Back to blogging and our VERY BIG NEWS!

The last week of March 2012 was a very big deal.

I turned 30. 

I officially began my Birth Doula certification.  

I found out I am pregnant with baby #3 and due this December.

A big deal in deed.

Turning 30 was easy.  Being pregnant is fairly easy for me.  At least easy enough where I can't complain.  The sweet little thing was eagerly anticipated and our happy juices are still flowing at the thought of adding another precious face to our bunch.  The Doula certification was exciting but not easy in the beginning.  Especially considering Birth Arts International requires 5 births for certification and my plan is to finish everything up before I take my BabyMoon break at the beginning of November.  So, I began frantically working.  Working.  Working.  I have to admit, I impressed myself.  I knew there was much to do before I could open up for "business" and I did it.  At least enough to actively search for clients.  Much of the certification is incomplete but my paperwork and documents are ready for clients.  And of course, all this working working working took up my brain space during the day and my time at night so no blogging.  But, I am hoping now that the frantic rush to get ready for clients is over that I will be able to find balance and go back to my blogging ways.  It does seem that I will have to let go of my compulsion to gain new readers and break the previous month's number of site hits 

But, balance.  I am searching for balance.  And some things will have to be released.  But, blogging is not one of those things.  I have too much to say.  And, it's killing me keeping it all to myself.

So...if you are in the area, I am a doula!  It's official. 

And we are expecting a baby.  And planning another homebirth.  And indulging in copious amounts of dairy now that Liza has outgrown her dairy sensitivity.

Life simply doesn't get any more exciting.

Seriously.

****Like my doula business' Facebook page!****

https://www.facebook.com/SouthernNurtureBirthServices

Chocolate Milk My Way

As with all dairy-free recipes, I wish I could use the good stuff.

I am not vegan and I am not anti organic milk and butter.

Maybe one of these days we will be off the almond milk but for now it makes an excellent substitute.

Chocolate Milk My Way


1 cup almond milk
0.5 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
honey to taste*


1. Mix all ingredients in a jar with a tight lid.
2. Shake until combined.


*We like honey.  Enough said.

An Even Five.

1.  Liza loves colors.  She is endlessly fascinated by repeating various color names.  However, she can not identify any colors on her own.  Her default used to be 'orange' but now she says things are 'blue', 'yellow' and 'pu-ple'.  It's pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen.

2.  I started oil pulling today.  As in right now.  I am currently swishing 1 tablespoon of sesame oil around in my mouth.  It is pretty much exhausting.  My poor jaws are about done and I'm only 7 minutes into my 20 minute devoted time block.  For those of you not in the know, kinda like me until just last night, oil pulling is an ancient Ayurvedic process of drawing toxins from your body pretty much curing you of all your ailments according to www.oilpulling.com.  If it's Ayurvedic, I believe it so we shall see how it goes. All I know at this point is that my jaws are weak and more tired by the second.

3.  Henry and I baked these oatmeal cookies tonight.  I made them dairy-free by using 1/2 cup coconut oil and 1/2 cup palm shortening in lieu of the butter.  I also cut back the sugar by half a cup.  Delicious.  And, it makes a lot of cookies so I am planning on freezing the remaining dough for future use.  Okay.  I won't lie.  I'm sure I'll bake them tomorrow night.  Okay.  More like early tomorrow afternoon.

4.  My newest line of thought is centered around biological norms versus cultural norms.  Lots to think about.  Too much for a blog post.  More thinking is needed.

5.  I just went back to www.oilpullingwww.oilpulling.com.com to check on my tired jaws issue.  "If your jaw muscles get sore while swishing, you're putting too much into it. Relax your jaw muscles and use your tongue to help move the liquid around the inside of your mouth. When you do this correctly, you'll feel very comfortable. Pretty soon."  Good to know.    

Why I'm dairy free.

If  you see me at a holiday potluck dinner, you will hear me quiz everybody if dairy is included in their dish.  Likely, you will also hear at least one person ask if I am vegan.  I might be dairy-free and I might only eat meat a few times a month but I am decidedly not vegan.  I love my eggs and I would kill for a huge chunk of Brie right now.  And, cottage cheese.  Don't even get me started on cottage cheese.

I am dairy-free because Liza is still very sensitive to dairy.  Allergic, no.  Sensitive, yes.  Via my breastmilk, Liza gets a very gassy tummy during the night and eczema flare-ups on her upper thighs.  Via a stray sippy cup of milk, Liza screams periodically throughout the night until she finally passes gas and fiery red eczema that is painful to the touch.

Of course, the stray sippy cup or grabbed slice of cheese is a much rarer occurrence than her getting dairy via my breastmilk because that girl loves to nurse!  I weaned Henry at a year with one of my reasons being that I didn't want a toddler obsessed with nursing.  And, now that I have a toddler obsessed with nursing, I am quick to admit I was wrong.  My toddler old obsessed with her milk is the best thing in my world.  Nothing makes her happier, keeps her quieter and gives her more nutrients than the most perfect food in the entire world.  And, it's free.  And, it's mess-less.  And, it's effortless.  Can you tell I'm a fan?  That is, unless I desperately need to eat a big fat muffin bursting with butter or snag a huge slurp of Mr. Messy's milkshake.  Then I feel guilty, find the tube of Lansinoh lanolin for her eczema and prepare myself to rub her tummy periodically throughout the night.

Henry outgrew his dairy senstivity by 2 years and 9 months old so at 16 months, I expect to deal with a dairy-free Liza for at least another year.  Henry's symptoms were a bit different but included eczema and I suspect his constant wheeze as an infant was tied to his dairy sensitivity.  I certainly could beat myself up for not recognizing his intolerance until he was almost 2 but I am doing the best I can and I choose to be thankful the eczema mystery was solved.  Period.

So, there you are.  No.  I am not vegan and I am not dairy-free for myself.  I am dairy-free because I love my baby and my baby loves her milk.  And, I am just fine with that.

Chili My Way

Plain jane, no-frills chili?

Yes, please.

Chili My Way

1 can tomato sauce

2 cups dried beans, rinsed*

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 tbs paprika

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs powdered mustard

salt and pepper to taste

1.  Mix all ingredients and 2 can fulls of water in a crockpot.

2.  Simmer on high for 4-6 hours or low for 10-12 hours until beans are tender and flavors are melded.

* Soaking the beans will cut back on cooking time. 

* I usually use a mix of kidney beans and cranberry beans but any beans are fine.

Cilantro Dip My Way

Favorite dip recipe.  Ever.

I even call it my "famous" cilantro dip recipe.

It's that good.

It finally occurred to me to sub the block of cream cheese with an avocado and I have to say.....

I am way.too.excited.

Cilantro Dip My Way

1 large bunch of cilantro, stems included

1 avocado

8 oz sour cream*

0.5 cup green salsa

1 lime, juiced

cumin, to taste

1. Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until pureed.

2. Serve as a dip with chips or as a topping for Mexican themed dishes.

* I like Tofutti brand non-dairy sour cream.

Beet Pancakes My Way

If you are a OMML devotee, you know I really like my carbs.

In fact, I only half-jokingly refer to myself as a carbotarian.

So, it's no surprise I offer you yet another variation of the wonderful pancake.

And, I am hanging my head in shame for not taking a pretty picture of these bright pink pancakes......

Beet Pancakes My Way

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cups whole wheat flour

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp kosher salt

3/4 cups beet puree*

1 3/4 cups almond milk 

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix dry ingredients.

2. Mix wet ingredients.

3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until combined.  Lumps are okay.

4. Ladle batter onto hot griddle and flip when bubbles appear around the edge.

5. Serve with local honey.

*How to puree beets:

Wash, peel and quarter beets.  Bake on 400 until fork tender.  Pulse in food processor until lumps are gone.

I pureed a large bunch of organic beets from my local grocery store and had enough puree for 3 batches of pancakes.  Leftover puree can be frozen for future use.

Power Cookies My Way

They might resemble a cow patty but they are:

yummy, nutritious, flexible, quick and easy,

 i.e., my favorite way to cook.

This is one of the recipes where I can't even pretend to know the measurement for each ingredient.  

 I just eyeball it and make sure there is enough honey to satisfy my sweet-toothed boy.

Power Cookies My Way

Natural peanut butter

Wheat germ

Ground flax seed

Rolled Oats

Honey

Coconut Manna

Cocoa

1. Mix ingredients together, using peanut butter as the base, until your cookies firm enough to shape and eat.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake My Way

I've made this cake so many times I don't even need to look at the recipe to know the measurements.

It's that good.

I've used a bundt pan, a spring form pan for our pig cake, and made it into cupcakes.

Have I mentioned that it's really really good?

It's also the perfect recipe to not feel so bad about eating lots of chocolate cake because it has lots of zucchini and you can always justify cake with a garden fresh vegetable.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake My Way

1/2 cup Earth Spread butter

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup almond milk

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tbsp cocoa

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

2 cups grated unpeeled zucchini*

1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325.

2. Beat butter, oils and sugar in a mixer.

3. Beat eggs, vanilla and almond milk into sugar mixture.

4. Mix flour, cocoa, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl.

5. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

6. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.

7. Pour batter into a greased pan and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a inserted toothpick comes out clean.

* I've experimented with running the zucchini through the food processor rather than than taking the whole laborious 3 minutes of using a hand grater.  The texture of the cake is much better with the grated zucchini and you have one less dish to wash.  Always nice.

zucchini pancakes

That first foot-long zucchini from our CSA bag was easy to put to use:  zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, grilled zucchini and lots of zucchini in the latest batch of vegetable curry.

The second foot-long zucchini has been sitting in the fridge for almost a week.

It was time to get creative......Liza had grated zucchini in her yogurt.  Henry turned his nose up at grated zucchini with cinnamon.  Yeah.  I know.  It really wasn't too creative.  But, I tried and that should count.

Tonight I completely deviated from my meal plan and fixed up a batch of zucchini pancakes.  After all, I always need a reason to eat honey for supper and the loaf of home-baked bread in my tummy needed some carbohydrate friends to keep it company.

It is the same recipe as my Everyday Pancake recipe with a few tweaks and, um, zucchini.

Zucchini Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs
1.5 cups almond milk
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup shredded zucchini

1. Heat griddle over medium low heat.
2. Mix dry ingredients.
3. Mix wet ingredients.

4. Gently fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients.  Batter will be lumpy.
5. Ladle batter onto hot griddle.  Flip when bottom is browned and bubbles rise to the surface.

Have I oded my love to Mark Bittman and his How to Cook Everything Vegetarian Cookbook?  If not, that is sad sad sad.  It is my most cherished cookbook and my go-to for everything, um, vegetarian.  When the title says "everything"  it means everything.  From homemade tortillas to Thai peanut sauce to almond cake.   If it is meatless, Mark Bittman has the recipe and then 5 more variations for you to try out.  Love him.

In fact, Taylor read a quote from a "politician" the other day.  It went on about how we should tax processed foods and anything with high-fructose corn syrup and subsidize fresh and local fruits and vegetables.  I got so excited because I've said this for years and was pumped somebody was finally on my side.  

Have to admit it was a bit of a letdown to find out it was not a politician in the end.....it was Mark Bittman.  

Love him.

Everyday Pancakes

Much like my feelings about homemade dumplings, I always thought homemade pancakes were out of my league.  Why did I think that, you ask?  I have no idea.  Homemade pancakes are seriously every bit as easy of making them from a mix.  We happened to have a gallon bag of blueberries in our freezer so I added about 2 cups of blueberries to the mix at the last moment but these really are "Everyday Pancakes".  And, indeed, they are easy and quick as the name implies.

Everyday Pancakes

*adapted from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian 

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

11/2-2 cups almond milk

2 tablespoons Earth Balance buttery spread

2 cups blueberries

1. Heat griddle over medium-low heat.

2. Mix dry ingredients.
3. Melt the butter in the microwave.

4. In a separate bowl, beat eggs into 11/2 cups of milk and add melted butted

5. Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated.  Add more milk if mix is too thick.

6. Fold in blueberries.

7. Ladle batter onto hot griddle.  Flip when bottom is brown and bubbles rise to the surface of the pancake.

a non-overachiever bakes bread.

For the longest time I was convinced baking bread was solely reserved for over-achievers.

And, trust me, I am not an over-achiever.

I never once made straight A's in school.

Even if I clean all day, which I don't, my house is always a mess.
Henry's new thing is to sleep in his clothes and then wear them again the next day.  And, I like it.

As a teacher, I got to work at 7:30am and left promptly at 3:30pm. 

I was not one of those teachers with cute thematic bulletin boards.

I never do the dishes until the sink is completely full.

Seriously.  I'm not an over-achiever.

But, I do live in a family of carbotarians and I did not like the way hidden dairy ingredients in store-bought bread never allowed Henry's ezcema to fully heal.  Taylor's college career consisted of jobs in yummy bakeries around the state and he had plenty experience with various forms of dough to convince me that any fool can bake bread.  So I gave it a try.  My first few batches were decidedly not tasty but as each successive batch of bread became tastier and tastier I gained confidence to play around with the recipe and figure out what works for me. 

At first, I sat around in the house all.day.long waiting for the yeasty dough to bubble...waiting for the dough to double...waiting for the loaves to rise.  All that waiting made for long boring days in which I felt compelled to constantly monitor my dough's progress.

Then, I realized a watched pot never boils.  And, trust me, watched dough is never going to bubble, double or rise.

Now:  I start the dough first thing in the morning and leave the yeasty mixture in the oven with the light on.  Leave it and forget it.  A few hours later when I see the flour on the counter that I never did put up, I remember the dough in the oven.  It's big and bubbly.  Perfect.  If everybody is happy, I add the next set of ingredients and knead the dough.  If everybody is not happy, I stick the dough back in the oven and wait until naptime to get my hands sticky and doughy.  After the dough is kneaded, I stick the dough back in the oven with the light on to double in size.  A few hours later when the thought strikes me, I check on the dough and divide it out.  Since I double the recipe, I break the dough into 4 equal pieces -- 2 to bake and 2 to freeze wrapped up in foil.  The two loaves to freeze go in my glass loaf pans in the oven with the light on.  A few hours later, I remember to check the oven when I see the mess all over the counter from kneading the dough.  If the dough has risen sufficiently, I turn on the oven and bake the bread for 35 minutes.

Literally, I start the process at 7am and we have freshly baked bread right around Henry's bedtime.

I say all this to let you know that eating freshly baked bread from your oven is not just for over-achievers.  Even mamas who work can pull it off during the weekend because the dough is left unattended the vast majority of the time.  And, this is coming from a woman who was seriously fearful of dough.  I was convinced it was too difficult for a non-detail oriented person such as I.

Even though I feel like I am well on my way to mastering the art of baking a quality whole grain loaf of bread, I need to make sure you are firmly convinced I am not an over-achiever.  

This is a picture of my dining room floor right now.  See the specs all over the floor?  Yep.  Those were Liza's lentils from last night's dinner.  And that thing in the middle?  A sock Liza wore a few days ago. 

We might have fresh baked bread but the house is still a mess..... 

Sesame Noodles My Way.

When I'm in need of a new tried-and-true recipe, I always hop over to The Pioneer Woman.

Because:

I love her and I wish I was her friend.

She is funny like Ellen.  Seriously.  Funny.

And last but not least, she cooks good food.

I already had all the needed ingredients for this quick little sauce in my cabinet and I love the endless possibilities of this dish, from a simple side dish to a veggie filled main dish.

Sesame Noodles My Way

12 ounces fluid noodles -- I used whole grain spaghetti.
¼ cups Braggs natural soy sauce 
2 tablespoons sugar
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons pure sesame oil

dash of cayenne pepper4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons hot water
4 whole green onions, sliced thin

Veggies of your choice -- I used sauteed mushrooms and sugar snap peas.

1. Cook noodles.

2. Prepare veggies.

3. Whisk remaining ingredients.

4. Pour sauce over warm noodles and add veggies.

roasted chickpeas my way.

I am always in search of a healthy, cheap snack.

So yeah.  We love these.

Roasted Chickpeas My Way

Canned Chickpeas, rinsed and dried

Olive oil

Salt, pepper, any spices you want to use!

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Toss chickpeas in just enough olive oil to evenly coat the beans.

3. Season with your chosen spices.

4. Place chickpeas on a baking sheet and cook until super crunchy, 45 minutes or longer.

sauteed broccoli my way.

I actually cooked a well-rounded meal last night:

turkey meatloaf, Israeli couscous, and sauteed broccoli.

I quickly remembered why I've been slacking on the cooking lately:

it's time consuming and exhausting.

Liza on my back in the Ergo is easy enough but keeping Henry happy post-nap can be tough.

Thankfully, he was satisfied rinsing the broccoli in the sink for an inordinate amount of time 

and eating raw couscous by the handful.  

Even thought he wouldn't touch the final product, 

he was glad to munch on raw broccoli after I acted like it was off-limits.....

ah, the power of reverse physcology on a two-year-old.

Sauteed Broccoli My Way

broccoli, washed and destemmed

2 tbsp coconut oil

garlic, minced or chopped

(1) lemon, juiced

1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable stock

kosher salt

1. In a wok, heat coconut oil over medium heat.

2. Saute garlic until golden.

3. Add broccoli, lemon juice and chicken stock.  Stir and cover.

4. Cook until tender.

5. Salt to taste.

Chicken and Dumplings with Roasted Brussels Sprouts My Way.

It's been a while since I've posted a new recipe.

I'm not sure what we've been eating lately.

Apparently, nothing too exciting...

So, tonight's dinner was a welcome change:

Chicken and Dumplings with Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Chicken and Dumplings My Way

Sauce:

Chicken, cooked and shredded - I used a package of organic chicken legs.

Box of chicken stock

Carrots, sliced

Onion, diced

Garlic, minced

Dill, salt and pepper

Olive oil

Dumplings:

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon white sugar

.5 teapsoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup almond milk

1. Mix dry dumplings ingredients together.

2. Cut butter into dry ingredients until it is crumbly.  

3. Add milk and mix just until everything is incorporated.

• 4. Meanwhile, saute garlic and onion in olive oil.
• 5. Add box of chicken stock, carrots and chicken.  Bring to a boil
• 6. Drop spoonfuls of dumpling dough into boiling chicken stock.
• 7. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes without lifting lid.
• 
  
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• 
  
• Fresh brussels sprouts
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 
  
• 1. Preheat oven to 425.
• 2. Cut woody ends off brussels sprouts.
• 3. Use a cookie sheet to toss sprouts with olive oil and add plenty of salt and pepper.
• 4. Bake for 20 minutes, regularly shaking the pan to evenly cook sprouts.
• 5. They are cooked when fork tender and blackened on the outside.
• 
  
• *This is the best dinner I've cooked in recent memory.  It seems like a lot of work typed out but it was really very quick and easy.  I cooked the chicken the night before and shredded the chicken and cut the veggies while the kids napped.  
• In the past, I've made Bisquick dumplings and these were a million times better and didn't take any more time or effort than using Bisquick.  And, of course, Henry loved the dumplings or "baba".

oatmeal my way.

This has been my go-to breakfast for weeks.

Delicious and nutritious.

Oatmeal is commonly known to increase breastmilk supply 

so that is an added bonus to my yummy and easy breakfast.

Oatmeal My Way

Quick oats - maybe one day I'll break down and buy the steel cut oats but for now the quick oats must suffice

Almond Milk

Apples, chopped

Nuts, chopped - I prefer walnuts

Coconut

Local honey

1. Cook oatmeal in water.  I use just enough water to cook the oatmeal but not enough to make it runny.

2. Add almond milk until you reach desired consistency.

3. Add apples, nuts, coconut and a lot of honey.

4. Enjoy.

Coconut Curry My Way.

Coconut Curry My Way.


(1) can of unsweetened coconut milk
almond milk
onion, minced
garlic, chopped
whatever vegetables you want, chopped - I used carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and potato
spices - curry powder, turmeric, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper
olive oil


1. Heat olive oil in wok.
2. Saute spices, onion and garlic.
3. Add coconut milk and vegetables.
4. Add enough almond milk to cover vegetables.
5. Cook until vegetables are fork tender.


Serve over brown rice.

Black Bean Soup My Way.

I glanced at the recipe about 2 hours before I commenced cooking.

Figuring it was a standard soup recipe, I decided I could wing it.

I was right.  

Good thing, huh?

This is a super versatile recipe and a perfect use for any 

fresh, frozen or leftover veggies that need to be eaten.

Black Bean Soup My Way

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed.  Mash with a fork.

4 cups stock, broth or water- I used homemade chicken stock

6 carrots, chopped

6 new potatoes, chopped

3 ears of sheared corn

1 onion, chopped

garlic, minced

cumin, paprika, chili powder, cayenne powder, Braggs, salt and pepper

olive oil

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pan.

2. Saute onion, garlic, carrots and spices.

3. Add remaining remaining ingredients.

4. Bring to a boil.  Simmer until vegetables are tender.

5. Serve with cornbread.

*Once the vegetables were tender, I used my potato masher to mash up the chunks.  I liked how this made the soup much thicker and stew-like due to the 'mashed' potatoes.

*Last night was my first time making cornbread with almond milk.  The texture was definitely different and not light and fluffy like when I use whole milk.  But with this soup on top of a big slice, it was perfect!

Menu Challenge

I'm notorious for starting projects and quitting midway.

I confess I did not post my meal plan for last week.

I also confess I did a horrible job of cooking the meals I had planned.

Moving along.

This week's plan:

Black Bean Soup and cornbread - made it last night! 

Coconut Curry Soup - I'm thinking my finished product will be very different.

Black Beans and Rice

White Bean Alfredo with fresh spinach