W.A.T.E.R. Youth Program, Riley’s Farm and Mighty Peanut Butter Smoothie

Wow, it’s been a busy last few days of the school year. Kids had two fantastic field trips. My oldest visited Riley’s Farm and took pictures by herself. She asked me if we can post them on My Wandering Spoon.

Riley’s Farm is located in Oak Glen, CA and it is a living history adventure tour and much more than a field trip, it’s a chance to experience a first-hand glimpse of America’s past.

” Whether you are churning butter in our summer kitchen, observing the pewter-smith at work, or being taught the manual of arms by Civil or Revolutionary War soldiers, you and your family, students, and friends will be inspired by the sights and sounds of history in the re-making!”

http://www.rileysfarm.com

At Riley Farm kids can learn all about chickens and had chance to see fresh eggs.

Beautiful fields of strawberries.

It’s been a great adventure and fantastic field trip to the Riley’s Farm for the 5th graders….they are ready for the new adventure, Middle School:)
My future first grader had an amazing field trip.

L.A. County Lifeguards made it possible and did fantastic job learning kindergarteners about water safety

surfing and kayaking.

All the stuff and the lifeguards did amazing job, big Thank You!

The Junior Guard Program is offered to all boys and girls in Los Angeles County. The program is designed to instruct youth (ages 9 through 17) in beach and ocean skills. The five week program provides instruction in water safety, swimming, body surfing, surfing, physical conditioning, competition skills, first aid, lifesaving, rescue techniques, CPR and the use of professional Lifesaving equipment.
Locations:
Northern
Zuma JG’s
Central
Will Rogers JG’s
Santa Monica JG’s
Venice JG’s
Southern
El Segundo
Manhattan Beach JG’s
North Hermosa (14th St.)
South Hermosa (Tim Kelly)
Redondo JG’s
Torrance JG’s
Cabrillo JG’s
Santa Catalina
Avalon
For more info please visit:

http://www.watchthewater.org/jg/

You can imagine after day like this, kids were hungry!!
Lunch was still in the oven so I made quick and healthy snack.
Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
2 medium bananas, ripe
2 tablespoons natural reduced fat peanut butter
1 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup non-fat soy milk
Purée all the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
Delicious, healthy smoothie, it will adjust your energy in no time.
Have a healthy and happy summer break:)

Nutritional info:
Fat: 8g
Carbohydrates: 25g
Calories: 190
Protein: 10g

Almond Orange Cake, Happy Father’s Day!

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!
When I’m preparing dessert for my husband or my dad, I noticed that they are happiest if dessert is light, with just few ingredients, simple. Same way the kids like desserts to be:) Pudding or mousse are great choices but I wanted to make a cake, refreshing and flavorful.
Since my pantry is well stocked with almonds I decided to make almond cake. Our orange tree is beautiful with ready oranges to be picked and used so idea was there….

Almond & Orange Cake

2 medium oranges
4 eggs
1/2 stick sweet cream butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup corn flour

For the syrup
2 oranges
1/2 cup honey

Preheat the oven to 400F. Line round or cake pan with parchment paper.
Beat the egg whites on the high speed till frothy. Set aside. In the other bowl beat yolks and sugar with an electric beater until thick and pale. Add butter, orange juice, almond meal, flour. Fold to combine with egg whites.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 20 minutes or until a fork inserted into the center comes out clean.
Zest the whole orange, then juice. Boil the zest for 5 minutes in a saucepan to soften, then drain and return to the pan. Add the orange juice and honey and heat on low stirring constantly for several minutes till mixture becomes syrupy.
Gently poke holes all over the top of the hot cake with a knife and then spoon over the syrup. Serve warm or at room temperature. Benefit of this dessert is that is light without extra flour and starch.
Cake is wonderful, moist and flavorful.
No leftover crumbs on the plates:)

As always kids were crafty at school and did amazing job….my husband received beautiful cards….so cute:)

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Tahini Beef, Protein Power

Today I decided to make real power lunch. Yesterday I bought good looking Portobello mushrooms and wanted to stuffed them with ground meat but then new idea came….instead of ground to use lean stew beef with nice seasonings and spices.

Result was delicious and very healthy power lunch.
Since we got the new grill with side burner I am trying to cook outdoor as much as I can. Love the “Summer kitchen”. It is so convenient to prepare everything outside and than eat too, while birds are chirping, kids are running outside and sunshine lightens the whole table. Nature is beautiful.

Portobello mushrooms have a meaty texture and are great grilled.
One cup of sliced portobello mushrooms, approximately 121 g, makes up a single serving and has only 42 calories. There is 1 g of fat and 5 g of protein in a cup of sliced portobello mushrooms. The total carbohydrate content of a serving of portobello mushrooms is 6 g, of which 3 g is fiber. There are only 12 mg of sodium in a cup of portobello mushrooms, so it is considered a low-sodium food.

Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Tahini Beef

Serves 4

4 portobello mushrooms
1 pound lean stew beef
1 red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, grated
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon tahini
1 cup chicken stock, low sodium
sea salt, for taste
fresh ground pepper, for taste
1 teaspoon dry marjoram
1 package spring baby salad
2 spring onions, chopped
juice from lemon
olive oil, for taste
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

Preheat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat with the olive oil.
While the pan is heating, season the cubed beef with some salt and freshly ground black pepper and add the beef chunks in a single layer to the hot pan. Thoroughly brown all of the cubes on all sides. Once all the meat has been browned remove it to a plate and reserve.
Saute the onion and garlic. When nicely brown add the beef, paprika, dry herb, tahini and chicken stock. Cook for an hour on low heat till beef is tender and sauce is nice and creamy.

Using outdoor grill, grill the mushrooms till well done and juicy.
To make a quick salad, wash and dry well baby greens, sprinkle with chopped spring onions, sea salt, pepper, drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice. Toss nicely and serve.
Plate and eat the whole meal while hot.
On the top of the mushroom add beef stew and finish with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Very tasty lunch which will keep you energetic for a good part of the day.
Enjoy!

Tahini or sesame butter contains good amounts of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. One tablespoon of the paste contains 85 calories, of which fats represent 65 calories. It contains 3 grams of protein and 1 gram of dietary fiber. The paste is a good source of vitamin B1, iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorous and manganese. These nutrients promote good health in various ways.

Portabella Mushrooms

Chocolate Wonderland

I love chocolate, seriously….that is my favorite dessert, darker-better. Now, if chocolate has some fine nuts in it, even better but whole flavor has to be top notch.
Recently I was reading amazing cookbook “Al Fresco” written by Louise Pickford, with photography by Ian Wallace. Wonderful cookbook with beautiful light recipes and lovely photographs.
One recipe totally left impression on me- Refrigerator chocolate cake. I had to make it and I did. It is fantastic:)

As always I did few changes in ingredients, simply because I had them stocked in my pantry and to make lighten version.

Original Recipe, Refrigerator Chocolate Cake

14 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups Graham crackers, coarsely crushed
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup shelled pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup candied ginger, coarsely chopped
1 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
confectioner’s sugar, to dust, optional

Put the chocolate and butter into a bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water and heat gently until melted. Stir in all the remaining ingredients except the confectioners sugar, then spoon into the prepared cake pan. Press the mixture well into the surface with a spatula. Cover with foil and chill overnight.

This is my light home version:)

5 oz dark chocolate chunks
1/4 cup non-fat half and half
1/2 stick sweet cream butter
1 cup animal crackers
1’2 cup pecans
1/2 cup pistachio, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup dried figs
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

I had to try cake as soon as possible (it was 3 hours in the fridge) couldn’t wait longer, delicious. Super easy dessert to make any time especially for chocolate lovers. It is kids friendly recipe too, you can add your favorite ingredients, any time:)