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Make December Matter

November 11, 2020 by angelaskitchen

I’ve always told anyone who told me that they’re feeling off their game or having trouble focusing on things during tough times to be kind to themselves. To allow themselves grace for the season they are in and that trying to weather storms in life is challenging, messing and stretching, and sometimes you just need to roll with things the way you need to roll with them. If that means you aren’t as tidy, or cheerful or productive as usual, that is cool. Tough seasons of life are a time to be gentle with yourself.

Having said that, I often go and do the opposite when talking to myself. Instead of reassuring myself that I’ve actually been doing pretty well over the past couple years with really difficult personal and family circumstances, I tend to make little lists for myself of all the things I haven’t been doing or taken care of… You know, things like isn’t the house supposed to be cleaner than ever now that I am in it ALL THE TIME. Hey guess what? It turns out, being in your house constantly and using it for every aspect of your life can trash the joint. Who knew? 🙂

I’ll go to bed thinking that the next day is the day I “get myself all together,” which is NOT a great set-up for the next day. It’s a goal that is so vague that I set myself up to be disappointed in what I haven’t completed instead of what I did accomplish. That cycle is just one big self-esteem trap, and it turns out I am really good at it.

One tool that I have been using to help organize myself that has been so positive in my life to get me out of that rut is Mia’s FLOW365 plan at Plan Simple. Her system has helped reframe my planning for the day to focus my time on what really matters to me, to what is truly important in my day-to-day life. I have appreciated how it works no matter what your circumstances are or where your current focus is. It helped me realize all I was showing up for, helped me plan down time to care for myself and to also find space for all the little things that has to happen day-to-day to get the pesky work and home things done as well. The biggest gift for me has been realizing that I really do have a choice to how I spend my day and it has helped make my ordinary everyday times truly matter by helping me shift my perspective. I love that she breaks goal planning into manageable chunks that can be started whenever you want and need to. That has been a lifesaver for me, especially with all the changing circumstances in these uncertain times.

Mia has a FREE 2 day retreat coming up this weekend, November 13-14, 2020 called Make December Matter. It is her gift to women “balancing it all” who want to create something different this holiday season and into the next year. She has amazing speakers lined up, a tasty menu to nourish you during the weekend, planning sheets, and times built into the day to help you recharge. I’ll be popping in and out throughout the days myself, so I hope to see you there!

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I’ve been wondering for so long how to come back to the blog when I’ve been away for so long and it stalls me from writing before I even start. I’ll have to apologize AGAIN I tell myself. Then I tell myself I’ll just need to do better from here on out and this will be the day I finally get my act together, whatever that means….

To be honest, my biggest block to get back to writing here is that I have been just in survival mode for a long time. Working in a job where you stand for hours at a time with really bad knees left me with very little energy to do much of anything beyond care for my family, and we had a lot happening around here that needed my energy. I haven’t given myself the grace and kindness to realize I honestly was doing the best I could do for what I needed to do for what was most important for myself and my family during that season. It has been so important for me to finally realize this. I hope if you learn nothing else from my writing today, is that you remember to treat yourselves with the grace and kindness you would extend to others.

And so it turns out, I am finally ok with doing the best I can. This blog and my work here is a one woman show. But it is written by a woman with a family who has really needed her a bit extra for the past little a while, and I feel really good about showing up for them when it was needed. It is written by someone who has been in survival mode for a few years due to intense joint pain, but was trying to wait until I was a bit older to get those joints replaced. And I finally did! This year, after I turned the big 50, I had one knee replaced in July and one 3 weeks ago. I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in that area. Woo! But the truth is that it will be a year of PT exercises, extra naps when needed while I am healing, and generally reminding myself that this is a process and to be kind to myself and it is ok if I just do the best I can.

One thing I do promise is that I will finish answering all the emails from questions I received from the Online Nourished Festival presentation. I appreciate your patience if I have not answered you yet. I did have over 1700 people in my session and received hundreds of emails with questions. I’ve worked through a lot of them, but still have about 100 or so to go. I will get back to you as I am answering as many as I can each day for about an hour at a time. It is time dedicated to you all blocked out in my planner. 🙂 That is as long as I can currently stay at the computer with my knees still healing at this time. Thank you so much for your understanding and patience. I appreciate it more than I can express!

I’m presenting at the Online Nourished Fest

September 26, 2020 by angelaskitchen

Hello! For anyone who tuned in on Thursday hoping to see the tips and tricks I use to make my yummy gluten free, dairy free cinnamon rolls, you know we had some tech difficulties. Well, the Online Nourished Festival has rescheduled my presentation! I’ll see you all there!

The NEW rescheduled time to see my FREE presentation of Decadent Cinnamon Rolls:

Register for the session by clicking this link:

Angela of Angela’s Kitchen Presents Decadent Cinnamon Rolls

When: Saturday, September 26, 2020 11am ET/12pm CT

Where: at the Online Nourished Fest

Easter dinner menu planning in the time of coronavirus…

March 30, 2020 by angelaskitchen

Easter is coming up in just a few weeks. It is a big holiday in my house. My grown kiddos come home, I bake up a storm, we go to church, them come home and eat and visit. This year, of course, things will be different. Our church is live streaming services. My high schooler is now doing online learning through her high school and her dance studio is using FB Live to hold classes while she uses a kitchen chair as her barre and flannel sheets in the yard as her dance floor. Another kiddo is home from college, doing classes online for the last half of her last semester as a Senior. Her commencement has been canceled and she is meeting up with friends over Zoom, FaceTime, and Google. My oldest is full on adulting, working remotely from his apartment and FaceTiming his mom now and then (smart boy… he knows I miss that sweet face!) Strange times, no?

For this Easter, this one where it will most likely be just those of us in the house, I thought I had better get a plan in place. Currently I am only going to the store every two weeks to minimize contact with others, so this really needs to be planned out. The days leading to Easter are typically a really busy time in the stores as well, and I definitely do not want to be out in that or contribute to the traffic in the stores.

Fortunately, before everything shut down, I did already purchase dairy free chocolate bunnies and peeps (I use them for decorations. Those bright pink bunnies and yellow chicken are so ridiculously colored and nostalgic!). As they seem to disappear fast (I am a peep purist and only want the yellow birds and pink bunnies), I always buy them as soon as they hit the stores. My husband picked up a really nice spiral ham on our last shopping trip which I popped in the freezer for Easter, so that is set. A few days ago Amazon delivered jelly beans and I found an egg coloring kit in the cupboard we didn’t have the time to use last year. Score!

My dinner plans are shaping up to be much more simple and streamlined than usual, but instead of being disappointed to not have all the frills, I am just grateful to have the time to be together, and to be relatively healthy and safe during this time. We’ll have the time to actually reflect on the meaning of the season instead of rushing to get all the fancy bits made. That is something I for one am looking forward to!

For Easter this year we are having:

Spiral-cut Ham with Apricot Brown Sugar Glaze: for the last 15-20 minutes of cooking time, glaze ham with a mixture of 1/2 cup apricot preserves (I like one that is fruit juice sweetened, if possible), 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons ground mustard mixed together.

Orange Cinnamon Rolls – I made these this past week using my Cinnamon Roll recipe as a base by not adding cinnamon to the brown sugar in the filling and spreading 6-8 tablespoons orange marmalade in the filling step right before sprinkling on the brown sugar. I froze them on a baking sheet lined with plastic wrap before they had a chance to raise. The night before Easter, I’ll pop them into an oiled 9 x 13 pan. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and leave in the refrigerator overnight, baking in the morning. For the topping I’ll use orange juice instead of water for the glaze. Yum!

Dairy Free Scalloped Potatoes – I’ll be assembling this this next week and popping them into the freezer (see the recipe instructions for that)

Roasted Frozen Vegetables – simply take whatever frozen veggies you have on hand and roast. I am planning on using a mix of broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and maybe mixing with an Italian blend that had yellow squash and broad beans in it (I am looking for the color and flavor blend) and adding a chopped red onion to the mix. Put the veggies on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, toss with a couple tablespoons olive oil and about a 1/2 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Roast in a preheated 400F oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring around every 10 minutes until the veggies are cooked through and the edges start to caramelize and brown.

Decorated Hard Boiled eggs – we will make during the end of the week before Easter as a family activity.

For sweets will have Easter Story Cookies, and tea breads baked into mini loaves and sliced. I am going to be making a one batter recipe that can be made into three mini loaves with very different flavors (Apple Cinnamon Streusel, Coconut Pistachio, and Blueberry Lemon). I have all the ingredients in the house to make the tea breads and they can be baked and frozen ahead. I’m also planning to make Hot Cross Buns on the day we decorate Easter eggs.

I want it to feel special and like a holiday, but not being to go out and get flowers or cute napkins or the other things I normally do means it is time to get creative…

Last year I wove my kids Easter baskets from brown paper grocery sacks and they turned out so cute (an my eco girl loved them!), so that is happening again. I can use paper run through the shredder then lightly crumpled, fabric netting from my craft room or large homemade pompoms as filling. This year we are all home and have three weeks for some fun crafts to do together as a family. I picked 3 that really caught my eye, only required paper, a few things we have laying around the house, and a little time. This weekend we are making these simple origami butterflies out of the colored pages of newsprint, wrapping paper or scrapbooking paper to hang in the windows by our dining table. Second are these lovely origami flowers to help our table bloom. I like the idea of using old piano music that we have laying around from when the kids first took lessons. I think I’ll put them with some of my smaller house plants and scattered jelly beans to decorate the table. Finally are these cute origami bunny baskets from Gathering Beauty. I think her blog is going to be one of my new happy places! How cute would these be filled with jelly beans at each plate? I have some plain paper that we can decorate with colored pencils and markers to personalize them if we want. A bonus craft we might make, are these adorable pom pom branches, both colorful and with white puffs. So fun! We have more than enough yarn to make the pom poms. I am thinking of using a tiny pickle fork as my form to make really small poms. Cuteness overload!

Have you started Eater planning yet? Easter Story Cookies and Hot Cross Buns definitely made my list of things I wanted to make this year for our mini quarantine meal. What are the food traditions you’ll be holding dear this year?

One batter, three mini loaves…

March 29, 2020 by angelaskitchen Leave a Comment

Easter is coming up in just a few weeks, and the grocery shopping, prepping, and planning I normally do isn’t going to cut it in our sheltering in place, going to the grocery store every two weeks reality. Easter will be a small gathering this year, so the amounts I need to make for our celebration are different as well. That’s where this recipe comes in!

Divide one batter to make ***Apple Pecan Cinnamon Streusel***…

I needed a recipe that I could easily make with things I had on hand, would require less baking time, but deliver on more than one flavor profile. Around here for the holidays, I like variety. the more type of things the better. But with a need to simplify, and a desire to simplify, I decided to see if I could make thee mini loaves out of a single batch of batter. Turns out, you can!

This recipe isn’t just for a tiny Easter dinner celebration, but great for anytime you want more variety to show for your baking effort, without having to actually do that much more effort. Also, I don’t know if it is happening in your house, but all this staying at home means I am baking up a storm, and I simply don’t need three full loaves of deliciousness laying around my house while I am. Yikes! Mamma needs to do some crunches!

One Batter, Three Flavors of Tea Bread

For those times you don't want to bake three large batches of treats, but still want the flavor variety!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Servings 3 small loaves

Ingredients

Batter ingredents:

1 1/8 cup unsweetened dairy free milk substitute
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour Blend
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons gluten free baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg room temperature
1/4 cup light tasting olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 2/3 tablespoon dairy free margarine or coconut oil melted

Apple Pecan Min-in:

1/3 cup diced, peeled tart flavorful apple
3 tablespoons chopped pecans toasted
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Blueberry Lemon mix-in:

1/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 teaspoon finely minced lemon zest

Coconut Pistachio mix-in:

1/3 cup sweetened shredded coconut
3 tablespoons chopped pistacios or macadamia nuts
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
extra coconut for topping

Glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened dairy free milk substitute or more to thin glaze if needed
1/4 teaspoon coconut extract
1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Oil three small loaf pans and set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together 1 1/8 cups dairy free milk substitute and cider vinegar. set aside while assembeling the streusel topping and mix-ins.
To make streusel, stir together gluten free flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Pour in melted margarine and blend until until a crumbly dough forms. If you want big crumbs, squeeze streusel dough together to form a clump, then break off larger pieces to sprinkle over the batter. For finer crumbs, simply crumble the streusel dough over top the batter.
In three smaller bowls, assemble the mix-in ingredients for each flavor, one flavor mix-in per bowl. Set asside.
In a mixing bowl blend dry batter ingredients: gluten free flour, sugar, baking powder, bakig soda and salt. Add milk-vinegar mixture, egg and oil. Mix well until all incorporated.
Divide dough into three parts, one part for each bowl with a mix-in flavor. Stir mix-ins for each flavor until distributed through batter before pouring into one of the prepared loaf pans. Smooth dough on each loaf. Top apple pecan batter with completed strussel.
Bake loaves in a preheated 350F oven for 30 to 35 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Take loaves from pans and put on cooling rack.
When loaves are cool, mix together powdered sugar and milk substitute for glaze. Divide glaze into two portion Put lemon extract in one portion and spread on the bluteberry lemon loaf. Add coconut extract to the second portion of glaze and top the coconut loaf. Sprinkle extra shreaded cocnut on cocnut loaf immediantly. Allow glaze to set up before slicing.

Notes

I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour Blend in their recipe as it is readily available in most stores, such as Target, and online as well.

Food and Wine Conference 2015

May 29, 2015 by angelaskitchen Leave a Comment

I love the Sunday Supper Movement. The people involved are friendly, nurturing, charismatic and they love food. All that and a passion to bring family back to the table. Pretty fabulous!

This summer, July 17-19, 2015, the people behind Sunday Supper is hosting its third annual Food and Wine Conference and I am thrilled to be a Brand Ambassador.

The Food and Wine Conference brings together bloggers, small business owners, winemakers, chefs, public relations professionals, traditional media, new media, authors and brands. It promotes an atmosphere of sharing and learning. I cannot wait for the event! So many people to meet and there will be so much to learn. Pretty exciting!

Accommodations at Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, Florida could not be more convenient. The hotel is close to the airport and the parks, just in case you want to extend your stay and make it a longer trip. 🙂

Will I see you there? There is still time to sign up and you can save $50 off your registration! Yup, one of the perks of being a Brand Ambassador is that I have a nifty little $50 savings code for you – gotta love that! Just enter ‘fwc15litza’ before checking out.

What are you waiting for? Drop me a note in the comments if you’re going. I can’t wait to see you in July!

And don’t forget to follow the conference on social. So much inspiration!

Website: http://foodandwineconference.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/foodandwineconf
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FoodandWineConference
Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+Foodandwineconference/posts
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/FoodandWineConf/

Good-For-You Green Pumpkin Pie Smoothie at The Balanced Platter

January 9, 2014 by angelaskitchen

I’ve got a fun smoothie for you today over at The Balanced Platter. It may be packed with good-for-you greens, but it taste like creamy, dreamy pumpkin pie. Yum! Enjoy!

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Edit: The Balanced Platter is no longer up, so here is the post and recipe for you to enjoy!

With the start of a new year, and after the extra treats of the holiday season, I like to focus on filling my plate with more vegetable-packed meals. However, even while eating healthier, I do like indulgent-tasting treats. Fortunately, this creamy dairy-free smoothie is not only a wonderful start for your day or after workout pick-me-up, it also tastes fantastic. It may look green, but it tastes similar to a creamy, dreamy pumpkin pie.

Many dairy-free smoothies use frozen banana to give body and creaminess, however my low-carb eating husband challenged me to come up with an alternative ingredient. Instead of banana, Green Pumpkin Pie Smoothie gets it’s smooth texture from avocado, decreasing the sugar and carb content from what is found in the typical smoothie. A typical avocado has about 14 grams of fiber, much more than other fruits. The fiber, along with its healthy monounsaturated fat, and higher protein content than most fruits, make avocados a great energy source that keep you feeling full and satisfied longer.

Rounding out the ingredient list for this simple to blend smoothie are pumpkin and spinach. Rich in potassium, a nutrient that helps maintain blood pressure and kidney function, pumpkin is also high in fiber and contains a fair share of vitamin C, an antioxidant essential for healthy skin and gums. The dark leafy green of spinach is a nutritional powerhouse all on its own. There are few food sources that offer more vitamin K than spinach, essential for blood clotting and bone health. Recent research also shows that vitamin K may help decrease inflammation in the body. Other important nutrients found in spinach are beta-caroteen, lutein, folate, and magnesium.

If you have family members on the fence about green smoothies, give this one a try. The creamy texture and pumpkin pie flavors might just win them over. Even my 10-year-old loves this smoothie as an after school snack and considers it a treat!

Other Green Smoothie Recipes:

Good-for-You Green Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

Serves 2 to 3

1/2 cup ice
1 cup packed fresh spinach
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 ripe avocado
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves)
*liquid stevia, to taste
1 to 1 1/2 cups unsweetened dairy-free milk substitute of choice, such as coconut or almond milk

In a high powered blender, place all ingredients except milk substitute in order listed. Add one cup of the milk substitute, reserving extra if needed. Cover blender and blend until completely smooth. Add remainder of the milk substitute and blend, if needed, if you prefer a thinner smoothie.
*Other sweeteners for this smoothie we have used are 1 tablespoon honey OR 3 pitted Medjool dates OR 2 tablespoons gluten free brown rice syrup or maple syrup.

What are your favorite after workout treats? Do you have a delicious veggie-filled smoothie or snack to share? We would love to hear about it!

Wild Rice Sweet Potato Salad with Pepitas at The Balanced Platter

November 14, 2013 by angelaskitchen Leave a Comment

Check out the Wild Rice Sweet Potato Salad that I have over at The Balanced Platter today. This is one of my favorite autumn dishes!

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This recipe came together several years ago when pulling together leftover bits from holiday meals. It turned out so delicious that Wild Rice Sweet Potato Salad is now a staple dish in my house. I originally used toasted pecans in the salad, but now use pepitas (pumpkin seeds) to emphasize the seasonal flavors of the dish and keep it nut free for family friends.

Wild Rice Sweet Potato Salad with Pepitas is a wonderful side dish fancy enough for the holiday table, yet easy enough to have on hand to put in the lunch box, or serve with cooked sliced chicken or grilled portabella mushrooms on top for a simple dinner with the family. I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does.

Wild rice is actually not a rice at all, but a semi-aquatic grass historically grown in lake, bays and tidal rivers. The only grain native to North America, wild rice originated in the area of the upper Great Lakes. I live in Minnesota, so wild rice has always been a treat item used for the holidays and in autumn dishes during its harvest season. I love its nutty taste, the snappy texture and the way the grain opens when cooked. If you are looking for a warm way to serve wild rice, try Dairy Free Wild Rice Soup for a comforting and creamy soup featuring this unique grain.

Other Side Dishes:

Wild Rice Sweet Potato Salad with Pepitas

Serves 6

1 1/2 cups sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups cooked wild rice or gluten free wild rice blend, cooled*
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely minced sweet yellow or red onion
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon low-sodium gluten free soy sauce
2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup roasted pepitas (shelled and roasted pumpkin seeds)
1/4 cup dried cranberries

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place sweet potato cubes onto a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, garlic, and salt. Roast 30-35 minutes, turning once with a spatula, until potatoes are cooked through and begin to brown. Remove from oven then set aside (this can be done a day ahead).
In a large mixing bowl, combine sweet potatoes, wild rice, carrots, celery, and onion. Stir to mix well. Sprinkle vinegar, olive oil, soy sauce, orange zest and black pepper over salad mixture and stir so that salad absorbs dressing. Add pepitas and cranberries. Serve at once, or chill and serve later.
*If you do not have 3 cups cooked wild rice or wild rice/rice blend, do the following: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup rinsed wild rice or wild rice/rice blend with 3/4 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes until wild rice kernels pop open and rice is tender. Allow to cool before fluffing with a fork and using in recipe.

Do you serve wild rice? What is your favorite way to cook it?