Fantastic Fridays

June 7, 2013 in Fantastic Fridays with 2 Comments

***GO Veggie! GIVEAWAY WINNERS ANNOUNCED***

Congratulations to Amy, Traci and Kelsey!
Please send your mailing address to MyWiseMom@gmail.com and I’ll get your coupon to you. Please fill me in on what you choose and what you think!

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I’m so excited to be in full effect JUNE! This week finally felt like spring and we’ve been trying to eat it up through the rain. This week was a little chaotic as Justin was in Canada for several days, but he’s home and we’re looking forward to the weekend. This is one of our only wide open weekends this month. I think I should sleep in until 10a both days, don’t you? ;) (Mom dreams.)

As the week rounds out, relax with some of my most fantastic online finds. Click the blue “Fantastic” link to go directly to the source page.

Fantastic R&R: Clearly, I’ve got rest on the brain!  I don’t have the slightest clue what this website says, but I can tell you this: I’m SOLD! My best friend and her family come home this week from Kabul for a few short weeks. I’d like to send her here – wherever here is – as she could use a good snooze in the sunshine!

Outdoor Bed

Fantastic Slouch: Could there be anything cuter to put on a little foot? I mean, come on! You’re killing me!

slouchy boot

Fantastic Look: There’s so much right going on here. The colors, the flowy top, the bracelets. I’ll take one of each. Thanks.

Sourthern

Fantastic Info-graphic: This info-graphic is simply spectacular. Spec. Tac. U. Lar. It’s not about money. It’s about time and commitment. We each have the power to choose what we will feed our bodies and our family.

Rich Food

Fantastic Dip: I’ve had a crazy crush on avocado and lime lately, but I’m thinking I need to switch it up. This hummus looks like it just might do the trick!

Hummus

Fantastic Toddler Garden: How great is this? Finn loves checking the garden every morning… and sometimes in the afternoon. Having his own some day to tend to? He’d go ballistic!

Garden

Fantastic Freebie Op: To kick off your gluten-free summer, Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery is hosting a Facebook Recipe Contest. From June 7-15, Rudi is inviting anyone who likes food :) to show off their most creative and delicious gluten-free wrap recipes.  The winner of the “Rudi’s Gluten-Free Wrap Star Recipe Contest” will win a 3-month supply of Rudi’s Gluten-Free products + a “Kitchen Prize Pack!” (Prize pack value of approximately $135). The “runner-up” recipe winner a 2-month supply of Rudi’s Gluten-Free products. Please let me know if you post a recipe!

Rudi's

Fantastic POP: How insane do these look? These are being added to my “must make this summer” popsicle list for the kids. Finn might have to fight me for one.

Pops

Fantastic Jam: Now this right here is a GREAT way to GROOVE on into the weekend! I did a “car dance” to this the other weekend and Justin (my Justin) was borderline terrified. GAHHHH!!! I sickly love me some JT! LOVE LOVE LOVE!


What are you listening to right now?

Here’s to a fantastic weekend to you and yours!

Summer Grilling Staple: Chicken Packets

June 5, 2013 in Recipe with 2 Comments

**Have you entered the dairy-free giveaway from GO Veggie! yet? Check out yesterday’s post for details!**

Years and years and years ago at a “friend BBQ,” our friend MJ introduced us to Chicken Packets. While I can’t remember what the ingredients used that night, I remembered the concept and the SECRET INGREDIENT that makes it all happen. That’s right… TOP SECRET, you’ll-never-guess, ingredient. GASP! To this day, Chicken Packets are a staple in our summer grill plans.

Chicken Packets

Nothing quite screams SUMMER like the grill. The grill we have I bought when I was still single my first year working. It was my tax return gift to me. A guy once came to my door selling steaks. I told him I’m not a big “steak” girl and he pretty much ripped me a new one for having “that great big grill and not putting a real piece of meat on it.” Eh. Scram, dude.

So, back to Chicken Packets. What is the top secret ingredient that makes this super easy dinner so fantastically perfect?

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An ice cube! Yep. As the grill warms, the cubes melt and perfectly steam the veggies while adding a bit more liquid to ensure your chicken doesn’t dry out.

Start by laying out a piece of heavy duty foil (HD works best as it doesn’t tear as easily when wrapping). Put a drizzle of olive oil on the foil so nothing sticks. Here’s where things get wild…

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Add whatever veggies and however much chicken and whatever seasonings you want. Great veggie options are broccoli, peppers, mushrooms, water chestnuts (veggie?), baby corn (although now I’m wondering WTH those things are), onions, carrots, and on and on and on. Add your raw, diced chicken and season until your heart is happy.

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Add some butter or Earth Balance pats around the foil and 3 ice cubes. Three. That’s magic.

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Wrap those dogs up. I fold them like a taco first, rolling the top pieces, and then bring the sides in.

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Throw them on a hot grill for about 20 minutes. Don’t overcook or that chicken will be dry, dry, dry. We put them on high heat for 20 minutes and they always come out perfect.

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Stand back when you open the packets as the steam is out of this world and the food is PIPING hot!

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Let them cool just a minute before devouring!

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Toddler Test: Both Finn and Evie ate the chicken and most of the vegetables. Finn was suspicious of the water chestnuts. He is his father’s son! Evie is unfazed and gobbles up whatever we put in front of her still. Except strawberries. Who is this girl?!?!

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Happy Summer Grilling!

Do you have a summer grill recipe you love? Please share it in the comments below!

 

 

Chicken Packets

by My Wise Mom

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Keywords: dinner dairy-free tree nut-free peanut-free chicken

Ingredients

  • Heavy Duty Foil
  • Olive Oil
  • Chicken Breasts, trimmed and cubed (prepare 1 breast per adult)
  • Vegetables, your choice (broccoli, green or red peppers, mushrooms, water chestnuts, baby corn, onions, carrots, etc.)
  • Seasonings, your choice (salt, pepper, grill mix, red pepper, etc.)
  • Butter or Earth Balance
  • 3 ice cubes per packet

Instructions

1. Drizzle olive oil over heavy duty foil to avoid sticking.

2. Add a mixture of vegetables.

3. Add as much raw, cubed chicken as desired.

4. Add pats of butter or Earth Balance around vegetables/chicken.

5. Season to your preference.

6. Add 3 ice cubs around the packet.

7. Roll the foil, long sides rolled first and then sides rolled in.

8. Place on a high heat grill for 20 minutes.

9. Let cool a minute after opening packet to cool before eating. Items will be very hot.

 

Pizza Dough (Bread Machine) + **Dairy-free Cheese Giveaway**

June 4, 2013 in Recipe with 12 Comments

Last year I shared our pizza dough recipe for the oven. While today’s pizza dough still bakes in the oven, the prep time is diminished thanks to our Bread Machine.

Yes, it takes a few minutes to throw the ingredients in the bin…

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… but then the machine cycles through to make the dough. It takes 55 minutes to run through the cycle, but it’s painless. No kneading, no rising, no timing. And with Busy Body Evie, this is HUGE for me. (Finn = chill/mellow baby, toddler and little boy. Evie = not so much.)

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Once the dough is done, we let it remain in the machine for a few minutes to settle. Then, we wash and dry our surface and add flour to roll out the dough into the size and shape we want.

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From there you add whatever toppings you like. Justin goes with organic sauce, pepperoni (Applegate Farms), basil, mushrooms, green olives, hot peppers and organic mozzarella cheese. I’m a fan of pepperoni and mushrooms. Sometimes I go cheese-less and sometimes I can’t resist a little organic mozzarella slathered slice.

Finn has been pretty plain Joe for awhile as we hadn’t found a dairy-free cheese that actually tasted decent. So, often times we would put the mushrooms and pepperoni under the sauce (ya know, to hide it as sometimes he picks it off) and he gets the plainest pizza around. But he loves it and cheers when it’s “Friday Pizza Night!”

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The good news is that we recently were introduced to a dairy-free, casein-free, soy-free, gluten-free “cheese” that Finn liked! GO Veggie! offers a variety of cheese alternatives based on your needs, focusing on lactose-free and dairy-free products. Be sure to check out their great overview of the difference between lactose-free and dairy-free. (I accidentally bought a lactose-free product instead of dairy-free a few months ago and within 5 minutes, Finn had his head on the table and was asking to go to bed, so be sure to read labels carefully!)

GO Veggie! sent us some products to try and a true winner for Finn were these vegan shreds for pizza night.

Go Veggie

One of the things I most appreciate about these shreds is that many of the ingredients are Non-GMO. I asked specifically about the Non-GMO labels and the company shared with me the following:

“I am happy to tell you that all of our GO Veggie! Dairy Free products are sourced from non-GMO ingredients, and we are currently working with the Non-GMO Project for verification status. We hope to achieve non-GMO status for all of our products in the future.”

Way to go!

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Go Veggie Cheese

In addition to indulging in the shreds for pizza, the other weekend in KC my cousin made Breakfast Sandwiches with these veggie slices, millet bread, sausage patties and eggs. Delicious! I re-created these this past weekend for Justin and the kids (sans eggs for Finn) and they were a hit!

Slices

 

So who is ready to try some GO Veggie! products?

***Giveaway Details ***  (NOW CLOSED!!!) Winners were announced in June 7, 2013 post.

Galaxy Foods is providing 3 My Wise Mom readers a coupon for a free GO Veggie! product.  To enter the giveaway, please following these steps by Friday, June 7:

1. LIKE My Wise Mom on Facebook …AND…

2. Leave a comment below telling me which GO Veggie! product you’d like to try.

The winners will be selected at random and announced Friday morning (June 7) at the beginning of the Fantastic Friday post.

Good Luck!

 

Pizza Dough (Bread Machine)

by My Wise Mom

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: varies with machine

Keywords: base dairy-free soy-free peanut-free flour

Ingredients

    1 lb. crust – makes 1 thick or 2 thin crusts

    • 3/4 cup warm water (not hot)
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon almond milk
    • 2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
    • 1/2 tablespoon organic sugar
    • 1 teaspoons real salt
    • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

    2 lb. crust – makes 2 thick or 4 thin crusts

    • 1 2/3 cups warm water (not hot)
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons almond milk
    • 4 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
    • 1 tablespoon organic sugar
    • 2 teaspoons real salt
    • 2 teaspoons active dry yeast

    Instructions

    Follow directions in your bread machine about the order of including ingredients. (For instance, with my machine I add wet ingredients first, followed by dry ingredients, and then add the yeast to a center “crater”.)

    Select Pizza Dough course on the machine.

    Once cycle is complete, place dough on a lightly floured surface and roll into the thickness and shape of your choice.

    Determine (based on your pan) if you need to lightly cover the surface with oil as to ensure the dough does not stick to the pan while baking. (We add a light layer of olive oil.)

    Add sauce and toppings of your choice.

    Bake pizza at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Thin crust will bake more quickly and oven times vary, so keep an eye on the crust after 18 minutes.

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