Tabouli

I went shopping yesterday for bulgur for tabouli, could only find bulgur in a box that said tabouli. It's just a shame I have to an hour 20 mins just to buy bulk. You might can get it at Robi's for like a crazy price. I get so irritated shopping at the grocery stores around here. Walmart has totally taken over, even Winn Dixie's closing so our only choice is going to be the very much hated Walmart unless we stop giving them our business. I am guilty too so that's why I say "we".
Either I need to open a health food store which I've been talking about for 10 years. The reason I got a degree in holistic nutrition 8 years ago or someone needs to at least open a Publix. I ran a coop for years but the place in Arkansas that we got everything for is out of business. Need to check into something similar to that. Or have a group run to Jackson or Tuscaloosa.
Ok so enough of my ramble here is the rec for tabouli

soak 1 1/4 cups of raw bulgur in 4 cups of boiling water. Let soak for about 45 minutes until light and fluffy
combine bulgur with
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 medium tomatoes
1 cucumber
juice of 2 lemons
1/4 cup of olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
all tabouli recipes call for about 1/2 cup of mint, but I don't like it with the mint so if you want to add it by all means I just don't
My favorite way to serve it is in a pita with hummus and lettuce, but you can eat it as is or wrapped in cabbage or romaine leaves

Peanut Butter Pasta

1 package of bowtie pasta
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup peanutbutter
2 TB low sodium soy sauce
2 TB fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic
1 TB sesame oil
2TB of rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

boil the pasta until al dente....soaking in the peanutbutter mixture it will become more soft
you don't want it to be mushy when it's comes time to eat
saucepan mix the water, peanut butter, soysauce, ginger, garlic, vinegar & sesame oil
boil the peanut butter mixture on medium heat for about 5 minutes. It needs to be pretty thin b/c it will thicken up in the fridge.
Mix everything together, let cool, store in the fridge. Serve cold.
After staying in your kids lunch box for a few hours it will be perfect!

Jack has 2 kids in his class with severe peanut allergies so he will have to eat his at home.
You can replace the peanut butter with soy, cashew or almond butter

Hummus

I'll start with what people ask me the most about. Young kids love dips it's a chance to put some veggies into their diets as well. Serve with cucumbers, carrots, celery, pita chips, crackers or all of the above

1 can of chickpeas
2 TB tahini
2 TB good olive oil
1TB of Flax seed oil(if you don't have it sub olive oil or good canola oil)
1 garlic clove
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste
pinch of cumin
1 cup parsley(optional)

mix all in food processor

to make black beans hummus replace the chick peas with black beans, the lemon with lime and the parsley with cilantro

any chance I can throw some omega 3 fatty acids in their diets I take. It increases their brain development and helps them focus. I put flax oil on toast or bagels instead of butter. In green salads, tabouli, etc.

Parsley is not just for flavor it is packed with vitamin C(more vitamin C per weight than oranges) , calcium, fatty oil, iron, phosphorus, potassium, vitamins A

Garlic has so many beneficial properties. It acts on bacteria, viruses and parasites. It's a natural antibiotic and immune enhancer. It is also packed with many vitamins and minerals.

my new goal

The boys are back in school so I have a little more time to myself and I'm not just mom for a bit. But even when they aren't with me I'm constantly thinking about them and what I can do to make their lives better. I've had several mom's ask me what I pack in their lunch boxes and recipes on healthy things kids will eat. The hard part of that is my kids will eat just about anything you put in front of their face and I never follow a recipe. I don't need to sneak in veggies and fruit because they love fruit and veggies. I bring home a grapefruit and you would think I brought home a new toy.
My 5th grader eats very healthy his request for his lunch box was tabouli salad, peanut butter pasta, and pesto pasta. He will eat some meat but he would much rather have a homemade veggie burger, soy milk, chick peas, etc. My 5 yr old loves sandwiches unlike my other 2. He is easy he'll eat anything healthy or not. My 3rd grader likes to take fruit cups in his lunch box

I'm going to post a recipe a day for a couple of weeks and see how that goes. I need to put my holistic nutrition degree to use. I start losing myself when I'm mom mom mom all the time.