I scored my Instant Pot DUO80 8 Qt 7-in-1 Multi- Use Programmable Pressure and Slow Cooker on Amazon during Prime Day. After I received it, I sat on it for a good while until I opened the box, thinking of how to get started with it. Even though I have a traditional stove-top pressure cooker and cook with it on a regular basis, I felt hesitant, … [Read more...]
School lunch tips for slow eaters and short lunch breaks
DO YOU HAVE A SLOW EATER WITH A SHORT LUNCH BREAK? When you pack a home lunch for your child who is a slow eater with a short lunch break and the lunch box comes back full with uneaten and sometimes untouched food, it gets quite disheartening. In my children’s school, lunch break is technically 20 minutes. This includes getting into the lunch … [Read more...]
20 Thermos school lunch ideas
Since Chicago Public schools changed their food provider to Aramark about 4 years ago, I've been packing school lunch for my kids at home every single school day. Their school food is not only unhealthy but also unappetizing due to the fact that their school doesn't have its own kitchen so the food is prepared and heated up at another school's … [Read more...]
Why you should grate your cheese at home instead of buying shredded cheese
Fridays are our family pizza nights. I prepare the pizza dough from scratch. During the summer I use fresh tomatoes, basil and other herbs from the garden. But for a long time, I've always used packaged shredded cheese. I've settled down with a brand of shredded mozzarella for its taste, until I was alerted by my husband about one of the … [Read more...]
How to cook and freeze dried beans in bulk
I cook with beans and legumes a lot. I use them in hot dishes as well as appetizers and salads. I prefer to avoid buying canned beans. Cooking with dried beans is healthier, however, it takes longer. You have to plan ahead, soak overnight and cooking takes a long time. Instead, I cook the beans I commonly use in bulk and then freeze them in small … [Read more...]
How to make bone broth
I prepare broth and stocks for its taste as well as health benefits. Especially during winter time, chicken broth is hands down my favorite common cold remedy. Bone broth is different than chicken broth both in preparation as well as benefits. First, for chicken broth, you buy a common food staple, cook the chicken and use the broth. 2 birds … [Read more...]
Gluten free breakfast ideas
When I mention that I follow a gluten-free diet, most of the people cannot figure out what I eat for breakfast. We are conditioned to think a breakfast is not a proper breakfast without wheat such as cereal, bagels, toasts, pancakes, waffles, pastries, oatmeal etc. If you open up yourself to possibilities, with these gluten free breakfast ideas, … [Read more...]
How to roast chestnuts in the oven
I and my whole family love oven roasted chestnuts during cold night in winter (in Chiberia). It's better to buy them early on in the winter, even though it's more expensive. Later on, the yield of good quality chestnuts per purchase drop immensely and you start to get one good chestnut among a whole handful of molded ones. There is a trick to make … [Read more...]
Gluten-free Paleo Pancakes
When people hear that I don't eat gluten containing foods, they usually ask me what I eat, mainly, at breakfast. Conventional breakfast consists of a variety of baked goods with wheat flour. Bread, pancakes, waffles, donuts, muffins, you name it. I think in conventional diets, breakfast is the most carb loaded meal of the day. Unless you are eating … [Read more...]
Adjusting pan size for small batch baking
Sometimes I bake cake for the kids for snack time at school. It's only 4 at home and I don't eat cake. Therefore, when I bake a full pan size cake with a batch of cake recipe, kids got tired of eating the same cake day after day. And the cake goes stale after few days. In order to avoid this, I bake cakes using half the recipe that would only go … [Read more...]
How to evenly oil sliced vegetables and leafy greens
I love baking my own vegetables and leafy greens to make veggie chips such as baked kale chips. For a long time I had hard time evenly oiling and seasoning them. Some parts would be dry and stale, some parts would be too salty. Below is a simple way to evenly oil and season all the pieces with the just the right amount of seasoning. You can season … [Read more...]
10 steps to prepare and cook weekly meals in advance
For the last 6 weeks before I quit my previous job, I had to travel for business. Half of these trips were from Monday through Friday where my husband had to care of the household by himself. In two of these trips, schools were closed due to Polar Vortex. I wanted to at least take cooking/meal preparation out of his hectic schedule. I spent my … [Read more...]
Packing hot school lunches and keeping them warm
I try to pack school lunches for kids as much as I can. However, recently I've given up, having to throw away so many untouched foods, half eaten or even barely eaten sandwiches. I let the kids eat school’s cafeteria lunch instead of spending all that time to think, prepare and see all that wasted food. The school cafeteria lunch menu this year, … [Read more...]
Healthier treats to give out to Halloween trick-or-treaters
While the North Dakota mom, who plans to hand out flyers instead of candy, is having her 15-minutes of fame, we are ready for today's trick-or-treaters with clementines (or Cuties as brand name) for the second year in a row. We painted Jack-o-lantern faces with markers this year. Kids loved getting cuties last year. Both little ones, as well as … [Read more...]
How to prevent sliced apple / pear from turning brown
If you put sliced apples and pears in your children's lunch boxes, and your children do not want to eat them, because they turn brown until lunch time, you have 3 options: Put a whole apple or pear instead of sliced apple. Slice the fruit neatly (using apple slicer might help) and put it back together with a rubber band. Rub apples with a … [Read more...]
Organizing herb, spice and seed bottles
We use herbs, spices and seeds a lot, and we use a lot of them. I also dry my own herbs from the garden during the summer to use all year round. So we had so many different types and sizes of bottles and ziploc bags filled with dry mint, oregano and parsley. Then within all that disorganized crowd we cannot find what we are looking for and go to … [Read more...]
How to make yogurt: Homemade yogurt recipe
I've written, how to make homemade yogurt for babies in little jars in this post. Making yogurt at home is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Especially, the speculation around what additives they use to extend the life of the yogurt as well as to thicken it makes the effort worthwhile. When I was a kid, my granny used to make the yogurt … [Read more...]
How to prevent milk from boiling over
I - try to - make my own homemade yogurt as much as possible. I have to boil the milk first, in order to do that. However, since I neither have the patience nor the attention span to keep an eye on the stove, the milk has a high risk to boil over. Spilled milk on a stove is pain to clean up so I use this trick to prevent it from boiling over. I … [Read more...]
Elmo themed fruit tray
I prepared this fruit tray for my niece's 2nd birthday party. She loves blueberries and strawberries. Strawberries cut in half Raspberries Blueberries 1 Tangerine … [Read more...]
Our New Year’s Eve Menu
We celebrated the New Year's Eve at home with friends and family this year. We kept the menu low key and as healthy as possible. The items were all gluten-free. Roasted Chicken with Chestnuts and rice Zucchini boats with sauteed vegetables Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers Shrimp with Mushrooms in stoneware Cauliflower Salad prepared by our … [Read more...]