Set the Table 2018 | Week 8

Mung Beans.
Such a weird name.

I had never heard of them before diving into my studies in Dynamic Eating Psychology + Ayurvedic Nutrition. I bought them in bulk early this week and thought I'd experiment with them to kick off my 5th module of education at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. I am so excited to begin cooking with them and to learn more about how Mung Beans can make you feel great.

I serendipitously found Sarah Britton's blog about Kichadi, a super comforting, warm "one pot wonder" that our digestive system simply adores. Renewal in a bowl.

This "Realistic Reset" is just what I am looking for to kick off March (when it really still feels like Winter) for my best.Spring.YET.

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• Each #SettheTable2018 post features a delicious family table recipe(s) to inspire your meal planning for the week.  
• #CatchmyGrit on Instagram to follow the fun, the food and the family table reactions (good and bad) leading up to each weekend post. C'est la vie, I selfy-ishly light it UP in pics, videos and Instastories to keep truckin! 
• New to this series? Revisit my favorite #SettheTable2017 recipe links here. Cheers to another year of sharing my crazy food adventures with Pure Barre Kildeer!  

I wonder if Mr Chris would do a kichadi reset with me (maybe if it's just for a day)?

To the Mullies we go... 

xoxoL

ps

My Top 11 #SettheTable2018 Topics:

1. A Scientist Explores the Mysteries of the Gut Brain Connection
2. Will the Gut-Brain Connection Revolutionize Wellness?
3. Come to the table - Join Slow Food USA!
4. Stay on top of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Campaign.
5. Robyn O'Brien: Why Our Food Is Making Us Sick.
6. Kimbal Musk Wants to Reengineer the American Stomach | Why Food is the New Internet. 
7. What is Organic Pasture Raised Chicken Good for?
8. Shop with EWG "Clean Fifteen + Dirty Dozen" produce guidelines. Why? New research suggests pesticides/herbicides are linked to antibiotic resistance. Protect your gut microbiome + mycobiome.
9. Avoid artificial colors and preservatives to keep your "second brain" happy + healthy.
10. Why, When and How to Eat Wheat.
11. Why do Some People do well as Vegans and Vegetarians (Clues from the Magical World of Genetics).

Set the Table 2017 | Week 51

Red, White and Blue Cheese Christmas Eve Eggs

Homemade Blue Cheese dressing (inspired by my friend Doniella!):
1 cup organic full fat greek yogurt
1 cup mixed gorgonzola & blue cheese chunks
1 Tbsp raw honey
2 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Two pasture raised, organic eggs
1 Tbsp heavy cream
1 Tbsp water
Sea salt and pepper
splash of extra virgin olive oil or small pat of grass fed, organic butter

Halved cherry tomatoes
Sliced cucumbers
Sliced scallions
Chopped cilantro
Sea salt & pepper

Mix up blue cheese sauce ingredients in a bowl. (You'll have leftovers to save for your next creation!) Whip up eggs, cream, water and salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour into a heated/oiled pan to make scrambled eggs. Meanwhile, chop up your organic vege.  Scatter cherry tomatoes on a plate. Pour the freshly scrambled eggs on top. Layer on cucumbers, scallions, cilantro and top with a generous dollop of blue cheese dressing.

Use your blue cheese sauce for another dish like this one from last night: Roasted sweet potato rounds, buffalo pulled chicken, blue cheese dressing, cucumbers, scallions and cilantro.

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• Each #SettheTable2017 post begins with a featured recipe(s) + upcoming week's game plan followed by a picture diary of last week's chaos. I sign off every post with a handy reference list of my favorite foodie articles. 
• #CatchmyGrit on my Instagram throughout the week to capture the fun, the food and the family table reactions (good and bad). C'est la vie, I selfy-ishly light it UP in pics and videos to keep truckin! 
• New to this series? Here's the STORY behind my #SettheTable2017 food adventures with Pure Barre Kildeer.
• My go to's for meal planning inspiration: 1. Jamie's Ultimate Recipes App + 5 Ingredients - Quick & Easy Food 2. Sarah Britton's My New Roots Blog + Recipe App 3. Rachael Ray's Week in a Day Cookbook 4. Kimberly Snyder 5. The Pollan Family Table  6. Toss your Own Salad 7. Deliciously Ella

Week 51's Game Plan:

I'm officially on meal planning vacation! One more recipe posts to go for 2017 and I'll be back at it with Pure Barre Kildeer in 2018 with some fresh "change ups":) WHOOP WHOOOP!

Wrap it UP with last week's family table action:

The kids were like, "Mom, this salad is out of control."
And they still ate it.
hee heeeeeeeee green meanies.

Perfect Selfie ornament love!

I wanna wish you and your beautiful family tables a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart! 

It all starts at hOMe plate.

To the Mullies we go... 

xoxoL

ps

My Top 11 #SettheTable2017 Topics:

1. Study: Eating Food with Fewer Pesticides Boosts Women's Chances to Conceive.
2. Will the Gut-Brain Connection Revolutionize Wellness?
3. Come to the table - Join Slow Food USA!
4. Stay on TOP of the Global Food Revolution Newsfeed.
5. Robyn O'Brien: Why Our Food Is Making Us Sick.
6. Kimbal Musk Wants to Reengineer the American Stomach | Why Food is the New Internet. 
7. Buy Antibiotic Free and Know the Source of Your Family's Meat.
8. The EWG "Clean Fifteen + Dirty Dozen produce guidelines helps you save money + reduce the pesticides and herbicides = Antibiotics harmful to our gut microbiome + mycobiome.
9. Avoid artificial colors and preservatives to keep your gut, your "second brain" happy + healthy.
10. Why, When and How to Eat Wheat.
11. Why do Some People do well as Vegans and Vegetarians (Clues from the Magical World of Genetics).

Set the Table 2017 | Week 39

5 Ingredient Breakfast Cookies in less than 20 minutes
Inspired by my friend Christina + a recipe on Pinterest

1 cup quick cooking oats
1 handful mini chocolate chips (I love this brand)
2 large ripe bananas
a pinch of salt
some shakes of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. I think the only ingredient I measure here is the oats. Mash up the bananas in a medium sized bowl. Add everything else and mix thoroughly. It's easy to use a 1-inch ice cream scoop to portion out the cookies onto a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Makes 12 cookies. These cookies are my kids favorite and I leave them out for snack when they get home (IF there are any left after breakfast!) Christina likes to add shredded apples/pears, nuts, raisins, nutmeg to hers and its SOOOO good. Or how about some pumpkin spice to make it nice? Be creative, ask your kids what they want in their cookies and make them your own!

Raw.

Cooked.

***************************

• Each #SettheTable2017 post begins with a featured recipe(s) + upcoming week's game plan followed by a picture diary of last week's chaos. I sign off every post with a handy reference list of my favorite foodie articles. 
• #CatchmyGrit on my Instagram throughout the week to capture the fun, the food and the family table reactions (good and bad). C'est la vie, I selfy-ishly light it UP in pics and videos to keep truckin! 
• New to this series? Here's the STORY behind my #SettheTable2017 food adventures with Pure Barre Kildeer.
• My go to's for meal planning inspiration: 1. Jamie's Ultimate Recipes App + 5 Ingredients - Quick & Easy Food 2. Sarah's My New Roots Recipe App 3. Rachael Ray's Week in a Day Cookbook 4. Kimberly Snyder 5. The Pollan Family Table  6. Toss your Own Salad

Week 39's Game Plan:

I'm off to Vancouver with my main man:) Whoop Whoop!!! I'm planning on getting a few meals together at the family table and off we go!

• Taco Tuesday
• Salmon something?

Wrap it UP with last week's action:

Lift - Tone - Burn - Cook - Eat - Repeat!

  

The Ericksons + Shifley Family table. There's nothing better than cooking + eating with good friends!

Pasta + Greens of all sorts.

Taco Tuesday on our pontoon boat! I love you Mom and Dad!

I still can't feel the sides of my butt.

Leftovers lunch.

CSA Market day with Charlotte at Prairie Wind Family Farms! This apples is the juiciest, sweetest apple crisp I have ever had!!!

Mark's Canadian market bag.

Yesterday, I went solo to a Fulton Market Harvest Festival brunch benefitting the Houston Food Bank and shared a family table with new friends who saved a spot for me! Thank you Nicole and Doug!! We had a BALL. Our table was full of laughter and plenty of GOOD food.

It was super fun talking to James waiting for the one and only Aaron Sanchez! I loved this Huitlacoche crepe with roasted mushrooms, epazote and queso eaxaca. Simply amazeballs:

I was so honored to meet the incredible Chef John Besh and his wife Jen. He cooked up this Louisiana shrimp with crispy rice. It had chayote and okra kimchee under a lovely fried egg:

And BellyQ's Chef Bill Kim brought down the hizouse with these coconut grits and pork shoulder (which melted in my mouth):

Big smiles all around at the Pilot Light Chefs tent during my visit with Kendra, our Community Programs Manager! Thank you to everyone who came out the Fulton Market Harvest Festival this year - Proceeds are going straight to Pilot Light's awesome food education programs! Whoop!

I met these lovely ladies from Flower for Dreams at the festival. I couldn't leave without one of their fresh bouquets... And yes, I sure did walk around the festival like Miss America! 

Inhaling the flowers.

It all starts at home plate.

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

ps

My Top 10 #SettheTable2017 Topics:

1. Will the Gut-Brain Connection Revolutionize Wellness?
2. Come to the table - Join Slow Food USA!
3. Stay on TOP of the Global Food Revolution Newsfeed.
4. Robyn O'Brien: Why Our Food Is Making Us Sick.
5. Kimbal Musk Wants to Reengineer the American Stomach | Why Food is the New Internet. 
6. Buy Antibiotic Free and Know the Source of Your Family's Meat.
7. The EWG "Clean Fifteen + Dirty Dozen produce guidelines helps you save money + reduce the pesticides and herbicides = Antibiotics harmful to our gut microbiome + mycobiome.
8. Avoid artificial colors and preservatives to keep your gut, your "second brain" happy + healthy.
9. Why, When and How to Eat Wheat.
10. Why do Some People do well as Vegans and Vegetarians (Clues from the Magical World of Genetics).

Set the Table 2017 | Week 29

French Toast Waffles
In the Netherlands, they are called "wentel teefjees."
Go back in time with me to this 2014 post for a slightly different Ambassador Smash version with my friend Terri!

8-10 Leftover Belgium waffles (You can find my waffle recipe in this recent post too)
8 organic, pasture raised eggs (I get mine when I can from Prairie Wind Family Farm or Radical Root Farm). Adjust amount of eggs according to how many waffles you have.
A pinch of sea salt
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 c organic rice milk
3 Tbsp half and half
organic ghee or butter or coconut oil for greasing the pan
Toppings: Fresh fruit, assorted jams, pure maple syrup.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and milks (Use whatever "milk" you want... It all turns out fine, and I usually never measure. The amounts above are my best guesstimate). Heat up a rectangular cast iron griddle or pan and add some butter/ghee/coconut oil to thinly grease pan. Dunk the waffle into the egg mixture, flip once to make sure there is enough egg mixture covering entire waffle. Let some egg mixture run off and quickly place on the hot pan. Flip after about 3 minutes or so or until each side is fully cooked and starting to brown. Add your favorite toppings! My nieces LOVED them, and it sure brought Terri back into my kitchen!

ps The 2014 version is just slightly different, made for a smaller breakfast table (you'll love the lemon zest!) and I adore making BOTH.

Terri sent me these pictures yesterday as I was cooking them up across continents from her. I love them so much, I just had to share them with you too. I think texting with her back and forth made my wentel teefjees taste better. I miss you so much my dear friend!

***************************

• Each #SettheTable2017 post begins with a featured recipe(s) + upcoming week's game plan followed by a picture diary of last week's chaos. I sign off every post with a handy reference list of my favorite foodie articles (some new, some repeated). 
• #CatchmyGrit on my Instagram throughout the week to capture the fun, the food and the family table reactions (good and bad). C'est la vie, I selfy-ishly light it UP in pics and videos to keep truckin! 
• New to this series? Here's the STORY behind my #SettheTable2017 food adventures with Pure Barre Kildeer.
• My go to's for meal planning organization (the grocery list app features are rad): 1. Jamie's Ultimate Recipes App 2. Sarah's My New Roots Recipe App 3. NEW! Rachael Ray's Week in a Day Cookbook

Week 29's Game Plan:
This week, I am basically following the "1 Grocery Bag, 3 Meals" on pg 336 of Rachael's Week in a Day Cookbook. Below is what I could find similarly online, in case you don't have her cookbook (I highly recommend it for busy lives!). While on Maternity leave, I would watch the Food Network obsessively, making recipe notes after watching Rachael and others, not really "tuned in" to the difference between real & fake food, or how important cooking would someday be for my family table. It's so fun to be cooking with her again... a whole new Food Revolution decade later. 

• Spaghetti with Tuna & Artichokes

• Roast Chicken & Potatoes and Veggies

• Salmon Burgers

Wrap it UP with last week's action:

The week started off with a double birthday bang! First, waffles with a side of legos...

Roller Coasters second.

Katie and my nieces arrived third the next day! Chocolate chip pancakes are right up there on our breakfast list!

Tacos + my Mom's stuffed peppers.

And a silly Sangiovese.

I had more helpers at the Prairie Wind Family Farms CSA pick up! The blueberries barely made it home:)

Eat the rainbow, under an umbrella, during a rainstorm, preferably with a local beer, with someone you love.

Port at my parents' family table! I enjoyed my Mom's dinner so much I forgot to snap a picture... Baked ziti, pesto zucchini zoodles, salad, garlic bread, wine... ahhhhhhhhh.

Another thunderstorm kicked us off the deck and my Mom whipped out her piles of Santa Maria Del Popolo yearbooks. My sister-in-law Vicki had my Mom as a Kindergarten teacher... and I was her 8th grade lunch helper... Such a crazy, cool small school world. My Dad started his record player and played the piano in the background. We danced a little too. 

Here was last night's cook out gorgeousness. Those mushrooms have truffle salt on them:) 

Sushi tonight... and Monday our plan is to get some fresh Cod and make Alice Water's "Sorrel Cream Sauce" to ladle on top. My kitchen garden is bursting with this citrusy, awesome green!

It all starts at home plate.

To the Mullies we go...

xoxoL

ps

My Top 10 #SettheTable2017 Topics:

1. Come to the table - Join Slow Food USA!
2. Stay on TOP of the global Food Revolution newsfeed.
3. How to Cook With Oils.
4. Buy Antibiotic Free and Know the Source of Your Family's Meat.
5. The EWG "Clean Fifteen + Dirty Dozen produce guidelines helps you save money + reduce the pesticides and herbicides = Antibiotics harmful to our gut microbiome + mycobiome at home. 
6. Avoid artificial colors and preservatives to keep your gut, your "second brain" happy + healthy.
7. Why, When and How to Eat Wheat.
8. 50 Years Ago, the Sugar Industry Quietly Paid Scientists to Point Blame at Fat.
9. Kimbal Musk Says Food is the New Internet. 
10. Reversing Type 2 Diabetes Starts With Ignoring the Guidelines (Video)