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9th May, 2010 |
Parents are busy, busy people. Down-time is a thing of yesteryear and it’s all about the kids. Whether you’re a parent or not, real life is filled with choices that affect us and kids. The time to sift through these choices isn’t always plentiful. I haven’t even been able to post here in about a month. Where does the time go? ….Looking for a protein-packed snack on the go? Check out this UBER EASY, delicious recipe. It’s a favorite of mine and my family’s. ….. Black Bean Hummus Dip …
Parenting, preparing for presentations in my sleep, logging hours at work, working from home, going to class, doing homework, commuting, and juggling. Lots of juggling. That’s definitely where the time went. A very Happy Mother’s Day to each of you dear Mommies, some of the most adventurous jugglers of all time.
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10th April, 2010 |
One of our lowest maintenance meals is this super simple, tasty salmon ensemble. You need salmon and an oven. Throw a few optional accoutrements in the mix, sure, but essentially it’s just the salmon and a baking place for it. The thing about salmon is it’s uber healthy and I try to eat a lot of it. As of late. I can only eat so much straight up salmon, though. I like accoutrements with my salmon. It’s a great marinade candidate, a good buddy to pecans and mustard, and simply delicious with barbecue sauce. Now, I’m not talking corn syrup disguised as BBQ sauce, I’m talking real. bbq. sauce. Store bought, that is. Challenge? Maybe. I like Annie’s brand BBQ Sauce. BBQ sauce is one of the things to shop for at either your local co-op or at Whole Foods. It’s hard to find the real thing at any type of big box store.
Wild-caught, Alaskan Salmon is pumped with omega-3’s and good protein. It’s also one of the best choices you can make in sustainable seafood. It’s good for you and for the planet. If you’re deciding between farm-raised and sustainable wild-caught, I have an opinion. A strong one.
Go wild-caught Alaskan Salmon, because: more
5th April, 2010 |
This year, I have a kiddo who knows what eggs, bunnies, colors, paints and fun are. Mission: have fun making colored eggs, naturally. Emphasis on the have fun reference. There was no lack of fun in this egg coloring adventure.
First step: locate canvas: eggs.
Oh yeah. We eat the eggs that have the BROWN shells. Maybe slight road bump, or maybe the challenge just becomes that much more exciting. We’ll soon find out, won’t we? read more
3rd April, 2010 |
Spring’s officially sprung here in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. I really couldn’t be more amped, the birds are having a sing-n-dance revolution, kids’ bikes are zooming down the sidewalks, the neighborhood park resembles a summer popsicle blanketed with busy bees (kiddos in this case), and air conditioners are humming… really? It is maybe a balmy 65 degrees F outside, snow mounds are still visibly lurking, and window air conditioners are already buzzing? Good ole Twin Cities fair weather fans, ahhhh spring is really in the air.
Delightful as the robins flocking the yard are, my top spring sighting so far has been my kiddo and the rest of the state playing outside, jacket-free, green grass underfoot and underway. A close second, though, are the hearty chives popping up to say Hi, Remember me? in our barely unfrozen and otherwise empty garden.
While finding the magic in the mess of spring cleaning, there are a few alternatives to keep in mind.
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15th March, 2010 |
Following my wedding cake that I was too amped to eat, the eggplant parmesan of my dreams entered my life while honeymooning 2 1/2 years ago. It made its appearance at a cozy vegetarian restaurant in Madrid. It’s probably more romantic to say that we happened upon this veggie nook entirely by chance, while wandering the evening streets of Madrid. But alas, it was moreso targeted and hunted, after doing my homework to find this destination. Splitting a week between three cities meant some degree of pre-mooning research. Many a variety of eggplant parmesan has been dined on by yours truly, at and away from home, but I’m still oozing over this particular one. This made my top-five meals of all time list. more
8th March, 2010 |
It’s very hard to order restaurant-style sweet potato fries after having so many of these over the years. Baked, crispy, and oh so addictive, these sweet potato fries are made with olive oil, cinnamon and nutmeg. Nothing less, nothing more. They’re a perfect appetizer or side dish year-round. more
1st March, 2010 |
Our smoothie blender logs a lot of mileage between the three of us and our smoothie fixes. I’m surprised the little machine still runs, but I’m hoping it’s a lifer now. Smoothies around here include whatever we happen to have on hand when we’re feeling the power of the puree. This one happened to include an assortment of frozen berries, from our Minnesota winter stock pile, along with some yogurt, banana and protein powder, hemp protein in this one.
Summer and winter smoothies are extremely different at our house. We don’t go a day without each of us having one or more with fresh fruit and local greens in the summer, and have to put forth more effort to feast on the winterized (packaged) versions for a few months out of the year. Since it’s March 1st here, and the ground is covered in snow, this is a winter variety smoothie. All of the berries were purchased pre-frozen, too, since we ran out of our frozen stock of fresh farmer’s market and co-op fruit months ago already. I’m sad to say that at the moment of this one’s blending, there was not a single leaf of kale nor spinach to be found in our kitchen. None. This smoothie was not part of the Green Smoothie Revolution. Unless my hemp powder counts for something?
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27th February, 2010 |
I have a list of “should eat” breakfasts, like smoothies, egg whites, fruit, ice chips, you get the idea. I also have a list of “pretty decent” breakfasts, such as oatmeal, eggs, yogurt with granola, and on and on. Then there’s my list of favorite breakfasts. This list gets noticed more on the weekend, when I’m home to give the favorites the attention they need. Topping THIS list is fresh buttermilk pancakes. They’ve been a staple around here for a while, morphing into a tradition even, especially during this endless midwest winter. All four of us love ‘em, yup this guy too.
Now, they don’t have to be all that bad. Sure, they’re carbed up a bit and dabble in a bit of butter and maple syrup, but there are tweaks on these fine hot cakes that keep them on “acceptably healthy” but more importantly scrumptious too. One example is always using whole wheat flour for at least half of the flour, REAL butter, pure maple syrup, and organic eggs. These hot cakes could always be the follow up to an uber-healthy green smoothie, if you have that kind of dedication in the morning.
Buttermilk Pancake Paradise… more
24th February, 2010 |
One of my first dates with my husband was dinner at his place. Alongside his oozing charm, wit and out-of-the-box humor, his culinary skills were rather effective early on in our relationship. He had me at how you doin’? when he served up his homemade minestrone soup as a starter. He went on to follow it up with spinach lasagna, finishing the meal with fresh-baked blackberry pie. Yes indeed, I am one lucky girl. This soup is one of my top three favorite dishes Jeremy makes. Did I mention we’ve tied the knot since? We’ve had a few life changes since. I’m quite grateful for all of them.
To all those in the courting phase, serving up this Italian delight to your courtee will earn you mega points. Hot soup is second to none in the sub-zero winter, but this recipe is light enough for a Tuscan summer too. This version of minestrone has limitless options, depending on your vegetable preference. The following recipe is Jeremy’s Minestrone Magnum Opus… more
20th February, 2010 |
When purchasing and firing up this domain over a year ago, already, I had visions, hopes and plans for Spilled Ingredients. Albeit a slow start, the evolution of these visions have gone to print, are transforming, and new ones will transfer to screen in time. One of them is RECIPES. Another is more BRIEF posts. De nada. The others, well, still transforming.
Back to recipes: I’m new to eating fish and seafood after a decade of being a veganesque vegetarian. I’ve collected a repertoire, an at-times confused, conflicted one, of delightfully palatable recipes, just like the rest of us have. I’ll be cataloging the especially delicious and NATURAL ones here. I’ll spare the processed… more
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Bottles have BPA, gum has aspartame, snacks and drinks have artificial color, and everything else contains MSG and trans fat, it seems. Where do you start? Cheers, my name is Niki Ahrens and I just want the best for my family, and for the rest of us too.
It's our choice, as parents, whether OUR kids eat real food and whether we use First-Do-No-Harm products on and around them. The decision is always ours. Here you’ll find favorite safe recipes, links to research and data, and alternatives that give us super powers instead of harm us.
How the Food Industry is Deceiving You
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