Fresh Artistry Meal Delivery Service Launches in Indy

As a working parent, I love convenience at dinner. But more importantly I want to feed my family freshly prepared food.

That's why I was excited to preview the Fresh Artistry service and the new family plan that is launching in Indianapolis tomorrow (Dec. 5).

Did the food look good? Absolutely. Was it tasty? Yes. But the most impressive part? It was ready to go and directions written in a way my 9 year old could make - and plate - a "fancy meal" for our family. I'm sharing with you the chef's own words and some insights on the program this week at Mom Hats & More.

Roasted Garlic Three Ways

Roasted garlic may be one of my favorite smells of all. Sure, it may not make me a fan of vampires or co-workers, but roasting garlic makes the flavor sweeter and is a yummy addition to a meal.

When I worked at a newspaper in Kansas City, the writers and I would enjoy roasted garlic as an appetizer at a local Italian restaurant. We loved to squeeze the golden garlic onto bread, or even just eat the cloves as-is.

How to Roast Garlic

If you have not roasted garlic, you are in for a treat. The hardest part is the wait!

Simply cut off the pointed end of the garlic and set into a pan, cut side up. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cracked pepper. Bake at 425 for about 40 minutes. When cooked, the cloves will squeeze out of their papers like a gooey, amazing mess.

I prefer to roast an 8x8 pan of garlic at once (I know...) so any leftover garlic is covered in olive oil and stored in the refrigerator. I should note we use it quickly, as you do run the slight risk of developing botulism if it sits too long. As a whole, if you finish it in a matter of days, you should be ok.

If you haven't tried roasted garlic on Italian bread, do it. Tonight. If you're interested in some other ways to prepare it, read on. 

Roasted Garlic Butter

This may be the easiest thing to do. Take some softened butter (please use the real thing). Mix in roasted garlic to taste. Enjoy.

Roasted Garlic Rolls

These rolls, made and hand-shaped by my nine-year-old, were incredible as buns for turkey burgers and turned into garlic cheese bread!


Ingredients

2 packages Rapid-rise Yeast

2 cups Warm Water

¼ cup Sugar

½ cup Oil

1 Tablespoon Salt 

2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

5-½ cups Flour

2 heads Roasted Garlic, Peeled

2 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

2 pinches Kosher Salt

Instructions
Mix water and yeast, stir until yeast dissolves. Add sugar, oil, salt and garlic powder. Stir in flour and let rise once. Knead the dough and fold garlic cloves into it.

Spray a pan with cooking spray, and shape dough into equal-sized balls and place them on the pan, leaving equal space between them. Let rise again (cover with a moist towel if you’d like, to prevent the dough from drying out). Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

After rising, brush rolls with melted butter. Sprinkle on a little kosher salt and brush with additional butter. Sprinkle more garlic powder on top and bake for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown.

Roasted Garlic & Green Beans

Ingredients

1 pound green beans
Leftover roasted garlic in olive oil
Salt and pepper

Instructions
This recipe is a deceptively simple one, but absolutely amazing. Drain the oil into a skillet and warm over medium heat. Sautee the green beans. When the green beans are close to completely cooked, add the leftover roasted garlic, stirring, until garlic is warmed. Toss with salt and pepper.

40 ideas for 4th of July parties #summerfamilyfunparty

July 4 - give or take a week - usually means a block party in our neighborhood. It's a great pitch-in where neighbors get together, socialize and shoot off firecrackers.

Looking for some ideas to spice up your Fourth of July celebrations?

Here are 40 recipe ideas to get you going:

On the Grill

• Fiery Glazed Mango BBQ Chicken Skewers
• Best Grilled Chicken
• Lemon Basil Grilled Shrimp and Quinoa
• Double-Decker Stuffed Portobello Sandwiches
• Grilled Skirt Steak with Corn Salsa and Black Beans
• Chicken, Nectarine & Red Onion Kebabs
• Sweet & Spicy Smoked Ribs
• Balsamic Honey Grilled Steak Salad
• Fall Off the Bone Ribs
• Grilled Bacon Burgers
• Grilled Honey Dijon Chicken
• Grilled Fish Tacos
• Cowboy Burgers
• Chipotle Chicken Kebabs
• Grilled Peanut Butter Chicken
• Carmelized Salmon Skewers

Super Side Dishes

• Red, White & Blue Nachos
• Practically Perfect Pasta Salad
• Mango Avocado Salsa
• Stacked BLT Salad
• Patriotic Strawberry Bread
• Green Bean Salad Green Style
• Roasted Asparagus Salad with Strawberries and Pecans
• Easy Apple Coleslaw
• Heirloom Tomato Gratin
• Roasted Corn & Zucchini Salad with Chili Lime Vina
• Refrigerator Pickles

Sweet Treats

• Ginger Lemon Ice
• Raspberry Dessert
• Strawberry Ice Cream
• Key Lime Pie Bars
• Red, White & Blue Frozen Fruit Puree Shooters
• Strawberry Icebox Cake
• Berry Parfait
• Stained Glass Jello
• White Chocolate and Fireworks Popcorn
• Red White & Blue Berry Popsicles
• Grilled Pound Cake a la Mode
• 4th of July Tie Dye Fudge
• Fruit Flag Pizza

Drinks

• Patriotic Punch (kid-friendly recipe)
• Blueberries and lemon spritzer 
• Preppy Punch (Non-Alcoholic)
• Beer Margaritas
• Red Wine & Blue Spritzer

Share your favorite July 4 ideas or other inspiration for the #summerfamilyfunparty below!

An InLinkz Link-up

Freezer Cookbook Review: Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead & Freeze Cookbook

Freezer cooking recipes are often a tough find. I might find the occasional blog or a random recipe in a 15-year-old cookbook, but rarely do I find a must-have book on make-ahead meals.

Enter Not Your Mother's Make-Ahead and Freeze Cookbook by Jessica Fisher of the popular blogs Life as Mom and Good Cheap Eats. This is a must-have on every working mom's kitchen bookshelf - whether you're working out of the home or working at home 24 hours a day!

I love how Fisher doesn't make freezer cooking An Event. Freezer cooking can be as complicated or quick as your schedule and budget allows. (Personally, I always try the recipe with the family first before I begin freezer cooking a particular dish!) The shopping lists and cooking plans are great for when you do have additional time to invest in a freezer cooking session at home.


Even better, these aren't yesterday's casseroles or tired slow cooker recipes either. Our family loved recipes like sesame chicken with snow peas and mushrooms and easy cheese enchiladas.

And yes, dear library, I will return the book. Someday....

What are your favorite recipes for freezer cooking? Share them below.

Frittata with Sundried Tomatoes recipe

Frittatas are a fast and simple way to create a breakfast, brunch or dinner option. This frittata recipe was born out of a last-minute need to come up with an idea for a meatless dish for our Monday work lunches.

Frittata with Sundried Tomatoes
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 bunch green onions, whites sliced
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
3/4 cup fresh parsley
8 large eggs, beaten
salt and pepper

Instructions

Heat olive oil in cast-iron skillet. Add onions and cook on medium-low for about 10 minutes. Stir in sundried tomatoes and parsley; season with salt and pepper.

Heat broiler to high. Pour eggs over the vegetables in the skillet. Stir to mix.

Cook eggs on low, scraping bottom of pan towards middle as it sets and letting uncooked egg run underneath. Continue until bottom is firm but top is still moist (about 10 minutes).

Place frittata under the broiler and cook for five minutes, or until frittata is cooked throughout and golden on top.

Serve in skillet warm or at room temperature. Garnish with parsley.

Serving ideas: Pair the frittata with crusty bread or salad.

Free e-books on Paleo Cooking (May 31, 2014)

Paleo cooking is one of the themes I'm beginning to explore in my quest to take better care of my health.

Today I'm sharing these free e-books on paleo cooking on Amazon. Hopefully you can find a recipe or two to add to your repertoire. Enjoy!

Cooking with essential oils: 50 recipes to try

Essential oils are derived from plants - why couldn't - or shouldn't - you use it in cooking?

If you've used it as a dried or fresh herb or spice form, you can likely use an essential oil alternative - which is great in a pinch. I've managed to drizzle some dill essential oil on my salmon as it roasts, drop in lemon essential oils in my drinks and use it to substitute for buttermilk in recipes.

Be warned, though. Essential oils can't be simply substituted for fresh or dried herbs in a 1-to-1 ratio. Here is a great guide for substituting herbs with essential oils:

A good rule of thumb is: 1 tablespoon citrus zest = 8 to 14 drops of essential oil 1 tablespoon dried spice or herb = ½ – 1 drop of essential oil ½ – 1 teaspoon dried spice or herb  =  1 toothpick dip* *Dip a toothpick in the center of the dripper cap and then swirl the toothpick in your recipe or beverage.

For stronger oils such as cilantro, cinnamon bark, lavender, oregano, and thyme make sure to always start with a lesser amount and add to taste. 

If you have a little more time, check out this online cooking class featuring essential oils:

Eat up! Here are some recipes using essential oils to get you started:

Breakfast

Whole-grain blueberry muffins
Granola blueberry crisp
Power bites
Peanut butter protein bars
Lavender blueberry banana bread
"Birdseed" bars
Wild orange and cinnamon pumpkin muffins
Cinnamon almond granola
On Guard pumpkin smoothie

Main dishes

Hawaiian barbecue chicken 

Baked chicken taquitos
Cajun chicken pasta
Almond-crusted orange chicken
Ginger stir-fry
Sun-dried tomato pizza
Grilled halibut with cilantro lime butter
Lemon-orange shrimp kabobs
Roasted marinara sauce
Honey glazed ham
Vegetarian black bean burgers
Basted holiday turkey
Lime chicken and quinoa salad
Healing soup with cilantro and ginger
Roasted marinara sauce

Side dishes

Pasta salad
Garlic & herb canapes
Black  beans and Lime cilantro rice
Roasted garlic mashed potatoes
Lemon broiled asparagus
Winter On Guard Quinoa Salad
Rosemary roasted red potatoes
Herbed pasta salad

Dressings & Dips

Citrus vinaigrette
Apple-walnut vinaigrette
Basil dill veggie dip
Italian bread dip
Wild Orange vinaigrette
Dill vegetable dip
Strawberry-lime fruit dip
Pico de gallo with lime essential oil
Lavender balsalmic vinaigrette

Treats & Sweets

Lemon bark
Honey peanut butter popcorn with Essential Oils
Honey lemon cake with lavender icing
Peppermint patties
Strawberry Coconut Cremes
Chocolate bliss raspberry parfait
Luscious lemon bars
Wild Orange Truffles
Whole wheat gingerbread cutouts
Pumpkin pie
Guilt-free apple pie
Strawberry orange sorbet
Tiramisu

Beverages

Strawberry citrus slush
Holiday wassail
Hot cocoa
Strawberry lemonade
Peppermint iced tea

Looking for a source for essential oils? Please consider using my online store with doTERRA essential oils. Email me at goinggreenmama at gmail if you'd like to know about saving 25% off of retail prices.

Use Up Your Granola: Chocolate Chunk Granola Cookies

I had granola to use up, and was not interested in yet another yogurt granola parfait.

Instead we added a little sweetness to our day with this Chocolate Chunk Granola Cookie recipe. I based this off a recipe for Copycat  Kashi Oatmeal Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies I had found on Pinterest, and it was a great way to use up not only the stale granola I had on hand but the chocolate bunnies from Easter. (Yes, it's the same chocolate as those prebagged chocolate chunks you'll buy the rest of the year - just much cheaper after Easter in that packaging!)

Even better, this was portion-controlled, only making two dozen. Enjoy!

Chocolate Chunk Granola Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick butter
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup vanilla almond granola
2/3 cup chocolate chunks (or chopped chocolate bunnies or bars)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375.

Mix flour, baking soda, salt, butter, egg and vanilla extract together. Add egg and mix until batter is smooth. Mix in granola and chocolate. Drop by heaping tablespoons on greased cookie sheet.

Bake 8-10 minutes. Makes about two dozen.

Find more ideas at Fabulously Frugal Thursday, Recipe Writers and Party in Your PJs Linkups.

The best gougere you will ever eat

Meatless meals in Lent always seem to throw me off. It's like it was a surprise that it was Friday. And so I stood on a recent Friday evening, staring at my mostly empty fridge, wondering what meatless dish I could make that could pacify my children.

This gougere recipe is based on a Pinterest find for goat cheese and herb gougere from Eggs on Sunday. I have made another gougere recipe in the past but couldn't find it quickly. We tweaked this recipe based on what we had on hand in our home (and our first fresh herbs of the season!), and the results were fabulous.

Herbed goat cheese mini-gougeres

Ingredients

1 cup milk
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
5 large eggs, divided
6 oz. garlic and herb goat cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan,  combine the butter, milk and salt and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the flour all at once. Whisk for a few minutes, then return the pan to the heat and continue whisking to dry the paste out slightly. Remove the heat from the pan again, switch to a wooden spoon, and add eggs — one at a time — stirring to make sure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the goat cheese, Parmesan and chives.

Pipe the batter onto the baking sheets (or drop by the tablespoonful). 

Bake each sheet, one at a time, in the 375 degree F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes, until the tops are nicely browned and the gougeres are puffed. Serve warm, or let cool completely and freeze in a ziptop bag.

Makes about 2 dozen.

Gifts that Give Twice (and a giveaway)

Giving a gift always leaves that unanswered question - "Did the person like it? Did it mean anything?"

This year, I'd like you to consider a gift that gives twice. 

One such option is the long-standing World Vision Gift Catalog, which offers more than 30 options for handcrafted items from around the world in addition to opportunities to support causes ranging from nutrition and safe drinking water programs, to poverty relief and community development programs.

The catalog includes hand-crafted gifts (which also include a donation to World Vision), including gifts for foodies, jewelry and scarves, and Christmas ornaments.

We had the opportunity to check out the Prosperity Cinnamon gift box, which includes Vietnam's renowned sweet cinnamon, sold to benefit generations of hard working families. I absolutely love the wooden box, adorned with the symbol or prosperity, and have to say it may be the best cinnamon we have tasted.

A great thing about this cinnamon, beside the taste, is that it comes from a renewable resource - the Cassia tree. Logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices have contributed to soil degradation and deforestation in Vietnam. Other environmental issues include water pollution, overfishing, contaminated potable water supplies, and urbanization.

I invite you to check out the World Vision site for this and other foodie gifts for this holiday season. World Vision is also giving away one Prosperity Cinnamon gift box to one lucky Going Green Mama reader.

You can enter by:

1. Posting below. What gift from the catalog would you most like to give?
2. Tweet about the giveaway. Tag @goinggreenmama1.
3. Pin this giveaway.
4. Like https://www.facebook.com/worldvisionWorld Vision on Facebook.
5. Like Going Green Mama on Facebook. 

We will draw one winner on Dec. 14, and we will contact the winner for World Vision to ship it to you.

World Vision is a Christian relief and development organization dedicated to helping children, families, and communities worldwide reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. It works in nearly 100 countries, including the United States, through interventions such as nutrition and safe drinking water programs, poverty relief and community development programs, disaster assistance, and more.In 2012, 85 percent of World Vision's total operating expenses were used for programs that benefit children, families, and communities in need. Visit them on Facebook or Twitter.

Disclosure: I did receive a sample from World VIsion, and the organization is providing the giveaway.

Rock star party cookies

Blinged-out buttery cookies for a rock star party are a must-have! It's also a great way to rid yourself of holiday sprinkles.

Rock star party cookies
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
5 cups flour
1 package Hershey Hugs
red decorator sugar (or any other decorator sprinkles)

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs until evenly mixed, then add vanilla and salt.

Stir in flour, about a third at a time, until blended.

Refrigerate dough if desired for easier handling.

Preheat oven to 375. Roll dough into balls, then roll balls into the red decorator sugar. Place on parchment paper on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven, then lightly press an unwrapped Hershey's Hug in the middle of the cookie. Cool before eating.

Whole-Grain Blueberry Muffins

A trick I realized when  making this recipe: If you don't have buttermilk you can substitute the same amount of milk with two drops of lemon essential oil. These whole-grain muffins were eaten in minutes.

Whole-Grain Blueberry Muffins
1 3/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup wildflower honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups milk
2 drops lemon essential oil
1 1/2 cups blueberries

Preheat oven to 400.

In food processor or blender, pulse oats until resemble coarse meal.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a cup mix milk and lemon essential oil.

In another bowl, mix eggs, honey, oil and vanilla until well blended. Mix in milk. Fold into flour mixture. Fold in berries.

Divide batter into muffin cups. Bake 18-23 minutes.

Cinnamon apple smoothie

Cinnamon apple smoothie

1 cup diced apple
1 cup skim milk

1 scoop DoTERRA vanilla Trim Shake or other vanilla protein shake

1/2 cup ice or more if desired.

Blend all.


Calories according to MyFitness Pal: 365 for the entire thing. It tastes amazing and was so filling!



Disclosure: I do receive a percentage of the sales for the DoTERRA vanilla Trim Shake by following this link, however, I wouldn't use it if I didn't like it!

Jenny's Cranberry Sauce

This fresh cranberry sauce recipe was brought to our department pitch-in last year and was a huge hit.

Jenny's Cranberry Sauce

Combine in medium saucepan:

2 bags cranberries

2 cups white sugar (I did use Splenda in my recipe)

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

Grated zest from 1 orange

Juice from 1 orange, about 1/2 cup

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups water

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar is dissolved and the berries start to pop. Reduce heat to simmer and continue to cook until the syrup thickens slightly. If it still tastes too tart for you, add a little more brown sugar and cinnamon and cook a little longer on low heat.

Peppermint Patties recipe and cooking with peppermint essential oil

Peppermint patties are a wonderful treat! But I hated the idea of adding in the alcoholy-smelling peppermint extract from our pantry.

Recently I stumbled on this recipe using peppermint (or even orange, cinnamon or cassia) essential oil. What I love about using essential oils in cooking is that you need so little. It took two drops of peppermint oil to turn a ho-hum box of brownie mix into the fastest-eaten dessert at my neighbor's card party.

You can find other tips for cooking with peppermint essential oil here. If you are looking for a therapeutic grade essential oil, I'd recommend DoTERRA, which we use for cooking and for our family. It's worth the expense and the bottles truly go a long way!

What other recipes do you recommend for peppermint essential oil?

Note: The link in this post is my referral link.

Peach "Whipped Cream" Smoothie

A smoothie that tastes liked whipped cream with none of the badness? I'm all for it! I was surprised when my daughter said this smoothie tasted like whipped cream the other morning, but she was right.

Peach "Whipped Cream" Smoothie
2 peaches, pits removed
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup vanilla almond milk
1 cup ice.

Blend all ingredients but ice, add ice and blend until desired consistency.

Edible Fire Safety Tutorial for Kids and Scouts

With the recent drought and wildfires in this country, teaching kids fire safety is even more important than ever. 

I loved this lesson we had during Girl Scout camp, which taught the girls how to safely start and put out a campfire for cooking.

Edible fire safety lesson for Scouts

What you'll need:

• mini marshmallows and/or cheerios
• pretzels
• potato sticks
• red hots, hot tamales or other candy
• candy corn
• cups
• plates

Directions:

1. Pull back your hair.
2. Create a safety circle outside your "fire circle." (Make sure the area is clear around your plate.)
3. Fill a "water bucket" (a cup) and keep nearby.
4. Make your fire circle ring with cheerios or mini marshmallows.
5. Create an A-frame of "logs" with your pretzels.
6. Make a teepee of "tinder" (potato sticks).
7. Light with a match (red hots or hot tamales).
8. Add your "kindling" (short pretzels or Chinese noodles).
9. Candy corn will show it's burning brighter. (optional)

The girls loved this activity, and we were sure to plan an active activity soon after!

Follow Robbie @'s board Girl Scout Camp on Pinterest.

Quick homemade ice cream

Hand-cranked ice cream made by my mother-in-law is one of my favorite memories of summer. But, being a diabetic and aiming to reduce clutter in my home, I don't have the desire to buy and store an ice cream maker for the occasional summer treat for my kids.

Instead, I stumbled on a simple recipe for homemade ice cream that's portion-controlled and quick to make! The kids loved the process, and in 10 minutes - just a few quick songs on our playlist - they had a cool treat on a hot summer day.

Easy vanilla ice cream
1/2 c. half and half or whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. sugar
Put in a small plastic bag and seal.

In a gallon bag, add 6 tbsp. ice cream salt or kosher salt, then fill halfway with ice. Add the small baggie; seal the large bag. Shake 10 minutes for a soft-serve consistency.

Chole's Kitchen: A review

Vegan anything and my husband. Seriously, it's not two things that go in the same sentence easily. But I was surprised to see his willingness to go out of the box recently.

I had the chance to review the vegan cookbook Chloe's Kitchen: 125 Easy, Delicious Recipes for Making the Food You Love the Vegan Way . I fully expected to see this be one of those things that mommy does when daddy is working late. After all, I married a good Midwestern, beef-loving boy.

After flipping through the cookbook, I was impressed by his willingness to try out vegan recipes from the book. Truthfully, vegan isn't a large step from meatless, anyway. I loved the idea that we're a few cups of almonds away from mock mac and cheese. (Something I haven't yet tried because of my cutting back starches.) The stray and hay pasta was fabulous - subbing almond milk for a more fat-laden substitute. If I hadn't had the audacity to include the sub-dried tomatoes, it would have been a huge hit.

Chloe's Kitchen got us off the fence into doing what we've been meaning to do anyway: Introduce healthier, more varied options into our diet. It's given us a fresh inspiration as we head into farmer's market season.

Great Girl Scout Cookie Experiment

Girl Scout cookies - as if we didn't have enough in our home - were on our to-do list yet again this weekend.

Our challenge? To recreate an early Girl Scout cookie recipe as found on the Girl Scout national website as part of our council's 100th anniversary patch our troop is working on. We did our batch a bit early so we could donate it to the church bake sale. That is, if little brother can stay out:

The cookies have good flavor, but I learned three things in the process: It's tricky to roll out, so you'll need a lot of flour on hand. You'll want to err towards 10-11 minutes on the baking, not the 8-10 as in the original recipe. And today's cookie cutters mean that you'll wind up with about 3 dozen cookies, not the 6-7 dozen as promised on the site. Enjoy!

An Early Girl Scout Cookie^® Recipe

from Girl Scout national offices, circa 1920s-1930s

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar plus additional amount for topping (optional)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Cream butter and the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, then milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired. Bake at 375° for 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown.