a snowy day and letting go

 

 

We awoke this morning to a lovely blanket of snow, a long list of school closings, and boys excited to get out and clean the driveway (or maybe just play in the snow).

Fridays are busy days for us.  While the two older boys have school, our youngest boy has music class in the morning.  And then there's cello after school.  I was also going to stop by a couple of stores to get some more supplies for the oldest boy's camping adventure this weekend.  Yes, I said "camping".  Yes, it is January in Michigan.  I know, me too.

He's a Webelo with  our local Cub Scout group.  He's camping with a group of Boy Scouts for 24 hours which will help him earn the Outdoorsman badge.  The Boy Scouts have to camp in the elements whereas the Webelos will sleep in a heated pole barn.  That makes me feel a tad better.  They will be doing activities outside like building a snow fort...  That's all he can remember right now. *smile*

Nonetheless, I had to purchase some cold weather necessities like a fleece hood, nylon liner socks, ski socks, long underwear, and nylon shirts (I had those...he's wearing my running shirts) and pants.  He informed me that he may not wear cotton.  He'll be wearing a little cotton, but mostly a poly blend in multiple layers.  I think he'll be just fine.

 

This mama will feel much better when he and Daddy come home Sunday morning.

I had my helper in the kitchen again today.  Since we didn't have our full, busy day I was able to make a nice, big dinner.  I made Gimme Chimis from Dreena Burton's Eat, Drink and Be Vegan.  Have I mentioned I love this cookbook?  We had a yummy salad with her cumin-cinnamon vinaigrette and an avocado and tomato salad.  Yum.

Now we're just relaxing, having our movie night.  It's almost bedtime.

There's just one more thing that I'm very excited about.  I just joined Dr. Melissa West's website.  She is a Namaste yoga instructor and Thai massage therapist.  Being a member of her site I'm able to view her yoga DVDs online, receive her weekly yoga podcasts, view the bonus footage from her podcasts, participate in her online forum, self retreat, and lectures.  I'm very excited.  I've been wanting to learn more about yoga and work it into my daily life for a while now.  I'm happy to be able to do that with someone as knowledgeable as she.

It's getting close to bedtime, for boys and their Mommy (and Daddy).

Have a wonderful weekend.

husband's return home and more snow

I have a pretty steadfast routine.  It says that we stay home on Thursday.  I have been baking a lot this week.  I normally bake a lot, but we seem to be really going through the baked goods.  I don't buy any premade bakery items.  I'm not a fan of the added ingredients they put in theirs plus I like to use healthier flour and sugar and of course make them vegan.

Today we made granola.  More specifically, Hempanola (did you remember I spoke of it yesterday?)  This is a delicious recipe which uses barley flakes as well as oats.  The sweetener is brown rice syrup which coats every grain and leave the granola crunchy and in chunks.  Just the way I like it!  I added slivered almonds and chopped apricots.  I haven't tried any yet.  I'm waiting to have some for breakfast tomorrow morning.

I had a helper with me in the kitchen today.  He was in charge of stirring and adding the vanilla.  He was very specific that he wanted to add the vanilla.  Cute boy.

He had a rough night last night.  It took him a bit to fall asleep, then woke up several times before I made it to bed myself.  I could tell that he was warm and wanted to give him some ibuprofen to make him more comfortable, but he refused the medicine.  I was shocked!  Was this my child?  Refusing purple-colored syrupy medicine?  Apparently so.  He just wanted me to "put him back in there" pointing to his crib.  Adorable.  So, we kept things low-key today.  My type of day.

Anyway, more baking.  Chris had a fire meeting tonight and wanted me to make cookies.  Chocolate chip anyone?  Delicious.  I had to sample one, I must admit.

It was a coloring day, a day good for rolling Silly Putty into hot dog shapes and slicing it for "eating".

We were anticipating some snow.  Watching for it out the window.  Nothing happened until late afternoon.  It was right about the time we were expecting Daddy to leave and fly home.  His flight was delayed a bit, but not too long.  He was able to be with the boys for a bit before heading out to his meeting, cookies in tow.

Lunch was delicious leftovers.  I have my egg-less sandwich mix in the fridge, so I made another delicious sandwich to eat with leftover Quinoa, Kale, and White Bean Stew.

Oh my it's good.  You need to try it.

Now, I'm just watching the snow come down outside.  We're so happy it's snowing again.  It's been an odd winter.  We have gotten snow, then it promptly melts in 50 degree weather.  I can't complain really, although my boys are complaining!  And, I certainly don't want winter to be sticking around in April!  I'd rather have my snow now, thank you.

As I was taking these pictures, I could hear the teenagers across the street as they were shoveling their driveway.  One of them said, "I just saw lightning!"  Funny...it was just my flash.


Last night was a late night.  I tend to stay up late when my husband is out of town.  So, I think I'll finish both my glass of wine and my episode of chopped.  Maybe one day I'll see them compete using all vegan ingredients.  Now, that would be something to watch!

Good night all.

cooking catch-up

I've been on holiday hiatus.  Now that the holiday season has come and gone, the boys have gone back to school and we've gotten back into our school routine, my blog will hopefully follow suit.

We recently celebrated a big birthday in our house.  Mommy (aka, me!) turned the Big 4-0.  *sigh*  How can that be? 

 I'm not so sure, but I'm accepting it.  I'm getting more used to to the idea that I'm no longer in my 30's.  I'm approaching it more by thinking of what I can accomplish in my 40's now, instead of what I can no longer do now that I'm 40.  For instance, I've grown my hair out again.  There's that stereotype that older women (am I really an "older" woman?) shouldn't have long hair.  Forget that!  I want long hair again, so here it is.  Also, I'm eating healthier than I ever have in my life.  I hope to continue to run half marathons and strive to run a full marathon sometime in my 40's.

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We celebrated a lovely Christmas with my Mom, niece, brother, and his girlfriend.  I also was able to visit more with my other brother and his girlfriend.  Being with family during the holidays is the best.

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Now for the fun stuff.  My dear sister gave me Dreena Burton's third cookbook, Eat, Drink and Be Vegan, for my birthday.  Have I mentioned she's my favorite sister?  Eventhough she's my only sister, she really is the best.

I've been cooking my way through this fabulous cookbook, after reading it cover to cover.

I made Hempanola with pecans and dried cherries. 

It held up great in almond milk and was so yummy it didn't last long in our house.  I'll be making round two tomorrow with slivered almonds and apricots.

Another great recipe was her banana cream pancakes.  They're made with coconut milk.

I served them with her recipe for warm raspberry sauce, substituting blueberries for the raspberries since I didn't have any in my freezer.  So delicious!

I made a delicious vegan Christmas feast and I did not take pictures.  Boo!  It included chickpea cutlets, mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies (brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes), and various Christmas cookies for dessert.  Delicious!

But, I did take pictures of some of our New Years Day munchies.

Pizza Focaccia:

Delightful Artichoke Dip (from Dreena's The Everyday Vegan)

Roasted Red Pepper Dip (also from The Everyday Vegan)

And, back to Eat, Drink and Be Vegan.  Chocolate Mint Melties.  I had my eyes on these when I first saw them in the book.  So minty and chocolately and deliciously chewey.  I just made these last week, but I'll be making them again soon.

Now, this next photo is a sort of the best of both worlds.  It's a combination of a modified version of Fusilli Roasted Veggie Primavera from Isa Moskowitz's Appetite for Reduction and Dreena's Cashew Cheese.  I used some different veggies than what Isa had in her recipe and stirred in the cashew cheese.  What resulted was a miracle in its deliciousness and the fact that it pleased all 3 of my boys!  Definitely a miracle!

One last sweet treat to show you.  Again from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan..."You Got Peanut Butter in My Chocolate" Cookies.  Yummy!  Kari, this is the recipe I sent you today.

It's getting late (after 11pm my time!) but one more thing before I sign off.  I decided we need to begin a new tradition in our home: candles at dinner.  Maybe it's because my husband is a firefighter and that's why my boys appear to be pyromaniacs, but they love a candle.  We lit candles at dinner all through the Christmas season and they ooo'd and aaahh'd over them.  I know they've missed having candles lit at dinnertime and I have as well.  So, we're starting it back up again.  Maybe I'll get a little more creative and come up with a better centerpiece.  But for now this will do just fine.

Good night for now and until next time...

breakfast for dinner

We have breakfast for dinner quite often.  When I first started it, the boys thought it was hilarious.  Breakfast for dinner?!  Now, it's their favorite dinner.  It's great for me because I usually don't have to pick up anything specific at the store, I almost always have all the ingredients on hand.  And I can pre-measure my dry ingredients in the afternoon so dinner comes together quicker in the end.

Tonight I made pancakes and waffles, with my new waffle maker!  Well, I made pancakes on the griddle and waffles on the waffle maker.  Although you probably could have figured that out.  We also had fruit salad.  The boys are purists, and very set in their ways.  They can always tell when I try to make their pancakes different.  Whether I use whole wheat flour or try to veganize the recipe, they can tell.  So, I made their standard pancakes that I've been making for over 15 years.  They're good, but unfortunately they aren't vegan.  However, I did sneak some whole wheat flour in there.  Sneaky! 

For my waffles I used Isa Moskowitz's pumpkin waffle recipe.  They were vegan and so delicious served with pure maple syrup. 

 

I made chocolate chip brownie waffles last weekend.  Whoa mama, they were good.  And yes, they too are vegan.  

I'm kind of going backwards, but I want to mention lunch too.  I love mock egg salad sandwiches, and my sweet boy loves them too.  Today I tried Dreena Burton's egg-less salad recipe from The Everyday Vegan.  It's very easy to make and so delicious.  Mash the tofu as you would mash hard boiled eggs.  The recipe called for chopped pepper (I used a sweet red pepper), green onion, and celery (which I didn't have because it's a favorite of our guinnea pig).  Also a bit of apple cider vinegar, agave nectar, Dijon mustard, dill, salt and pepper.  Mix and put it on your favorite bread.  This is mine:

Stone House's Northcountry.  So yummy.

And here's the egg-less salad mix:

My helper wanted to be in the pictures too.  Don't you love that smile?

I served my sandwich with spinach and I would have liked to have put a slice of tomato on there, but I forgot to pick one up at the store.  The red pepper made up for it though.  I didn't miss the tomato at all.  And Mr. Smiley loved the sandwich so much I had to make a second one.

We'll be finishing up the leftovers tomorrow.  I can't wait!

busy tuesday

Tuesdays are busy for us.  After I pick the boys up from school at 3:30 we head over for my oldest son's piano lessons.  I've decided we can't come home before hand because we're usually late for the lesson.  So we take our time walking across campus looking at the squirrels and chipmunks.  We find pretty leaves or pinecones.   But today it was pouring rain, so instead we ran across the wet sidewalks, I was trying to swerve my youngest around the puddles.  You know boys are drawn to puddles, right?  Actually, I think all kids are drawn to puddles.

I wasn't really in the mood for a full day like today.  The boys have been getting up early because of the time change...they have yet to adjust.  As a result they've been a bit on the cranky and irritable side...not so fun.  But, one of these mornings they won't get up at 5:30.  Hopefully tomorrow is that morning.

It was a rainy day, a day I would have just rather come home, stoked up the fire in the fireplace and snuggled with my boys on the floor.  But I knew if I cancelled piano, my oldest would have taken that ball and run with it.  Anytime he wasn't up for a lesson, he would want to cancel.  So we went.  And all was well.  He played, the other boys and I explored the building like we usually do, savoring our time in the stairwell.  They like to hide under the stairs.  There are plenty of students who like seeing a 6 year old and 2 year old in the halls.  They're all away from their families and I think it helps them remember their families back home.

On our way home I had that let down feeling.  The kind of feeling you get when you've had a marathon-type of day and it was finally over.  The feeling that lets you know you can take a deep breath and relax.  The vibe was good in the car, we heard some of our favorite songs, and we knew that we were headed home.

It's a good feeling.

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Onto the meals for the day...

I was sad to see I was out of Cheerios this morning.  But it was a good day for a bowl of oatmeal.  I had mine with a touch of natural sugar, cinnamon, raisins, and pecans.  And don't forget my favorite chai tea! 

We had a coffee date with some other new moms from the boys school.  Nickel got a cup of fruit and a muffin and I finished my chai.  It was nice to talk with the moms and my boy did much better than I expected, given the cranky morning he had.

He makes for a pretty cute lunch date though.

Now, on to lunch.  I had my favorite salad as big as my head.  I took two pictures so you could get a feel for the size of this monstrosity.

I made this one with one head of romaine, a handful of spinach, some sesame seeds, one avocado, 6 button mushrooms, 8 asparagus spears and dressed with a pomegranate vinaigrette.  I sauteed the mushrooms and asparagus in a little EVOO.  I like the contrast of the warm sauteed veggies with the cool crisp romaine.  Delicious!

I finally made more cookies today too.  I had 2...since I hadn't had any dessert since Saturday.  That put me over the top though, and I wasn't hungry for dinner when the boys were eating.  My dinner came after their bedtime and I ended up having a big bowl of Cheerios topped with banana and raspberries.

So that's it.  I'm heading to bed for an earlier bedtime.  I'm sooooo hoping these boys can adjust so they can be happier.

Until tomorrow.

give a green smoothie a chance

I kept to my diet over the weekend.  It's getting easier saying no to the things I used to say yes to, like soft drinks, sweets, processed foods.  We ate lunch out and I skipped the soft drink, opting for water instead.  Saturday's breakfast was my famous bowl of Cheerios heaped with fresh fruit and my ever faithful cup of chai tea.  Lunch was Qdoba tacos, veggie style, minus the cheese and sour cream but heaped with pico and lettuce.  Yum!  Dinner was leftover vegan lasagna...so creamy and still delicious!  I finished the chocolate chip cookies, so there was an emergency on hand.  Baking was definitely on the agenda for Sunday.

Sunday's breakfast was a favorite for me and my youngest:  steel cut oats with blueberries and cinnamon.  My 2 year old an I eat 3 servings of this easily!  It's so warm and delicious, it almost tastes like a blueberry pie.

Lunch was a simple PBJ with pickles and apples.

And dinner was a favorite, Spaghetti No's with Mini Lentil Meatballs.  I don't have a picture, but Isa's photo is great.  I'm working on getting approval from Ms Moskowitz to link to her site.  Once I hear back, I'll add in the link. 

I noticed I ran out of popcorn, and my pumpkin seeds were long gone, so I was starting to panic...what was I going to snack on?!?  Nuts and dried fruit to the rescue!  Cashews, brazil nuts, dried cherries and apricots did the trick.

I did some baking, chocolate marble banana bread...heavenly.  And, as of Monday night, it's gone.  I'll have to make another loaf because everyone loved it.  I didn't have everything I needed to make the cookies I wanted, so that went on the back burner.  Chocolate banana bread stood in well as dessert Sunday night.

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Today's breakfast was a vibrant green smoothie with toast topped with pumpkin butter.  I'm loving my green smoothies.  I admit, I was a little scared at first.  But, if you add enough fruit, and most of it should be frozen, then you can't taste the greens.  I like to use kale partly because I still have some in my garden, but mostly because they have a great amount of absorb-able iron.  And, I tend to be iron deficient.  I used kale, pineapple, cantaloupe, pear, flax oil, and hemp seed.  You can add flax seed in place of the oil and hemp seed.  I just used what I had on hand.  If you want it to stay that pretty green color, be sure not to add anything purple or red.  Blueberries taste delicious, but they do turn it into a dark purple color, just an FYI.

 Today's lunch was a big salad.  And, I forgot to take a picture!  Crazy!  Not to worry, I'll be having another one tomorrow.  More details tomorrow on what I like to put in it too.

Dinner was leftover lentil meatballs with velvety cheesy sauce.  You gotta try that recipe, I'm just sayin'.

Now, on to the fun stuff.  The boys have been raking leaves all weekend.  They've been disappointed that my extremely efficient husband has been, up until now, munching up the leaves before they've had a chance to play in them.  So, we had a talk and asked Daddy to please leave the leaves so they could get their fill.

 Daniel is saving some leaves by keeping them on the deck.  My two year old was then jumping off the deck box into the leaf pile.  sigh

 Fall is in full swing.  It gets dark now as we're eating dinner and the first forecast for snow is in on its way for Wednesday night.  We could quite possibly wake up to snow on Thursday.  Hooray!

Until tomorrow, enjoy your evening.

challenges

I've been vegetarian for 5 years and vegan for almost 1 year.  However, I cheat from time to time, eating dairy (cheese, ice cream) and eggs from time to time.  But, I have an extreme addiction to sugar.  I envy those who pass up dessert, wishing I could do the same.  I can't.  So that's why I thought I could use a good challenge.

I decided to give up refined sugar and flour.  gasp!  I know...what is a girl to do, the week before Halloween and I give up sugar?!?  Argh!!!  But, I have done it before.  I gave up refined flour and sugar once before, about eight years ago.  Boy, that's a long time ago.  And, I'd given up candy once just in time for Halloween, but that was, and I'd be guessing, about 1991 or 1992.  Sheesh!  It's about time for me to start giving that junk up!

So I'm talking on the phone with my sister the other day and she asks, "What do you eat?"


That gave me the idea to share some of the things I'm eating.


This was my breakfast this morning.  A big bowl of Cheerios topped with fresh raspberries, bananas, and unsweetened almond milk.  I also had a nice big cup of chai tea with agave nectar and vanilla almond milk.  

 

 

 

My youngest and I had music class this morning, so I brought some cantaloup to snack on.

 

 

 

For lunch I bought a vegan sandwich from our local Coop with some pears, and pickles.  You gotta have pickles with your sandwich, right?

 

 

 This afternoon I snacked on some pumpkin seeds.

Then, dinner was a yummy vegan lasagna with asparagus, mushrooms, cashew cheese (courtesy of the fabulous Dreena Burton), and topped with Daiya cheese.

 

 

I have some vegan, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies that I'd made earlier in the week.  You can find the recipe here.  You may wonder how they could be good if they are vegan.  Try them, I ask you, and then tell me that they don't taste like mama's home made cookies.  So, I have them been happily eating them for dessert.  

It can be done!  And, I made it through the day without any Halloween candy or ice cream!  Hooray for me!

I'm curious to hear about anyway you like to challenge yourself.  I encourage you to try to make one healthier meal a week.  There is a site called Meatless Monday that might give you a place to start.  Another easy way to start eating healthier is to substitute unsweetened almond milk for your cows milk on your cereal.  You may notice a slight difference in taste, but you will only notice it the first time.

Happy eating!