Let the Good Weather Continue...

Monday: Veggie Burgers and Kale Chips
Tuesday: Red Lentil Risotto with Green Peas
Wednesday: Bread and Tomato Soup with Edamame Beans, Salad and Olive and Artichoke Heart Biscuits
Thursday: Tofu with Thai Vegetables over Coconut Rice
Friday: Quesadillas
Saturday: Chana Masala
Sunday: Sloppy Lentils on Buns with Roasted Veggies



I have a love/hate relationship with play dough. Here's the love part; happy, busy little girl!

Veggie Burgers and Kale Chips
Sometimes, in the winter a chai latte can really make my whole day. Something about the sweetness of rice milk mixed with the cloves and cardamon take me to an instant place of comfort - kind of like one of those Calgon (?) commercials. The kids could be tearing the house apart, but as I sit with my chai I'm oblivious to it all. Perhaps, I should drink this more often. It's even better in the beautiful tea pot, cup and saucer (a saucer, I feel so civilized) the girls picked out for me for my birthday.

Recipe

The veggie burgers were super easy and tasty, I broiled mine on a rack and they did fall apart a little, next time I will put them right on the pan and I think they would flip better (once they were flipped and cooked on both side they stayed together pretty well). The quick, simple recipe for these is from epicurious. It says serves two, I doubled it and got six good sized burgers out of it, but I could have gotten four decent ones out of one serving. We also made kale chips to go with these, instructions here. I'm pretty sure Hannah ate almost all of the chips herself and she ate her burger - yay, she finally has her appetite back!

1 15- to 16-ounce can black beans, rinsed, drained

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco) (I omitted this for the kids)

Buns

Using fork, mash beans in medium bowl. Mix in onion, breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons salsa, cumin and hot pepper sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Using moistened hands, shape bean mixture into two 3- to 4-inch-diameter patties.

Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat) or preheat broiler. Brush barbecue rack with oil. Grill burgers until heated through, about 3 minutes per side.

We toasted the buns and then topped them with pickles, tomatoes, mustard and hot peppers!

Red Lentil Risotto with Green Peas

Today when I was upstairs getting ready the girls were downstairs playing in the living room. I could hear them arguing over one of the throw pillows and I was trying to ignore it. It seems in the last few months they have discovered how to fight...constantly. It used to be my friends would complain about their kids fighting and I'd think, man we're lucky our girls play so well and rarely fight. Honestly, I thought this would continue, even though they were so young, I really thought they would be siblings who only fought occasionally - sometimes ignorance/naivety is a wonderful thing that helps make the most of moments. Anyway, so they're fighting over this pillow and Harper is really upset and I can hear her coming up the stairs, and she gets to my room before I can hide from her (just kidding, it would wrong to hide from your children when they come looking for you to settle arguments, I would never do that...except, maybe when I can find a place to hide before they get to me). Hannah is hot on her heels (that's right, I just used that expression) saying, "It's alright mom, you DON'T have to come downstairs, Harper wouldn't share the pillow and I wasn't letting her have it to herself, and we were arguing and arguing so I put the pillow up so we would stop." Suddenly, my job has become obsolete, just like that. So, I think tomorrow Hannah can watch Harper and I'll head out to the gym!

Recipe

I got this recipe from Apron and Sneakers and it was good and easy. When I was making it I was a little worried that it was going to be bland, but it has a really nice flavor. Would be even better with fresh peas I'm sure, but seeing though it's January in Winnipeg we used frozen.

2 stalks celery, minced

2 carrots, minced

1 liter hot vegetable broth

1 onion, minced

150 g. red lentils, rinsed

200 g. rice (I used arbrio)

200 g. green peas

100 g. cherry tomatoes, halved

salt & pepper

ground parmigiano reggiano

parsley, chopped finely

Boil a pot of hot broth. In another saucepan with extra virgin olive oil, saute' onion, carrots, celery & tomatoes. After tossing for 10 minutes, add the lentils and rice.  Toast for 3 minutes. Pour 500 ml. of hot broth in the saucepan and simmer on low. Add green peas in the middle of cooking. Keep on ladling small amounts of hot broth while cooking.  Stir frequently to avoid sticking. Season with salt & pepper.

Turn off when you see that the rice is cooked through.   

Sprinkle with parmigiano reggiano & parsley - I didn't do this and it was still delicious.

Bread and Tomato Soup with Edamame Beans, Salad and Olive and Artichoke Heart Biscuits
My parents came and had dinner with us and then I took them to the airport. They're on their way to see my sister, niece and brother in-law. I'm always so happy for them that they'll all get to see each other, but a little selfishly sad that we won't be there too. Plus, I always feel a little less on edge once they're no longer flying over that huge expanse of ocean and have touched down on solid ground. It's not that I'm afraid to fly, it's that I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea. Whenever I meet a pilot and get to know them a little I always size them up a bit. My first reaction is to be comforted, they're just normal people who have families and loved ones they want to get home to and they fly all the time, with just as much at stake as the rest of us. Then, that comfort turns, and I realize they are just normal people, NORMAL PEOPLE! There's no cape and boots, if something goes wrong they are not going to jump out, grab hold of the plane and gently set it down in a safe location. I'm just say'n, they are just normal people, grinding it out at work! This panic comes in waves and luckily passes and life goes on. When I'm actually on a flight I'm always amazed that no one can hear the crazy in my head as we take off, although once we're up I can usually settle it down. I think it's good that I've never met anyone who is an air traffic controller, they don't usually hang out in public with their superhero reflexes, sight, and ability to see into the future!

Recipe
I loved this soup, it was so easy and tasted like tomato soup with dumplings in every bite. Although, Dave later admitted he was not really a huge fan of it, sometimes I just don't get him. I also made biscuits which were gobbled up, drizzled a little olive oil, salt and pepper over edamame beans and a Greek salad.

The soup is from epicurious, and the only changes I made was to reduce the oil from 1 cup to 1/3 cup as suggested in one of the reviews, I added a large handful of basil opposed to 3 or 4 leaves and I pressed the garlic and left it in instead of smashing it and then removing it later.

1/3 cup olive oil

3 garlic cloves, pressed

6 cups day-old white bread, without crusts, torn into small pieces

1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, pureed with their juice

4 cups vegetable stock (or water)

Handful of  basil leaves, torn into small pieces

Kosher salt to taste

Heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over low heat. Sauté the garlic until just fragrant, then add the bread, stirring until all the oil is absorbed and the bread is toasted. Add the tomatoes, stock, basil, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Simmer until the bread breaks down, about 20 minutes.

For the biscuits I used the recipe from this post. I doubled it and stirred in 1 can of artichokes, drained and chopped, about 3/4 cup of chopped green olives and a little handful of Daiya cheese (alternatively you could use Asiago or any cheese you like) and I used Almond milk which I soured with 1Tbsp lemon juice (does that make it butter almond milk? Was it necessary to do that? I don't know but it worked).

Tofu with Thai Vegetables over Coconut Rice

It was beautiful out today, thank you Mother Nature. Harper and I took advantage this afternoon and played outside in the backyard. Harper is not as enthusiastic about playing out in the snow as Hannah, I'm not sure if it's her age or her personality. We went into the backyard and built a very little snowman (most of our snow is already dedicated to a snow fort). After the snowman was done Harper said, "Can we go inside and have some hot chocolate now?" This is how she measures if she's staying out or not, whether she's earned a hot chocolate or not. We'd only been out for about 20 minutes and it was super nice so I told her we could go in and have some herbal tea or warm milk, but not hot chocolate. She opted to stay out longer. We played in the fort making a bench and a chair and then she made a toilet and a sink to wash her hands (perhaps she is ready to start trying to use the potty) and then moved on to play in the playhouse. After an hour and a half we went inside for some hot chocolate...well, I had chai latte. We sat at the table together and I thought about the laundry I needed to put away and the dinner I needed to prep for about...20 seconds and then we drew and coloured some pictures together and talked about all kinds of silly things!

Recipe
I had a recipe that I found for some Thai tofu but, somehow it went terribly wrong and the sauce ended up really bitter, luckily I had only added some of the tofu and was able to pick those out and throw out the sauce. So how do you come back from that? Hoisin sauce of course!

The tofu was cooked in a little olive oil with a few dashes of soya sauce and two to three generous squirts of hoisin sauce (probably 1/3 cup) and I used two (350g) packages of firm tofu cut in cubes (because the girls are tofu monsters) and tossed it all together until hot and then left them to marinate in the sauce over low heat, stirring every once and awhile, while I made the rest - to let the flavour really soak in to them.

The veggies are from an epicurious recipe and where really quick and simple.

1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil

2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into thin strips

6 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced (the recipe called for shiitake, but I didn't have any) 

3 large green onions, thinly sliced on sharp diagonal

3 cups thinly sliced bok choy (from 1 bunch; green leaf tops only)

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 20 seconds. Add bell pepper and mushrooms; sauté until pepper is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add green onions and bok choy and sauté until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

For the rice:

1 cup brown basmati rice, rinsed

1 cup coconut milk

1 1/4 cups water

Bring all to a boil in a pot with a lid, and then turn temperature down to low and cook for 30 minutes.

I tossed the rice, tofu and veggies together in a bowl and added some fresh mint and basil. The girls had two helpings...well, one helping and then more tofu as well as asked for some for bedtime snack!

Quesadillas

For the past two nights the girls have been going to bed together. It seemed to be working out really well, they haven't even really been chatting that much before falling asleep. I've been hoping they would sleep together, I'm not sure why. I think that I originally hoped they would sleep together and stop coming into bed with us, but honestly I love waking up in the morning and having them in our bed. I think that when having them in bed with us changed to me only having to pull back the covers for them instead of actually having to get up I became perfectly happy to share. I just like the idea that they have someone there with them for the whole night. It's also nice that putting them to bed has suddenly become really easy, read stories, both hop into bed and a couple kisses. Instead of having them begging me to stay longer and longer to cuddle, making me feel kind of bad for not wanting to (and not actually staying longer) stay and cuddle with my child, but also annoyed that they're trying to drag out the bedtime. They're happy to cuddle with each other, brilliant! Until, last night in the middle of the night we woke to them arguing (seriously! They are even doing it in the middle of the night!), Harper was crying and telling Hannah to get out of her bed, and Hannah was refusing to leave (I would too). I had to get up, I sent Hannah to sleep in our bed and Harper was very happy to go back to sleep all by herself. Hmmmm, I do think she does enjoy her space a little more than Hannah but, I'm not convinced it wasn't a weird fluke dream or something so we're going to see what happens tonight.

Recipe

The girls didn't want to have the tops on their quesadillas so Hannah announced that they were having pizzadillas - I thought it was rather clever! We filled ours with black bean hummus from here, some sauteed veggies (we had peppers, onions, zucchini and mushrooms), with cheddar cheese or Daiya cheese. We baked ours in the oven at 350F flipping once and then topped it with green salsa.

Chana Masala

The weather has just been so incredible for us for January this year, I'm so happy. We decided that we would head out to Assiniboine Park today to do some skating and playing and maybe even visit the zoo. We are not really planners though, we should have brought sleds and actually checked the hours of the zoo before we spent our time elsewhere, but it all worked out in the end. We all strapped our skates on and skated on the pond. Harper was really excited and told me that she was going to skate without falling this time, that is not how it went down. She did really well for it being her second time on skates, but when you spend most of your time on your bum it can get old fast. She lasted about 20 minutes and then was really happy to sit on the side with either Dave and I to watch Hannah skate around and around and around. We then played in the play park (only the swings are open) and headed to Stella's for something warm to drink and a little snack. The girls both downed a cup of hot chocolate and an enormous muffin and Harper promptly fell asleep on the way home, I laid her on the floor and took her out of her snowsuit, carried her up to bed (this was all at 5:30) and she still has not stirred - I really hope she sleeps through or we're in trouble.

Recipe

We got home a little late and so I had a different chickpea dish planned which would have taken a little longer so I decided to save it for next week and made this chana masala from here instead. I cooked some cubed potatoes and cauliflower on the side and added them in close to the end with some peas.

Sloppy Lentils on Buns with Roasted Veggies

Me to Harper today, "Don't put those mini marshmallows up your nose, we'll have to go to the doctor's to get them out." as she is trying to see if she can fit one up her nose (and them promptly eats it - gross). Hannah asks me, "how do you know that, Mama?" "Because, I'm your mom and I'm pretty smart." "Mo-om, really, what's the truth?"

Harper eating dinner tonight looks at me after munching down a brussel sprout and yells, "Bussel Spouts make me GO! Weally dey do" I think she meant grow.

We had a very lazy Sunday most of which I contemplated who gave Hannah the attitude for her birthday and if it was in fact returnable. The problem is we seem to jump on every little comment and trust me there are a lot, because everything is either; boring, gross, totally unfair, yucky or ugly. My goal for the week is to learn to ignore the ones I can and to hide from the others...no, no to try and deal with the others as an adult and not as my ten year old self.

Recipe

I got this recipe from Mmm is for Mommy and we quite liked them, but it was missing a little zip, I'm thinking maybe a little red wine vinegar. I doubled the recipe and will be freezing enough for 4 meals I bet.

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup (1 stalk) celery, diced1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 cup dried green lentils, rinsed
2 1/2 cups water
1 24oz bottle of strained tomatoes (or equivalent of canned crushed)
2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
1 tbsp prepared mustard
2 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

In a frying pan, heat oil and sauté onion, peppers, celery and garlic until softened.  Stir in chili powder and cook for another minute or two.  Add to 3 1/2 qt slow cooker (or double amounts and cook in larger slow cooker), along with all of the other ingredients.  Stir to combine, cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

We had ours on toasted whole wheat buns with sliced pickles and mustard.

For the veggies I roasted:

1 bunch of broccoli cut into florets

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets

2 handfuls of brussel sprouts

10 cloves of garlic, smashed

Preheat oven to 400F and put all the veggies and garlic in a pan, drizzle with olive oil and season with a little salt. Roast for about 25 minutes, stirring a couple times. Remove from oven and pour in a little veggie stock, about 1/4 cup, stir together and roast again for five minutes. If this sounds familiar it's because it's inspired by Appetite for Reduction's Forty Clove Chickpeas and Broccoli.

Dave made dessert tonight, Raspberry Crisp from all recipes, it was really sweet but good, a little went a long way.

1 (21 ounce) can cherry pie filling, except he used Raspberry instead1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup melted margarine

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.) Lightly grease a 2 quart baking dish. Pour pie filling into the dish, and spread evenly.

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix in melted margarine. Spread over pie filling, and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until topping is golden brown. Allow to cool 15 minutes before serving.

I hope the sun shines down on you this week and we have more days like these:

It's My Birthday...I wasn't kidding last week, more birthday!

Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Oaxacan Potato Soup and Edamame Beans
Wednesday: Roasted Veggie and Hummus Sandwiches
Thursday: African Curried Coconut Soup with Chickpeas and Baguette
Friday: Pasta and Salad
Saturday: Pizza
Sunday: Lentil Stew, Salmon, Salad and Bread

Leftovers

Once the party ended and all went to bed we heard cries from Hannah's room, pained, confused cries. When we made our way through the dark, running into each other here and there and confused as to who we actually were, we found a hot and fevered little girl. Poor little one. I spent most of my day today on the couch with her watching Strawberry Shortcake and a variety of other cartoons and watching her sleep. She also seems to have an eye infection, it's really kind of a sad sight. She's sleeping now, it really only took a few minutes, here's hoping she makes it through the night and is feeling better tomorrow.

Recipe
Leftovers, leftovers, leftovers! We had lots leftover from the birthday party, which was especially nice seeing though Hannah didn't really want me to leave her side today.

Oaxacan Potato Soup and Edamame Beans
Day two. Hannah is still sick. It pains me that the T.V. is on so much. I know that she's sick, and really, what do I want to do when I'm sick? Lay on the couch, watch T.V. and take the occasional nap, it's just that sometimes I feel like I can smell their brains frying. Oh, well. At least I was able to get the laundry done.

Harper is missing Hannah in action, she has also been watching T.V. with her a bit, but luckily she gets bored of it pretty easily. The down side is that I am the new playmate of choice since Hannah is sick. I mean, lucky me, Harper wants me to play with her all day long! We've built Lego, made paper crafts, played dollies, and a series of other role play games where I'm not entirely sure what the story line was, at one point I had to wear a pillow as a hat.

Recipe
This recipe is based on a soup recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special. I altered it to use up the leftovers in my fridge, making it with leftover mashed potatoes and adding some leftover bean spread from last week's pizza, I also omitted the sour cream. This is the original recipe, I really love this soup and it is best with hot banana peppers on top, if I don't have any I add a little salsa (sometimes both).

2 cups onion, chopped
2 Tbsp butter (I use 2 to 3 Tbsp olive oil)
5 cups peeled and chopped potatoes
4 cups water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp prepared yellow mustard
1 cup peeled and diced carrots
1 cup fresh green peas
1/2 cup pitted green olives
1/4 cup chopped pickled jalapenos or banana peppers
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp black pepper

chopped scallions or red onions

In a soup pot on medium heat, saute onions in butter (or oil) for about 7 minutes, until soft but not browned. Add potatoes, water, salt and mustard. Cover and bring to a boil on high heat. Cook until the potatoes are just soft, about 10 minutes.

Remove the soup pot from the heat and coarsely mash the potatoes in the soup pot with a potato masher. Use slow, steady pressure to avoid splashing the hot cooking liquid. Return the soup pot to the heat, add the carrots, cover, and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the peas, olives, and pickled peppers and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, just until the peas are tender.

In a small mixing bowl, combine the sour cream, black pepper, and a couple of ladlefuls of the soup broth. Pour the hot sour cream mixture back into the soup pot and stir well.

Serve garnished with chopped scallions and red onions.

Roasted Veggie and Hummus Sandwiches

Part of the day today was spent sitting on the couch between Hannah and Harper, while Hannah watched more T.V. (still has a fever over 100F) and Harper and I read stories. Partway through reading stories Harper decided she would read to me. Is there anything cuter than a two year "reading" a story - especially when she pretty well gets all the words? Every time she would finish, she would look at me and say, "O.K. Mama now you go put dis one back and pick a new story!"

I went to my aunt's this evening for a Norwex party. It's amazing how you go in thinking, I'm not going to be "sold" on anything, I need new clothes and that's all. Yet, you sit there, and really you know they're all good products before you even get there, suddenly you need them all. I did manage to remain somewhat conservative, but purchased more than I intended - although I still feel justified. I did avoid the $180 face washing/cream system, only just. As the woman presented the facial system she announced that it was for mature skin, the four of us in the room of my generation all began to disengage a little until, she added that mature skin was age 35 and over!!! Really? How did that happen? She said it so matter of factly, like it would not come as a surprise to any of us in the room...well, it did!

Recipe
Since Hannah is still sick I have yet to venture to the grocery store, so I am having to get a little creative. Luckily we had some extra veggies left that I didn't use on the weekend and these were quite good. They would have gone nicely with a little green salad, if I'd had some lettuce left.

1 eggplant, chopped into 1inch cubes
2 yellow peppers, chopped into 1inch size pieces
1 red pepper, chopped into 1inch size pieces
3 cups mushrooms, quartered
2 onions, roughly chopped
4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 450F.

Mix all the veggies together in a large baking pan with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, stir and then reduce heat to 350F. Roast veggies for another 20 to 30 minutes, stirring a couple times throughout.

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1-2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/4 cup water

Put all ingredients in a food processor and whiz together until desired consistency. Test and adjust seasoning if needed.

Spread on bread or bun, top with roasted veggies and eat either open faced or as a sandwich.

African Curried Coconut Soup with Chickpeas and Baguette
It's my birthday. Let's just say I've got one year left before my skin has matured, probably many more after that until my personality has matured. Do you remember that birthday feeling as a kid? I remember there was this magic feeling from the moment you woke up, everything was better because it was your birthday - even brushing your teeth had a little magic to it. I don't get that same magical feeling on my birthday, perhaps when you reach an age where another year really isn't going to make much of a difference (except it means the difference between youthful skin and mature skin) in my life that feeling starts to fade. But, there is always some magic in the day and today was one of those days.

Hannah is still sick and when we woke up (I slept with her last night) she couldn't wait to go downstairs so she could give me the gift she'd picked out. Downstairs, Dave had cleaned up from last night (even wiped the counters) and had gotten the coffee all ready for me this morning (this may seem little to you, but honestly not having to clean the coffee in the morning is just so, ahhhhhhh). Harper danced around in her usual morning way, telling me it was my birthday. My parents were at my door around 10 am to wish me a happy birthday and watch the girls while I worked out and did a little grocery shop (they had offered so I could do a little me shopping, but Hannah was so sick and didn't want me gone that long). My parents came back later with dinner and to watch the hockey game, other than my poor little Hannah being sick it was a perfect day. Not to mention all the great birthday wishes I received from friends and family. Have I ever mentioned how lucky I am? How grateful I am to have the life I have? It's easily forgotten or more, pushed to the back of my mind as we trudge through the day to day, but I am truly grateful and happy!

Recipe
We were suppose to go to my parents for dinner, but because Hannah's sick, they brought dinner to us. Sushi, and this wonderful artichoke dip (with olives, artichokes, garlic and olive oil) to start and then this delicious soup from epicurious with baguette for supper - it was so good.

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 medium onion (about 6 ounces), chopped

1 medium red bell pepper (about 6 ounces), chopped

1 jalapeño chili, seeded and finely chopped

2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 cup chopped tomatoes, seeded and peeled, fresh or canned

1 teaspoon mild curry powder

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk

3/4 cup cooked white or brown rice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

She also added some potatoes and cauliflower - which she cooked separately and added at the end, it gave it a nice hearty stew consistency.

In a medium stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and chili; cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add the broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, curry powder, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serve warm. 

I had forgotten to take a picture and was going to with the leftovers except, I came home Saturday after shopping and was so hungry I ate them up and forgot all about the picture.

Dave made me this cake from Baby Cakes, it was vegan and gluten free. There were mixed opinions on it, I really liked it!

Pasta
Well, we woke up today and I thought today's the day. Hannah was playing with Harper instead of laying on the couch, she had some breakfast, she's finally recovering. So I ran around the house like a mad woman, cleaning every surface, vacuuming the ones that couldn't be wiped and putting every possible thing in the washing machine that I could. By around 2:00, I had a done 5 loads of laundry and still had 3 to go, had a very clean house and a six year old crashed on the couch out of energy and a two year old complaining about her ear. Dave called and said he wasn't feeling so hot, and I soon felt the threat of it in my chest during my run. I always jump the gun on the cleaning part. So now I have cancelled the company for tomorrow night and we are all laying low. Oh, well.

Recipe
The dip my mom brought over last night inspired me to make this pasta.

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and cut in quarters

1/2 cup green olives, sliced
olive oil, a couple good gluggs
2 cloves garlic, pressed
4 tomatoes, chopped
Fresh basil to top
Brown rice pasta, cook according to package directions
Cheese to top, Parmesan or daiya

Heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the olives, artichokes and tomatoes, cook on low until flavors meld and it gets a little bit saucy, about 10 minutes, add some veggie stock if you need a little more liquid. Toss with pasta and add basil and cheese.

Pizza
Today's the day? Maybe? Possibly? Hannah does seem to be on the mend except for her cough - she didn't even crash today until bed time, although she did sleep in until 9 this morning. Harper slept through and has not mentioned her ear at all and Dave and I are slow moving, but not feeling any worse. I hate the flu, but it is January and we do seem to get hit with it every January so I  suppose I shouldn't be surprised.

Harper and I played charades today. My sister gave her (I know, she was bang on with the gifts this year) this charades game and she loves to play it. The cards are little pictures that you act out; animal, action or thing. Harper, looks at the card, tells herself what it is (out loud), acts out the picture on the card and then is genuinely surprised when you guess it - Magic! I love it!

Recipe
The plan for tonight was to have some friends over to watch the hockey game and have appetizers for dinner, but considering the germs we must be harboring here we cancelled. So we had the fixings for pizza and that's what we made, mine with daiya - which was very good, and the rest with feta.

Lentil Stew, Salmon, Greek Salad and Bread

This has been a common scene in our house this week...well, actually imagine Hannah laying down and looking much, much sicker. Today, she made it outside to play for a little bit, to keep her from going insane, she hasn't been out of the house in over a week and we all sat down this afternoon to watch Frozen Planet. I'm wishing the sickness away, but it's just not gone yet - it's January.

We went to my mom and dad's for a delicious dinner of Lentil Stew found here and salmon (not me), bread and salad. It's our last Sunday dinner with them for awhile as they are heading to Australia to visit my sister, brother in law and niece. They will be gone for awhile and I'm really excited for them and my sister, but we always miss them so much when they're gone.

I hope the sun shines down on you this week and you're all able to stay healthy!

More Birthday!

Monday: Rice Wraps and Birthday Cake (Hannah's pick)
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Black Bean Hummus, Pita Chips and Raw Veggies
Thursday: Shepherd's Pie
Friday: Pizza (yes, mine was vegan)
Saturday: Falafel
Sunday: Salmon, Roast, Roasted Veggies, Quinoa Salad, Green Salad, Beans and Bread with Birthday Cake and Ice Cream

Rice Wraps and Birthday Cake
Six years ago today I was about three weeks past my original due date, a week and a half past the second due date I was given, it doesn't matter how many times its adjusted, you still cling to that first one. I seriously thought that the baby would never come and eventually my body would adjust back to normal and it would be this weird thing that once happened. People would say, "Remember that time you were pregnant, but never had a baby? That was weird. How long did it take for your body to go back to the way it was? Imagine how different your life would be." Really, this is what I thought, you know it's not true, but there's a part of you that has mentally prepared for it. It's probably good that my mind was focused on this and not the fact that I was soon going to have a baby. Dave and I were going to be trusted with a baby. I remember being blown away by that because, I've never really ever felt like an adult. When we bought our first house, I thought what fools to trust us with a house. When we got married, I was sure we'd tricked someone along the way to letting us tie the knot and now a baby, for sure someone was going to find us out and stop this craziness. But, nobody has.

We turned the butterfly cake into a caterpillar...I know, backwards. My mom took this pic, I love how happy she looks.

The day Hannah was born I had acupuncture in the morning where I was forgotten about on the table with all the little needles stuck in me - if that's the reason I went into labour than I thank them, even though it was terribly confusing for me (am I suppose to take these out on my own?) and very uncomfortable (because I was on my side, don't leave a very pregnant lady on her side for an hour). I also had a fetal assessment, in which I still had trouble making out the baby inside (furthering my suspicions of the crazy, fake pregnancy), but I faked it, just in case a baby did come out, they'd think I was smart enough to keep him/her. Finally, that evening around 6:15 I had a very strong contraction, different than all the others I'd been having for weeks. We welcomed our baby girl into our world at 11:38 that evening. She was squished and red faced with lots of jet black hair, looking back on the pictures, kinda funny looking - but to me she was the most beautiful baby in the world. My parents came and met her around 1 am and we called everyone to tell them about her and then, they left, the midwives left...seriously they left her with us.We sat in our bed and stared at that baby for five straight days. Seriously, it was amazing, time would pass, the sun would rise and set, people visited and brought food and we sat and stared at that face in total awe, we often still stare at that face in total awe...

Recipe
You get to choose your meal for your birthday and Hannah chooses rice wraps every year. You can find the recipe here on this post (where I've called them salad rolls for some reason), I added cilantro and chopped peppers tonight - yum!

Leftovers
I feel like I could sleep for a week. I think it's the flu; aches, fatigue and a really sore throat. It's not quite bad enough to spend the whole day in bed, but bad enough to feel like I'm moving through water and could possibly fall asleep at any moment. When the girls heard I wasn't feeling well they came up with a long list of solutions for me from eating dinner to doing a puzzle. They ended by climbing on top of me and cuddling (suffocating) me up...hard. I get it though, they meant well and when they're sick I want to be able to cuddle it out of them.

Recipe
I had planned on making soup, but I just wasn't up to it - which was disappointing because I would have really liked to eat some soup (it was too late to start when Dave got home, he would have made me some). So we had lots of leftovers and had those - soup tomorrow.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup, Black Bean Hummus, Pita Chips and Raw Veggies
I'm still moving a little slow and have a bit of a sore throat, but I think I'm mostly on the mend. This book came in the mail today for Hannah from my sister. I love it. The stories in it are great and so are the illustrations, full of imagination and adventure, but really I loved it from the cover. When I asked Hannah who the cover reminded her of, she had no clue...

Recipe
The recipe for the soup is from The Best of Bridge: Aces, and the black bean hummus is from my little celebration, only slightly adjusted. I'm recommending both, I really loved the black bean hummus and will make it again.

4 large red peppers

2 Tbsp butter of margarine (I used olive oil)
1 large red onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups veggie stock (it actually called for chicken)
1 Tbsp lemon juice or gin
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp ground pepper
Sweet basil

Cut the peppers in half and remove seeds. Place cut side down on a cookie sheet. Broil until skins are blackened and puffed. Remove from sheet and place in a plastic bag to steam (I used a paper bag and it seemed to work just fine).

Saute onions and garlic in butter until soft. Remove cooled peppers from bag and peel off skins. Cut into chunks and add to onions and garlic. Cook for 2 -3 minutes. Add lemon juice or gin. In a blender or a processor, whirl 1/3 of the mixture until smooth, season with salt and pepper and garnish with basil.

For pita chips, preheat oven to 350F and spray a cookie sheet lined with parchment. Cut pitas (1 per person or as many as you like) and place on sheet, spray the tops and sprinkle with a little salt (if you like) and bake in the over until almost crispy, flipping once. Usually it takes about 5 minutes a side but check often - they will crisp up once they cool.

Black Bean Hummus:

1 can black beans, drained

1 tsp cumin

pinch of salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp olive oil

large handful cilantro, stems mostly removed

juice of half a large lemon

Add a little water if too thick

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Serve room temperature or chilled.

Shepherd's Pie
Winter has arrived and it's cold. We've been so spoiled with the nice weather lately that we haven't had time to toughen up (dear, mother nature - I am not complaining, simply explaining - please let the nice weather come back for a playdate - we've been having so much fun together). I've lived here almost all my life and every time I set foot outside today I kept thinking, "How do we get through this every year?" I think it must be a little like the first year of having a baby, you block out the really hard parts so that you'll have another or in this case stay another year. In the end there's always a good "war" story to tell. It does present the perfect day for to have a warm comforting meal though and so, Shepherd's pie.

Recipe 

This recipe is from FatFree Vegan.

8 large or 10 medium potatoes

2 tablespoons nonhydrogenated margarine (vegan kind)

1/2 cup rice milk

Salt to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 ounces cremini or baby bella mushrooms

Two 15-ounce cans lentils, lightly drained but not rinsed (or about 3 1/2 cups cooked lentils with a little of their cooking liquid)

2 tablespoons dry red wine, optional

1 to 2 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce or Bragg’s liquid aminos (I would half this next time)

2 teaspoons seasoning blend (such as Spike or Mrs. Dash)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Freshly ground pepper to taste

3 tablespoons cornstarch or arrowroot

8 to 10 ounces baby spinach or arugula leaves

1 cup fresh bread crumbs or panko bread crumbs (gluten-free if needed)

Peel and dice the potatoes. Place in a large saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, then cover and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and transfer to a small mixing bowl.

Stir the margarine into the potatoes until melted, then add the rice milk and mash until fluffy. Cover and set aside until needed.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a medium skillet. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to sauté until the onion is golden.

Add the lentils and their liquid and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir in the optional wine, soy sauce, seasoning blend, thyme, and pepper. Cook gently for 5 minutes. Combine the cornstarch with just enough water to dissolve in a small container. Stir into the lentil mixture.

Add the spinach, a little at a time, cooking just until it’s all wilted down. Remove from the heat; taste to adjust seasonings to your liking.

Lightly oil a 2-quart (preferably round) casserole dish, or two deep-dish pie plates. Scatter the breadcrumbs evenly over the bottom. Pour in the lentil mixture, then spread the potatoes evenly over the top. If using two pie plates, divide each mixture evenly between them.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes begin to turn golden and slightly crusty. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes, then cut into wedges to serve.

Pizza
I can remember as a kid, playing outside in the winter. It was always a little crazy how it would be so cold out front, but in the back the wind would be blocked just enough and if you were bundled just right, you could be out there for a long time. Even if you were playing with other kids you could always get lost in your own thoughts and world, because of the layers of hat, hood, scarf that surrounded your face and ears, only to be snapped back by the crunching of boots on snow beside you. Call me an introvert, I loved it. I loved being able to play with other kids but have this kind of little retreat on my own too, I also hated that every time I wanted to turn and see my friends I ended up looking at the inside of my own hood - it was very frustrating. The girls played out in the backyard today before supper, they must of been out there for an hour and came in all rosy cheeked and full of snow asking for warm milk and to help make the pizza. As I rolled out the dough they sat at the kitchen table sipping their milk from mugs and pleasantly chatting together, it was such a funny little scene like two tiny grown ups having coffee.

Pizza
I made regular pizza for the kids and Dave and a bean hummus pizza for myself. It was really good, Dave had a couple pieces and agreed.

1 19 oz can of white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil
5 cloves roasted garlic
1 tsp salt
1 handful of fresh basil

Preheat oven to 350F and wrap the garlic in foil with a little drizzle of olive oil. Roast until tender, about 25 minutes.

In a processor add all the ingredients, includind the roasted garlic, and puree together, add water a little at a time to get the right consistency.

I spread it on the pizza crust as the sauce, topped it with sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, olives, tomato (deseeded and chopped) and banana peppers and baked it with the other pizza. When it came out of the oven and drizzled it with a tiny bit of olive oil and topped it with chopped fresh basil.

Falafel
So this is often the scene in the morning in our house (especially on the weekend). Harper wakes up too early, wakes Hannah up and then one of us (I was the lucky one today) goes and sleeps, I use that term very lightly, in Harper's room while the girls play. They always play very well together in the morning, but loudly. Today they were playing ship. The bed was the ship and there were waves and a lot of yelling and diving under the covers, stepping on my hair and pulling the covers off of me. This was actually fairly normal, but what I found very funny was when Harper accidentally dropped a stuffy on my leg and Hannah said to her (while sitting on my hair), "Harper don't drop things on mama, you have to be careful she's trying to sleep!"

Recipe
The falafel recipe can be found here. I of course didn't have the sauce, but lots of chopped up tomatoes and cuccumbers and it was really good. It's a really easy meal, but you do have to make it a little ahead so it can sit in the fridge for a couple hours before forming and cooking.

Salmon, Roast, Roasted Veggies, Quinoa Salad, Green Salad, Beans and Bread with Birthday Cake and Ice Cream
Yes, more birthday. We had the family party for my nephew and Hannah's 6th birthdays tonight. Have I mentioned that I can't believe they're six? Seriously. There's no baby left in there. They just keep getting bigger and bigger. I loved watching all the kids play together, I mostly loved how they moved in a pack!

The next couple pictures my mom took, the first one has the makings of a Normal Rockwell...

I love how animated they are!

Let's eat cake!

You did read that right, roast, I didn't make it. My mom cooked a roast for the meat eaters, we cooked salmon to go with it and for my family and I made a quinoa salad to be sure that I would get some protein. It seems complicated but really it was quite simple. My aunt made the salad and my cousin made the cake, which was vegan - I had two pieces!

The fish was just BBQed with a little olive oil, the beans I left naked and the bread I made in the breadmaker. It was the recipe below from Cooking Nook, this is the one that I make for our regular bread and I quite like it. The idea for the quinoa salad came from Good Life Eats, but I changed it quite a bit.

Bread:

For a 1 1/2 pound loaf:
3/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup white bread flour
1 tablespoon yeast

Put the ingredients into your bread maker in the order specified by the manufacturer's instructions. Set the machine for whole wheat bread and medium crust.

Quinoa Salad

1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound)
3 roasted red peppers (from the jar), chopped

1/4 cup red onion, diced
1 avocado, diced
2 Tbsp olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes for garnish
salt
freshly ground pepper

I would normally add olives as well but, left them out tonight. I've also made this and added black beans.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes, toss them with a little olive oil and roast them in the oven, for about 1/2 hour flipping halfway through.

In a large bowl whisk together oil, lime juice, cumin, cilantro, salt and pepper. Add in the rest of the ingredients,  including sweet potato and toss together. Let sit at room temperature for 1/2 hour to an hour before serving to let the flavors meld - check seasoning before serving.

I hope the sun shines down on you this week, we'll be celebrating more birthdays. Seriously.

Sometimes, I post a day late because I've fallen behind on the recipes or the pictures. Sometimes, because honestly I'm just too tired once the weekend is done and we've gotten the kids into bed. Sometimes we're away and I can't get online to do it. Sometimes, I spend the evening after the guests have gone home, the kids have gone to bed and the dishes are all done feeling like I'm forgetting something, only to check facebook the next morning to see a post on my wall, asking where it is and I think ahhhh, that's what I was forgetting last night. Really, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more ofter, my memory is that good!