I have been meaning to write a review for White Tiger Gourmet for a year now. Every time I start, I give up, because I feel like I'm not going to do it justice. Our whole family loves White Tiger. Some kids start chanting for McDonalds when they get in the car; my picky eater chants "White Tiger, White Tiger!" over and over. Sometimes my husband and I join in the chant, and find ourselves taking an unscheduled trip there.
The South just survived what the forecasters were calling a "historical" snow storm. Thankfully Athens just received sleet and snow, instead of freezing rain and ice, so we were able to enjoy a winter wonderland this week, instead of a crippling catastrophic event. Even though the snow is now melting, I'm still finding myself craving comfort food. For some odd reason, I am specifically craving French comfort food--a Croque Monsieur, to be exact.
If you've never had the pleasure of eating one, a Croque Monsieur is a decadent ham and swiss sandwich that has been grilled and topped with a béchamel sauce. This dish, however, is a bit high in calories, and perhaps isn't the most kid-friendly dish, so I set out to recreate the dish to make it more in our family's style. I decided to reimagine the dish as a pasta; using gnocchi instead of bread, and a white cheese sauce instead of a béchamel sauce.
This dish, my dear readers, is so far my absolute favorite dish of 2014. I originally wanted to name my pasta Gnocchi alla Croque Monsier, but I was afraid it would make the recipe sound too intimidating, when nothing could be further from the truth. It was so quick and easy to make (less than thirty minutes!) and both my husband and kid gobbled it up. If you keep your portion size reasonable and pair it with a light salad, this meal easily remains under 500 calories.
Our local weather guys, Athens GA Weather, are forecasting a nasty winter storm for this week. Which is crazy, because we just had a winter storm two weeks ago, and normally we don't get to see snowflakes but once a year. Since it's slated to be cold and icy, I've decided that a hot and zesty soup should be on the menu. At first I considered making a ramen soup that I've been eyeballing, but ultimately went with old faithful: Chicken Taco Soup. It's easy to make and always a crowd pleaser. Before I became a parent, I would make it pretty spicy, but this time I aimed to keep it kid friendly. So if you like heat, be sure to amend the recipe to add cayenne pepper and/or garnish with hot sauce. Also, this is a great soup to double, since it freezes beautifully. Finally, this recipe can easily be made in the crockpot, if you happen to be too busy sledding outside to be standing over a stove.
Lately I've been working extra hard to find recipes that I can get my whole family to eat. My child is a notoriously picky eater, so dinner time can be an epic struggle when I try to serve something like Posole or Moroccan Chicken. I was therefore excited when Gimme Some Oven's Orange Chicken recipe popped up on my Pinterest page. It sounded like a dish that would not only be super easy and inexpensive to prepare, but also husband and child-friendly. I substituted some of the chicken for broccoli to amp up its nutritional value, and served it with a side of sautéed bok choy instead of over rice. My husband said it was the best Orange Chicken he's ever had, hands down. My daughter (although suspicious at first) even ate it, which in our house, counts as a huge win. Success!
Looking for a healthy breakfast or snack that tastes more like a treat? Let me suggest baking a loaf of Blueberry Spelt Bread. This recipe is from the fabulous blog My Whole Food Life, which always has great healthy recipes that don't taste healthy. Blueberry Spelt Bread is a breeze to make, and tastes delicious to boot.
Kale continues to be the superstar of the health food world, and I'm continuing to try to find ways to make this vegetable more lovable. To be frank, I often find kale to be bitter in taste and unpleasant in texture. After numerous kale encounters, I've learned that it is absolutely vital to get as fresh as kale as possible. Skip the already prepared kale bags sold in your grocery store, and grab the large unwashed and uncut bunches instead. The older kale gets, the more bitter it grows. So stick with fresh! Sure, it takes a bit longer to prepare, but it is certainly worth it. This recipe below is simple and savory, and when used with fresh kale, creates an actually tasty kale side dish. I actually went back for seconds, which is almost unheard for me when it comes to greens!
When I was younger, I rarely drank water. I lived off Cokes in my teens, Diet Cokes in my early twenties, and Coke Zero after that. I always felt like they gave me headaches (especially the diet ones), and were perhaps responsible for many other health issues I had at the time. In my mid-twenties, I decided to give up my daily soda habit, and switch it out with water. Since then, my afternoon headaches disappeared, my teeth feel consistently cleaner, my energy is higher, and all those annoying little health issues disappeared. I definitely attribute my water intake to my huge improvement in overall health.
