Kitchen Gadget # 4: Snack cup

Alright so a snack cup isn't technically a kitchen gadget but I do store it in the kitchen and it does house food. So, here goes. Today is all about the snack cup which went with us on a trip to the zoo.

*Disclaimer* I know the zoo is a sore point for many vegans. I do, truly, understand your feelings and point. But, with that said, I am a stay at home mom for a very curious little 18 month old girl. She LOVES animals more than any sweets I could ever offer. She is so curious as to what they look like, what sounds they make, and well, just seeing them. So, I've chosen to continue to take her to the zoo on the premise that she is learning many different lessons while being there. She can not only learn about each animal but will have a knowledge of what being in captivity really means. And, to be honest, it's a great way to get out into fresh air and wonder. Learn. Love.

These simple little snack cups are incredibly handy with a toddler on the move. Hard plastic bottom with two handles and a soft top for easy access to the goodies inside. Less fuss. Less mess.

My little one carries these around while we're out and about. She has a sense of independence and I know she'll be able to keep things clean. I tried Ziploc bags for a bit but she was having troubles holding the bag open with one hand while trying to grab the food with the other. Not enough dexterity. These solve that problem!

You can find these nifty little cups at any baby store or at my favorite store, Target!  They even have them on Amazon.

Today these little greatness cups headed to the zoo with us. I brought two. One had the favorite, pretzels while the other had freeze dried unsweetened fruit. Both are a big hit with the little one. Both work wonders in these little cups.

Snack cup in hand

We met a friend and her daughter at the zoo today. Z is on the right. She and J are look like sisters, it's funny. J's big brother came along too. His school is out this week for fall break. We weren't able to go away, out of town, so he settled for a trip to the zoo. I'm pretty sure he too had a good time.

The elephants were out this go around. Seeing as we go weekly there are always different things to see each time.  I love the elephant family the zoo has!

Nursing baby

J's favorite, most days, animal at the zoo is the giraffe. She loves his long neck! She signs giraffe almost all the time and has several stuffed animals at home. Today I was worried she would throw her snack cup into the area where the giraffes live. She inadvertently gave a peacock a cookie. She dropped it, the peacock went after it, after moving my little one's foot out of the way. Wow, he scared me a bit.

Hello

I'm trying out a new camera and zoom lens. I was taking a photo of the giraffe in the background when this one popped up right in front of my camera. I stepped back thinking he was way too close! Funny!

Snacks are very important for a child. Actually, snacks are great for adults too! Did you know it's best to eat small meals/snacks every two hours. I try to do that as much as I can but sometimes it's just not feasible.

Great snacks for the kiddos:
Pretzels
Veggie sticks
Crackers (Nature Made has a great sunflower basil flavor, sweet potato cinnamon is great too!)
That's It fruit bars (Whole Foods. 2-3 ingredients, that's it)
Freeze dried fruits, unsweetened (Trader Joe's)
Vegan animal crackers (check the labels some contain milk, even within one brand)

These all work great in those handy snack cups.

I think J likes that she can set those cups down in her bag and come back for more later. See, independence. She loves it.

Look! A ladybug!

I don't know what I'd do without these cups. Where were they when I was little? Such a great invention!! Sometimes while driving home from an outing I even use them to snack whatever the little one didn't finish. Moma's get hungry too!

As much as the little one seems to love dirt I will not add that to my list of great snacks for kids. Luckily, today, she just played in the dirt.

The tiger J got so excited to see! Taken by my friend Kelly. She was teaching my about my camera.

What are your favorite snacks for your kiddos?

Do you use snack cups or something else?

Cheers and happy eating!

Kitchen Gadget # 3: Taco Shell Mold. ::It's National Taco Day!::

Hello there readers, welcome to all you new readers. I loved your comments on my last two blogs. Keep them coming. They bring a smile!

Today is National Taco Day. I admit, I did not know this fact until recently, so I didn't plan on tacos for dinner this evening. Instead I had them for breakfast. Dinner for breakfast! What's wrong with that?

I have these fancy dancy taco shell molds that I don't use often (I forget I have them tucked back behind the pots and pans) but work well for taco salads. A little spin on National Taco Day. Taco salad.

Taco Salad Molds

These little star shaped molds are super easy to use. I placed my tortillas inside and pressed a bit to get them into the "shape." I sprayed with a bit of olive oil and baked at 350º for 15 minutes. They came out toasty and perfect. When making be sure to check frequently to be sure they don't burn.

Fillings for tacos can be anything you have around the house.

Beans
Rice
Fake meats (spiced with taco seasoning)
Taco Style Chickpeas
Toppings, various types and amounts

Tuesday is salad night in this house full of health. We always make a rather large salad. Enough for dinner that evening and lunches the rest of the week. I also use this night to experiment, if time warrants, anything I feel like cooking up. This past Tuesday I had a little extra time so I got the pressure cooker out and made up a quick soup (so yummy!). As it sat these past two days it become more of a stew but still so good.

I decided that since my soup (recipe below) was spicy, had beans, corn and all the yumminess tacos deserve it would be a great filling!

I always have black olives on hand (the little one loves them) edamame as well. I make a large batch on Sundays for the week. Cut up some kale and romaine, lemons, cilantro and added some store bought salsa. Breakfast was so good!!

Tacos are so simple. So tasty. So filling. Add what you have. That's the beauty of it all.

My Bean and Rice Soup that I used as my filling is a great soup the evening you make it. As a leftover use it for taco salad. It's even better.

Mexican Bean & Rice Soup

1/2 cup dried black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup dried pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup short grain brown rice
4 carrots, small dice
3 stalks celery, small dice
4-5 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 onion, minced
8 cups water
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can corn
1 chili in adobo sauce, chopped
1/2-1 teaspoon adobo sauce (optional, this will make it spicy!)
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon coriander
1 rounded teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt and extra pepper to taste

**I'm never prepared enough to soak beans over night. If you find this is the case for you follow the instructions below. If you do soak your beans, which greatly cuts down on the time, reduce initial cook time to 20-25 minutes.

Place beans, lentils, rice, onion, garlic, chili, adobo sauce, and seasonings into an electric pressure cooker. Seal. Cook on high for 38 minutes. Release pressure, quick method (follow your pressure cooker manual). Add the carrots, celery and corn. Bring to high pressure, again, for 1-2 minutes depending on how "done" you want your vegetables. Season to taste and enjoy.

Then enjoy again as a taco salad!

Taco Salad

2 small flour tortillas
1/2-1 cup leftover Mexican Bean & Rice soup (if still watery, drain a bit)
1 cup, mixed, kale and romaine
1/4 cup black olives
1/2 cup salsa
Lemon, juiced, add to taste

Place the tortillas in your salad mold. Preheat oven 350º. Spray tortillas with a little oil (optional). Cook, watching carefully, for 10-15 minutes or until crisp and starting to brown.
Fill with all your yummy fillings. Enjoy!

On the side I used some leftover topping ingredients (I seem to always cut more than needed) and made a salad. Kale, romain, black olives, edamame (I had some left in the fridge) with lemon juice and a little salt.

I haven't done a playlist in awhile. So, here's a treat! A playlist from the writing of this blog. So fun!

Playlist:
Scorch the Ground - Seabound
Monster:Murder:Kill - Combichrist
So Cruel - U2
Escapist - CTRL
Amsterdam - Coldplay
God is God - Juno Reactor
Relict - Accessory
Push - Madonna

Cheers and happy eating!

Cooking Gadget #2: Orange Peeler

Yesterday we spoke about my egg slicer that I never use for eggs but instead for mushrooms. Olives work as well, but I digress.

Today it's all about the wonderful fabulous orange peeler!

Once upon a time I was a distributor for Pampered Chef. I do love the products but that was ages ago, I no longer do the selling but I sure do still use some of their products. This is where I discovered the orange peeler.

Simple, right? I thought so too. I thought, who needs help peeling an orange? They aren't THAT hard, right? Well, without this, make my life easier, gadget I tend to get orange peel up under my nails and make quite a mess of the orange itself. So, I suppose you don't need this gadget but at somewhere under $3 it's a time saver for sure!

What did I do with this peeler this morning? Well, I made my little one's breakfast. Her breakfast varies from day to day but today she seemed in the mood for fruit. She loves it and I love to give her delicious nutritious fruits. They are so yum!

This morning was a plate of various berries I like to keep on hand as well as a banana. I added some fresh chickpeas (made yesterday, actually) and edamame. She loves both and it's a great way to add protein and fiber.

Strawberries, rasberries, blackberries, blueberries, banana, chickpeas, and edamame

She did not eat her whole plate, moma had to help out.

Along with her plate of breakfast goodness I made up some juice. This is where the peeler came in.

I recently taught a workshop on juicing and smoothies. Something I shared in class is how easy it is to juice for yourself and your family. I don't buy the pre-made sugary juices from the stores, rather I make my own. I can save it for up to 3 days in glass or BPA free jars and she's got lot's of nutrition packed into one of her sippy cups!  If you're interested the next workshop is based on soups! I can't wait. Check out my Facebook for details.

My juice ingredients of choice were two oranges (see, I did use the peeler!), 5 strawberries, 1 kale stalk, a small handful of dandelion greens, 1 pear, and a handful of celery (enough to make about 32 oz of juice). Run each through your juicer, I like to start with the greens, and drink up. Enjoy!

To the little one's juice I added just a touch of maple syrup to cut a bit of the bitter that is sometimes too much for her. For me, it was so good just the way it was! Packed with nutrients!

For those of you not too familiar with dandelion greens they are incredibly nutritious. This is why I like to use them in my juices. I'm not fond of eating them raw, unless they are mixed in a salad, so juicing ensures I get all their nutrients.

This wondrous greens are loaded with calcium (1 cup yields 103 mg), Iron (1 cup yields 1.7 mg), as well as other minerals, copper, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium, manganese. They are also a great source of protein. All essential amino acids protein! Wow! Great for us veg heads, right!? 1 cup of chopped up dandelion greens will give you 1.5 grams of protein. This green, as with other greens, is low in calories. So, no worries there. 25 calories per 1 cup of greens.

Now, go get yourself an orange peeler and dandelion greens and make yourself some juice!

What is your favorite juice?

Cheers and happy eating!

Such a busy day! Testing!

First day of Vegan Mofo and here I am blogging at 7pm! Yes, I'm behind! But, let me tell you about my day.

I woke 12 hours ago ready to start my day. For the last 2 weeks I've been "testing" recipes for a business venture I'm looking to pursue. Plant-Based Personal Chef. Today was another testing day. My steps are simple. Go grocery shopping, pick up fresh bread (if needed), cook, package, dishes (interlaced throughout the day). Sounds easy, right?

Wow! It's hard work! Rewarding. But, taxing. Maybe I'm just getting old??!!

Last night I took some time to prepare my menu for the week. I used to do this on Thursday evening to subsequently shop on Fridays but with shopping on Mondays, for the time being, busily worked on it last night. Anyway, when preparing a menu I decide on what we will be having for dinner each night as well as ingredients I need to get and at which store. I then wrote down each item I would be cooking including all the "kitchen gadgets," I would need and all the ingredients for each. This makes it easier to know how many total carrots (or other item) I would need. This makes prep that much easier.

Menu:
Monday: BBQ Ranch Quinoa Salad. This is a recipe I was so excited to try off of Wendy Polisi's page Cooking Quinoa.  This is to be served with chips and salsa. Guacamole too!

Tuesday: Since I've gotten in the habit of salads on Tuesdays I'm keeping with the theme. Big Ole Salad night! With a Country French bread.

Wednesday: Pita sandwich. Filled with a quinoa, chickpea salad. With black-eyed pea hummus. Sweet potato fries as a side dish.

Thursday: Chili (oh yes! It's that time of year again. I can finalize my recipe!) with rice. Cornbread as a side dish.

Friday: Spaghetti with "meatballs." Garlic bread as a side

Saturday: Tunisian Bean Stew with Country French Bread. Salad as a side dish. I was wanting to use pumpkin since it's October and all so I found a great recipe on Susan's website, Fat Free Vegan.

Sunday: Roasted Squash stuffed with quinoa. Cranberry green beans (getting ready for Thanksgiving too!) as a side dish.

One thing I learned in Culinary School (among many, of course) was getting everything ready for prep. Mis En Place. If I need carrots for 4 of my recipes it would be best to get them all prepped at once. It does seem to make things a tad easier.

I felt as though I had an assembly line going on for produce. I had 7 onions to cut!

One of my favorite kitchen gadgets, my egg slicer. Although, I never use it for eggs. Funny, huh? I use it for mushrooms. Sometimes black or green olives. It's so convenient and easy to use!

For my chili I roast up some red bell peppers and jalapenos. Today, I did something a little differently. I cut the red bells into large slices. The jalapeno, I cut in half. I roasted that way, it was actually easier than doing them whole. I love roasted veggies!

I believe I sauteed a pound a half of mushrooms today. I guess I like to incorporate mushrooms. They are so flavorful, meaty, and full of great nutritious value.

Today's cook took 8 hours. That's not including the 2 hours it took to shop. I'm still learning and I've realized this one every recipe I chose had many components. Each one took longer than anticipated which is why my 5-6 hour cook time ended up being extended. I'm in learning mode, that's for sure. 

But!

I'm wiped!

We are certainly prepared for the week. And, the hubby got dinner on the table tonight. He did the finishing touches so I could spend some time with my little one. 

This is why I do this! More time with the family. So, yes, a little late on my blog but I have a good excuse, right? And, I now have dinner for the week! Yay!

What time savers do you do in the kitchen? 

Do you ever prepare meals ahead of time?

My new venture. Am I crazy?

These past two Mondays I've taken the day to cook for the entire week. I shop, cook, freeze, refrigerate, and clean. All in about 6-7 hours.

Why am I doing this? Well, I'm testing. Testing recipes I like, those I want to share with others to see how the will freeze, re-heat, and taste after being frozen.

I'm testing so I can cook in other peoples homes.

Wow! Am I crazy??

It's possible.  After a day of cooking my back hurts, my feet hurt, and I'm exhausted. But, let me tell you the most important part! I get to spend more time with the family this whole week because all I have to do is re-heat dinner!!!

After speaking to some personal chef friends of mine I realized there are organizations out there that can supply already tested recipes. Those that work well after being frozen. But, seeing as I'm a plant-based personal chef (aspiring actually) there are not many tested recipes. The hard part is testing them all myself. I will be at it another few weeks and then I can begin working for others.

I save time all week by not cooking. Wouldn't you want to save some time too? Okay, no I just sound like an advertisement.

There is so much more to go into a personal chef endeavor than I ever thought. I'm up for the challenge. Bringing plant based health to others is, well, a like a dream.

Yesterday, I listened to music all day and cooked and cooked and cooked. It was a lovely day! Tonight I will prepare my food in under 15 minutes. This means that swim class for the little one won't feel rushed and I get to sit and ask the hubby how his day went.

Last night's dinner was a simple Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Stir-fried Portobellos, Red Bell Peppers and Asparagus. I topped the salad with baby kale. Delish!

How do you speed along dinner?
Do you ever cook for a week in one day?
How bout just prepare certain items for the week?

Anything to make life easier.

Cheers and happy eating!

Busy Times? Quick, simple Chickpea Tacos.

I have a to do list. It's so large I have no idea where to start!

What I find great about this list?  I have things I need to do to better my future. To better my family's future!

It's so exciting!!

Yesterday I spent most of the day juicing. Juicing, juicing, juicing.  Why so much juice? Well, I'm teaching a workshop this weekend all about juicing and smoothies. I'm honored to teach with my Holistic Health Coach, Mel Mason. She and I seem to really work together. We have talents that combined make us like super heros!

I often juice, a few times a week actually, but rarely ever measure. This is why the day was spent juicing. I needed to get the measurements down in order to share the recipes. I love the health benefits of juice. I love that I can get so many veggies in such an easy manner. I also love that my little one gets her veggies simply by drinking some tasty juice!

So, back to my to do list. I have so much to get done. Why are there never enough hours in a day?

Still recipe testing, which is actually quite fun. New things that I can give my thoughts and opinions about. I love it. But, it's time consumer for sure. One day I will ask of others what I've been asked. Now that's exciting!!

I have a blog to write for a guest spot. I'm so nervous that it won't be *just right!* I'm working on the recipe portion as our dinner tonight. I'm hoping to get fabulous pictures!

I have a bio to write about myself. That's tough, I tell you! How do people do it? I need a ghost writer of sorts. Sheesh!

I start with my very first personal chef client next week. This excites me to no end. I just can't wait to get this chapter of my life started. I hope I do it ALL right! I hope they love my cooking! I hope I can watch my business grow.

I'm really doing this. I'm getting things done.

What I need to remember, what we all need to remember is to slow it down a bit. Take some time for yourself. Be it yoga, meditation, walking/running, hiking, swimming. Whatever really helps you to relax. I like to get to the gym, even if for 30  minutes. It doesn't always happen and I often need to remind myself but I try and I know I need my "me" time! We all do.

Do something good for yourself today. Your "self" will thank you.

So, amongst all the busy schedules, the hurried life I created a simple recipe that you can make up in no time at all. It's simple, healthy and good.

Chickpea Tacos: Serve with a side of Mexican style rice or beans (or both)! Some salsa and chips are always a great pairing as well.

Ingredients:
2 15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (or 4 cups fresh cooked chickpeas)
2 Tablespoons Tamari
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

Taco Seasoning Mix: Use to taste, store leftovers in a air tight container
2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper

For tacos:
Arugula
Salsa
Vegan Cheese
Avocado
Taco shells

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Mix beans, tamari, and lemon juice in a medium-sized bowl. Add taco seasoning to taste. Put beans on a lined cookie sheet, lightly sprayed with cooking spray and bake for 18-22 minutes.

Add your ingredients to the tacos when chickpeas are done and enjoy.

Cheers and happy eating!

The day has come.

It's been awhile since my last post. Be patient with me. I've been super busy trying to bring you all new and exciting things.

My new webpage is coming along and I can't wait to share it with all of you!

Life continues to move forward as usual which is a good thing. Lot's of love in this house I tell you!

BK (Bonus Kid) is well established now in 8th grade. Can't believe that next year he will be a highschooler! Time flies!! He's preparing for an entrance exam for a great highschool here in town. We think he'll do great. He has been busy with the basketball team as well. Although, last week he had a bit of a set back. He broke his finger. Hopefully that will heal up quickly and he can get back to the game.

The little one (J) is busy growing like a weed!! She's getting so big I can't hardly stand it. I remember her being so tiny!

So little!

What has been on my mind for several weeks now is the fact that J has stopped nursing. She did it all on her own, much to my dismay.  When it comes to breastfeeding my story has been a bit of a bumpy ride.

J was born in March of 2011, a rather perfect birth actually. I did it naturally and I have to admit is was the best part of the entire experience (pregnancy included). I wouldn't have it any other way. I got to experience, fully, all of what it takes to give birth. When she was born she nursed right away. She did well, although there is a learning curve for both. I stayed in the hospital an extra day just to make sure we were both getting the hang of it.

J nursed, well, for about a month or so and then one day decided it was hard work. She would scream. Not just a little bit but so much so I feared nursing in public! It was heart breaking. I thought for sure I must be hurting her. We had already figured out that dairy wasn't sitting well in her stomach (the dairy that was passed through my milk) so I stopped eating all dairy (haven't eaten since, yay!). But, this, we could not figure out.

The coaches for breastfeeding were not much help. Telling me to just push her on and so on. It was so frustrating. I finally went in to see J's pediatrician and she simply told me to pump and give her a bottle. She's still getting breast milk! So, for about 4 months I pumped. Every 2 hours at first then every 3 hours. It was a lot of work but so worth it in the end!

One day as J sat miserably pre-teething I gave nursing another try. She took to it and didn't stop! She was nursing again!

So, when I say I wasn't ready to let nursing go completely I mean it. It was a long road for us and I just wasn't ready. She had moved to once per day several months ago but on the day after she turned 17 months (a few weeks ago) she looked up and me and shook her head no. She's been doing it ever since. Trust me, I've tried. I cried. I cried. It was so hard to let go. I know I gave her the best for as long as she wanted.

My baby is growing up.

Do I have a bit more freedom now? Yes. Of course. But, I still think about it everyday. What gives me great pleasure is knowing she and I, as a team, made it as far as we did. I didn't give up and neither did she.

Go mom and baby!

Today she's nearly 18 months old. She is a little ball of energy!

Always getting into everything!

Her first birthday has come and gone. We know sit and think, wow, only 6 more months and she will be 2! How did it go so quickly? How have we managed? To be honest, she's a fairly easy baby. J has been a joy!!

First birthday!

My secret to motherhood is to spend every moment possible playing with, teaching, loving, nurturing you little ones. They will love you for it! I tend to want to hug and cuddle her more than she wants. She's so independent!

This past weekend we took the kids to the Phoenix Zoo. She loves animals so much I feel that zoo's are a great learning experience for her. I can teach her the value of life, animal life. I can teach her about captivity and my thoughts related. I can also show and teach her about all sorts of animals she wouldn't otherwise ever see. Picture books don't do them justice. We all had such a great time this weekend!

I really just wanted to take him home. He just sat there with me. He was truly cute!

How my life has changed since having my little one.

How has your life changed after having kiddos?

I count my blessings everyday with the family I have.

My little one is so grown up. I love watching her grow. I can't wait to see what kind of woman she becomes. What kind of kid. What she will be when she grows up. All those things.

But, first I will sit back and watch her just be.

Cheers!