Tricking the Kids

They have no idea they are consuming a huge portion of green beans. We hid it well in the midst of fruit and oj and yogurt. LOL.

Lunch

I'm so proud of myself for actually eating right this week. No, really, this a huge accomplishment for me. My schedule during the day is built around kids activities and naps. By the time they are napping, I am ready to rest or work on art. Eating just gets in the way.

This week I made these fresh tacos every day for lunch. Honey mustard and cheese on the bottom. Then whatever veggies I could get my hands on: cukes, tomatoes, green and black olives, roasted red peppers, bell peppers, lettuce, avocado. Maybe not all at once, but some combination.

Yum. Let me say it again: Yum.

Around the House

This week was a long, stay-at-home week for me. There was a lot of chasing. Our new house has one of those loops, you know, kitchen-dining room-living room-kitchen. It's perfect for chasing. We had one when I was a kid and we played Velociraptors until Mama just about screamed. And I don't blame her. I may or may not have raised my voice on a number of occasions this week. But if I did, it was only to be heard above the fray. 

I have the living room decorated with pretty, colorful things and old cameras and globes. It won't be like this for long. As soon as we put Bea's furniture in her room, those decorations will be hers, other than the cameras. Then, my living room will be bare and I will go thrifting. 

Check out Amby's hair. Everyone thinks he is a girl and I am tempted to cut it. But it's too soft. 

This coming week, I am looking forward to more home days. (My car is broken down: transmission.) We will have lots of drawing, reading, writing and piano lessons, I will read Go Dog Go and Fox in Socks at least one hundred times each, I will make some good meals and I will also give the Wendy's up the street at least some of my husband's hard earned money. 

Oh, and I am having another party. 

Girls' Nite Out

Beatrice and I had been planning this for so long! We went on a date as she called it. You would not believe how many times she invited Daddy and Ambrose to come along. But in the end it was just the two of us. We dressed up a little and curled our hair. I wore my new sweater.

We went downtown. The restaurant we selected had a bunch of vegetarian options and was fancy. But still really inexpensive. Seriously. Cheap. We got spring rolls, lo mein, tofu fritters and ginger slaw and drinks and had leftovers and it was $11. Huh? (James, lets do another date there! We haven't been since the day you proposed!) 

Bea is a very adventurous eater. She basically loves food. Can you tell?

We had planned on hitting up the toy store after dinner (Bea wanted a blue fire truck), but alas they were closed already. So we had ice cream instead.

On the way home, Bea told me she loves me. And I told her a list of some things I love about her. Like how she introduces herself to everyone in the sweetest voice I've ever heard, how her skin smells and how well she knows her letter sounds. 

I am overwhelmed by this blessing, this daughter, this beautiful responsibility that I've been given.

Homemade Pizza, a weekly tradition

We honestly have been eating this pizza weekly. Toppings may vary, of course. The dough is super easy and the pies cook in less time than a frozen pizza!

Ingredients:

1 packet of yeast

1 cup warm water

1 tablespoon honey

2.5 cups all p. flour

salt

oil

sause

cheese

toppings

spices

In a smallish bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water with the honey. Set it aside. 

Sift your flour into a large bowl with some shakes of salt. Make a valley in the flour and pour in a tablespoon or so of oil. Olive, vegetable, canola, whatever you've got. Set it aside.

Decide what you are going to put your pizzas on or in. I like to use a large, round cookie pan and a smaller pie pan. Prep your pans with oil and season with whatever you like: garlic, salt, pepper, parmesan cheese, oregano. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350-400.

By now, your yeast solution is probably ready. Add it to the flour and mix it up. It should for a soft, sticky dough. Separate into as many pies as you are making. Using extra flour to make it manageable, spread dough in pans. Season the dough the same way you seasoned the pans. Add sause. Add cheese. Season again. Add toppings. Season again. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Less if your pies are thin. More if they are thick. 

ENJOY!

P.S. Our toppings usually include fresh tomatoes, peppers, spinach and fresh basil.

Pillsbury

Now that I have a cookie jar, I feel like reveling in domestic stereotypical womanhood. When my children nap, I make cookies. When my husband comes home from work? He is greeted by the smell of the Christmas tree, cinnamon candles and fresh-out-of-the-oven cookies. Would you care for peanut butter or chocolate chip, dear?

Seriously, though, I'm in love with this adorable Santa cookie jar! And so is Beatrice. In the sweetest voice imaginable, she asks, "Mama, may I pleeeease hold Santa?"

And, yes, they are from a package. But how could I possibly resist when the package said it contained no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or high fructose corn syrup? (And, yes, they were still good.)

On Food

James and I are not vegan.

We just did a week long cleansing as a kick-off toward a more clean, balanced, ethical and sustainable eating habit. We ate only cleansing foods (as opposed to building foods such as cheeses and meats). We ate a lot of veggies and avoided preservatives, artificial sweeteners, etc. We also spent time in the sauna at our gym to help get out toxins.

This is going to be a big shift for us and it can't happen abruptly. We learned this week that our bodies need a gentler transition and that it will take time (like months or a year or longer) for us to replace most of our foods and recipes. I have no idea what to make!!! (If anyone out there has vegan/vegetarian recipes, please share!!)

The goal is not to be vegan or even fully vegetarian. Animal products don't bother us so long as they are ethically produced and don't contain hormones and antibiotics and aren't over-processed. We've switched to raw milk for the kids and organic soy for ourselves, but we pretty much only use it in coffee.

Personally, I would really like support for this change. I don't want my friends to feel that we are against them or look down on them for eating what they do, but I know that is how this kind of thing is easily taken. I thought that about the vegans I know, like "they think they are better and superior to all of us normal people." Now, I am certain that is not the case with them any more than it is for us! Although, I'd love to see my friends move in this direction, too. That way we could share recipes.

Lunch