Tamari? Check. Tahini? Hrmmmm....

Yesterday was the first module of the wonderful online workshop Whole Food Kitchen and I was ready!! Since my huge weight loss in 2006, I have been constantly reading, researching, and updating my way of living and eating. Now that I am a wife and mother of two, this has become one of the main focuses in my life. When I learned of this workshop and asked for it for Christmas I was excited. This past weekend I was even more excited. Yesterday felt like the first day of school!  Last night I sat down and went through the entire module - the posts, the recipes, the video, the recipes ;), and took it all in.

Then, I made a grocery list! For some reason, I greatly enjoy making grocery lists and organizing them as if I am walking through the store. The only stores that we tend to shop at are Whole Foods and Trader Joe's.  I am somewhat proud of this fact - partially because we have cut out mainstream stores and their junk. However, I wish I had the time to shop around for local stores and markets. We love our Farmer's Markets and all the local goodies they offer.  In the colder months I struggle with insulating and transporting two wee girls for the small winter markets in the area.  As the girls grow older I plan on exploring more markets and cold weather options. But we are grateful to have a little rhythm that works for us.

This morning, with list in tow, Miss Moo and I went to Whole Foods to gather ingredients for a few recipes and some staples. (Miss Roo stayed at home and enjoyed a brief snooze.) Once inside the store Miss Moo, naturally, wanted a snack. What type of snack you ask? Why, CHEESE, of course! To the back we go for the organic string cheese singles. Check. Onto the list.

Moo and I breeze around the store.  Produce for berries, bananas, veggies, and herbs. Bulk foods for nuts and seeds and non-wheat whole grains.  Whole Body for hemp seed. Bay leaves from the baking isle. Frozen pineapple and mango. I glance at the list - check. check. check. Oh, wait. Tahini. Hrmmmm tahini.

Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It's used in a lot of Mediterranean and Asian foods. Ever had hummus? Then you've have tahini. Off we trot to the ethnic isle. We scour it. Nothing. Okay so let's check with the olives. Nope. Tomato sauces? Nuh-uh. Perhaps the mayonnaise? Not there either. *sigh* We locate a very friendly young man who doesn't know where the tahini is but will find someone who does. The next guy? He doesn't either. We all went to the same three places. Three times we struck out. So, next point of escalation- the shift manager.

Any guesses where the tahini lives?? With the peanut butter! I would never have thought of that! Ahhh tahini!

This evening I cleaned up and gathered my ingredients for the first new recipe. I took pictures all the way through and the end result was a GORGEOUS dish that was equally as delicious. Served alongside a bowl of mixed berries and some broiled, seasoned chicken we delighted in the first of many new high protein feasts to come over the next 12 weeks.

Laid out and ready to go!

 Red onion in.

 Quinoa going.

 Prepping while the onions and quinoa do their thing.

 Cutting pineapple a little smaller.

Voila!

Seasoning some chicken with Bangarang!

Sauteed the kale.

Almost yummy time.

And there it is! Sauteed kale with pineapple and caramelized onions. Served with quinoa and garnished with pumpkin seeds. 

Tomorrow I have big plans for another dinner feast as well as a breakfast switch up - smoothies!