Welcome 2015! New Year, New Blog Post

I'm back!

 

A huge hug hello from Creative Mama Messy House! I’ve missed you guys! I’m hoping that you all had wonderful holidays filled with family, joy, laughter, and love.
 

As part of my New Year’s goal for 2015, I have decided to get back into writing the blog. Not only does the blog keep me connected with other moms around the ‘net, it also keeps me and our family on track for healthy eating and living with purpose.

As I dwindled from writing in July, I realized that I was making less healthy choices for my family, as I wasn’t as active and I wasn’t cooking as much. Ordering pizza or picking up other unhealthy fast foods for dinner multiple times a week was starting to hurt the budget and my waistline. I was watching too much TV and not engaging my creative side, so my mind grew restless and bored. I was gaming on Elder Scrolls Online every night and not balancing my game-time with real life.

My 2015 New Year’s Goals

• Get back to blogging regularly on Creative Mama Messy House.
• Cook at home at least 5 times a week and eat less fast food and take-out pizzas for dinner. Shop for dinner with a plan and stick to it.
• Find time to be active at least 3 days a week. Taking steps to get in shape will motivate me to get out of the house more and sit on the couch less.
• Live a more balanced life between gaming, socializing, and housework.

Here is what you can expect from Creative Mama Messy House in 2015:

• Recipes and Meal Planning
• Seasonal Crafts and Kid-Friendly Activities
• Knitting: updates on my current projects or otherwise relevant news
• Fashion: I have signed up for monthly Stitch Fix boxes, so I will be sharing my finds
• Fabulous Friends and Finds: This will be my opportunity to share product reviews or introduce guest bloggers. It will also be an opportunity for me to share real life events with you.

New Year’s goals: Do you make them? Are you liable to keep them? What are some of your goals for 2015?

I hope to see you throughout the year! Feel free to leave comments or visit me on any of my social media pages.

 

Green Bean and Tomato Salad

Here in the Bay Area, we have over 75 Farmer's Markets open to the public throughout the week. That gives locals plenty of opportunities to shop locally and seasonally. In the summertime, the number of markets are at their peak, and so are the fruits and vegetables. I partnered up with some other local food bloggers to create a Dinner Party filled with finds from our local Farmer's Markets, and I offered to bring the salad. Take a look at what I made and don't forget to check out the other courses!

When it comes to summer, I have salads on the brain. I don't want to be cooking heavy meals when the temperature spikes. Fresh vegetables and lean proteins tossed with a tangy dressing keep you cool and comfortable, and looking good in your swimsuit. This salad is fast to whip together, and can be made ahead of time, making it perfect for your next potluck.

I took a combination of farm-fresh green beans and tomatoes, and paired it with a tangy shallot vinaigrette. For added protein I tossed in some chickpeas, making it perfect for lunch or dinner. Dress this salad ahead of time and let marinate for up to 4 hours ahead of time, or enjoy right away!

Green Bean and Tomato Salad

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound green beans
• 1/2 pound tomatoes
• 1 can garbanzo beans
• Dijon Shallot Vinaigrette, recipe below

Directions

1. Trim stem end of green beans. Blanch in salted boiling water for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. Shock in ice water to stop the cooking, and drain well.
2. Slice tomatoes into wedges. Drain garbanzo beans and rinse well.
3. Toss green beans, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans together with vinaigrette, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Dijon Shallot Vinaigrette

• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Juice from 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine minced shallot, mustard, lemon juice, and vinegar. Whisk in olive oil to emulsify. Season to taste.

Curious to see how the rest of our dinner party goes?

The Heritage Cook starting out our party with appetizers! See her Caprese Skewers.

Onto the main course: Crazy Foodie Stunts created a fabulous Roast Pork Tenderloin with Mushroom Marsala Sauce and Nosh My Way brought her Loaded Mashed Cauliflower.

And don't forget dessert! Fearless Dining didn't take any shortcuts when she wowed us with her Vanilla Bean Infused Cheesecake with Peaches in Dark Rum Sauce.

Farmer's Market Friday #9

Welcome back to Farmer's Market Friday! I hope all of you had a fabulous and safe Fourth of July holiday and are enjoying the summer. So far we have had a hot, dry summer, typical of northern California. My tomatoes are starting to come in, and I have put in a few pumpkin plants in hopes of a fall harvest. My basil has been growing marvelously, despite being ravaged by earwigs twice earlier this spring.

Summer at the Farmer's Market means lots of squash, stone fruits, and berries, plus plenty of tomatoes, corn, and more! Besides the plum jam we've been enjoying, I made a half-dozen jars of pickles to get us through the summer. The Farmer's Markets are bustling and busy this time of year, so be sure to get out and enjoy the local harvest where you live, and thank the farmers that grow the wonderful bounty!

Farmer's Market Friday #9

Features from last week

 

1. Fresh Fruit Sorbets by Gluten Free A-Z

 

2. Easy 5-Step Window Box Tutorial by The Little Farm Diary

 

3. Fresh Peach Sorbet by To Work With My Hands

 

4. Strawberry Rhubarb Blondies by From Scratch 

 

Now it's your turn to add your links for a chance to be featured on next week's Farmer's Market Friday! Each week I will feature the top two clicked posts, plus a few that catch my fancy. If you would like to help co-host Farmer's Market Friday, for just one week or a whole month, let me know! If you we featured, grab a button in the sidebar, or if you would like to add this party to your link-up page, there is a party button in the side bar as well!

 



An InLinkz Link-up

Sloppy Joe Pizza, combining two of my family's favorites to create a new favorite

When my teenage son came in and saw me topping pizza dough with Sloppy Joe meat, it put a huge grin on his face. He knew it was going to be awesome without even tasting it! Topping pizza dough with Sloppy Joes might not be a novel idea, but it does combine two dinners that are big hits in our household into one, easy-to-eat dinner. The thick pizza crust holds up better than soft hamburger buns, making this Sloppy Joe Pizza a little less sloppy!


 I press homemade pizza dough out to create a foccacia-style crust. The thicker crust tends to hold all the meatiness of thick Sloppy Joe mix loaded with onions and peppers. For an easy weeknight shortcut, I use a Sloppy Joe seasoning packet and add onion and peppers to the browned ground beef. If you prefer to make your Sloppy Joes from scratch, Diane at Recipes for our Daily Bread has a great recipe.

Sloppy Joe Pizza

Ingredients

   For the Sloppy Joe topping:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 Sloppy Joe Seasoning Packet
• 6-oz can of tomato paste

• Pizza Dough
• 2 cups shredded cheese, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Mozzerella

Directions

1. Brown ground beef, and drain well. Remove from pan.
2. Add diced onion and bell peppers to hot pan, and sauté until softened.
3. Return meat to pan, add contents of the seasoning packet, tomato paste, and 1 can-full (6 ounces) of water. I add less water then called for on the seasoning packet to make a thicker sauce to prevent my pizza crust from becoming soggy.
4. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture is hot and thickened.

To assemble the pizza, top your favorite pizza dough or my Rosemary Focaccia Dough (prepared pan-pizza style) with shredded cheese and your Sloppy Joe topping. My family prefers a Cheddar and Monterey Jack blend, but mozzarella or any easy-melting cheese would be fantastic. Sprinkle a bit of extra cheese on top and bake on a pizza stone in a 450 F oven for 15-17 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Garnish with basil, and serve. If you like your Sloppy Joes a little spicy like we do, top your pizza with a few dashes of hot sauce or jalapeño pepper rings.

This pizza brought Sloppy Joes up a notch and received high praise from my kids and husband alike. What are some of your family's favorite dinners?

Farmer's Market Friday #8

Welcome to the last Farmer's Market Friday for the month of June! I want to thank all of you that added links to the party for the past 8 weeks. I hope you found some great new recipes and crafts over these past 8 weeks, and met a few new bloggers to follow.

Summer is an full swing here, and for the first time in many months, I have not visited my farmer's market this week. Preposterous, you say? Maybe. Until I tell you this:

My plum tree has graced up with at least 20 pounds of plums that I have been trying to find ways to use them up.

I made my first batch of plum jam this past weekend, plus I used some of the leftover plum puree in a barbeque sauce (which was excellent, by the way). I have a cobbler and a tart I plan to make over the weekend to utilize more plums. I am having a plum and stone party over on my Facebook page though the weekend, to find more excellent recipes to use these gorgeous jewels that I paid absolutely nothing for.

Now, onto the link-up!

Features from Last Week

 

Most Viewed

 

Homemade Yoghurt Ice Pops

Snapshots and Snippets

 

My kids love helping me make our own popsicles over the summer months! I love the idea of adding yogurt and fresh fruit, to get a whole lot of nutrition into the kiddos disguised as a fun treat.

 

Blueberry Granola Yogurt Cups

To Work with My Hands

 

Yogurt seems to be the theme of the week! Karen took a trip to the blueberry farm and came back with 6 gallons of fresh blueberries. These blueberry granola yogurt cups look like a fabulous breakfast or late night snack.

 





An InLinkz Link-up

Cherry Season Recipe Roundup

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, drinks and desserts, cherries are a perfect sweet and tart addition to your summer. Here I have collected up a baker's dozen of cherry recipes to excite your taste buds and keep you satisfied. All of these recipes offer a unique twist on cherries that is sure to delight! Packed with antioxidants, melatonin, and essential vitamins, cherries are said to aid muscle recovery, help you sleep, and can even reduce gout.

 

Here in Northern California, our local cherry season is relatively short, from the end of spring to mid-summer, so we try to get as many cherries in as possible in those 6-10 weeks. With something this good, can anyone blame you for eating the whole bag?

1. Almond Crusted Chicken with Cherry Balsamic Sauce by Cupcakes and Kale Chips

2. Flatbread Pizza with Cherries by Healing Tomato

3. Roasted Duck Legs with Cherry Porter Sauce by The Beeroness

4. Cauliflower Steaks with Cherry, Fennel and Caper Slaw by Finger, Fork, and Knife

5. Cherry-Mint Spritzer by Almost Bananas

6. The Cherry Fling by Putney Farm

7. Cherry Pie Smoothie by Jonesin' for Taste

8. Cherry Limeade by Laylita's Recipes

9. Cherry and Coconut Chia Pudding by Fearless Dining

10. Roasted Cherry and Pistachio Chocolate Chunk Ice Cream by Real Food Girl: Unmodified

11. Cherry Bomb Cake from Food is Love Recipes

12. Honey Ginger Ice Cream with Balsamic Roasted Cherries by Carrington Lane Bakery

13. Sweet Cherry Empanadas from Cassandra Monroe

Of course, don't forget about my Sweet and Spicy Pickled Cherries, with hints of star anise, ginger, and spice. These things pack a bit of a wallop!

Sharing is caring!

 

 

Farmer's Market Friday #7

Welcome back to another week of Farmer's Market Friday! I hope you are enjoying your summer as much as I am despite the fridge trying to make my life difficult. Father's Day and my husband's birthday within a week of one another makes this time of year very busy for us. I did get to the Farmer's market on Saturday morning, before celebrating Father's Day with my parents and grandparents. I picked up cherries, corn, nectarines and tomatoes. Since we were having fish tacos, I made some fresh fruit salsas to top them. We made a warm cherry compote for dessert to pour on top of vanilla ice cream and my Dad's apple pie.

For this week, I decided to celebrate grilling season and feature posts that celebrate the summertime! Thank you to those that linked up, tweeted and shared the party. I share all your links via Twitter, and pin your links to my Farmer's Market Friday Pinterest board. 

Bar-be-cue Skewer Recipes by Snapshots and Snippets

Celebrate grilling with these fabulous kabob ideas. What says summer more than eating outdoors with food on a stick? I am excited to try her beef and Guinness skewers, I think my husband and my brothers-in-law would love them!

Strawberry Lemonade by To Work With My Hands

Karen added some great links last week, but I picked her Strawberry Lemonade to feature because it is such an iconic drink of summer! Will you try it this weekend?

Spicy Homemade Salsa by The Kolb Corner

Tomato season is starting, and what is better than fresh salsa? See how easy making salsa at home can be, and I guarantee you won't be buying your salsa out of a jar ever again!

An InLinkz Link-up