Brownies and Chowder

Well  Mr. F and I just polished off half a plate of gf brownies and I don't regret a single bite. My kids were very trying today. Chunks is getting a top front tooth in and daylight savings has everyone all messed up. Something about children crying drives me to chocolate. I kept thinking, "I'll have just one more", and before I knew it, half the pan was gone. I'll probably eat the rest tomorrow anyways.

I made Corn Chowder for dinner and thought I'd share the recipe. This is my own recipe that I've been making for a few years now and it goes really well with these delicious cheese less quesadillas. I have to admit, I was kind of skeptical about them. I don't really care for sweet potatoes-except fries of course-but they were really amazing. I'm going to make up a big batch and freeze it for quick lunches. I couldn't find a chipotle chili at Whole Foods, but they did have a can of chipotle chile's in adobo sauce (CRAZY GOOD) and I used corn tortillas instead of flour and I thought they were even better. I will make them forever.

We're trying to eat less meat which is what inspired this meal. I love meat, but I watched a documentary called Forks over Knives and it got me thinking. I don't agree with most of the movie and upon some research, a lot of it has been discredited, but like I said it got me thinking about the amount of meat we eat each day. A normal day used to include about 2-3 servings of meat plus another 2 or so of dairy. As a side note, I'm not condeming the way others eat, I just want to try things differently for awhile for my family. I really don't care if you feed your family french fries and chicken nuggets 4 days a week-whatever works for you, do it. After all, I just ate 1/2 a pan of brownies!

I'm not willing to give up eggs for breakfast and lunch is hard because of sandwiches, so we decided to cut meat from dinner. Our new goal is to eat 3 lbs or less each week at dinner for all four of us and the meat we do buy will be grass fed organic. Normally, we can't afford organic meat because of how much we eat, but with this new plan, it's totally doable.  It really isn't as hard as I thought and I have to say, I feel much better and have a lot more energy. It's not so much that we're getting rid of meat, I believe that meat is good for you when you're eating the right portions and the right kind; we're trying to eat more vegetables. Most vegetarians are replacing meat with eggs, dairy and carbs. We're just eating less meat and replacing it with organic veggies We're striving to have a more well rounded diet overall. I'm not sure how it's all going to work out, but we're trying it for a month. I'll let you know how it turns out, it may be a huge failure. Like I said, I really really like meat.

Here is my corn chowder recipe:

6-8 ears of grilled corn (if you live near Trader Joe's, they have roasted corn frozen and it's great if corn isn't in season)
3 pieces of bacon
2 celery stalks diced
4 carrots diced
3 potatoes chopped
1 medium onion diced
3 cloves of garlic minced
4 cups of chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp sage
1 Tbsp parsley

                                                                             1 Tbsp thyme

                                                                                     1 cup of cream or for a lighter version,cups  

                                                                                     of soy milk (must contain carrageen)

                                                                                     salt and pepper to taste
Sorry about the weird formatting, I can't figure it out :)

Chop and cook bacon in a large stock pot until crisp than add celery, onion and carrots and saute until onions are translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add remaining ingredients except corn and cream. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes until potatoes are soft. Add corn and cream and bring to a boil. Turn low and cook and additional 3 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves and serve. It also freezes well and makes great leftovers.