Tuesday, March 5, 2013

I'm having a Martha moment.

Did you know that Brussels Sprouts are on sale at Target this week?  Did you know that when you buy ten bags of them and then forget them in your car overnight, the smell that hits you when you get in your car at 7:30am is a fresh slap in the face.  And by "fresh" I don't mean fresh.  Oh. My. Gosh.

Said rotten vegetables were for my dinners this week.  The Hires house knows how to have a good time that's for sure.

I love to cook and most nights would rather stay in and eat at home rather than go out somewhere but when Matt is gone and I'm all alone I eat very strangely.  A normal dinner at home might be an entire bag of steamed Brussels covered in Siracha or maybe I'll mix it up with a jar of pickles.  Many nights that seems depressing though and I'll either head to Publix for inspiration or order take out from the pizza place behind our house.  Pro tip: the pizza place behind my house makes very mediocre pizza.  Their salads though are unbelievable.  So good.  When a salad gets old, I live a very unhealthy distance from Taco Bus and let's face it, a jar of pickles or a Butternut Squash Burrito Prenado?  Please.  No, that isn't a baby bump, it's my dinner of an unnaturally large burrito.  Move along.

Every single night, if I don't have plans I just count on not cooking because cooking for one is not my forte.  I don't chop, saute, and reduce for one.  I don't get out a pan for one. 

A good thing about not having to cook for anyone is whatever I have for dinner only has to please me.  So while Matt would never want a peanut butter sandwich to end the day, it sounds  just delightful to this redhead.  Too bad my addiction to peanut butter has become so bad I don't buy it anymore.  Matt used to hide it from me because it was uncontrollable.  I did have peanuts on hand though and homemade peanut butter is so much better than Jif.  <--Seriously, and I LOVE Jif Extra Chunky.  Except that it makes me extra chunky so I digress.

I buy my peanuts from the market unroasted and they are like .50 cents for 50 pounds.  Not really, but they are very cheap.  I roast them in my toaster oven for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees stirring half way through the time.  Once roasted, pour directly in your food processor and grind away.  It takes a full 5 minutes so plan to wait a bit for the butter to come together.  It will though and it is beautiful.  I usually add a dash of salt, honey and some vanilla to mine.    And if I'm feeling very audacious, after spreading it on some bread, cutting up bananas to make the PB & B, I'll throw it on my panini press.  Heaven.




If you are struggling with a peanut addiction, there is help.  Buy some peanuts and a food processor and the daily cravings will go away.  Getting a spoon and the jar takes 30 seconds and boom you've eaten half a jar.  It takes about 30 minutes to make this if you buy un-roasted peanuts so I don't eat it nearly as often.  If you are a mom, this is also a super healthy way to get some healthy fats into your child's diet.  Peanut Butter from the store has added oils and sugars.  The "natural" ones have less ingredients but are impossible to stir.  Homemade peanut butter (or any  nut butter) is simple to make and you can adjust the sweetness with whatever sweetener you are comfortable having your kids consume. 

I'm doing a clean eating cleanse this week because I'm feeling kind of "off" and am juicing more frequently.  I bought some club soda on a whim and started adding it to my juices and it is so good!  Very refreshing and I curbs my Coke cravings as well.

 Luke agreed with those conclusions.  Doesn't everyone feed their dog organic beet juice spritzers? 



3 comments:

  1. So if you buy roasted peanuts, you save the 20 minutes and just do the rest? Is there a benefit to roasting them yourself? Gotta do this.

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    1. Yes, just make sure they are dry roasted and don't have added salt if that isn't your thing. Sometimes they roast them in oil. I just buy them that way because they are cheaper.

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    2. Got it!! Dry roasted. I'll be sure to check. Yum yum!

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