Welcome, Baby Evan!

On July 30, 2013 my husband and I welcomed the much anticipated arrival of the newest member of our family:

Evan Mitchell, 6 lbs 5 oz

Evan, 1 day old

 

There certainly is nothing that compares to the whole experience of pregnancy, labor (oh, man, the pain!!!), and that unreal moment of finally seeing your child face to face. He’s got most of his dad’s looks, but will most likely have my eyes and definitely has my toes:

There’s hardly time to cook, much less post about cooking, so I will be taking a break from The Foodery for the time being. I’ve enjoyed sharing my recipes, home renovation experiences (which is still ongoing), and fitness goals. There were lots of blogs where I found great kitchen tips, tricks, and terrific recipes (I’m cooking Moroccan chicken for dinner tonight, thanks, REM Cooks!) which have become all-time favorites.

I hope you’ve enjoyed visiting my blog, take care and thank you for stopping by. Aloha!

Evan, 5 weeks

 

Happy New Year’s!

Just a quick Happy New Year to everyone as I get my food ready for New Year’s Eve.

My sister and I sometimes get homesick for Hawaii-style foods, so to help alleviate our ailment she suggested we make some “local style” food for New Year’s Eve. She’ll be making some makizushi (rolled sushi), either pancit (Filipino noodles) or soba (Japanese buckwheat noodles), and char siu bao, a.k.a. manapua (steamed buns w/Chinese bbq pork filling). I’ll be making crispy spring rollsand kal bi (korean style bbq short ribs). I’ll post some photos after everything’s prepared, and will put links and recipes to mine as well as my sister’s dishes (if she’s willing to share her recipes!)

Stay safe, and have a wonderful New Year’s!

 

 

The Recipe Redux-Kitchen Gadgets: Creamy Savory Walnut Sauce

This month’s Recipe Redux theme is all about those necessary tools that keep us happy and efficient in the kitchen. Sometimes it’s fun to be MacGyver-ish and make do with whatever tools you may have in the kitchen (chef’s knife, cheese grater, rolling pin) but having a gadget that eases the hassle of grinding, chopping, blending and slicing can feel as if you have a new assistant to help you prep (but not help you clean up!)

Looking for a last-minute Christmas gift? This one might be a good one to chip in with your siblings or another friend or two and give it to that favorite home chef in your life.

image source: http://www.thenibble.com

This is my favorite tool in the kitchen, mostly because it was given as a wedding gift (gifted items are always the most treasured!) I was more than elated when I saw this wonderful Kitchen Aid food processor because 1) I would have NEVER purchased one for myself,  2) it was a beautiful, candy-apple red, 3) this thing is powerful, and 4) I knew I wouldn’t have to make my graham cracker crumbs with a rolling pin and Ziploc bag, anymore! Making basil pesto was faster, easier, and the consistency was much better than using a blender. I also love using it for chopping toasted nuts, which is great if you use a lot of it in your baking and cooking because you can conveniently scoop out whatever you need and keep the rest in an airtight jar.

Here is a recipe that’s quick to make with a food processor. The original recipe can be found at WholeFoodsMarket.com, but I made a few changes to lighten it up a bit and make it dairy-free.

Add anything you want: mushroom, peas, even some grated Parmesan cheese!

Creamy Savory Walnut Sauce, Dairy-Free
don’t let the tofu scare you off, the nutritional yeast and garlic makes it incredibly flavorful, you won’t miss the dairy! You can also use this as a savory dip for veggies or a spread for crackers–just add more tofu to thicken it up.

Ingredients:

1 cup walnuts, toasted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes (can substitute grated Parmesan cheese)
1/2 cup firm Silken Lite Tofu
1/4 cup soy or almond milk

Directions:

In a food processor, pulse toasted walnuts until chopped, about 5-7 times. Add salt through nutritional yeast flakes Pulse 2-3 times until combined. Add Silken Lite tofu, put cover back on. Run the processor and pour soy milk through the chute, blend for 5 seconds or until combined. If too thin, add more tofu. If too thick, add more soy or almond milk.

Creamy, savory walnut sauce–no cream, no cheese!

Heat and serve over pasta with your favorite toppings (mushrooms, chicken, bacon, etc.) Serves 4.

What is your favorite kitchen tool(s)? Where did you get it? What makes it your favorite out of all the other gadgets in your kitchen?

Don’t forget to check out the other favorite Kitchen Gadgets of other Recipe Redux members!

 

12/12/12: Princess Twelvia’s Birthday

For those of you who enjoyed Sesame Street in the 80s:

Happy Birthday, Princess Twelvia!

 

Insanity Workout: Week 6 (short post)

I have to mention that I took a lot of breaks this week. I hurt my elbow from the increase in push-ups, then I wasn’t feeling well so was extremely tired another day. I also took the weekend off to just enjoy some time with my husband, and that’s always a good thing!

I didn’t take notes on my workout for the first 3 days, but here is what I did:

Monday:

image source: extremely-fit.com

(Tuesday, Wed. off)

Thursday:

image source: avaxhome.ws

Friday:

image source: http://www.fitbomb.com

(Saturday, Sunday off)

Monday: Max Cardio Conditioning & Cardio Abs
Max Cardio Conditioning was pretty good, I’m getting better at the warm ups (high knees w/arms extended, S-S hops) and Cardio Abs is the same workout from Month 1.

Tuesday: Max Recovery
Like before, the Max Recovery doesn’t include any cardio so you do a lot of stretching before beginning the muscle building segments. Since stretches are always hard for me if my body isn’t warmed up nice and good, I did this in the afternoon rather than morning or lunch time. The exercises were just as difficult but I wasn’t as sore the day after like I was the first time.

image source: http://www.andrewpavelski.com

Wednesday: Core Cardio & Balance (hooray!)
I was so glad to be doing this routine! It’s from Recovery Week, so it’s not as intense as the new stuff in Month 2, and I felt like a more experienced person because it’s not as tough (but you still get a good workout.)

You know what’s coming up tomorrow? FIT TEST! I’m excited and nervous and just hope I do better than the last time.