Let's Get Ready

The tragic events that are playing out in Japan over these past two weeks have really started me thinking about the safety of my own family. You hear people in Japan speaking of only being prepared for the most possible disaster that could happen, rather than preparing for a worse case scenario.  We are seeing right now what can happen when you prepare for only a probable disaster.

Living in New England, we don't really think too much about natural disasters.  We don't have any strong earthquakes; tornadoes rarely, if ever happen; we do get the occasional hurricane, but never one of Katrina strength.  We are very complacent about our safety here.  As the saying goes "it will never happen here."

Well, can't it?  We are told all the time while it is rare for catastrophic natural disasters to happen here in the Northeast, they have happened in the past, and will probably happen again.  With that in mind, I have decided to prepare our family by putting together an emergency kit.  With the help of www.ready.gov, I am on my way to at least having the supplies and a plan ready in case it is ever needed (knock on wood).

Please, consider doing the same for your family.  Isn't it better to be safe than sorry? I challenge you to put a kit together and then post the photos to the blog!

I will post photos of our emergency kit once I get it together.

• Water, one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
• Food, at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
• Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert and extra batteries for both
• Flashlight and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Whistle to signal for help
• Dusk mask, to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
• Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
• Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
• Can opener for food (if kit contains canned food)
• Local maps
• Cell phone with chargers, inverter or solar charger

Additional Items to Consider Adding to an Emergency Supply Kit:

• Prescription medications and glasses
• Infant formula and diapers
• Pet food and extra water for your pet
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container
• Cash or traveler's checks and change
• Important family documents such as copies of insurance policies, identification and bank account records in a waterproof, portable container.
• Emergency reference material such as a first aid book or information from www.ready.gov.
• Sleeping bag or warm blanket for each person. Consider additional bedding if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Complete change of clothing including a long sleeved shirt, long pants and sturdy shoes. Consider additional clothing if you live in a cold-weather climate.
• Household chlorine bleach and medicine dropper – When diluted nine parts water to one part bleach, bleach can be used as a disinfectant. Or in an emergency, you can use it to treat water by using 16 drops of regular household liquid bleach per gallon of water. Do not use scented, color safe or bleaches with added cleaners.
• Fire Extinguisher
• Matches in a waterproof container
• Feminine supplies and personal hygiene items
• Mess kits, paper cups, plates and plastic utensils, paper towels
• Paper and pencil
• Books, games, puzzles or other activities for children

Southern Sweet Potato Cake

One of the favorite cookbooks in my house is "Southern Cakes" by Nancie McDermott.  It is so loved my daughter, Maggie, sits and reads it like a novel.  She must get than from me, because I have been known to curl up in bed with a cookbook (or two) reading it from cover to cover.

Anyway, I had a random can of sweet potato puree in my pantry.  Not sure why I had it.  I am assuming I picked it up on special and tucked it away and kind of forgot about it.  But I discovered it today, and after checking the expiration date (8/2012 - good to go) set about finding a way to use it.

I remembered this Sweet Potato Cake recipe from the "Southern Cakes" recipe book and decided to give it a whirl.  Glad I did!  This is a delicious cake, reminiscent of pumpkin bread, but a little more savory tasting and definitely way less dense.

I suggest taking the time to really beat the eggs into your batter very well, as it helps to make the cake light.

Sweet Potato Pound Cake (adapted from "Southern Cakes" by Nancie McDermott)

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk (low-fat is okay)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon rum flavoring 
• 8 ounces unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes or 1 15 oz. can sweet potato puree

Preheat the oven to 350°F Grease and flour a 10-inch tube or Bundt pan. (If your pan is nonstick, you can get away with just some cooking spray; no need to flour.).

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk well. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the milk, vanilla and rum flavoring.

In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and light brown sugar until light and fluffy, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the sweet potatoes, and mix until the batter is combined. (The batter may look terrible at this point: curdled, weird, terrible. Don’t worry.).

With the mixer on low speed, add half of the flour mixture. Beat to just incorporate. Then add half of the milk mixture, and continue to beat on low until well blended. Add the remaining flour, followed by the remaining milk, and beat on low until the batter is thick and smooth.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the cake springs back when pressed lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a thin knife around the edge to loosen the cake, and then carefully invert it onto the rack.

The Kind Life

Yesterday, my oldest daughter had a birthday party to attend.  I had time to kill before I could pick her up so I found myself at Barnes and Noble and while there I picked up Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet. I started reading it last night, and got so caught up in what she was saying regarding our choices not only in what we eat, but also how our food choices effect everything in our lives, I ended up staying up half the night to finish it!


The book outlines how eating a plant-based diet can not only benefit your heath with weight loss, clear skin, extra energy, and smooth digestion, but she also speaks to how meat, fish, milk, and cheese contribute to the  escalating rates of disease around the world and damage the environment.

Of course not everyone is ready to give up cheeseburgers cold turkey and adopt a vegan lifestyle.  I try to live a vegetarian lifestyle, but do eat fish occasionally, and have a terrible sweet tooth, especially for ice cream. I al always looking for tips on how to eat better, and avoid those traps that make me reach for the Ben and Jerry's.

Ms. Silverstone gives great tips and advice on small changes you can make to your diet to start changing your health, and making you want to more forward into a more sustainable way to eat and live.  This book does preach, but rather gives practial tips on how to get started in changing the way you eat with recipes and advice on what to stock your kitchen and pantry with.  I certainly took away new ideas and tips I want to incorporate into my lifestyle.

She also has a companion web site, www.thekindlife.com with even more information, recipes, blog entries, and advice on making your house and diet as green as possible.  Check it out!

Here is a recipe from The Kind Life website, so you can see the great food you can indulge in while eating and living healthy:

Whole Wheat Lasagna with Italian "Sausage" and Peppers (From Alicia Silverstone's site, The Kind Life)

• 1 box of whole wheat or brown rice lasagna noodles
• 1 (16-ounce) box of frozen spinach, thawed, squeeze excess water out
• 2 (26-ounce) jars of vegan marinara (Morgan used a basil marinara)
• 4 vegan Italian "sausages" cut into cubes
• 2 green bell peppers, chopped
• 2 tbsp. of olive oil
• 1 handful vegan shredded cheese (enough to sprinkle on top only)
• 1 pound(s) of extra firm tofu
• 1 Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp. of nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp. of tsp sea salt
• 1 pinch of black pepper to taste
• 4 tbsp. of chopped sundried tomatoes
• 1 cup(s) of (a few huge handfuls) chopped fresh basil
• 1 tsp. of dried oregano

1. Press water out of tofu by wrapping in a clean towel, and placing a pot or pan on top for about 10-20 minutes
2. Crumble the tofu in a bowl, and add lemon juice, garlic, nutritional yeast, sea salt, black pepper, sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, and dried oregano
3. Using a potato masher, smash up the tofu really well until it resembles ricotta cheese in texture
4. Set aside until ready to use
5. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water with 2 T olive oil to a boil, and cook noodles according to package (the oil will prevent the noodles from sticking together)
6. Cook them for a few minutes less than suggested, so that they can finish cooking in the oven
7. When noodles are done cooking, drain and rinse in cold water
8. While the noodles are cooking, heat 2 T olive oil in a saute pan, and saute sausage a few minutes
9. Use a potato masher to help crumble the sausage into slightly smaller pieces
10. Add 2 jars of marinara sauce and 2 chopped green peppers to the pan, and let simmer about 10 minutes
11. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
12. In a rectangular pyrex glass dish, start layering your lasagna
13. Start by adding a little sauce on the bottom, then 4 noodles, then sauce, spinach, tofu ricotta, 4 noodles, sauce, spinach, ricotta,4 noodles, and then end with sauce and cover the top with shredded vegan cheese (you should have 3 layers of noodles) Cover top of dish with foil, and bake for 30 minutes
14. Uncover and cook an additional 10 minutes until cheese melts a little on top
15. Let cool 5 minutes 

Spring is coming!  The snow is finally gone, the weather is getting warmer, and I am starting to switch my girls' winter clothing for spring clothing.

To me, one of the best things about spring is the arrival of a plethora of fresh fruits and vegetables that you just can't get in the long winter.  To that end, I have already started researching new recipes to use this year, as well as pulling out old reliable ones that we have enjoyed in the past. 

One recipe that is a go-to in our house is this one for Chocolate Zucchini Cake.  It is one of my daughter Ellie's favorite cakes, and she routinely requests for me to make it.  Actually, just just asked me yesterday to make it, and since I had everything on hand, except the zucchini, I went to the store today, pick up a couple of zucchini, and am going to put it together later.

But, in the meantime, I wanted to share this with you.  This recipe makes a great, moist snacking cake, and is great to include in your kids lunchboxes.   It also freezes very well.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or half whole wheat flour, half all-purpose flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup low fat buttermilk

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 cups grated zucchini

 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
2. Cream butter, oil and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Beat until smooth. 
3. Whisk together flour, cocoa, and baking soda  and add to creamed mixture. Beat well. Stir in zucchini and chocolate chips.
4. Pour into prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Pantry of Shame

Anyone who knows me knows my interest in healthy eating and nutrition.  I always like it when food companies do what they can to make it easier for people to make healthy choices when choosing what to eat, especially when it comes to fruit and vegetables.  I never deny my children fruit when they ask for it, and do all I can to incorporate fruits and veggies into their daily diet.

I also like to think I am a steward of the environment.  We recycle, I use homemade or green friendly cleaning products, we but organic and try to purchase products with low packaging.

So when I saw this clip on The Daily Show, I was shocked.  I wonder the thought process behind this "improvement."  See for yourself.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Intro - Pantry of Shame
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Ecco Trattoria in Weymouth, Massachusetts

Paul and I are huge proponents of supporting local, independent businesses whenever possible.  While living in the Twin Cities, that was very hard to do.  Especially when picking restaurants.  While there were independent restaurants to choose from if you drove into Minneapolis or St. Paul, finding a decent eatery close to our suburban home was impossible.  Too many Olive Gardens, Red Lobsters, and Applebees.

Not a problem here on the South Shore!  Last night we dined at  Ecco Trattoria, a fine dining Italian restaurant in our town of  Weymouth, MA.  This place is a wonderful gem!  From the moment we walked in the door, we were welcomed and made to feel like valued customers.  The small but comfortable store front restaurant has a great atmosphere, and would easily fit in the North End.

Service was prompt and friendly, with the waiter making sure we had what we needed without being pushy or annoying.  Both the girls asked for pasta with tomato sauce, not available on the kids menu, but were happily obliged with their "special order."  My eggplant fettucini and Paul's steak dinner were excellent.  Good portion size for the price.

We did not try the desserts, but the girls meals came with ice cream.  And not a Hoodsie cup either, but kid's sized sundae.

We will definatly make another trip to Ecco Trattoria in the future!