The week in inspirations

This week I'm featuring inspirations from inspirational women.  This is a little prelude to an upcoming theme I'll be focusing on.  In the coming months I'll be interviewing women I know and love who are making it all work (family life, careers, passions, social lives etc.)  I can't wait to share these amazing women with you. 

I've been following Susan from Freshly Picked baby moccasins on Instagram for a while and was so excited to see her on Shark Tank this week.  Her story of how she started making moccasins out of a need to find a shoe/sock that would stay on her baby's feet is very inspiring.  She had no training or sewing skills.  Just a need, a passion and a scrap of leather from a yard sale.  Now she's selling over $600k in moccasins and just made a deal with one of the Sharks, Daymond John.  I love a good story like this!  And I can think of a few people who just might need these moccs very soon….

Floriole is hands down my favorite bakery/cafe in Chicago.  The food is amazing (the croissants and BAD sandwich are my favorites), the atmosphere is charming and the owner is another passionate and talented woman on a mission who happens to be so nice and generous (she lent me her beautiful upstairs space free of charge to hold a fundraising event for Nurture a few years ago).  She got her start with a stand at The Green City Farmer's Market in Lincoln Park and eventually worked her way up to a the ultra-successful cafe on Webster.  While I love her doughy inventions, sometimes you just can't justify it, which is why I was so excited to see that they're offering baked eggs in spiced tomato sauce with yogurt and greens.  If you can't make it to Floriole, here's a recipe to try on your own.

Mabo Kids is run by a mother of two and made in the USA (love that) using quality fabrics with simple, classic and sweet designs.  I love the 3 timeless pieces above.  Baby clothes with all these qualities are not easy to find!

And for all of us inspirational women out there who need a little help making it all work (who doesn't) and putting together a hot and delicious dinner in the meantime, here's a slow cooker recipe that my lovely (and equally inspiring) sister-in-law recommended.  This one will make you look like you know what you're doing in the kitchen even if you don't.

I  hope you're having a great weekend.

slow cooker enchilada pie: meatless monday ideas

Do you ever struggle with providing nutritious, wholesome foods that your family will love?  I know, I sound like a commercial, but only because it's so true...it's tough to make a meal that offers a good portion of your vitamin and mineral requirements for the day but still gets rave reviews from even the pickiest eater in the house.  And doesn't take hours to prepare.

Enter Enchie Pie....

My little guy traditionally doesn't love broccoli (I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that I couldn't stand it during my first trimester pregnant with him) and my husband doesn't like sweet potatoes.  So naturally, I'm determined to find a dish that will make them both change their minds...and I really think I have.

Toddlers should get at least 1 cup of vegetables daily and older children up to age 6 twice as much.  As anyone with a toddler or preschool aged child probably knows, this can be really difficult some days!  I can't stress enough how important it is to expose them early and often to a variety of healthy foods, especially vegetables.

The step by step guide to Enchie Pie:

teach a person to fish

I'm excited to tell you all about Nurture, an organization with which I've been working for a few years.  Nurture was started by Kathryn Guylay, a passionate mother and business woman who saw the need for improved eating habits and health profiles in her community and did something about it!  Kathryn and the equally passionate nurture team work to provide nutrition education and cooking instruction to limited resource families.  Recipes are developed by an amazingly talented member of the team using whole grains, beans, lentils and or fruits and vegetables made in rice cookers and slow cookers.  Each of the recipes is less than $1.50 per serving, nutritious and delicious (a few of my favorites are the sweet potato and barley salad, the white bean chili and the pumpkin pecan oatmeal).  Take a look at the website, get involved or subscribe to our monthly newsletter if you're so inclined.

Winter Farmer's Market BBQ Pork Tacos

Sam thoughtfully chose our ingredients from the market on Saturday....

And here's what we did with some of them on Sunday:

BBQ Pulled Pork
1.25 lb pork tenderloin (leaner than shoulder etc.)
2 shallots diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
salt & pepper
1 cup reduced sodium broth (chicken, vegetable or beef)
2.5 cups (+/-) BBQ sauce (we used Chicago's own Smoke Daddy Sweet and Smokey.  Choose your favorite high fructose corn syrup-free sauce or make your own)

Put all ingredients except BBQ sauce in a slow cooker on high for approximately 3 hours or low for about 5 hours.  Shred the pork with a fork, add sauce and let simmer on low for 20-30 minutes and enjoy!

Sweet Potato Wedges
2 sweet potatoes scrubbed
1.5 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp real maple syrup
Pinch of Cayenne pepper
Pinch of Paprika
salt & pepper

Bake potatoes at 450 for 15 minutes.Take potatoes out of the oven and cut into long wedges. Toss to coat in oil/syrup mixture.  Cook for about 30 minutes or until crisp on a baking sheet sprayed with olive oil or cooking spray.

Winter Slaw
1 baby red cabbage diced (about 1 cup)
1 cup kale diced
1 small butternut squash steamed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces (cut squash in fourths and put in steam basket until tender (about 30 minutes depending on the size of your squash)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tsp maple syrup
2 Tsp reduced sodium soy sauce (regular or wheat-free)
1 Tsp Sriracha Sauce
salt & pepper

We enjoyed these items separately on Sunday afternoon and on Monday night, added some corn tortillas, black beans and avocado to the sweet potatoes (cut into 1/2 inch cubes), pork and slaw for these BBQ pork tacos.  Both meals were very good, but according to my husband, the tacos were "awesome"...tough to get from him with leftovers!

Green City Market during winter

unknowncity

Today was the first Green City Market of the year.  It's held indoors once a month at the Nature Museum during the winter and outdoors at the south end of Lincoln Park on Wednesday and Saturday mornings in the summer/fall.  You'll find many of Chicago's best chefs (Stephanie Izard of Girl & The Goat, Rick Bayless etc) shopping there first thing in the morning.  Later it's packed with food enthusiasts young and old.  An outing to this farmer's market is one of the best ways to spend a Saturday morning in Chicago!
Obviously, the selection of fresh produce isn't as great right now as it is other times of the year, but here is what we got today:

squash, shallots, cabbage and golden beets

Spicy Garden Tomato Soup

Brunkow Cheese spread

Twin Oak Meats pork tenderloin and eggs

and so far have used the eggs to make to make these

tomorrow we'll be using the other ingredients for a football/Golden

Globes day feast!

Recipes and photos to come....