I have a friend who works at a really cool organization called Children of the Nations. It's all about supporting children in developing nations so they can grow up to postively influence their part of the world (and thus the whole world...neat, huh??). My friend is working to fundraise for a learning trip to Africa, and needs some help. Here's a link with more information: Help My Friend Melissa!
Anything you can do will be appreciated and will make a difference!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Curried Udon Noodles with Vegetables
Yeah, that's right. My kids ate this.
Okay, they did not eat much and seemed to prefer the rice with salt and pepper. BUT. They both at least tried it, and Reese might have even had more than one bite.
Every couple weeks I get a craving for curry. This recipe came from Veganomicon. It's just a touch "busy" (not exactly complicated, but a lot of steps). I don't mind, but if I get too distracted when I'm trying to cook it, bad things happen (like the first roux that I burned...whoops). I love it, you can use any curry powder mix you want and it turns out awesomely.
I probably owe you some meals. It was a boring weekend, eating-wise. On Saturday I sweet-talked Eric into making waffles for dinner. On Sunday we were at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, GA. Many deepfried foodstuffs were eaten. When we got home, I was hungry because of the slim vegan food pickings, so I ate a tofu spread and veggie wrap. No big deal there.
Yeah, excuses. It's only October 11th and I'm kind of regretting saying I'd post a pic of our meals every night. That's hard. I'll keep at it though. I'm thinking about joining up for the Vegan MOFO (vegan month of food) in November, but I'm not sure I can take so many food pics and post them two months in a row. I'd have to dig deep. Hah.
I guess I have time to decide. What do you think, readers?
Okay, they did not eat much and seemed to prefer the rice with salt and pepper. BUT. They both at least tried it, and Reese might have even had more than one bite.
That's a bok choy Reese is nomming on. When I was her age, I had no idea bok choy existed. And if I knew it did, I don't know that I would have tried it. She's chill like that, trying new foods.
Every couple weeks I get a craving for curry. This recipe came from Veganomicon. It's just a touch "busy" (not exactly complicated, but a lot of steps). I don't mind, but if I get too distracted when I'm trying to cook it, bad things happen (like the first roux that I burned...whoops). I love it, you can use any curry powder mix you want and it turns out awesomely.
I probably owe you some meals. It was a boring weekend, eating-wise. On Saturday I sweet-talked Eric into making waffles for dinner. On Sunday we were at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, GA. Many deepfried foodstuffs were eaten. When we got home, I was hungry because of the slim vegan food pickings, so I ate a tofu spread and veggie wrap. No big deal there.
Yeah, excuses. It's only October 11th and I'm kind of regretting saying I'd post a pic of our meals every night. That's hard. I'll keep at it though. I'm thinking about joining up for the Vegan MOFO (vegan month of food) in November, but I'm not sure I can take so many food pics and post them two months in a row. I'd have to dig deep. Hah.
I guess I have time to decide. What do you think, readers?
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thursday's Dinner and a Freak Out
I forgot to take a picture of dinner last night. It was a variation on the Chickpea Cutlets recipe from Veganomicon, oven fries, and fruit. I love the Chickpea cutlets because they are so fast and easy, and kids will usually eat them. You can make a bunch and freeze/reheat them as needed, too. I'm pretty sure you can google that one, or just go buy Veganomicon because it's such an awesome cookbook.
And now for the Freak Out, homeschool style.
I post on a couple messageboards, one of them being a cloth diaper sewing board. On the homeschool forum, mamas are constantly posting about their curriculum, or if they should buy this curriculum, or is that curriculum any good? I have discovered that some homeschooling families have curriculum for EVERYTHING. Handwriting? Curriculum. Grammar? Curriculum. Spelling? Curriculum. I'm not saying this is bad or wrong, but it sends me into a tizzy every time I read one of those threads.
Our curriculum? Singapore Math. And a phonics on tape program I found at a garage sale that no one has ever heard of. Oh and I pick and choose from the 4 Blocks program that I used to teach. We use the library a TON.
Uh. That's it.
I read a post about the merits of two different handwriting curriculums and spent the rest of the afternoon on a curriculum website debating on buying it. Thank goodness I didn't because I came to my senses later and realized we don't need that. But this is what I mean by Freak Out.
I even fired off a message to a close friend of mine who happens to homeschool her children to ask if she thought I was worrying too much. And to find out what THEY do because I really respect her as a mother and fellow homeschooler, and her kids are awesome.
It doesn't matter what she said they do, because honestly, every homeschooling family MUST find their own way, they MUST do what is right for their situation. But her main message was DON'T WORRY. Spending time with my children, doing cool things with them, reading to them...those things are more valuable than any curriculum.
And in the aftermath of my freak out, I agree. Perhaps because I taught in a charter school that didn't have an organized curriculum, I feel comfortable going it on my own. I have a curriculum writing background, I have access to the education standards in my state (everyone does, by the way). We are going to be okay, probably more than okay.
As with anything, going it without the support of a curriculum isn't for everyone. I have to embrace that at this moment, it's right for US. And I have to say, I'm quite happy that it is.
Freak out over. Phew.
And now for the Freak Out, homeschool style.
I post on a couple messageboards, one of them being a cloth diaper sewing board. On the homeschool forum, mamas are constantly posting about their curriculum, or if they should buy this curriculum, or is that curriculum any good? I have discovered that some homeschooling families have curriculum for EVERYTHING. Handwriting? Curriculum. Grammar? Curriculum. Spelling? Curriculum. I'm not saying this is bad or wrong, but it sends me into a tizzy every time I read one of those threads.
Our curriculum? Singapore Math. And a phonics on tape program I found at a garage sale that no one has ever heard of. Oh and I pick and choose from the 4 Blocks program that I used to teach. We use the library a TON.
Uh. That's it.
I read a post about the merits of two different handwriting curriculums and spent the rest of the afternoon on a curriculum website debating on buying it. Thank goodness I didn't because I came to my senses later and realized we don't need that. But this is what I mean by Freak Out.
I even fired off a message to a close friend of mine who happens to homeschool her children to ask if she thought I was worrying too much. And to find out what THEY do because I really respect her as a mother and fellow homeschooler, and her kids are awesome.
It doesn't matter what she said they do, because honestly, every homeschooling family MUST find their own way, they MUST do what is right for their situation. But her main message was DON'T WORRY. Spending time with my children, doing cool things with them, reading to them...those things are more valuable than any curriculum.
And in the aftermath of my freak out, I agree. Perhaps because I taught in a charter school that didn't have an organized curriculum, I feel comfortable going it on my own. I have a curriculum writing background, I have access to the education standards in my state (everyone does, by the way). We are going to be okay, probably more than okay.
As with anything, going it without the support of a curriculum isn't for everyone. I have to embrace that at this moment, it's right for US. And I have to say, I'm quite happy that it is.
Freak out over. Phew.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Sometimes it works...
sometimes it does not. And that's okay. And this is what happens to it:
This was a butternut squash, carrot, onion, and rice crockpot meal. Yeah. No. Although Eric did say the flavor was fine, but the squash got all mushy because the rice took a thousand hours to cook. I'm undecided if we'll give this recipe another go or not.
And here's a picture of something NOT gross! Reese and Eli went to their first play ever today. It was called If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Other Stories. We got to go to the River Center. Oh la la, fancy! It was a good time, for the most part.
The not great part was the cranky ushers. We walked in and they tried to make us sit way off to the side "to make room for the school groups." Uh, excuse me. We ARE a school group. A small one, but still. Maybe if they want to have control over where we sit, they should assign seat numbers when we purchase tickets.
Anyway, I'm hoping we can go back in March for another performance geared to younger kids. The kids said they would like to go again. I might have to find some books about theater production too because Eli was fascinated by the control room and the lights.
This was a butternut squash, carrot, onion, and rice crockpot meal. Yeah. No. Although Eric did say the flavor was fine, but the squash got all mushy because the rice took a thousand hours to cook. I'm undecided if we'll give this recipe another go or not.
And here's a picture of something NOT gross! Reese and Eli went to their first play ever today. It was called If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Other Stories. We got to go to the River Center. Oh la la, fancy! It was a good time, for the most part.
The not great part was the cranky ushers. We walked in and they tried to make us sit way off to the side "to make room for the school groups." Uh, excuse me. We ARE a school group. A small one, but still. Maybe if they want to have control over where we sit, they should assign seat numbers when we purchase tickets.
Anyway, I'm hoping we can go back in March for another performance geared to younger kids. The kids said they would like to go again. I might have to find some books about theater production too because Eli was fascinated by the control room and the lights.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Tuesday...whoops...Wednesday Round Up!
I guess I missed Tuesday round up. How did it get to be Wednesday already? Could it be that I spent all day yesterday sewing? This is a Marigold Skirt, this lovely pattern right HERE
It was a challenging pattern, not really difficult, but lots to think about and endless variations. Definitely a keeper!
And then I guess you have to feed people, huh? This was a back up dinner. My original dinner was a crock pot meal that I was testing, and it wasn't ready in time. Luckily, I tend to have a couple quickie convenience meals all ready in the freezer. This was sloppy lentils, pita bread, oranges, and a white bean dip.
Other things that have been going on:
The kids have been sick. It's a drag because we can't really go anywhere with sick kids. Eli seems to be well on his way to healthy, and Reese is on the mend. Maybe next week we can do more stuff?
Have I mentioned my pro-vegan coloring book? Well, I made one. I need to look it over one more time, and then as soon as I have some dollars, I'll make some copies. Several people have expressed interest, and I'm considering opening an etsy for this kind of thing. We shall see. Anyway, it's a cute little coloring book, I hope lots of people will want to share it with their kids.
I went to a La Leche League conference last Saturday and it was awesome. It's exciting to know that LLL is alive and well in Georgia. It was nice to spend time with so many likeminded people, and hear some great speakers.
I guess that's all! Have a great Wednesday, everyone!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Stir Fry!
We had stir fry for dinner, and I think I've mentioned before that it's one of my go-to meals. It ends up on the table a lot, especially when I need to use up some veggies. I didn't take a picture because I forgot until we were done eating and figured you didn't really need to see a crummy picture of some mostly empty bowl of stir fry. Besides, I think I've posted pics of it before. It was the same as I always make it.
Some people have asked about my stir fry sauce. I used to buy commercially made sauces, until I found a delicious stiry fry sauce recipe on a blog called Luciana's Vegan Kitchen. I tried to link directly to her blog, but man, blogger is being a cranky You-Know-What tonight and I have other stuff to do. So I'll just type it out for you real quick if you promise to google Luciana's Vegan Kitchen and check out her blog.
Infinitely Adaptable Stir Fry Sauce
1/4 cup low sodium tamari (just soy sauce is okay)
1/4 cup orange juice (or whatever citrus-y juice you have on hand...ask me how I know)
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp dry sherry white wine or mirin
3 tbsp brown sugar or agave necter
2 cloves garlic, minced (I shredded mine with my handy microplane)
1 rounded tbsp ginger (you can use dried or fresh)
1 tsp chili garlic paste
2 tsp sesame oil
Basically you whisk this stuff in a bowl. Pour it in your stir fry. I usually pour it in after the aromatics are sauteed (see how fancy and chef-like I am!), right when I put the broccoli in to steam. At the end. I like to thicken my sauce with a little cornstarch.
It looks like a lot of ingredients and I know that turns some people off, but throwing this sauce together takes like six minutes. Maybe. It's really fast. Enjoy!
Some people have asked about my stir fry sauce. I used to buy commercially made sauces, until I found a delicious stiry fry sauce recipe on a blog called Luciana's Vegan Kitchen. I tried to link directly to her blog, but man, blogger is being a cranky You-Know-What tonight and I have other stuff to do. So I'll just type it out for you real quick if you promise to google Luciana's Vegan Kitchen and check out her blog.
Infinitely Adaptable Stir Fry Sauce
1/4 cup low sodium tamari (just soy sauce is okay)
1/4 cup orange juice (or whatever citrus-y juice you have on hand...ask me how I know)
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp dry sherry white wine or mirin
3 tbsp brown sugar or agave necter
2 cloves garlic, minced (I shredded mine with my handy microplane)
1 rounded tbsp ginger (you can use dried or fresh)
1 tsp chili garlic paste
2 tsp sesame oil
Basically you whisk this stuff in a bowl. Pour it in your stir fry. I usually pour it in after the aromatics are sauteed (see how fancy and chef-like I am!), right when I put the broccoli in to steam. At the end. I like to thicken my sauce with a little cornstarch.
It looks like a lot of ingredients and I know that turns some people off, but throwing this sauce together takes like six minutes. Maybe. It's really fast. Enjoy!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Tonight's dinner was lentil tacos. Lentil tacos are a staple food at our house. It's a kid friendly meal, very easy to prepare, and definitely tastes good. I use this recipe, subbing vegan ingredients where needed. I don't have a picture from our dinner, but trust me, it was good.
It was a quiet day here. I took a bath, did some sewing, went to the library with Reese, and we took a long walk around our apartment community. Nice Sunday.
Tomorrow is back to our busy-ness. We have a homeschool gathering at a local park Monday, we're going to see a play on Thursday, and there's a gathering with some homeschool friends on Friday.
It was a quiet day here. I took a bath, did some sewing, went to the library with Reese, and we took a long walk around our apartment community. Nice Sunday.
Tomorrow is back to our busy-ness. We have a homeschool gathering at a local park Monday, we're going to see a play on Thursday, and there's a gathering with some homeschool friends on Friday.
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