Halloween favorites! Soup, cookies and a craft.

Halloween is my favorite holiday, next to Christmas. I prepare for it months in advance and just can't stop myself from making my kids' costumes every year (or piecing them together from thrift store finds). So, I'm a little disappointed in myself for not posting something for this spook-a-licious holiday.

If you are a soup connoisseur like I fancy myself to be, you'll love this recipe. I found it in a children's newspaper my kids brought home and tweaked it to my liking.

Butternut Squash Soup

1 large butternut squash
1/4 stick butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
1 T. olive oil
4 c. chicken broth or vegetable broth
4 cloves garlic
3 green onions
1/2 t. each of nutmeg, cinnamon, sea salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper (just a pinch)
1-2 c. plain soymilk, rice milk or milk (to desired consistency)

2 splashes Frank's Redhot (hotsauce)

Cut squash in half and spread most of the butter across the top, then sprinkle with brown sugar.  Place the two halves of the squash on a cookie sheet and bake for one hour or until you can stick a for in it and it is tender.  Allow the squash to cool. Scoop out into a medium sized bowl and discard the seeds and skin. Set aside.  Slice green onions and peel and press the three cloves of garlic.  Place olive oil into a small to medium sized saute pan over medium heat. After warming the oil, place onions and garlic into the pan and stir them until slightly gold.  Add broth and simmer 10 minutes.  Transfer it carefully into a blender along with the squash. Add nutmeg, cinnamon, sea salt and cayenne pepper into the blender or use a hand held blender. Add the milk and blend until pureed. Transfer back to a  medium sized pot and reheat.  I usually taste it here and add more spices!

My kids know that October and December are the only months I make sugar cookies and this recipe is my absolute favorite. One of my dearest neighbors made these every Christmas and we were lucky enough to be on the receiving end. We love to make witches, pumpkins and this year, modified ghosts! (I should have  taken a picture, but everyone loves a good sugar cookie).

Soft Sugar Cookies

1 c. butter or margarine

2 heaping c. powdered sugar

2 eggs

1 (8 oz. sour cream)

1 t. vanilla

1/2 t. baking soda

1.2 t. salt

4 t. baking powder

4 1/2 c. flour

Cream butter and powdered sugar. Add remaining ingredients. Mix and chill for at least 1 hour. Roll dough out and cut into shapes. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 or until golden brown (I take them out before they get golden so they're not crispy, but that's just me).

Frosting:

1 to 2 t. vanilla

1 bag powdered sugar

1 cube margarine or butter

canned milk (just enough to make spreading consistency)

And last, but not least, I had to add a craft. This year I have failed in engaging my kids in any creative activities, but I found these cute Halloween Pals while I was drumming up ideas for my son's Halloween activity at school. The original post where I thought I saw them seems to have disappeared, but there are a ton of cute ideas at http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2009/10/frankenstein-craft.html  

Basically, take a toilet paper roll (or cut a paper towel roll in half if you are a germ-a-phobe) and allow your child to paint it with craft paint (washable is a good idea here). Let it dry completely and add googly eyes,  bat wings, mummy wrappings, spider legs (with pipe cleaners) or a pumpkin stem with tissue paper, etc. Your kids have great imaginations so let them be creative. Here's what we came up with!

Apple-Pear salad with lemon-poppyseed dressing

  Being over-stocked with pears last week, I put some effort into finding some recipes to use them up before they spoiled. I ran across this salad recipe I ripped out of a Southern Living Magazine several years ago, but never made.  It was so good, it's a shame I didn't make it sooner! I tweaked it using the ingredients I had on hand, which I put in parentheses.

1 (16 oz.) package romaine lettuce, thoroughly washed (I used baby spinach)

1 (16 oz.) block swiss cheese, shaved (I omitted the cheese)

1 cup roasted, salted cashews

1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1 large apple, thinly sliced (I used 2)

1 large pear, thinly sliced (I used 2)

Lemon-poppyseed dressing

2/3 cup light olive oil

1/2 cup sugar (I used evaporated cane juice, but you could use honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar)

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 1/2 Tbsp. poppy seeds

2 tsp. finely chopped onion

1 tsp. Dijon mustard (I used honey-mustard)

pinch salt

Process 2/3 cup light olive oil and remaining ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to one week; serve at room temperature.

Granola anyone?

Recently one of my best friends said I had gone granola.  I take that as a compliment. So in honor of her (love ya Beth!) I'm sharing my favorite granola recipes. These recipes are great for a snack or for breakfast. I usually just add some fresh fruit or raisins!

Granola

10 cups rolled oats

1 cup wheat germ

½ lb. shredded coconut

2 cups raw sunflower seeds

1 cup sesame seeds

3 cups almonds, pecans, walnuts or combo of all three (I also added pumpkin seeds to my last batch.)

1 ½ cup brown sugar (or 1/2 t mapeline to avoid sugar)

1 ½ cup water

1 ½ cup vegetable oil

½ cup honey

½ cup molasses (If you sub here add same amount of sugar or honey)

1 ½ t salt

2 t cinnamon

3 t vanilla

Raisins, if desired

Mix first six ingredients.  In another pan combine the brown sugar, water, oil, honey, molasses, salt, cinnamon and vanilla.  Heat until sugar is dissolved but do not boil.  Pour syrup over the dry ingredients and stir until well coated.  Line two to three jellyroll sheets with parchment paper or silpats. Spread granola in thin layer.  Bake 20-30 minutes at 325, stirring occasionally.   Bake 15 minutes longer if you want it crunchier.  This keeps six months.  Makes 20 cups.

Homemade Granola

½ cup shredded coconut

4 cups old fashioned oats

¼ cup wheat germ

1 T. sesame seeds

1 cup almonds

¼ cup sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds)

½ t ground cinnamon

¼ t freshly grated nutmeg

½ cup honey

8 T butter, melted

½ cup golden raisins (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread coconut on top.  Bake until toasted.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 
2. Decrease oven temperature to 300.  Line two baking sheets with parchment; set aside.  In a large bowl, toss together oats, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, almonds, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, stir together honey and butter.  Pour over oat mixture.  Stir well.  Spread onto two sheets.  Bake until golden, about 25 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

Break up granola, sprinkle with raisins and toasted coconut.

Trail Mix

(This is a yummy snack idea from Rachel Ray)

3/4 cup real maple syrup

1 cinnamon stick

1 vanilla bean, split

1 cup oats

1 cup peeled hazelnuts

2 cups whole natural almonds

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup shelled pumpkin or sunflower seeds

1 cup chocolate candy coated peanuts, or chocolate chips (you can pretty much add anything here - butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips, etc, or nothing at all!)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place maple syrup on the stove with cinnamon and vanilla over medium low heat to infuse the flavor. Warm syrup a couple of minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine hazelnuts, almonds, raisins, cranberries and seeds in a bowl. Toss with maple syrup and remove the cinnamon stick and vanilla bean. Spread the maple coated mixture onto a cookie sheet and roast 15 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and transfer to another cold pan, tossing the mix to quick-cool it. Once cool, toss with candy.

You can obviously make substitutions here if you don't have all the ingredients - (use normal cinnamon, vanilla or other nuts, such as cashews, almonds, etc.)

Going Meat-less

So, we're going Meat-less, not meatless. Notice the subtle difference. Why?  I'll give you the ten peso version.  I've been having joint pain on and off for the past four to five years, not to mention a few other bug-a-boos that I was way to young to experience. The last six months got a little bit worse and I was sure as heck not ready to start seeing a doctor for some of these issues. I had seen a doctor four years ago and was tested for lupus, but it was negative.  I stopped drinking milk because of my allergies, and when I tried it again my body rebelled.

Enter my friend Elaine. I knew she and her family ate very little meat and dairy so we discussed some of the reasons and she told me about The China Study. 

The author of the book grew up on a dairy farm, and fully expected a career in science devoted to extolling the virtues of a high protein, animal-based diet. After working in the Philippines with children dying of liver cancer, he unexpectedly found a link between the disease and high intake of animal-based protein.  As his research grew, everything he thought about nutrition began to crumble. He studied many different counties in China and compared them to each other and the Western diet. What he found is that certain diseases don't really exist in China, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and several autoimmune diseases.  The main difference in diet is the amount of animal-based protein consumed by the different counties and cultures.

I was so impressed by the data and research that I decided to make a huge change to our family's diet. We were eating meat at least twice a day every day. We started with baby steps and the kids aren't always thrilled with it, but I do allow them small amounts of cheese and one meat-based meal every week. So far, they've enjoyed most of our meals and they love green smoothies (a daily treat).  Even though the book suggests cutting animal based food out completely, we prefer a more moderate take - and it is working well for us.

Two main questions people ask are, "Where do you get your protein?" and "What do you eat?"  Protein can be found in beans (we love black beans and garbanzo beans), greens (spinach and kale) and whole grains (wheat, brown rice, couscous, and quinoa).  There are a lot of great recipes on http://www.nutritionwise.org/ and you can always adjust recipes you already eat. We love tacos with brown rice, black beans, tomatoes and corn. Spagetti and pizza are great without all the added grease from meat (we use a little cheese). 

The basic premise of the book is that as long as you are eating a large variety of fruit, vegetables and whole grains, your body will get what it needs. That's not to say it's easy, especially for kids, but I can tell you my entire family can tell a difference in how they feel (my 2-year-old stopped having diarrhea after cutting out milk completely), and they are learning they actually like a lot things they didn't think they did. I have been amazed at how far they have come in just a month! If you decide to go completely meatless, you should take a vitamin B12 supplement. Almond and rice milk are great milk substitutes. We haven't tried soy because I am allergic to it.

Here are a few of our favorite recipes.

Lentil Burgers (from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook) - a little time-consuming, but grocery stores carry black bean and veggie burgers that taste good too.

2 1/2 cup water

1/2 chopped onion

1/3 cup brown rice

2 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cup lentils, rinsed and drained

1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

3/4 cup regular rolled oats

2 slightly beaten egg whites

1/2 cup snipped fresh basil or 1 1/2 t dried basil, crushed

1 T worchestershire sauce

2 dashes bottled hot pepper sauce

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or almonds, toasted

8 whole wheat hamburger buns

1. In a medium saucepan combine water, onion, uncooked brown rice, and garlic. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer, covered for 20 minutes. Add lentils. Cover and simmer 25 minutes more or until rice and lentils are tender. Remove from heat.

2. Add garbanzo beans to saucepan; mash the mixture. Stir in oats. Let stand 5 minutes.

3. Combine the egg whites, basil, Worchestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional); add to mixture in pan, stirring to combine. Stir in nuts.

4.  Using about 1/2 cup of mixture for each, shape into eight 1/2 inch-think patties.  Spray a 12-inch skillet with nonstick spray coating. Cook the patties over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes or till light brown, turning once. Serve the patties on buns. Top spinach, lettuce, onion, ketchup, mustard, etc.

Potato wraps

1 package spring roll wrappers (found in the asian section)

5-7 potatoes

1-2 carrots, grated

garlic salt

canola oil

Preheat oven to 475. Clean, cube and boil potatoes until tender.  Mash potatoes and add 1-2 teaspoons garlic salt.  Put 1/2 -1 inch of warm water in a dish large enough to fit spring roll wrapper. Place a wrapper in the water 5-10 seconds, then carefully spread a large spoonful of potatoes on wrapper. Sprinkle grated carrot on top and roll like and egg roll (directions on package) and place on an oiled baking sheet.  Repeat until you have enough for your family (2-3 a piece).  Lightly brush with canola oil and bake until golden (do not burn). It should take between 5-10 minutes, just watch them.  We like to dip them in sweet and sour sauce, but they are good plain also.

Black bean and Fire Roasted Tomato Burritos

1 T canola oil

1/2 diced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can fire-roasted tomatoes (canned tomatoes have a high salt content so I try not to use them often, but the flavor makes the whole dish!)

1 can corn, drained and rinsed (my kids don't love corn so we leave it out).

1 t cumin

1 t. chili powder

whole wheat tortillas (If you are lucky enough to live near an HEB their fresh whole wheat tortillas are amazing!)

guacamole (see my recipe in earlier posts)

Saute garlic and onion in canola oil for a few minutes. Add black beans, tomatoes, corn (if desired), cumin and chili powder. Heat through.  Serve on tortillas with guacamole. I usually let my kids have a little shredded cheese with this one.

 Tasty brown rice

Brown rice tends to be a turn off for the kids, but this is a way to add some flavor.

1 1/2 cups brown rice

3 1/4 cup water

1 teaspoon chicken bouillon (or sub some water for vegetable stock- watch the sodium content)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 diced onion

1 can diced green chiles

Add all ingredients to a large pot and boil until done.

Hopefully these will become some of your family favorites!

Raising boys? Read this!

Hello? Anybody out there? I'm really not sure if this is reaching many people, but I'm going send a shout out to the great void anyway.

So, as many of you know, I have four boys. We have lots of boy fun. I love my boys. They are so straightforward. They wrestle and fight a lot, but they get over things quickly. There is very little drama (okay, maybe not very little, but a small amount comparatively). There is one downside, though. There is a trend sweeping the ranks of boyhood and manhood worldwide. Boys are becoming lazier. The statistics are quite telling.  Boys Adrift, by Leonard Sax, explains five factors that are effecting boys' motivation.

In a nutshell, we currently face a lot of environmental factors that didn't exist 30 years ago. Things like plastic bottles, phalates, pesticides, and video gaming are relatively new factors.  Manufactured products contain things like BPA and artificial hormones that interfere with the motivation sensors in the male brain, as does video gaming. After reading this book, I felt a little bit overwhelmed with what I could do to change any of this, even with the suggestions listed in the book. (I think limiting my kids to 40 minutes of video gaming a day is the hardest part!) As a result, I began exploring ways to purify my home and the food that my children eat. In short, I looked for effective ways to "go green."

After my initial reaction of trying to ban all plastic from my home and buying organic everything, I realized I needed to find a balance because I couldn't afford all the changes that I wanted to make. Luckily, around the time I made these changes, I also discovered Doterra Essential oils.  I don't want this to sound like a commercial, but I have found so many alternative solutions for cleaning that I had to share.

I am a clean freak. After years of using harsh chemicals and products like disinfecting wipes, my hands were thrashed and I knew that by inhaling the vapors and coming into contact with ingredients I couldn't even pronounce I was potentially putting myself and my children at risk. (Read more about harsh chemicals and cleaning agents here.) I remembered reading an article in a Family Circle magazine that talked about alternative cleaning products, namely Melaleuca (tea tree oil), and I just so happened to have recently purchased Melaleuca. I read about the antigermicidal, antifungal, antibacterial and immune-boosting properties of Melaleuca and decided to try it on my shower. I mixed several drops of Melaleuca in a water bottle, sprayed it on, and watched it get rid of the mildew and mold on my shower floor (I had just cleaned it with Tilex with no results.) Now, I spray my shower with it daily and the mildew has not returned.

I also use lemon oil because it also has cleansing qualities and I love the smell. I use it instead of Lysol wipes on my countertops and floors. It has also replaced Windex for me. It is fab-u-lous. The most exciting about lemon oil is it breaks down impurities so I use it to clean my fruits and vegetables when I can't afford to buy organic. I also put a little in my water each day to cleanse my system and it's great for tummy aches!

My new favorite cleaner is a special Doterra blend called Purify. It contains a blend of different oils and can get rid of nasty odors. Case in point: many of my friends get to hear me complain about the smell that three boys leave in a restroom. The caulking around my toilet is disintegrating because of the urine (sorry to gross you out, but if you have boys you know what I'm talking about). I can't get rid of the smell and I have used many different cleaners. This week I tried Purify and am happy to report the smell is gone and doesn't come back as quickly as when I use harsh cleaners. I will never be without it!  The best part about all of this is that these oils contain no phalates, pesticides or synthetic fillers unlike other brands you can find at the store.

I feel so empowered in my home. That is a great feeling. There are also oils to help with other issues that boys face, such as ADD and ADHD - which can be worsenend, according to the author of the book, by prescriptions such as Ritalin.  I want to empower other mothers to take control of their homes, and this is why I wanted to share. This is just the beginning of my love affair with Essential Oils.

Now, I'm going to turn off the Wii...their 40 minutes are up!

P.S. I just wanted to add this because not all oils are safe to ingest!  Doterra Essential oils are pure and safe to ingest because they contain no synthetic fillers, pesticides, weeds, etc. If you'd like more info about Doterra oils click here.

Cure for the blues

It feels like I've been walking around with a storm cloud over my head for the past two years.  I think that's just my perception. Ever notice when you get the blues it colors your memories? I've been a pretty good journaler in the past but the last year has been especially challenging because life has just gotten busier. So, tonight, as I waded in the doldrums of life, I decided to take a peek into my life as it was a year ago to see if it was really as bad as I was imagining. What I found really surprised me.  During that time I made it a goal to find the positive in life. This journal entry really gave me the giggles and I'm so glad I recorded it to remind myself that there is always a bright side to every situation.

Prayers.  We say a lot of them.  Jacob especially loves to pray at mealtime.  He often gets upset if he is not chosen to say the prayer and will offer his own after whoever gives the prayer is done – if he’s in one of those moods.  It’s a good thing that my children love to pray.  I love what they say in their prayers, especially Jacob.  Usually he has his eyes fluttering open and closed to make sure everyone is closing their eyes.

“He’nly Father, please bless us to say prayers.”

“Bless us to be good.”

“Bless Mommy to not be naughty.”

These are just a few of his regular prayers. 

                Garrett is my other pray-er.  He is the first to suggest a prayer when we have lost something or there is contention in the house.  He often teaches me by example and he knows that Heavenly Father will answer him.  Except for today.  Today, Garrett took a flying leap off the couch.  He landed with a thud and when he sat up he said, “Mom, I just prayed for a long time in the bathroom that I could fly, so how come I can’t?” 

                Well, I admire his diligence and his trust in Heavenly Father, but how do I answer this one.  I did my best to explain that God always answers, but sometimes it’s not the answer we want.  I told him Heavenly Father wants him to be safe, so he probably wouldn’t help him fly – not to mention that nobody in the history of mankind has ever flown on his own.  He accepted this and then went to pray to be invisible. 

   So, my cure for the blues turned out to be my own experience. I am so glad I decided to write in my journal last year because it has given me something to smile about this year. I know that when I wrote this experience I was struggling with my two-year-old, but I found the simple joys and wrote about them. Maybe this can give you some inspiration to write your positive experiences. You might need them someday!

Gardening with Kiddos

So now your garden is up and growing right? I've been having fun growing things and learning how to garden with a toddler. The American Community Gardening Association is a great resource for ideas. I've included some of their thoughts as well as my own...

• Let kids enjoy the process of gardening without worrying so much about the end result. I know this can be rough because you put a lot of work into it. We've had quite a few squished strawberries because 2 yr old feet have strayed off the garden path but my little one has loved picking and eating strawberries in her own way and I've loved watching. It may be that the only thing you grow is a gardener :).
• Go through seed catalog, pick seeds based on plants that look appealing to your kids. Maybe try a new, exotic plant each year (we tried peanuts a few years back and it was really fun and surprising to see how peanuts grow).
• My daughter loves planting seeds. She doesn't really think much about them after they're in the ground (and sometimes I go back and pick them up later) but she loves poking holes in the soil, dropping in the seeds and burying them.
• Let your kids help you problem solve, is there a bug eating your crops? Send your child out to investigate and see what he/she can find out. Here are a few questions to get them started: What kind of holes does it make in the leaves? Does it leave a trail of any sort? Do you notice any webs nearby? Can you think of a way to try to catch the culprit? Is the damage enough that we need to worry about it? Let your kids feel invested in the problem solving process (be it disease, malnutrition or bugs) and the solution.
• Try relinquishing a section of the garden where your kids can plant/tend/harvest however they'd like. If they're old enough, encourage them to have a garden journal to jot down observations or draw pictures of their garden. They can also measure plants, tracking their growth and counting their yield through the season,
  
• One of my friends sends her kids out to pick bugs off the plants.
• Research and grow some edible flowers
• Let your child select some colorful flowers to plant in with your vegetables. They'll help attract bees.
• Plant a Sweet 100 Cherry Tomato plant and let your kids pick and eat to their hearts content.
• Target has some decent children's gardening tools in the dollar spot. It's always easier to work with tools that are the right size.
• Make a teepee out of a pole bean or a vining plant. Use bamboo stakes to form the teepee and then plant around the outside and help the vining plant to trellis up. Use this as a novel focal point in your garden or a fun hideout.
• If you're using containers, let your kids paint/decorate the pots.
• Make vegetable markers. There are SO many ideas out there for creative plant markers or let your kids come up with something themselves.
• Plant seeds in a pattern, a shape, your child's initial, etc.
• Get a seedling tray and a seed packet and let your little one see how many seedlings he/she can get to grow. I've heard that people actually get paid based on their germination rate (the percentage of seedlings that sprout from the seeds planted).
• I find that my daughter can manage better if we can keep our garden maintenance fairly short in duration. Our max is about 10 minutes. Sometimes that means we're out there 2 or 3 times a day but it's enjoyable for both of us. The weeds will still be there for me to pick tomorrow :).
• We're gonna get dirty. And it's good.
• Make leaf prints, seed collages, dry flowers, garden portraits, bug profiles.
• Facilitate, try not to micromanage too much. This is hard for me but I'm working on it.
• And if you really want to go the extra miles, after an activity, do something to reinforce what everyone has learned. Talk about what went on, who did what, who saw what.

I have looked forward to gardening with my little girl for a long time and though our days out there aren't always perfect, I think I will look back on our time in the garden as some of our happiest moments.

What kinds of things have you done with your kids?