Minsky's Kitchen: Banana Nut Muffins

Minsky's Kitchen: Banana Nut Muffins

My husband, Rob, would rather get an extra ten minutes of sleep in the morning than sit down and have breakfast before going to work. So, I try to make him something that's easy to grab and go but also good tasting as he runs out the door every morning. I have made many muffin recipes before and find it to be so easy to prepare that even my son, Tristan, joins me in the kitchen to help. I enjoy it when he helps me cook or bake because he loves eating what he makes. Instead of it being a struggle for my 3 year old to eat, it becomes fun for him since he knows he helped make it.

I found this recipe here and although this recipe is good, I do change one thing. Rather than using coffee I add cinnamon instead. I feel the cinnamon has healthier properties and find it adds a great flavor. Also, the aroma of the muffins baking with cinnamon is so yummy we can't resist eating them hot, straight out of the oven.  As with any baking recipe I check the muffins early at 20 minutes because every oven bakes differently.  Actual baking time may vary. Keep checking until you find they are baked to your liking. The recipe notes that you do not need a mixer to prepare but I find it easier to blend it well in a mixer.

If you have a nut allergy or simply do not like them you can bake without the nuts and they will taste just as great. I always make sure the bananas are brown on the outside and very ripe. The more ripe the sweeter they taste.

-------

INGREDIENTS

3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 cup melted butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 Tbsp espresso or strong coffee (I use 1 TEASPOON of cinnamon)

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1 1/2 cup of flour

1 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.

2. Mix in the sugar, egg, espresso and vanilla.

3. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.

4. Add the flour, mix until it is just incorporated. Fold in the chopped walnuts.

5. Pour mixture into a prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin. If it comes out clean, it's done. Cool on a rack.

Here is the link for the original recipe as well: 

Simply Recipes: Banana Nut Muffins

Rosie Pope's "Organic" Secret

Rosie Pope's "Organic" Secret

You may know Rosie Pope best from Bravo's TV show Pregnant in Heels. She has been dipping her hands in just about everything. But now you can know her and Mothers of the Valley.com as "the women that helped me get my waist back." Recently, she has teamed up with Belly Bandit to create "The Organic by Rosie Pope."

When I came home from the hospital after my first child, my mother asked me "where is your band." I was confused...what band? So, I went on-line and did some research and found that in many foreign countries you are given a band to reshape your waist. Jessica Alba was recently quoted in several magazines as saying she wore a double corset day and night for three months to get her waist back. I didn't use a double corset, but I did use one Belly Bandit. Today, there are other bands out there. Recently, Brooke Burke came out with a line and if you do some quick research you can find many more. I just so happen to use the Belly Bandit with both of my girls and found that is what worked wonderfully for me. Rosie spoke with Mothers of the Valley.com about how she came across Belly Bandit.

As mothers, we often hear about the latest and greatest mommy products from other moms or those within our close circle of friends. The Belly Bandit came to Rosie the same way. "I first heard about it (Belly Bandit) from Heidi Klum's fitness trainer Andrea Orbeck and decided I'd give it a try as Heidi had found it so beneficial," she says. "I wore it religiously for 8 weeks only removing to shower and breastfeed and the results were amazing.  I believe looking good is a huge part of feeling good and I need to feel good to be the best mom I can be."

"I have been a long time fan and user of Belly Bandit and after having three kids I really credit it as part of the reason I still have a waist!," Rosie told us.  Many women keep their shrinking waist secrets to themselves, but not Rosie. "It's a great tool and many mother's little secret helper that

shouldn't be a secret anymore.... So we decided to partner so I could shout from the roof tops just how useful the band is."  As much help as it is to us mothers in getting ourselves back into our pre-pregnancy clothes, The Organic Belly Bandit by Rosie Pope aims at helping many people on a much deeper level.  "Both the Belly Bandit team and I also have a cause very close to our hearts and that is breast cancer so we decided that this Belly Bandit should help benefit the Shades Of Pink Foundation." A part of the proceeds will be donated to this organization, that strives to ease the financial burdens of breast cancer. There are so many organizations out there, so I asked Rosie why this one. "Shades of Pink foundation is incredibly important to both me and the Belly Bandit team who have either lost loved ones or know those fighting.  Raising breast cancer awareness and helping foundations that support the women and families going through it is so important to us."

Maybe this former Baroness could share her secret with Duchess Kate Middleton! If not with her, she is for sure sharing her secret with us. As I mentioned at the top, Rosie has her hands in a lot things!-- her own maternity line, several books, a TV Show, an advice column and she's the August cover girl for Parents magazine. So, what else can this mother of three add to her list? How about her own baby line? Great guess on my park. In March 2014 she will be launching Rosie Pope Baby. Rosie explained the line to me-- "from layette to 2 years for boys, girls and unisex and I couldn't be more excited to be able to keep providing great style and great function in both maternity and into baby clothes."

At Mothers of the Valley.com we want to share the knowledge we mothers have learned from others. The Belly Bandit was a wonderful little secret used by both Rosie Pope and me.  To learn more about The Organic Belly Bandit by Rosie Pope go to http://www.bellybandit.com

Minsky's Kitchen: Green Enchiladas

Minsky's Kitchen: Green Enchiladas

Green enchiladas are something I have been making for years for my family, friends and even co-workers. It is a blend of my mother’s recipe and some additional changes that I have added over the years. They are my second favorite meal and the first meal I made for my husband shortly after we met. He likes to joke that it only took one bite of my green enchiladas to make him fall in love with me.

Most of the time I fill them with chicken, which is the recipe I have shared below, but when we are in the mood for a meatless dish I like to roast a head of cauliflower and fill the enchiladas with sweet roasted pieces of cauliflower instead of chicken.

 

A couple great things about this recipe is that it makes many enchiladas and is a great meal to make for company.  I always have enough leftovers for my husband and I to eat for lunch the next day. The steamed rice is such a quick side dish to prepare and goes great with the salsa verde. I hope you and your family like it as much as we do.

Prep Work:

2 bone-in chicken breasts                    

Onion cut in half                                                                 

Garlic clove                           

3 tablespoons of salt                       

1/3 cup of canola oil 

6 corn tortillas

1 Avocado sliced                         

 

For Salsa Verde:

16-20 Tomatillos

 1 medium jalapeno

 1 garlic clove, peeled and smashed

 5 tablespoons of cilantro leaves

3 Teaspoons of salt         

Cheese Filling and Topping:                                        

One package of Cacique Ranchero Cheese or         

a cheese of your liking for example Monterey Jack   

6-8 green onions         

Rice:

2 Cups of rice

4 Cups of Water

2 teaspoons of garlic salt                      

In a large stock pot, place chicken, onion and garlic and fill with water so that it covers the chicken by 1 inch. Add 3 tablespoons of salt. Bring pot to boil over medium heat. Lower to simmer and cook for 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Take chicken breast off the bone and shred with your hands. Pour 1/4 cup of cooking liquid in a bowl and place chicken in the bowl so that chicken will stay moist. Set aside.

 

Take cheese out so it can get soft.

Peel and rinse the tomatillos and jalapeño. Place in a small pot with enough water to cover the tomatillos and jalapeno.  Add the garlic and 2 teaspoons of salt. Simmer for 8-10 minutes until the tomatillos are soft and cooked through. Let it cool for 8 minutes. Once it has cooled, remove 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and set aside.  Remove the jalapeno from the pot and cut in half. Drain the pot and place tomatillos, garlic, cilantro, half of the jalapeño, 1/4 cup of cooking liquid and 1 teaspoon of salt in a blender. Blend to sauce consistency. Taste for seasoning and spice. If you would like it spicier add more jalapeño and blend some more. You may need more salt as well.  

With a fork, mash the cheese and place in a bowl, or if you are using shredded cheese just place in the bowl. Dice the green onions, whites and some green parts too. Save 2 tablespoons of the onions and put the rest in the bowl with the cheese.

Place rice in a rice cooker, add water and one tablespoon of garlic salt. Cook rice as needed in cooker.

To prepare enchiladas, place oil in a small sauté pan and warm up to a low simmer. Place one tortilla in oil and fry for 30-40 seconds until lightly toasted. Place tortilla in salsa verde and moisten both sides. Place tortilla on a plate and fill halfway with chicken and cheese. Roll tortilla to look like a burrito. Repeat until you have desired amount of enchiladas. Top with salsa, cheese and green onions.

Serve along with rice topped with avocados, salsa verde and green onions.

Chicken Soup Minsky Style

Chicken Soup Minsky Style

Fall time is closely approaching and with that comes the unfortunate cold and flu season. I like to prep my family for this season by taking vitamins and also eating lots of nutrient rich fruits and vegetables. Chicken noodle soup is a great combination of both. This soup is loaded with yummy veggies that even my picky three year old son, Tristan, loves.

When I started writing this blog I was going to use my mom's chicken soup recipe (no noodles in her soup) that I grew up on and have made many times. However, it just so happened that as I was starting to write this blog one of my favorite cooking shows came on, Barefoot Contessa with Ina Garten, and she was making chicken noodle soup. I immediately got inspired. I had just made my recipe and while it was fresh in my mind I decided to make Ina's and compare our recipes. I wrote a new recipe which incorporates the best of both and wrote my new chicken noodle soup recipe for you guys.  

Ina’s recipe suggested for the stock to be made from scratch or boxed stock. I was and am very disappointed by the fact that you have to throw away all the veggies when you make stock from scratch. I felt like it was a waste. This is the reason I have never made my own stock. However, the stock adds a great flavor to the soup so I decided to use a boxed stock, and thus my first change. Adding the noodles is also a new thing. I did not grow up with noodle soup, my mom instead loaded our soup with veggies but I think the noodles or pasta are a must. My son loves pasta and having it with his veggies makes him happy. I prefer the flavor of semolina pasta to egg noodles but both work great. I decided to keep all the veggies from my recipe and I think the more veggies the better plus it fills the house with a yummy aroma. I also added cauliflower because my husband really likes it. I was surprised to see that Ina did not have onions or garlic in her recipe. It must be because she uses stock for her base and I use water. I will use all three in my recipe. I also did something different that was not included in either recipe before, I added celery leaves to the bowl and I really like the bright flavor it adds.

One of the fun things about cooking is that no one recipe is right. You can cook with what ingredients you have at hand or can find and then modify to your preference. It is nice to create a meal you and your family love and is a winner at the dinner table every time. My husband and son both loved the rich taste of veggies in this recipe and I love that its easy to make and a great healthy meal for them. I hope that you and your family will also enjoy.

---

2 chicken breasts bone-in, skinless

1 quart boxed chicken stock

1 onion cut in half

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons of salt

2 ears of corn, cut in half

1 cup carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups of medium potatoes, cut in fourths

1 cup of zucchini squash, cut in 1/2 inch rounds

2 cups of cauliflower

1 cup chopped celery

2 cups of pasta

2 tablespoons of cilantro or parsley based on preference

1 lemon cut in fourths for flavor

2 tablespoons of celery leaves or parsley

Put the chicken, stock, onion, garlic and salt in a large stock pot with 4 quarts of water. Bring to boil and cook for 10 minutes. Add corn, carrots, potatoes, squash, cauliflower and celery. Reduce to a low simmer as pot may simmer over. Cook for 15 minutes with the lid partially on. Add pasta and cilantro. Cook until pasta is done 10-13 minutes, varies by box. Taste for seasoning. You may need to add more salt. Serve with a lemon wedge and top with celery leaves or parsley.

Side Notes:

**Using chicken breasts with the bone-in is the preferred method because the meat will stay soft and flavorful.

**Before you serve, you can remove 3 cups of the liquid and save it to use as a stock. It is basically a stock because it has been cooked with all of the flavor from the vegetables and chicken. You can freeze it or keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Welcoming Minsky's Kitchen

Welcoming Minsky's Kitchen

I started this blog a year ago, but I always felt something was missing. Well I found it in my good friend Cynthia's kitchen. Please help me welcome Cynthia Minsky to the Mothers of the Valley blog.

Hi everyone I am Cynthia. This moment is a long time coming. I have been wanting to get into the blog world for a few years now and have been given the opportunity by my good friend Lety. I will bring my passion for cooking to our blog with a section titled Minsky's Kitchen along with topics I am passionate about. Please stay tuned for my first hot item right from my kitchen... Chicken Noodle Soup Minsky style.

Stroller Theft Alert

Stroller Theft Alert

 As I was sitting at my daughter's dance class I started looking through various parenting magazines. I came across a clip on stolen strollers. It made me think of a story from last year that made headlines. Two women were targeting mothers with strollers at the Orange County swap meet. One woman would start up a conversation, while the other woman would go through the person's bag and steal her wallet. Jen, my friend, was a victim of something similar. Her wallet was taken from her stroller in the Topanga Mall. You would hope that as a busy mother you could catch a break from something like this! I posed this issue to a group of mothers on a mommy Facebook page and I was surprised at the large response and at how big an issue this is... it really hits close to home.

Unattended Strollers at the L.A Zoo

If you're anything like me you pile everything into your stroller. I load it up with my Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag, Beco or Bjorn baby carrier, my oldest daughter's snack bag, various sippy cups, my own water bottle, and if we're going to the park-- a bag full of sand toys. That is a load. I can't find anything in my own stroller, so how does a lurking thief? The answer is sad, but simple-- steal the whole thing.  One hot spot appears to be theme parks. "We go to Disneyland a lot, and have never had any worries about our stroller until it happened to us (it was at CA Adventure, parked outside the Carthay Circle restaurant)," said Aimee. She went on to say, "Disney's customer service was really fantastic though - they loaned us a rental stroller for the rest of our visit, and the security guard felt really bad about my son's blankie, so she comped him a Dumbo pillow pet."  Disney went even further, "when I went back to one store to replace the items he (son) had bought with his Christmas money that were in the stroller, I told them what happened, and they wouldn't let me pay for the replacements!" Not every story has this sort of happy, 'Disney' ending. Lilian had a brand new BOB stolen from Disneyland right outside of Captain EO. "We were already leaving the park at around 7 pm when my son decided he wanted just one last ride," she said. When the ride came to an end so did their great stroller, she said. All of their belongings were in that stroller, including a change of clothing. "To top things off it was getting cold and the park officials wouldn't even offer a sweater to my son until I raised havoc," Lilian said. "Needless to say we never recovered our stroller." One of the local news outlets has reported that an estimated 50 strollers are stolen a year at Disneyland.

But stroller theft doesn't only happen at Disneyland, obviously. It happens in theme parks, zoos, malls, and any place where it is easy to be distracted. Thieves are not stealing them for themselves-- there is serious money to be made. I went on Craig's list to look at average prices for used strollers. I found a brand new Orbit Baby Double Helix for $1,200, Bob Revolution Stroller Car Seat Adapter / Graco - $40, Bugaboo Cameleon with all attachments and more - $550, Uppa Baby Vista Stroller- Excellent Condition - $525, City Select double stroller $700 and more. You can sell the whole stroller or in parts. 

My husband is constantly telling me to zip up my diaper bag, and as a mom watching two kids, I always have an excuse of why I do not...  But as moms, we now need to do more than even that. One magazine suggests to personalize the stroller. This will help identify it and a thief may stay clear of something that stands out. "When I bought my stroller at the Juvenile Shop they recommended that I buy a BuggyGuard lock," says Laura. "(I) use it any time we have to leave it out of sight." For anyone, anytime, we must always be aware of our surroundings, because guess what... someone is keeping an eye on us and our strollers.

Recalls

Recalls

Great Source of recalls: parents.com/blogs/parents-news-now