Thoughts

So this post is going to consist of alot of things: recipes, our weekend adventures (or lack of ), and my growing restlessness...

First, let's start off with some recipes:


3 Cheese Bread:

My aunt gave me this recipe, and oh is it delicious. As I type, I'm eating an enormous slice. Now I've never made a yeast bread without a bread machine, so I was a little intimidated, but really- I shouldn't have been:

2 packages active dry yeast
8.5 tsps sugar
2 tsps salt
4 cups of all-purpose flour, sifter
1.5 cups lowfat milk (I used whole though and it was fine)
1 tblsp unsalted butter
.5 cup shredded cheddar
.5 cup shredded swiss
.5 cup grated parmesan

In large bowl, mix yeast, sugar, salf and 2 cups of flour. Heat milk and butter to 125 degrees. Slowly beat this into dry ingredients. Blend well and continue beating for a couple of min. (don't overbeat). Slowly stir in 3 cheese and other 2 cups of flour until batter is stiff. Cover bowl, put in warm place (I placed it in my yogurt maker, but you could place it onto of an electric heating pad or a dryer if you have one running)- allow it to rise until doubled in size (about an hour). Using large spoon, punch down batter and put into well-greased 9-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45 min. Lay a piece of foil on top (do not seal) and bake another 15 min. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped with knife. Take bread out of pan IMMEDIATELY. Enjoy

After mine was cool, I sliced it, and stuck half in the freezer. (Killian isn't much of a bread-eater, and I can't eat a whole loaf before it goes bad). I like the bread best when it's toasted and smeared with butter. :)

Here's another recipe, but it's for those with a yogurt maker (If you're interested in purchasing one, I bought this one and love it. However, you can probably find one at the local thrift store/good will.
Anyways:

For yogurt (a whole batch for my yogurt maker):

Let 4 cups of milk sit until at room temperature (normally an hour)
Mix in 2 Tblsp of plain (organic) yogurt. ** After you make your first batch, you can use your yogurt for this, but only for about 3-4 times, then the cultures start to get too weak**
Pour into the containers of yogurt maker and let sit for about 8 hrs.

While waiting, or before or after, make a sugar syrup by boiling either 2 parts water and one part sugar, or one part water and one part sugar (depending on how thick you want it). Once it's been brought to a boil, lower your stove to low setting and stir until the sugar is dissolved. That's it, you can store it in an air-tight container in your fridge.

I mix the sugar syrup in  with my yogurt along with vanilla extract and any fruit. It's such a delicious snack, and I know everything that's in it. :)

My final recipe for the day is not a food recipe, but a playdough recipe. :)

Salt Playdough:

Bring 1 cup salt, 1 cup water, and 1/2 cup of flour to a boil on the stove, stirring occasionally. Lower temp. to medium, and allow the mixture the thicken (stirring occasionally). Take off the stove when it's become thick and goopy.

After it's cooled, mix in more flour until it's workable. You can add some spices to make it smell nice. You could add Cinnamon etc, but I added cocoa powder. :) Yummy.

So, now that I'm done with my recipes, let's talk about our weekend. On friday, I took Killian to story time at our local library. He really enjoyed it. He's normally a pretty shy child, but boy was he a social butterfly. The first thing he did there was walk into the middle of the circle and start dancing in front of everyone. :) He is my angel. I'm planning on picking him up between my classes every friday and taking him to story time. I think it'd be good for him to interact with kids in another setting. :) After nap on Friday, Killian went to my mom's while I ran a few errands in Oshkosh (one of which was to pick up a tent/tunnel for killian ). In the evening, Killian stayed at my mom's to help out in the barn (and apparently loved it, even though he was freezing), and my little sister and I went to my dad's for dinner. Then my sister and I went to see Avatar. I really enjoyed it- probably because I have an imagination like the movie, so anyone else who can imagine different worlds like that interest me.

We got home late, and I didn't sleep well, because we were at my mom's house. Sat. morning, Killian and I stayed at my mom's for a few hours while he played and enjoyed his grandma's love. Then.. we basically spent the rest of the weekend at home. I'd like to go somewhere for killian to play this afternoon, but something seems to be holding me back today. I can't believe that school starts tomorrow. UGH! This is the first semester since I came back to school (4th semester now) that I'm not happy to be going back.

I think the main reason is that the longer I embrace my love of being a mother and what some people may call homemaker things like crafts, cooking, cleaning, gardening, etc. the more I want to do these things 24/7- and the harder it is for me to focus my time and attention on school. Don't get me wrong, I want to graduate and become a teacher- it's just that school takes up SOO much of my time that I can't do all the things I want to do.. and this has led me to resent it. I'm really hoping the this is just my winter blues talking.. because I have about 5.5 months of non-stop school ahead of me.

Stay tuned this weekend for some possible life-changing things (hopefully not, but it's out of my control).

Successful Chicken nuggets!!!

So- I made the chicken nuggets, and they were AMAZING!!! So here are photos and helpful hints/tips if you're thinking about making your own. Get the recipe here.
Ok.. so first off, I cut the recipe in half, using one chicken breast of a little over 1/2 lb. Really, I still had extra beet puree and breadcrumbs, so I think you could make a lb of chicken nuggets with half the recipe. Anyways..

Here's a photo of all my ingredients ready to go (and yes, I defrosted the chicken in the microwave, and accidentally cooked some of it, oops):

So, I just added the egg right away in with the beet puree- however, since I cut the recipe in half, I only used the egg whites. I suggest using the whole egg, because the yolk would probably help hold it all together better. Also, instead of flax seed, I added whole wheat flour; and instead of onion powder, I added minced dried onions. Those subsitutions worked just fine. Here are the chicken nuggets on the stove:

 

As you can see, the nuggets are very red from the beets. I thought this was pretty neat for Valentine's Day, but this summer I'm growing white beets, and those will be perfect for nuggets that I want to be brown. :)

Here's a photo of the nuggets after being flipped-- as you can see, they do turn a little bit more brown:

 

So while the red color is pretty cool... it is a little more difficult to figure out if the chicken is cooked through. I used the feel of the knife cutting through to judge. But if your more worried, then use a different veggie puree or white beet puree.

Here's my last photo of the chicken nuggets on my plate. They were a little weird shaped from my cutting up the chicken, but I ate them so fast I didn't notice :)

I recommend you try making these for your family!

Recipe Post

So.. I'd like to post at least one recipe a week that has local/seasonal foods in it. Of course, right now the only things that are seasonal in wisconsin are those that have been frozen from the summer/fall. But, those are the things that I'm using. So.. here's one:
I just bought this cookbook: Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. While I don't agree with her philosophy of hiding fruits in veggies inside meals- I'm more of a, teach kids to like veggies kind of mom- there really is no reason NOT to put them into your meals to add nutrients/vitamins. Anyways, here's a recipe that I'm going to try this weekend, and I'll let you know how it is. All of her recipes call for a fruit or veggie puree. To make the puree, you simply steam/cook the veggie/fruit until its very tender. Then, throw it into a blender/food processor with a little water. Just like when you make baby food.

Chicken Nuggets:
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 tbls grated parmesan (please use real parmesan whenever you make anything!)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 cup broccoli or spinach or sweet potato or beet puree (I'll be using beet)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound bonless, skinless chicken breast/chicken tenders, rinsed, dried and cut into small chunks
1/2 tsp salt
nonstick cooking spray
1 tbls olive oil

In bowl, combine breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, parmesan, paprika, garlic, and onion powder. In another bowl, mix vegetable puree and egg with fork. Sprinkle chicken chunks with salt, dip chunks into egg mixture and toss them in breadcrumbs until completely coated. Coat large nonstick skillet (if you have nonstick skillet like I do, I dont think that this is necessary), and set over medium-high heat. When skillet is hot, add oil. Place chicken nuggets in skillet in single layer- be careful not to crowd the pan. Cook until crisp and golden on one side (3-4 min). Turn and cook until chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over (4-5 min longer). Cut into a piece to check that it's cooked through.

Now... when I make this either tom. or this weekend, I wont add the paprika (simply because I dont have it in the house), and may replace the flaxseed with wheatgerm, if I find out they're similar.

I'm excited to try these because while Killian will eat three huge beets in one sitting, I am NOT a fan. However, beets are FULL of anti-oxidants and folic acid. So hopefully I'll be a fan of the beets. :)

Please let me know if anyone uses this recipe, and what you and/or your kids think. :)

Schedules

So here is perfect proof that Killian doesn't adjust well to change. I'm up at 11:40 pm writing a post, because he's been awake for 4 hours!
There are countless good reasons for me to be finishing up my college education. And while it does bring alot of stress into my life, the pros outweigh the cons. However, one con that is really hard is my constant schedule change from semester to semester. Killian is, and always has been, a schedule child. He's much like me in that way. As long as we stick to a consistent schedule, we handle our days well. However, if you deviate from the schedule, it causes alot of problems while we readjust.
So, we've always had the same bed time and wake-up time. And, since we're both morning people, Killian goes to bed early, between 6-630 pm, and wakes up early- between 630-7 am. However, with my new school schedule, we won't get home until 545, making a 6 pm bed time pretty hard to accomplish. So.. this week I've been trying to get him used to going to bed at 7 pm. And- the adjustment isn't going well. Last night he went to bed at 640, and woke very early this morning. Tonight, he went to bed at 7 pm, slept an hour, then awoke. And.. he's been up ever since. Bouncy on his bed, talking on the top of his lungs, throwing books across his room, and when I allowed him to come to bed with me.. spent a half an hour jumping on me, my bed, stubby, etc. He's frantic from exhaustion, but can't calm down long enough to fall asleep. It's getting close to midnight, and he's still awake. And.. tom. morning he'll be up at 6/630- making tom. a very long day indeed.
Hopefully by next monday he'll have adjusted a little bit better... because I can't function on 6 hours of sleep.
Sigh, sometimes I wish he was one of those kids that will sleep whenever. But, then I think about how I really don't want him any other way. :) He is my monkey-man.. and I love him to bits. Even the frustrating times. :)

Busy weekend, busy week!

Phew, we've had a busy, but fun, weekend. Yesterday was our usual sat. morning, but the Mom and Pop Place was crazy busy! Killian likes it with so many kids there, I get a little worried about him sharing and so forth. After lunch at the cafe, we went to my mom's house where Killian took a nap, while I went off to a friend's baby shower. :) It was really nice to see all my old friends from work. After I picked up Killian, it was grocery shopping and home for a relaxing evening. Today, someone got up at 5 am, but we spent the morning cleaning the house. Killian is officially no longer afraid of the vacuum :) In stead, he chases it all over the place. We then went swimming with my friend Megan, and her daughter Maddie for 1.5 hours, and it was time for nap. He was so exhausted and really acting out to prove it to me. After he wakes up from nap, and I regain some energy, we're off to Monkey Joes with Brandi and Keira. I'm hoping that he likes it this time. When we went in the summer, he was just learning the ropes of walking. But now that he climbs, and (trys to) jump and so forth, I'm hoping he'll have fun. I'm also hoping I remember to bring my camera to take some photos :)
Next week is a pretty quiet week as I have off of school. Monday I'm taking off to spend with Killian, and in the afternoon, I'm being trained as a Bookworm volunteer. That's pretty exciting :) Tuesday is off the work and getting my hair cut. Wednesday I have to go to court for a class about the procedures of child support. I'm having alot of stress about this, but I'm not quite sure I'm ready to talk about it yet. On thursday, I'm spending the day in Freedom volunteering in a cross-categorical special education room, to finish up my 20 hours that I need for school. Friday, I'm taking off again to spend with bean. Then it's another weekend! Busy, busy, busy. Seems like life just goes past in a blur.

Books

Well... anyone who knows me well knows that I'm in love with children's books. In love might be an understatement. Anyways, I don't often need to find an extra excuse to buy children's books (almost always used of course), because I always justify it by saying that they'll be used by Killian and all my students to come :) Well.. with swagbucks giving me amazon giftcards, I figure I can use that free money for books :) If you don't know what swagbucks is, see my earlier post. Anyways, I just received one of the books I ordered called If Kisses were Colors by Janet Lawler illustrated by my favorite illustrator Alison Jay. Here's the book cover:

It's the sweetest book about if kisses were colors we'd see all the colors of the rainbow, and if kisses were acorns you'd walk for miles of oaks.. all about the love of a mother (or father) for her/his child. It's simple, yet beautiful. Killian wanted to read it again today. :)

So, I thought I'd share it with all of you. :) In addition, I wanted to share an idea which (I can't take credit for), but I've done for my nephew who lives in Alaska. My family each bought him a book, and recorded ourselves reading it to him. Then we  burned all the tracks onto a cd for him, and shipped it up there. My sister said that he absolutely loves listening to all of our voices. We're doing another CD for him for his birthday, and I'm going to make a cd for Killian. Such a simple thing to do.

Here's how to  do it if you are an owned of a MAC.

1. Open Garage band

2. Record a podcast

3. Pick female or male voice (which ever you are) and press record.

4. When you are finished, press record again and save it.

5. If you save it to your desktop, open up itunes and drag the track into the library

Itunes will convert it to a track, then you can burn it onto a cd.

Pretty easy huh?

Whole Food Eating

So I want to take some time to talk about something a little different, though still very much something that is in my life every day. Eating and cooking.

Last summer, I decided that I not only wanted to start cooking and eating with whole, natural, organic foods, but to also try to each seasonally and locally. At first, I never thought I'd be able to make the switch, but by doing it one meal at a time, and only one meal a week, then two, etc., I now find myself cooking and eating this way without much more work.

I'm going to start including recipes, tips, and everything else that I find helpful on here, so that anyone who has been thinking about making this switch will have a little help.

When Killian and I made this switch, I felt the difference within a few weeks. Getting away from processed foods as much as possible has made me feel healthier. And, as it turns out, cooking has become a beloved hobby. :)

So.. what do I do? Well, for starters, in the spring/summer, I purchase a CSA, a Community Sponsored Agriculture, in which I pay the farmer in the spring, and in the summer and fall, I get a share of the crops. From this, I learned how to cook using the whole fruit/veggie, how to prepare veggies in many different, delicious ways, and how to store these fruits and veggies so that we could enjoy them year-round.
In addition, I started to look at the everyday food items we eat, such as cheese and yogurt, and find ways of making it at home. This not only cuts down on the processing and preservatives, but on the impact on the environment as well. Have you ever looked at where your food is grown, shipped, packaged, and then shipped again? The amount of energy used just for you to get your food is outrageous. Anyways, I've found many easy ways of making food items at home.
1. I make my own mozzarella. It only takes 30 min., and is a delicious treat. You can buy the cultures here.
2. I bought a yogurt maker, and with only a tablespoon (or two) of plain yogurt and a few cups of milk, you can have wonderful homemade yogurt in 8-10 hours.
3. I bought a bread machine (off of craigslist for 5$!!! Look for deals people), and it only takes about 10 min. to set up, pour all my ingredients in, and I let the machine do the rest!
I have many, many other toys for the kitchen that help make my quest for whole, nutritious, homemade food easier, but I'll discuss those as the time goes by.
If you're interested in reading some WONDERFUL books about eating seasonally and locally, I suggest these (in order)
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingslover
The Ominvore's Dilemma by Michael Pollon
In Defense of Food by Michael Pollon
I always suggest books on CD if you, like me, spend time in the car during a commute. I find that I 'read' more books this way. :) All are available at your local library as well.
Hope everyone has a wonderful week!