breakfast these days - eggs over-easy, sauteed greens, on a corn tortilla

This is how to start your mornings.  Believe me.  Soooo good.

It's a one-pan meal, which I love, because I'm really REALLY not a morning person, and the thought of even one more dish is enough, I tell you, to just entirely give it all up.

So, get out your frying pan, your cast iron skillet, whatever, and give this a try -



Eggs and Greens on a Corn Tortilla -

2 corn tortillas
2 eggs
2 handfuls of your choice of greens.  I used spinach here.
El Pato hot sauce (or your choice of yummy spicy topping)

- Heat skillet, add a pat of butter to melt, and your corn tortillas.  Fry in butter until beginning to crisp or brown.  Remove from skillet, and plate.

- Add your greens and cook until well cooked. Remove and place on corn tortillas.

- Add another pat of butter and your eggs to the skillet.  Cook your eggs on one side, S and P to taste, gently turn over and cook on the other side.

-Remove eggs from skillet and place on your greens, on top of your tortillas.  Top with hot sauce.

- ENJOY!  It's a healthy, well-balance, delicious, relatively quick and easy breakfast.

crock-pot pinto beans

We've always been a family on a tight budget. 

That's a super understatement.  We're on a tight budget now, but there were years a budget was something we could only dream of.  We got pretty good at eating on the cheap, and one of the things we ate over and over (and over and over and over) again were beans.  All kinds of beans, but mostly black beans and refried beans. 

Hey, we're from Tucson, which is practically Northern Mexico, so we really love our beans!  But, really, actually, we got so sick of them back then that Tyler still doesn't love them much now.  We only have them here and there and I still love 'em.  So do the kids!

One of the ways we made cheap beans even cheaper was to cook them ourselves from dried beans we buy in bulk.  The first few times I tried it out it was kind of a disaster.  They were dry or mealy or watery or bland.  Just not good.  Eventually I got it pretty well down, though.

So, you should know, how I do this is more of a method than a measured out recipe.  Crock pot sizes vary, different families need different amounts, all that nonsense...

Crock-Pot Pinto Beans

-  Pour rinsed dry pinto beans (or any dried bean, really) in the bottom of your crock pot, at the most filling it 1/3 full of beans, since your beans will swell and take up more volume over the cook time.  Cover the beans with water to twice or more the height of the dried beans.  Turn your crock pot on high if you can check it midday, or on low if you are leaving it.

-  Chop an onion, roughly or finely, it doesn't really matter.  Sometimes I just quarter it, chop off the root end, and toss it in.  The onion helps cut the gassiness of the beans, and of course adds some good flavor.   Also, add a crushed clove or two of garlic.  Not too much, though, because I think beans are one dish that can get too garlicky.

-  Add a couple of Tbsp. of fat.  I most often use olive oil, but I love using bacon fat if I have it on hand.  It's soooo worth it.  The fat is important to the final taste and feel of the beans, so I don't recommend leaving it out.  Plus, I'm a firm believer in fats - our bodies need them, our brains need them!

-  Toss in a bay leaf or two.  I feel like it helps fill out the flavor of the beans, so that's what I do.

-  Cook all day.  (the cook time depends on the age of the beans - the older the longer.  You can't really overdo it, though, as long as there's water in there.)

-  I check it in the afternoon sometime and see if I need to top it off with a bit of water to keep those softened beans submerged.  Just go ahead and fill it to the top.  

-  The beans are done when they are very soft, and creamy inside when smashed.  

At the end, I scoop out any extra bean water and save it in a bowl to the side in case I need to add it back in during blending so they aren't to thick.  Then I salt the beans very generously.  I often bag half or more of the beans in freezer bags at this point to save for later.  They thaw easily, and a large amount of beans in the fridge spoils quickly.

There are lots of ways you can use these crock pot beans.  Here are a few we like -

-  blend and season with chili powder, salt, a little garlic powder to taste, and use on tostadas, taco salad, or as a side topped with cheese.  Super good next to fajitas.

-  saute with diced onions and green chilis, seasoning to taste,  smashing beans with your spatula and adding water as you go.  Yummy in burritos or on top of rice.

- add chopped tomatoes, onions, seasoning to taste, browned meat of your choice, and you have a start for really great taco soup or chili or you can serve it with chips or on rice.

- blend, add chili powder, salt, garlic powder, cumin, some salsa, cream cheese, some sour cream, and some cheddar cheese, and stir in a pan until melted.  Dip chips in it and be super super happy and you are welcome.  My friend Sheila's mom makes this, and she knows how to make tummies happy.

10 rules for making healthy food choices

I recently read this post on On Hand Modern.  It resonated with me - the priorities they chose to focus on surrounding food in their family were so similar to our food choices.  But it made me think how helpful it is to be purposeful and mindful of the choices we are making.  There is a real benefit to having things spelled out clearly, so when it comes to moments when we need it, reinforcement for our choices is right there, ready  to be read and written in our own words.

So, this is my attempt at spelling out our family's food culture, so that the choices I make as the primary food provider in the family are in line with our ideals.  I think it should help us choose healthy foods for our family, and have healthy relationships with what we eat.

Richins Family Food Rules

1 - eat at the table and with each other for every meal.  exception - friday night movie night.

2 - serve at least one fruit or vegetable at every meal.

3 - meal times are 7, 11, and 6.  fruit or vegetable snacks are available at 10 and 2.  homemade popcorn or chips and salsa or smoothies and the like are available at 4.  no snacks after that.

4 - no food is available after dinner.  eat your dinner.  if you don't eat your dinner and you are hungry at bed time, i'm so sorry, but you'll have to wait until breakfast to eat.  please remember to eat your dinner next time.

5 - do not complain or criticize the meal.  say thank you.  if you don't like it, eat enough to be full and move on.  someday you will eat food in someone else's house that you don't like, and knowing how to be polite about it is important.  

6 - help cook.  your help is always welcome.  someday you will be so glad you know how.

7 - we drink water.  juice is only to help with taking of medicine.

8 - clear your place after every meal.  help with kitchen clean up after dinner.  it'll only take a few minutes. teamwork! (hint: playlist!!)

9 - if you are cooking, clean as you go and use between times to get a head start on dishes.  it's so worth it.

10 - by all means, talk all through your meal.  we love to hear what you have to say.  but if you can't say something nice...

Here's a prettied-up version. A free printable for you, if you want it -

Is there anything you think I've missed?  I'm sure I haven't considered it all.  And I focused for sure more on behaviors than health specifically.  It's hard to know where to draw that line - do I need to preach about health when I'm the one offering the meals and doing the shopping?  

I'm interested to know where you differ from us.  Do you feel strongly about no snacking or drinking milk, for instance?

Don't you love my blurry pictures of that amazing pizza?  Believe me, this pizza is kind of transcendent - not your mama's homemade pizza.

Jim Lahey-Inspired Pizza Crust

makes 2 cookie sheet sized pizzas - I double if Tyler's home

3 3/4 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp. yeast

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1 1/3+ cup room temperature water

Mix all ingredients together.  Add a little bit more water if the dough is too dry.  Need just until smooth.  Place dough in bowl and cover with plastic wrap or towel, and sit in a warm place for 2 hours.

Dust cookie sheet or pizza stone with corn meal.  I use a generous amount because my cookie sheet sticks to the pizza, and I don't want holey pizza!  Stretch and roll and stretch some more into a pizza that fits whatever pan you have.  Put dough on pan, and top however your little heart desires.  I usually use just whatever's on hand.  

Here are a few favorites -

bacon and onion ( fry up the bacon before topping!)

ham, pineapple and onion

chilies and corn ( with a little cheddar)

and the one above - onion, bell pepper and spinach  

It was seriously amazing.  I L.O.V.E. it.

For sauce, I use a little leftover pasta sauce or canned tomato sauce.  Sometimes I add garlic, sometimes I don't.  Sometimes I simmer and thicken it, sometimes I don't.

Top with cheese and bake!

Use your highest oven temp.  Mine is 550 degrees.  Each pizza takes between 8-10 minutes for me.  Keep and eye on it!!