Every cook needs “their” recipe to take to potlucks and picnics. It needs to be something that is easy to prepare, cooks fast and is oft requested. I have a few “go to’s” up my sleeve but there is one that stands out. This chicken dish has gone around our neighborhood a few times and, a bit like broken telephone, no one knows where it started or how it has changed. It comes together in a snap and is extremely forgiving in the measurements and cooking method. I have prepared it and frozen raw. I have baked or barbecued it in a casserole dish. I have refrozen after cooking. The dish can take just about anything I throw at it. To boot, the flavors always wow plus it is full of good and healthy foods. Feel free to call it your own and use it as you wish, after all, I didn’t start it.

Balsamic Chicken

Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:05
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken legs
2 cloves garlic — minced
3 teaspoons dried oregano
black pepper — to taste
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup olive oil
1 cup prunes — pitted
1/2 cup kalamata olive

Combine all ingredients in large zipper freezer bags. Marinate from 1-24 hours (freezes well)
Empty chicken and sauce into a large roasting pan.
Preheat oven to 350F or bbq to medium. Cook for about 1 hour, stir once. Chicken should be no longer pink, register 165F and juice should be boiling.
Serve over brown rice or with whole grain bread because you won’t want to miss the sauce.

“Oh, I am not a cold soup fan” a few of the ladies said as I ladled out my contribution to our monthly lunch meeting. “Pppft, whatever thought I.” But, one mouthful and they were convinced. It couldn’t be easier to whip up this wonderfully fresh and tasty soup all you need is a good blender. The recipe below is adapted from my cookbook Cook Once a Week, Eat Well Every Day and in it you will see the following notation. “you may need to scrape down the sides, depending upon your blender.”
But this time, I used my new Ninja Prep Master kindly forwarded through the PTPA mom’s panel. It was an approved gizmo that some of the moms raved about. I am not easily impressed but I do love my kitchen gizmos. This baby blended my famous summer soup better than any of my others and there was no scraping required. The double blade ensured that everything gets into the whirl quickly and is blended uniformly. (I also tried an iced coffee beverage and the blades made short work of the ice-y froth!)
Cold soups are on the menu for the summer season in this house and the job just got a whole lot easier.

Blender Gazpacho

Recipe By : Theresa Albert, DHN, RNCP
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time 10 minutes
1 clove garlic
6 plum tomato, whole
1 English Cucumber
1 tbsp spicy red pepper paste or roasted red pepper
2 tsps sea salt
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 slice whole grain bread

Wash tomatoes and slice in half. Squeeze liquid and as many seeds as possible into a bowl, drop tomatoes into blender. Pour into a large bowl and continue with remaining ingredients. Pulse until all ingredients are blended.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24.

Occasionally I gather with some gals to talk biz. Well, ya, we shoot the breeze, share our sorrows and dreams and eat a delicious lunch first and then we talk biz. It is always motivating and inspirational and I so love the process.

Given the confidential nature of our gossip, er, business we prefer to gather in someone’s home but that always leaves the question of food. Given that I am the cook of the group, I adore being able to whip up something special and serve these women a healthy, delicious lunch. (my secret motivation is to show them how easy it really is and get them cooking too, but don’t tell them)

This month, I made a simple fish dish in parchment paper that left everyone speechless. No mean feat. I mean, it only lasted a minute, but for that minute, everyone was eating and mmmmmm’ing. Those are the moments any cook lives for.

And to prove how ridiculously easy it is to achieve one of said moments, I share the recipe with them and you here. The key with this dish is that it is self contained and so only needs a loaf of bread and a glass of wine. And, but for a quick rinse of the skillet, there are no dishes to speak of. The parchment steam/bakes the meal and gets tossed in the compost bin.
It couldn’t be easier or sweeter.

This version is adapted from my cookbook Cook Once a Week, Eat Well Every Day but it uses fennel and tomato rather than the spinach and feta as in the book.

Fennel, Tomato Seafood in parchment

Recipe By :Theresa Albert, DHN, RNCP
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:10
4 pieces parchment paper, 18 inches long
1 Fennel bulb
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic — minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 pound salmon fillet – cubed
1 pound cod or halibut–cubed
salt and pepper

Cut 4 pieces of parchment about 18 inches long. Preheat oven to 400F.

Cut fennel bulb in half and remove core then thinly slice into strips. Slice cherry tomatoes in half.

Warm a skillet and add olive oil and garlic. Toss in sliced fennel and tomatoes, allow to soften 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, cube both fishes into 3 inch chunks.

Lay parchment on counter and divide fennel/tomato mixture into 4 equal mounds and place in the centre of each parchment piece. Place a piece of salmon on top of spinach, top with cubed fishes.
Salt and pepper to taste.

Lift sides of parchment and fold accordion style leaving a couple of inches of space for heat to circulate, crimp edges and place on a baking sheet.

Place in oven until paper turns brown and puffy and fish is cooked, about 20 minutes.

We hear so much in the media about overweight kids or kids with eating disorders but we never hear about the athletes or super busy kids and how to support them. Several of my private clients are trying to pack enough food for their kid who has to go from 6 am swim practice to school and phys Ed and then on to compete in swimming or gymnastics directly after school. Imagine how many calories that growing body needs in a day?!

But it isn’t just any ol’ fuel that will keep them moving, it’s the right fuel. So what is that and how do they do it? These kids need to start the day with a huge, protein packed breakfast. Like, I’m talking, two eggs, yogurt with nuts or seeds, a piece of rye toast with almond butter and a big start on the liquid intake for the day. Setting the stage like this will provide long, slow burning fuel for the day. But now what? They are out of sight for the next 10 hours!

I advise packing two lunch boxes, one for snacks and one for lunch. The lunchbox should have a separate compartment for a thermos so you can send something hot and filling like lentil chili or beef stew. The cold side can contain a sandwich of last night’s chicken breast and lettuce and a salad and fruit plus milk. The other “snack box” can be held until the end of the day since it doesn’t need to have anything that requires refrigeration: Applesauce or sugar free fruit cups, whole fruits, whole grain crackers, sunflower and Hemp seeds or leftover pizza. Any or all of these can be carried and gobbled between locales and are way better choices than the chips and “sports drink” they can get from the vending machine.

Optimum fuel for optimum performance is an exciting place to be, it should be easier than controlling calories or encouraging intake. We need to celebrate and support these children in every way possible. Lord knows their beautiful, nimble bodies deserve the best.

Here is a fantastic cookie recipe sure to please everyone and it is packed with the protein needed for even the most energetic child.

Quick and Delicious Sunflower Seed Butter Cookies

Sunflower seed butter is a lot like peanut butter but sunflower seeds are not a nut which makes them safer for peanut free zones (check with even organizer first!) These cookies are a snap to make and any 2 year old can learn to make the balls.

Recipe By : Theresa Albert, DHN, RNCP
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:30

1 cup sunflower seed butter (or peanut butter)
2/3 cup sugar (organic cane sugar is best)
1 egg
1-3 teaspoons any flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine sunflower or peanut butter, sugar, and egg; blend well. Sprinkle with flour just to reduce stickiness and make balls easier.

2. Form dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1-1/2 to 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets. Using a fork, press a crisscross pattern into dough.

3. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

I got a little sick of the doggie claw scratches on the lavender leather sofa. Ya, I know, she shouldn’t be up there in the first place but it is in the tv room where snuggles are free to all and all gather to partake.

So, off we went to the shoe maker. Yes, the old fashioned shoe maker who has hundreds of colors of shoe polishes sure to match our sofa. A keen eye was called in and our daughter chose with confidence that which I was waffling. Get this wrong and ruin the sofa get it right and scratches are gone.

It couldn’t have been easier. A rubdown of the scratches first with olive oil removed the dirt and readied the leather. A tiny test in an inconspicuous spot confirmed that the color was, indeed, spot on! Circular motions worked the best to push just enough color into the mark with an old rag. A good buff with an absorbent terry cloth rag removed any leftover oil and shoe polish.

My sofa looks like new! And I spent all of $6. The rest of the jar of polish will last for years I am told and can be placed in any hands at any time to restore the sheen to the scratched and loved hide. If the dog could be trained to sleep on the floor that would be best but barring that, I am hoping to create booties that can buff.

I’ve just come off a weekend of exhilarating exhaustion and absentee-ism. And it’s all good news. The house is still standing, my daughter is still texting her dad for little stuff instead of defaulting back to me and my husband took care of just about everything that I would have done had I been here. But I wasn’t here.
I was taking a motorcycle course. Well, yes, I was the only Vespa lady in a group of 20 who actually had to learn to change gears but the course was no less rigorous and still a massive challenge. The Rider Training Institute in Toronto offers a weekend course that I thought was overkill at the outset. I mean, come on, I’ve been riding around the city for a month, do I reallllllly need a 3 hour theory course and 14 hours of instruction before my test? I did.
Any program is only as good as its instructors. And these five dedicated professionals took the task of teaching a motley crew as though their own lives depended upon it (and maybe that’s true, we share the road, right?). They encouraged when needed, yelled when appropriate, chided occasionally but always, always gave clear and explicit direction on how to improve technique. They commented on each and every turn, hand position, foot position and eye position of each and every student each and every time for the entire weekend. They were amazing and now, so am I.
In my month of riding around town, I have been fine, picked up some skills even. I’ve clocked about 100 km (60 miles) in my travels. Over this weekend, I have pushed a bike with a rider on it (so, say, what, 600 pounds pushed by 125?), ridden in figure eights and been tested on curves for speed and stops (without falling over or crashing my bike). I have also clocked almost 200 extra kms (120 miles) with five very watchful eyes helping me do what I do and pushing me to do better.
This has been a great physical challenge. Oh, sure I can rum 5 km, box with a bag, weight train for an hour at time but this was different. This was me learning how to get my thrills, line up my focus and my moves while staying alive to make dinner.
Anyone even considering getting on something with an engine and two wheels ought to strongly consider such a course. This is the place to make your mistakes and have them corrected. Only one out of 20 crashed and probably 4 failed the skills test. But they all know what they need to do to be road worthy, confident and capable. We all made an investment in our lives out there, those who didn’t make it, even more so. A worthy reason to be absent.

One of the nastiest tasks in a parent’s week is grocery shopping. Don’t get me wrong, when I have the time, I love nothing more than wandering the aisles and reading labels trolling for new options. The trouble is most weeks don’t allow that “enough time” element. And, what about the people who detest the entire process perceiving it as a chore? Or worse, those who are forced to shop for food with a toddler who is enticed by all the pretty colored packages at his eye level?
It is the speed of life that opened the door to the “shortcuts” that that now grace our shelves. The convenience foods, frozen foods and “Home Meal Replacements” have grown to fill the gap that time took. It appears to be easier to grab one package of, say, lasagna than to buy meat, cheese, tomato sauce, and noodles separately. But at what cost? Flavor? Nutrients? Sodium Levels? Fat levels? And if we don’t pay attention all of these lead to ever more overweight and obese people.
The reality is that we do use/need convenient food options to help speed up the relentless shop/cook/consume cycle. In a perfect world, I would like to teach the world to cook in perfect harmony. In this world it seems that I need to teach the world to shop smart, at least for their food.
This is why I agreed to judge the LiveRight awards for the 3rd year in a row. The Canadian Liver Foundation seeks submissions from manufacturers of convenience foods that create foods which are healthy as well as tasty. What many people don’t know is that the liver is dramatically (and sometimes irrevocably) impacted by obesity. And, the fastest growing segment of our population that is affected by fatty liver disease? Children.
The winners of this year’s awards are not announced yet so I can’t spill the beans but the website does advise of past winners. Finding convenient foods that are good for you is getting easier as we create demand and the manufacturers respond. In the meantime, read labels to find the few brands that you can trust and use this handy shopping guide to fill your cart with the truly good stuff: http://www.liver.ca/liveright_images/livertips_eating.pdf

Ahhhh, Friday! And this one is rainy and cold. Even better. It means that ‘fireside supper’ will be even more enjoyable. On Fridays in my house we gather in the living room anytime between 5 and 8 and sometimes for the entire time. Platters are placed out and everyone nibbles whatever they want for as long as they have or as hungry as they are. My whole family looks forward to fireside supper but for different reasons.

• For my daughter and any friends that may be hanging around, it often includes stuff that I don’t serve throughout the week when I have a brain cell to plan, groceries to prepare and ATP in my muscles to actually move my arms and cook something. Things like frozen pizza, packaged dips and frozen appetizer packages can be found front and center.

• For my husband, it is a low pressure evening that starts with a nice bottle of wine. There is no napkin to be reminded of, no timetable to adhere to (he usually does the night time shuttling) and a chance to slouch on the sofa and look at the fireplace and share the fun and games of the week.

• For me, it is an opportunity to clean out my fridge. Bits and pieces of leftovers are repackaged and gain new life. Bits of cooked chicken get reheated in a teriyaki sauce and served with toothpicks. Cooked penne becomes a pasta salad. Roasted vegetables transform into an antipasto platter with the few strips of prosciutto left behind, olives and lots of cut veggies join the party. And, when that’s not quite enough to fill us, yes, something from the freezer gets thrown in the oven and joins the gang.

Mealtime needn’t always be formal or home cooked to satisfy our nourishing needs. It just needs to be there. Funnily enough, it is often these meals that become special. The guffaws come easier at the fireside than at the table sometimes. If this is what it takes to keep my family together and my sanity intact, I think it’s a pretty good strategy. We will get back to broccoli and brown rice tomorrow but for today the fireside sets the pace.