Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Spiced Maple Banana Bread
It has been an awesome weekend of baking in our home.We've made Pumpkin Muffins, Everything Cookies and my personal favorite Spiced Maple Banana Bread.
I got some fantastic organic black bananas from our local grocery store for a great price, and I set out to make an amazing, allergy friendly, spiced banana bread. After a little trial and error I believe I have succeed in making the perfect loaf of gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, egg free, soy free banana bread!!
I have a some mini loaves, and muffins in the oven now. The muffins I added carob chips to, you could easily use chocolate chips if you prefer, just make sure they are Fair Trade Certified. Also, if using carob or chocolate chips, make sure to read the label as a lot of carob and chocolate use both dairy and soy.
Directions
Mix together dry ingredients in a big bowl or mixer, add in wet ingredients one at a time adding the milk last to achieve the best consistency.
Pour batter into a oiled loaf pan, or muffin cups. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before eating or the center will be a bit mushy.
The crust will be a bit of a darker brown than you might be used to, it's from the pecans, don't worry it isn't burnt. :)
Enjoy!!!
* Side note, if your nut free you may substitute 3 cups of your favorite gf flour, You might have to add more or less milk depending on your flour. Rice milk and Hemp milk would be a great substitute for the almond milk.
I got some fantastic organic black bananas from our local grocery store for a great price, and I set out to make an amazing, allergy friendly, spiced banana bread. After a little trial and error I believe I have succeed in making the perfect loaf of gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, egg free, soy free banana bread!!
I have a some mini loaves, and muffins in the oven now. The muffins I added carob chips to, you could easily use chocolate chips if you prefer, just make sure they are Fair Trade Certified. Also, if using carob or chocolate chips, make sure to read the label as a lot of carob and chocolate use both dairy and soy.
Spiced Maple Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Pecan Meal*
- 1.5 cups Almond Meal*
- 3 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Xanthum Gum or 1 tsp Guar Gum
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/4 cup Maple Agave or Pure Maple Syrup
- 3 very ripe, mashed organic bananas
- 1/2 cup almond milk*
Directions
Mix together dry ingredients in a big bowl or mixer, add in wet ingredients one at a time adding the milk last to achieve the best consistency.
Pour batter into a oiled loaf pan, or muffin cups. Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before eating or the center will be a bit mushy.
The crust will be a bit of a darker brown than you might be used to, it's from the pecans, don't worry it isn't burnt. :)
Enjoy!!!
* Side note, if your nut free you may substitute 3 cups of your favorite gf flour, You might have to add more or less milk depending on your flour. Rice milk and Hemp milk would be a great substitute for the almond milk.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
picture me {im}perfectly. White Elephants
Two nights ago the boys and I were headed to scouts and we needed to make a quick stop by Walgreens to pick up a white elephant gift for J. I let him run in by himself, and use $5 of his own money to pick the gift, something that I never do, but I was hoping it would give him a little since of freedom, and help him to get a little more excited about his white elephant exchange.
J hops in the truck all excited to show me what he had decided upon, he had gotten 2 boxes of candy canes and a very large chocolate coin.
The FIRST thing out of my mouth was. . ."J, that isn't fair trade chocolate, why in the world would you knowingly buy chocolate that wasn't fair traded?"
He replied sheepishly that he had thought about it, but he wanted to get something that he knew the other boys would really like and he knows everybody loves candy, and with $5 to spend and at Walgreens no less, he didn't have much option. He hung his head. . .
Why in the world did I do that, I mean to ease into it would have been one thing, but to jump right into the negative. . . wow. Mommy FAIL.
We have since cuddled and talked about how I made him feel, and I have apologized for the way that I handled that situation, but that was a big moment for him, and I took the spotlight away with my negative comment.
Has this ever happened to you? How did you handle it?
J hops in the truck all excited to show me what he had decided upon, he had gotten 2 boxes of candy canes and a very large chocolate coin.
The FIRST thing out of my mouth was. . ."J, that isn't fair trade chocolate, why in the world would you knowingly buy chocolate that wasn't fair traded?"
He replied sheepishly that he had thought about it, but he wanted to get something that he knew the other boys would really like and he knows everybody loves candy, and with $5 to spend and at Walgreens no less, he didn't have much option. He hung his head. . .
Why in the world did I do that, I mean to ease into it would have been one thing, but to jump right into the negative. . . wow. Mommy FAIL.
We have since cuddled and talked about how I made him feel, and I have apologized for the way that I handled that situation, but that was a big moment for him, and I took the spotlight away with my negative comment.
Has this ever happened to you? How did you handle it?
Monday, December 5, 2011
Jolly Oh Saint Nicolas
When the clock is striking twelve
when I'm fast asleep
Down the chimney, broad and black
with your pack you'll creep
All the stockings you will find
hanging in a row
Mine will be the shortest one
you'll be sure to know
BobbyJ wants a pair of skatesSuzyD wants a sledNellieC wants a picture book yellow, blue, and red Now I think I'll leave to you what to give the rest Choose for me, dear Santa Claus you will know the best.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Snow, Peppermint Coffee and a Gorgeous 8 Month Old
Oh how I do love the mornings when you wake up and there are a few inches of snow blanketing the ground in sparkly white.
After cooking the older boys steak, eggs and bacon with peppermint hot chocolate for a December first breakfast done right, they are off to school and C and I got down to business, my baby is 8 months old today. EIGHT, where did this year go and how did my little man get so big. In just four short months we will be celebrating his first birthday, hopefully in Moab with our family. In the mean time, we are capturing him at 8 months, his first December, his first Christmas. I love firsts!
In the kitchen, I have peppermint coffee brewing, it smells a little like heaven. I tried to make peppermint coffee last week, I don't know if it was the fact that it was still November that threw it off, but let me tell you, mixing dried peppermint leaves with coffee and letting it brew. . . FAIL.
Today I used peppermint extract in with my grounds*, it turned out REALLY good. Filled my mug half full of steamed almond milk and stirred in a tsp of vanilla agave, it tastes like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie. . . not kidding.
So now C is napping, I'm just finished editing his pictures and I am in love. I'll share this one for now, not sure what I want to put on the Christmas cards just yet. <3
*Update - I added 1 TBSP organic baking carob in with my grounds today, EVEN BETTER! I'm sure that cocoa would work too, for those of you who's EBF baby isn't intolerant to chocolate!
After cooking the older boys steak, eggs and bacon with peppermint hot chocolate for a December first breakfast done right, they are off to school and C and I got down to business, my baby is 8 months old today. EIGHT, where did this year go and how did my little man get so big. In just four short months we will be celebrating his first birthday, hopefully in Moab with our family. In the mean time, we are capturing him at 8 months, his first December, his first Christmas. I love firsts!
In the kitchen, I have peppermint coffee brewing, it smells a little like heaven. I tried to make peppermint coffee last week, I don't know if it was the fact that it was still November that threw it off, but let me tell you, mixing dried peppermint leaves with coffee and letting it brew. . . FAIL.
Today I used peppermint extract in with my grounds*, it turned out REALLY good. Filled my mug half full of steamed almond milk and stirred in a tsp of vanilla agave, it tastes like a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie. . . not kidding.
So now C is napping, I'm just finished editing his pictures and I am in love. I'll share this one for now, not sure what I want to put on the Christmas cards just yet. <3
*Update - I added 1 TBSP organic baking carob in with my grounds today, EVEN BETTER! I'm sure that cocoa would work too, for those of you who's EBF baby isn't intolerant to chocolate!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
WW ~ Autumn Walk
Out for one of the last few walks we'll get before the season's change from warm browns, golds and reds of autumn to the cool whites and blues of winter.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
GIVEAWAY!! MyEcoBabies Wool Soaker
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
GF/DF Lasagna with Butternut Squash Sauce
Cold weather brings on the cravings for comfort food, having a strong love of Italian foods has been one of our biggest challenges with our allergies. A few weeks ago Angela Liddon at Oh She Glows put up a post for her Vegan Lasagna with Basil Cashew Cheeze and I just had to try it and since we're not vegan, I went ahead and added in some ground beef, and I omitted the lemon juice.
We haven't had lasagna in over.four.years, it took a little experimenting to get a good pasta sauce down since none of us can have tomatoes, but I did it, and my family LOVES it. They've begged me quite a few times to make it, and it always disappears very quickly. The first batch I made with gold beets, the second was made with red beets. I think the red gave it more of a tomato sauce feel, either way it was YUMMY!
So thank you Angela for the inspiration and without further adieu. . .
Gluten Free Lasagna with Basil Cashew Cheese and Butternut Squash Meat Sauce.
Ingredients
1 package rice noodles. (We use Tinkyada Rice Pasta)
2-3 lb butternut squash
1.5 lb grassfed ground beef
7 generous sized garlic cloves
1/2 white onion, coarsely chopped
1 c. raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
1 T. dijon mustard
1/2 c. dried basil or 1.5c fresh basil
1/2 c. nutritional yeast
1/4 c. dried parsley or 3/4c fresh parsley
1/2 c. olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Diced veggies- of any kind.
Zucchini slices
Directions
Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise, clean out seeds and put the two halves with the rind up in a casserole dish with about an inch of water. Sprinkle 5 of the garlic cloves around the squash, cover with foil and bake for about an hour at 350 degrees.Chop or shred your veggies (we used carrots and beets this time) Brown the ground beef, mix in with the veggies and set aside.
While your waiting you can prepare the Basil Cashew Cheese sauce.
Put the cashews in a blender along with about 1/4-1/2 cup of the water they soaked in, add in the remaining two garlic cloves, dijon mustard, basil, yeast and salt and pepper. Blend until you get a nice thick consistency, about like ricotta cheese. If your sauce is too runny, add a bit more yeast until desired consistency is reached. Put into a bowl and set aside.
Begin to boil the noodles.
When the squash is soft, scoop it out of the rind and place into the blender, add the five garlic cloves from the pan, the chopped onion, parsley, and olive oil. Blend until creamy, and water if necessary to reach desired consistency.
Mix the butternut squash sauce in with the ground beef and veggies.
Drain the noodles and rinse in cold water, this keeps the rice noodles from sticking together.
Put a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of a deep casserole dish, then place in noodles and begin to layer noodles, meat and cheese sauce. Continue until your out or you reach the top of the pan. For the last layer I place the zucchini slices on top and spray a bit of olive oil on them. Cover with foil and bake 350 degrees for an hour or until warm and bubbly.
We haven't had lasagna in over.four.years, it took a little experimenting to get a good pasta sauce down since none of us can have tomatoes, but I did it, and my family LOVES it. They've begged me quite a few times to make it, and it always disappears very quickly. The first batch I made with gold beets, the second was made with red beets. I think the red gave it more of a tomato sauce feel, either way it was YUMMY!
So thank you Angela for the inspiration and without further adieu. . .
Gluten Free Lasagna with Basil Cashew Cheese and Butternut Squash Meat Sauce.
Ingredients
1 package rice noodles. (We use Tinkyada Rice Pasta)2-3 lb butternut squash
1.5 lb grassfed ground beef
7 generous sized garlic cloves
1/2 white onion, coarsely chopped
1 c. raw cashews, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes
1 T. dijon mustard
1/2 c. dried basil or 1.5c fresh basil
1/2 c. nutritional yeast
1/4 c. dried parsley or 3/4c fresh parsley
1/2 c. olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Diced veggies- of any kind.
Zucchini slices
Directions
Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise, clean out seeds and put the two halves with the rind up in a casserole dish with about an inch of water. Sprinkle 5 of the garlic cloves around the squash, cover with foil and bake for about an hour at 350 degrees.Chop or shred your veggies (we used carrots and beets this time) Brown the ground beef, mix in with the veggies and set aside.
While your waiting you can prepare the Basil Cashew Cheese sauce.
Put the cashews in a blender along with about 1/4-1/2 cup of the water they soaked in, add in the remaining two garlic cloves, dijon mustard, basil, yeast and salt and pepper. Blend until you get a nice thick consistency, about like ricotta cheese. If your sauce is too runny, add a bit more yeast until desired consistency is reached. Put into a bowl and set aside.
Begin to boil the noodles.
When the squash is soft, scoop it out of the rind and place into the blender, add the five garlic cloves from the pan, the chopped onion, parsley, and olive oil. Blend until creamy, and water if necessary to reach desired consistency.
Mix the butternut squash sauce in with the ground beef and veggies.
Drain the noodles and rinse in cold water, this keeps the rice noodles from sticking together.
Put a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom of a deep casserole dish, then place in noodles and begin to layer noodles, meat and cheese sauce. Continue until your out or you reach the top of the pan. For the last layer I place the zucchini slices on top and spray a bit of olive oil on them. Cover with foil and bake 350 degrees for an hour or until warm and bubbly.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Flavored Coffee
I love flavored coffee's, nothing helps you to feel more cozy on a cold day than waking up to a nice warm pot of {seasonal} flavored coffee and my house smelling divine. I however find that most flavored coffee makes me feel 'off'. The coffee labels don't really tell you what they use to get the flavor in your coffee, they tell you "Natural and Artificial Flavors", leading me to wonder what exactly are the natural and artificial flavors?
While doing some "googling", I ran across this article by Phil Lempert titled How Natural is "natural flavoring?" in the article he states that "The definition of “natural flavor” under the Code of Federal Regulations is: “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional” (21CFR101.22). Any other added flavor therefore is artificial. (For the record, any monosodium glutamate, or MSG, used to flavor food must be declared on the label as such). Both artificial and natural flavors are made by “flavorists” in a laboratory by blending either “natural” chemicals or “synthetic” chemicals to create flavorings."
Stir together, push the brew button and wallah, home made flavored coffee, and you know exactly what went into it!
While doing some "googling", I ran across this article by Phil Lempert titled How Natural is "natural flavoring?" in the article he states that "The definition of “natural flavor” under the Code of Federal Regulations is: “the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional” (21CFR101.22). Any other added flavor therefore is artificial. (For the record, any monosodium glutamate, or MSG, used to flavor food must be declared on the label as such). Both artificial and natural flavors are made by “flavorists” in a laboratory by blending either “natural” chemicals or “synthetic” chemicals to create flavorings."
In this other article I found on Squidoo, it tells us that " A single natural or artificial flavor can contain many different
ingredients; e.g. the artficial "strawberry" flavor contains 49
ingredients, most of which are difficult-to-pronounce chemical compounds." and that "The FDA does not require that flavor companies disclose ingredients
as long as all the ingredients are considered "Generally Regarded as
Safe." This policy allows flavor companies to protect their secret
flavor formulas." GROSS. . .
Ok, that was just two articles I found while spending half an hour on this topic, I defiantly need to do some more research into this. I know that my boys are allergic to most "artificial flavors" and now I'm beginning to understand why, who really knows what goes into them and how can I know they are safe to put into my own body, let alone give to my children.
Back to the coffee, this morning I created a masterpiece, and a stepping stone into my own world of flavored coffee without the additives. This morning I am drinking a homemade cinnamon spice coffee with almond milk and a hint of agave. My coffee is fair trade, we do our best to buy Fair Trade whenever possible. Kristen over at Rage Against The Minivan has written a great piece on child slavery and our chocolate supply which you can find here if you are so inclined as to get a glimpse as to what "fair trade" really means, and why you should spend the extra money for it. But before you sit down to read that, you should make a pot of this exquisite coffee for yourself, because you deserve it, because it's easy to do, and because it's not only healthier for you but it really does taste better!
Cinnamon Spice Coffee
Start your coffee as your normally would, I fill my wire basket half full of my favorite fair trade, organic kona blend. Then comes the magic, add
1/2 tsp organic cinnamon
1/4 tsp organic cloves
a dash of organic nutmeg
a dash of organic ginger
Stir together, push the brew button and wallah, home made flavored coffee, and you know exactly what went into it!
I hope you enjoy this, please, let me know. Also, if you have more information on natural and artificial flavors for me, I would love some reading material!
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Organization - My Twelve Step Program - Step Two
October has come and gone, we've been working regularly on keeping up with our laundry, our set days and making sure things don't run together, J and D have been doing a great job with using the washer and dryer and I can only hope that one day their wives will be grateful.
Some days though, are harder than others, and sometimes a full day will slip by me before I realize what has happened. C has been a big mommy's boy the last month, and as he's getting a little older, he is becoming more clingy and attached to me. This includes nap times, I'm lucky if C gets in a full hour before waking back up, I love the attention from him, and I love the snuggles, but it has been leaving my house in a mess and some days leaves me feeling over touched and just worn out by the time he goes to bed.
I have my Ergo on order, and hopefully it will be delivered early this week, allowing me to start getting things done again while holding my boy close and making sure that he stays comfortable. I love my ring sling, but with my boy getting heaver and heaver, and the sling sitting on only one shoulder it has been giving me a ton of back pain.
So we will continue to work on step one this next month, while incorporating in step two, daily chores. We have started helper charts for the boys to know when their laundry day is, now I am going to add in one chore a day, per boy, that they can help around the house with.Here is what their schedules look like.
Tuesday -Empty dishwasher
Wednesday - Empty downstairs trash
Thursday - Wash clothes and sheets and put away
Friday - Rinse and load dirty dishes
Saturday - Clean bedroom, vacuum floor
Sunday - Rest and play
D
Monday - Empty dishwasher
Tuesday - Empty upstairs trash
Wednesday - Wash clothes and sheets and put away
Thursday -Rinse and load dirty dishes
Friday - Scoop cat litter
Saturday - Clean bedroom, vacuum floor
Sunday - Rest and play
Perhaps this schedule can free up some time for me, so that I can enjoy more time with my family and less time worrying about things that need to be done around the house.
I'm looking forward to this, lets hope it brings some much needed help, organization and peace to our home.
Some days though, are harder than others, and sometimes a full day will slip by me before I realize what has happened. C has been a big mommy's boy the last month, and as he's getting a little older, he is becoming more clingy and attached to me. This includes nap times, I'm lucky if C gets in a full hour before waking back up, I love the attention from him, and I love the snuggles, but it has been leaving my house in a mess and some days leaves me feeling over touched and just worn out by the time he goes to bed.
I have my Ergo on order, and hopefully it will be delivered early this week, allowing me to start getting things done again while holding my boy close and making sure that he stays comfortable. I love my ring sling, but with my boy getting heaver and heaver, and the sling sitting on only one shoulder it has been giving me a ton of back pain.
So we will continue to work on step one this next month, while incorporating in step two, daily chores. We have started helper charts for the boys to know when their laundry day is, now I am going to add in one chore a day, per boy, that they can help around the house with.Here is what their schedules look like.
J
Monday - Scoop cat litterTuesday -Empty dishwasher
Wednesday - Empty downstairs trash
Thursday - Wash clothes and sheets and put away
Friday - Rinse and load dirty dishes
Saturday - Clean bedroom, vacuum floor
Sunday - Rest and play
D
Monday - Empty dishwasher
Tuesday - Empty upstairs trash
Wednesday - Wash clothes and sheets and put away
Thursday -Rinse and load dirty dishes
Friday - Scoop cat litter
Saturday - Clean bedroom, vacuum floor
Sunday - Rest and play
Perhaps this schedule can free up some time for me, so that I can enjoy more time with my family and less time worrying about things that need to be done around the house.
I'm looking forward to this, lets hope it brings some much needed help, organization and peace to our home.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Pumpkin Stuffed Meatloaf
This year Autumn has been absolutely beautiful in Colorado, we got to enjoy a full show of colors followed by the crunching of leaves and now in blows our snow. Winter in the Denver area is usually pretty nice, we'll get a big snowstorm that will leave us with 6-20 inches of beautiful white, sparkly powder all over creating a magical wonderland, only to have the next few days be sunny and warm enough to melt most of the snow, then the process will start all over again. Snowy days are beautiful, and one of my very favorite things along with pumpkins, and pumpkins are in abundance right now, they are great for snuggling with a hot pumpkin latte, baking pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, or our newest venture. . .Pumpkin stuffed meatloaf.
This was really quite easy and quick to throw together, it made the whole house smell so yummy!
Ingredients:
1 two to three pound organic pie pumpkin
2 pounds of grassfed ground beef (or meat of your choice)
1 cup shredded organic carrots
1/2 cup shredded organic zucchini
1 chopped organic yellow beet*
Season to taste
Directions:
Cut your pumpkin in half, lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and the strings. You can save your seeds to roast.
In a separate bowl mix together the meat, veggies and seasoning with about 1/4 of water (depending on your altitude and the weather). Stuff the pumpkin with the mix, rub the top with a bit of olive oil. Cover with foil and bake 350 degrees for about an hour.
The grease softens the pumpkin and it scoops right out of the rind when you serve up your meatloaf. Not only makes for a yummy addition to normal meatloaf, but it also saves you a pan. My husband and kids LOVED this meal, even my picky boy ate (most of) his pumpkin!
Serve with a side of quinoa.
*Side note, Sam found organic yellow beets
at the store and couldn't wait to bring them home to try. They tasted almost the same as a normal, red beet, but a little more mild. You could use a red beet in this and it would be just as good, and add in some fun color as well.
This was really quite easy and quick to throw together, it made the whole house smell so yummy!
Ingredients:
1 two to three pound organic pie pumpkin
2 pounds of grassfed ground beef (or meat of your choice)
1 cup shredded organic carrots
1/2 cup shredded organic zucchini
1 chopped organic yellow beet*
Season to taste
Directions:
Cut your pumpkin in half, lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and the strings. You can save your seeds to roast.
In a separate bowl mix together the meat, veggies and seasoning with about 1/4 of water (depending on your altitude and the weather). Stuff the pumpkin with the mix, rub the top with a bit of olive oil. Cover with foil and bake 350 degrees for about an hour.
The grease softens the pumpkin and it scoops right out of the rind when you serve up your meatloaf. Not only makes for a yummy addition to normal meatloaf, but it also saves you a pan. My husband and kids LOVED this meal, even my picky boy ate (most of) his pumpkin!
Serve with a side of quinoa.
at the store and couldn't wait to bring them home to try. They tasted almost the same as a normal, red beet, but a little more mild. You could use a red beet in this and it would be just as good, and add in some fun color as well.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Snuggly
Where has the last week gone to? I have a crawler, don't tell him that though, he is trying to walk. He moves and wiggles all over the place and gets into EVERYTHING. Baby proofing never had to happen with my older two boys, I told them no once, ok ok maybe twice, but still, they didn't get into it. C, lol, he is my little fire sign and he just laughs when mommy tells him no, then screams when I move him away from it to distract him. He has been SO clingy to me all week, including only napping if I hold him, that I haven't gotten anything accomplished in our home all week. I have a sling, two actually, but he wiggles and squirms and crawls his way right out of them. I want an Ergo, maybe with the birthday money I have saved I can get just that, if I can find a used one. Today we have discovered a new game, he cries when I set him down and giggles as soon as I pick him up, little stinker, he knows just how to tug mommy's heart strings.
So, organizing, well. . .we have worked on it, and it is coming along, just not as fast as I would have liked to see. If you remember from my last post I talked about wanting to work on a helper schedule, and I came up with a good one. Each boy has one different chore each night of the week, except for Sunday. Two chores if one is little, but no more than that. However, it has been a bit much to swallow, so we've come down to one thing. LAUNDRY. I have set specific days for laundry, so that we know what is done what day and no one is overwhelmed. J and D each have their own day to do laundry, one day is for C and myself, one for Sam, one for blankets, sheets and towels. It has been working well so far, except I can't get MY laundry put away right now, but that is ok, I'll take the trade off of my snuggly little man, because I know very well that they don't stay like this for long.
Today, well today we're going to just snuggle and watch the snow fall.
So, organizing, well. . .we have worked on it, and it is coming along, just not as fast as I would have liked to see. If you remember from my last post I talked about wanting to work on a helper schedule, and I came up with a good one. Each boy has one different chore each night of the week, except for Sunday. Two chores if one is little, but no more than that. However, it has been a bit much to swallow, so we've come down to one thing. LAUNDRY. I have set specific days for laundry, so that we know what is done what day and no one is overwhelmed. J and D each have their own day to do laundry, one day is for C and myself, one for Sam, one for blankets, sheets and towels. It has been working well so far, except I can't get MY laundry put away right now, but that is ok, I'll take the trade off of my snuggly little man, because I know very well that they don't stay like this for long.
Today, well today we're going to just snuggle and watch the snow fall.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Organization - My Twelve Step Program - Step One
For the month of October I have decided that our biggest challenge in our home is laundry. We tried to do all chores the first month. Mistake. So we've started with LAUNDRY. It piles up. . . everywhere. Dirty laundry, clean laundry, socks. . .we have so many clothes I have started to go through them and make boxes for our local women's shelter and for our local consignment store. We NEED to get rid of some of these clothes, especially since my older boys wear uniforms to school, and pretty much the same 3 outfits after school over the course of the week and on weekends. I'm pretty sure on a weekly basis, I rewash clean laundry that is still folded, at least once per child.
So here is the laundry schedule I have set up. Lets hope that we can all stick to it.
Monday - Diapers, C & Mom’s clothes
Tuesday - Sam's clothes
Wednesday - D’s clothes & sheets
Thursday - J’ clothes & sheets
Friday - Diapers
Saturday - Blankets, Sheets & Towels
Sunday - REST
Wish us luck. . . :-)
So here is the laundry schedule I have set up. Lets hope that we can all stick to it.
Laundry Schedule
Monday - Diapers, C & Mom’s clothes
Tuesday - Sam's clothes
Wednesday - D’s clothes & sheets
Thursday - J’ clothes & sheets
Friday - Diapers
Saturday - Blankets, Sheets & Towels
Sunday - REST
Wish us luck. . . :-)
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge - Week Two
This week at Project Alicia the photo challenge is Yellow. This afternoon Sam and I got the kiddos out of the house for some MUCH needed fresh air time at the park, C and I walked (well, he crawled) around, explored and got out some of his Aries energy while the older boys played and Sam napped in the grass. I love Autumn!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Pumpkin Chip Cookies
All of my life my greatest memories involve family and food, those two things generally being combined.
Four years ago, when we were diagnosed with multiple food allergies depression set it. I didn't know what to do, in one visit with our naturalist we were told to stay away from gluten, animal dairy, corn, soy, potatoes, tomatoes, peanuts, cane sugar and artificial colors and flavors (and eggs for J). BIG shock to the system. . .and a week before my D's birthday. The cake and ice cream we had in the freezer had to be given away, we had no ideas on how to handle his birthday, or the upcoming holidays. That first year was HARD.
The last few years we have gone through a lot of changes and we are constantly being introduced to new. New foods, new companies, new ways to bake and cook for holidays and seasons.
Autumn is my favorite season, hands down. The sights, the smells, pumpkin patches, hay rides, corn mazes, hot apple cider, and pumpkin chip cookies! I got an amazing cookie recipe from an old neighbor years ago, one that many of my friends have either begged me for, or begged me to make. After some tweaking and swapping to make everything allergy friendly, here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
2/3 c. brown rice flour
1/3 c. millet flour
1/2 c. sorghum flour
1/2 c. tapioca starch
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan or guar gum
Mix together dry ingredients, then add in:
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 tsp almond milk
1 c. fresh, creamed or canned pumpkin
1/2 c. light olive oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. molasses
1c. carob or chocolate chips
pecans for top (if you like them)
Your mix is going to be very sticky, coat your hands in some of the same oil you used in the batter and roll your dough into small balls. If using pecans, press one pecan into the top of each cookie. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes depending on your oven.
Four years ago, when we were diagnosed with multiple food allergies depression set it. I didn't know what to do, in one visit with our naturalist we were told to stay away from gluten, animal dairy, corn, soy, potatoes, tomatoes, peanuts, cane sugar and artificial colors and flavors (and eggs for J). BIG shock to the system. . .and a week before my D's birthday. The cake and ice cream we had in the freezer had to be given away, we had no ideas on how to handle his birthday, or the upcoming holidays. That first year was HARD.
The last few years we have gone through a lot of changes and we are constantly being introduced to new. New foods, new companies, new ways to bake and cook for holidays and seasons.
Autumn is my favorite season, hands down. The sights, the smells, pumpkin patches, hay rides, corn mazes, hot apple cider, and pumpkin chip cookies! I got an amazing cookie recipe from an old neighbor years ago, one that many of my friends have either begged me for, or begged me to make. After some tweaking and swapping to make everything allergy friendly, here is the recipe. I hope you enjoy!
Ingredients
2/3 c. brown rice flour
1/3 c. millet flour
1/2 c. sorghum flour
1/2 c. tapioca starch
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp xanthan or guar gum
Mix together dry ingredients, then add in:
1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 tsp almond milk
1 c. fresh, creamed or canned pumpkin
1/2 c. light olive oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. molasses
1c. carob or chocolate chips
pecans for top (if you like them)
Your mix is going to be very sticky, coat your hands in some of the same oil you used in the batter and roll your dough into small balls. If using pecans, press one pecan into the top of each cookie. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes depending on your oven.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Organization - My Twelve Step Program
I made a resolution for my 30th birthday, I've never been one to make resolutions, the whole New Years thing just seemed kinda cheesy to me, but here I am. Trying to figure out new ways to make my life a little better, a little less messy and a little easier for everyone in my life to understand.
I feel like one of the worst traits of me as a mother is my lack of being organized, the kids have an 'ish' schedule, their bed times are around 9 and 10 'ish', dinner time is 7 'ish', wake up time is 6:45 'ish'. Laundry is washed when we run out of clean clothes, and then it sits in neatly folded piles until it is worn again. The vacuuming is done much more often now that C is mobile, but I find myself doing all the work, and it still isn't done nearly enough. The boys rooms continuously look like they were hit by a hurricane, my house is full of 'good intention' half finished projects that I would LOVE to see done, homework gets done the night before (and sometimes night after) it's due. . . the list goes on. I can't help but sit here and acknowledge that their lack of focus and organization is all.my.fault.
C coming into our lives has changed quite a bit, while I was able to have both J and D on my 'ish' schedule and it worked great for all of us, C does not like an 'ish' schedule, in fact from day one this little boy has set his own schedule. He is up at 7am, his first nap is from 8:45-10:30, his second nap is from 12:30-1:45 and then his third nap is from 4:30-6. Bath time is at 7pm and bed time is 8:30. That is how it has been for his entire six months, C LIVES by his schedule, and if for some reason we are out running errands or spending time with friends or family it throws him off, and he is off and cranky for the next 2 days.
I am hoping that by taking small steps to become more organized, and having a more set schedule for myself, and my two older boys, then we can meet C somewhere in the middle on his schedule.
So I am wanting to work on one step over the next month, then if I can get this perfected myself and everyone on board, I will add in another step, thus aiming to have completed twelve steps to organization over the next twelve months. Yay for my own 12 step program. Cross your fingers for me.
Step One - Chores
For October I am putting together a helper chart for all of us, that way things like what day each person washes their clothes or who does dishes what night are in order and I can have a purpose to drive me that day. I think this will take some of the pressure off of Sam as well, as he is not used to living in 'controlled chaos'. He is more of a schedule person, he likes to know what is coming and what is expected of him, and maybe my kids do to, I guess we'll find out!
I feel like one of the worst traits of me as a mother is my lack of being organized, the kids have an 'ish' schedule, their bed times are around 9 and 10 'ish', dinner time is 7 'ish', wake up time is 6:45 'ish'. Laundry is washed when we run out of clean clothes, and then it sits in neatly folded piles until it is worn again. The vacuuming is done much more often now that C is mobile, but I find myself doing all the work, and it still isn't done nearly enough. The boys rooms continuously look like they were hit by a hurricane, my house is full of 'good intention' half finished projects that I would LOVE to see done, homework gets done the night before (and sometimes night after) it's due. . . the list goes on. I can't help but sit here and acknowledge that their lack of focus and organization is all.my.fault.
C coming into our lives has changed quite a bit, while I was able to have both J and D on my 'ish' schedule and it worked great for all of us, C does not like an 'ish' schedule, in fact from day one this little boy has set his own schedule. He is up at 7am, his first nap is from 8:45-10:30, his second nap is from 12:30-1:45 and then his third nap is from 4:30-6. Bath time is at 7pm and bed time is 8:30. That is how it has been for his entire six months, C LIVES by his schedule, and if for some reason we are out running errands or spending time with friends or family it throws him off, and he is off and cranky for the next 2 days.
I am hoping that by taking small steps to become more organized, and having a more set schedule for myself, and my two older boys, then we can meet C somewhere in the middle on his schedule.
So I am wanting to work on one step over the next month, then if I can get this perfected myself and everyone on board, I will add in another step, thus aiming to have completed twelve steps to organization over the next twelve months. Yay for my own 12 step program. Cross your fingers for me.
Step One - Chores
For October I am putting together a helper chart for all of us, that way things like what day each person washes their clothes or who does dishes what night are in order and I can have a purpose to drive me that day. I think this will take some of the pressure off of Sam as well, as he is not used to living in 'controlled chaos'. He is more of a schedule person, he likes to know what is coming and what is expected of him, and maybe my kids do to, I guess we'll find out!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Shades of Autumn Photo Challenge - Week One
Project Alicia is having a photo challenge for Autumn and the theme this week is Green.I thought this photograph was a very fitting way to describe Autumn in Colorado!
Enjoy others views of green over at Project Alicia.
Enjoy others views of green over at Project Alicia.
30
Today is the last day of being in my 20's. Everyone keeps asking me how I feel about turning 30, I'm really not sure how to respond to this question. Turning 30 does not bother me nor does it make me feel "old", quite to the contrary actually, I am excited about the adventure of being 30. I am blessed that God gave me 30 wonderful years and I can only hope and pray that I can have at least 30 more.Besides, being in my 30's means I can finally get that snowflake sweater my niece keeps telling me I'm not old enough for! HA!
At first, my wish for my 30th birthday was to have a masquerade ball, however I sure didn't put much effort over the last year into planning that (or taking dance lessons), so maybe that will have to be for my 40th.
Then my next wish was to go camping with family and close friends in Moab. I thought Moab would be a good place since it is still fairly warm, right in the middle of all my family and it's beautiful. However, not very many people could make it, so I called that off.
Then I thought maybe going to a pumpkin patch here locally, spending time with my husband and boys, hay rides, corn mazes, hot apple cider, and picking our own pumpkins sounded like an amazing way to spend the day. Well, due to financial reasons (pumpkin patches in Denver are NOT cheap) we're not able to do that this year. Someday (hopefully VERY soon) we will be out of this slump and on to bigger and better things, but for whatever reason, right now, we need to be humbled.
So for now, it is SNOWING!! :) God loves me, He blesses me with snow and rain the day before my birthday. I am SO ok with this!
Today, while the boys and I were spending time just being together, I corralled everyone into the kitchen to make cookies, we had SO MUCH FUN, and even C got to help!
and got some wonderful gluten free / dairy free pumpkin cookies out of it! Who could ask for more? (Recipe to come later)
Now it's time to enjoy the rest of my 20's, I think snuggling up watching the snow fall and eating homemade chicken soup is just what I need. I just wish our family was here to celebrate with us!
*Sorry about the quality of the pictures, my mirror broke off of my 5D, so while I'm waiting for it to be replaced I am forced to use my backup which is a XTI and it takes crappy pictures indoors!
At first, my wish for my 30th birthday was to have a masquerade ball, however I sure didn't put much effort over the last year into planning that (or taking dance lessons), so maybe that will have to be for my 40th.
Then my next wish was to go camping with family and close friends in Moab. I thought Moab would be a good place since it is still fairly warm, right in the middle of all my family and it's beautiful. However, not very many people could make it, so I called that off.
Then I thought maybe going to a pumpkin patch here locally, spending time with my husband and boys, hay rides, corn mazes, hot apple cider, and picking our own pumpkins sounded like an amazing way to spend the day. Well, due to financial reasons (pumpkin patches in Denver are NOT cheap) we're not able to do that this year. Someday (hopefully VERY soon) we will be out of this slump and on to bigger and better things, but for whatever reason, right now, we need to be humbled.
So for now, it is SNOWING!! :) God loves me, He blesses me with snow and rain the day before my birthday. I am SO ok with this!
Today, while the boys and I were spending time just being together, I corralled everyone into the kitchen to make cookies, we had SO MUCH FUN, and even C got to help!
Now it's time to enjoy the rest of my 20's, I think snuggling up watching the snow fall and eating homemade chicken soup is just what I need. I just wish our family was here to celebrate with us!
*Sorry about the quality of the pictures, my mirror broke off of my 5D, so while I'm waiting for it to be replaced I am forced to use my backup which is a XTI and it takes crappy pictures indoors!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
You Capture ~ Green
This weeks You Capture @ I Should Be Folding Laundry, is all about "green".
This week we also decided to start sprouting our own seed, the store employee I asked told me that seed is easier to sprout than grain and I would like to sprout our own gluten free grains to start making breads, so here's hoping that this process goes well! I'll keep you updated.
This week we also decided to start sprouting our own seed, the store employee I asked told me that seed is easier to sprout than grain and I would like to sprout our own gluten free grains to start making breads, so here's hoping that this process goes well! I'll keep you updated.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Yummy Stuffed Acorn Squash
So two nights ago, while wrestling with my overwhelming craving for new veggies, I had Sam bring me home an acorn squash. I've never been much of a squash eater, and just in the last year or so have I stared to come around, now don't get me wrong you lovers of squash, I like the flavor, it was getting past the part where I felt like I was eating mushed baby food that was hard for me.
After spending about 20 minutes going through different recipes online, I decided I wanted to stuff my squash, but with what? Everything online contained high amounts of sugar, bread crumbs, corn. . . all things that we can't have. So I raided my cupboards and came up with this delightful, savory little blend.
Ingredients
One Acorn Squash
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Cup shredded zucchini
1/4 Cup shredded carrots
1/4 Cup cooked quinoa (we used black quinoa)
Handful of chopped pecans
Directions
Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. In a separate bowl combine the olive oil, zucchini, carrots, quinoa and pecans.
Fill the hallows of the acorn squash with your mixture.
Put squash filling side up in a glass baking dish with about a half inch of water, cover with tinfoil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until squash is tender.
And wallah, pretty simple huh. Not only was the taste amazing (even my kids liked it), but it would make a pretty little centerpiece for the table during dinner!!
After spending about 20 minutes going through different recipes online, I decided I wanted to stuff my squash, but with what? Everything online contained high amounts of sugar, bread crumbs, corn. . . all things that we can't have. So I raided my cupboards and came up with this delightful, savory little blend.
Ingredients
One Acorn Squash
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 Cup shredded zucchini
1/4 Cup shredded carrots
1/4 Cup cooked quinoa (we used black quinoa)
Handful of chopped pecans
Directions
Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. In a separate bowl combine the olive oil, zucchini, carrots, quinoa and pecans.
Fill the hallows of the acorn squash with your mixture.
Put squash filling side up in a glass baking dish with about a half inch of water, cover with tinfoil and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until squash is tender.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Crazy Times!!
When the calender rolled from August into September, my baby was still...well, a baby. He had begun to push up onto his hands and knees and rock a little, but otherwise, he was fairly stationary.
Then, in the first 3 days of daddy being gone, he started to lunge at the toys he wanted and he taught himself to sit on his own. Now, just a mere 18 days later and my boy is gorilla walking around the room, pulling himself to a standing position on objects and sitting with out any help at all. I feel the surge of pride watching him grow and accomplish things on his own, but at the same time, infinite sadness knowing that he IS growing up and becoming more independent and he is only FIVE months old! I realize it has been awhile since my other boys were this age, but I don't remember them growing quite this quickly.
The last few weeks have flown by a lot quicker than I had anticipated, and we got a lot accomplished, at least in our little world. We finally made it down to New Mexico to get the some of my older boys' belongings that have been in storage almost a decade, and we had a great visit with family we don't see nearly enough while we were there, it was wonderful!
J found a fun bug while he was shooting rocks with his slingshot at overlook.
It's right there in front of him, yes that is a centipede (ewwwww)!!
D had a birthday, double-digits. . . VERY important birthday for a young man. He opted to have a piece of raw, vegan, blueberry cheesecake that our local health food store carries instead of having mom make him a birthday cake. I'm going to have to learn to make this cheesecake, and then I would love to share it with you!
And I got my husband back!
He had a great trip, I guess Cordova is a pretty amazing little town, so much so that we are looking at the possibility of relocating to there hopefully in the near future. Married to a fisherman, I could get used to eating like this every night.
Fresh coho salmon steak, YUMMM!! I have a freezer full of this, and couldn't be happier about it. Rumor has it there may be some halibut on it's way to me from part of the crew that is still up there, I'd be ok with that too!!
It's good to have daddy back!
The last few weeks have flown by a lot quicker than I had anticipated, and we got a lot accomplished, at least in our little world. We finally made it down to New Mexico to get the some of my older boys' belongings that have been in storage almost a decade, and we had a great visit with family we don't see nearly enough while we were there, it was wonderful!
J found a fun bug while he was shooting rocks with his slingshot at overlook.
It's right there in front of him, yes that is a centipede (ewwwww)!!
And I got my husband back!
Fresh coho salmon steak, YUMMM!! I have a freezer full of this, and couldn't be happier about it. Rumor has it there may be some halibut on it's way to me from part of the crew that is still up there, I'd be ok with that too!!
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