I can now understand why many families end up with freezers and pantries full of pre-packaged, processed food and frequent the drive-thru for dinner: when you and your spouse both work, you have a very small window of time to make dinner, especially one from scratch. With that in mind, I am going to devote a few postings to provide you with real-life-tested tips and tricks I employ when trying to get dinner on the table in a reasonable amount of time (reasonable to me is roughly 45 minutes).

My first tip: menu planning. If you have been following my blog at all, you will have noticed that I plan a weekly menu based on my purchases at our farmers' market or our CSA deliveries that just ended for the season. I am lucky to live in Madison, Wisconsin, for many reasons, but a big one is a year-round farmers' market, which allows me to eat locally in the dead of winter.

Menu planning helps me achieve two things: 1) I know what I am making each day, so I don't waste precious time at home scrounging around for something to throw together for dinner and 2) cuts down on my trips to the grocery store and helps me prevent wasting food – I used to buy too much at the grocery store and then end up not using it before it went bad, got stale, etc. After our market run, I sit down with cookbooks, recipe print-outs and magazines and start making my menu. From that, I derive a grocery list. I try to make just one run to the store on either Saturday or Sunday – in the summer this is easier to do since we don't eat a lot of meat; but in the winter, with protein being more of a focus, I may have to do one mid-week grocery run to supplement our menu.

If that sounds like a lot to do, trust me it saves loads of time (and stress) scurring around after work trying to whip something together. If you aren't comfortable with shopping without structure, then go to a recipe site, like epicurious.com, and click on their seasonal section. Pick out recipes you like, make a list and hit your farmers' market and then the grocery store. Give it a shot ... and let me know how it works for you!

At the market
Apples
Apple cider from Ela Orchard
Flat-leaf parsley
Grass-fed chuck roast
Kimcot potatoes from Butter Mountain Potatoes – a starchy tator like an russet
Leeks
Mixed baby greens
Rainbow-colored Swiss chard
Spinach
Scallions
Yellow onions

Menu: week of 31 October 2009
Saturday: veggie-infused meatloaf with mashed potatoes and sautéed Swiss chard
Sunday: chile con carne with avocado, scallions and cilantro
Monday: leftovers – either meatloaf sandwiches with parsnip fries or chile con carne
Tuesday: leftovers – whatever we didn't eat the evening prior
Wednesday: sautéed chicken cutlets with mixed greens in a sherry vinaigrette
Thursday: potato "souffle" with almond-parsley pesto
Friday: fried eggs over a warm lentil-spinach salad with lardons

Here's what we ate last Sunday — a great use for all those potatoes we have from our CSA! Note: we added the red pepper flakes after baking so Pickle could eat it too.

Potato and Rosemary Pizza

Serves 2 adults, one hungry bambino, with leftovers

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
12 ounces (roughly 2 medium sized potatoes) unpeeled, scrubbed-clean Yukon Gold potatoes, sliced into very thin rounds — I used a mandoline
1 recipe Sarah's pizza dough
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1 cup grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat oil in large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add potato slices in single layer (you will have to do several batches). Sauté until just tender, about 1-2 minutes. Drain on paper towel to cool briefly.

Once your dough is rolled out to your preferred size, place on a cornmeal-dusted pan. Then, layer potato slices, leaving 3/4-inch plain border. Sprinkle with rosemary, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Sprinkle with cheeses to cover.

Bake pizza until crust is crisp and cheeses melt, about 15 minutes. Using metal spatula, loosen crust from sheet, if needed. Slide onto a board and cut into pieces; serve.

Happy eating, -s.

Growing up, Friday night was pizza night. My mom would make a half-sheet-pan-sized pizza with lots of veggies and pepperoni. It was the only night that we got to have a juice-glass filled with Coke. A pretty magical evening, as you can imagine. Talking to friends, they too had pizza nights as kids. At the park recently, Chris, Pickle and I met a little girl who was quite the conversationalist; as we pushed Pickle on the swing, she inquired about many things including what we were going to be for Halloween (she was going as a witch or a mermaid) and what we were having for dinner. She told us that, "as she was Italian," her family had pizza night every week and that her favorite was sausage and pepperoni. So, the trend continues (Italian or not!) decades later, which makes me happy.

I've been working on a whole-wheat crust recipe lately; trying to make eating pizza a more healthful endeavour. Using 100% whole-wheat flour has not been working for me; the texture is just not right. So, with Heidi Swanson's white whole-wheat crust recipe in one hand and the Cook's Illustrated classic in the other, I set about making a big batch of dough that would crisp and chew in all the right places, while still containing a good ratio of whole-wheat flour to white. Our potato pizza on Sunday was my first go and I have to say — and I'm not exaggerating* — it was the best dough I've made. The exterior was crispy while the interior had a satisfying chew.

This recipe makes two large rectangular pizzas (the goal is to have leftovers); freeze one ball or refrigerate it for pizza later in the week — yes, two pizza nights in one week is okay!

Sarah's whole-wheat pizza dough

makes enough for two, 11x14-inch pizzas or four, 12-inch round pizzas

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour — I used King Arthur

2 cups white bread flour — again, King Arthur

1 teaspoon rapid-rise yeast

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 3/4 cup room temperature water

1/4 cup olive oil and more for oiling the bowl

Directions:

In the bowl of a food processor, add both flours, salt and yeast; pulse to combine (the bowl will be really full). Measure the water and oil in the same cup and with the machine running, pour the liquids into the dry ingredients. Once the dough creates a cohesive ball, let the machine run for 30 seconds.

Remove to a floured board or counter and knead with your hands for 5 minutes (a good upper-body workout). The ball should be smooth and supple. Cut into two equal piece. Place one in a Ziploc bag and the other in an oiled bowl. Place the bagged dough in the fridge or freezer for later use. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 2-3 hours, until double in volume.

When you are ready to assemble the pizza, slowly stretch the dough by hand, letting it rest if it is not yielding. Once it is the size you need, place on a cornmeal dusted pan and adorn with your choice of sauce and toppings. Bake on the bottom rack of a 450-degree, preheated oven for roughly 15 minutes.

Happy eating, -s.

*I am a known and admitted over-exaggerator, coming from a long line of overreactors, hypochondriacs and drama-queens. If it happened once or twice, to me it's happened a million times. If you have a cough, you are dying and should rush to the doctor. If I love something or someone, it L-O-V-E, love, so watch out! But, that just means I'm passionate about everything that matters. :)

Saturday was our last CSA delivery for the year and that makes me really sad. It was our first year with Driftless Organics and I couldn’t have been more pleased. The vegetables were gorgeous and the newsletters and recipes were informative and delicious. Can’t wait until next year!

Root vegetables are the theme for the week, and they will be our constant companions throughout the long Wisconsin winter. The DCFM winter market starts in mid-November and they will have some greens available, but those hardy root veggies and squashes will be the mainstay of our local diet for the duration. That’s not a bad thing! This delicious and versatile group can handle the heat of chiles, the earthiness of dried spices and the pungency of cheese. Toss any of them with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper and throw them in a hot oven for 20-30 minutes and you’ll have something magically sweet and caramelized and utterly satisfying be it tossed with pasta, served as a side dish or featured as the main course.

In our last CSA box:
Butternut Squash
Carnival Squash
Carrots
Chioggia Beets
Fennel
Garlic
Jalapeno Peppers
Lacinato Kale
Lettuce
Onions
Parsnips
Red Cabbage
Red Potatoes
Sweet Red Bell Pepper
Sweet Potatoes

Menu: Week of 25 October 2009
Sunday: potato, garlic and rosemary pizza with a whole-wheat crust topped with radish sprouts vinaigrette
Monday: curried apple and squash with whole-wheat couscous, pine nuts and sultanas
Tuesday: chicken thighs braised in West African peanut sauce
Wednesday: eggplant and sweet pepper caponata sandwiches with fresh ricotta served with parsnip fries
Thursday: Middle-Eastern roasted carrots and Chioggia beets in a shallot vinaigrette with hummus and whole-wheat naan
Friday: sausage and pepper pizza with a whole-wheat crust

I asked my dear friend Suzanne, who is a fabulous food coach and wellness trainer, to break down the complex world of whole grains into digestible information for the "lay eater." Below she has provided a excellent primer on these "wonder foods," and has even included a link to a favorite recipe!

The next couple of my recipes will be devoted to some delicious and easy whole-grain meals.

Until then, happy eating, -s

GRAIN-A-RIFIC
Whole grains are all the rage. So what exactly are they? And what’s the difference between whole grain and products made with whole grain? Here’s how to cut through the confusing marketing jargon so you can make an informed choice about grains.

Imagine planting a row each of wheat, Wheaties and pasta. The whole wheat with its germ and hull intact, will grow and flourish. Indeed, whole grains are seeds. However, once a grain is flaked, rolled, puffed or milled into flour, it’s no longer a viable seed. It won’t grow. It’s lost its vital life energy.

So, even though breakfast cereals, pasta and bread are often marketed as “whole grain,” they’re processed grain products. Even though these products are made with whole grain flours, they’re still processed and have less life energy than the original grain. So, it’s ideal to eat actual whole grains more often than processed grains, whether they’re made with whole grain flour or not. Whole grains will keep your blood sugar and energy levels more even than any kind of processed grains.

Note: many people are sensitive to some grains, especially wheat and corn. If you suspect you have a sensitivity to wheat or corn, experiment with eliminating for two weeks and notice if you have any symptoms when you re-introduce them. While you’re doing your experiment, you can try quinoa, highlighted in the Food Focus below.

Food Focus: Quinoa
Quin-what?! Exactly. Pronounced “keen-wah”, this superfood has been cultivated in the South American Andes since at least 3,000 B.C. Nutritionally, quinoa might be considered a super-grain, although it is actually the seed of a leafy plant that's distantly related to spinach and swiss chard.

Not only is quinoa high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein, meaning that it includes all nine essential amino acids. Great news for vegetarians! And quinoa is especially high in the amino acid lysine, which is essential for tissue growth and repair. The grain is also a great source of manganese, magnesium, iron, copper and phosphorous. Quinoa may be especially valuable for persons with migraine headaches, diabetes and atherosclerosis.

Quinoa's survival through the millennia may be attributed to the resinous, bitter coating that protects its seeds from birds and insects, called saponin. Most quinoa sold in this country has already been cleansed of its saponin, but quinoa should be rinsed thoroughly before cooking to remove any powdery residue. Place the grain in a fine strainer and hold it under cold running water until the water runs clear; drain well. To increase the digestibility of quinoa, soak for several hours before cooking.

Click here for Suzanne's favorite Quinoa recipe:

Real Life Food Quick Tip
Little known fact: the longer you chew whole grains, the sweeter they become. It’s nature’s little reward for taking time to chew!

Suzanne Monroe is Food Coach and owner of Real Life Food. Suzanne helps busy people figure out what to eat and how to have more energy through her nutrition coaching programs. For more information on Suzanne’s programs, workshops, and recipes, or for a free food coaching session, visit www.reallifefood.com.

Between house showings (yes, we’re crazy to try to sell our house in this market) and Pickle getting sick, it’s been wild in our house since last Friday, so sorry for the delay in posting our menu this week.

Speaking of Pickle, he has been not that into our farmers’ market excursions of late. We make it about one length of the Capitol square before the (loud) whining begins. Luckily my favorite stands are in roughly the same spots each Saturday, so I make a beeline for them and quickly buy what we need. Then we head to Café Soleil for breakfast post haste — amazing what a warm croissant will do to appease any mood!

Here’s what a quick dash around the market yielded …

At the market:
Apples — from Weston’s again
Basil — two large bunches that absolutely have to be made into pesto for the freezer!
Crimini mushrooms
Eggplant
Leeks
Mustard greens
Organic, grass-fed beef chuck roast
Red Russian kale
Red onions
Winter squash – delicata, kobucha and acorn

Menu: Week of 3 October 2009
Sunday: Alice Water’s beef stew with buttered noodles
Monday: mushroom-brown rice casserole from 101cookbooks.com
Tuesday: leftover stew with lemon-scented polenta
Wednesday: bulgur wheat with sautéed kale, sultanas, pine nuts in a sherry vinaigrette
Thursday: leftover mushroom-rice casserole with an apple salad with toasted walnuts
Friday: sautéed mustard greens on ricotta bruschetta

Happy eating! -s

Our first winter squash arrived in our CSA on Saturday; it’s a bespeckled carnival. Can't wait to roast it for a gorgeous salad of warm roasted squash, bacon lardons, dandelion greens and pecans from Suzanne Goin's amazing cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques, which I L-O-V-E, love.

Speaking of cookbooks, I've been reading Heidi Swanson's blog, 101 cookbooks, which is very inspiring in an oh-so-good-for-you kind of way. She is a vegetarian, but her food is gorgeous, flavorful and inspiring. Check her out if you haven't ... her book, Super Natural Cooking, is a great primer on whole foods as well.

With that, here's what we're eating this week.

In our CSA box:
Carrots
Carnival Squash
Cauliflower
Dandelion greens
Garlic
Heirloom Tomatoes
Leeks
Poblano Pepper
Purple Beans
Red Onion
Romanesco
Spinach
Sungold Tomatoes
Sweet Red & Orange Frying Peppers
White Globe Radish Yellow Potatoes

Menu: Week of 27 September 2009
Sunday: peperoni e pepperoni pizza – air-cured organic salami with sautéed sweet peppers and onions
Monday: hummus, roasted sungold tomatoes and spinach cacik on grilled naan with roasted yellow potatoes
Tuesday: zucchini ricotta frittata served with white globe radishes on buttered toast
Wednesday: curried cauliflower with brown basmati rice
Thursday: roasted carnival squash salad with lardons, dandelion greens, pecans and manchego cheese
Friday: spicy sautéed romanesco with sesame noodles
Saturday: salad Niçoise with roasted yellow potatoes, purple beans and heirloom tomatoes


Happy eating! -s