of eating. Dr. Vigilante (how’s that for a name?) has an engaging writing style and lots of well researched information. The recipes are good, a little on the high-brow side of things, but they are instructive as to what constitutes this healthy diet.

Flip the Switch – Proven Strategies to Fuel Your Metabolism & Burn Fat 24 Hours a Day

Robert K. Cooper, PhD, Recipes by Leslie L. Cooper

I’m still wading through this one. It is heavy on the science and research, but still manages to be readable. It explains how our bodies work, which is helpful to know. It has straightforward suggestions about what to do to rev up your metabolism. I know they work, because it is basically what trim, healthy people do. Like I said before, knowledge is not the same as action. But this book is motivating.

How to Help Your Man Lose Weight – A Guide for the Concerned Woman

Jerry C. Sutkamp, M.D. & Ted Mason

If you want ideas on how to change your man’s eating habits, this book is the one. He has some great stories and anecdotes from his patient’s lives. I don’t agree with all the non-fat, reduced fat ingredients used in the eating plan, but it can be a starting point.  One of the most valuable parts is his explanation into the male psyche; understanding the way men think about food and body size is really helpful to understanding strategies that will help them lose weight.

Healing through Exercise – Scientifically-Proven ways to Prevent and Overcome Illness and Lengthen Your Life

Jörg Blech

This is one of my favorites because it explains how beneficial exercise is for our bodies; not just exercise in a gym, but an active life versus a sedentary life. When I need motivation, this is the book I turn to. I want to live a long, healthy life and exercise is an important ingredient in achieving that goal.

The Sneaky Chef – Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids’ Favorite Meals

Missy Chase Lapine

This book is downright fun to read. Missy has the best ideas for hiding foods. I have tried them and they work! Even if you don’t use her exact ideas and recipes, the concept is easily transferrable to your own recipes and it is fun to get creative. Lots of nice pictures too.

The Volumetrics Eating Plan – Techniques and Recipes for Feeling Full on Fewer Calories

Barbara Roll, Ph.D.

This is a sequel to her original book The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan. Dr. Roll is associated with Penn State and has done extensive research there on nutrition, diet, and eating habits. These books are wonderful! Solid scientific information in a readable format; good recipes, and in this book there are lots of pictures so you can actually see the difference her methods make in size of portions. It is astounding. Give it a look-see.

8 Minutes in the Morning for Extra-Easy Weight Loss.

Jorge Cruise

I had seen Jorge’s books for years before I bought one. I got this one because the premise is that you don’t need any equipment for the exercises. You can do them in your pjs in your bedroom first thing in the morning. He also includes an eating plan that is very generous and a buddy system plan that helps with accountability and encouragement. The book is a good one and I like to read his explanations for everything. He too has studied nutrition and exercise science and uses the latest findings to guide is advice. Another great feature is personal success stories from many participants. See real people succeed encourages me.

And there you have it. The books I refer to most for information, recipes, exercises, and encouragement.

Want to know something odd about me? When I have cravings for sweets, or food in general I can satisfy those cravings by reading a cookbook. Reading a cookbook does not induce cravings, it satisfies them, mostly. Sometimes the cravings are such that I end of making something, but generally I can find relief by simply reading yummy recipes. Weird, I know. Hand me that book with the pie recipes, will ya’?

NaNoWriMo - Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Adjusting Recipes to Lower Calories and Other Useful Strategies

Low-fat and non-fat have been a huge business for the past couple of decades. I am not a believer. Non-fat cheese just does not have the same appeal and the real thing. I would rather choose carefully where I reduce calories and splurge on the good stuff.

It is possible to adjust favorite family recipes to be lower calorie and higher nutritional value without sacrificing taste and texture. This is done by adding and subtracting various ingredients, and/or substituting one kind of food for another.

Think of my example of the Korean Noodle Bowl. I tossed half of the noodles and added almost two cups of fresh veggies to cook with it.

Here is another example of lightening up a recipe. Years ago as part of an annual leadership training meeting of a woman’s group we put on a breakfast. Our president gave us a recipe and ingredients and we made the breakfast casseroles. For my own family I lightened it and liked it much better.

First the original recipe:

Prepare the night before -  

12 slices bread , remove crust, butter each slice, and cut into 1 inch cubes

½ pound cheddar cheese, grated

1 pound cooked, crumbled sausage (or bacon or ham)

1 dozen eggs

3 cups whole milk

Put buttered bread cubes in a greased 9x13 baking pan; sprinkle grated cheese over bread. Layer cooked sausage on top. Beat eggs and milk together, pour over prepared dish, cover and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, bake at 350° for one hour.

I put these ingredients into a calorie calculator and found that a serving, based on this size pan serving 12 people, is 429 calories per serving.

Here are my adjustments:

Skip greasing your pan, do not butter the bread, use ¼ pound of cheese, ½ pound sausage, and 1% milk.

These adjustments make each serving 215 calories, a 50% savings in calories.

(Calorie calculator at http://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php)

The breakfast casserole still has a rich flavor, but is less fattening. Adding a cup of chopped onion and bell peppers would make it even more nutritious without adding to the calories. Served with a bowl of fresh fruit salad it makes a great breakfast for special occasions. In fact, the original recipe is called Brunch Souffle. I have served it for years on Christmas and other holidays.

I did not substitute any ingredients, just reduced or eliminated them. I figured that with cheese and sausage it didn’t need any butter on the bread or grease in the pan. It hasn’t. Reducing the amount of cheese and sausage didn’t affect the flavor or texture of the casserole, except perhaps to make it less greasy, which is a good thing.

A great reference book for doing this is called The Volumerics Eating Plan; Techniques and recipes for feeling full on fewer calories, by Barbara Rolls, PH.D. This book even has pictures to show the difference in serving size between the original and the Volumetrics recipes.

If you cannot or will not reduce the calories in your foods, then it is even more vital that you reduce the portion you eat. The Volumetrics plan is attractive because you can eat more food and feel fuller and satisfied while taking in fewer calories. It’s like magic.

But all this takes some work at first, educating yourself on what adjustments work for you and your family, practicing the cooking and allowing enough time for shopping, preparation and experimentation. It would be worth it though, don’t you think? To be able to eat more and enjoy good tasting food while still losing weight? I think so.

Here is a very old recipe, from my Nana Rose (1887-1969) that is tasty and nutritious.

Nana’s Boiled Raisin Cake

From the kitchen of Rose Hansen

Grandmother of Rozann Thoelke

In sauce pan place:

2 cups sugar                          2 cups water or apple juice

¼ cup Cocoa                         1 lb. raisins

¼ cup butter

Boil for 5 minutes, cool, (prepare in the morning and bake later in the day or prepare in the evening and bake the next morning).

When cool add:

3 cups flour (I use 2 white, 1 whole wheat)         ½ tsp cloves

1 tsp salt                                                                    ½ tsp nutmeg

1 tsp baking powder                                               ½ tsp allspice

1 tsp soda                                                                  1 tsp cinnamon

Grease and flour cake pans (2 8x8 square, 2 8” round, or 9x13), pour batter into pans and distribute evenly.

Bake ½ hour at 350°, and ½ hour at 325° or until done, when a toothpick comes out clean.

This cake is so moist and good it doesn’t even need frosting!

If you would rather not use it, leave out the butter, and add ¼ cup oil after the liquid cools and with the dry ingredients.

As you prepare meals allow enough time to think through ways to eliminate calories. Do you have to cook those vegetables with butter?  Does that recipe need mayonnaise and sour cream?  Determine what your favorite fat is (mine is cheese) and see where you can eliminate other fat calories to allow for your favorite. It is not necessary or healthy to give up all fats. Our brains and bodies need some fat to function, but any in excess of our needs goes straight to our waist, hips and thighs. If you want to trim the fat off of those places, take the time to trim the fat off your cuts of meat. Ask the butcher to do it for you too.

I do not believe in trying to find a way to make my favorite desserts low fat or low calorie. We can get much more mouth satisfaction out of the real thing. The trick is to limit portion size and eat slowly to savor each tiny bite. Use your prettiest dishes, a small dessert fork and let each bite linger in your mouth for full flavor and texture enjoyment.

It is possible to eat everything we want, just not in the quantities we are used to. Choose your indulgences carefully and limit portion sizes. Fill up on low calorie foods first. And for goodness sakes let’s not wait until we are desperate and out of control. A binge does not do anyone any good. But, when those times happen, we can look forward to the light of new day and begin again.

Okay, Back to Blogging

Long time readers will remember that I originally began this blog as a public sharing of my weight loss, sort of an accountability project. Which, ahem, didn’t work. So . . .

In June of this year I joined TOPS, weighing about 193 lbs. I say about because I stopped weighing myself when I saw 192, and I know I went up a little bit from there. So far attending TOPS I've lost 26 ¼  lbs and regained 10 ¾ lbs for a net loss of 15 ½ lbs. The “loveliest” number I saw on the scale was 172.8 (which rounds to 172 ¾). I'm looking forward to seeing it again very soon.

October was really difficult to get through. If I believed in evolution, I’d be inclined to believe I descended from a bear. Every Autumn I feel the urge to bulk up on carbohydrates, then curl up and hibernate through the cold, dark winter until the weather warms up with the sun shining longer each day. Alas, I’m a human being and don’t get to hibernate. And I must overcome my cravings.

Attending TOPS really does help; the other women are empathetic and encouraging. And it helps to be accountable, even when I know I've gained weight. So onward and upward downward!

I’ll share a really yummy recipe I make for my lunches (because I’m the only one in the house who likes tomatoes).

Tomatoes and Black Beans
1 onion (tennis ball size, or more or less as you like) chopped and sautéed in 1 tablespoon oil (your choice, I like Olive)
When the onions are soft and translucent add 1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes and 1 15 oz. can of black beans (drained and rinsed), ½ tsp basil (or any favorite Italian spice) and ½ tsp garlic powder (not garlic salt). Simmer until heated through.
Serve over cooked brown rice. If you like, top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

For me this is comfort food! Plus, it’s low calorie and high fiber, two things that help me in my quest to lose weight and be healthy.

Show and Tell

Frugal Friday

This has been a busy and productive week. For a church Young Women's service project we are making pillow cases for a children's hospital in Omaha. I found wonderful instructions at MaryQuilts.com (sending a big thanks to her for her clarity!). Having found the instructions I cut out fabric for six or seven cases. This is the one I sewed with the girls as a demonstration.

Darling Hippos!

These pillowcases are a great way to use up leftovers, reduce your stash, or save money by using thrift store or yard sale sheets or fabric. The best part of sewing them is that it takes only three seams to make them with NO raw edges inside, so they are sturdy and long lasting.

In another area for frugality, I used up a leftover slice of toast and an English muffin to make bread crumbs for Salmon cakes. My goal is to eliminate waste in my kitchen. I do pretty good, but I want to reduce it even more. Here is one of my methods. After a meal I put the leftover toasted whatever into a (used) bread bag to save for processing. When I'm ready I get out my blender and tear the bread into small pieces and grind them in the blender. Maybe you have a food processor which would work also, I don't have one and have always used my blender. The crumbs can be made at the time you have the leftovers and saved in the freezer, or save the leftovers and make the crumbs as you need them. Works both ways.

(We have such lovely walls in our kitchen!)

Crumbs ready for making Salmon cakes (or patties)

Yummy - ready to be turned over to brown the other side.

Salmon Burgers (or cakes, patties, balls)
1 14.75 oz. can Salmon, drained and flaked
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 - 2 cups bread crumbs (amount depends on how many you're feeding)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon dried dillweed
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Combine ingredients, mix well with your hands, then form into patties. Pan fry in small amount of vegetable oil until browned on both sides. Serve as you would any other burger. For patties or cakes just make them smaller (see picture), for balls just make them round (you get the idea).

We enjoyed these the other night with homemade oven fries.

I like making things from scratch so I can control the ingredients. Recently I decided it was time to finally figure out how to make my own "condensed cream of . . ." soups. A google search came up with lots of ideas and recipes but the one I liked best is found at a wonderful site called Salad-In-A-Jar. I tried the recipe and was totally pleased with how fast, easy and tasty it turned out. I used it in a chicken casserole and thought it tasted better than any store bought. The recipe calls for 8 ounces of evaporated milk which is less than a full can so I looked up how to make my own so I wouldn't waste any from a can. Talk about easy! Instead of the liquid milk, just add 2/3 cup dry milk and 3/4 cup water to the blender with the other ingredients for the cream soup. It was fabulous. Also, I used canned mushrooms instead of fresh (easier to store and have on hand) and black pepper instead of white.

I recognized that this recipe was MSG free, very low sodium and easy to make but as I read all the comments on Paula's blog I realized that I needed to share this with my sister whose daughter eats a gluten-free diet. So this is a great recipe for many different applications. Huge thanks to Paula for developing it and sharing. I think this cream soup recipe would work with other things like chicken, celery, broccoli, asparagus, etc. which will make casserole cooking so much more healthy and frugal. It fits with my desire to store basic ingredients that can be used in many different ways.

Tightwads United

Some years ago, in another place, I tried to start a "Tightwad" group to encourage the sharing of ideas and practices. It never really got off the ground.

I'd like to try again with an internet group.

Do you know what a tightwad is?

A TIGHTWAD is . . .

T - thrifty with resources
I - inventive and creative
G - grateful for all she/he has
H - happy with homemade
T - tenacious
W - willing to experiment
A - attentive to details
D - dedicated to goals

. . . and worth her/his weight in gold!

Are you a tightwad? Do you want to be? Would you like to be part of sharing ideas and practices here at PFCMom?

I'll start and you can join in down below in the comments.

Menu Mondays

I serve a lot of cooked oatmeal here. Growing up my parents called it mush. I'd rather say that to a bunch of Huskies. I never called it that for my children because that sounds yucky. I've always called it oatmeal cereal because children (and husbands) are more willing to try something with a nice name.

Recently we had a dish for breakfast that we hadn't had for a long time; I chose it because the oven was finally fixed and I had a craving. I called everyone to breakfast saying "Time for breakfast, come on we're having cookies!"

When my husband took an unprecedented second helping I asked what made the difference. "Just calling it cookies makes it taste better."

So here's my recipe for Baked Oatmeal or Cookies for Breakfast

1 1/2 cups rolled oats (if using regular rather than quick, soak for 15 minutes in the milk)
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup soft butter (1/2 stick)
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine ingredients and mix well. Spread evenly in a greased 9x9 inch baking pan.
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until edges are dark golden brown.

Serve warm with plain or fruited yogurt; fresh, frozen, dried, or canned fruit; milk or cream.

Fruits such as raisins, craisins, fresh or frozen blueberries, chopped apples, etc., chopped nuts, chocolate chips, or coconut may be added before baking. Try it with your favorite spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and such. This is a very versatile and forgiving dish.

Recipe can be doubled for a 9x13 inch pan.

How to Stretch a Can of Tuna Fish

I'm old enough to remember when cans of tuna fish were 7 ounces. Today they are five ounces. Some years ago I devised a way to stretch a can to make it go further.

Here's my method:

Gather whatever vegetables you have on hand; my standards are onion, carrot, celery, bell peppers (whatever color) and broccoli.

Chop each veggie as fine as you can:

Mix them in a bowl:

Add the tuna and some mayonnaise (or your choice of white salad dressing stuff):

Mix it all together and serve on bread for sandwiches or with crackers (when you forgot to get the bread out of the freezer that morning).

This batch made 2 cups (500 ml), so at 1/4 cup per sandwich, this would make 8 sandwiches; six sandwiches if you spread it a little thicker. Way better than one or two sandwiches per can; plus all those tasty, healthful veggies!

Thanks to Dandylion for helping with the Photo Booth effects shots.

Nevertheless, Wheat for Man

Guess what I did today!
That's right, I ground some whole wheat flour. Thought I'll show you a little about that.
I set everything up--you can see my grain mill, five gallon storage bucket, can opener and a #10 can.

This is wheat I canned in Washington state twenty years ago, but actually the wheat was purchased sixteen years earlier than that. I was eighteen and the ward (church congregation) placed an order for some Montana hard red wheat and I bought 150 pounds. My parents kept it in their storage until I retrieved it in 1992 and took it home to Mount Vernon, Washington, where I then took it to the church cannery and put it in steel cans. This is the best wheat I've ever had.

This is my grain grinder that I bought while living in Dale City, Virginia in 1999 for $181.00. Today the company is called Blendtec and the same grain mill sells for $179.95.

Here's a peek at the whole wheat berries. They are yummy just chewed up straight from the can.

Here's what the flour looks like: above is in the mill bucket, and below is in the five gallon bucket.

PW wanted to make some bread so I showed him my recipe for Fast and Easy French Bread and let him go to it. Here's his bread ready to rise.

And here's the finished product.

While the bread was baking I made up some Black Beans and Tomatoes to go over leftover brown rice. It is one of my favorite lunches.

For dessert Paul served me half of one of his round loaves spread with Dulce de Leche he brought home from Argentina. It was the perfect ending.

What would a blog be without a couple of recipes:

Fast and Easy French Bread

In a large bowl place: 3 cups warm (hot tap) water
                                   2 tablespoons sugar
                                   2 tablespoons yeast
                                   1 tablespoon salt
                                   2 tablespoons olive (or other) oil
When the yeast blooms, ADD 6 - 8 cups flour to make a stiff dough (I use half whole wheat and half unbleached)
Let rise 20 minutes.
Shape into loaves (whatever shape you like) and place on a greased baking sheet (or in greased loaf pans)
Let rise 20 minutes.
Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
For shiny bread, brush on egg wash made of a whole egg and a tablespoon of water.

Black Beans and Tomatoes
1 small onion (or part of large one) chopped, saute in 1 tablespoon oil
Add 15 oz. can of stewed tomatoes, and 15 oz can of black beans, drained, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder. Simmer until heated through. Serve over brown rice.

Today PW requested the addition of a little chili powder and it was a good choice.

We have been counseled for many decades to store wheat. I was raised by a mother who not only stored it but used it for bread. Her mother had made whole wheat bread too and it is her recipe that I use today.(Not the French Bread, I got that at a Relief Society Activity)  I not only bake bread, but I use whole wheat flour for pancakes (my husband won't eat any other kind), rolls, biscuits, muffins, sweet or nut breads, cookies, cakes, pie crust, and pizza. I like the texture and flavor of the whole wheat flour. At times when I've had the money and/or it was readily available I've used whole wheat pasta also.

It's all a matter of what you get used to. I'll share an example. I grew up eating General Mills brand Cheerios; I didn't know there were any other kind. Until I had children of my own and decided that I couldn't afford Cheerios and bought some Malto Meal Tasteos (or whatever they're called). They tasted different, but after a couple weeks I got used to them and that's all my children ever had. When we visited Grandma and she served Cheerios my children DIDN'T LIKE THEM!!! They tasted different from the ones they were used to.

Moral of the story: Give your taste buds a couple of weeks to adjust to new tastes and textures. When beginning to use whole wheat flour start with adding 1/4 of the total amount of flour, after a couple of times, up it to 1/3, then 1/2. Experiment. I found that in dark things like gingerbread or pumpkin cake I can use 100% whole wheat flour and nobody complains. In fact, the first time I made pumpkin cake using all whole wheat flour Topdad said it was the best cake he'd ever eaten!

I believe the Lord when he says "All grain is good for the food of man; . . . Nevertheless, wheat for man," (Doctrine and Covenants 89:16-17)