While no Maker's Diet restaurants have sprung up within a 10 mile radius of my home in the last week, I'm happy to report that my husband and I were able to go out on a date last night, and that my plan of having Whole Foods heat up an Amy's Pizza for me worked!
The man at the prepared foods counter was so nice about it, he must have done it before! He popped our Amy's pizza into their glorious pizza oven, with its flaming fire, and it was piping hot with in 8 minutes.
It may not have been a romantic restaurant (I'm still longing for one of those) but at least I could enjoy my whole wheat crust pizza with no repercussions! ;)
I just had to let you all know that Whole Foods was so friendly and amenable to doing this.
So, has anyone decided to open a Maker's Diet restaurant chain in the Midwest yet? ;)
The only constant in life is change...and laundry, right? Oh, and dishes! I remember when laundry wasn't that big of a deal in my life. When it was just hubby and me, a few loads a week would set everything right.
Not anymore! Between our clothes, the kid's clothes, and cloth diapers, laundry is a constant mountain waiting to be attended to. I'm always on the lookout for products that get the job done more effectively, and that make it fun!
I was right! Not only does it have a lovely, light orange scent, but it cleans extremely well.
How do I know this conclusively? Two words: cloth diapers. They are the ultimate test! I run my cloth diapers through an entire super load just to rinse them- it is 45 minutes long, before running an additional super load and add my soap. Lately, my diapers have been still stinking when I get them out of the dryer. (Yuk!)
The only way I remedied this problem was to add a spoonful of Citra Solv's cleaning concentrate to the wash, along with my other natural detergent.
So I was curious to see if the Citra Suds would be strong enough to really clean the diapers without adding anything extra.
Voila! Clean, fresh smelling diapers AND clothes! I am totally impressed! Honestly, their other products are all so amazing that I would have been shocked if this one didn't work just as well.
I just love spaghetti. I can't help it, I always have. Spaghetti and milk have always been my favorite combination, although I know that's anathema to a true Italian. (My Dad is half Italian so I have 25% going for me! I still like my milk with spaghetti though.)
Anyway, I love making spaghetti but don't like how long it takes standing over the stove. The best spaghetti I have tasted in my entire existence is made by my mother in law, who has absolutely perfected this dish over the last 40+ years of marriage and cooking. (Can you imagine how many meals she has cooked in her lifetime?! God bless that woman!)
My husband was the blessed recipient of amazing spaghetti growing up, so he has quite an affinity for it. I've tried to duplicate her original recipe, which I've observed her do many times when we lived in California, but I've never been able to make it quite the same. It's her magic touch, I guess.
However, I still give it my best shot on a regular basis. And now I've adapted it for my slow cooker so that I can still make this time-consuming dish, and keep hubby happy. :)
Last night our three year old helped me make dinner- we had so much fun, and I know your family will enjoy this dish too!
Buon Appetito!
Slow Cooker Spaghetti & Meatballs (Serves 6)
3 lbs organic grass fed ground beef 2 tablespoons organic butter 2 organic yellow onions, chopped 3-4 cloves organic garlic, diced 2- 2.5 teaspoons sea salt, such as Real Salt, to taste 1 large handful fresh organic basil, chopped Several sprigs fresh organic thyme, rosemary, and oregano (My mother in law always uses them fresh, I'll admit, in the winter when my garden isn't growing, I used these dried, but I always buy fresh basil) 2 28 oz. cans organic crushed tomatoes 1 package Ezekiel sprouted spaghetti, or organic brown rice spaghetti Your slow cooker
By midmorning (I like to do it by noon, although there's no magical time!) on the day you want to serve, shape all three pounds of ground beef into meatballs in your slow cooker. I just break off the pieces into balls and put them all in, they can layer over each other and that's fine!
Turn the slow cooker to high. Let the meat cook on its own for at least several hours.
Add the cans of crushed tomatoes to the slow cooker, stirring gently to incorporate the sauce into the meatballs, but taking care not to break them up.
Meanwhile, in a pan, saute the onions and herbs in the butter, until the onion is very translucent but not burned, and the herbs are wilted but not burned. (I find myself cooking them a little longer than if I were going to be putting them into a traditional stovetop pot, since they won't cook as intensely in the slow cooker, you don't want too potent of onions and herbs in your sauce!)
Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
Add the garlic, onions, and herbs to the tomato sauce/beef mixture in the slow cooker. Stir to incorporate, and leave the slow cooker on high.
Let this cook together several hours. (The longer the better) If you feel it starts to boil too much, turn the slow cooker down, but make sure the ground beef is cooked through.
After my lovely experience this weekend eating a Whole Foods pizza that didn't go too well, I started thinking about any option we might have to eat out, and particularly pizza options- since, well, pizza is just nice to have sometimes!
When we lived in California, I used to buy Alvarado Street sprouted pizza crusts, and we would make our own homemade pizza. YUM! I haven't seen those available in this part of the country, but one pre-made organic pizza I do enjoy is made by Amy's Kitchen, one of the largest retailers of natural and organic pre-made foods, like soups, burritos, and pizza.
If you have the patience and the skill, you can make your own pizza, complete with your own dough. My Mom used to sprout her own wheat berries, dehydrate and mill them, and make her own sprouted wheat dough. Her pizza was beyond phenomenal!
I don't have the patience for all those steps these days, with two little ones running around, so my plan of action for our next date is to buy an Amy's organic whole wheat cheese & pesto pizza at Whole Foods, and ask them to heat it up for me in their pizza oven!
Why didn't I think of that last weekend?
I definitely consider this a treat of sorts- I wouldn't necessarily incorporate it into our family's menu all the time, but sometimes- you just want a nice pizza, and you don't want to (or can't) make it yourself.
Meanwhile, I'm still hoping for that Maker's Diet restaurant within 10 minutes of my house, though. ;)
I'm a difficult date. It's true, it really is. My poor husband. Sometimes I wish we could just go to Denny's or McDonald's like the rest of civilization. Or get dessert somewhere, or even coffee!
While it is definitely possible to make good choices while dining out, my sensitive system always lets me know when I eat something different than normal. (Which I basically never do.)
Where we live, there is one totally organic and legit restaurant within 30 minutes of our house. But the last time we went there, the waitress decided it was her mission that night to make our lives miserable, complete with a MAJOR junior high attitude and purple burgers. We have never gone back and don't plan to!
The food there is divine, but it is extremely expensive, and well, this waitress just permanently ruined it for us.
So last night my handsome husband and I went to Whole Foods. We feel it is the only place in the world to go, even though it is absolutely not conducive to a romantic date. We got a pint of organic ice cream (lovely) and a couple G.T.'s kombuchas. But my husband was a little bit more hungry. We walked back through the prepared foods aisle and settled on a couple slices of their cheese pizza.
I wanted to eat it and be a normal person. It tasted amazing, straight out of their flaming hot pizza oven. But alas, my stomach rejected my four inch long piece, even though it was Whole Foods pizza for crying out loud, not Domino's or Pizza Hut.
Uggghhh.
Aren't I ridiculous?!
My diet does NOT fit the middle part of this country as far as eating out is concerned. Who wants to come build a Maker's Diet restaurant 5 minutes from my house?!
I'll love you forever.
What organic restaurants are in your area? Please share your favorites and maybe we can get a list going to help each other out!
