Back to Reality

We went over to friends' house up in the mountains last weekend and we went skiing Sunday. It is great to get away and have some time with friends and family but it's not easy to come back to reality, especially when it comes to planning meals. This week, I find myself with not much time to get to the store and having to plan meals around what I have in the house.

Part of me finds that very disturbing but another part finds it quite refreshing in the sense that I will have to use my imagination and the food we have in order to plan quick and healthy meals.

Tonight, we had scrambled eggs served over a grilled english muffin. I added some grated cheese on the eggs and put them under the broiler for a minute. My husband and I had sauteed spinach with the eggs. Served with a salad or veggies, a nice healthy dinner ready in a flash.

The rest of the week will be a series of improvised meals. I know I have chicken breasts in the freezer, rice and pasta, everything to make a quick tomato sauce, chicken broth, beans, eggs and vegetables. I can make chicken with rice and brocoli. I can probably prepare a soup. We can have pasta and I am pretty sure we could have a sandwich night.

It might be a challenge this week, but I know we can make it!

Healthy Snacks and Desserts

My kids and my husband need dessert after a meal. Not that I don't like it myself, but I can do without. A few years ago, when I started to loose weight, I decided not to have storebought cookies and other sweets anymore. I'll buy ice cream and frozen yogourt but that's it.

Most of the time, desserts and snacks are healthy - banana bread is a staple here and I bake it at least once a week. Did you know that you can freeze bananas that are too ripe to eat and use them later? I simply place whole bananas in the freezer and put them in the microwave when I am ready to use them.

Another favorite here are Monkey Bars. I found the recipe on http://myrecipes.com/ - a site I consult almost daily. These bars are healthy, moist and delicious - a hit in this house! Here is the recipe

Monkey Bars

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/2 tablespoon rhum or apple cider

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup mash ripe banana

3 tablespoons buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I usually don't add walnuts)

cooking spray

1 teaspoon powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350.

Combine raisins and rhum in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute and set aside. In a bowl, combine together the dry ingredients (flour though salt) and mix well with a whisk.

Combine butter and sugar and beat with a mixer, at medium speed, until well blended. Add banana and next 3 ingredients (banana though egg whites) beating well. Add dry ingredients and beat just until combined and moist. Stir in raisin mixture and walnuts.

Spread the batter into a 8 inch square baking pan covered with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden. Cool completely on a rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

A piece of this bar with a cup of tea or a glass of milk is delicious at any time of day! Enjoy!

Every week, I plan our weekly meals. They tend to be quite simple since I don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen on weekdays, but I try to make sure meals are healthy and balanced.

I read somewhere about Meatless Mondays and I decided to join the movement and make our Mondays meatless. It is sometimes a challenge to find vegetarian ideas that will please the whole family but I have been quite successful so far.

Tonight we are having breakfast for dinner... request from my son. We will be having buckwheat pancakes and fresh fruits. My husband has a business dinner tonight so I tend to make simple dinners when he is not home - I don't know why... he would not mind pancakes but there is that notion that when Dad is not home we eat differently.

This is what of the week looks like:

Tuesday: Vegetable soup with tortellini, bread and cheese
Wednesday: Pasta with meat sauce, crudites.
Thursday: Chicken Cesar Salad
Friday: Fish