Post Girls' Weekend

One of my greatest blessings is the friends I have who enrich my life and support me through so much. And the ultimate celebration of such friendship is a girl’s weekend, which I was lucky enough to enjoy this weekend in Avalon. But I will be honest with you ... women throughout the land: you know this is the truth ... the girl’s weekend comes with its price. Even with a few prices.

I hope I’m not revealing some kind of sorority secret here, but the weekend can be known to promote unhealthy eating (and even drinking) habits. Second, there is some guilt involved in leaving the kids and husband (no fair using this against us, guys). And finally, the re-entry to the family can be daunting given the weekend-full of chores that did not get accomplished without us. That first Monday back can be a big buzz-kill.

With that in mind, I brought a healthy food with us this weekend, and my friends and I planned a week’s streamlined meals while we were away. (The rest of what we did is none of your damn business).

Granola, store-bought, is seldom a health food. But the recipe I make regularly is healthful, tasty, crunchy, fiber & flax-filled. We ate it all weekend, with yogurt in the morning, rationalizing any other unhealthy foods and beverages (reference: never-you-mind). I think this granola is nice enough to give as a gift.

GRANOLA
Preheat oven to 300.
Toss together in a large bowl:
4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 ½ cups unsalted nuts and/or seeds (your choice. I used almonds and walnuts this time)
½ c. shredded coconut (optional)
½ c. wheat germ
¼ c. flax seed
Sprinkle with 1 tsp. cinnamon
Drizzle over top: scant ½ c. vegetable oil
scant ½ c. honey or real maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla or almond extract
Stir well to combine evenly. Spread on a large rimmed sheet pan. Bake for 30-40 min. until golden and toasted, stirring every 10 minutes. Watch carefully! Remove from oven and allow to cool. Then add 1 cup dried fruit of your choice. I used craisins this time.

Over our farewell lunch in a sunny frozen-sea-side pizzeria on Sunday afternoon, we all took out our notebooks and planned a week of meals that would redeem us with our kids, not exhaust us, and properly nourish all parties involved. (Not that we don’t think you fed them well, hubbies….)
Girl’s weekend lovers, unite. Partake of our first-week-back meal plan. No promises for next week; sorry.

Monday: Roast Chicken (warm, full meal, makes the entire house smell great, and involves very little last minute work)

Tuesday: Fish Packets (easy on clean-up, super healthy, personalizable to each person’s tastes) I serve these with rice. They are even better when also served with a tapenade or a chnky salsa. In each foil packet, layer a few thin slices of onion (red or yellow), 1 or 2 thin fish filets (about 5 oz.), various thinly sliced veggies like zucchini, carrots, sugar snap peas, snow peas, baby spinach, or bell peppers, sprinkle with fresh or dried herbs, 1 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and one tbsp. olive oil. Seal the packets and place them on a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for 10-13 minutes, or until wicked steam escapes the packet when opened, and the fish is no longer translucent.

Wednesday: Ravioli with Blush Sauce (a crowd-pleaser, creamy and comforting in winter) Serve this with a salad. Look for locally home-made ravioli in the freezer section. The sauce is prepared in the 12-15 minutes it takes the ravioli to boil and cook. Use the leftover sauce in a small baked pasta (add cubed mozzarella).
For the sauce: Melt 3 Tbsp. butter in a medium saucepan. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and "melt" on low, but do not allow it to color. Then add one 28 oz. can crushed or diced tomatoes. Cook on medium low until beginning to simmer, but don't let them boil -- they should taste very "fresh tomato-y", not thickened or cooked down like for meat sauce. Add 1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream (depending on how creamy you like it) and a palm-full of slivered fresh basil. (If the tomatoes are cooking too hot, it might curdle, so don't go crazy.) Warm this to simmering so it thickens a bit. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with grated Reggiano Parmigiano.

Thursday: Corn Chowder
This is a full meal with a loaf of crusty bread, either your own home-made, or a multigrain bakery loaf. I usually use the Silver Palate New Basics recipe which follows.
Defrost 4 c. frozen corn in the microwave and set aside.

Silver Palate Corn Chowder
In a large soup pot, cook 1/4 lb. bacon, cut into 1" pieces. Remove the bacon to a paper towel, add 2 tbsp. butter, and saute 2 cups chopped onion until tender. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp. flour and cook at medium heat, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add 4 cups chicken broth (I use Kitchen Basics -- it is very rich and lower in sodium) and 2 large potatoes cut in 1/4" dice. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, stirring frequently, 12-15 minutes. Then add the corn (drained), 1 cup half and half, and 1 large red pepper, cut in 1/4" dice. Cook on low for another 10 minutes. You can garnish the soup bowls with thinly sliced scallions and/or cilantro if you want to get fancy!

Friday: home made pizza (I am going to try to make this every Friday. With a bit of practice, it is actually quite quick, inexpensive, and very very yummy.)