Yesterday I went to the Holistic Expo in Allentown. I've been wanting to go for a couple of years, but something always happens to prevent it. So anyway, this year I got to go and I'm really glad!
I bought a bunch of pretty rocks, got a reading and had a foot detox. While sitting for the detox, I got to talking with a couple of people. One of them said she'd heard of this blog & I was so happy! I really didn't think anyone was reading this and I'd been considering giving up. The other woman seemed very interested in the blog, so I gave her the web address. I'm so happy to know that people might actually be reading what I write here!
Before the Expo, we went to the local farmers' market in Emaus. I love it there! Always such wonderful, local grown food! Anyway, we got some eggs, asparagus, kale, ground beef, lettuce and zucchini. I had hoped someone would have fresh basil, but no such luck. Oh well. If that's the biggest disappointment that I have to face all week, I'll be in good shape!
I plan to dry some of the zucchini and stuff the rest. Stuffed veggies freeze really well and make a nice dinner or lunch on those days when I don't have time to deal with cooking or can't decide what to make.
The stuffing will be made of sausage (if I were serving a vegetarian, I'd use the spicy sausage crumbles), onion, brown rice, probably some pine nuts or almond slivers and whatever seasonings I decide to throw in. I may also include some spinach, but haven't decided yet. Before the allergy results, I would've used breadcrumbs instead of rice and added parsley and cheese, but wheat, parsley and dairy are all off the menu, so I've tweaked the recipe a bit.
One of the things I miss most about the new allergy-free diet is that we can't have spring rolls or egg rolls anymore. They contain a lot of cabbage, which I'm not supposed to have, and the wrappers are wheat based. I got the kale in the hopes of creating an acceptable substitute. On a trip to a gourmet-type health food store, I found rice paper wrappers, so I'm hoping to use them instead of the standard egg roll wrappers.
I'll let you all know how it turns out!
Showing posts with label frozen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frozen. Show all posts
Monday, May 17, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
a useful kitchen tool!
I was at the mall yesterday for my hair appointment (Deidra at the Penney's Salon is a sweetheart who does a wonderful job!). Since I was already there, I decided to pop over to Williams-Sonoma to grab a new spaghetti tool. (My old one came apart as I washed it a couple of days ago.) As I always tend to do, I picked up the item that brought me in and then wandered around to see what new pretty shinies they had gotten since my last visit. That store is probably the best one at separating me from my money, LOL!
Anyway, I found something that I am very excited about: The Beaba Multiportion Freezer Tray
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/beaba-multiportion-babyfood-freezer-tray/
No, I don't have a baby, and I don't make baby food. So, you might ask, why am I this excited about it?
Well, here's the thing. One of the biggest problems with the allergy free eating is a lack of available prepared foods. I can't simply run to the grocery store and grab items to do the semi-homemade cooking. I still have many days where my time to cook is limited, but cutting out the allergy-inducing foods has cut out many of my shortcut ingredients. (boxed broths contain yeast, parsley and pepper; V-8 contains parsley and who knows what in the 'flavorings', etc, etc).
So I've started making some of those items myself. Of course, they're all fairly easy to make, just a little time-consuming. So making them in larger batches makes the most sense. That way I can use some of it for that night's dinner, and freeze the rest. The problem is how to package and store them in convenient quantities.
I've used ice cube trays in the past, but they don't hold much and will spill if tilted. Muffin tins can also be used, but sometimes whatever it is sticks and doesn't want to come out of the cup. When I made the veggie and beef broths, I froze them in quart sized freezer bags. This works really well for thick or chunky stuff, but on straight liquid can be a problem. Of course one of the bags sprung a leak- just my luck. Pretty much any of the package/storage methods have their own set of problems.
These are silicone cups (BPA free) with a 2 oz. or 1/4 cup capacity. They also have a lid! They are freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe. (If I ever get a dishwasher, I'm sure I'll be happy about that!) The down-side is that they're $20 for a 7 compartment tray- much more expensive than any of the other options mentioned above. I still bought it, though.
I will freeze my shortcut items in it, then transfer the frozen cubes to another container, so I can freeze some more.
I also bought an apple slicer/corer, since I've been snacking on apples and peanut butter a lot, and a julienne slicer so i can make matchstick carrots, zucchini and potatoes.
Anyway, I found something that I am very excited about: The Beaba Multiportion Freezer Tray
http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/beaba-multiportion-babyfood-freezer-tray/
No, I don't have a baby, and I don't make baby food. So, you might ask, why am I this excited about it?
Well, here's the thing. One of the biggest problems with the allergy free eating is a lack of available prepared foods. I can't simply run to the grocery store and grab items to do the semi-homemade cooking. I still have many days where my time to cook is limited, but cutting out the allergy-inducing foods has cut out many of my shortcut ingredients. (boxed broths contain yeast, parsley and pepper; V-8 contains parsley and who knows what in the 'flavorings', etc, etc).
So I've started making some of those items myself. Of course, they're all fairly easy to make, just a little time-consuming. So making them in larger batches makes the most sense. That way I can use some of it for that night's dinner, and freeze the rest. The problem is how to package and store them in convenient quantities.
I've used ice cube trays in the past, but they don't hold much and will spill if tilted. Muffin tins can also be used, but sometimes whatever it is sticks and doesn't want to come out of the cup. When I made the veggie and beef broths, I froze them in quart sized freezer bags. This works really well for thick or chunky stuff, but on straight liquid can be a problem. Of course one of the bags sprung a leak- just my luck. Pretty much any of the package/storage methods have their own set of problems.
These are silicone cups (BPA free) with a 2 oz. or 1/4 cup capacity. They also have a lid! They are freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe. (If I ever get a dishwasher, I'm sure I'll be happy about that!) The down-side is that they're $20 for a 7 compartment tray- much more expensive than any of the other options mentioned above. I still bought it, though.
I will freeze my shortcut items in it, then transfer the frozen cubes to another container, so I can freeze some more.
I also bought an apple slicer/corer, since I've been snacking on apples and peanut butter a lot, and a julienne slicer so i can make matchstick carrots, zucchini and potatoes.
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