Wednesday, January 30, 2013

On to the next month...

I have survived my first month of this year with mostly good things happening around me. I am firmly following some of my resolutions and so far all is smooth sailing. One of the biggest things I have accomplished other than dropping 10 lbs, is having been able to participate in an amazing event. Feed My Starving Children is an organization that is faithfully trying to eliminate starvation in children throughout the world. They have different locations throughout the country where people can volunteer to pack meals of dry foods and then they ship these to places like Haiti, Angola, Colombia, India etc...



My place of employment is very involved with the organization and when they come to town they pass word to all the employees to volunteer. Well, I managed to get a group of about 15 people, from friends to co-workers and even my sister to do a shift. As a team we packed 23 boxes, as a whole we prepared meals for about 300 kids. What an AMAZING feeling!!!  Nothing is better than giving to those in need. I encourage you all to look into this organization, they just may be packing meals in your neighborhood.


Now time for some comfort food that is healthy and will be one keep around for when you are sick, or on a cold day... This is one of those that I just cannot get enough of!

My mamas lentils-

What you need:
16 Oz Dry Lentils
2-3 Medium size potatoes, peeled, cubed to about 1 inch size
3 Lb piece of pork tenderloin
1 heaping tbsp of sofrito or guizo (as mentioned in previous recipes)
1 Tbsp EVOO
Salt & Pepper
Ketchup
1 Beef Bouillon cube

How to make:
Soak the lentils in water the night before you make them in a container. The next day gently remove all the skins that are floating in the container. Slowly grab a handful of lentils and rub them with your hands to take off all (or almost all) the skins. This may take a few minutes, but trust me it is well worth it- wash them with water as you go until you see that most of them look a shade lighter. Rinse completely and place them in a pot with just enough water to cover them set on med-high heat and just when you start to see them boil add the potatoes. Allow to boil until the water has almost evaporated making sure the potatoes are soft but not falling apart.

In a separate pot cook the pork in water with salt and pepper until you can pull it apart with a fork. Set aside.

In a large pot on med-high heat, sautee the guizo with the evoo and the beef bouillon for a couple of minutes, add the pork and mix well and cook for another couple of minutes. Add this mixture to the lentils, add about 2 tbsp of ketchup and mix everything. Lower heat at this point. If the consistency is soupy, allow to simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and ketchup as desired. You can add a dash of powdered color if you would like.

Serve this on top of white rice.

Enjoy!







 



Thursday, January 3, 2013

Hello 2013!


Ahh that time of the year yet again...Resolutions, new outlook on life. Why is it that we must wait until January to re-evaluate our lives? It is so important to do this often so that we can recharge batteries and set new goals for ourselves. Oh and apparently the world did not get the memo from the Mayans about becoming extinct so what more can we ask for???? This year I plan on doing so many amazing things, that I just may have to share them all with you guys who take the time to read this blog. I have already started on 3 of my resolutions but until they are completed they won't be disclosed so stay tuned.



All I know is that we are truly blessed to be able to be alive, and that alone calls for celebration. I urge you all to take some time to enjoy the simple things in life. Laugh often, love more, and give whenever you can. Remember that you are the only one who can make that change happen. With that in mind- here is something that happened to me a couple weeks ago that keeps me pushing myself to "pay it forward". I went to celebrate a friends birthday and had to pay for parking. I didn't take out cash because I knew the machine took credit cards...well the machine was only accepting cash, and as I struggled to get my card back from the machine a couple drove by me and gave me their ticket with almost 3 hrs of parking paid already. All he said was "have a nice day" and I smiled and told them that I would for sure "pay it forward". And so my journey began January 1st, 2013 to do one act of kindness all 356 days of the yr. Crossing my fingers that it can be accomplished.

Cheers to a new year!!
****Even if you only do one favor or one act of kindness...that is all it takes to start the pay it forward movement!!!*****



Moist Banana Nut Bread

What you will need:

1 C regular sugar
1 C dark brown sugar
2 1/4 C flour
1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 Tsp salt
3/4 C vegetable oil
3 Large eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 1/3 Tsp baking soda
1/4 C buttermilk or sour milk
1 C chopped pecans
5 bananas (must be black or almost black)
1 C dried cranberries

  

How to make:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. If you do not have a nonstick silicone gel cake pan grease 2 loaf pans and set aside. In a small bowl dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk and set aside. In a large bowl, mash bananas and combine with all the ingredients and add the buttermilk last. Pour into your container of choice and bake for 1-2 hrs depending on your oven or until toothpick or knife comes out almost clean.

Tips: Don't want to buy buttermilk? then make sour milk by adding 1 Tbsp of white vinegar to 1 C of milk. Also, dust the pecans and the cranberries in a little flour before adding them to the mixture so that they do not sink to the bottom while baking.