Frugal Fridays

I read a lot of Blogs. I love when they have theme days. it helps if you can only check once or twice a week you know what days interesting topics will be posted. So I'm thinking of trying this out myself. Help me stick to it...
I love making things that my family uses, eats, wears and so on. Lately on Pinterest (which is so fun and addicting, it's a virtual cork board of sorts where you can keep track of all your favorite things online and in blogs) I have been seeing alot of homemade home care products. So I had to try some.
So for my first Frugal Friday, I bring to you a way to make your own common used household products
The first

We have 4 cats and jeff who brings home some wonderful smelling greesy, sweety clothing, needless to say Febreeze is just about a weekly item. I never really felt super good about always spraying the stuff, one never knows what cleaner rumors are true. When I saw this I was all ears and eyes...
Fake it Frugal blog
breaks it down to costing 0.15$ rather than 3-5$ per bottle, who can't use that savings?
Here it is so simple - 1/8 cup of your current fabric softener, 2 T of Baking soda and a hot water to fill your spray bottle (for safety sakes use an empty Febreeze bottle or clearly label your new one).
Loved it, it past the white sofa test too.
Homemade house item #2

Dishwasher soap
This sounds like a bit to make but it also seems like it will last forever. I'm keeping so I'll keep you posted.

1 box Borax (love this and use it with every load of towels and Jeffs work clothes, and great tile cleaner)
1 box Arm&Hammer Super Washing Soda
24 packages of unsweetened lemonade drink mix (no worries, it sounds odd but it is to add the citric acid agent into the cleaner and give a lemony scent. Just make sure its sugar free)
3 cups Epsom Salt

If you need a rinsing aid use vinegar.

Mix Borax, washing soda, salt and lemonade together in a large, very large, bowl. When ingredients are mixed together well put soap in a container of your choice. A large cereal keeper or pitcher will work out great.
Use 1 Tablespoon per load.

Great look making and using these, I am. Let me know what you think.
I'm off to catch up on some BB DVR and eat some homemade salsa!

Gonna get Dirty

I've made some pretty big physical changes over the past year and a half. Losing about 30+ lbs for one. Training and running my first half marathon. Breaking out of my comfort zone and just giving my all to have some healthy fun. So when a girlfriend of mine suggested we do a mud run.... I "jumped" in full force.
In order to prep, I need to get some upper body strength. It has always been a major weekness of mine and a strong desire to have "pipes".....

Kinda like these (do you know how hard it was to find a "clean" arm picture?)
I've since started boxing and I love it. It is awesome to feel my arms getting used and I'm having fun learning a bit of safety too.
To help piggy back that and use some muscles that haven't been used and also began Power Yoga (often called weight loss Yoga). What I love here is there is a strong focus on using your own body weight to strenghten and lengthen the body and the "meditation" part of yoga is for the most not.
Add in my 3 mile runs and things will come together nicely. I am also signed up for the Niagara Falls International Marathon which is in Oct0ber and I'll start back into more of a regular short long run schedule about mid August.
Let the games begin..........And stay tuned to the updates

Spa Plate

I've mentioned a few times how different our summer meals look and I've been meaning to explain. Today's lunch was the perfect example

We call them spa plates.
It just feels good to eat cold juicy watermelon as a snack on a hot day rather than a dry pack of snack food. The watermelon actually cools you down while nurishing you. And saves you some time in the kitchen when the sun and the pool are calling your name.
I have really been trying to stay out of the grocery store this summer for a few reasons (more on that later) so we visit the farmers market, use our CSA share weekly and just toss it all together.
The results are things like todays lunch (watermelon, fresh corn and mini maters (as Sophia calls them), farm made cheese and crackers. if your not convinced, it really does satisfy

(Can you say "corn coma")




Or last nights dinner salad of fresh picked lettuce, radish, corn, early zukes, black beans, salsa with Pita chips. It just seems to make the body work better in the heat, when all you want to do is lay around

And for those who always wonder and ask about protein, I found this that really sums it up. Alicia Silverstone really has some good resources and knows her stuff on the topic. She is very "granola' and extremely vegan down to not using or wearing leather goods. So you will feel that she is a little preachy but put that aside and enjoy.

What's for dinner?

So for the first time in a while I was lacking any inspiration for dinner!
I have been trying not to be at the grocery store as often and make good use of the pantry this summer. Our summer meals also look a lot different than other meals due to needing to take advantage of the yumminess that the local farms produce.
I have 2 small farm stands close by that we frequent and just picked up a wealth of peas in the pods so I knew I needed to use them up along with a strong constant summer fix of bbq beans but I needed some kind of "main" to go with them.
I was at a loss and also in a pinch for time, as I had tore apart the kitchen to paint durring nap time. Sooooo thank you MorningStar farms for coming to our rescue. I'm not a big fan of fake meat but every now and then a good old veggie burger does fill the void on a plate pretty good in a hurry.

I found this patty style, which has a different kick and texture than the typical veggie burger. Jeff likes to fry an egg and top it off with a bit of swiss american.
Everyone seemed just fine with my lack of gourmetness today so I felt the need to pick myself up with dessert, and with the last of the fresh strawberries calling out to be used I got to work and came up with this tweek scone.

Strawberry and lemon glazed scone

Here's what you need:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons maple sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5-7 tablespoons cold smart balance
1-1/4 cups Coconut milk
1 cup strawberries, chopped

GLAZE:
2 cups confectioners' sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon smart balance
1 tablespoon Coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon almond
here"s what you do:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Smoosh in butter until you get coarse crumbs. Stir in Coconut milk just until moistened. Fold in strawberries. Turn onto a floured surface; knead 10 times.
Pat into a 9-in. x 7-in. rectangle. Cut in as shown

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
For glaze, in a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, smart balance and milk and almond; drizzle over warm scones.

Do as we did and sit the porch enjoy the calm of the end of the day (and get ready for Big brother (my 1 summer TV fix)!

Take that S---bucks

Apparently, I've have coffee and sweet treats on my brain. Of course it probably helps that Sophia (almost everythime we are in the car) asks to go to the "Scone store" and I can't say no right?!!!! Well, with summer here and a goal of staying home more and not spending so frivolously, I needed to perfect the at home scone. Pretty simple infact and I am sure over the summer we'll be adding and tweeking along the way.
From start to finish I think they took about 30 minutes. Very doable with a toddler Sous Chef or for a momma fix durring nap time.

Vanilla Scones

For Scones:
1 c. Brown Rice flour
3/4 c. Unbleached organic all-purpose flour
1 T. Baking powder
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 c. Smart balance
1/4 c. Raw sugar
3 t. Maple Sugar
1 1/2 t. Vanilla
For Glaze:
1 c. Powdered sugar
3 T. Coconut milk
1/2 t. Vanilla
Mix the flours, baking powder and salt. Cut in the "butter"
In another bowl,mix the sugar, milk and vanilla. Combine the two, just till mixxed, careful not to over mix here, roll out on a floured board about 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick, cut into rectangles then triangles. be careful and transfer them to a baking pan.Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until scones are starting to brown slightly and are firm to the touch. Transfer to a cooling rack.
While they cool make the glaze by mixxing powdered sugar, milk,vanilla. Add milk slowly to get the right texture.
When scones have cooled, drizzle glaze over the top of each scone and allow to set. I actually flip them over and glaze the bottoms (which become the top). I was once told the flat side keeps the icing and glaze on cookies better so it's just the way I do it now.

Enjoy and tweek as needed

On ice

It's no secret I love my coffee. It is my one and only vice, is there for me on cold mornings and evenings, fills my idol hands, the steam has often lifted many worries and daydreams, its bonded me to friends, is a conversation piece and so much more.

Now that it's summer and weather here is warm on the skin and much more pleaseing to the eyes my coffee is still a very present part of my day but looks a bit different, it's on ice. I brew a pot at night and chill it in the fridge to be used through the day. I switch it up a bit, a bit of dark chocolate, honey, sugar or cream. most of the time I spring for real cream (chemicals in the other stuff really scare me) But I recently found this cute little bottle of simple yumminess

I must be honest what caught my eye, was the bottle at first, But hey that's what the marketing department is supposed to do! I did some scooping at the store, went home, looked it up some more, then brought it home. Highly suggest it, if you are a daily creamer user or just looking for something fun for the summer.
So I'm off to enjoy a bit of what else Coffee....


Found this little tidbit- Coffee as a means of grace...

Yumminess

"Wendy's" Napa salad

A while back my husband's Aunt was in town and shared a super yummy salad she had at a friends home. I left that night with a mental note to recreate it at home. Well sure enough life happened and I forgot.
Today while picking through the produce department I noticed the Sample lady. Most times I waltz right past as, they typically are showcasing prepared food packs, or microwave meals and other treat that I try to stay clear of, but lately (Must be inspried by summer) they have had some pretty interesting dishes to share. And today.... I was reminded of my need to recreate this salad.
So who is hosting the next Potluck? Cause I know what I'm bringing!

Dressing
Just an estimate, measure to taste
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
A good heavy pinch of raw sugar
2/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons tamari sauce
Salad:

1 head Napa cabbage, chopped into nice shreds
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 pkg ramen noodles Asian flavor works best here (no meat seasonings used)
4 oz slivered almonds lightly toaste (you are going to toast again)
Smart balance

Wisk dressing ingredients. Set aside.
Chop cabbage and green onions.

Crush ramen noodles. Mix with almonds and butter and brown in skillet.
Toss all togehter and serve. Not a good one to leave hanging around, it will sog up.

Summer To Do List

I have so many boxes ro check off this summer, how about you?
1. Spend more time daily with God... SO often it's on the list but is saved till the end of the night. That needs to change.
2. Not make plans- hmm that seems odd on a to do list but this summer, I'm living more in the moment and not on the calendar.
3. More time at home- that reflects the above. Trying not to be running around everyday.
4. Train- I have a few runs in store for the summer and fall, so I'll need to keep up the work I started in January. More on running later.
5. Box- yep, Box. I have always wanted to take some self defense excerise type course and This lines up pretty good with my goal of developing my arms, so it just seems to fit.
6. Purge- Really I don'y need all this stuff anyway!
7. Last 10 lbs, enough said on that!
8. Love more- I need to keep working on knocking down some big walls.
9. Read more for fun- hopeing the the due date at the library helps me see to this one! got any good recs?
10. School- summer is a MUCH needed break, but my class is going to look very different next year and I need to scratch out time to help that go smoothly.
11. Put up for the winter- I really want to get about double the veggies and fruits put up this year. It was just lovely to make sauce in January from farm fresh tomatoes or share juicy peaches over homemade granola in February. I'll be at the market a lot.
I really just want to approach this Summer in such a different light then I have in years past. The list is simple and somewhat typical but hopefully it just helps to ground me a bit more.


2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV For we walk by faith, not by sight.

One Pan Pasta

Each season brings a new harvest of veggies that just beg to mingle with each other. Summer in our neck of the woods in no different..
We are about 3 weeks into our CSA and again, I am loving the surprise of the pick up.
With all the rain we have had I had some reservations about joining again but, when it came down to it, who was I kidding? I love being apart of it and being inspired to cook more, better, and different foods. It just plain ol' makes me feel good too!
We are also lucky to have a grocery store chain that strives to sell local farmers wares as well, so its easy to cook local at this time of year.
So with greens, onions, radishes, herbs, garlic scrapes from our CSA tossed with zukes, peppers, and corn from the market, the easy to make and eat 1 pot pasta begins.
This type of dish is so simple and can be tweeked in anyway there really is no need for a recipe.
But here's a loose break down:
Pick your pasta (Phi's pick mini BowTies) prep
heat about 2-3 T olive oil in a pan, lightly saute diced veggies (start with the longer cook time ones and move up) season with S&P, garlic, thyme (any of your fav combo's)
Toss in cooked pasta and some greens. Finish with a smidge of cheese and your done!
If you have a favorite one pot feel free to share

Genesis 1:29 ESV
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

Welcome Back

It's been just about 24 hours that school has been officialy out for summer and I already feel like I can breathe better. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do and feel like I have the best of both stay at home and working world lives, but there is something magical about the next 8 weeks. It always makes me laugh when I run into people I haven't seen in awhile around this time of year, as this is what they say, "Your winding down now" "Easy street huh?" and many others to match. In reality, its the oppisite, making classes for the upcoming year, meetings for service, paperwork, cleaning, packing, HEAT, teacher placements and so on. All of which make for a bit of a testy place. So when that last moment of work time runs out, the weight is lifted as well.

So here's to summer, being barefoot, seeing old friends, toodling the markets, travel, beach, parks, long bike rides, silly songs, PJ's all day, homemade ice cream, canning, grass between your toes, water logged skin, sun washed hair and skin, reading, impromtu dinners, late nights, long mornings, and being back in the blog world.... (Jeff saw me take some food pictures today and said, "oh good you are blogging again!" when I asked why he was excited, he said, "cause that means you'll be experimenting more and I'm excited for new food")

Isaiah 40:31
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
I've been praying and waiting on a lot lately, how about you?
One of my goals in coming back to blog is to help get closer to my friends, family and maybe meet new people. I really want to encourage you to sign up as a follower, check back often, and refer people, and post comments.

Way too much...

So on Sunday night my MIL was taken to the hospital, in short of all the details, she had major surgery and now has a colostomy bag for about 8 months. Put that on top of training, getting ready for my step mom to come in (we've been counting down for the last 8 weeks, super excited), Jeff spraining his ankle, report cards due, our aniversary, and Sophia's bday, its all just a bit much this week. In all honesty, this month is all too much. I did really well letting go of over schudeling in late Feb and most of March but here it comes at full speed.
And here it is Saturday at 11 and I catching up on my DVR of Grey's and waiting for Cinnamon Buns to rise (breakfast in the am). I quickly leave you with a few days of dinner and I'll see you in about a week.
Cinnamon Buns

Dough:
1 Pack of Yeast
1/2 cup Warm Water
1/2 cup Scalded Almond milk
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Butter
1 pinch of Salt
1 egg
3 1/2 to 4 cups Flour

Filling:
1/2 cup melted butter,
Sugar, Cinnamon, Maple Sugar

Glaze:
I mix powder sugar, almind milk, vanilla and a pat of butter till I like the flavor and texture.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside. In a large bowl mix milk, sugar, melted butter, salt and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture. Mix in remaining flour until dough is easy to handle. Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
When doubled in size, punch down dough. Roll out on a floured surface into a 15 by 9-inch rectangle. Spread melted butter all over dough. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over buttered dough. Sprinkle with walnuts, pecans, or raisins if desired. Beginning at the 15-inch side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 12 to 15 slices. I almost always make these at night and bake in the am. So at this point I just cover with foil and put in the fridge.
Coat the bottom of baking pan with butter and sprinkle with sugar. Place cinnamon roll slices close together in the pan and let rise until dough is doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake for about 30 minutes or until nicely browned.

The week in dinner
Sun we have plans with a friend
Mon Veggie nuggets,quiona pilaf (Jeff's request, he's a nugget junkie)
Tues Greek Pitas
Wed Thurs, Fri, Sat, Sun Welcome to Buffalo, we'll more then likely have some of my step moms favorite local dishes over the next few nights.

If your looking for some dinner ideas, just comment and I'll help you out.
Keep your belly happy

Taste Test

Well, running is in full swing, just hit the half way mark and did 7 miles this Saturday. With the help of an IPod and some cheesey running soudtracks it wasn't that bad.... (Did I really say that)
With that, I have been looking for some fuel/refuel bars to have either on the way to the gym or home from the gym.
With the help of some friends and their suggestions, here are the contenders:

My hiccup with the bars is that they all seem to be high in calorie, which there maybe a reason but after running or excerising and burning it off, it just doesn't seem right to put it all back in....
1st up Zone Perfect Dark (Choc Caramel Pecan)
190 calories 60 of which is fat, 12g of protien, 1 g fiber, 13g sugars
This one was pretty yummy, its base is a crunchy cookie (like in the middle of an ice cream cake) It tasted pretty clean with no powder/chalk taste
2nd Muscle Milk Light (Vanilla Toffee Crunch)
160 calories, 45 of which is fat, 15g protein, 4g fiber, 9g sugar
Pretty good taste, lacked in the crunch department, but had a good gooeyness to make you feel like you had a real candy bar which also made it on the sweeter side.
I am doing a bit more looking into the whole Muscle milk line as well.
3rd Balance Bar (Mocha Chip)
200 Calories 60 of which is fat,15g protien, 1g of fiber,17g sugar.
This one was super yummy, loved the coffee taste to it. It did hold over a craving for something sweet, but as I write all the info down it really does not hold much weight in the health depart.
4thCliff Barr Builder's (chocolate)
270 Calories 70 if which is fat, 20g of protien, 4 g of fiber, 20 sugars.
This was probably the one I wanted to try the most and the most disapointed. I loved the write up-"When life feels like a work out". Don't get me wrong it was good but I would not get excited to eat it.
5thPower Bar Recovery/Rebuild bar PB caramel crisp
260 Calories 90 of which is fat, 12g protien,0g of fiber, 19g of sugar.
This one was high on the yummy scale and really was a nice fix after a work out. I had it about 10pm and it didn't give me an energy charge but did take care of that after work out raid the fridge need (does anyone else get that)Again as I write this the high calorie count hits me with this one
6thLuna Bar Nuts over Chocolate Luna's say they are made just for women...extra calcium and folic acid
180 Calories,50 of which is fat, 9g protien, 4g fiber, 10g of sugar
Kind of in the middle here, I could take it or leave it. Pretty standard bar in everyway

I have one more left but I just needed to post this and toss the wrappers, so I'll add notes in the comments.

So I am still left out in the middle of nowhere as to which one to order in large amounts to get a discount. It seems the one's I really like may not be the best choice as far as good for you factor.
I think it comes down to needing to figure the high calorie count, I am hung up on that like crazy.
Food is always so particular and this is no different.

Do you have any that you love?

Craddlesong

You may not be able to tell but I always feel like I never have the right words to say. I've always defined my days through song lyrics, is that odd? It never fails, when I am going through something or someone close to me is, there is always a song that catches my ear.

(Little snip of my happy place)


Running has been no different. I may feel week in the knees, short of breath or the beat of my heart is a little to loud and sure enough a song comes on and I can go another lap or at least finish out that song. Tonight that song was Craddlesong by Rob Thomas try not to mind the creepy album cover. Lately, He's been on repeat while I run.
It just spoke to me. With each turn of everyday, we take what we are given and we can either embrace it and make it work/fit or let it swallow us whole and eat at a small part of us till there's nothing left. Depending on what day you catch me, I've been privallaged to both. What's your Craddlesong, that get's you through "that" moment?

I leave you with this thought. I'm trying to adopt it, it may take a year or many but, I think it will be a nice moto to adopt, don't you?

Meal Time

Well how did posting on Saturday work for me?
Not well, and here's my reason- We have been redoing our bedroom slowly over the past 2 months (yes, 2 months, with Jeff's work being so physical durring the day, I completly get that he needs a break when he comes home, and he does it all himself so things go very slow)Anyway, most of it was nice and easy until bedding.
I love down comforters and with them come duvet covers. I had always thought they were common but I quickly learned not so much. Over the past 2 weeks, I think I have been to about a dozen places and no such luck. So finally at Macy's beoynd stressed out over this whole thing, I went another route

Our room pretty much looks like this now! Our goal was to get rid of our outdated over done red room. It was suffocating me, and that's not what you want in a bedroom. We still have more to go ( like our carpet that didn't look so bad against the red but now with the pale blue gray, it is just awful. We're hoping a good pass of the rug doctor will give us a little more life out of it) I must say even without being done, it is so nice walking into a peaceful soft room to go to sleep.


More on that another day, on to this week in food:

(This was Phi last summer. I love that she loves to be in the kitchen as much as I do!)

Mon-Farmer's Panini's (eggplant, onins, roasted reds), Broccoli on the side
Tue-Breakfast for dinner (egg, potato casserole with morning star sausage)
Wed-Oyster Mushroom Taco's
Thurs-Avocado Pasta
Fri-Broc Cheese soup with kale chips
Sat-We are headed to the Maple fest for Pancakes

I'll be posting the recipes through out the week.

I have been taste testing Energy Bars and I have about 4 more so by the end of the week the results should be in..

Till then keep your belly happy

Sneak Peek

So what's this all about? 2 Large bottles of stout beer and JD (which at 34, I was asked for proof and told "huh, I would not have thought you were that old...)




Well, maybe this will help

These pretty little cakes caught my eye and I was waiting for the perfect moment to bake them. Well thanks to my very good friend for having a birthday in a few days, I have a reason..
They are from Chef Chole, who won Cupcake wars and just so happens to be a vegan chef. I have used her recipes in the past and have always been very happy with the results, so I can't wait for this one.

And for a few other sneek peeks...
I'm doing a taste test on "energy bars" and can't wait to share the results. I hope to post that by the weekend.
I have had some emails, regarding posting my weekly meals and grocery list as well. I'll try to get them up on Saturday so you have Sunday to shop and get your goodies. Hopefully this helps take some guess work out of what to eat without meat...

Wish me luck on the cupcakes and keep your belly happy..

Shrooms, Shakes and Shamrocks..

As promised here are 3 yuumy new recipe's for you to give a whirl
Mushroom Storganoff

You'll need (roughly)
Smart Balance
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 package of slice mini bella mushrooms
about a cup of frozen peas
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup sour cream
1/2 lb of fettuine or linguine, cooked
How to
Melt butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds.
Add onion and saute another 2 minutes or so.
Then add mushrooms and saute until tender, about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium, then add flour and stir another minute. Add white wine and cook until mixture thickens, stirring frequently--about another 2-3 minutes.
Mix in sour cream, remember to season to taste with salt and pepper. Let that cook on low for a minute or 2, if you'd like you can add some fresh romano and a pinch of nutmeg to richen it up
Cook the pasta about 2 minute before its ready add peas, you can even add some shredded carrots here too.
Toss cooked pasta to blend with sauce

Now on to the Shake
Vegan Cake Batter Milkshake

In a bullet or blender
1 frozen, large banana, as ripe as possible
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2-3 tsp melted virgin coconut oil (I used 2)
1/2 to 2/3 cup coconut milk
A handful of sprinkles

Yummo and your butt still likes you after its all gone!

And surely I couldn't forget about St. Pat's...

I love making little holiday snacks for Sophia to bring to her playgroup. I saw this one in Disney Family Fun magazine and had to try it. I had a hard time finding yogurt covered pretzels so I went with Synder's white chocolate covered pretzels.
Or how about this for dinner

So for now its off to bed for me. Have a great St. Paddy's Day, of course keep your belly happy too

Way tooo busy

I can't believe its been over 2 weeks since I have had a minute to post.

Over that 2 weeks, I actually made a promise to Jeff to not book our weekends, go figure.
I have 2 big hiccups that leave me unsettled
*1 My fridge needs to be jammed full or I have a sick feeling that I am not prepared for something... Not sure where this came from. Hoping I don't pass this one down either.
*2 I like to book things 4 weeks in advance. This one comes from an etiqutte book I once read. Why it stuck, not too sure about that. But I try to use it as a rule. Its not to say I don't enjoy picking up and running out in a minutes notice because I really do which is so wierd.
Both of these are the oppisite of Jeff, so in a conversation a few weeks ago, I made the promise to go easy on both of them.
Wish me luck.
Training update-
Running is going good. Our trainging schudele was set 16 weeks out and typically most "real runners" start 12 weeks out. For me this is good and bad news. I am behind our pace, but on track for the others. When I started, I had to make sure I had clearence from my doctor, due to a few major health complications. My dr. was excited for me but cautioned that I needed to listen to my body and keep focused its not worth a heart attack.
With that I say watch this
(a bit of insight on the "runners high") My favorite is I have to believe, even if they don't..... My father.... and (ad lib here - my daughter)
I am at 4.5, this Saturday I should be at 7. So that means, this week, the mission is to get my fanny movin.................
I have some yummy recipes to post too, Stay tuned

No Chicken and Dumpling Stoup

I was given a vegeatarian cook book for my birthday and loved the photos. I couldn't wait to try the recipes. This past week I have been some what disapointed though. It kind of goes back to the whole sharing of recipes thing. I really think alot of recipes turn out the way they do because of the person making them. How you fold something in or how long you mix, or how you measure and more. So its always hard to get a recipe from someone and expcet it to be the same thing. This book seems to prove that,so far 3 out of 4 have been a bust. About half way through each one, I knew something was not working out?!!!! And today was no different. I set out to make a "cold weather casserole" and it just felt wrong. So I tweeked and improvised and the result was just lovely. SO as the snow begins to fall again in our neck of the woods enjoy this hearty comforty type dish.

You'll need
smart balance
1 leek, sliced
1 zuke, sliced
1 fennel buld, halved and sliced
2 potatoes, diced
2 good size carrots, diced
1 can of butter beans
veggie stock & boullion
Bay leaf & marjorum, S & P
In a heavy skillet melt the butter, add all the fresh veggies, cook them down on low heat for about 15 minutes. The potato should still be firm but the rest of the veg should be cooked down. Add about 2 T of flour and stir well. Add the liquid from the beans and about 2.5 cups of veggies stock, and spices cover and cook for about 10-15 more minutes. You want to check and stir this because you don't want it to mush but you want all the goodies of the veggies to come out and richen up. Transfer to a soup pot and fill about half way with water add 2 crumbled veggie boullion cubes. This is my favorite brand, they have a sea salt and herb one that just have the right stuff in it to make a yummy base. Let that cook down covered on low. You should get s texture thicker than soup but not a stew, STOUP!
Now for the dumplings... They are so yummy and easy.
Mix 2 cups of flour with about 2/3 cup milk. Mix this until's it is a sticky doughy like substance. Drop by small teaspoons into boilling soup and let boil for 10 minutes, then cover about lower temp cook for 10 more min.
Perfect to welcome home a cold hubby or brighten a neighbors day or bless a new family or heal a sick friend.....

Tea for Two..

We've been home for a week and busier than ever it seems.
Checking in with friends, doctors, Gram, skiing, swimming and more. This past week has been cold and I broke down and joined the Y to help keep my running on the move. Sophia and Jeff have been loving it too. The location that we go to has a pretty nice pool set up so it works out perfect that they swim while I run or like today when it was an awful mess outside, we were able to get a bit of moving it to our day.
After our swim today, the lunch request was in Grilled PB & J. There is something about PB & J that makes me smile and for us its a treat lunch and doesn't happen often, so like everything, I have to spice it up a bit. Cookie cut the bread (today was cat shaped), butter it up toast each side and add homemade PB and Peach Jelly pop it back in the pan to get it all gooey and melty...
A while back a friend of mine was inquirung about lunches for toddlers. For me lunch is mostly 1 of 2 things a salad or left overs, and it kind of is the same thing with Phi. I always try to keep it balanced though, so along with Grilled PB & J's we had peas, and yougart and just a few salty kettle chips (I have passed on my salt lick need)

I also was very strict with Sophia's diet for the first 2 years and it has paid off she doesn't crave or ask for the standar kiddie foods so it makes it easy. She will eat what ever we eat and I don't have to make any exceptions. I kind of feel that picky eaters are made. One thing I have caved on is tea. I have fond memories of having tea with buttered saltines with my mom after school watching General Hospital. I found these just for kid teas so she can enjoy it with me minus the GH.

Sophia also loves soup, pasta and peas or rice and peas, cheese quesdialla's, fruit and veggie plates, and hummus wraps for lunch what do you do for lunch at your house?
Oh check these out laptoplunches

. They are an update of the asian Bento Box and seem like the perfect lunch accessory. I have to get the family each one, they'll be great on picnics this summer. We've always been picnic people but I have a new beautiful picnic basket that my step mom gave me and I am just chewing wood to use it. So I am sure they'll some posts about that as the weather breaks.

"Orange you glad.."

I've never been an orange person but one day about a year ago, while roaming through my favorite market, a bag of beautiful orange globes just beckoned me..There they were

Cara Cara Oranges. I was smitten after the first bite
Here's what Sunkist had to say
Newly branded "The Power Orange." Cara Cara Oranges are a special variety of juicy, low acid, seedless navels packed with more natural nutrition and minerals to power a healthy immune system. An excellent source of vitamin C, A and fiber; a good source of foliate and potassium, and a natural source of Lycopene, the disease-fighting antioxidants.
So when we couldn't find them again, we went on an oragne taste test.
The test subjects include:

Blood Which made Sophia smile as they some what look purple. I've seen them in a lot of recipe's and have heard people rave over them. For me, not an orange I would pick up and eat, but I will use them in a recipe or 2. They were not a juicy, chin messing orange and had an odd sweetness to them.

Temple These were really sweet and sooo juicy but filled with seeds which, seem to be part of their make up. Good for me but hard for Sophia to eat.

Honey tangerine's These I can clearly say, I was not a fan of. They had a wonderful write up as the sweetest Tangerine for me, not so much!!
So I must say, for me it will still remain the Cara Cara will be my favorite. If you check them out careful, cause you'll want to look for the straight Cara Cara rather then the Cara Cara navels.
Enjoy your own fruit test and share/post your findings

Random things of Bliss

1st let me start with a running update:
Doing good, love feeling everything tighten up and really getting into the zone. I look forward to the calmness of me, myself and I out in the cold air. Most of my runs are at night after Phi is is bed. I have set my clock early for 5:15, but when I check the weather it is always too cold for me. I won't go out if its under 20 and wet.
Pretty much my training looks like this:
Mon & Wed I take a cardio and weight class.
Tues, Wed & Thurs short runs, so far 2 miles.
Sat long runs 3miles this week and they increase by a mile each week
Fri & Sunday ~ RESTTTTTTT.
After a long day at work and a drs app for the little one (answer to the temp and runny nose - Ear infection). I was in awe of a brown package at my door. Hmm, not out of the oridnary for me. Considering I had a panic attack when the tax man asked if I shop online.... Amazon (along with many more) and I are great friends. But I could not place the the address. Typically I return to sender these items (lesson I learned from joining 1 too many book clubs, unopened packages send back for free). But we were waiting for a package from Florida so, I opened it.
What was in it you ask?

Just the prettiest box of heavy weight, delicate, frenchy type stationery you've ever seen. But I don't know who to thank? Oh it made my day! I can't wait to write a note on it. I'm pretty sure it came from this site
which I posted about privously.. I am just giddy thinking about it. Sweet dreams of gel pens gliding on paper for me tonight.
And now on to the big day... Tomorrow I will be 34 and I must say, I have never felt better. I can honestly say I feel like life began at 30 rather then all the rumors I hear. Its a good number. People no longer say, "oh you're young you've got time" they give you credit for making it that far and having some sense about you. I have been given many amazing moments with my beautiful little girl and most say, she's taught me much more then I ever will teach her. Healed and mended some tattered fences along the way. Have weeded my life garden many times over and now feel like I have a good tool box for the mishaps and moments of ugg we all deal with. And much more, can't wait to see what God has planned for me this year?
So how do I start getting ready for the day? By sitting up in my kitchen blogging at 11pm, because I just baked cupcakes to bring to my kids at school and they need to cool before I can frost them.

They are pink and will be mfrosted with white an then adorned with pink jimmies. Not that I have any close connection with pink (I'm more green then pink really) but I had a huge bottle of jimmies left over from our Valentines treat so....
Here's my no fail quick, healthish Vegan Cupcake



1 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 good cap of sprinkles

Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin pan with paper liners.
2 Whisk the milk and the vinegar together and let sit a few minutes until curdled.
3 Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda
4 Beat together the milk mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla, and almond in a large bowl. 5 Mix wet into dry and mix with a wisk until no large lumps remain. Add the sprinkles.
8 Fill cupcake liners I use this scoop (You can't go wrong with the size) bake for 20 minutes or till done. Check you overn you know it best, mine only take about 16-18 on convection. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting.

I love that there are no eggs in this, not a ton of fat and not a ton of sugar. Perfect for my Kinderbabes..

I'll let you know how the day goes....
Till then keep your Belly Happy

Valentines part II

So here's our treats

and

I must say, we had so much fun making them, I don't think we are ever buying cards.
And you can't go wrong with Rice Krispie treats and frosting! Between the glitter and the sprinkles my swifter vac got a run for its money.
So tomorrow we'll mail them off, they are a bit late but, it's always fun to get a treat in the mail to make you smile


And for a yummy souper quick lunch ~

Rainbow Veggie soup
(I don"t have measurements here as I was just kind of tossing it into the pot)
About a quarter of a mayan onion diced
A handful of portobella's diced
A quarter of a red peper diced A handful of diced carrots
Saute' these in a good pat of Smart balance till you can smell them
add about 4 cups of water and 2 crumbled veggie boullion cubes
(I love Rapunzel brand)1 bay leaf and some parsley. I diced up some Broccoli and gave it about 5 minutes or so to cook
I served with it over brown rice, oh so yummy.
Would go great with my biscuits from this post

Ventures into Valentines

So this year, I am so excited about Valentines and my bday which follows shortly after. This is not typical of me, I can only sum it up as, I need to be refreshed and Sophia is all about making crafts and birthdays lately so what better motivation....
Here's a litle peek into our weekend.
On Friday Phi woke up very early saying her head hurt, turns out she had a good temp going on with sneezes and coughs. Ugg the cold bug got her now. She slept all day Friday by Staurday she was pretty much back into swing but we laid low,I am a firm believer in quantines...., which meant, I kept her home from church as well, as not to catch anything else and continue the road to recovery.
So we got to work making a special secret cake for Jeff

Chocolate Cherry Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2cup sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used dark)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups Almond milk
1 can of Cherry pie filling
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons almond extract
4 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 2- 8 or 9 inch round cake pans. I used my heart pan. 2. Sift or whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the milk, pie filling, vinegar, vanilla,almond and optional espresso powder until smooth and espresso is dissolved.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a whisk until combined.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the cake pans. Bake for about 30-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Careful with you over and pan here. Mine took 30 min on convection.
5. Once the cakes are completely cooled

We are going to make ganache tomorrow when we come home from school and poor it over the cake before we serve.

Phi couldn't help but make a seat to watch the magic happen.

While that was baking we started to make our Velentines. I'll let the pics speak for themselves...

SO much fun

Notice the pink arms!

All cleaned up and ready for lunch..
I'll post the finished Valentines later. Till then have a simple Sunday and keep your belly happy

What to do on a snow day

I made these little treats yesterday to take to Phi's play group, we had a few left over and of course they had to be enjoyed in the morning. But I have to laugh, after going to 3 doughnut stores at 8:30 at night to get powdered doughnut holes, mine were so not as perfect as the original and so I rolled them in a bit more powdered sugar which then caused my frosting to slide and their poor little faces lacked a bit.With all that, they were still such a hit. Highly suggest them, if you need your babe to drink any kind of milk. Phi kept laughing as she made the (almond) milk disapear from the snowman's tummy.

So we were closed today for snow, which didn't come but brought lots of ice and cold.
I just adore these days, often we are trully stuck in the house and enjoy playing with everything we can get our hands on. Today I bravely and probably not so wisely ventured out in the elements. So glad I did, we had a wonderful day at the pool with some great friends, an impromtu yummy lunch and by the time we got home a 2 1/2 hour snuggle nap with Sophia. To finish off the day, we made some finger paints and a yummy dish from Little House of Veggies (which has become my go to site lately)

Tasty Seitan Buffalo Wraps
Ranch dressing
1/2 cup Veganaise (vegan mayo)
1/4 cup soymilk
handful of fresh parsley
1 tsp dried dill or 3 tsp fresh dill (I used It's a dilly)
1 tsp garlic powder
cracked black pepper & a pinch of Spike

In a bowl add about 1/2 cup Veganaise. To that add a handful of fresh parsley, a tsp of dried or 3 tsp fresh dill, 1 tsp garlic powder, crack of black pepper, I added a squeeze of lemon too. Add the milk a bit at a time till you like the texture. Sometimes I want this thick and dip like others more of a thin dressing

Buffalo Sauce
1/4 Frank's Sauce
3 Tbsp. Smart Balance butter
1 tsp garlic powder
(adjust based on if you want them Zippier or not. I used more SB, for Phi
Melt the 3 Tbsp. of SB . Add the Frank's and garlic powder. Whisk well and set aside.

In a shallow bowl mix 1/2 cup flour, pinch of paprika, salt and pepper. Toss the seitan strips in the flour mixture.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet (enough to just cover the bottom of the pan, 3-4 tbsp.). Pan fry the strips on both sides. Place the strips in the buffalo sauce and toss to coat. (Just like WIngs)
Use a wrap of your choice, layer with some Romaine, shredded carrots, Buffalo strips and ranch.
Certian to make your belly happy

Taste Test

A while back in Flordia we had these smoothies as a fun afternoon treat.

They were yummy and way too easy to make, poor the pack with a cup of milk ( I used Almond) into your blender and done (after you push the button of course)
I had a coupon and they ended up being on sale, which made them under $1, can't beat that. My first choice is always fresh and local if I can, but sometimes it's hard to do (in the middle of snow) and since I just ran out of the Strawberries I picked in June, so next year I need to pick and freeze much more.
So if you need a quick yummy snack, I suggest you give them a whril.

I so get it

Today was a beautiful snowy day. Soft, thick, fluffy snow. Heavy enough to be seen, light and wet enough not to stick or make a mess. And to top it off, it was a balmy 30 degrees out. (I always love when the weather foke use that word).
Phi and I came home from a great morning of lounging in bed, the gym, a little shopping and an impromtu with lunch with our favorite people. She went down for a nap and I geared up for my first outdoor run. I have to clock the miles yet but I am pretty sure it was 2. Which is where I comfortably need to be, by the 14th when I start running with a group.
I was half way in to it and I knew. I had flashes of that seen in What women want with Mel Gibbson, where they are reviewing an ad for Nike... An odd peace, me and my breath, keeping up to the beat of my heart, talking with God and then quite.
Motivation

Keep your belly happy
Here's 1 of my favorite new recipes
Crispy "fish" tacos from Little House of Veggies

1 package of extra firm tofu
1/2 cup of white whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. creole seasoning
1/2 cup of milk of choice
1 cup Panko Japanese breadcrumbs (these are a must!! They make them really crunchy/crispy!)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray or oil a large heavy baking sheet.
Drain the tofu and gently press it between a towel to remove some of the moisture. Be careful not to smash it. Cut the tofu into 1 inch thick "sticks". You should get about 14-15 of them.
Mix the flour and creole seasoning in a bowl, Milk in another and in the crumbs in another. Dredge the tofu in the flour first, then dredge in the milk, and then into the Panko breadcrumbs, pressing to make sure it is covered well. Lay on the baking sheet. Finish this process with the rest of the tofu, and bake for 25 minutes until crispy.
Sophia loved breading them for me, it was nice a easy for her to do and so fun to get her hands dirty. The smile on her face when we were eatting them priceless.

For the Colorful Cabbage Slaw:
1/2 head of green cabbage
1/4 head of purple cabbage
1 large carrot grated
(This was the original recipe, but I used the bagged broccoli slaw at Wegmans)
1/2 cup cilantro
3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt, and pinch of pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp Veganaise vegan mayo (this is so worth every penny, we think its creamier and better tasting than mayo)

Add shredded cabbage and carrots into a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to coat well.

For the Tacos:
Crispy Tofu "fish"
Colorful Cabbage slaw
corn tortillas (look for a clean brand that contains only 3-4 ingd.)

Gently warm the tortilla. Place 1 tofu "fish" stick in to the taco. Ad a bit of the dressing over it and a good tomatillo salsa over them

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