My Week in Food

Started the week by picking up these mini eggplants at the farmers’ market, each of which was about the size of an apple. I almost didn’t want to cook them, they were so cute.

Alas, I did anyway, by cutting them in half and roasting them in a 375 degree oven until nearly done. I then turned the oven off and left the eggplant for several more hours. Tossed with mint, basil, and sliced tomatoes? They were as delicious as they were darling.

Continued on the tomato theme with this creamy soup paired up with grilled cheese sandwiches. The recipe is a good one, from Amanda Haas‘  Real Family Food cookbook. You can find the it over on Cooking Light. 

Seeing how we’re well into October, cooking with all those summery vegetables made me feel like I was “cheating” on our  beloved fall pumpkins. And so, I baked a loaf of pumpkin bread using a recipe that isn’t quite ready for prime time. You will get an excellent loaf, however, using this recipe for pumpkin bread that you make in the slow cooker.

The bread came in handy for an after school snack one day, with pretty little pears on the side.

Because I use whole grain flour in the bread, it’s a good source of fiber, as are these raspberries. Unfortunately, very few of us get enough daily fiber, which is why I appreciated this article from NourishRds about why and how to boost the fiber in your diet. There’s a terrific chart to help you find fiber-rich foods you love.

Not so terrific was the enormous case they have at my local TARGET, devoted entirely  to Lunchables. While clearly there’s a market for these nutritionally empty meals, here’s proof that homemade Lunchables aren’t so hard. The only “work” involved here was cutting an orange and boiling an egg.

Frustrated as I can get with the junk food industry, I do notice the positives when I see them., such as  these M&Ms spied at the airport. I give the Mars company points for calling the bags a “Sharing Size.” Half a bag is a step in the right direction.  

As for my own chocolate fix of choice? Bittersweet melted onto graham crackers (with a wine chaser, if the mood strikes).

I realized our juicer hadn’t been getting much play lately, so I stocked up heavily on juicing-friendly fruits and veggies. Our favorite this week was a tart apple, kale, cucumber, and lemon elixer. The jury is still out as to how juicer-friendly those radishes are going to be.

The kids made this supper of summer rolls one night, during which they spent more energy bickering over how to make summer roll sthan actually making them. Sigh.

Lastly this week, as someone who has worked to embrace the changes in my physique that motherhood has brought, I appreciated this quote from actress Jennifer Garner about her postpartum body.

How was your Week in Food?