The Mommypotamus » Real Food For Busy Moms

Real Food For Busy Moms: More Budget Recipes

Heather — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:53:46 +0000

But there were no food stores in the town of Chewandswallow. They didn’t need any . . . The only thing that was really different about Chewandswallow was it’s weather. It came three times a day at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Everything that everyone ate came from the sky.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Gigi – What are you reading to her!?!?!

Me – What?

Gigi – Is that Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs? I LOVE that book! Haven’t seen it since you were little.

And then she promptly sat down beside us for storytime. That’s when I realized that EVERY mom (including my own) has probably fantasized about meals falling from the sky at one point or another. Even the most avid food enthusiast can just. get. tired. of. it.

For me, those slumps are usually due to stress. Like, ahem, waking up to assist my son every couple of hours because he keeps rolling over and getting stranded on his back like a turtle.

Busy schedules, illness and other interruptions make it really tempting to forego cooking, but those are the times when our bodies need a little homemade TLC the most! If you are in this season (I am!) here are some ideas for filling your belly without draining your wallet or your time.

Crockpot Chicken and Quinoa

A simple “set and forget ” crockpot recipe, this hearty stew is a protein powerhouse. Fatigue and stress often induce sugar cravings which tax the immune system and create more fatigue. Eating protein instead will help prevent that vicious cycle. In addition to the chicken, quinoa is a complete protein (meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids), so you can get away with using less chicken if needed.

Another fatigue fighting benefit is that kitchen cleanup is quick and easy, too.

Visit Kimi over at The Nourishing Gourmet for the recipe

Black Bean and Egg Burritos

Perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner, this recipe is more like a list of suggestions than a step-by-step guide. Do you have leftover chicken, a dollop of sour cream or chives fresh from the garden? Throw them in! At just $.74 – $1.04 per serving (per Kimi), this recipe is already super cheap, but if you’re feeling creative this is a great way to get rid of leftovers, too!

Check out the recipe here

Kale and White Bean Soup

“This recipe for Kale and White Bean Soup saves me in every way it can: when I’m tired and can’t cook, when we have even less money to spend on food, when I want something warming and nourishing.” ~ Jenny at Nourished Kitchen

We double (or triple!!) the butter, but other than that this is a perfectly satisfying meal for next to nothing.

Check out the recipe at Nourished Kitchen

Do you have a recipe that should be featured in this series??? If so, leave a comment with a link to your recipe or email me!

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Real Food For Busy Moms: Budget Edition!

Heather — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 13:17:59 +0000

Welcome to Part 4 of our series on Real Food for Busy Moms. If this is your first time visiting, you can check out a quick and fabulous egg drop soup, a decadent Copycat Whole Foods salmon dip, or a creamy and luxurious shrimp bisque. I’m so glad you stopped by and I hope these recipes make your holiday season bright!

When Fat-Free Makes No Sense And Other Paradoxes

Have you ever contemplated the irony of “Fat-Free Sour Cream”? I mean, really, cream without fat??? I’m always curious about how these oddities exist, so I checked the label. Apparently they should be calling it “Low-Fat Guar Gum,” but I’m guessing that wouldn’t fly off the shelves.

My point is, some concepts by definition exclude others. Last summer, after creating only one post in what was supposed to be series about real food on a budget, I started to believe those two terms were mutually exclusive as well. To be more accurate, I knew it could be done, but I was not willing to eat beans and lentils everyday.

Fast forward a few months. Trimming our budget has become more of a priority, so beans and lentils it is . . . or so I thought. After reading the Food Stamp Challenge series at Nourished Kitchen, I was inspired. Jenny convinced me that we could save a lot of money and still eat very well. And the best part? I’ve discovered recipes that are cheap and quick. Perfecto. Here are three of my favorites:

Gratin of Mussels

Rich in B12, phosphorus, selenium, manganese and other vitamins and minerals, this simple dish is ironic in it’s own way. It’s brown, muted tones remind me of a peasant meal, but the delicate flavors are decidedly aristocratic. My family loves it, even Daddypotamus although he’s practically declared under oath that he doesn’t like seafood.

The fresh mussels at Whole Foods were a little more than I wanted to spend (maybe they are out of season?), but I found some raw chopped clams in the freezer section for $5/pound.

Throw the ingredients together will take 10 minutes max. Just bake for 40 minutes and voila! To get the recipe, download the Meal Plan at the end of this post.

Hamburger and Barley Stew

This sounded so gross to me I almost didn’t make it, but I figured it had to be better than lentils and I was so . . . right! This hearty stew is comfort food, pure and simple.

It’s also oh-so-simple to make and will be making regular appearances on our dinner table.

And Hannah, if you’re reading this, I like YOUR lentil stew. For some reason I just can’t get the hang of making them myself.

To get the recipe, download the Meal Plan at the end of this post.

Sweet Souffléed Omelettes

Kimi at The Nourishing Gourmet won praise from Daniel and Katie for a light, airy take on the classic omelette.

For me, the egg/jam combination wasn’t quite right. I added some butter and that helped, but when I make these again I’m going to top mine with cheese.

On the upside, these were really fun to make and beautiful to serve. Check out the recipe here.

Do you have a recipe that should be featured in this series??? If so, leave a comment with a link to your recipe or email me!

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Real Food For Busy Moms: Breakfast Ideas

Heather — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:25:23 +0000

I’ve been feeling like I need to apologize to the cute little Real Food Media blogroll on my sidebar. Every morning when I open my laptop I hear it sputter with excitement.

“What are we going to talk about today?,” it chirps. “New pumpkin pie porridge recipe? How to make yogurt?” It waits expectantly to announce today’s topic.

But for the past month or so, I can tell my chipper little blogroll has been getting depressed. “Oh, another one about your uterus. Yay,” it drolls. Today, it stopped working altogether. Not just on my site, but everywhere.

I can take a hint. Baby fever has taken over my blog.

I’m sorry little blogroll. Please come back. This post is for you . . . and for moms who want to feed their families a yummy, healthy breakfast and sleep 20 extra minutes in the morning.

Baked Oatmeal

Whip up this delightful breakfast bar on Sunday afternoon and smile. You’re done with breakfast for the week. One pan easily makes enough to feed our family (three adults and one toddler) for at least the workweek. By then we’re usually ready for something new, like buttermilk pancakes, so it works out well.* How much easier can it be?

Oatmeal (nourishing and frugal), pastured eggs (packed with omega 3′s and protein), coconut oil (healthy saturated fat) and fruit are a wonderful way to start the day. Since my days are currently starting at 4am, I need some *wonderful* right about then.

Note: Don’t be afraid to play with this recipe. I’ve used fresh fruit and other combinations (like dried mango with almond extract) and it’s all been scrumptious.

Visit Jenny, my culinary hero, over at Nourished Kitchen for the recipe

* If you’d prefer more variety you can freeze half and serve it every other day while alternating with other meals

Mommypotamus’ Mango Lassi

Smoothies are so versatile. They’re great for hiding your toddlers supplements or masking the taste of certain veggies, but you don’t need a reason like that to start incorporating them into your morning routine.

Smoothies are quick, nutritious, portable , and kids love them. Below is a real food version of the SP Cleanse Smoothie I created for Daddypotamus. If you’re interested in finding more ways to boost the nutritional value of your morning smoothie, check out this article at Passionate Homemaking.

Mango Lassi

* 1/2 cup peaches
* 3/4 cup mango
* 1/4 cup banana
* 1/4 cup kefir, raw cream or full-fat coconut milk
* Water until desired consistency is reached.
* 2-3 egg yolks
* supplements

Photo Credit: Pengrin on Flickr

Sauteed Swiss Chard

Some of your stomachs are probably already revolting at the idea, but greens are a fabulous breakfast. Plus, it’s a great way to get ahead on your veggie requirement for the day.

Quick Tip: Sautee with minced garlic in leftover pastured bacon grease or coconut oil. The healthy fats will help you absorb more of chard’s many antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

To Prepare: Mince garlic and set aside. Place oil on medium heat. When oil is ready, add garlic and chard. Sautee until wilted, or about 5 minutes.

Optional: Serve with a side of scrambled eggs from pastured hens to add extra protein to this fabulous, nutrient dense breakfast.Similar Posts:

Real Food For Busy Moms Pt.3

Heather — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 12:30:08 +0000

Now that I have a toddler AND a newborn, I am officially a BUSY mom. What other kind of mom could leave the house only to realize in public that her daughter has two right shoes on?

That’s me. A busy, constantly hungry, tandem-nursing real food mom . . . on a budget. My proverbial plate is full, but that won’t feed my family:) That’s why this week I am focusing on easy, cost conscious recipes that don’t skimp on flavor!

Lickety Split French Onion Soup

A perfect complement to the changing seasons, this decadent soup is an “elixir filled with healthy vitamins, gelatin, protein and bone enriching minerals like calcium and magnesium . . . Onions are rich in sulfur and allicin which help maintain a healthy immune system. It’s origins are in the french countryside, where peasants had little and did their best to draw the nutrients out of everything they cooked,” says recipe creator Alex from A Moderate Life.

But enough about how good it is for you, the important thing to know about this dish it that it is mouth-wateringly delicious, inexpensive and easy to make. How much more perfect can a dish be?

Check out A Moderate Life for the recipe!

Bean Bowls

I live in the land of Tex-Mex. Beans are our specialty. Baked, boiled, refried . . . just leave it to us because we’re experts. When prepared properly, meals based on beans can be satisfying and frugal. Although prep for this dish is really quick, you’ll need to get started the night before with this refried bean recipe (if you prefer them whole omit the last step with the potato masher). From there, use leftovers or whatever you have on hand to:

A) Create a yummy masterpiece

B) Clean out your fridge

C) Save money by using ingredients you already have instead of buying more

For the rest of the recipe, check out Nourishing Days.

Photo Credit: Jon Juan

Omelettes

Inexpensive, nourishing and packed with protein, omelettes are just too good to limit to breakfast! If you don’t know how to make one here are some great instructions. A cast iron skillet is a great non-stick alternative to teflon.

Filling ideas are: pastured bacon, cheese, onion, spinach, mushrooms, diced tomatoes,

Topping ideas: salsa, sour cream, cheese, onion, chives

Bon appetite, ya’ll!

Do you have a recipe that should be featured in this series??? If so, leave a comment with a link to your recipe or email me!

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Real Food For Busy Moms Pt. 2

Heather — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:03:11 +0000

As promised here is the second installment of our Real Food For Busy Moms series. It’s only been a week since I posted the first batch of recipes so most of you probably haven’t had time to give them a try yet, but if you did I’d love to know how it went!

Spinach, Carmelized Onion and Chevrê Quiche with Potato Crust

This quiche is a quick, elegant meal that’s versatile enough for breakfast, a quick lunch or an elegant dinner party. If you have a mandoline slicing the potatoes is a cinch. Even if you don’t, a potato crust is much faster to make than a traditional flour one (and yummier, too, in my opinion!)

Two Hints:

1. If you don’t have (or like) chevrê, don’t worry. I’ve substituted many kinds of cheese in this recipe and they were all delicious.

2. Make a double batch! It’s not much more trouble and you’ll get more meals for your effort.

Check out Nourished Kitchen for the recipe!

Copycat Whole Foods Salmon Dip

Not to toot my own horn or anything, but this dip is really delicious. Although I’ve made this recipe many, many times I can count on one hand the times there have been leftovers.

Quick Tip: Bake the salmon ahead of time and place in fridge to cool. When dinner time rolls around you’ll have less than 10 minutes of prep from start to finish.

Check out the recipe here.

Crispy Pizza

I have been making homemade pizza for years now and this method is by far the easiest I have ever found. I love that it calls for the healthiest of ingredients: raw cheese that ends up only slightly melted, sprouted tortillas, and of course butter.

If you’re feeling adventurous when it comes to toppings, you might adapt this margharita pizza recipe from Whole Foods. I make my own pesto instead of the pre-made it calls for using this recipe. Or how about a chicken alfredo pizza? Or pepperoni and pineapple. I’m getting carried away, aren’t I?

Check out Real Food Digest for the recipe.Similar Posts:

Real Food For Busy Moms

Heather — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:18:10 +0000

You’re a mom. Okay, you could be a dad or a busy professional, but that would make the title too long, so I”m sticking with the mom theme.

So, like I said, you’re a mom, and it can be exhausting. Maybe there have been times someone wakes you up from a sleep coma to ask you why you left the car running in the driveway, or why your eyeliner is in the freezer, or when the last time you had a shower was. None of that has ever happened to me, of course, but I can understand how some moms could get so run down that it would be possible.

Riiiiight.

Motherhood is a red carpet invitation to set aside your personal needs in order to meet your child’s. While I agree with this in many ways, there is one place it absolutely fails: Nutrition.

It’s a catch-22, really. Increased demands sap your time, energy and desire to cook healthy meals . . . just when you and your family need those restorative nutrients the most.

So what do most of us do? I have tried many things:

Coffee and vitamins . . . and coffee. Totally pointless since the coffee inhibits the absorption of the vitamins.
Crying and looking completely helpless while wearing spitup covered pajamas at 5pm when Daddypotamus gets home and asks what’s for dinner. Then, of course, spending way too much eating out.
Learning to eat everything cold (because who has the time to warm it up???)

It was not pretty, I tell you. When Katie was a newborn most of my lunches were comprised of black olives straight from the can with an egg on the side, or hamburger patties with a salad I was too tired to pour dressing over. While it worked for me, it was a miserable time for my husband. Seriously, who wants to eat like that?

Not my husband. And certainly not my two year old. With baby #2 on the way, I made a conscious decision that this time would be different, so I’ve spent the last few months collecting recipes from fellow real food bloggers that are quick and nourishing. This series will cover breakfast, dinner and even a few sides. We always eat leftovers for lunch, so you’re on your own there.

Every single recipe in this series has been Potamus family tested and approved for both ease and flavor, so dig in! I hope you enjoy these recipes. I enjoyed “researching” it for you in my kitchen ; – )

Please let me know if you think this series will be helpful to you. I can share for four weeks or four months depending on your interest, but I need feedback. Thanks!!

Oh, and about that car fiasco, that totally happened did not really happen. What have you really not done?

Egg Drop Soup

This is the recipe that inspired this series. It’s a protein-packed, mineral rich meal that has rescued me more times than I can count. It’s very filling and takes just a few minutes to make.

When I know ahead of time that I’m going to be busy I pull out a container of homemade broth from the freezer while I’m making breakfast, but I also keep some store bought broth in the pantry for days when the unexpected comes up.

Quick Tip: When a friend of mine has a new baby I make a double batch for her family and mine. So far all my friends have loved it, which proves that hospitality does not have to be a hassle. Check out Food Renegade for the recipe!

Easy Mac & Cheese

I’m a protein fiend, so I’ll admit I was a little skeptical about this recipe at first. I thought it would be too carb heavy, but actually if you use grass-fed dairy ingredients it is loaded with fat-soluble vitamins, especially Vitamin K2.

Vitamin K2 is found also exclusively in animal products and is essential for bone health. The only plant derived form I know of is natto, which is a type of fermented soybean. It’s especially important for growing tots so load them up if their digestive systems are developed enough to handle it (raw dairy from cows is okay around 2+ years).

Visit Cheeseslave for the recipe!

Summer Chicken Salad

This simple, satisfying meal is loaded with protein. Add in homemade mayo and you get bonus healthy fats and enzymes.

If you don’t have grapes on hand, substitute with cranberries or diced dried apricots.

Quick Tip: Bake and chill the chicken ahead of time for a meal you can literally throw together in minutes.

Click here for the recipe.Similar Posts: