Camping & Palm Plate Review

I was so excited when the UPS man brought my sample of disposable palm plates & bowls from Marx Foods the morning before we left for our camping trip.  Excited because this is the first real product review on my blog, and excited because what better way to test them out than while we were camping?

Every year we go camping with two other families, and we have been doing this for almost a decade now!  We go for 4 days/3 nights and we share the cooking duties.  It works great because each family cooks one breakfast and one dinner, and then we all do lunches on our own.  It is so nice to not have to cook or clean dishes every meal!

Back to the plates: Marx Foods makes these plates from palm leaves (read how they are made here) and they are both disposable and biodegradable.  They have a wood grain look to them & my first thought was how great they would be for a large function: like a charity dinner, wedding reception, large party, etc.  When we were planning our a banquet for our ministry last year I looked into disposable plates that were supposed to mimic china, but were in fact plastic (and there just was no denying that).  These would look so much better & be a great conversation piece too.  As a matter of fact, even though they are disposable, my daughter liked them so much that she insisted on washing & reusing them (more about that later)!

The first night we had spaghetti for dinner.  Perfect test: spaghetti sauce is one thing that can really soak through a paper plate.

It is amazing how plates just made from baked palm leaves can be so sturdy.  No weakening at all from this dinner.  Afterwards my daughter washed her plate & although the plate was stained from the sauce it was ready for the next meal.

In the morning it was our turn to make breakfast.  I decided making sausage, egg, & cheese breakfast muffins would be easy to make for a group.  I think it makes camping so much easier if you do as much prep & cooking ahead of time as you can.  I found a "natural" pork sausage at the store, but then I realized that plain "natural" ground pork was only .99/lb (a savings of about $3/lb), so I bought several pounds and used this recipe to make my own seasoned sausage (the only thing I changed in the recipe was to reduce the nutmeg).  I then formed them into patties & pre-cooked all of them.  That sausage was so yummy!

The only thing we had to do in the morning was cook the eggs, butter & warm the muffins (I have a camp oven that goes on the cook stove), and warm the sausage.  The other great thing about going with other families is we share our cooking appliances & cookware.  So, while my husband's cooking eggs on one cook stove, I'm warming the muffins on the other, and we use our propane camp grill to reheat the sausage. 

This was a fairly dry breakfast so we washed the plates under running water & reused them for lunch (and those breakfast sandwiches were so good that I reheated a leftover one for lunch).  For dinner that night we were making taco salad.  I cooked the meat & beans before we left, using this recipe, so I only had to reheat it at dinner time.  Chop some veggies while that's heating & dinner was done!  We had all the fixings laid out so everyone could build their salad in their way. 

These stood up so well to heavy and wet foods, washing (not immersing), and being reused, that I thought they must have some kind of resin in them, but it's palm leaves & nothing else.  Pretty cool, huh?  Now, you may be thinking, "When I'm camping I get to just toss my paper plates into the fire, I'm not going to wash them, so how do these work for that?"  Well, I thought you might wonder that, and even if you didn't, here's our fire test.

The plate is just beginning to catch fire & burning like wood: producing heat & not turning all ashy (like paper plates do).  A minute later it really took off:

Woo hoo!  (Your inner pyro delights in this, I know!)  When it was done burning there was some ash left, but it just stayed in the fire pit & incorporated into the wood ash.

Now back at home, I thought we should give the bowls one more test: a bowl of my granola with kefir, honey, and milk.  I even let it sit while I got ready in the morning.

It held up great.  I even rinsed it off so it can be reused.  You may be able to tell in this picture that washing the plates or bowls will make them lose their shape slightly, but once they air dry they can be reused!

A side note:  we made lots of "real food" compromises this weekend.  Like, you'll notice the english muffins are store bought, not the homemade sourdough ones I've made in the past.  My husband told me, in his sweet way, that I could not subject our friends to any "wierd" food.  Which is probably just as well, because I still spent hours in the kitchen getting ready for our trip.

So, after a weekend liberally sprinkled with sweets and preservatives we found ourselves waking up Monday morning totally exhausted & groggy.  Could we blame it all on not sleeping as well while camping?  I don't think so.  I think we've got junk food hangovers.  A few more days of good sleep, kefir & healthy foods, and we should be recovered!

If you would like to find out more about these plates and bowls (they have 10 different styles) you can visit the website for Marx Foods here.  Marx Foods sent me these plates & bowls for free to sample and review, but I was not required or obligated in any way to give them a positive review.  I just think they're super cool, that's all!


Enjoy!
Lisa

This post is a part of Tuesday Twister and Real Food Wednesday.

Taco Soup

How do you stretch 1/4 lb of beef to feed four people?  Taco soup is a great way to stretch your meat (and be kind to your budget) as well as getting nourishing bone broth into your family.  I know soup is not the first meal you think of in the summer heat, but if you let it cool a little bit before eating (not piping hot) you will find it to be a satisfying meal.   Plus, this is an easy meal to throw together from things you probably already have in your pantry or freezer.  If you substitute fresh vegetables for frozen, just allow a little more cooking time.

Taco Soup

1/4 lb. ground beef (or other chopped meat)
clove garlic
1 Tbsp. chopped (green) onions
3 cups bone broth (chicken or beef)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen green beans
1/2 cup frozen shredded potato
1/4 cup salsa (or more, to taste)
1 cup pinto beans (or other)
1 corn tortilla
cheese (shredded)

Brown the ground beef along with garlic and onions.  I also added a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.  Break up meat & cook until all red is gone.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer.

Meanwhile, cut corn tortilla into 1/4" strips, then cut strips into 1" or 2" pieces.  Stir into soup. Simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

While still very hot, ladle into bowls and immediately add a generous amount of shredded cheese on each serving, allowing it to melt into gooey goodness!  You might want to try sour cream or avocado too.

This recipe could even serve 6 people if you start the meal with a generous fresh salad first and then serve the soup.

Enjoy!
Lisa

Enchilada Salad

This is similar to taco salad, but because it contains cooked corn tortillas, I thought I should call it Enchilada Salad- sure, why not?  This was something I came up with just because when I eat lunch I make it my job to use up whatever needs to get eaten in the fridge!  Yes, someone's gotta do it.  I was pleased enough with this lunch to recreate it several times.  I think it's both satisfying & frugal (since it's meatless- but you could add meat for more flavor and fun).

Enchilada Salad
portions are for serving 1 person
2 Tablespoons broth (or water)
1/4 cup cooked beans (pinto, black)
1/4 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup salsa (or more)
shredded cheese (as much as you like)
1 corn tortilla
mixed salad greens
Ranch style dressing
optional: cumin, cilantro, cooked meat, sour cream, olives, tomatoes, avocado, etc!

Pour broth into small pot and add beans, rice, salsa, shredded cheese.  (Add in meat also if you want.)  Tear tortilla into 1 inch pieces & mix into pot.  If using cilantro and cumin, add a dash of these and stir.  Warm on the stove over medium heat stirring occasionally until mixture is hot, cheese is melted, and tortillas are soft.

Arrange salad greens on plate and drizzle with dressing.  Drop spoonfuls of the warm enchilada mixture evenly over the greens.  Top with any optional ingredients you want, or just dig in!

Enjoy,
Lisa

These posts have been written ahead of time as my family and I are working with a team at an orphanage in Ensenda, Mexico this week.  Please feel free to comment but I will not be able to approve or reply to comments until after July 1st.

Roasted Cauliflower & Chickpeas

Recently I had a head of cauliflower & I pulled some chickpeas from the freezer because I love cauliflower dipped in hummus!  But then I saw a blog post about roasting cauliflower & I was intrigued.  I also remembered seeing a few posts about roasting chick peas, which I was also curious about.  Come to find out they both cook at the same temperature for the same amount of time, so why not roast them both at the same time?  This would be good for when you want a salty snack...

Roasted Cauliflower (and/or) Chickpeas
1 head cauliflower, stem removed
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or 1 can, drained
4 Tbsp. olive oil
salt, garlic, pepper - to taste

Preheat oven to 450.  Chop cauliflower into small pieces (but not tiny).  Pat chickpeas dry with paper towels.

 

Combine chickpeas, cauliflower, oil and a generous sprinkling of salt, garlic, and pepper in a large bowl.  Stir to combine.  Spread out in a single layer on a cookie sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper). 

Since my cookie sheet doesn't have edges I used the cauliflower to keep the chickpeas corralled & from rolling off the edges.

Place in oven and bake for about 30 minutes.  Cauliflower will have a "toasted" look when ready.  Do not over bake or the chickpeas will get too dry.

Some of my cauliflower pieces were too big- the smaller ones were better.

I'm going to have some of these roasted chickpeas and cauliflower on top of my salad today too.

Enjoy!

Lisa

P.S. Did you see Wardeh's post about the USDA food pyramid?  So well put!

Please feel free to comment this week, but our family is with a team working at an orphanage in Ensenada, Mexico, so I will not be able to approve or reply to comments until after July 1st.  These posts were written & publishing scheduled ahead of time- just for you! 

Hummus: Yummy & Easy

This post is a part of Fight Back Fridays at Food Renegade.

Since I had made some sourdough crackers last week I decided I wanted some hummus to dip them in.  Last time, also the first time, I tried making my own hummus I soaked & boiled up a huge batch of dried chick peas (garbanzo beans) and froze them in bags (2 c. each).  This way, when I want hummus I just thaw out a bag (I figure 2 c. is pretty close to what you'd get in one can, which is what most recipes call for.)  In my previous attempt at hummus I used a recipe that did not use tahini- and that hummus was bad.  You could just tell it was missing something (like, hmm, hummus?)  This time though the hummus was great!

Hummus
3/4 to 1 tsp. minced garlic (or one garlic clove)
2 cups (or 19 oz. can) garbanzo beans
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. tahini
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Combine all the ingredients in your food processor & process til smooth.  Use more or less garlic depending on your preference (more!).  I like to use the minced garlic that comes in a jar because I think it's so much easier than messing with garlic cloves.

Below is the hummus with my spinach sourdough crackers, but I actually found my favorite way to enjoy this is by dipping cauliflower in it- you must try it.  One day I also tried dipping my crackers in both hummus & tuna salad and that was a good lunch!

By the way, I did a little google on chick peas.  Did you know they are a good source of dietary fiber, protein and copper, and a very good source of folate, zinc and manganese?  Now that's the kind of snack (or lunch) you can feel good about!


Enjoy!
Lisa

Tortilla Beef Skillet

This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday.
And Pennywise Platter Thursday

I'm sharing with you a simple recipe, tasty, as well as being another great way to use up failed or funky tortillas.  Sorry, no pictures because we dug into it too fast & the leftovers just did not take a pretty picture- but this recipe is a real family pleaser anyways!

Tortilla Beef Skillet
1 lb. ground beef (could reduce to 3/4 lb. & increase beans to economize)
2 c. kidney beans (preferably dried, soaked, cooked, but 1 can would work too)
3/4 c. salsa (can increase depending on how spicy your family likes it)
1 c. water
4 flour tortillas, torn into 1" pieces
1 c. shredded cheese
optional: 1/3 c. sour cream, 1/3 c. chopped green onions, chopped avocado or tomatoes

Brown meat in large skillet, drain grease (I never need to do this anymore- is it the cast iron or the grass fed beef?)
Stir in beans, salsa and water.  Bring to boil & simmer for 5 minutes.  Stir in tortillas & top with cheese.  Since I used a cast iron pan I turned on the oven to broil and put the pan in for a few minutes so the cheese would have a nice toasted look.  Add optional toppings either before serving or on individual plates.

You can serve this as is, or on a bed of shredded lettuce, similar to a taco salad.  Now that would probably have been a pretty picture!  :)

Enjoy!
Lisa

Exploding Toaster Ovens & "Girl" Talk

This post is a part of the Tuesday Twister Blog Carnival at Gnowfglins

and Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers

Just so I'm not accused of being over-dramatic, I should say that my toaster oven did not explode with a "BOOM!".  What did happen was very strange though.  We've had this toaster oven since Christmas.  I asked for it so we could avoid microwave use.  The reasons why are listed out for you here.  So, on Friday I was cooking some hot dogs for my son in there (uncured hot dogs, thank you very much Trader Joe's for no nitrates!)  When I heard the "tinkeling" sound of a lot of glass shattering in the kitchen.  What I found was this

The entire glass door had spontaneously shattered into tiny pieces.  Every last bit.  There were a couple of pieces that were even all the way across the kitchen floor.  So bizarre!  Thankfully no one was near it when it happened.  A friend reminded me to check the CPSC website to see if it had been recalled- it hadn't but I did file a report on what happened.  Kind of ironic that I started using a toaster oven to be "safer" and then this happens!  We took it back to the store and got a different toaster oven- no more Black & Decker ones for me!

One thing I have been enjoying in my kitchen this week has been these oh-so-good Healthy Grain Free Brownies.  The first time I made these they were thin & dense, but still very good.  Then I saw another similar recipe at Just Making Noise.  The difference was more eggs, more coconut oil, more salt & vanilla, and 2 T. coffee substitute.  I decided to morph the two recipes (and not use coffee substitute in mine) and the result was a wonderful soft fudgy treat!  I used the Healthy Grain Free Brownie recipe and used 3 jumbo eggs (you could use 4), between 1/3 & 1/2 c. coconut oil, and the extra vanilla.  Now the bittersweet chocolate I'm using was strong- about 84-90% cacao bars from Theo.  The great thing about their bars, besides being fair traded and organic, is that they do not contain soy.  Just cocoa beans, sugar, cocoa butter, and vanilla beans.  The way it should be!  But because the flavor is so strong, and I wanted to make sure all the flavors blended together, I melted the coconut oil and chocolate together before adding to the batter.  It turned out great!

I feel good having this kind of treat because: lots of good for you ingredients & no grains (most of us consume way too many).  Both black beans and dark chocolate are high in magnesium.  Magnesium is helpful for women when we are PMSing- maybe that's why we crave chocolate?  I'm about to delve into some "Girl Talk" here- so guys beware.  :)  When I was a teenager I never had PMS.  No cramps, no irritability, nothing.  Then, when I got married at age 20, I went on hormonal birth control.  Suddenly I had headaches & all the other PMS stuff.  I was only on birth control for about 6 months, but my hormones never were right again after that.  Fast forward 18 years to 2010.  Every single cycle I have 2 weeks of PMS and then I have to take Ibuprofin to manage the painful cramps when my cycle begins, and this is how it has been for 18 years.  That is, up until last month.  Last month I had one day pre-cycle where I was feeling irritable, so I upped my intake of magnesium foods (black beans, dark chocolate, almonds) and felt better the next day.  During my cycle itself I felt light "twinges" but no cramping really.  Nothing that was enough to interrupt my day.  I could hardly believe it!  It was amazing!

We have made so many changes to our diet I can't tell you what I should attribute this too.  Soaking grains?  Raw milk?  Kefir?  Eliminating processed foods?  I have no idea.  But I am delighted & thankful!

Here's to your health journey too.

Blessings,
Lisa