Nutty Greek Quinoa Toss

It's amazing how easily one can gain a few pounds when your metabolism takes a nose dive in your late thirties. I mean honestly, can't a girl go on a nice relaxing cruise and sit around all day long on the back of a ship's deck looking out at the cold, serene Alaskan waters with her feet up on a wicker chair and be surrounded constantly with pastries, cheeses and berry filled crepes at all hours of the day without gaining 8 stupid pounds?

Apparently not. *Sigh.






Well, if that weren't a bad enough set back on my never ending fight against belly bulge then the 12 hour road trip we took this last weekend to Utah with 4 kids certainly put the nail on the diet coffin. While we did bring along apples and healthy trail mix, they went so well with Twizzlers and chocolate covered raisins that we decided to buy some cookies to top it off. Perfectly reasonable right?


Now, how to lose those 10 pounds gained in 2 short weeks after I've been fighting to lose 20 since who the hell knows when?    *Double sigh, big fat pout.

Here's the back of the ship where my sweetie and I  loved to sit and relax..... and snack.... a lot.

Can you blame us? I mean really. Look at the view. And the weather was just so unbelievably cool and perfect compared to the miserable heat we are used to here in Phoenix.

We didn't spend  ALL  of our time on our butts stuffing our mouths.
We had some pretty amazing adventures too.
Here we are zip lining through the 200 foot tall trees in Ketchikan, AK.  

Me and my baby sister Rachel.

Did I mention that due to the glaciers that swept over the land many years ago, the soil is only 4-6" deep?
Did you catch that? That's INCHES, not feet.


We were swinging from super tall trees that are hanging on for their dear lives in soil that is too shallow to plant carrots in!


Smart.

And we took one frieking amazing, hold onto your hats fast bike ride 32 mies from Canada back to Skagway, AK. This was by far the highlight of my trip! The scenery was breath taking. 

So, how to fit back into my pants?




It's a good thing I discovered quinoa some time ago and shortly after figured out how to make it unbelievable delicious.

It's the feta. No, it's the toasted pine nuts. NO! It's the white balsamic vinaigrette.

O.K., all of these things plus the squeeze of lemon, freshness of the parsley and zip of the sweet peppers make this quinoa toss very addictive and satisfyng. My tummy thanks me.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 big handful grape or cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 big handful sweet peppers minced
1 big handful parsley, minced
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup feta, crumbled
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinaigrette
freshly cracked white pepper
squeeze fresh lemon juice



Put quinoa into a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly to remove natural 'soapy' film.  Cook according to package directions, usually 1:1 parts quinoa-water, bring to a gentle boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
If you please, toast pine nuts on a dry cast iron skillet until golden brown to bring out flavor.
Using a small food processor or knife, finely dice sweet peppers, garlic and parsley.
In a large bowl, toss together still warm quinoa, feta, peppers, parsley, pine nuts and tomatoes.
Drizzle in oil and vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Add lemon and pepper to taste.

Serve warm or chilled.

For dinner, we prefer the warm version where the feta is just slightly creamy and the flavors melt together.

Healthy Spirits: New Arrival

Timmermans Oude Gueuze now in stock!

Healthy Spirits: Dogfish Head Positive Contact bottles

Now in stock!

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals

1. Emelisse+Stillwater Collaboration: "Holland Oats"

2. Dochter Van De Korenaar Charbon (smoked vanilla stout)

3. Dochter Van De Korenaar Peated Oak Aged Embrasse

4.Omnipollo Leon (Belgian blonde with champagne yeast from one of the newest gypsy brewers)

5.Omnipollo Mazarin (pale ale)

6. Cascade Sang Noir

7. The Perfect Crime American Blonde (collaboration series with Stillwater + Evil Twin)

8. The Perfect Crime European Blonde

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals

1.Bruery Tart of Darkness

2. Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager

3. Flying Dog Doggie Style Pale Ale

4. Flying Dog Wildeman Farmhouse IPA

5. Coney Island Barrel Aged Human Blockhead

6. Allagash Curieux

7. Grand Teton Bitch Creek

8. Wandering Aengus Bloom

9. Wandering Aengus Wanderlust

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Healthy Spirits: Jolly Pumpkin/Maui Sobrehumano collaboration

Just recieved a VERY small shipment of the Jolly Pumpkin/Maui Brewing collaboration SOBREHUMANO Palena 'Ole. This is the sour version produced at Jolly Pumpkin. We also got some cool Sobrehumano glassware which features the logos for both breweries.

FYI the Maui version is still available in cans.

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610.

Head Brewer of Evil Twin invades the shop!

Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergso, head brewer of Evil Twin, dropped by the shop yesterday in search of a few local bottles - "Just doing some research" he says. Jeppe has been churning out a fantastic array of Imperial Stouts and other equally-excellent brews for quite some time now, first brewing with his brother Mikkel (Mikkeller). It was only last year that Evil Twin brews started showing up in the states, and they're already becoming house-hold names amongst beer geeks everywhere. Above, he's holding his self-proclaimed favorite "Even More Jesus", a thick and chewy Imperial Stout.

Jeppe was traveling with his son as well, and it turns out that he was the inspiration for an Evil Twin libation fittingly titled "Elliot Brew" - an IPA-style beer brewed in honor of his birthday. Pictured below his father, Elliot graciously poses with his beer.

-Scott

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals

1. Echigo Koshikari

2. Echigo Stout

3. Echigo Premium Red Ale

4. Orion Lager

5. Coedo Ruri

6. Coedo Beni

7. Coedo Shiro

8. Coedo Shikkoku

9. Coedo Kyara

10. Iwate Kura Bakushu Oyster Stout

11. Palo Alto "Nice Lacing" (Citra Rye IPA brewed with Westmalle Yeast at De Proef in Belgium)

12. Palo Alto Atlas DIPA

13. Palo Alto Barely Legal Coconut Porter

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Pineapple Carnitas Pizza

Happy Pizza Friday! 

One of my family's favorite foods is pizza and one of my favorites is home made pizza. You just can't beat a good home cooked pizza on a pizza stone. The fresh dough and fresh ingredients of your choosing. I like to get crazy with my pizza and put stuff like eggplant and goat cheese on it but the kids have a slightly less exotic palate. 

This pizza incorporated another of our family's favorite cuisines, Mexican food. The roast was slow cooked in pineapple juice making it sheer torture waiting for it to be done while whiffs of warm pineapple floated around the house. 

Serve with an ice cold tropical margarita if your feeling festive.

The meat is moist and will make your dough soggy if you don't pre-cook it, so pop the dough onto your hot pizza stone, brush with a bit of good olive oil and bake at 400F for about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and then put your toppings on.

Topped simply with shredded Jack cheese and slices of sweet peppers this pizza was very satisfying.

I seem to have started quite a stir when I posted my shredded chicken tip  last year. I had several people asked me if it worked with beef and sure enough it does!  Again, just make sure you are using very warm or hot meat and trim as much fat from the roast as you can. If you use cold meat it can quite possibley harm your mixer, my Aunts Bosch mixer broke when we tried to shred a cold pork roast for tamales last year. 

Hot pineapple roast in......................................

shredded beef in seconds!

Serve with a side salad.

Rachel's Easy Pizza Dough Recipe(makes 2 pizzas or 1 pizza + bread sticks)

2 1/4 cup warm water
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 tsp. sugar
4 1/2 Tbs. oil
2 tsp. dry yeast
5 2/3 cup flour
Mis salt, sugar, yeast and oil. Pour warm water over mix and stir. Add flour one cup at a time, mixing well each time, then kneed. No rising necessary. Bake 425 degrees 15-20 minutes.

Pineapple Carnitas Pizza Recipe
 PREP TIME      30 MINUTES       COOK TIME      45
Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons chili powder

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 3-4lbs. chuck roast

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 2 - 12oz. cans pineapple, papaya or mango juice    (I use leftover canned pineapple juice from our cottage cheese and pineapple snack) 

• 1 recipe for pizza dough

• olive oil, for brushing the dough

• 1 cup jarred tomatillo salsa, plus more for serving

• 12 ounces fresh jack cheese, shredded

• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced and sauteed until golden

• 1 cup of sliced sweet or bell pepper

• sour cream, for serving (optional)

• guacamole, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

1. Mix the chili powder, cumin and  salt in a small bowl.

1. Rub the spice mixture on both sides of the roast.

1. Heat the canola oil in a large pot over high heat, then sear both sides of the roast until nice and brown, about 2 minutes per side.

1. Pour the juice into the pot with the meat.

1. Cover and roast for about 4 hours, until falling apart.

1. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, put your pizza stone if you have one it the oven.

1. Put hot roast in your mixer with the cookie paddle attatched and blend on speed 4 till shredded. Or use 2 forks to shred the meat then return to the juices.

1. Add tomatillo salsa and onions to the shredded roast, mix to combine.

1. Turn up the heat in your oven to 400F

1. Roll out pizza dough into a circle

1. Fold dough in half and gently transfer to your hot pizza stone, brush with a bit of olive oil.

1. Cook dough for 8-10 minutes so it will not soak up all of the juices from the meat. 

1. Remove from oven and spread the shredded roast all over pizza

1. Top with shredded Jack cheese and  peppers.

1. Bake pizza for 12-15 minutes until crust is browned and cheese is melted.

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals

1. Bruery Tart of Darkness

2. Erdinger Ur-Weisse

3. 21st Amendment Watermelon Wheat

4. 21st Amendment Back in Black

5. 21st Amendment Live Free or Die IPA

6. 21st Amendment Bitter American

7.Dogfish Head Ta Henket

8. Dogfish Head Urkontinent

9.Dogfish Head Burton Baton

10. New Belgium+Lost Abbey Lips of Faith: Brett Beer

11. Heretic Tartuffe Berliner Weisse

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals

1. Pretty Things Field Mouse's Farewell

2. Drie Fonteinen Oude Gueuze

3. Drie Fonteinen Oude Kriek

4. Fantome Printemps

5. Struise Pannepot 2011

6. Mikkeller 1000 IBU

7. Mikkeller Blondeaux

8. Mikkeller Chipotle Porter

9. Mikkeller/Cigar City Barrel Aged Swinging Harry

10. Thiriez Blonde Farmhouse Ale (One of my all time favorites)

11. Renaissance Craftsman Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

12. Cervesera del Montseny Malta Cuvee

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

New Beer Arrivals: Knee Deep Simtra, St. Sebastiaan Dark and Golden, Knee Deep Imperial Tanilla and more...

Hey all,

Got some nice beers in today:

-Knee Deep Simtra (may go fast)
-Knee Deep Imperial Tanilla (Imperial Porter with Vanilla Beans)
-Anderson Valley Imperial IPA
-Lucifer Belgian Strong Blonde (Brewery Het Anker)
-Brouwerij Sterkens St. Sebastiaan Dark (Belgian Dubbel)
-Brouwerij Sterkens St. Sebastiaan Golden (Belgian Tripel)
-Brouwerij Sterkens Hoogstraten Poorter (Baltic Porter)
-Brouwerij Sterkens Bokrijks Belgian Golden Ale
-Ballast Point Dorado Double IPA
-Lost Abbey Mo' Betta Bretta
-Bruery Tart of Darkness (Oak Aged Sour Stout)

Only one case each on the knee deep stuff just FYI. Also this is the first time we've gotten in the Brouwerij Sterkens line. They're really tasty Belgian beers that come in these cool re-sealable ceramic bottles. Cheers

Nate

Healthy Spirits: Lambrucha

1. Lambrucha-a blend of lambic and kombucha (limited quantities)

Healthy Spirits: Lost Abbey Mo Betta Bretta

Now in stock!

1. Sierra Nevada+ Russian River Collaboration: BRUX

2. Sierra Hoptimum 4 packs

3. Ballast Point Double Dorado

4. Dogfish Head Namaste 750ml

5. Deschutes Hop in the Dark

6. Speakeasy Vendetta IPA

7. Alaskan Raspberry Wheat

8. Ninkasi Radiant Ale

9. Lost Abbey Angel's Share (Bourbon Barrel Aged)

cheers,

dave hauslein

beer manager

415-255-0610

Flour Less Chocolate {Garbanzo Bean} Cake

Today was a great day.... in a completely and utterly exhausting sort of way. In fact, if I had time to think about it, most every day seems to end up that way. Especially lately, the kids are out of school for the summer and it is hot here, damn HOT. The poor little bugs are cooped up in the house most of the day unless they are swimming or I can come up with somewhere cheap, cool and fun to take them. Also,  I've been working more than usual at the hospital because people are on vacation and want the surgery that they've been putting off for months or years done N.O.W. All of a sudden everything is an emergency. This means less time to get every day things done and even less time to entertain the kids.

4 very hot, extremely bored, cooped up kids   =   NOTHING GOOD.   Complete madness I tell you.

It also makes for one  very  scatter brained and irritated mommy.


*Cue me to enter the picture with my unkempt hair and unpainted toe nails dragging my tired,  out-of-shape-B.U.T.T.  into the embarrassingly neglected house. 

Case and point:

I made this cake weeks ago for a friend of mines birthday who has a severe gluten intolerance and have been trying since then in vain to get a post and recipe up on my blog. I've sat down at least 9 times this evening alone trying to edit pictures and write something articulate and witty or  at least  legible and coherent and am quickly coming to the conclusion that smart, funny and easy are things of the past for me. Replaced with loud, messy and bewildered.

Flour- Less Chocolate Garbanzo Bean Cake

Like I said, at least it was a good day. We went to the MIM (Musical Instrument Museum) in Phoenix and had an amazing time! It was far more beautiful and grand than I thought it would be. I could definitely spend my summer there. Even the little ones had a good time and enjoyed listening to all of the different music from around the world.

Mona Claire enjoying a musical selection from Germany and the costumes from Africa.

Most flour less cakes have an exorbitant amount of eggs in them which is fine in moderation I suppose but wanted a healthier option for an every day sort of cake. I searched high and low and found this recipe which sounded too good to be true but in fact was perfect. I love garbanzo beans and all of their healthy benefits but in a cake?  I chose not to tell that tid bit of information to my unsuspecting co-workers. 

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

• 1 (19 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

• 4 eggs

• 1 teaspoon real vanilla

• 3/4 cup turbinado sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.Place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. Cook in the microwave for about 2 minutes, stirring every 20 seconds after the first minute, until chocolate is melted and smooth. If you have a powerful microwave, reduce the power to 50 percent.Combine the beans and eggs in the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Add the sugar and the baking powder, and pulse to blend. Pour in the melted chocolate and blend until smooth, scraping down the corners to make sure chocolate is completely mixed. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan.Bake for 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 to 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.

Be Merry and EAT CAKE!

Linked to:

Tasty Tuesday's
Just another Meatless Monday

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals

1. Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla Bean

2. Stone Smoked Porter with Chipotle Peppers

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals

1. Bruery 4th Anniversary: 100% Barrel Aged FRUET (Limit 1 per customer)

2. Hanssens Kriek 375ml

3. Prof. Briem 1809 Berliner Weisse

4. Thornbridge Hall Jaipur

5. Maui/Jolly Pumpkin Sobrehumano Palena Red Ale cans

6. Marin Brewing White Knuckle Double IPA

7. Ballast Point Sculpin 6 packs

8. Glazen Toren Saison D'Erpe Mere glassware

9. Gavroche French Red Ale

10. Weihenstephaner Pilsner

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Beer Cheeses: Frumage Baladin, Chimay and Belgian Kriek Beer Cheese!

Hey all,

If your like us you love beer and cheese. Well several producers have made it even easier to get our beer and cheese fix on by combining the two. First we have the tried and true Chimay cheese, which is made by the trappist monks and washed in Chimay beer. They've been making this traditional wash rind cheese since 1876. Next we have a special Belgian kriek beer cheese, which is made from cows milk and washed with kriek beer. The paste is a beautiful mild white cheese with a subtle sweetness and slight hint of cherries. Our newest beer cheese comes from Italy and is called Frumage Baladin. They use raw cows milk, thistle rennet and then wash it in birra baladin. To foster even more of a connection with the base beer they throw some spent mash from a running of baladin inside the cheese, leaving the paste speckled with butterscotch colored flecks of heaven. You want these:

-Chimay Biere Cheese
-Belgian Kriek Beer Cheese
-Frumage Baladin

Cheers!

Nate

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals

1. Allagash Victor (Belgian ale w/red wine grapes)

2. Allagash Victoria (Belgian ale w/white wine grapes)

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals

Just got a few great beers from New Zealand's own MOA brewery!

1. Blanc Evolution (375ml/$5.99)

2.Breakfast Lager (375ml/$5.99)

3.Five Hop Ale (375ml/$5.99)

4.St. Joseph's Belgian Triple (375ml/$5.99)

5.Pinot Noir Barrel Aged Imperial Stout (375ml/$5.99)

6.Moa Noir Dark Lager (750ml/$9.99)

7. Fish Tale 10 Squared Barley Wine (22oz/$9.99)

8. Lakefront Fixed Gear 6-packs ($9.99)

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals

1. Stone Ruination 10th Anniversary (Limited Edition Dry-Hopped 10.8%ABV version)

2. New batch of Drake's Denogginizer

3. Gordon Biersch Imperial Pilsner

4. Gordon Biersch 6 packs on sale! (Hefe, Pilsner and Summer Kolsch all $6.99 each)

5. Omission Pale Ale (Gluten Free)

6. Bison Chocolate Stout

7. Gaffel Kolsch

8. Monk's Cafe Sour Ale

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Spinach Pesto Pasta

Pesto is one of my favorite things to kick up a boring dish. It's simple and versatile and deliciously healthy. Typically basil is used but did you know you can use other greens like spinach, kale or even carrot tops? Basil is growing like crazy in my garden right now but I chose a big handful or two of baby spinach and then tossed in a few basil leaves to tone down the pungent flavor so that my kids would eat it.

It worked, score! My kids willingly ate a big bowl of spinach and were none the wiser.

I think it's important to serve a variety of colors and textures to your kids so that they get used to trying new things and have a balanced, healthy diet. Green is usually the hardest color to get my kids to eat, especially if it's not served in a typical fashion, like this pasta. They love salad and broccoli but will turn there noses up if I put collard greens in soup or kale in pasta. I keep at it though because I'm very attached to my leafy greens and am holding on to the hope that my kids will eventually get over there unwarranted loathing for them.

This pesto whips up in just a couple of minutes and can be used in pasta, as a dip on top of crusty bread 

layered with fresh tomatoes or on top of baked fish. The raw garlic is a healthy addition and adds a pop of spiciness to the pasta, I add several cloves but if you haven't built up a tolerance for loads of garlic like me, start with just one clove. Don't forget the Parmesan, it really goes well with pesto.

I like using rotini pasta because it holds the pesto well.

Ingredients:

1 box of rotini pasta, cooked according to package directions

2 big handfuls of baby spinach

1 small handful of fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts

1-3 cloves of garlic

2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

pinch of salt (preferably Himalayan pink sea salt)

Put spinach, basil, nuts and garlic in a food processor. Pulse till smooth while drizzling in olive oil. Add a bit of water if needed to desired consistency. Add salt and pulse till combined.

Toss pesto with the cooked pasta. Serve warm, garnish with grated Parmesan cheese.

What are you planning on making for dinner during the hot summer months?

New Arrival: Evil Twin Auld Yin

1. Evil Twin Auld Yin (Scotch Barrel Aged Imperial Stout)

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals

1. Evil Twin Soft DK Imperial Vanilla Stout

2. Evil Twin Monk Suffers Serious Sugar Rush on Barbados Belgian Dark Ale

3. Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Stout

4. Evil Twin Even More Jesus Imperial Stout/

5. Stillwater Debutante Farmhouse Ale

6. Stillwater Premium Saison

7. Stillwater Table Beer

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Healthy Spirits: Bruery Tradewinds Tripel

Now in stock.

1.Knee Deep Simtra(SO good. Buy some.)

2.Maui+Jolly Pumpkin Collaboration: Sobrehumano Palena Red Ale 4-pack cans

3.Oskar Blues Deviant Dale's

4.Cascade Sang Noir (limit 1 per customer)

5.Cascade The Vine (limit 1 per customer)

Summer (In) Sanity: How to Keep Busy this Summer and A Family Activity Calendar

It's 4 whole days in to summer break and already the kids are bored out of their skulls. By 9:00 a.m. we've already had breakfast, gotten dressed, gone to the park or for a 'nature walk', been swimming and made a craft.   Now what do we do for the remaining 12 hours of the day?!!   Cue me to exit the house and go to work where I find dealing with demanding and pretentious spine surgeons and taking care of sick patients a relaxing getaway. Normal thing for a mom to feel on occasion, right?

In fact, when my husband came home from work tonight and asked if I would mind running to the store to grab a couple of things if he did the dishes and put the kids to bed in exchange I was out the door so fast I don't think he knew what happened.

If that doesn't sound depressing enough I found myself joking with some friends who were complaining about jury duty about how nice of a break it could be if they just looked at it with the right attitude, one of a mom of 4 for instance. I mean really, sitting around all day long reading a good book, how often do I get that sort of deal?

Don't get me wrong, I loooooveee my children, the little darlings, the lambs. But it is constant commotion around this joint even when everyone is behaving and by the end of a normal day of feeding, clothing, playing and basically just keeping 4 mischievous children alive and unscathed I'm  exhausted  by ALL means of the word.


So, this summer I am taking matters into my own creative little hands. It gets pretty damn hot here in Phoenix, so hot that when it is below 110F in July, we celebrate with glee and talk about the weather with each other like it's a new phenomenon. And when it actually rains in July, well, we run around half naked outside laughing out loud like crazy people. So being cooped up inside with 4 cranky, hot kids means you need a plan.


Plan A:
Stay inside all day and watch t.v. and eat ice cream.

Plan B:
Swim all morning. Watch t.v. Swim in the evening. Watch t.v.

Plan C:
Keep the kids busy and active while saving my sanity.




First, make a list of places in your neighborhood that might have things to do for kids or as a family.

• Library: Get signed up for the summer reading program to win cool prizes and discover new books. Libraries also have many free summer games and activities like Lego Building contest and visitors from the local Zoo and Puppet Theatres.
• Schools: Check your local schools for summer programs like Karate, art classes and sports programs.
• City Parks and Rec.  Besides an assortment of activities your city may have a rec center, free evening movies and concerts in the park and classes to attend.
• Many Churches offer activities for kids whether you belong to the church or not
• YMCA
• Google "free things to do with kids insert name of your city  I found a FREE 3 week long clinic at the Ice Arena near our home offered by the Phoenix Coyotes
• Visit "MeetUp.com" or a similar organization for tons of meet up groups in your area
• Splash Pads are wonderful fun and usually free. There are several in my neighborhood, ask around or Google where they are in your area.
• If there aren't any Splash Pads in your area, sprinklers, water toys and squirt guns make for a fun and cool afternoon.
• Museums. I have lived here in Phoenix my entire life and didn't know there was a Science and Aircraft museum in Peoria, just a few miles away from our house! In fact, many museums offer discounts and fun summer camps/packages. Also, many libraries have FREE passes to local museums!

Many resorts offer discounts during the summer and have amazing swimming pools

photo source: Arizona Foothills

Next, create a calendar of your activities so your summer is stress free fun!

I created this simple calendar at  Keep and Share.

(note this is just an example of our summer activities)

When all else fails, MAKE HOME MADE ICE CREAM!!!

What are you doing this summer???

HealthySpirits: New Arrivals

1. Cuvee De Ranke

2. De Ranke Kriek

Healthy Spirits: New Arrivals

1. Knee Deep Citra

2. Knee Deep Hoptologist

3.Marin Preservation Pale Ale

4. Victory Saison Du Buff (Stone/Dogfish Head Collaboration)

5. Ballast Point Sculpin

6. Dogfish Head Burton Baton

7.New Belgium Lips of Faith Tart Lychee

8. Lagunitas Lucky 13

9. Flying Dog In Heat Wheat

cheers,

dave hauslein
beer manager
415-255-0610

Healthy Spirits: High Water Campfire Stout

High Water Campfire Stout is back in stock!

Healthy Spirits; Collage

Deschutes Conflux #1: Collage (collaboration w/Hair of the Dog) now in stock. Limited quantities.

Beyond Broccoli: The Artichoke

I have been dragging my feet on starting a new series about all of the amazing and delicious varieties of vegetables available across the globe and am finally doing so. I started this blog to try my best to share simple and healthy meals and snacks with all of you and thought it would be worth focusing on all types of produce so that maybe you can discover a new favorite of your own. I suppose the idea stemmed from being quizzically asked over and over again by grocery store cashiers what the name of the vegetable was that I was buying and what on Earth I did with it. 

We all get in the habit of cooking what we know, what we find familiar and the easiest to prepare. Especially when the days are long and our lives are hectic. We all know that vegetables are essential to a healthy diet but most people don't get a wide variety of produce simply because they don't know what to do with the stuff.  I am guilty myself of grabbing a bunch of broccoli and some carrots at the store when I am short on time because quite simply, they are easy to prepare and my kids will eat them.


I am a serious veggie lover from way back and will buy up sacks of vegetables simply because they are in season and more importantly because they look pretty, interesting and because I love to try new things. That's how I discovered I loved Bok Choy. I never had the vegetable in my child hood so it was unfamiliar to me but one day, many many moons ago I warily picked a bright and crisp looking bunch of Bok Choy up at the grocery and it has since been my very favorite vegetable.

Artichokes are another one of my favorite veggies and I thought I'd start out the "Beyond Broccoli"  series with these gems. I was introduced to them many years ago and only had them steamed and then dipped in a cayenne-mayonnaise concoction or in melted garlic butter for a long time. I have since discovered that are freaking  amazing roasted or grilled and that there are healthier options for condiments and toppings to go with them. One of the very first recipes I posted here on Simply Healthy Family was for   'Lemon @rtichoke Chicken over Brown Rice'    I tell you that it was one of my first posts as a disclaimer because while the recipe is wonderful, the picture and post..... not so much.     Live and learn.    I recommend you give this recipe a go.

Le Artichoke

isn't she beautiful?

source

Artichokes are available all year on the West Coast, but they peak from March to May and again in October. Originating in the Mediterranean, an overwhelming majority of artichokes grown in the United States are from California. The plants are actually the buds of thistles, which are in the sunflower family.

Here are some artichoke recipes worth trying.

Grilled Artichokes with Garlic and Cheese

recipe source

Italian Stuffed Artichoke

recipe source

Healthy Artichoke Marsala

recipe source

In the future, I will be posting my own recipes but I hope you visit these lovely sites for now and most especially, Give A New Veggie A Try!












Have you tried a new vegetable recently 
or prepared an old favorite a new way?


Please do share!