I made this tonight with turkey hot dogs and broccoli. I thought it tasted really good. Hubs missed the cheese and the girls liked it so-so. It was WAY too much for the four of us though. Good for our next southern food party.
I’m trying a new recipe out tonight. It’s a healthy, vegan, potato starch, refined sugar, and fat-free banana blueberry bread. I know, it sounds awful. But look at it!
I used our handmade applesauce from last fall and yummy organic blueberries. My agave nectar measurement got pretty loosey-goosey because I finished off one bottle and started a new one. Speaking of which, does anyone know the difference between the color grades of agave nectar? All the sugar substitution is fairly new to me.
I’ll let you know tomorrow how it tastes. Till then…
Posted in dairy free, recipes
Tagged agave nectar, banana blueberry bread, fat free, handmade applesauce, healthy
You may have noticed I’ve been offline for a minute. Here are my goals for the week and if all goes as planned, you’ll hear about how I do toward the weekend. Wish me luck and let me know what you’re working on.
1. Draw and cut out pattern pieces for the Sencha blouse.
2. Have one “sit down and draw” session.
3. Try this yummy looking oatmeal peanut butter snack square I found here.
4. Make some almond milk.
5. Do this lower body exercise program at least 5 times.
These are the yummy looking foods I want to make tomorrow. I haven’t done a lot of cooking lately, so a couple of small projects is just what I need.
This Cranberry-Avocado Salad with Candied Spiced Almonds and Sweet White Balsamic Vinaigrette looks like a very good lunch. Can’t wait! I think I even have all the supplies!
We aren’t eating potato chips anymore and while I love the INKA plantain chips, these apple chips look like a good way to use those pink lady apples I bought yesterday. The girls will love having these in their lunch boxes for Wednesday.
This almond milk steamer looks amazingly yummy for the girls’ at tea time. No more sneaking sips from my afternoon Chai!
This spinach tomato orzo soup and roasted butternut squash salad with soy balsamic dressing look like a lovely dinner and a great way to end the day.
Posted in dairy free, Must Make Lists, recipes
Just some things I’ve got on my mind…
If it’s good enough for Julia Child...
This looks scrumptious. I think I actually like almond milk better than cow’s. Just saying…
Homemade pillow pets? PZ would like this I think…
Hubs got me an awesome new iphone 4s for Christmas. You know, the one with the white case? I think I’m supposed to be impressed by the white case and it’s elitist ways. Instead, I’m annoyed that after only a month of use my white case looks like its been a pack-a-day smoker for the last decade. I still totally love my phone, thanks Hubs!, but the case is really yellowed and gross! I need a fresh case fast! One that shows a bit of personality would be nice. Here’s what I’m liking…
SUndabuLEshop‘s Rolleiflex vintage camera iphone case – love the retro style!
Pigologist‘s iphone case 5 design – I’m a sucker for cool illustration.
Leese Design Cross Stitch iPhone Case sold at Purl Soho - perfect for diy-ers like me!
So what do you think? Have you seen an iphone case worth sharing? Which one would you choose? I’m leaning toward the cross stitch simply because I’d be making my own.
Posted in Must have lists
Tagged cross stitch iphone case, handmade iphone cases, iphone 4s, iphone case diy
Hubs is in LA today. I decided since it’d be just me and the girls for dinner I could try a meat-free meal. I saw this last night and it looked mighty good! Does anyone else troll Pinterest at night for tomorrow’s dinner ideas? I didn’t think it was just me.
I followed Jules’ recipe, but added two peeled and chopped carrots. I think noodles and or cabbage would be really good in this, too. I can see why she says it is addictive. So simple to make (15-20 minutes max) and really easy to combine new flavors into a soup that is totally your own.
Knowing my girls would be resistant to a new dish I also baked this up. See the “Going Bananas” sign? That was me trying to frost this banana cake while also holding a crying/cranky Q and coaxing PZ to practice piano when all she wanted to do was watch TV.
The cake was also super easy to make. If you’ve been looking to add a vegan banana chocolate chip cake to your recipe file, this is a good one!
Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool for 30 minutes before removing from pan.
Frosting:
Whip Earth Balance until creamy. Add sugar and cinnamon and beat for a couple of minutes. Add vanilla and almond milk. Beat until light and fluffy on high speed, about 5 more minutes. Frost cooled cake. Add more chocolate chips and/or banana slices as decoration if you want. Enjoy!
So that’s what’s for dinner at my house. What’s for dinner at yours?
Every new year I start off, like so many others, with a lot of big goals and plans in mind. I’m much more motivated in winter. Progressive, too, if I can keep it up! This year, I’m working to remember to keep it simple. My focus narrowed, I want to make it easier on myself. Slow and steady. Simple and small. Project by project.
I want to start this way. And here, in my Tuesday Thinking posts, I’m going to reign myself in and realign to each new week. From my Pinterest boards, Be Mine, smoothies!, and MAD Scientist, I’m whittling down a few broad topics into manageable projects.
I’d love to see what you’re working on! Big or small. We can help keep each other motivated!
images via - design sponge, oh she glows, swanky tables
Without these Apps, life would have been much much harder on the plane to and fro. My kids, 3 and 5, were thoroughly entertained for probably 4 or more hours on the plane and still wanted more the whole week we were away.
1. Callaway Digital Art’s Sesame Street: The Monster at the End of this Book…Staring Grover! - $3.99 (but I got it on sale) Q (my 3 yr old) especially liked this one.
2. Toca Boca’s Hair Salon - $1.99 was a HUGE hit with both girls.
3. Toca Boca’s Toca Doctor - $0.99 kept Q engaged for a long time.
4. Chillingo’s Cut the Rope - $0.99 this one we even played at the circus during the intermission with a boy in the front row.
5. Moonbot Studio’s The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore - $4.99 for the ipad only. This one was great. Technology is amazing!
Posted in Handmade Projects
Tagged apps for kids, entertaining tots on plane, iphone apps, toca boca
From Top of the Rock
On our last full day, Cory and I took the girls to Rockefeller Plaza. Cory and I had a good time, but the girls were tired and hungry. Did we still make them go to all three floors of observation decks? Yep!
looking up
central park
I have no idea what these lights were all about, between observation decks on second to top floor, but the girls were fascinated.
I was fascinated, too.
In Rockefeller Plaza
the famous rink
I love this statue in front of the rink
Cory took the girls into Legoland while I visited the museum store and scored a couple of souvenir books for the girls. While fairly impressed with the Lego creations when I went to retrieve my party from Legoland, I was not tempted to buy anything. It was CRAZY in there!
Rockefeller Plaza built out of Legos
Once we left the plaza, we had to get food fast. The girls opted for pizza since it was the only restaurant with a bathroom we could find. Sadly, they had nothing without dairy so I had to go eat by my lonely next door at a sandwich shop. Mediocre food at best, in both places. We were supposed to meet my friend Hilary in Union Square for dinner, so we had some time to kill and decided to kill it in Chinatown.
Radio City Music Hall on our way to subway
Portlandia sign. The shows seemed kind of big there. Go Portland!
PZ posed with this weird menagerie that some panhandler had gotten together.
Walking between Little Italy and Chinatown we saw a LOT of Santas hanging around.
In Chinatown, we basically just got lost a few times, Q cried because of all the dead fish and frogs and things, the girls had ice cream which I had to make them throw away because it was too messy and Q fell asleep as we rushed back to the Canal Street subway (the grossest one we went down into. ever see Candyman? it was like that) so we could get to Union Square and back to the land of big sidewalks. Chinatown was NOT made for strollers!
We did visit a nice park in Chinatown though on Hester street. The girls especially liked the set of 9 chimes built into the sidewalk.
At The Republic waiting for Hilary and family
We finally made it to Union Square and met my friend Hilary, her boyfriend Campbell, and their adorable daughter Ada for dinner at The Republic. The food was so so, but the reunion was great!
The next day we went to Marcus Garvey park in Harlem and then were off, back to the airport and home again to Portland! So glad to be back, even with this crazy downpour, but I DO Heart NY!
From Top of the Rock
