Potato Chips

Have you seen or heard of Pampered Chef's chip makers?  They look like this:

and are meant to make fat free chips in the microwave. 

Being a Pampered Chef fan, I knew about their existence since about the time Monica was first diagnosed.  But for some reason, I was wary of them.  My mother in law kindly made some potato chips in the microwave for Monica, on a paper towel to absorb moisture, and they turned out great!  But they used far too many paper towels for me to love them.

Our local thrift store even had a box of the Pampered Chef chip makers, and I still resisted buying them!  I think they sat on the store shelf for years.  And every time I went in, I chose NOT to buy them.

Until last month.  I finally spent the $2 to get them and feel silly I waited so long.

I think the best part about them is that it's a healthy (enough) snack that Monica can make entirely on her own.  We turned two large potatoes into chips last night to go with a rather celebratory Peruvian inspired dinner (to celebrate St Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo from a favorite meal planning book, Feast!) and Monica did almost all the work!  Since I got the mandolin out, anyway, I cut up most of the potato (with fancy gloves that limit how much I can cut myself on the sharp blade that Luke sweetly insists I wear!), but we also tried just peeling layers with a vegetable peeler that Monica can easily use, and that worked just great.  A sprinkling of salt, a rather ridiculously long time in the microwave (5 minutes), and a fat-free snack is created!

Now we need to try apple chips and sweet potato chips.  Maybe I waited so long to buy it because that way Monica could learn to make these on her own right away!  Or maybe I'm just weird.  Or never eat potato chips myself so I thought this was silly.  But I'm so glad we bought it finally!

The magic maker herself!

Book Review - French Kids Eat Everything

Upon the recommendation of a good friend, I started reading this book.

And then I kept talking about it, and so my husband read it.

And then this morning I made a recipe from it.  And later this week I plan on making 3 more.  And I am shocked at how all these classic French recipes can be easily adapted for LPLD!

I have adored French food for years - the small serving sizes at restaurants, yet perfectly plated and beautifully displayed; the outrageous ingredients to try; the rich flavors; the smooth sauces.  I can't speak French to save my life, which is a challenge for traveling there, but we have had many lovely trips outside the main city centers where we can get by and enjoy the food.

French Kids Eat Everything opened my eyes to the day-to-day aspects of French family life- quite similarly to my favorite parts of living in Germany for 3 years.  Some of my favorite parts of travel include going to local markets, watching families of various cultures at playgrounds, and eating the foods that are everyday staples there.  Because of this book, my husband and I have been working on enjoying cooking instead of unconsciously thinking of it as a chore, setting the dinner table more thoughtfully so that we don't have to get up during the meal, sitting at the table for meals instead of rushing through a meal to dash off to our next thing to do, and talking with our girls about how their food looks, smells, tastes, and feels in their mouths.  I hope to remember this book to reread in a few years, after its lessons have faded from my memory.

In the meantime, we are trying some of the recipes.  This morning I made pain d'epices for breakfast (I used skim milk and MCT oil instead of the butter), this afternoon with lunch we plan to have Sophie's Spinach Surprise soup before our egg sandwiches, and later this week I want to try Baby's Vichyssoise.  Eventually I will buy some endive and learn to cook with it.  Maybe I can make a quiche more often (crustless, and with lots of egg whites), and the stuffed tomatoes sound good, too.  I have big plans!  And I am so surprised to find the soups are so fat free!  They are basically just pureed steamed vegetables.  I'll let you know how they go.

Pain d'epices!  Just don't ask me to pronounce it, it won't be pretty.  But tastes like gingerbread, yet it has rye flour!

I have been working to lose the baby weight from my 3 month old recently, and reading this book definitely has helped.  I think its lessons would benefit anyone trying to eat better.  Changing our mindset to enjoy and actually relish good food, rather than just view it as a utilitarian fuel, seems to satisfy a deep desire that is essential to being human.  That desire being filled in other, disordered, ways leads to mindless overeating and mindless snacking, which never really satisfy.  But sitting down to a meal, carefully (but still often quickly!) prepared, with good company, and considering each attribute of every bite is immensely satisfying, and helps me not WANT to snack or overeat.

I highly recommend the book and wanted to share.  Even though many French flavors use significant amounts of fat, oil, and lard, they are also expert at displaying the other flavors of food.  I will keep looking for good LPL-friendly French recipes!

Banana Bread

My kids LOVE banana bread and it makes for an easy breakfast.  I like to soak my grains anyway, so that means I do most of it the night before, then do the final mixing step while the oven is preheating in the morning, then go back to bed until the timer wakes me up.  It's just as special as pancakes or waffles to my kids, but a WHOLE lot less work.

I have modified this recipe from Nourishing Traditions, one of my favorite cookbooks.

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups skim buttermilk/kefir/yogurt

Combine the above and let rest for 12-24 hours.  24 hours will apparently give fluffier bread, but I always forget to get it soaked that long.  In a separate bowl, combine, mix, and refrigerate:

3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 c MCT oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed thoroughly

If you don't have any nice ripe black bananas, place whole yellow bananas in a 350 degree oven for 10 min; it will turn them black and sweet, perfect for this bread

After 12-24 hr, mix the two bowls together, along with 2 teaspoons baking soda.  Pour into a 9 inch loaf pan and top with a few pecans or walnuts if desired.

Bake at 350 for 1 and a half hours, or until a toothpick comes out clean.