Instead of going to some chain restaurant with a long wait list, full of rowdy kids and crying babies (exactly what you are trying to escape), why not chart a course to explore the cities lesser-known ports together using a progressive dinner concept?

The night before the date, search online for a few local eateries that are a bit off the beaten path. Print out the addresses and once the kids are dropped off head to your first destination and revel in each other’s company and conversation. You’ll be surprised how much fun you can have simply trying to find your first stop.

Here’s the plan:

1. First stop – Drinks. Whether you have an ice-cold beer, glass of fine red, or just an iced tea, don’t get a menu or you might be tempted to eat. No bread, or chips and dip either, you are just there for a relaxing drink and a little chatting and people watching.

2. Second Stop – Appetizers. Once again, no bread or chips and dip. Instead, try to visit a place where you can try sushi, oysters on the half shell, or maybe stuffed jalapeños. Try something new and enjoy the experience.

3. Third Stop – Entrée. Avoid an expensive or fancy spot; instead, try something low-key like a mom and pop pizzeria, or maybe an out-of-the-way burger joint. If you can share something, that’s even better.

4. Fourth stop – Dessert. No question. It has to be ice cream. Find an independently owned parlor if you can, and split the house special sundae. Trust me.

5. Final stop – After dinner drink. This is a great way to tie a nice bow on the evening. Sit, sip, and talk about the highlights of the date. Try to avoid a chain whose name rhymes with war bucks. Find a little café, whose servers don’t have hula-hoops hanging in their earlobes, and enjoy ordering a coffee or blended mocha.

A great date night, much like life, can be about the journey together and not the destination. Listen to songs you have not heard in ten years, talk about dreams, not problems, and remind yourselves why you fell in love to begin with.

As always,
Stay hungry my friends.

photos istockphoto

Do you ever notice how kids look suspiciously at any green food you put on their plate? My kiddo makes the cutest face, crinkles up her nose, and asks, “What is that?” followed by, “Do I have to eat it?” What she doesn’t understand is even though french fries taste better, they’re not quite as good for you as, say, brussels sprouts. Isn’t this the essential battle of parenthood, trying to balance the amount of good things your kids eat, with the pleasures of a mound of grease and a side of soda pop?

The key is to find a happy medium between taste and health. Think of it this way; if your kids will only eat broccoli with cheese melted, that is still better for them than cheese fries. Active, growing children burn fat and calories like wild fire. So as long as they are eating their vegetables, don’t sweat it if they are dousing them in ketchup, cheese, or even whip cream. Think of it as a headache-saving compromise. They get the nutrients and vitamins their bodies need and you don’t have to listen to them complain.

In the recent weeks, I have been a little wordy and run out of room for a recipe. So I’m going to stop talking and do some cooking. Here is a recipe that might help you get some green vegetables into your family with a little less resistance.

These would be great with a baked chicken breast, wild rice and some glazed carrots. You can also substitute 1 lb. of brussels sprouts or asparagus for the green beans. Remember, the whole idea is to get just a few more green foods into the family diet.

However you make it, share it with your loved ones and it will taste great.

As always,
Stay hungry my friends.

photo tasteofhome.com

So then, what to write about? Well, for me it broke down like this:
1. Red = Love
2. Love is Amore
3. “When the moon hits your eye, like a big-a pizza pie, that’s amore…”

Quite obviously, I had to talk about pizza. Last week, I ordered a large pizza from a national chain, and after the tip, it cost me $24.00. A pizza costs the delivery chain roughly five dollars to make, so paying nearly five times that amount is ridiculous.

With that in mind, I am starting a “stop ordering pizza” campaign. Here is a recipe for pizza sauce that can be made ahead of time and refrigerated several days. Buy a premade pizza crust, whatever veggies and meats your family likes, and turn your kitchen into a pizzeria.

Quick Tip: I usually double the recipe, and use the extra to make mini pizza-dillas, or add some chopped veggies and put it over whole-wheat pasta later in the week for a really easy meal.

Once you have made the sauce, lay out your premade pizza crust on a cookie sheet or piece of foil, and top it however you would like. Here is how I like mine:

You can make your own crust, but with so many great premade options it’s not worth the extra work. Pick out your favorite style of crust and toppings. Get the kids to help you make it, then eat it in front of a movie with your family and I promise it will be delicious.

As always,
Stay hungry my friends.

photo istockphoto.com

So many wonderful things in this world are blue: the Smurfs, the sky, and, of course, the blueberry. Blueberries are nature’s little super-pills, packed to the brim with cancer-fighting anti-oxidants. They help reduce high blood pressure, fight strokes, and are utterly delicious.

Though blueberries are great by the handful, I prefer them in a smoothie or a cobbler. Obviously, one is healthier than the other, but both are great ways to enjoy blueberries.

This recipe can work with virtually any kind of fruit, so depending on the season, you could swap out the blueberries for something else. It is best served with vanilla ice cream melting over the top, while sitting on the porch, after a big, family cookout. There is nothing quite better then seeing your kiddo’s face stained with blueberry juice as they run around the yard.

However you choose to enjoy it, eat it with your family and it will always taste a little more delicious.

As always,
Stay hungry my friends.

photos myrecipes.com, dietsinreview.com

A few years ago, my kitchen had become overrun with various instruments of cookery. In all honestly, my whole house had become rather cluttered. I then read a great book called Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui. Now, I do not consider myself a mystical person, but I do believe clutter can cause a negative energy in your home. Think about the feelings you get when there is a pile of dirty dishes in the sink or your cabinets are so packed that you can never find what you’re looking for. The basic premise of the book was if you don’t use it and you don’t need it, then why have it? Example: I recently got rid of quite a few coffee cups because I realized I was never going to host a coffee drinking convention in my home. The result is that I now have room in my cabinets for my mixing bowls, which freed up space in another cabinet, and so on.

While I’m not suggesting you throw out everything but the kitchen sink, maybe it’s time to take a little stock, as it were, with these tips to help de-clutter your kitchen.

1. You need one really good chef’s knife, one paring knife, and one good boning knife. You can only use one knife at a time, so get rid of that bulky block full of knives you never use and save the counter space.

2. How many burners are there on your stove? You need one good stockpot, a large saucepan, a small saucepan, and a good big skillet. Maybe one extra skillet or pan, but that’s it. How often do you even use all the burners, much less cook something that requires eight pans?

3. Get rid of all the plastic containers that don’t have matching lids. There is nothing more frustrating than putting leftovers in a container only to find out there is no lid. Better yet, why not store food the way our great-grandparents did by using simple glass jars?

4. Clean out that junk drawer. We all have one right? That “Bermuda Triangle” drawer where we throw everything we haven’t given a home. Empty it completely, then honestly consider whether or not you need each item before returning it to the drawer. You’ll probably be shocked by the results.

Whenever I am de-cluttering, I apply this criteria to each item: Do I use it? Have I used it in the last year? Will I ever actually use it? If I answer no to any of those questions, I get rid of the item in question, without regret. Try it in small doses and just see if things feel a little more positive in the kitchen.

As always,
Stay hungry my friends.

photos istockphoto.com, kitchenbathideas.com, designspongeonline.com, apartmenttherapy.com

I am often asked what my favorite foods are, and although my reply varies with the seasons, spaghetti is a constant. Spaghetti has lots to brag about: countless sauce variations; extremely economical meal; and incredibly simple to make.

Whether you use homemade or store bought pasta (I prefer the whole wheat blend from Healthy Harvest), the key to great spaghetti is the sauce. Homemade spaghetti sauce is a breeze to make and can be a great opportunity to pump your family full of vegetables without them even knowing. I will often throw veggies that are starting to lose their freshness in the pot because once it’s blended nobody notices.

Basic Spaghetti Sauce
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled
12 Roma tomatoes, chopped
4 stalks celery, peeled and chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped (or 1 tsp dried oregano)
1 6oz can tomato paste
1 8oz Tomato Sauce
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Qt chicken stock
1/4 cup red wine
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper

1. Heat oil in a large sauce pot. Sweat onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes then deglaze with the wine.

2. Let the wine reduce till almost gone then add the rest of the vegetables and the stock.

3. Add salt and pepper. Simmer over Med/Low heat 1 hour or until the liquid has reduced by 1/2. Puree in a blender.

4. To thin it out add a little chicken stock gradually; to thicken use a corn starch slurry.

5. Salt and pepper to taste.

Obviously this is just a base model recipe. Once you make the basic sauce you can add mushrooms, sausage, meatballs, etc. I usually do either meatballs or Italian Sausage to add some protein. This recipe will easily feed four–if you’re feeding more, simply double it.

I can’t make spaghetti and not make Garlic Bread. I rarely toot my own horn about anything I make but my garlic bread is kind of legendary. While I would love to say it’s a brilliant creation, the truth is I simply drench the bread in real butter and garlic salt, then toast it in the oven. It is absolutely the least healthy thing that ever comes out of my kitchen. But it is oh-so-good.

Heart Attack Garlic Toast
8 slices of whole wheat bread (for the illusion of healthy eating)
1 stick of real, unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbsp garlic salt

1. On a foil lined cookie sheet place the 8 slices of bread in two rows.

2. Apply butter liberally with a spoon.

3. Sprinkle garlic salt over the slices.

4. Toast in the broiler for 3-5 minutes.

I realize how bad it sounds but trust me it’s amazing. Put a little spaghetti on a piece of toast, fold it over, and enjoy a little taste of heaven.

However you make it, eat it with your loved ones and it will always be delicious.

As always,
Stay hungry my friends.
Martin

photo: Tony Dunn

Recently, my daughter and I went to visit my great uncle in Mineral Wells, Texas. On the drive out there, we happened upon one of the true signs of spring in rural Texas: the roadside vegetable stand.

In the parking lot of an abandoned gas station, a middle-aged lady had set up a half dozen folding tables and covered them with her wares. Baskets and bushels of vine ripe tomatoes, beautiful fragrant onions, dark green cucumbers, giant jalapeño peppers and so on all grown organically, she assured me, as she picked up a tomato and bit into it. “My kids eat them right off the vine,” she said.

As I tried to avoid drooling on her merchandise, Tori and I selected basket after basket of vegetables. My mind was already planning recipes for each of my selections. Once we had grabbed one of everything, we began picking out baskets for my mother. I knew she would be ecstatic to get a few bags of fresh vegetables delivered to her door.

She tallied up our purchase – $32.00. I was shocked at how inexpensive it was. I began to count the vegetables we had in our box and the total was near one hundred. We had paid less than $.50 per vegetable, which was an outstanding deal. I, of course, immediately began to wonder how many vegetables I could get for $32.00 at the grocery store. I weighed out our purchases, made a list and then went to my local grocery to due some investigating.

Farm Stand
9 lbs. Tomatoes
3 lbs. Onions
1 lb. Cucumbers
2 lbs. Squash
1 lb. Jalapenos
TOTAL PRICE: $32.00

Grocery Store
9 lbs. Tomatoes
3 lbs. Onions
1 lb. Cucumber
2 lbs. Squash
1 lb. Jalapenos
TOTAL PRICE: $38.00 (plus tax)

The difference was really the tomatoes, which averaged 3.00 per lb at the store. When you factor in the incredible flavor, low levels of toxic chemicals and the fact you are supporting the local economy, it’s a great value.

Question: Has your child ever actually met the person that grew their food? These days, the odds are they haven’t. Tori and I ate fresh tomatoes with salt and pepper when we got home and talked about agriculture and the difference between mass production growers and small farmers. It really brought it all into perspective as she declared this to be the best tomato she had ever eaten.

Now that summer has arrived, it’s time to go out and get some fresh air. Load up the kids, the dogs, a good carving knife and your sense of adventure, then get lost down a country road. When you see an old man dressed in overalls and a feed store cap parked alongside the road in an old pick-up, with a truck bed full of watermelons, you know you’re in the right spot. Slip him an extra five spot and tell him to pick out his best melon for you. Find a shady seat under a tree off the road and enjoy teaching the kids the finer points of seed spitting.

As always,
Stay hungry my friends.

photos istockphoto

Editor’s Note: Join us this month as we take a look back at some of our top posts from the past!  

I am outnumbered in house full of boys. We are all trucks, cars, trains, balls and wrestling all the time. Even my one year old is a pro at zooming cars around the carpet making appropriate “car noises.” How do they learn that stuff so fast? Anyway, when my older son turned 2 last year we went with a construction theme, complete with construction hats, traffic cones and a bulldozer piñata. I wanted to do something fun and different for his cake, so after doing a little looking online, came up with the Dump Truck cake.

I took a large plastic dump truck that we already had, and lined the bed of the truck with aluminum foil. I then baked about 3 dozen chocolate cupcakes. Now, I’m a huge fan of making your own cake – I like knowing exactly what’s going into what I’m making. But I happily used boxed chocolate cake mix for this (partly because it was easy, and partly because I was 7 months pregnant at the time).

Once the cupcakes were baked and cooled, I began building a “pile of dirt” in the bed of the dump truck with chocolate cupcakes, sans wrappers. Once I had a good pile several layers high, I poured chocolate ganache over the top (recipe to follow), and then covered the entire pile with crushed Oreo cookies to complete the Dirt-In-A-Dump-Truck Cake.

It was a simple solution to the annual what-to-do-for-my-kid’s-birthday-party dilemma, and ended up being a huge wow for not a lot of work.

Chocolate Ganache

1 cup heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped, or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat the cream in a pot until steaming, but not boiling. Place the chocolate in a medium bowl, pour on the hot cream and stir until the chocolate is fully melted and smooth. Allow to cool slightly and thicken before pouring over cupcakes.

Anyone else have stories about thinking outside the cake box?

When it comes to “greening” my life, I often feel overwhelmed by all the things I’m not doing. Sure, we recycle, use CFL lightbulbs, and watch our water usage. But we don’t compost, have a rain barrel or buy all organic. The thing I have to remember is even the small changes count. So here are a few tips – both large and small – for making your kitchen a bit greener.

• Use cloth napkins and dishtowels instead of relying on paper towels and napkins. I’ll admit, this is a hard one for me – with small children, paper towels are a life saver. But it’s definitely a change worth trying.

• Eat local. Buying food from local producers helps support your local farm community, gives you fresher produce and ingredients, and helps avoid added pollution caused by long distance shipping. Check out www.localharvest.org for a Farmer’s Market or CSA in your area.

• Use glass containers. They are a safer choice than plastic and don’t end up in landfills like aluminum foil and plastic wrap.

• Install a faucet aerator. Available at any hardware store, this is a cheap and easy way to reduce your water usage without affecting your water pressure.

• Go fish! We all know that fish is important component of a healthy diet, but there is a lot of confusion about sustainability and harmful mercury levels. Check out www.montereybayaquarium.org for a list of fish and seafood that is both safe and sustainable.

• Keep potted plants, such as herbs or lettuce, in the kitchen – they help clear the air by filtering carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, and also provide a quick hit of flavor while cooking.

• Clear out your cleaners. Though tossing out all your standard cleaners is wasteful, try replacing them once they’re gone with their green counterpart. Plus, you’d be amazed at how effective some kitchen staples like baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice are at scrubbing and cleaning.

• Most of us are used to taking our own reusable shopping bags to the grocery store. Why not go one step further and skip the plastic produce bags, opting for cotton bags instead, like these washable bags from Oh, Little Rabbit. (pictured)

If you’re planning a kitchen renovation or update, consider some of the following green ideas:

• Look for Energy Star rated appliances to replace your old refrigerator or dishwasher, thus helping to reduce emissions and save you money on your electricity bill.

• If painting your kitchen, opt for paint with low or no-VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds). According to TLC’s website, “typical household paint contains up to 10,000 chemicals, of which 300 are known toxins and 150 have been linked to cancer. Although VOC levels are highest during and soon after painting, they continue seeping out for several years. In fact, only 50 percent of the VOCs may be released in the first year.” Good reasons to avoid using them in your home!

• Look for green flooring options like wood, cork or linoleum. In fact, cork, a relative newcomer in flooring, is a great option to consider. It’s soft underfoot, and unlike oak or maple which take 30 years to grow back, cork regenerates in only 9 years.

• Consider both donating and purchasing your appliances and building supplies from Habitat for Humanity. Habitat’s ReStore resale outlets sell reusable and surplus building materials to the public, including items like furniture, home accessories, building materials and appliances. Check www.habitat.org/restores for a location near you.

As soon as you find out you’re pregnant, something as basic and elemental as eating suddenly becomes a complex list of do’s and don’ts. With each of my two pregnancies I felt like I was navigating a mine field of what I could eat, what I couldn’t eat, what I should eat, and what I actually felt like eating. It’s enough to make an exhausted, nauseous, hormonal gal crazy. Thankfully the brilliant folks at the Mayo Clinic help boil it down to a few important nutrients and some of the best ways to get them.

Pregnancy diet: Essential nutrients when you’re eating for two
There’s no magic formula for a healthy pregnancy diet. In fact, during pregnancy the basic principles of healthy eating remain the same — get plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. However, a few nutrients in a pregnancy diet deserve special attention. Here’s what tops the list.

Folate and folic acid — Prevent birth defects
Folate is a B vitamin that helps prevent neural tube defects, serious abnormalities of the brain and spinal cord. Lack of folate in a pregnancy diet also may increase the risk of preterm delivery. The synthetic form of folate found in supplements and fortified foods is known as folic acid.

How much you need: 800 micrograms of folate or folic acid before conception and 1,000 micrograms a day during pregnancy.
Good sources: Fortified cereals are great sources of folic acid. Leafy green vegetables, citrus fruits, and dried beans and peas are good sources of naturally occurring folate.

Food	Serving size	Folic acid content
Cereal	3/4 cup (15 to 45 grams) 100 percent fortified ready-to-eat cereal	400 micrograms
Spinach	1/2 cup (90 grams) boiled spinach	100 micrograms
Beans	1/2 cup (88 grams) boiled Great Northern beans	90 micrograms
Asparagus	4 boiled spears	85 micrograms
Peanuts	1 ounce (28 grams) dry roasted	40 micrograms
Oranges	1 small orange	30 micrograms

Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference 2007
In addition to making healthy food choices, taking a daily prenatal vitamin — ideally starting three months before conception — can help ensure you’re getting enough of this essential nutrient.

Calcium — Strengthen bones
You and your baby need calcium for strong bones and teeth. Calcium also helps your circulatory, muscular and nervous systems run normally. If there’s not enough calcium in your pregnancy diet, the calcium your baby needs will be taken from your bones.

How much you need: 1,000 milligrams a day. Pregnant teenagers need 1,300 milligrams a day.
Good sources: Dairy products are the richest sources of calcium. Many fruit juices and breakfast cereals are fortified with calcium, too.

Food	Serving size	Calcium content
Yogurt	8 ounces (227 grams) plain, low-fat yogurt	415 milligrams
Milk	1 cup (245 grams) skim milk	306 milligrams
Cheese	1 1/2 ounces (43 grams) part-skim mozzarella cheese	275 milligrams
Juice	6 ounces (186 grams) calcium-fortified orange juice	200 to 260 milligrams
Salmon	3 ounces (85 grams) canned pink salmon with bones	181 milligrams
Spinach	1/2 cup (90 grams) cooked spinach	120 milligrams
Cereal	1 cup (20 to 60 grams) calcium-fortified ready-to-eat cereal	100 to 1,000 milligrams

Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference 2007

Protein — Promote growth
Protein is crucial for your baby’s growth, especially during the second and third trimesters.

How much you need: 71 grams a day.
Good sources: Lean meat, poultry, fish and eggs are great sources of protein. Other options include dried beans and peas, tofu, dairy products and peanut butter.

Food	Serving size	Protein content
Poultry	3 ounces (85 grams) chicken breast	27.6 grams
Fish	3 ounces (85 grams) salmon	21.6 grams
Cottage cheese	1 cup (210 grams) low-fat cottage cheese	28 grams
Milk	1 cup (245 grams) skim milk	8.3 grams
Peanut butter	2 tablespoons (32 grams) creamy peanut butter	8 grams
Eggs	1 large hard-boiled egg	6.3 grams

Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference 2007

Iron — Prevent anemia
Your body uses iron to make hemoglobin, a protein in the red blood cells that carries oxygen to your tissues. During pregnancy your blood volume expands to accommodate changes in your body and help your baby make his or her entire blood supply. As a result, your need for iron nearly doubles.

If you don’t get enough iron, you may become fatigued and more susceptible to infections. The risk of preterm delivery and low birth weight also may be higher.

How much you need: 27 milligrams of iron a day.
Good sources: Lean red meat, poultry and fish are good

Food	Serving size	Iron content
Cereal	3/4 cup (24 grams) 100 percent iron-fortified ready-to-eat cereal	18 milligrams
Beans	1 cup (256 grams) boiled kidney beans	5.2 milligrams
Spinach	1/2 cup (90 grams) boiled spinach	3.2 milligrams
Meat	3 ounces (85 grams) beef tenderloin	3 milligrams
Poultry	3 1/2 ounces (100 grams) dark turkey	2.3 milligrams

Source: USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference 2007
Prenatal vitamins typically contain iron. In some cases, your health care provider may recommend a separate iron supplement.

The iron from animal products, such as meat, is most easily absorbed. To enhance the absorption of iron from plant sources and supplements, pair them with a food or drink high in vitamin C — such as orange juice, tomato juice or strawberries.

Supplements — Ask your health care provider
Even if you eat healthfully every day, you may miss out on key nutrients. Taking a daily prenatal vitamin — ideally starting three months before conception — can help fill any gaps. Your health care provider may recommend special supplements if you follow a strict vegetarian diet or have a chronic health condition. If you’re considering taking an herbal supplement during pregnancy, check with your health care provider first.

photo healthline.com