Crockpot White Bean Stew

I recently had a new baby girl and am currently on maternity leave. As a working mom of two and Capricorn, I am already starting to obsess over how I am going to have a healthy meal on the table each night. So, I’ve decided to use the next couple of months of my leave creating a testing recipes that me or my husband can make for weeknight dinners.

So, here we go..

Crockpot White Bean Stew

Ingredients

2 lbs dried white beans, soaked overnight*

½ lb bacon

1 fennel bulb, sliced

1 med. Onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic

1 bunch swiss chard, stems removed and chopped

Render bacon in a skillet, take out and place on a paper towel, keeping the flavorful fat in the pan. Next sauté onions and fennel in the bacon fat with a little salt until wilted (a good 10 mins), add garlic and sauté a few more minutes. Enjoy the bacon while preparing the rest of the dish. Putting it in the crockpot makes it soft and mushy.

Throw in onion and fennel mixture at the bottom of the crock pot and put drained beans over it. Add 8 cups of low sodium stock (chicken or veggie) and an additional 1-2 cups water. The amount of liquid really depends on your preference. If you want creamy stew then make sure the beans are covered with at least 2 inches of water, if you would like a more soup consistency, add more.

Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low 8-10 hours until beans are soft and yummy. If you are like me and enjoy a more creamy consistency, use a potato masher and mash some up.

Add greens and let them them wilt into the hot beans. Serve with rice (I used brown rice). Add hot sauce as necessary.

Dylan loved it. It’s great watching her shovel a spoonful of greens into her mouth!

*I’ve doubled the recipe so I can put half in the freezer. Mix the swiss chard into the portion you plan to serve now. When you serve the one from the freezer, just heat it up and mix in the chard then.

Trader Joe's Meal: Salmon Patties

Setting: Friday night. 7pm. A half hour later than Dylan (2 years old) usually eats. I'm not worried because I know there is leftover minestrone soup on the fridge. I feel great about the fact I don't have to cook on a Friday night but I can still provide a healthy, filling meal!

As Dylan getS herself situated in her chair and ready for dinner, I open the fridge and find that the minestrone has been eaten. Gasp! (thanks @danzweben).

Not to worry, I think. I've got a ton of food.

I frantically begin to raid the pantry to try and figure out what I can make in less than 10 mins. that is somewhat healthy and can fill up a two year old with an appetite of a 35 year old man (no joke).

I find some canned salmon and continue to build.

The outcome are scrumptious salmon patties. Dylan liked it so much she ate FOUR patties. She finished the entire can! Added bonus is that almost everything is organic!

Here's the recipe:

- One can of TJ's Alaskan salmon, drained (boneless & skinless - yay!)
- 1 tbls. of TJ's aioli mustard
- 1 small amt. of frozen corn, defrosted in the microwave and cooled (the amount really depends on your preference)
- One white (a full egg makes it too wet)
- One piece of bread, toasted and ground in a min food processor (or bread crumbs - I just didn't have any!)

- Defrost corn in the microwave and set aside to let cool
- Combine salmon, egg, tbls of bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp. of aioli (or to taste) and corn. If the mixture is too wet, add a bit more bread crumbs
- Makes about four patties

Heat skillet with just a bit of olive oil. When the skillet is hot, add the patties and cook until browned on both sites.

Serve with veggie of choice (I had frozen green beans).

The Future is Here

I don't post a lot about what I do for a living (I mean, what I do besides being a mom, wife and Brooklynite), but after seeing the presentation Business Insider did about about the Future of Media I felt compelled to do so.

They have outlined some crazy numbers comparing New Media (Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, etc) compared to Old Media (NBC, Comcast, Disney, etc) and the digital wave is killing them.
As Old Media is trying to figure out how to survive in the new digital world, I think they are making a fundamental mistake..... they are looking at them separately. The analog and digital convergence is here and media companies need to rip off the band-aid and give consumers what they want, when they want it and how they want it. It's that simple.

Check out the preso here.

Why I love my neighborhood #3 - The "Lebron Can Suck It" sale

Yet another reason to love my neighborhood.

I just received an email from local wine store Smith & Vine who have decided to have a sale in support of one of their employees who happens to be from Ohio. The Heat are entering the Cleveland arena tonight and Cavalier fans will not be happy.

ha!

Dylan the Model

So, Dylan got stopped on the street the other day by someone who worked for Wilhelmina Models and said that Dylan would be perfect for a Benetton ad that was currently being cast. She gave us the email for the casting director who thought Dylan would be a good fit so we went down to the agency to take a few more photos.

Of course, there were a hundred other kids there, but Dylan was the cutest. No idea if it's gonna happen or not and I don't really care since we're just doing it for fun. But it would be fun to get the photos and the free clothes!

If nothing else, we got a great "head shot" out of it.